My friend and I are looking to start playing Armada. Both huge Star Wars fans, but neither of us have any war-game experience (not even chess!). Initially I'm buying the kit (I've owned the Core Set for a year now and have already bought a few expansions that I liked the look of. So far I've purchased (you can probably tell I'll be Imperial...):

• 1x Core Set
• 1x ISD
• 1x Quasar Fire
• 1x Gladiator
• 1x Raider
• 1x Arquitens
• 1x Gozanti pack
• 1x Rebel Transports pack
• 1x Home One
• 1x Phoenix One
• 1 each of all the fighter packs
• 2x rogues & villains

But now we want to start playing, I could do with being a bit more focused on the purchases. What should I buy to make 2 balanced fleets for us to learn with?

We are going to be learning to play without anyone teaching us, so if any one has any advice or techniques for learning to play the game, it would be much appreciated!

(I know normally the advice would be go to a FLGS and learn with other players, but we both have young families and scheduling that isn't realistically going to happen. We'll likely be playing after 'bedtime' when we can )

4 hours ago, burni said:

My friend and I are looking to start playing Armada. Both huge Star Wars fans, but neither of us have any war-game experience (not even chess!). Initially I'm buying the kit (I've owned the Core Set for a year now and have already bought a few expansions that I liked the look of. So far I've purchased (you can probably tell I'll be Imperial...):

• 1x Core Set
• 1x ISD
• 1x Quasar Fire
• 1x Gladiator
• 1x Raider
• 1x Arquitens
• 1x Gozanti pack
• 1x Rebel Transports pack
• 1x Home One
• 1x Phoenix One
• 1 each of all the fighter packs
• 2x rogues & villains

But now we want to start playing, I could do with being a bit more focused on the purchases. What should I buy to make 2 balanced fleets for us to learn with?

We are going to be learning to play without anyone teaching us, so if any one has any advice or techniques for learning to play the game, it would be much appreciated!

(I know normally the advice would be go to a FLGS and learn with other players, but we both have young families and scheduling that isn't realistically going to happen. We'll likely be playing after 'bedtime' when we can )

Honestly at this stage, if it's just going to be the two of you, then it doesn't matter a whole lot which ships you buy. Generally my advice is to buy the ships you love from the movies and are interested in.

(I just now started making a list of Rebel ships from the movies that you could consider buying, and then I realized it was literally just a list of the Expansions that you don't have yet).

But seriously, just buy ships that look fun to fly. Or even rebuy expansions that you already have- there's a huge difference between throwing one CR-90 into your fleet and having a fleet composed of 6+ CR-90s.

To address one of your other questions: you have more than enough ships right now that you can start teaching yourselves. So it probably wouldn't hurt to play a few games and get a feel for what the Rebel player wants/needs to add to his fleet.

3 minutes ago, Herowannabe said:

Honestly at this stage, if it's just going to be the two of you, then it doesn't matter a whole lot which ships you buy. Generally my advice is to buy the ships you love from the movies and are interested in.

(I just now started making a list of Rebel ships from the movies that you could consider buying, and then I realized it was literally just a list of the Expansions that you don't have yet).

But seriously, just buy ships that look fun to fly. Or even rebuy expansions that you already have- there's a huge difference between throwing one CR-90 into your fleet and having a fleet composed of 6+ CR-90s.

To address one of your other questions: you have more than enough ships right now that you can start teaching yourselves. So it probably wouldn't hurt to play a few games and get a feel for what the Rebel player wants/needs to add to his fleet.

^Nailed it.

If he's not buying rebel stuff, then in my own order of importance;

MC30 (imo the most fun rebel ship to fly, also has Assault Proton Torpedo and Turbolaser Reroute Circuits, as well as Rieekan)

CR90 (He'll probably want at least two at some point in the very near future, plus Jainas Light and Mon Mothma.)

Neb B (Yavaris, Salvation are the big time titles for this ship. Also has Intel Officer and XI7 Turbolaser upgrades)

From there, imo, buy based on what you feel you are missing when you guys listbuild.

I agree that if you aren't playing competitively, it doesn't matter what you buy, as everything is viable. Buy ships that look cool, and you'll be fine.

As for learning how to play, I found that by playing repeatedly with the rule book beside you you eventually iron out most of the issues, and by watching other people play (say, on Vassal) or by posting questions in the rules forum, you get to find the correct way to do anything else that may be bothering you, such as card interactions, sequence of resolutions, etc.

Looks like you have all the Imperial expansions except the VSD and the Interdictor. You can build plenty of fleet variations with those. I wouldn't say you need anything else to last you for a long time. Interdictor is fun, and VSD comes with Motti, a very useful (but not game-changing) commander. If you were to double up on anything, Gladiators, Raiders, and Gozantis are solid picks, and dual ISDs are fun and intimidating (but definitely beatable).

