Because I am a bit disappointed with the original team play rules in the rules reference book, I created my own version.

Here is a bit of the rational behind it (copy and pasted from the document):

This is an alternative rule modification of Star Wars: Armada for those who consider the original rule option for team play unsatisfying.

The original rules option of Star Wars: Armada for team play betray two characteristics which can be found with many cooperative games and which do not fit every bodies play style. They originate from the fact that every player has to consider all the events within the game and is responsible to assist his team mate in the entire process of decision making.

The outcome of this is that the difference to the regular one-vs-one game is marginalized: One could also play his side as a single player. The difference that one is merely responsible for “some ships” of the fleet is totally arbitrary. All team members ponder every single situation. The only real reason for the split of responsibility is to ease the process of decision making in a situation of conflicting opinions. However, there is no non-arbitrary reason why the division line of responsibilities is drawn between ships and not between action types (like movement, defense, attack and so on).

The second and more important problem consists in the fact that more experienced or more dominant players tend to monopolize the game within their team – with the consequence that they could play their side on their own and that their team mates could just as well be spectators. As a training game this is quite nice, but beyond training games it might not be everyone’s choice of play style.

However, whoever likes such a play style (and whose mates are equally experienced or dominant, or do not mind such inequalities), can now stop to read. The following rules modification will not offer much of interest for them.

You can download the entire document here:

https://1drv.ms/b/s!ApmEjFRn6W9Pg4QRqQ4tnztlyrBq2w

I will also post the rules in the second post of this thread.

Please feel free to comment!

P.S.: Please excuse my lack of proper English. I am not a native speaker.

Alternative Star Wars: Armada Rules

Team Play Modification for three or four Players

This is an alternative rule modification of Star Wars: Armada for those who consider the original rule option for team play unsatisfying.

The original rules option of Star Wars: Armada for team play betray two characteristics which can be found with many cooperative games and which do not fit every bodies play style. They originate from the fact that every player has to consider all the events within the game and is responsible to assist his team mate in the entire process of decision making.

The outcome of this is that the difference to the regular one-vs-one game is marginalized: One could also play his side as a single player. The difference that one is merely responsible for “some ships” of the fleet is totally arbitrary. All team members ponder every single situation. The only real reason for the split of responsibility is to ease the process of decision making in a situation of conflicting opinions. However, there is no non-arbitrary reason why the division line of responsibilities is drawn between ships and not between action types (like movement, defense, attack and so on).

The second and more important problem consists in the fact that more experienced or more dominant players tend to monopolize the game within their team – with the consequence that they could play their side on their own and that their team mates could just as well be spectators. As a training game this is quite nice, but beyond training games it might not be everyone’s choice of play style.

However, whoever likes such a play style (and whose mates are equally experienced or dominant, or do not mind such inequalities), can now stop to read. The following rules modification will not offer much of interest for them.

Four Player Game

Each team consists of two players. One team plays the Galactic Empire, one the Rebel Alliance. The game is won or lost as a team. It is not possible that merely one player wins or loses the game.

Additional Material

• Each side needs a coin (called inversion tracker) and two further tokens (called inversion points).

Consulting

• Until the beginning of the ship phase of the first game round one is absolutely forbidden to advise a team mate (more about that see below).

• During those phases of the game where one is free to give advise to a team mate any consulting has to happen in public in a way that the opposing team is able to listen to it.

• Note: The first consulting phase of the first team is at the end of the first activation of the A-player of the first team. The first consulting phase for the second team is at the end of the first activation of the A-player of the second team (more about that see below).

IMPORTANT: About the Consulting Prohibition

In these rules it is stated several times that during specific phases advising a team mate or asking a team mate is forbidden. The entire rules become meaningless, if one tries to circumvent this prohibition.

Hence, one is also not allowed to ask for or give advise indirectly. For example, it is against the rules to be obviously annoyed about or question the decisions of a team mate (“What is the purpose of this move?”), because it would be possible to deduce that one should make a different move. Equally, one is not allowed to express one's desires during phases with a consulting prohibition (“It would be nice, if Han Solo could be taken out of the game!”). Neither is praising a move acceptable (“Nice move, my friend!”), because this could remove uncertainty within the considerations of a player. A player is during a consulting prohibition not even allowed to give hints about the rules (“Your Pulse Overload exhausts all his defense tokens!”), because even that could be used as a hint about the most preferable way of action. Merely in a case of rules violation it is acceptable that a team mate intervenes.

