With all the crazy Off-Topic threads on the main forum I thought I'd ask if anyone wanted to discuss something about the actual game play. Anyone have a Tactic or Strategy they'd like to share? Something to actually bring us back together as a community?

(I'd share one I was thinking of but it has to do with Squadrons so I think I'm going to save it until the forum calms down on that topic.)

I like dual threat lists that have a scary damage dealing ship, and a swarm of squads with squad buffs on my ships like BCC or FC.

Typically I will deploy so both elements are apart from each other, and force my opponent to pick the one they want to destroy while the other comes into their exposed flank that typically means I can pick off ships 1 at a time instead of all together.

I like dual threat lists that have a scary damage dealing ship, and a swarm of squads with squad buffs on my ships like BCC or FC.

Typically I will deploy so both elements are apart from each other, and force my opponent to pick the one they want to destroy while the other comes into their exposed flank that typically means I can pick off ships 1 at a time instead of all together.

Do you have a method to ensure you get that timing right?

I like dual threat lists that have a scary damage dealing ship, and a swarm of squads with squad buffs on my ships like BCC or FC.

Typically I will deploy so both elements are apart from each other, and force my opponent to pick the one they want to destroy while the other comes into their exposed flank that typically means I can pick off ships 1 at a time instead of all together.

I like dual threat lists that have a scary damage dealing ship, and a swarm of squads with squad buffs on my ships like BCC or FC.

Typically I will deploy so both elements are apart from each other, and force my opponent to pick the one they want to destroy while the other comes into their exposed flank that typically means I can pick off ships 1 at a time instead of all together.

I like the idea too though I was thinking more of a Corvette swarm doing the flanking while the Squadrons and Squadron Command ship with flotilla were the actual bait. The issue I saw was getting the timing right so the flanking ships arrived right before the enemy could engage the main fleet.

Do you have a method to ensure you get that timing right?

SKO means I can get to the Nav command and I can position my ships, typically a Liberty but switching over to Paragon, so my opponent has to come to me. With squads, I typically run in as soon as possible to put the pressure on. Either you ignore the squads which are annoying to net 100sum points, or you fight the squads and carriers and my threatening ship comes in and finishes what the bombers started.

There is so much that can go into the timing of an attack, but typically I am set up by the end of round 2 since it is clear where my opponent will go. And navigates are essential to get in place.

So you set the game pace yourself and plan on engagement by turn 2. I could do that with the corvettes by setting a high speed with nav commands but in my case setup maybe more important because ships don't have the flexibility that squadrons do.

Thanks for the input.

I am waiting on the computer to encode my latest video looking at formation use. That should be up later to day.

I am hoping to get a few of these done while I am on winter break.

The most basic tactic that I can think of, but easily one of the most important, pertains to playing as the second player.

That is: you need to adjust your arcs to where the opponent's ship is going to be, not where the opponent's ship currently is.

I know this may be painfully obvious to most of you, including myself, but in a game where there are so many intricacies (including a squadron "mini game"), you can sometimes forget this one basic tactic.

edit: punctuation

I know that this is a relatively sore topic with some, but I am really excited for some new combo interactions with the almost literal dozens of new squadrons we're about to get.

Little ones like Rudor and Decimators or Rudor and YV-666s or Rudor and Bossk (Basically just Rudor and X)

I've been toying with more inter-ship dependencies as of late. Sure, if one goes down it breaks the combo but the risk reward has been working pretty well. My current list is in Ship Builds if you'd like to discuss there.

I know that this is a relatively sore topic with some, but I am really excited for some new combo interactions with the almost literal dozens of new squadrons we're about to get.

Little ones like Rudor and Decimators or Rudor and YV-666s or Rudor and Bossk (Basically just Rudor and X)

I know that this is a relatively sore topic with some, but I am really excited for some new combo interactions with the almost literal dozens of new squadrons we're about to get.

Little ones like Rudor and Decimators or Rudor and YV-666s or Rudor and Bossk (Basically just Rudor and X)

Hera with Wedge and Luke going at the end of the Squadron phase.

Good lord yes. With a BCC in range. Maybe even two. Or three.

I know that this is a relatively sore topic with some, but I am really excited for some new combo interactions with the almost literal dozens of new squadrons we're about to get.

Little ones like Rudor and Decimators or Rudor and YV-666s or Rudor and Bossk (Basically just Rudor and X)

Hera with Wedge and Luke going at the end of the Squadron phase.