I do think the Rebels will eventually feel limited with just a core CR90, core Neb, Home One, and Phoenix One. You can absolutely learn the game with just those and all those fighters, but your Rebel player might want to be able to vary things more at some point. One thing to note is that the commanders that come with some of these expansions can make a big difference in giving the fleets a different feel.

I agree with Madaghmire on Rebel recommendations. I've also had fun with the Liberty, which comes with Madine. Madine is super fun for a Rebel player, even if you don't actually use him with the Liberty. To me, the Assault Frigate is not as good, but some people love it and are great with them, so really it comes back to whatever you want.

I recommend trying out Vassal (just Google "Vassal Armada"). 3 reasons: 1) You'll learn the game quicker; 2) You can try ships and configurations you don't have; 3) You can often find games at odd hours. To me it's not as fun as playing with real life plastic ships, but it's still great.

I also recommend using Discord when playing on Vassal so you can actually talk to people. Rules questions get resolved much quicker that way.

Have fun!

If you and your friend are the only ones, LET THE RULE OF COOL REIGN!

6 hours ago, burni said:

My friend and I are looking to start playing Armada. Both huge Star Wars fans, but neither of us have any war-game experience (not even chess!). Initially I'm buying the kit (I've owned the Core Set for a year now and have already bought a few expansions that I liked the look of. So far I've purchased (you can probably tell I'll be Imperial...):

• 1x Core Set
• 1x ISD
• 1x Quasar Fire
• 1x Gladiator
• 1x Raider
• 1x Arquitens
• 1x Gozanti pack
• 1x Rebel Transports pack
• 1x Home One
• 1x Phoenix One
• 1 each of all the fighter packs
• 2x rogues & villains

But now we want to start playing, I could do with being a bit more focused on the purchases. What should I buy to make 2 balanced fleets for us to learn with?

We are going to be learning to play without anyone teaching us, so if any one has any advice or techniques for learning to play the game, it would be much appreciated!

(I know normally the advice would be go to a FLGS and learn with other players, but we both have young families and scheduling that isn't realistically going to happen. We'll likely be playing after 'bedtime' when we can )

My standard advice for this....

Go wave by wave.

Start with the core and just play ships. Then ships with upgrades. Then ships/upgrades with fighters. Finally throw it all together with objectives.

Then start adding things wave by wave. In wave 1 & 2 you may want to just add part of the wave. Build new lists using just the stuff that is available at that point without jumping ahead.

If you try to open all 6 waves at once while trying to learn the game, you are going to be overwhelmed. There are so many options for upgrades and fighters that if you throw in all at once, you won't understand what half of it does and you'll overlook great stuff just due to quantity. By playing several games with the addition of each new wave of stuff you add in, you will learn how everything fits together and interacts with each other. It will also keep the game fresh as just when you start to settle into a local meta, you can mix things up by opening a couple new ships.

I just recently started playing Armada with a friend who is also new. I actually do have some wargame experience, but I still second the notion of starting small and simple. There are a lot of things to keep track of and doing them in the correct order is very important. It's also difficult to 'back up' if you forget something important. Perhaps start with 180 point lists using few to no upgrades, just to get commands, maneuvers, and shooting down (NO! It's shooting, then maneuvering, dang it!)(Except not for Demolisher ...partly).

I love the game, but I hate the Learn to Play and Rules Reference method of presenting it, because it's so scattered. I highly recommend reading this: http://cannotgetyourshipout.blogspot.com/2017/04/the-attack-sequence-and-you.html because it explains a lot of things that aren't obvious, at least to me, about how combat works.

you've got a lot already for both sides, i think you're mostly done with imperials unless something specific in the VSD or Interdictor sticks out to you.

Rebel wise the Liberty is my favorite ship in their fleet and, while i don't like them, the mc-30 is one of the best rebel ships in the game and FEELS way different for rebels(a fast ship that wants to get close to unleash black dice, nothing else like it on that side).

but like everyone else is saying, play games. You mention that you've never played competitive tabletop games, I've played them all my life(40k, WMH, X-wing, and yes, chess). This game more than any other feels like you can field any ship in the system and still be reasonably successful if you play right. There are some combos that don't work as well as other but more than anything the players tend to learn to fly different types of ships and become good with those. the more games you play the better you'll get and the more you switch things up the more you'll learn.

Glad to hear you're getting into it, have fun

My story is somewhat similar to yours. I was collecting for over a year before I found someone to play with. I now have 2 play partners plus another 2 that have expressed interest in trying it and at least one store, although an hour away, is trying to get weekly Armada nights going.