This category of forbidden advise also includes facial expression and body language. No rule in the world is able to cover all the possible ways to help one's team mate. Hence, it is crucial to follow the spirit of the consulting prohibition rules, not their wording.

Fleet Building

• First, one player of each team (it is up to the team to decide which player) builds a fleet according to normal rules (recommendation: 330 points; max 110 for squads). As in the regular game a commander has to be chosen and assigned to a specific ship in this fleet. This player also chooses objectives according to regular rules.

• After this step has been completed, the fleet is presented to one's team mate. The fleet cannot be changed from this point on.

• Now, the other player within the team builds his fleet. He has the same number of fleet points as his team mate had initially plus those who have not been used by one's team mate. The player who builds the second fleet within a team also has to choose a commander and assign him to a ship in his fleet. During the building of the second fleet the team mates are not allowed to give advise to each other. The one who builds his fleet second does not choose any objectives. He is not allowed to pick any unique upgrades or squadrons that have already been chosen by the player who has first built his fleet.

Gather Components

• In each team the ships and squadrons of one player (and only one) are marked with ID markers. This signifies which units belong to which player.

Initiative

• First, the order WITHIN a team is determined. The player whose fleet has the lower point count within that team decides which player is the A-player and which is the B-player within his team. He is not allowed to receive advise for this decision from his team mate. In case of a draw the player who built his fleet second makes the decision.

• Second, the initiative of the teams are determined. This is done according to standard rules: The team with the lower total fleet points decides about which team is the first team and which is second. The terms “first team” and “second team” substitute the terms “first player” and “second player” of the regular rules.

Choose Objective

• The A-player of the first team chooses the objective of the game.

Place Obstacles

• Obstacles are placed in the following order:

1. B-player of the second team

2. B-player of the first team

3. A-player of the second team

4. A-player of the first team

   and so forth until all obstacles have been placed.

• The team mates are not allowed to consult each other on the placement of the obstacles.

Deploy Ships

• Ships and squadrons are deployed in the following order.

1. A-player of the first team

2. A-player of the second team

3. B-player of the first team

4. B-player of the second team

   and so forth until all ships and squadrons have been deployed.

• The team mates are not allowed to consult each other on the deployment of Ships.

Start of Game Rounds

• At the beginning of each game round, each player may choose for each of his ships one of the ships of his team mate that are in range 1 to 3 of his ship and marks it with a token. Those ships gain not merely the advantage of their fleet commander, but also of the fleet commander of one's team mate. It is not possible to choose a ships twice during this step (and thus gaining an advantage twice).

Command Phase

• Each player determines the commands of his ships secretly.

• The team mates are not allowed to consult each other during this phase. Players are merely during consulting phases allowed to look at the hidden command wheels of their team mates.

Ship Phase

• The order of activation during the ship phase is as follows:

1. 1. A-player of the first team

   2. A-player of the second team

   3. B-player of the first team

   4. B-player of the second team

• The players are merely allowed to activate ships of their own fleet, not of fleet of their team mates.

• A player may via a squadron command activate his own squadrons and squadrons of his team mate. However, the owner of the squadron makes all the decisions of the activated squadron. There is also a consulting prohibition during such a squadron activation.

• If a player has already activated all his ships and it is his turn, his team mate has to activate one of his own ships instead.

• Merely at the END of one's activation full communication between team mates of the side whose activation has ended is possible. During this consulting phase using the maneuver tool is prohibited. There is no time limit on consulting. A team has to inform the opposing team about the end of the consulting phase.

Squadron Phase

• The rules of the squadron phase are similar to the ship phase:

• The order of activation of pairs of squadrons is:

1. 1. A-player of the first team

   2. A-player of the second team

   3. B-player of the first team

   4. B-player of the second team

• The players are merely allowed to activate squadrons of their own fleet, not of fleet of their team mates.

• If a player has already activated all his squadrons and it is his turn, his team mate has to activate two of his own squadrons instead.

• Merely at the END of one's activation full communication between team mates of the side whose activation has ended is possible. During this consulting phase using the maneuver tool is prohibited. There is no time limit on consulting. A team has to inform the opposing team about the end of the consulting phase.

Inversion Points

• Each side needs a coin (called inversion tracker) and two further tokens (called inversion points).

• During the ship phase or the squadron phase, a player who has to activate a ship or squadrons can spend right before his activation one of the inversion points of his team. If he does so, the inversion tracker is flipped. If the inversion tracker is already flipped, he becomes flipped back to its original position.

• If the inversion tracker of one side is flipped the A-player of this side has to activate when it is the turn of the B-player of this side and vice versa.