Good lord yes. With a BCC in range. Maybe even two. Or three.

Actually I was hoping for some suggestions in a thread like this

I havent played Armada for a year. Next month my FLGS is running a big CC event. I was hoping for some suggestions on a few things: if I should just start a new thread let me know

1. I hate spam lists. IE 4 Glads, 6 CR90s, a bajillion b wings and no other fighters...is it viable/possible to run a mixed fleet?

2. I love the concept of the Interdictor...but how on earth does one use them?

3. In the last tournament I played, I got absolutely destroyed by a guy running the same fleet as me (2 AFmk2, 1 MC30, 2 CR90, 3Awings 3Bwings). He just outflew me, and I realized I have a hard time wrapping my head around the shoot THEN move activation order. I have no idea how to set up for it. Ive played a lot of TT games, and most of them turn based...but they were always move THEN shoot. Can someone teach me what I should be doing? It kinda seems like this game is very focused on defensive tactics...how do you fly aggressively when you move AFTER shooting?

Funny thing is you can always ask questions on the forum and in the past many good players will chime in. I will wait to see if anyone more experienced than me will answer your questions first otherwise I will take a shot a little later if no one answers them first. (Out in the town right now.)

I've been trying to say that its hard to find topics on this forum for helping people play better. This is a good start.

A lot of it is clique-jerking, rules lawyering, nonsense. It would be nice to have something more community oriented in a non-"oh look we're good at the game, you're not, L2P" type of way.

Also all the secrets, and not having easy access to data about tournaments etc, makes this game feel very closed to people not in the in-group.

Also all the secrets, and not having easy access to data about tournaments etc, makes this game feel very closed to people not in the in-group.

Tournament data is available for anyone to look at. It's a group project collecting it and I hope the whole community is able to benefit from it.

Link to Data

Thanks sorry. Yes. You sent this to me another time also. =)

Do we have it pinned or anything?

Also all the secrets, and not having easy access to data about tournaments etc, makes this game feel very closed to people not in the in-group.

Tournament data is available for anyone to look at. It's a group project collecting it and I hope the whole community is able to benefit from it.

Link to Data

Also, sorry. I also meant locally... Our super local scene literally died. The very fervent players from up north still play, but no one really talks strategy or stuff. Although, they've been helpful in person to people I think.

There's still an amount of condescension and secrecy and stuff in the local meta that I feel is very off-putting.

Thanks Shmitty

I would not even know where to start on strategies. Here is a link to a blog site with a lot of good information and analyse.

http://xwingtactics.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html

My favorite thing to do is try different lists. I play mostly imperial but will play rebel every once in a while.

The new thing I am looking forward to is dual interdictor with 2 lambda shuttles and running jamming barrier, unarmed stations, and salvage run. Being able to control your enemies start location and speed while being able to move objectives will be new to the whole game.

I've just updated a few of my tactical articles over on BGG to bring us up to speed. While I think things are unhappy for heavy ship lists I don't think the health of the game is in jeopardy. It's just more squadron focused than I personally would like.

I only get one FLGS game in about every other week, and my opponent likes running permutations of his favorite defensive B-Wing ball. He's practiced with it well, and I've been a bit frustrated trying to find a list type I like and constantly run into that. Over all of this though, we keep talking about the game and I keep trying to find avenues of listbuilding and new strategies to try. One point he made the other night that I want to remember is this:

Focus on one thing... a ship with a specific combination, a fighter, an upgrade combination, and make that the focus of the list and have everything support it. In his case it's Yavaris with a pumped up fighter ball. Everything else around it, the GR-75s and one attack ship, are just in support of that fighter ball. He plays hyper defensively, so it doesn't require a lot of movement either.

I figure I finally need to take fighters, but I have the sense of trying to make a VSD the center point of my list. If nothing else it's making me stop and put a little more thought into list building than "Hey, I want two VSDs and an INT. Let's make this work."

Actually I was hoping for some suggestions in a thread like this

I havent played Armada for a year. Next month my FLGS is running a big CC event. I was hoping for some suggestions on a few things: if I should just start a new thread let me know

1. I hate spam lists. IE 4 Glads, 6 CR90s, a bajillion b wings and no other fighters...is it viable/possible to run a mixed fleet?

