Hello,

I've been thinking about this for quite a while now: do I buy Star Wars Armada or do I buy FoD. Here are the details: I have one up to two buddys to play with (favours Armada?). I have X-Wing and Imperial Assault already (might favour FoD, altough I know Armada and X-Wing are very different). I have about 120 Euro to spend on it (my buddy can help paying FoD, not shure about Armada). We all like the idea of getting an RPG, but we are also interested in Corellian Sector as well as the new Rebels wave for Armada. We have about 6 hours per week to play board games.

It would be really helpful if you could give us insider information about this theme. We are also uncertain if we should get Edge of the Empire.

Thanks in advance,

YariSamurai

This may just be me coming off a D&D high, but when it comes down to this, and all other factors are equal (same experience, same background, same interest in both styles of gaming), then Force and Destiny/ Edge of the Empire might be the better long term choice. The glory of RPG's is that you have essentially an unlimited level of replayability if you have a skilled GM. You also have Imperial Assault and X-wing which makes the smaller scale 'miniature representation' that much easier as well. With a limited early budget (of any figure, not just that one), you can get more out of it as far as a complete experience goes.

Now comes to inescapable questions: have you played/ran tabletop RPG's before? What is the draw of both the RPG and the Corellian Sector? What's your group's background when it comes to tabletop wargaming? What's your favourite rebel and Imperial ships?

What I will say is that Armada is an excellent game, it's fairly balanced (for the most part, with a few notable and quibbling exceptions that the campaign has a potential to iron out) but it also tends to require a higher initial investment because its core set buy in is pricey and not always seen as the best individual game. Its learing curve on wording can be high but it's still fairly easy to pick up and play. Now, if you can get that core set with a hefty discount and still pick up a few ships you like, then the whole thing comes alive. Of course, the campaign is eagerly anticipated, and with 1-2 others you can run it perfectly fine, but some of the big draw is that it adds more objectives and more unique squadrons for established Armada gamers. With something more open, like FoD/EoE, you always have the option of adding in a larger scale by snagging a few Armada ships you like, then snapping up the core set and expanding from Armada pieces to Armada fleets in time while still getting a lot of milage from your other Star Wars games.

Because you'll soon run out of time for IA and X-wing if you play Armada I kid, I kid.

Let me say this. Armada is a great game, no its an outstanding game, on the other hand playing dice is always fun so there is not a losing with ether (age of war by FFG is a woot and a must if you love dice game). Understand Destiny is starting and its great to be at the Genesis of something, watching it grow and the being there with fans to shape a community. (I love the fact I have been able to do this with X-wing and Armada and would do this with Destiny if I was getting into the game) I will tell you as a person that picked up Armada day one, it requires a lot to be invested in it. The cost is about 125 when a wave comes out if your doing 1 of each thing, if your playing for tornys your going to be spending closure to 250/350 based on your play style. You need to also have about 90-130 minutes a game, and people that are also invested in it or you will be playing your self alot. Don't get me wrong I love Armada but there is a reason I have only gotten in 3 games since I bought it. (it does not help my son just turned 2 and I don't see a ton of tabletop gaming since he was born) Vassel or TableTop sim have Armada to give the game a go.

I don't want to sound like I am telling you don't do it or being negative, the game like I said is an investment of time much more then other games and if your able to spend the time on this its totally worth it, otherwise quick dice games are always good.

Next Year FFG is bring out L5R if your looking for more games to keep an eye out for....

Also if I had a gaming group I would do something like Edge of the Empire or Legend of the Five Rings roleplaying game PDFs at DriveThruRPG.

Let me say this. Armada is a great game, no its an outstanding game, on the other hand playing dice is always fun so there is not a losing with ether (age of war by FFG is a woot and a must if you love dice game). Understand Destiny is starting and its great to be at the Genesis of something, watching it grow and the being there with fans to shape a community. (I love the fact I have been able to do this with X-wing and Armada and would do this with Destiny if I was getting into the game) I will tell you as a person that picked up Armada day one, it requires a lot to be invested in it. The cost is about 125 when a wave comes out if your doing 1 of each thing, if your playing for tornys your going to be spending closure to 250/350 based on your play style. You need to also have about 90-130 minutes a game, and people that are also invested in it or you will be playing your self alot. Don't get me wrong I love Armada but there is a reason I have only gotten in 3 games since I bought it. (it does not help my son just turned 2 and I don't see a ton of tabletop gaming since he was born) Vassel or TableTop sim have Armada to give the game a go.