• If the inversion tracker has been flipped right before an activation, the player who now has to activate can immediately spend the second inversion point of his side in order to backflip the inversion tracker and to get back to the normal activation order.

• During the status phase both sides get all inversion points spent back.

End of Game

• All victory points are gained by the teams, not individual players.

• The game is won by a team, if no ship of the entire opposing team is at the end of a game round on the table (it is not enough to eliminate merely all the ships of one player of the opposing team). Otherwise, the game is won by the team with the most victory points after round 6.

• If a player loses all ships, but still has squadrons, he can still activate them during the squadron phase (and they can be activated by one's team mate during the ship phase). Han Solo can even be activated during the ship phase on his own.

Objective Adjustment

• Each decision that an objective requires to be made by a team has to be made by the A-player of that team. He can be advised by his team mate for this decision. However, he is free to ignore the advise given.

• If an objective requires an objective ship to be chosen, a player is free to choose a ship of his team mate instead of one of his own.

• If an objective requires to choose an objective ship of the opposing team, merely one ship of the opposing team is chosen, not one of each opposing fleet.

• Superior Positions: The first team deploys all his ships and squadron before the second one. Within the team the order of deployment alternates according to the regular order within the team.

• Minelayers: Within the team the order of placing objectives alternates according to the regular order within the team. The objective tokens are placed solely by the A-player of that team.

• Fire Lanes: In order to determine control of objective tokens all ships of a team (nor merely of a fleet) are considered.

• Contested Outpost: In order to determine control of the space station all ships of a team (nor merely of a fleet) are considered.

• Ambush: The A-Player of the first team has to deploy all his ships in the ambush area.

• Hyperspace Assault: Merely the A-player of the second team may withhold a ship and squadrons during deployment for the hyperspace assault.

• Precision Strike: Each ship of the second team gets the command tokens.

Various Rules

• Attacks: It is not possible to attack ships of a team mate (overlapping however is possible).

• Commander: The abilities of a commander merely do not cover units of one's team mate. However, it is possible to cover units of a team mate according to rules presented above.

• Decision Making: If any decision has to be made that is not covered by ownership of squadrons or ships (ob by any explicit mentioned rule in this document) it is up to the B-player of a team to make this decision. He is not allowed to consult with his team mate during this process. An example for this rule is the case when squadrons of an enemy player need to be redeployed because of overlapping with a ship of his team.

• Friendly Ships or Squadrons: If a game mechanism like an upgrade or pilot skill mentions friendly ships or squadrons, this mechanism also covers ships and squadrons of one's team mate. The only exception from this rule are the abilities of the fleet commanders (see above).

• Admiral Konstantine: Admiral Konstantine’s advantage can be used with a ship of one’s team mate, if it is at range 3 of a ship of the fleet Konstantine is the commander of.

• Admiral Motti: If a ship benefits two round in a row from Admiral Mottis ability, it is treated as benefiting from it continously. Hence, there is no moment between these two rounds when the advantage of the increased hull would have been absent.

• General Dodonna: General Dodonna's advantage is not applied, if an opposing player receives open damage cards due to attacks of one's team mate. If General Dononna is one's fleet commander, one is not merely allowed to give once per round per ship his advantage to a ship of a team mate, but also to a squadron in range 1 to 3 of one's ship.

• General Riekaan: If General Rieekan is one's fleet commander, one is not merely allowed to give once per round per ship his advantage to a ship of a team mate, but also to a squadron in range 1 to 3 of one's ship.

Three Player Game

In a three player game two players form a team and one player plays alone. For single player all rules of the regular game are applied. For the team all the above mentioned rules of the four player game are applied with the following exception:

• Fleet building: The single player builds his fleet according to normal rules (recommendation: 450 fleet points). The team builds two fleets according to the rules of the four player game. However, the fleet points for each of the two team fleets are calculated as follows: 15 + [Fleet Points of the single player divided by 2). For both team fleets a fleet commander is required.

• Initiative: The single player decides on whether he is first or second player (and accordingly the team second or first).

• Fleet Commander: Each fleet of the team can benefit from the fleet commander of the other team fleet as mentioned above.

• Order: When determining any other order of turns (obstacle placement, ship deployment, ship phase, squadron phase etc.) the order of the four player games is taken. However, the single player has to fulfill the tasks of A- and B-player of his side.

  Example: Suppose, the single player is first player and the team second. This would mean the following order during the ship phase:

1. 1. First Player

   2. A-player of the second team

   3. First Player

   4. B-player of the second team