From my experience this game more than any other I have tried actually does get better with every expansion without making previous things obsolete. There are a few early upgrades I never see being played mostly because they are too expensive in todays game but generally all the ships can fit and succeed in the right list.

Personally I was not a gamer when I got into Armada, I got into it because, like many, I am just a huge Star Wars fan. Put one of the Movies on in the background (Currently Rogue One and RotJ I feel fit best with Armada). You will find yourself humming the theme song(s) and Pew Pewing without even realizing you are doing it. So much fun...

I collect everything, I had slowed down for a bit because I couldn't find a play partner but when I say the Hammerheads come out I knew I had to finally find someone and actually play the game. I am fired up to get Wave 7 in my hands now and get more large ships on the board.

As is typical in this sort of game pretty much every expansion has something in it you will want to have no matter what faction you prefer to play. Flight Controllers is a good example, only comes in the VSD expansion and is one of my go to upgrades no matter what faction I am playing. Of course if you are just flying casual you can print out the card and proxy it, that only doesn't work if you get into the competitive/tournament scene.

Good luck, this is my favorite game by far. I hope you enjoy it as much.

Stop buying. Start playing.

All the advice above is great and spot on. My buddy and I also picked up the game together and have been self taught over several fun filled months. The forums here are a great spot to get specific answers to rule questions and the blogs mentioned above (Cannot Get Your Ship Out and Steel Squadron HQ: Armada ) are fantastic for new and experienced players. The only new suggestion I might add is check out some matches on YouTube. There are several great Armada channels that provide all kinds of good content for beginners, everything from fleet build videos to full blown matches. This can be a great way to see how others are playing the game. I'd highly recommend Crabbok's channel to start with: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt9cO9QooyLopZmu2XT4T0w

And not to be too self promoting but my buddy and I eventually started our own channel as well. I won't claim that we're a great help to anyone but if you wanted to check it out we can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxaVSZvFQ83Xxn6zm67XB3A

Welcome to the game!

Cheers!

On 9/5/2017 at 5:40 AM, burni said:

My friend and I are looking to start playing Armada. Both huge Star Wars fans, but neither of us have any war-game experience (not even chess!). Initially I'm buying the kit (I've owned the Core Set for a year now and have already bought a few expansions that I liked the look of. So far I've purchased (you can probably tell I'll be Imperial...):

• 1x Core Set
• 1x ISD
• 1x Quasar Fire
• 1x Gladiator
• 1x Raider
• 1x Arquitens
• 1x Gozanti pack
• 1x Rebel Transports pack
• 1x Home One
• 1x Phoenix One
• 1 each of all the fighter packs
• 2x rogues & villains

But now we want to start playing, I could do with being a bit more focused on the purchases. What should I buy to make 2 balanced fleets for us to learn with?

We are going to be learning to play without anyone teaching us, so if any one has any advice or techniques for learning to play the game, it would be much appreciated!

(I know normally the advice would be go to a FLGS and learn with other players, but we both have young families and scheduling that isn't realistically going to happen. We'll likely be playing after 'bedtime' when we can )

Looks like you have everything you need. Since you're both beginners, tell your friend he can play with the rebel ships that come in the core set and that you're going to use all your Imperial ships at the same time since the Empire would always use overwhelming force. Tell him it's a real world simulation and he has to do his best to defeat you using a Neb B and CR90!

Something that I'm going to throw out there is that it can be difficult and frustrating to not have upgrade cards that you really want to try out. If you're just playing friendly matches don't be afraid to proxy cards to flesh out your fleets. I support, and continue to support FFG with my money but sometimes buying a $40 pack for one upgrade card you want is a bit much. You can find singles on eBay etc. but for friendly play and to just try out stuff, proxying works great.

A second piece of advice that comes from experience... try to remember that it's a game and it's fun. My friend and I got started together and really stressed ourselves out being competitive. We lost sight of the fact that we were playing a game and losses became fairly devastating. There would be arguments about rule minutia that could get somewhat heated. We had to sit down and force ourselves to relax and just have fun. Going over strategy and trying to help each other out went a long way towards that I think. I'm not perfect yet and still get down when my great awesome plan goes up in flames but I'm getting there. You are going to make mistakes and your ships will explode. You don't have to slam them on the table and make them actually explode when they do

Have fun! I sure do enjoy flying my spaceships around and shooting at stuff.

I will second just about everything that everyone else has stated. I've been collecting now quite heavily, have 2 of everything (waiting on my 2nd Neb-B), and up to 5 of some expansions (fighters, transports, gozantis). I have been able to get a few games in at the local store, because there were a few people interested that hadn't seen it before. I LOVE vassal. I have jumped on there quite a bit lately, and while I've only played 2 or 3 games, I have watched several people on here, and I will say that everyone has been more than happy to ask any questions. I have learned more from watching a few vassal games and chatting with the guys playing, than I did watching numerous matches and such online.

