I was requested to make this a thread for discussion.

Do you think there should be an expansion for boarding transports, that have similar effects to boarding troopers or engineers. They could come in a pack split between Rebels and Imperials.

Imperials: Stormtrooper transport x2, Assault transport x2

Rebels: Maybe U-wings x2 and captured imperial shuttles x2?

I like the idea of using captured imperial shuttles to sneak commandos into battle, just like at Endor and in Rebels. FFG would also have to make one less sculpt, so everybody wins

So, similar effects to troopers/engineers...

Are we talking about things that you discard and remove from the tabletop to activate, or instead, ahve some other triggering effect?

Heck there's enough assault shuttles you could even do an assault shuttle pack similar to Rogues and Villians. Imperial could have the Stormtrooper Transport, ATR-6, Delta-Class JV-7 and Nu-Class. Rebels could have the Captured Lambda-Class, U-Wing, Bantha-Class and the Aegis-Class. I'm all for boarding shuttles

I think the squadrons should be removed from the battlefield to activate their effect, otherwise spamming a whole bunch of them could be used to disable or damage multiple ships and possibly be overpowering.

If this is the case the shuttles could be very tough, undergunned squadrons that would require an escort, and have a moderately powerful effect such as dealing 2 faceup crew damage cards to a ship, but be one-shot weapons.

2 minutes ago, D503 said:

I think the squadrons should be removed from the battlefield to activate their effect, otherwise spamming a whole bunch of them could be used to disable or damage multiple ships and possibly be overpowering.

If this is the case the shuttles could be very tough, undergunned squadrons that would require an escort, and have a moderately powerful effect such as dealing 2 faceup crew damage cards to a ship, but be one-shot weapons.

Agreed. Last thing we need is to see 15 ATR-6's or captured Lambda's zipping towards your ISD-2 or MC-80.

50 minutes ago, idiewell said:

Agreed. Last thing we need is to see 15 ATR-6's or captured Lambda's zipping towards your ISD-2 or MC-80.

Yes. They should definitely be be able to be pinned down and chewed up by a TIE fighter or Z-95, given enough time.

Ok so just so we're all clear, you want something that takes all the careful balancing trade-offs of those two cards and just make it a native ship or squadron ability?

Boarding actions are now in the game, and just like everyone expected they're a generic upgrade card effect using existing mechanical interactions.

There is an exception made for abilities that are exclusive to specific ships for narrative reasons, such as the Interdictor or Phoenix Home expansions. The ability to launch a boarding shuttle is not a unique ability for narrative or other reasons.

You already have two ships that comes with boarding crews, which can also be placed on numerous other ships. This is the full extent to which boarding actions should be represented in this game.

If you want to simulate a boarding action beyond a generic upgrade card, I'd like to invite you to check out Imperial Assault by FFG. It allows for numerous pre-built and customized boarding scenarios.

10 minutes ago, D503 said:

Yes. They should definitely be be able to be pinned down and chewed up by a TIE fighter or Z-95, given enough time.

This just means one Intel squadron lets 3-4 get through unmolested.

3 hours ago, thecactusman17 said:

If you want to simulate a boarding action beyond a generic upgrade card, I'd like to invite you to check out Imperial Assault by FFG. It allows for numerous pre-built and customized boarding scenarios.

I have a full set of IA and play that as well as Armada. The interest is not simulating a boarding action, the interest is having boarding shuttles as a squadron in Armada. I think that it could bring a new, interesting dimension to the game over and above the new cards in wage 6.

15 + points and squadron removal to exhaust one token. I am ok with that.

I am not a fan of the boarding mechanics. However, because they are limited to close range I accept them. There is a huge cost to going into close range of enemy ships.

What I dont want to see is an option for long range batteries to gain a similar mechanic. Intel officer is sufficient for them.

I think I'd rather see stormtrooper transports as a flotilla boarding thing. My squads can hardly fit everything there is now as is lol.

Given the upcoming change in mechanics for boarding, I'm at least expecting some additions in this area, even if it's only better cards, stormtroopers etc etc.

Practically speaking, if legends is not being drawn from, there doesn't seem to be loads to draw from.

5 hours ago, thecactusman17 said:

This just means one Intel squadron lets 3-4 get through unmolested.

Nah just add another mechanic onot then that makes it so they can be stopped by ships with heavy

Personally since they have added boarding cards I would want dedicated boarding models to be flotillas to make things easier with the current rule set.

Boarding actions as cards? Yes. Boarding actions as representative models on the table? Personally I don't really see the need. I've always thought of Boarding actions in 'Space' games as mirroring Napoleonic naval type boarding actions where ships pull up alongside another ship, guys hop across and cause death and destruction! I've always thought of boarding craft, boarding torpedoes, whatever you want to use as essentially heavily armoured, slow moving, short distance craft. Also boarding actions are usually a 'surprise' tactic. Fluff wise having Storm trooper laden carriers travelling half way across the board to reach an Mc80 whilst being shot at by Rebel fighters and the rest of the fleets anti-squadron armaments seem's a waste of resources to me.

