My son got armada for Xmas and we are both hooked. We've played a half dozen or more games and feel we've already outgrown the core set (it's that easy and fun to play!)

Most likely we are going with an ISD and home one as our next choices (because it isn't Star Wars without them) but what do we look for after that?

Ps. We really don't like the look of the rebel assault frigate at all.

There's nothing you can go wrong with. It all depends on how much you want to spend, and which ships/fighters look interesting to you.

The ISD is a great ship and key to many fleets. A gladiator is essential. At least one of each of the fighter packs opens up a lot of options. The Interdictor is really cool. I haven't had the chance to play the Arquitens yet, so I don't know how it behaves.

If you're sharing, a second core set will also open up some good options for you as you mix things into your fleet. Though, if you're not concerned about having more of the base tools/dice/damage decks, you'd be better off buying the Victory, Corvette and Nebulon B separately for the new cards they bring.

There are a couple more threads like this on the forums already. You can read many people's ideas there.

There's nothing you can go wrong with. It all depends on how much you want to spend, and which ships/fighters look interesting to you.

The ISD is a great ship and key to many fleets. A gladiator is essential. At least one of each of the fighter packs opens up a lot of options. The Interdictor is really cool. I haven't had the chance to play the Arquitens yet, so I don't know how it behaves.

If you're sharing, a second core set will also open up some good options for you as you mix things into your fleet. Though, if you're not concerned about having more of the base tools/dice/damage decks, you'd be better off buying the Victory, Corvette and Nebulon B separately for the new cards they bring.

There are a couple more threads like this on the forums already. You can read many people's ideas there.

Though, honestly, you won't need to (read the other threads, I mean). Pretty much all the relevant info in them is summarised nicely by shadeofdawn here. Everything else in those threads is personal taste.

Except dice. Get lots of dice. At least one, maybe two more packs will do it.

And, as for personal taste, a special mention here should probably go to flotillas. They don't look like much at first glance, but trust me here, people don't mention them in these threads at least partially due to their prevalence. They are pretty good. And if you pick up a fighter pack or 2 to go with them, you'll soon never leave home without one.

Get a raider, imperial light Cruiser, and a Pelta for ships with squadron pack 1 for both sides. Have fun.

Get a raider, imperial light Cruiser, and a Pelta for ships with squadron pack 1 for both sides.

Would this tip the balance in favour of imperials or does the pelta equal a raider and light cruiser?

Thanks shadeofdawn and flengin, the gladiator and flotillas might be the way to go.

Get a raider, imperial light Cruiser, and a Pelta for ships with squadron pack 1 for both sides.

Would this tip the balance in favour of imperials or does the pelta equal a raider and light cruiser?

Thanks shadeofdawn and flengin, the gladiator and flotillas might be the way to go.

Well if you want just add another Nebulon or CR90 in addition.

1 point to mention is that a second core set only makes sense if you are going to be playing separately at the same time and therefore need the maneuver templates, dice and especially the damage deck (as you can't buy it separately). The additional ships in the core set are not the reason for getting it as you will want to get the individual version of these for their expansion cards. Having said that the extra damage deck, dice and template will be very useful. If you're only playing at home then feel free to proxy the upgrade cards.

I'd try and keep some balance to the two forces but it does come all down to what you want to play with. An ISD is a staple ship but the Rebel fleets tend to be a bit more mixed so probably play more often with multiple small ships than Empire do. Due to that you might find you want to add an extra rebel ship (or duplicate) without needing to balance it with an Expire ship.

ISD & Home One

Gladiator & MC30

Squadron Pack 1 for each side

Flotilla for each side

Rebels and Villains

Squadron pack 2 for each side

That leaves Interdictor, Raider, Arquitens vs Liberty, Assault Frigate, Pelta

Honestly the only "bad" purchases right now is the Pelta and Interdictor. And theyre not bad either, i only say "bad" because theyre niche and have a very specific role that if you dont want/cant play it in that role they suck. Eventually you will want them, but off the bat i'd avoid those two. Give it a few months to learn the game and you'll probably understand how they work better.

Collecting both factions tends to be more expensive but you have two players so I'm guessing this is how you want to go (seems everyone is making that assumption here).

Personally I think if you are going to have two players and collect both factions, having two core sets is an absolute must. This allows each player to have equal access to everything, so unless your doing a lot of proxies, its a pretty cheap way to open up the game a great deal by comparison to buying expansion sets.

I think buying multiple Imperial/Rebel squads is also a good way to sort of open up the game, being able to have 4 or 6 of the same ship can create some really interesting dynamics, so it kind of opens up a lot of combos for a relatively low price.

You mentioned you aren't crazy about the Assault Frigate, which after reading the header was the first thing I was going to recommend. The potatoe is not the prettiest ship but its one of the most diverse, really a staple of a Rebel collection. I would consider any collection without this expansion to be incomplete at best, it really is a must have in my opinion.

I didn't like the look of the assault frigate either - it's not the aesthetics, more that it feels like the only ship they failed with on their sliding scale. I bought one just to have as part of the collection, but it is versatile, tough and fun to play. It's forgiving to fly and even a little slippery with Nav commands, and it would pair very nicely with your MC80 and some corvettes. I don't play competitively anymore, but I ended up with three assault frigates while I did. There's no Rebel commander that makes you think "I cannot take AFMkIIs in this list," and it can deliver punches as well as take them. There's a lot of love for the new Arquitens as Armada's best (and it is a lovely ship!), but I still believe the Assault Frigate fills the same role more reliably and can serve multiple purposes in the whole range of list archetypes. Big rant to say that I too did not like the looks, but it won me over very quickly - don't count the space whale out!

Of course this is all personal preference and based on what hits my table most often. This is Rebel-centric as I don't play Imperials very often, so if you have the core and are getting Home One, I personally would add the first Rebel Fighter pack, the Assault Frigate, and the Pelta OR MC30. Medium Transports are a fantastic inexpensive addition as soon as you can get them in. Then I'd be eyeing a second CR90 and whichever of the Pelta/MC30 I didn't already have. Have fun!

You are getting a lot of good advice. I just have 2 important comments:

1. Just make sure you don't let any of the other advice deviate you away from getting that ISD. It's an ISD. You MUST own an ISD. If I ever quit this game and sell my stuff (HIGHLY unlikely), I WILL keep 1 of my ISD's. Cuz it's an ISD.

2. Don't wait too long to get Rogues (not Rouges) and Villains. Cuz Millenium Falcon (see #1 for specifics).

Aside from that, you truly can't go wrong with any purchases in this game. EVERYTHING is playable. Best and most balanced miniature war game I have ever played. Buy what looks interesting. Just make sure to keep things as balanced as possible since you are buying for both sides and have fun!

PS - A 2nd CORE really isn't necessary, and you are better off getting duplicates of those ships via their expansions for access to other upgrades. A 2nd damage deck would be nice, but not necessary. Same with a Maneuver tool. But, I will echo others and say GET MORE DICE! I bought 2 packs for 9 of each color total. Worth it!