2. I love the concept of the Interdictor...but how on earth does one use them?

3. In the last tournament I played, I got absolutely destroyed by a guy running the same fleet as me (2 AFmk2, 1 MC30, 2 CR90, 3Awings 3Bwings). He just outflew me, and I realized I have a hard time wrapping my head around the shoot THEN move activation order. I have no idea how to set up for it. Ive played a lot of TT games, and most of them turn based...but they were always move THEN shoot. Can someone teach me what I should be doing? It kinda seems like this game is very focused on defensive tactics...how do you fly aggressively when you move AFTER shooting?

1. It is definitely possible to run a mixed fleet. I ran one each of 4 different ships in my regional list, and I placed 3rd and 5th in two regionals. I think the spam lists will always present some difficulties among the lists out there to careful, and they have some likelihood of inducing mistakes, so that attracts people. Still, good squadron mixes and good ship mixes definitely thrive.

2. The Interdictor, what a topic. Our second place finish in the Houston regional ran a Targeting Scrambler/G9. Its a tough ship to fly well, because its worth a lot of points and usually needs a few upgrades to make good use. Then its more of a tanking unit that chips at the enemy very slowly, so you need to pair it with units that can finish. Engine Techs seems to do more to get it into position than any of the other support upgrades. But beyond that, I don't tend to see dominant victories across an entire tournament out of lists that have one. There's always a weakness in the lists out there and it has trouble forcing its way to stronger victories barring the very weak competition.

3. Practice. I just stopped playing other games entirely, so the shoot/move creates no confusion. This game is very chess-like, where your move sets up what you'll be doing next turn, and what you'll be doing the turn after that. If you've played chess and know the importance of being able to calculate out variations, then you can figure out Armada. There's definitely a mental game in my head every game that consists of, "If I go this speed with my nav dial now, he has to move up, and then I can activate next turn and have a black dice shot." The game can turn entirely on making or missing a single shot, so you've simply got to be able to do this to have success against the strongest competition.

Wow, thank you for the long response!

Good to know about mixed fleet comp

Thats too bad about the Interdictor...sounds like it has a steep learning curve, but thats been my favorite imperial capital ship since I read the Thrawn trilogy

Practice I for sure need lol...

I do play chess, but I feel like with Armada the variation makes it tough for me to predict an opponents moves..what would happen a lot is I would move my ship somewhere expecting to be out of range, and then my opponent would suddenly tell me he had engine techs and would whiz over to me. Are ships speeds and upgrades open info?

New Objectives in the Correlian Conflict will help the Interdictor. New upgrades in both packs in Wave 5 will help the Interdictor. Its certainly had a rough go of it during wave 3-4, but I have a sense that its about to get a lot more interesting.

Ship speeds and upgrades are open information. You should always look over your opponent's list before the start of the game and note what they have outfitted their ships with. Part of the difficulty of the game is keeping track of all the information. We all forget something, all the time. You may want to get in the habit of asking your opponent about their units during the game so that you're clear about the decisions you are making.

3. In the last tournament I played, I got absolutely destroyed by a guy running the same fleet as me (2 AFmk2, 1 MC30, 2 CR90, 3Awings 3Bwings). He just outflew me, and I realized I have a hard time wrapping my head around the shoot THEN move activation order. I have no idea how to set up for it. Ive played a lot of TT games, and most of them turn based...but they were always move THEN shoot. Can someone teach me what I should be doing? It kinda seems like this game is very focused on defensive tactics...how do you fly aggressively when you move AFTER shooting?

Ok, there are some things you should be doing to make your play easier at the start of every turn.

Look at your opponents ships, and answer these questions:

Where are his ships going to be at the end of the turn? (Which will have nav commands?)

What are they trying to achieve, are they targeting a particular ship of yours?

How can you move so that you have multiple ships focused on one of theirs next turn?

Once you have mastered that, and its by no means easy. Take it all the way back to the first deployment, and when they place a ship, ask yourself where that ship will be on turns 3, 4, 5 and 6.

Its like chess as Verg says. Constantly challenge yourself to work out your opponents moves. If they cannot surprise you they cannot beat you.

Thanks guys!

I did ask a couple times about upgrades but I would either forget or I would not know off the top of my head what they did, and I feel stupid having to ask to read the card or have it read to me :/

I will definitely try that about opponent movement. When you are moving your own ships though, how do you force an opponent to let you shoot at them? With the activation order, I feel like it is possible for me to perfectly predict where a juicy target will land, have all my ships aimed to fire at him, and then have him jump out of arc on his first activation, which I hate lol