Heyo. Mostly been lurking around here, occasionally posting in the x-wing forums. Armada keeps catching my eye though, it looks like a pretty cool game. But I don't have a ton of cash and I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on what to get in order to just be able to build a couple of different builds per side, just something me and my friends can play casually but still have enough cool stuff to make it interesting.

Heyo. Mostly been lurking around here, occasionally posting in the x-wing forums. Armada keeps catching my eye though, it looks like a pretty cool game. But I don't have a ton of cash and I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on what to get in order to just be able to build a couple of different builds per side, just something me and my friends can play casually but still have enough cool stuff to make it interesting.

Core, normally we would advise one each, but you dont really need to for casual play with each other. Sharing dice, damage cards and maneuver tools isnt going to be a struggle.

Then you want to add these:

Assault Frigate

Rebel Squads

Rogues and Villains

Gladiator

Imperial Squads

Raider

And from there you should be able to play 300 points games. Add an Imperial Star Destroyer and MC80 Liberty for 400pts.

How much you got to work with? Alook amazon has discounts on some expansion packs

I think you'll want to concentrate on one side, Reb/Imperial, follow your passion. That cuts your costs by 1/2 right there :-)

If you haven't already you might want to get connected to your local Armada community. You might be surprised but sometimes someone has extra toys around so you can get in and play a game or two just to see what it's like and that'll help you form some opinions as far as which toys to get!

I think you'll want to concentrate on one side, Reb/Imperial, follow your passion. That cuts your costs by 1/2 right there :-)

If you haven't already you might want to get connected to your local Armada community. You might be surprised but sometimes someone has extra toys around so you can get in and play a game or two just to see what it's like and that'll help you form some opinions as far as which toys to get!

This is what I always recommend to people considering getting into the game. Not only will it tell you which side you want to start out on, but it'll tell you if the game itself is really a good fit for you. Just a couple of games using somebody else's complete collection will give you pretty good context when you go to start making your own purchases.

If that's not an option for you, though, I second the advice above.

Get together with a friend, buy two core sets, and one person keeps rebels and the other keeps Imperials. From there just find what ships interest you and you can field a reasonably competitive fleet with just a few more purchases. If you let us know which side you want to play and the type of admiral you think you are we can be more specific. (Lots of ships, few ships, carriers, focus on one big Christmas tree, etc)

Do you want to point your ships towards your enemy or deliver broadsides.

obviously you'll need a core set,

I really feel like you HAVE to get an ISD. it's the iconic ship that you play this game to fly. it's also very good. and the model is just awesome. I'd get a fighter pack for each faction, either an assault frigate or MC80, the assault frigate is better, but the MC80 is more iconic, and It's a fun ship to play with. after that, I'd get a gladiator, and whatever rebel ship you didn't already get, and a rogues and villains pack. you may want to grab a dice set and additional maneuver tool. they're not too expensive, and 3 of each die just isn't enough. So to sum up:

1. Core set

2. ISD and Assault Frigate or MC80, and Rebel and Imperial Squadron packs, Dice Pack

3. AF or MC80, Gladiator, Rogues and Villains, second Maneuver Tool

after that I think you'll have an idea of what you want. I would also recommend proxying(sp?) upgrade cards you don't have, like TRCs for your cr90, XI7s, I don't know exactly what cards come in what, but you can use one of the many fleet builders to choose upgrades. I recommend Fab's or armada warlords. (the battlescribe app is great too, but it isn't until you know what the upgrades do)

I'd also like to add Ebay:

They're great for picking up promo XI7s and Leading Shots.

I'd recommend finding somebody else who wants to get involved and swapping models from you core sets. That'll give you a solid base of either Imperials or Rebels to work from. I'd then suggest at least two box sets of the first squadron expansion for the particular faction you've chosen. I'd then say you should look at either the Assault Frigate (for the Rebels) or the Gladiator (for the Imperials). This should provide a nice flexibility for what you can take in small (300 point) games. Once you've got some games under your belt you can then start looking at other things to add.

I have lots of ships. Too many ships. Ships that make Lord Wife ask questions. Too many questions...