Given boarding actions are now represented by upgrade cards that are discarded* I don't think we'll ever see any boarding squadrons ever. That's great in my opinion. I wouldn't be surprised if over time we got a few more boarding options but between the Boarding Troopers and Boarding Engineers (and who knows, it seems like the Rebels might get a unique boarder?) we should be good for a little while.

*In my opinion, it's a brilliant way to resolve the whole thing without a lot of upkeep or worrying about balancing the squadron mini-game with assault transports added in.

Im not sold on squadrons.

That being said, a boarding-capable Flotilla would be fine. Just needs the correct upgrade slots, and as a flotilla maybe even a second set of them.

6 hours ago, Snipafist said:

I wouldn't be surprised if over time we got a few more boarding options but between the Boarding Troopers and Boarding Engineers (and who knows, it seems like the Rebels might get a unique boarder?)

I believe that you might be correct! The Cham Syndulla card in the Hammerhead expansion seems as if it might be a unique boarder. He requires the Weapons Team and Offensive Retrofit upgrade slots just like the other boarding cards. Then again we will have to wait until they do the in depth articles of the expansions to get any more information!

The new boarding actions open up a cool new design space. Boarding Troopers and Boarding Engineers feel thematic and powerful for their cost, but work within the existing rules and are backwards compatible by using the ships and upgrade slots we already have.

There's one problem: no keyword was used. That severely cuts off the ability for future content to interact with them.

A squadron that allows you to use either of the new boarding upgrades at distance 1 of the shuttle would be cool. An officer who enhances boarding parties would too. Or any other thing you could dream up. But the mechanics don't easily support how you would affect those cards.

"When you use a boarding type upgrade card" is obviously a meaningless statement to the rules engine, though it makes intuitive sense from a thematic standpoint.

"When you use an upgrade with the word 'Boarding' in the title" is unprecedentedly kludgy and crude.

"When you use Boarding Troopers or Boarding Engineers" is too specific. No room for future design.

"When you use a dual slot upgrade" is similarly badly future proofed, though it's perhaps the least bad. But dual slot upgrades have promise for things besides boarding parties.

Would it have been so terrible to just print the word "Boarding" on the rules section of the cards, as official game terminology? I wanted to start a whole thread on this, but I ended up deleting about six different drafts as too obsessive.

Not a fan of captured imperial shuttles (or any 'captured ships' becoming available to rebels for that matter). I am ok with them as a part of a campaign or scenario design though.

Also it doesn't make any sense in battle, i.e Why is the Empire fooled by these captured shuttles that are deployed with the rebel ships, and not following their commands?

Makes even less sense in a rebel vs rebel matches, or do they become 'Captured captured imperial shuttles?'

Only way I can see a squadron working for boarding would be if the squadron lets you exhaust the boarding cards once if you are around distance one of the ship with the boarding cards or act as a relay for the boarding card ( say the squadron is distance 1 of the target ship the active ship discards the boarding card and the squadron is the base for the boarding.)

What about a squadron that functions as a replacement of the card?

I have to equip the boarding card on a ship. But I can discard the card to place a boarding squadron on the map. Sort of a mix of both but doesn't overpower. One cannot have lots of boarding squadrons. But at the same time if one cannot get the ship with the boarding squadrons there in time they can try a Hail Mary action and launch the squadron.

I thought the whole ship mod for boarding actions was dumb from the start. You need boarding craft, transport etc to do it unless you pull a damaged ship into a landing bay like in "A new hope"

I wanted boarding parties to require squad to carry them in their core design. I actually don't like how they just 'happen' at close range.

3 hours ago, ouzel said:

I thought the whole ship mod for boarding actions was dumb from the start. You need boarding craft, transport etc to do it unless you pull a damaged ship into a landing bay like in "A new hope"

Personally I feel that's a little short sighted. I mean, its not like we put Torpedoes on the Board when we launch Torpedo Barrages....

I mean, "Discard this card, at short range" = Everyone to the Boarding Crafts, Boarding Torpedoes, and Launch! etc. You have to be close, so you don't get cut to ribbons by the point defenses and such.

I loved the boarding actions in old Lucas Art CD-ROM game "TIE Fighter" and we did lots of thinking about possibilities to add those to armada. So I'm very pleased, that it will come with the next wave!

On 25.3.2017 at 3:55 PM, Snipafist said:

...and who knows, it seems like the Rebels might get a unique boarder?

That one is quite clear to me. It's Cham Syndullah, who was leading a boarding party in Star Wars Rebels!

On 25.3.2017 at 6:05 PM, Grey Mage said:

...a boarding-capable Flotilla would be fine. Just needs the correct upgrade slots, and as a flotilla maybe even a second set of them.

Or we could see an Officer-Upgrade Card who gives an additional Weapons Team slot for small (and medium?) ships. Would be sufficient to make the Gozanti a real Assault Carrier!

Or you could bring Flight Controllers at them...