Start playing with your buddy, start slow as others stated. Go with some capital ships, maybe a commander for each fleet to start. Add upgrades or squads. Add the other one. Finish off with objectives. One piece of advice that I received was when you play a game, swap factions afterwards. You'll both get a feel with how certain ships work etc. You'll be playing and watching your buddy getting wrecked and go hmmm I could change that up and make something work. If you ever want to get a game on vassal going, let me know. I'm maybe 5 games total into my Armada experience, 2 or 3 on vassal with a buddy learning, and then showing the game off at my local store for maybe 2 games.

My final word would be to also semi avoid the sites that list fleet builds. Don't get on there and go OH, Sloan Aces, I can play that. Get on there and look at some of them, then try playing them slowly. Some cards/combos/commanders take time to get used to. It may seem like an easy change when reading it, but seeing in action can make something that much easier/harder to completely get the feel for.

Thanks for the advice everyone.

Yeah, realised after I'd written it out that I do have quite a lot already! Will try to pad out the rebels a bit more.

We are going to start out with the core set 'learn to play' game but then we want to start playing with the ships we like. I like Mormal's advice of keep the card situation simple and just adding elements as we go.

We're not interested in being competitive players but I would like to play in-store tournaments one day. I've been reading 'Cannot Get Your Ship Out'. Most of it goes over my head, but it's a great site. My friend isn't as interested in doing 'homework' so I'm doing the leg work on the rules and concepts.

Will let you know how it goes!

21 hours ago, durandal343 said:

Something that I'm going to throw out there is that it can be difficult and frustrating to not have upgrade cards that you really want to try out. If you're just playing friendly matches don't be afraid to proxy cards to flesh out your fleets. I support, and continue to support FFG with my money but sometimes buying a $40 pack for one upgrade card you want is a bit much. You can find singles on eBay etc. but for friendly play and to just try out stuff, proxying works great.

A second piece of advice that comes from experience... try to remember that it's a game and it's fun. My friend and I got started together and really stressed ourselves out being competitive. We lost sight of the fact that we were playing a game and losses became fairly devastating. There would be arguments about rule minutia that could get somewhat heated. We had to sit down and force ourselves to relax and just have fun. Going over strategy and trying to help each other out went a long way towards that I think. I'm not perfect yet and still get down when my great awesome plan goes up in flames but I'm getting there. You are going to make mistakes and your ships will explode. You don't have to slam them on the table and make them actually explode when they do

Have fun! I sure do enjoy flying my spaceships around and shooting at stuff.

At this stage, small games are the way to go. I'm sure you can still find some learn to play videos on YouTube.

As you move into using more upgrades, head over to KDY and print out some proxy cards to try stuff out. Especially the commanders you don't have.

http://kdyards.com/index.php

2 hours ago, burni said:

Thanks for the advice everyone.

Yeah, realised after I'd written it out that I do have quite a lot already! Will try to pad out the rebels a bit more.

We are going to start out with the core set 'learn to play' game but then we want to start playing with the ships we like. I like Mormal's advice of keep the card situation simple and just adding elements as we go.

We're not interested in being competitive players but I would like to play in-store tournaments one day. I've been reading 'Cannot Get Your Ship Out'. Most of it goes over my head, but it's a great site. My friend isn't as interested in doing 'homework' so I'm doing the leg work on the rules and concepts.

Will let you know how it goes!

I can't stress how important it is to start small. I think the 'Learn to Play' scenario may be overwhelming to you, especially if you don't have much war gaming/miniature/tabletop gaming experience.

Core box ships only first. There is a TON of stuff to get right in just those rules. LOS, range, movement, tokens, commands, dice, combat, defense tokens. The LTP scenario will likely overwhelm you by adding in everything else at the same time. Get the basics down first.

Then replay the match, but allow upgrades and commanders. It's surprising how much more info you need to absorb at this point. You'll be applying the knowledge from your first match to this and adding all the new variables.

Then start over but add fighters. Finally, 1 last game with objectives.

Then, start adding stuff slowly, no more than 1 ship per faction per game added to the mix. Honestly, I'd suggest a loser draft plan, but I know that may not be your cup of tea.

Basically, after all the learning scenarios above, whoever lost the last game with objectives gets to draft a new ship to his stable and build a new list. The winner sticks with the same list. The loser is challenged to then overcome the winner's list. You both learn how to counter things this way. Whereas if you both just toss out new lists with lots of new stuff each game, you don't actually learn how to counter anything because it's always random. Slowly ramp up the point limit over time also.