Anyways, let's just say that if I were to be given an ultimatum, this is what I'd keep:

1 coreset (sans the victory...)

1 Gladiator

1 Imperial Star Destroyer

1 pack each of the fighters

1 mc30c

1 neb-b expansion

1 cr90 expansion

BUT if it really came down to it?

I'd keep 3 ISD's, and 6 tie fighters.

Get the core set and fighter packs,and play some intro games. You obviously can't go wrong with the ISD for the Empire, Rebels get a little harder.

The Assault Frigate is raved about, with good cause, but not because of its looks. I've been collecting since day one, and still haven't gotten one. I think the NebB expansion is a must have, if you're running the fabulous frigate, but not everyone agrees the ship itself is must have.

Honestly, budget wise it's best to go slow. Play the base game with just the core, or add the ISD and an MC80 or AssFrig mk1 and play 300 points for a bit.

Then add a ship at a time, MC30 or Gladiator, CR90/NebB or Raider. Just play and learn your style, and then buy the ships that support that style.

Get the core set and fighter packs,and play some intro games. You obviously can't go wrong with the ISD for the Empire, Rebels get a little harder.

The Assault Frigate is raved about, with good cause, but not because of its looks. I've been collecting since day one, and still haven't gotten one. I think the NebB expansion is a must have, if you're running the fabulous frigate, but not everyone agrees the ship itself is must have.

Honestly, budget wise it's best to go slow. Play the base game with just the core, or add the ISD and an MC80 or AssFrig mk1 and play 300 points for a bit.

Then add a ship at a time, MC30 or Gladiator, CR90/NebB or Raider. Just play and learn your style, and then buy the ships that support that style.

Agreed. There is actually a lot to be said for just playing the core set for the first 3-6 games, then seeing what you feel is lacking for each side. One of the things that we often overlook as gamers is that this kind of small gaming can be hugely enjoyable, especially to begin with. There is often no need to rush straight to the big stuff, though I understand that many will disagree with me on this as the ISD is the reason that they play.

I would watch Ebay and places like that for people who are getting out of the game. Perhaps you and a friend to grab something like this and split it?

Its the most cost effective way I can think of to get into this fairly expensive (but recommended) game

So I picked up the coreset the other day, finally made that first step. Did a test game, it went pretty well. I plan on taking it to the local game store's star wars night this week and seeing if anyone wants to play there. I feel like I will have a better idea of what I would want to invest in after a little more experience. I love the look and firepower of the Imperials here, but the speedy little rebel ships that I have seen in action kind of catch my eye too. I think on once I settle on a side I will know what to invest more in.

I still need to meet with a couple of my friends, I am not sure I am going to be able to convince one of them to buy a core set though so we can swap ships. It is a decent chunk of change unfortunately.

I'm going to be in the same boat too........kinda. See, my mother in law likes to get her Christmas shopping for the kids (her two kids and their spouses) and the grandkids (my brother in law and sister in law have 2) super early. She said "let me know what you want." For once, she got an easy answer from me this year: Armada!

The bad news: I have to wait 4 months and change to actually play. The further bad news: I'm gonna make a balanced fleet for both sides (to have a working 300-400 point build for each side. ) The good news: I don't have to shell out the $ for a Core Set. Additional good news: means Mrs Deogg and I have decent builds to play against each other!

In the meantime though, I AM going to pick up some expansions along the way, as well as watching YouTube videos, to get myself as up and running as possible come December. I MIGHT try demoing it at GenCon in a couple of weeks if I can get anywhere near their booth!

Here's my shopping list for each side. I already have the Rogues and Villains pack (found it on clearance at Barnes and Noble for FIVE bucks!):
EMPIRE:
ISD
Imperial Light Cruiser
Interdictor

REBELS:
Liberty
MC-30
CR-90

From everything I've read and watched thus far, that stuff, along with a Core Set and the R&V pack, should net me a 400 (and DEFINITELY a 300) point build for each side. Makes it easy to get a game going with Mrs Deogg!

Now, when it comes to playing in Organized Play events and whatnot, my focus will DEFINITELY be Empire! ;o)