Because they're fantastic, and everyone should use them.

What, if anything, have you seen or thought about doing with squadrons accompanying carriers and being "free" points. I ask because the forum is really focused on the broken* competitive state of the game right now, but I feel like the doomsayers are forgetting that Armada can still be a wonderful game with some house rules or putting the competitive side aside. Also because I have a local player that I may be able to get back into the community with a fair system for free squadrons. Also because after 5 Regionals and worlds, I want a break.

I haven't come up with anything concrete yet, but I was thinking linking each faction to a certain type of fighter. And then, if they wanted to upgrade, they could pay the points cost difference in Fleet points. For imperials, to link the squadron value to TIE fighters. So an ISD could either take 4 TIE/F for free, or take 4 TIE/B for 4 points. Rebels taking Xwings (no discount for downgrading)

Obviously the above system would need some switching up for balance. So the empire would get double their squadron value in TIE/F, while the rebels would still get just the regular value in Xwings for relative points balancing.

Deployment could be optional RLB style with regular squadrons (no Irregular RLB).

Nothing too concrete that I've come up with, as you can see, so I'd appreciate input and/or brainstorming. Any links to previous threads would also be appreciated.

Just to clarify.. is this to be able to get more squads/ships into the game? Or is the idea that each ship would come with a compliment of fighters already built in?

It would be more thematic to have each ship carrying a load of fighters that it could drop off somewhere when there's a battle though.

17 minutes ago, Parkdaddy said:

Deployment could be optional RLB style with regular squadrons (no Irregular RLB).

Not sure what Irregular RLB is? Should I know that? Does it just mean no hero units in RLBs? I'm new to the forums so there's wording I don't know.

I like this idea though! Hopefully you'll get it fleshed out and be able to try it.

For the balance issue:

1 extra tie fighter for 4pts

This means 12 free points vs 13 but not being able to activate through commands cause they will be beyond the squadron value.

I mean, not sure why I understand each ship get as many free squadrons as its squadron value.

What about creating a formula so you get points based off squad value? So build your 400 points fleet without any squads, then take the combined squad value and multiply by 10? That's about in between a Tie/F and an X-Wing.

This allows you to run aces without having a complicated formula by basing everything off of a generic or base line. [Squad Command]*[X]=Points for squads.

If flotilla spam is a problem for free points, limit them.

18 minutes ago, durandal343 said:

Just to clarify.. is this to be able to get more squads/ships into the game? Or is the idea that each ship would come with a compliment of fighters already built in?

It would be more thematic to have each ship carrying a load of fighters that it could drop off somewhere when there's a battle though.

Not sure what Irregular RLB is? Should I know that? Does it just mean no hero units in RLBs? I'm new to the forums so there's wording I don't know.

I like this idea though! Hopefully you'll get it fleshed out and be able to try it.

I meant no irregular squadrons in the Rapid Launch Bays. But in hindsight, a Lamda is technically Irregular for Armada, yet it could most definitely deploy from a star Destroyer. Requires some more thought. Probably going by lore

But no, it is not for the express purpose of getting more squads into the game. It is to make the battle more Star Warsy.

More squadrons is a 2nd order effect of that. By including free squadrons with each ship, "why not take them?" They only come out of your fleet points if you upgrade them. Otherwise, Fleet points are strictly ships and upgrades.

Another effect of this would be to give a new method of list-building. I think it would be fun and fresh.

4 minutes ago, Parkdaddy said:

But no, it is not for the express purpose of getting more squads into the game. It is to make the battle more Star Warsy.

And you'd get the swarms of XW and TIE fighters.. awesome!

On 5/11/2017 at 11:54 AM, durandal343 said:

Just to clarify.. is this to be able to get more squads/ships into the game? Or is the idea that each ship would come with a compliment of fighters already built in?

It would be more thematic to have each ship carrying a load of fighters that it could drop off somewhere when there's a battle though.

Not sure what Irregular RLB is? Should I know that? Does it just mean no hero units in RLBs? I'm new to the forums so there's wording I don't know.

I like this idea though! Hopefully you'll get it fleshed out and be able to try it.

Believe it or not, "Irregular Squadrons" are Defined in the Rules Suppliments.

Check out your Rogues & Villains, or your Imperial II/Rebel II Fighter Pack Information sheets.

"Irregular Squadron" is essentially a Squadron that only has a Single Model on the Squadron Base, Rather than 3 Models.

If you wanted simple, thematic, and reasonably* balanced house rules for this, you could simply say that:

• At least half of Imperial squadrons must be generic TIE Fighters
• At least half of Rebel squadrons must be generic X-Wings

Then, if you really want, add RLB to all ships for free.

More complex rules will probably just give you significant headaches for very little gain.

*: Not really.

I always thought of the squadron deployment rules as representing the point at which they all spill out of their carrier. Was that just me?

Of course, it's silly when 120 points of TIEs all immediately deploy around the first flotilla you place, but if there was some imaginary houserule of "as a deployment, up to a ship's squadron value worth of squadrons can be placed within distance 1-2 of that ship" instead of the normal squadron deployment rules, you'd have your thematic carriers dumping their squadrons at the start of an engagement, while also adding an interesting limitation on squadron count based on squadron value.

(You would probably want some light/medium/heavy squadron statistic for taking 2/1/.5 squadrons per point, ex TIE fighters as light but X-Wings as medium and YT-1300s as heavy; and you could even do some interesting things with Rogue (or some new invented keyword) implying a built in hyperdrive and allowing squadrons to deploy as if they were ships. This is dangerously approaching "writing your own entire game" territory, however...)

Then you could do something like give your "default RLB" a restriction that squadrons cannot move or shoot the turn they're deployed that way - the Rapid Launch Bays upgrade therefore emphasizing "Rapid", and still being a useful card. Alternately, default RLB could have a "can't shoot but can move" restriction, while regular RLB has none.