Now that I've got Ginkapo's help for a start I can see a good control list could smash face.

Here is my ISD list du jour, That I wrote after seeing Rogue One and trying to figure out what the Imperials should have done above Scarif to win.

Gozanti cruiser, Konstantine, Tua, ECM, Expanded hangar bays

ISD2, Gunnery team, ECM, leading shots, dual turbolaser turrets

ISD2, Gunnery team, ECM, leading shots, dual turbolaser turrets

Darth Vader, 2x TIE defender

Tactics are simple - Ships fly around together and punch face. Commands are almost exclusively manoeuvre dials. Use Konstantine to speed up or slow down ships so that they land within the horrific front arcs of the 2 ISDs. Dual turbolaser turrets and leading shots lead to a comforting amount of accuracies and damage. Gunnery teams for thinning out MSU.

Vader and the 2 TIE defenders are there to roflcockstomp any half-assed fighter screens (bye-bye 4x Z-95!), bomb a little if needed, or delay/damage any more powerful fighter balls until they are ineffective, at the cost of their lives.

I know I should put Konstantine on one of the ISDs, but I have a really bad case of compulsive symmetry disorder when wargaming, and I'm comfortable with that being the reason why I rarely win. Did you notice that the squadrons form a symmetrical pyramid, and then you have a symmetrical pyramid of ships around them? It's perfect, and I am going to be happy when I lose because of it.

Has anyone been running Jonus plus QLTs on an ISD-II with any success?

I can see the benefits, but QLTs are just so expensive, and on a ship with as many blue dice as the ISD2 I really cant see wanting the extra Red accuracy that I cant turn into damage with SW7s.

I usually run IX7s, as most of the rebel and imperial ships I expect to have any problems with have redirects. Again, Ill count on my dice to give me accuracies for things like Flotilla hunting. It rarely lets me down even when Im not running Vader.

2 hours ago, D503 said:

Here is my ISD list du jour, That I wrote after seeing Rogue One and trying to figure out what the Imperials should have done above Scarif to win.

Gozanti cruiser, Konstantine, Tua, ECM, Expanded hangar bays

ISD2, Gunnery team, ECM, leading shots, dual turbolaser turrets

ISD2, Gunnery team, ECM, leading shots, dual turbolaser turrets

Darth Vader, 2x TIE defender

Tactics are simple - Ships fly around together and punch face. Commands are almost exclusively manoeuvre dials. Use Konstantine to speed up or slow down ships so that they land within the horrific front arcs of the 2 ISDs. Dual turbolaser turrets and leading shots lead to a comforting amount of accuracies and damage. Gunnery teams for thinning out MSU.

Vader and the 2 TIE defenders are there to roflcockstomp any half-assed fighter screens (bye-bye 4x Z-95!), bomb a little if needed, or delay/damage any more powerful fighter balls until they are ineffective, at the cost of their lives.

I know I should put Konstantine on one of the ISDs, but I have a really bad case of compulsive symmetry disorder when wargaming, and I'm comfortable with that being the reason why I rarely win. Did you notice that the squadrons form a symmetrical pyramid, and then you have a symmetrical pyramid of ships around them? It's perfect, and I am going to be happy when I lose because of it.

How well has it worked out? 3 activations and 3 squadrons is quite lean. I've been thinking about doing some weird 2 or 3 activation list adn not bothering with contesting activations at all, just go first player throat punch style.

This has felt pretty solid for me:

Imperial I w/Ordinance Experts, High Capacity Ion Turbines, H9 Turbolasers x2

Gozanti w/Comms net x2...Jerjerod on one

Colonel Jendon, Maarek Stele, Valen Rudor, Saber Squadron.

Reliably pops flotillas with the sides and you can get double arcs pretty reliably with JJ. Speed 3 all day, scary stuff.

I haven't tried Kallus, but I'll put leading shots and point defense reroute on an ISD2 from time to time. Guaranteed 1 hit (ok, like 98%) with every engagement. Roll 2 accuacies? LS to reroll one of them. Get a critical on that reroll? PDR to reroll it; etc. That is usually with GT of course. Woe to the squadron that gets too close and tries to be a hero.

