OK, I'm the X-wing player who thought getting one simple set of Armada to play on the off-night, save your laughter please....I know: the rabbit hole....I'm down the X-wing one already.

Anywho, I got very good recommendations, but I was wondering if I could just buy/use Capitol ships?

Something like:

Starter Set

(Victory-class Star Destroyer,

Nebulon-B frigate,

CR90 Corellian Corvette)

Dice set

Imperial-class Star Destroyer

Gladiator-class Star Destroyer

Home One MC30 Frigate

MC30c Frigate Expansion Pack

Be easy, don't laugh or yell too much.... Thanks all

You certainly can just play with capital Ships... But you will be playing a smaller game unless you really buy up on Capital Ships.

You'll get TIE fighters and X-Wings in the Core Set, anyway...

And I personally feel that, without experiencing everything, you're doing yourself a disservice

This is not a bad plan. It gets you a fair amount of variety with out going the "Buy everything!" route. I would recommend throwing a Raider or a Rogues & Villains in there just to round out the set.

You'll be able to play a few varied games for a while. Then the itch will set in and you'll get some some squadron packs, then some redundant smalls. In a year or so you'll have at least two of everything because that's just how it goes.

But you won't be doing all that in one go. Plus, you have suggestions for gifts come birthday/holiday times.

It really depends on what you see yourself wanting to do with it. Evaluate your experience from X-wing: were you competitive, did you just like playing with some friends on a weekend, or did you just play at home with yourself/someone else? What you did there will probably carry over. If you know that you are going to compete, then consider what ships you'd want to compete with so that you can by only those and save money. You can peruse the fleet build forum for some good ideas (or checking out Shmitty's regionals data would probably be most beneficial). If you're just looking to be able to let a friend borrow the empire ships while you play the rebels, then that would mean more money, but it would also help with other people making suggestions on here.

Every so often, about once every week or two, someone will sell their entire set on eBay for about 60-70% of retail, complete with carrying kits and all. If you're looking to be able to support 2 players with your own kit, then that would probably be the best option. It takes the fun out of getting them new in the box, but it's an option. You could probably find a core set with several expansions for the same retail price as just a core set.

I'm not experienced enough to make piecewise suggestions, but I will say that having more of the small ships is fun for the rebels. And that the rebels are more fun in general as they require more skill in order to win. Also, they're the good guys.

Edit: and there is a lot of shorthand on these forums, but somebody somewhere has links and more forums for understanding all of it. I'm basically suggesting you do a lot of research and self-reflecting before buying in because that is exactly what I do before committing a lot of money to anything. Research.

Ah, no worries Clan o' Wolves. Even if it stays a side game to something else, I hope it treats you well! Your list of potential purchases is a fairly good one to get the full experience in different types of roles, movement, and tactics involved across both factions. While I'd likely suggest an additional CR90 just as I think they look quite nice in pairs and they can do quite a bit in a support role or an attack role. Moreover, you can use them to really get a handle on wolf pack tactics for groups of small ships, (something approaching a TIE swarm for X-wing). It's still good to see how groups of small ships mutually support one another.

Just going for the 'price' aspect, The GSD vs. Raider would be a matter of taste for which ship you want. I know 'Demo' is super competitive, but neither is absolutely required in a list, neither is the MC30. So one or the other might be perfectly fine depending on personal taste.

While I'm a big believer in the squadron game, and anything less than 6 flights in a fleet feels really uncomfortable to me, I think with the core set you'll get a good idea of some of how it works. From there on, you and your mates can decide if you want to add some Rogues and Villains to add some independent firepower, or the odd squadron pack to expand that experience as well to make it feel more like a full Star Wars battle.

I think you're well on your way mate, best of luck and we're always here if you need help or advice on stuff.

You Will need the maneuver tool and either a second hand range/distance ruler or one of the 3rd party acrylic jobs. I think you will be missing out on something though if you don't get at least a few fighters.

Tell you what, just sell your X-Wing stuff and just dive in. You will be happy you did

You could get 400 points out of that. You would want squadrons later on though

Clanofwolves, your purchase list sounds great! You will have enough to play full 400 point games, learn the system, and most of all have fun.

If you are playing 400 point games, you will probably need to use similar fleets each game, but you will still get variety just from the different objectives and upgrades to keep things interesting for a while, especially if it's not your main game. And for something different, you'll also have enough to play Take The Station with 4 players.

And I don't think you absolutely need the maneuver tool because that's easy to share. Definitely the dice pack is a good idea because you will have ships that can use a lot of dice.

Best bet is to watch the net for stuff to go on sale. People are pretty good about posting sales here when they find them. Another thing you miss out on if you don't get the core set is the upgrade cards. Those you can buy online as well, but I've seen core sets down around $60.

Best bet is to watch the net for stuff to go on sale. People are pretty good about posting sales here when they find them. Another thing you miss out on if you don't get the core set is the upgrade cards. Those you can buy online as well, but I've seen core sets down around $60.

A sale would be great, I'm going to keep my list and look for a good used set (as stated above) or a great sale....CoolStuff had one a few weeks ago on X-wing items, it saved quite a bit (like half) off retail. Any assistance on finding these is greatly appreciated!

Nice group of chaps I've read on this forum; seems there's a few less salty ones than the X-Wing side haha!

Tell you what, just sell your X-Wing stuff and just dive in. You will be happy you did

As you already know; that'll never happen haha!!

Honestly having 1 set of each fighter pack is pretty fun.

You actually got into the game at the right time.

Armada is in a fairly great spot to get into the game. If you bought one of every current ship out, at full retail, it would only cost you $500. That is a pretty cheap buy in for a miniature game. Naturally you don't need to do this to play. If you choose a side, after the starter a couple more ships and your easily able to play 400 points and your able to be competitive at it.

But the real reason your in the right time, is by the time you buy some of the basics that are out, your going to have the new releases to buy and that will shape your purchases. There are plenty of people on this board who own several Victory, or several gladiators. While you might be an obsessive compulsive that does that, chances are that people buying into the game now and the future won't as they have other options.

Ah, good point. Is this a good deal? ...and a good/reputable source?

http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Star-Wars/Fantasy-Flight-Games/9781616619930?gclid=CPn846TPyM0CFdcTgQodnFcBzw

Star Wars : Armada Tabletop Miniatures Game
by Fantasy Flight Games

• Sale Price $61.86

Yep, that's about what you can get it for through Amazon on any given day. On eBay the auctioned ones typically go for $40-$60 with free shipping, depending on the condition of they contents. Also, FYI, you won't find a used Victory class star destroyer for sale without a broken antenna. Life, death, taxes, and breaking that antenna are the only certain things in life. It's not a big deal at all, and you probably won't even notice it. So don't worry if the description has that in there.

Amazon is a bit cheaper today:

Needs more Star Destroyer

Welcome to the "kid in a candystore" phase of Armada! Enjoy it.