I don't want to sound like I am telling you don't do it or being negative, the game like I said is an investment of time much more then other games and if your able to spend the time on this its totally worth it, otherwise quick dice games are always good.

Next Year FFG is bring out L5R if your looking for more games to keep an eye out for....

Yes, I was looking out for Legend of the Five Rings, too (Thanks for all answers by the way).

YariSamurai

The two are so utterly different I wouldn't really know how to tell you you should do one or the other. But if your budget is 120 euros and your group is only 2-3 people I might look into something else entirely. I think your budget needs to be higher to get enough stuff to make Armada interesting for two people for more than a couple games, and that's really small for an RPG group. If you want one thing for your group to play a bunch for a while, I would look into something like Pandemic Legacy, where the game will evolve and not grow stale from being played a bunch.

FFG's Star Wars RPG line is nearing the end of it's life cycle and will probably get some sort of refresh/reboot to match the newer movies. Plus, the current edition has some serious rules problems that were never addressed moving from EoE -> AoR -> FoD. Because of this, I'd recommend holding off on getting into the SW RPG line at this time but, instead, wait for a newer edition.

If you really are interested in the RPGs, I'd search around for a used copy of Edge of the Empire. It's the most flexible of the three game lines. Also, FFG's Beginner Boxes are actually pretty good and a fairly decent value for the money. If you're new to the game, pick up one of these first (there are four; one for each game and one for Episode 7), before spending the bucks on a big hardback.

FFG's Star Wars RPG line is nearing the end of it's life cycle and will probably get some sort of refresh/reboot to match the newer movies. Plus, the current edition has some serious rules problems that were never addressed moving from EoE -> AoR -> FoD. Because of this, I'd recommend holding off on getting into the SW RPG line at this time but, instead, wait for a newer edition.

If you really are interested in the RPGs, I'd search around for a used copy of Edge of the Empire. It's the most flexible of the three game lines. Also, FFG's Beginner Boxes are actually pretty good and a fairly decent value for the money. If you're new to the game, pick up one of these first (there are four; one for each game and one for Episode 7), before spending the bucks on a big hardback.

This is simply not true about life cycle, the game is now matured and in its prime! With the 3 core rulebooks released and over half the career sourcebooks, it is the best time to get into it as you have the most choice on a developer supported game. Hell there is currently 4 books announced in development right now.

I have been playing Armada since release, but have little time this year to play regularly due to work and finding games (wife isn't interested)

In April I picked up the Age of Rebellion beginner game and played it with the wife and some friends. We loved it so much that I picked up a core rulebook the next day. I now run a fortnightly game with 4 PCs and its SOO much fun. Not just the game night itself but the planning and developing of the adventure campaign is very rewarding an extremely easy to do. And the fact that the Wife loves it to is a big seller to me

So what should you get? Being as objective as I can, get the RPG. All you need is a core rulebook and some dice packs (get at least 3, or the beginner games are great value as they have a dicepack plus a lot of tokens and maps. I have 3...). Anything more than that is a bonus. You can use your x-wing, IA and your mates Armada miniatures when the need arise.

Having dabbled a little in D&D before, the SW RPG is probably the best, easiest to learn and most thematic RPG out there.

Have fun

Depends on your location and your friend group. If there is a sizeable group of people (around 10 people) I would get Armada. If it's rather small and you have friends that want to do an RPG, do that. I think it's more about the community than time commitement. You can spend 3-4 hours doing both once a week.

If you wait too long with Armada though, you may feel overwhelmed by the amount of options available when you decide to jump in. That's how I felt with X-Wing when I checked it out during wave 7.

