I'm a player who's been doing X-Wing for a while, and Armada looks cool too. After picking up the core set, what would be some good things to buy/lists to build (preferably Imperial)? I'd like to keep it relatively cheap/simple at first, and then buy MOOOOORE.

An ISD is a must but you might want to wait for the Chimaera expansion. Otherwise Gladiator, Gozanti and Imperial squad 1 would be a good start. Then maybe a Carrier or Arquitens and Squad 2. I'd hold off on the Interdictor and Raider for a bit as they are much more difficult to field and make work.

10 minutes ago, Npmartian said:

I'm a player who's been doing X-Wing for a while, and Armada looks cool too. After picking up the core set, what would be some good things to buy/lists to build (preferably Imperial)? I'd like to keep it relatively cheap/simple at first, and then buy MOOOOORE.

Are you interested in being competitive, or are you interested in casual play? Both eventually converge to the same place, but they start a little differently.

If you couldn't care less about the tournament scene, an ISD, Imp Fighters 1, then some variation on Gladiator , Raider , Arquitens (pick two to start, probably the first and last), then Imp Fighters II, and then whatever looks cool/you want. If you're interested in being competitive, a Gozanti needs to be fairly high up there, and they are useful additions to any fleet, but they are the least shooty of the Imperial ships. Since they are too polite to do it themselves, I will bring up Cannot Get Your Ship Out on behalf of @Snipafist and @geek19 . Buried in there should be an article on how to start an Imperial collection cheaply ($250 I think? I was already way past that figure when they ended up publishing it), and articles on literally every game component so you can peruse all that if you want your own opinions before diving in. Steel Squadron , run by @BiggsIRL , @Truthiness , and I feel like I'm skipping someone also has good material to read through, for second opinions.

Since some of the authors are reticent to plug their own blogs, I'll do it for them:

http://cannotgetyourshipout.blogspot.com/p/welcomewhere-to-start.html

http://xwingtactics.blogspot.com/p/welcome-to-armada-new-players-resource.html

Welcome to the superior game! The Malbec to X-Wing's White Zin! The Founder's Breakfast to X-Wing's Bud Light! The Highland Park to X-wing's... I dunno, pick a crappy whiskey.

edit: NINJA'D!

3 minutes ago, Ardaedhel said:

Since some of the authors are reticent to plug their own blogs, I'll do it for them:

http://cannotgetyourshipout.blogspot.com/p/welcomewhere-to-start.html

http://xwingtactics.blogspot.com/p/welcome-to-armada-new-players-resource.html

Welcome to the superior game! The Malbec to X-Wing's White Zin! The Founder's Breakfast to X-Wing's Bud Light! The Highland Park to X-wing's... I dunno, pick a crappy whiskey.

edit: NINJA'D!

Thou shalt not diss X-Wing. Squadrons are important too

@Crabbok has some stuff on his blog too:

He's pretty active in the Reddit sub.

http://www.crabbok.com/

I'll probably update my "What to buy first when on a budget" series at some point after Wave 7 comes out.

I'd def start with an Imperial Star Destroyer first though, because it's Majestic, gorgeous, beautiful, and huge! Plus you get Darth Vader!

I actually think that the Imperial Light Cruiser is THE most important thing for an Imperial player just starting out and not sure how much money he can put into the game. It has:

1) Moff Jerrjerrod. Jerry makes the VSDs dance and helps out almost every Imperial ship - and if you're planning on using the VSD as a combat carrier, than giving it some maneuverability without needing commands is key.

2) Minister Tua to equip the life-saving ECM from the core box.

3) The Arquitens. It's a solid flanking ship that pairs well with the "Front Towards Enemy" style of the VSD.

After that...

Imperial Squadrons 2, AND try to split a Rogues & Villains with a friend.

Why IS2 and not IS1? Well, the sad truth of the IS1 squadrons is that they require more of what's in the box to field well. You need at least 4 Bombers to REALLY use Major Rhymer - and R&V for the Jumpmaster. The TIE/INs don't really sing without the Corellian Campaign boxed stuff. And while Escort is always nice to have...

