So I was giving it some thought and I am glad that scum won't make an appearance in Armada. I don't want that nonsense at all. Every time I a third "scum" oriented faction is introduced to something Star Wars related that faction becomes OP. Happened in X-Wing for a good bit. Imperial Assault's worlds were ridiculous. Even the Consortium from Empire at War back '07 was overpowered. We should just nail a sign on the door that says "No dogs, No Ben, and No Scum".

Oh boy here we go again.

For what it's worth, I don't disagree with the basic feeling of "mercs/scum don't really have a place in Armada" given the scale. They just can't muster ships of sufficient size. I think it's fine in X-Wing where the scale is much smaller and because snub fighters/freighters are much easier for various non-aligned groups to get their hands on and maintain for their own interests. However, a pro-scum internetter is always at hand to tell you about how in the EU some crime lord mustered up a Shiptype with a weird paint job and then there was some weird battle at Placename and oh boy that one time in the awful EU sure does prove you wrong. So be ready for that.

Additional factions could eventually be fun (Separatists/Trade Federation? Republic? We'll see, I guess) but scum probably not.

At some point FFG will run out of little ships to print.. they will have to look elsewhere than Rebel vs. Empire.. unless the new movies can keep new ships coming fast enough

11 minutes ago, Snipafist said:

They just can't muster ships of sufficient size. I think it's fine in X-Wing where the scale is much smaller and because snub fighters/freighters are much easier for various non-aligned groups to get their hands on and maintain for their own interests.

Yet again, with 3+ floatillas and 134 points of squads taking the lead in Armada these days, maybe that's the kind of thing that will fit right in. They already have the scum gozanti flotilla variant in X-wing, just throw in some black sun dreadnoughts. and a bunch of scum fighters. BaM.

I say this in jest, of course... lol let it never happen.

16 minutes ago, Snipafist said:

Separatists/Trade Federation? Republic?

Do you think this is likely? I get the impression, despite many characters being revived from TCWs for rebels, that Disney is trying to bury the clone wars. I'd be pretty stoked though it happened....

The problem with scum in armada is that they aren't a unified force like The Rebellion or the Empire. Who do you pick? Black Sun? Hutts? Pirates? None of these play well together and are more likely to shoot each other than work together. And only the Hutts and Black Sun in this new EU could muster up a fleet of any size, though neither of them would as The Empire would hammer them and they'd lose everything(especially the Hutts, Vader wouldn't be too kind to them). Mercenary dual-faction ships are a possibility and likely if Armada wasn't dead(where's my sarcasm font?).

8 minutes ago, Teh HOBO said:

The problem with scum in armada is that they aren't a unified force like The Rebellion or the Empire. Who do you pick? Black Sun? Hutts? Pirates? None of these play well together and are more likely to shoot each other than work together. And only the Hutts and Black Sun in this new EU could muster up a fleet of any size, though neither of them would as The Empire would hammer them and they'd lose everything(especially the Hutts, Vader wouldn't be too kind to them). Mercenary dual-faction ships are a possibility and likely if Armada wasn't dead(where's my sarcasm font?).

I'm not sure that's an issue really.. FO/Empire and resistance/rebels are already getting mixed in X-wing.. if they want to add a scum faction they would probably just lump it all together and not worry so much about them getting along thematically.. it's good guys/bad guys/other guys

the overall battle is sith/jedi really with other people thrown in there

FFG first has to balance the game right now before they can work on a new faction.

Plus I don't want Armada to become like Xwing where the dominant faction of BOTH GAMES is scum.

I play small pirate fleets now....200pt games with a pelta frigate, corvettes, and transports with z-95 and some freighters like the yt-2400. Perfectly acceptable pirate fleet.

Based on the end of Thrawn, I think we have a good shot at seeing the Chiss fleet at some point. They seem to me to be the first legitimate option for a third faction.

Mercs!

Reb or Imp can take up to 20% of their fleet in merc units as long as the flagship has a "Mercenary Liaison/Commander" filling the officer upgrade slot. Then they bring all sorts of cool squadrons, small based ships, combat flotillas and MAYBE a medium base ship. Because they're Mercs they don't get any benefits from the commander but they would need some cool abilities.

Whilst not as a third faction, I think I like the idea that there is a 'grey' group that can side with either the Rebellion or the Empire. A 0 point card that allows for an alliance of x number of Fighters and/or Ships.

Something where the Faction has to purchase a small base ship and some squadrons; or a formation of small based ships (two or three ships/flotilla).

That seems to be more thematic and reasonable.

9 hours ago, Teh HOBO said:

The problem with scum in armada is that they aren't a unified force like The Rebellion or the Empire. Who do you pick? Black Sun? Hutts? Pirates? None of these play well together and are more likely to shoot each other than work together. And only the Hutts and Black Sun in this new EU could muster up a fleet of any size, though neither of them would as The Empire would hammer them and they'd lose everything(especially the Hutts, Vader wouldn't be too kind to them). Mercenary dual-faction ships are a possibility and likely if Armada wasn't dead(where's my sarcasm font?).

Cannonicaly(is that a word?) speaking, Black Sun and Red Key DO join togheter in aftermath trilogy. It's slightly off time but still has potential to work maybe?....

9 hours ago, TallGiraffe said:

FFG first has to balance the game right now before they can work on a new faction.

Ahah this game is amazingly balanced.

There are maybe two outliers? Maybe?

I wouldnt be against it if they set the entire SCUM fleet as a theme, instead of allowing them to use whatever. Black Sun, the Hutt Cartel, and Zann Consortium would be fine if they themed it properly and didnt merge all possible pirate factions into one lump sum. OR if they did that, then let them be used by either faction, AS BOTH factions at once point hire pirates on as mercenaries or manipulate them (read blackmail) into aiding there fleet or ground ops)

Example

Hutt Cartel Fleet

Minstrel-class space yacht (2 ship per base, scaled to the Rebel Transports)

Rihkxyrk Assault Fighters (larger then the Y-Wing slightly)

Interceptor-class frigate (CR-90 Scale)

I've got well articulated arguments against scum from a lore standpoint, but honestly I'm just terrified that the third faction will tilt the game entirely towards one faction. Didn't matter which.

Star Wars is about good guys vs bad guys. That's as much diversity as we need, let's keep armada in that framework until a more compelling reason to expand comes along.

I want those giant space manta rays that eat ships. With boarding actions to drop turds like pidgeons on a car.