5 hours ago, Blail Blerg said:

How well has it worked out? 3 activations and 3 squadrons is quite lean. I've been thinking about doing some weird 2 or 3 activation list adn not bothering with contesting activations at all, just go first player throat punch style.

You have a disadvantage in terms of activations, but if someone is playing a light ship list that doesn't last long. As I don't have many opponents it is quite easy to predict what they will play, and vice-versa, so when I am trying to refine a list or idea I usually get stomped as I am becoming too predictable.

This setup absolutely ruined a couple of MSU lists, but then my opponent turned up with an MC80 Defiance, Sato, flight commander, Rapid launch bays, and leading shots. He hit me for 4 re-rollable blacks (CF order) plus blues, and then dropped 4 B-wings on me. The MC80 was his 4th activation, so my ISD had to move into his range first.

I lost 2 ISDs on 2 turns, it was a little embarrassing.

I would recommend trying this list out at an informal gathering though, but I have no experience with cut-throat tournaments.

TLDR: Armada is Rock Paper Scissors. Specialise into paper then they can just bring scissors and you lose.

6 hours ago, D503 said:

TLDR: Armada is Rock Paper Scissors. Specialise into paper then they can just bring scissors and you lose.

I don't know about that. I mean you're right of course to a degree but that's warfare in general. If you take only infantry to a fight and all the other side has is tanks then yes of course you're going to get trampled.

With so many ship options and lists Armada is the Rock Paper Scissors variant that has twenty or so different options to pick from.

Rock-Paper-Scissors-Lizard-Spock then?

7 hours ago, Forresto said:

I don't know about that. I mean you're right of course to a degree but that's warfare in general. If you take only infantry to a fight and all the other side has is tanks then yes of course you're going to get trampled.

With so many ship options and lists Armada is the Rock Paper Scissors variant that has twenty or so different options to pick from.

Exactly. Armada is a fun game, and keeping your lists dynamic at the expense of finding one perfect list is what keeps it interesting in a smaller gaming circle. I think dual ISD lists, while too specialized, have a good part to play within that. If you take them too often though, losses will ensue.

16 hours ago, D503 said:

You have a disadvantage in terms of activations, but if someone is playing a light ship list that doesn't last long. As I don't have many opponents it is quite easy to predict what they will play, and vice-versa, so when I am trying to refine a list or idea I usually get stomped as I am becoming too predictable.

This setup absolutely ruined a couple of MSU lists, but then my opponent turned up with an MC80 Defiance, Sato, flight commander, Rapid launch bays, and leading shots. He hit me for 4 re-rollable blacks (CF order) plus blues, and then dropped 4 B-wings on me. The MC80 was his 4th activation, so my ISD had to move into his range first.

I lost 2 ISDs on 2 turns, it was a little embarrassing.

I would recommend trying this list out at an informal gathering though, but I have no experience with cut-throat tournaments.

TLDR: Armada is Rock Paper Scissors. Specialise into paper then they can just bring scissors and you lose.

Yeah. im trying to do very competitive, high-power level lists, and 2 ISDs aren't working for me. Its more like rock-paper-scissor-cotton candy. ISDs don't do well vs MSU and squadrons.

Lol. That's with the current RLB ruling though right?

I just watched a PBS show about the Battleship Yamoto and its down fall, Its only real weakness was to fighters and fast small torpedo Destroyers. seems the game is true to form.

Yeah, but Yamato has a Wave Motion Gun - so that compensates for it's weaknesses.

36 minutes ago, ouzel said:

I just watched a PBS show about the Battleship Yamoto and its down fall, Its only real weakness was to fighters and fast small torpedo Destroyers. seems the game is true to form.

Interesting ship, eh? The thing is, the Yamato was bristling with AA armament. 12x155mm dual purpose guns, 24x127mm dual purpose guns, and 162x25mm guns.

And it still couldn't survive against dedicated air attack, even WITH the wave motion gun (go Starblazers!)

8 hours ago, Democratus said:

Yeah, but Yamato has a Wave Motion Gun - so that compensates for it's weaknesses.

it was sank by air attack so that did not help or the 80 extra AA guns added for its last failed mission. or the AA shotgun rounds fired from its main guns.

this ship had more guns then any other ship ever built and a pile of airplanes that cost less then one of its main gun turrets destroyed it and most of its escorts fighters rule the seas.