Have been re reading the "Playing the Long Game" article.

I don't think the campaign rules are going to be massively complex, but there is plenty of depth there.

Lets say the campaign is 3 v 3.

In the first campaign turn, the rebels get to declare a target first, then Imps, which means once the rebels have declared their second target, all fleets are assigned.

This means a couple of things:

- Rebels will be first player in two of the three games

- Imperials only get to pick one target, and if they do they can't do a "Show of force"

- In the (unlikely?) event that fleets can activate more than once in a campaign turn, they will be doing so with any casualties "scarred".

- This may suggest Imperials need to build their fleets so they can win as second player.

So the onus would appear to be on the rebels to choose targets that allow them to gain campaign points and will deny the imperials a chance to build. I don't think they want to attack imperial bases early because if they lose the Imps gain campaign points that they otherwise wouldn't have access to.

Funny how realistic/ in theme this is sounding? Good job so far I think FFG!

Now going into the second turn and onward, first action is with whoever has the least campaign points....

Would it be sound for the rebels to attack non - campaign point producing locations for the first one or two rounds to build up special locations and refit points before ceding the initiative to the Imps? Do unspent resource points persist round to round?

Fun fact - to refit Demolisher it appears you will need 50% of its base cost, so 28 resource points. So playing one "show of force" and winning (120 points) is plenty if the Imps are happy to allocate a fleet to this op. But if all the Imps have taken losses over the campaign turn, those points are going to be in short supply!! You get a guaranteed 30 points, plus 5 per repair yard. So with a successful "show of force" you are going to have something like 150-165 points total for your team - 50 - 55 refit points each player only allows an 100-110 point ship refit before you even repair your squadrons... so if your ISD2 is scarred you better have some good diplomacy with your team mates happening!!

Fun fact - to refit Demolisher it appears you will need 50% of its base cost, so 28 resource points. So playing one "show of force" and winning (120 points) is plenty if the Imps are happy to allocate a fleet to this op.

Not 50% of the base cost, 50% of the full cost of the ship with upgrades!

Notice that the refit cost for the example ship is 62 Refit Points. There is no rebel ship with a base cost of 124 points.

Good pickup - wow thats even less forgiving....

Maybe resource points are per player? Hard to see how any fleets are going to maintain viability for very long otherwise?

In 3v3:

1 Fleet built to ride the 1st player advantage hard.

1 built to deal with being 2nd player

1 more flexible.

From what we know so far, you are guaranteed a first player advantage is at least 1 match per round. So you can build around that.

To me, my first strategy is going to be to prioritize locations that give me the most ability to repair between rounds. Then, play the most attrition heavy games that I can. I want my opponents having to choose between flying scarred ships or deploying understrength. This strategy fails if there is no major between round repair bonus.

Battles will be very different. Playing to get a win while also preserving your forces is very different from tournament play.

I think it will be exciting to see how strategy alters tactics on the table.

Tough choices make for good games.

I'm waiting to see the actual campaign rules before I start theorycrafting.

Speaking of which, do you guys think there will be a downloadable pdf or will I need to wait for obnoxious italian shipping time to get a grasp of it?

I'm waiting to see the actual campaign rules before I start theorycrafting.

Speaking of which, do you guys think there will be a downloadable pdf or will I need to wait for obnoxious italian shipping time to get a grasp of it?

I am waiting to see if there is an actual downloadable pdf before theorizing.

I'm sooo enjoying how awesome this is gonna make this game. I love Armada already, but the bigger picture affecting how I play an individual battle just multiplies the awesomeness for me.

I think this campaign stuff will see a lot of sub-optimal (for tournament play) upgrades become a real thing. I think I will stat a thread on that!

Point Defense Reroute and cluster bombs for every ship! Huzzah!

Point Defense Reroute and cluster bombs for every ship! Huzzah!

I can definitely see Cluster Bombs having a legit use. Do you really want to shoot me with that Scarred Ace?

And PDR or quads *could* see more play as well as the fleets shape up. If I am playing Imps and I see the rebels building 2 fleets with massed bombers maybe I go ahead and throw Point Defense and Quad Laser turrets on an ISD-1 and just counter deploy them every chance I got.

- Imperials only get to pick one target, and if they do they can't do a "Show of force"

How are you coming to this conclusion?

(Not saying you're wrong, but why can't they make their one-and-only assault on the first campaign turn a 'Special Assault'? What am I missing?)

- Imperials only get to pick one target, and if they do they can't do a "Show of force"

How are you coming to this conclusion?

(Not saying you're wrong, but why can't they make their one-and-only assault on the first campaign turn a 'Special Assault'? What am I missing?)

I think he was saying that they could not if they wanted to get campaign points.

Sorry yes - thats what I meant... also its a bit hard to tell if having won a "show of force" you can then 'claim' that system.

Sorry yes - thats what I meant... also its a bit hard to tell if having won a "show of force" you can then 'claim' that system.

Ah, I see. It's hard to say. It seems to suggest that you can play the Special Assaults only under certain conditions. We don't know what those conditions are, which is why I was surprised by your categorical statement.

From your perspective, then, it's not so much a question of 'can you', but 'should you'.

That's one of the strategic questions of the campaign: do you go for the campaign points early, or invest in resources?

Sorry yes - thats what I meant... also its a bit hard to tell if having won a "show of force" you can then 'claim' that system.

Ah, I see. It's hard to say. It seems to suggest that you can play the Special Assaults only under certain conditions. We don't know what those conditions are, which is why I was surprised by your categorical statement.

From your perspective, then, it's not so much a question of 'can you', but 'should you'.

That's one of the strategic questions of the campaign: do you go for the campaign points early, or invest in resources?

Someone else has already pointed out that it *looks* like the 'box' of 6 central planets is going to be the eligible locations for Show of Force, and the 6 planets on the coloured lines will be the hyperspace lanes for the Rebel special assault.