This is a question? Armada of course!

Seriously, as others have eluded, this really boils down to your potential interest in Star Wars RPG vs table top miniature gaming. Very different feel, very different, investments of time and energy etc.

I'm in that table top era of gaming. I've played a lot of RPGs and while Star Wars has it's draw, and someday I might dive into that too, today isn;t that day. I like being able to pull together a fleet, play with a friend or show up at a tournament and get a bunch of gaming in. Prep-work is more in the list not pulling together the time to invest in creating something.

Limited budget, know how that goes and it's tough to pick up. Either way, you'll have fun.

Just curious, are you specifically looking at FFG products? Just asking because I still play the SWRPG by West End Games occasionally. Of course I've been playing Battletech semi regularly for 30 years and my copy of WEGs Star Warriors is near mint, and of course I can't leave out Star Trek tatical combat simulator by FASA.... Lol

Armada is awesome, but as others have said it can get expensive, especially up front to get established. The WEG stuff has been out of print for like 20 years but is readily available online and for the $120 you have, you'd pick up at least double the amount of stuff, if not more.

Just my $0.02

My two cents

FFG Star Wars Rpg: great game can be as cheap or costly as you want. for all the books it can run into the hundreds of dollars/euros. but can be played with just the Corebooks.

as for Force and Destiny I would not recommend it as the starting point for your game. it very limiting and fits more as an Add-on then a Corebook. get Edge of the Empire or Age of Rebellion.

P.S. does not work well with minis as more then markers, very pre-D&D 3rd edition in design.

Armada: great game with a high buy-in cost. would not recommend on a low budget.

Legends of the Five Rings: In my opinion the best RPG ever made. unfortunately it does not play well from the Corebook only and would require at least 4-5 $40+ books to hit its stride.(Core,Enemies of the Empire, The Great Clans,Emerald Empire, and Secrets of the Empire if you want to play minor clans) I have every book ever made for it

so out of your choices I Would go with the Star Wars Rpg and get Edge of the Empire or Age of Rebellion but, get a Beginner Box first.

Just curious, are you specifically looking at FFG products? Just asking because I still play the SWRPG by West End Games occasionally. Of course I've been playing Battletech semi regularly for 30 years and my copy of WEGs Star Warriors is near mint, and of course I can't leave out Star Trek tatical combat simulator by FASA.... Lol

Armada is awesome, but as others have said it can get expensive, especially up front to get established. The WEG stuff has been out of print for like 20 years but is readily available online and for the $120 you have, you'd pick up at least double the amount of stuff, if not more.

Just my $0.02

Always nice to see another WEG loyalist . I've played Edge of the Darkness and it's a pretty good system, but i still prefer my old WEG collection. I also have the old STTCS, too. Long live the Chandley-Class

FFG's Star Wars RPG line is nearing the end of it's life cycle and will probably get some sort of refresh/reboot to match the newer movies. Plus, the current edition has some serious rules problems that were never addressed moving from EoE -> AoR -> FoD. Because of this, I'd recommend holding off on getting into the SW RPG line at this time but, instead, wait for a newer edition.

If you really are interested in the RPGs, I'd search around for a used copy of Edge of the Empire. It's the most flexible of the three game lines. Also, FFG's Beginner Boxes are actually pretty good and a fairly decent value for the money. If you're new to the game, pick up one of these first (there are four; one for each game and one for Episode 7), before spending the bucks on a big hardback.

This is simply not true about life cycle, the game is now matured and in its prime! With the 3 core rulebooks released and over half the career sourcebooks, it is the best time to get into it as you have the most choice on a developer supported game. Hell there is currently 4 books announced in development right now.

I have been playing Armada since release, but have little time this year to play regularly due to work and finding games (wife isn't interested)

In April I picked up the Age of Rebellion beginner game and played it with the wife and some friends. We loved it so much that I picked up a core rulebook the next day. I now run a fortnightly game with 4 PCs and its SOO much fun. Not just the game night itself but the planning and developing of the adventure campaign is very rewarding an extremely easy to do. And the fact that the Wife loves it to is a big seller to me

So what should you get? Being as objective as I can, get the RPG. All you need is a core rulebook and some dice packs (get at least 3, or the beginner games are great value as they have a dicepack plus a lot of tokens and maps. I have 3...). Anything more than that is a bonus. You can use your x-wing, IA and your mates Armada miniatures when the need arise.

