Time constraints having kept my son and I from playing for a while, but we sat down to a game yesterday (in which he spanked me mightily.)

It hit me again, what a great game Armada really is!

Granted it's a bit pricey, but once you get a good selections of ships the replay-ability of the game makes it rank close to the top of my all time favorites.

I check the forums pretty regularly and if you went by what you read, a new player wouldn't ever take a chance on it. There are far too many complaints about this that and the other. The reality is that Armada while not perfect is very well done, with great depth and a good (but not great) value when replayed over time.

Constructive criticism is always a good thing, but those who leave long hyper-emotive rants about how terrible the game is, sell you're stuff on eBay and find another game. There are plenty out there.

The models alone are worth the price of the starter box. I'm looking forward to my first game.

It is certainly cheaper than most miniature games imo.

Xmarx> I run into that same thing for a lot of different computer games. I'll be enjoying the hell out of something and then go to the forums to find out how "terrible" of a game it is. I still value these forums because a lot of the discussions help clear up the rules.

My friend and I are brand new players and are still hammering out our understanding of the rules. First play thru we just each picked a miniature and ran around the living room chasing each other making "PEW PEW! I GOT YOU!" and screaming back "NO YOU DIDN'T!" "YES I DID!" and so on until we got tired of having to much fun and started reading rule books . haha

I just don't get why people complain. . . They game is always in flux which is fine. That means there is no overarching list or build that wins.

I see people complain about the mechanics but they are spot in in my opinion. They wish for things that will complicate the game and drastically change how the game plays which is not the best of ideas to be honest.

Think on what it would be like if all my Assault Frigates had to do was get within distance 3 of a ship and launch 4 squadrons of B-Wings that you could not stop prior (or 3 Squadrons of B's and a HWK) do you know how swingy that would make the game.

People want extra points in squadrons but that changes the way lists are built. Now EVERYONE has squadrons and suddenly the games slow down. Now you have people just taking squadrons just for the sake of it and so list building reflects that.

So many rule complaints but it just screams of people not understanding the reasons why they are there in the first place.

I'm still amazed at the balance in this game everytime I play

It's a ton of fun without a lot of the hypercompetitiveness I see in other systems. Plus you meet THIS cast of characters.

It's a ton of fun without a lot of the hypercompetitiveness I see in other systems. Plus you meet THIS cast of characters.

We are an eccentric bunch.

I have to rant periodically about Vader but otherwise I love the game! I like to keep things positive as well.

And I know what you mean about forum negativity (General Armada forum isn't bad, but it does go through phases) so many of you may have heard of a game coming out, well tomorrow, it's called Hearts Of Iron 4. Anyway Great game in a great series (ww2 grand strategy) I have been watching press pre-release live streams and whatnot lately and I am super excited for it. I decided to check the forum and 90% of the people complaining about how TERRIBLE the AI is or how Grossly UNREALISTIC this or that is. And mind you none of these guys of ever played the game. Made me almost regret my pre-order lol. But then I went and watched Another live stream and remembered the internet is the home of Most Idiots

I just don't get why people complain.

People complain for a variety of reasons, already we have: "Well it's the internet" and most people who are happy playing the game are at home playing the game and having fun.

For the most part though, people complain because they care enough about something and they feel that it can be improved. Now, with regards to this you say the game is fine, someone else doesn't like ramming and complains about ramming. Neither person is right, the game designers are quite able to in future FAQ's turn around and say "we had a think and ramming is terrible" or ignore the complaint because it is working as intended.

This sort of complaint is quite reasonable, in a game like this where the development is ongoing questioning that design makes for a stronger and better game. The discussion that ensues is good for all, having people that enjoy the game enough to want to see it improve, not a bad thing at all.

You have the guy that has a tactical problem "Help me beat Demolisher Obi Wan, you are my only hope." some times this can be presented in a more negative way "Demolisher is broken, ban/nerf it now!" Again, this isn't a bad thing, developers will be able to see what players see, and the discussion, if it remains positive and helpful may result in a whole mess of players gaining something.

As you can see I like the idea that we can discuss and disagree on things. As long as the discussion remains positive and helpful it can be quite fun. I would suggest that most people around here fall into this group. We are mostly having fun writting stuff about a game we like to play and talk about. It is a small world in our hobby some of us I am sure see names that they recognise from other places.

Then you have the guy that just wants to complain for no good reason than he has a grievance and wants to tell the world.

I got the starter when it came out, but last weekend at a convention I decided to go "all in" and let a booth vendor give me a good deal on the entire Wave 1 and 2. I also can't wait to play my first big game soon