Having dabbled a little in D&D before, the SW RPG is probably the best, easiest to learn and most thematic RPG out there.

Have fun

Thanks a lot for the advice, unfortunatley I'm only 17 and a Star Wars fan, so there is obviously no wife nor a girlfriend I have to play boardgames with us.

The cool thing about (and a big draw for me) is that I can tecnically play with my buddies via skype!

Thanks a lot,

YariSamurai

Thanks again to all of you Fleet Officers and Force Sensitive Exiles,

I very much appreciate all the information you gave me which helps me a lot at this very difficult decision.

Just curious, are you specifically looking at FFG products? Just asking because I still play the SWRPG by West End Games occasionally. Of course I've been playing Battletech semi regularly for 30 years and my copy of WEGs Star Warriors is near mint, and of course I can't leave out Star Trek tatical combat simulator by FASA.... Lol

Armada is awesome, but as others have said it can get expensive, especially up front to get established. The WEG stuff has been out of print for like 20 years but is readily available online and for the $120 you have, you'd pick up at least double the amount of stuff, if not more.

Just my $0.02

Actually yes, I was looking mostly for FFG products, bacause I have X-Wing as well as IA and I simply like to trust them because they make high quality games, but thanks for the other company's name, I'm going to check that out after I end writing this.

Also:

My two cents

FFG Star Wars Rpg: great game can be as cheap or costly as you want. for all the books it can run into the hundreds of dollars/euros. but can be played with just the Corebooks.

as for Force and Destiny I would not recommend it as the starting point for your game. it very limiting and fits more as an Add-on then a Corebook. get Edge of the Empire or Age of Rebellion.

P.S. does not work well with minis as more then markers, very pre-D&D 3rd edition in design.

Armada: great game with a high buy-in cost. would not recommend on a low budget.

Legends of the Five Rings: In my opinion the best RPG ever made. unfortunately it does not play well from the Corebook only and would require at least 4-5 $40+ books to hit its stride.(Core,Enemies of the Empire, The Great Clans,Emerald Empire, and Secrets of the Empire if you want to play minor clans) I have every book ever made for it

so out of your choices I Would go with the Star Wars Rpg and get Edge of the Empire or Age of Rebellion but, get a Beginner Box first.

thanks for the information on Legend of the Five Rings, I'm lookng out for next year when FFG re-releases that.

Thanks again y'all,

YariSamurai

Do a search for the d6 Holocron, which has a lot of d6 SW RPG (the WEG version) resources.

Even if you decide not to use the d6 system and use the FFG system instead, there are still a tremendous amount of sourcebook and background material out there for the d6 game that can be used to flesh out your RPG.

I would check out the buy and sell face book page, you often see good armada lots going for around £100 ish,one of these would set you and your mates up with a couple of good armed fleets.

Thanks a lot for the advice, unfortunatley I'm only 17 and a Star Wars fan, so there is obviously no wife nor a girlfriend I have to play boardgames with us.

Haha The plight of a high-school nerd! I know it too well!

Always nice to see another WEG loyalist . I've played Edge of the Darkness and it's a pretty good system, but i still prefer my old WEG collection. I also have the old STTCS, too. Long live the Chandley-Class

I always liked the Andor class. All those torpedoes!

One of the best parts of the WEG games was that between the RPG, Star Warriors, and the miniatures battle game you could carry over an thing from one to the other seamlessly since it was all based on the same system.

Star warriors wasn't a star ship miniatures game exactly, but with the hex map and micro machines it was easy enough to make it work, and it was Capitol scale, it even came with a few ISD markers. My RPG charcater could go from an adventure to space combat on a board, and into ground combat all in the same game session. Not a lot of games do that out of the box.