The IS2 box is practically ready for a medium or small group right out of the box. Morna Kee, Maarek Stele, Decimator, and Colonel Jendon is a great whack of firepower by itself, reasonably versatile (capable of attacking ships AND squadrons!) with only Squadrons 4 to activate... easily within reach of a VSD!

After that? I really do think that the Imperial Light Carrier is the best third (fourth, if you split an R&V!) purchase. Why?

1) Disposable Capacitors and Quad Battery Turrets, once again helping out the VSD.

2) Frees up the VSD for pure combat output by driving the squadrons.

And then after THAT, pretty much whatever you want to. Those three ships CAN form a full 400-point squadron by themselves (whether or not it's good is debatable, but...)

So to sum up:

0) Armada Dice Set ($10)
1) Imperial Light Cruiser ($20)
2) Imperial Squadrons II ($20) and splitsies Rogues & Villains ($10)
3) Imperial Light Carrier ($30)

Budget List

Faction: Galactic Empire
Points: 397/400

Commander: Moff Jerjerrod

Assault Objective: Targeting Beacons
Defense Objective: Fire Lanes
Navigation Objective: Intel Sweep

[ flagship ] Victory II-Class Star Destroyer (85 points)
- Moff Jerjerrod ( 23 points)
- Minister Tua ( 2 points)
- Electronic Countermeasures ( 7 points)
- Gunnery Team ( 7 points)
- Disposable Capacitors ( 3 points)
- Quad Battery Turrets ( 5 points)
- Leading Shots ( 4 points)
= 136 total ship cost

Arquitens-class Light Cruiser (54 points)
- Centicore ( 3 points)
- Reinforced Blast Doors ( 5 points)
- Dual Turbolaser Turrets ( 5 points)
= 67 total ship cost

Quasar Fire II-class Cruiser-Carrier (61 points)
- Pursuant ( 2 points)
- Wulff Yularen ( 7 points)
= 70 total ship cost

1 Colonel Jendon ( 20 points)
1 Morna Kee ( 27 points)
1 Maarek Steele ( 21 points)
1 Boba Fett ( 26 points)
1 TIE Defender Squadron ( 16 points)
1 TIE Phantom Squadron ( 14 points)

Hopefully SOMEONE can lend the guy a Leading Shots out of the promos that get passed around, or he can just get one off eBay. Centicore is there to help keep the Quasar Fire safer, which Jendon will also help with - and with some red dice from Quasar Fire II, won't be completely worthless in the actual scrum - though it could be ditched along with the Phantom squadron to throw another good hero squadron in there; maybe Whisper or another Decimator?

I... I don't know that it's a GOOD list, but it's a playable list, and it's under $100 extra investment into the game.

EDIT: Ignore the objectives, really. For some reason I thought Jendon had Strategic when he does not.

Initially Imperial Star Destroyer (don't wait for the Chimaera expansion) and then a Gladiator Star Destroyer that will let you field your first (somewhat limited) fleet.

Then you can go for what you like: more ships with the Arquitens light cruiser and the Victory Star Destroyer expansion OR for squadrons with a Gozanti and and both squadron packs and maybe a Quasar.
For squadrons the corellian campaign and the rogues and villains expansions are also good choices.

What you don't want to buy initially is an Interdictor and a Raider Corvette those can come later.

If i had to rate the imperial ships i would do it the following way (not counting for upgrade cards, only for the ships, you can use proxies for the upgrades).

From best to worst:

Imperial Class Star Destroyer (iconic and great, and you can do already a fleet with ISD + VSD + Squadrons)
Imp Squadrons I (changeable with II, but i find the first set way more important for the base, and it became way better with the CC campaign squadrons)
Gladiator
Imp Squadrons II
Gozanti (at least one for the flexibility for lists, and because of the fleet support).
Raider
Scum Squadrons (they are way more specific for the imperials and would be higher for rebels)
Arquitens
Quasar
Victory Class Star Destroyer (one is already in the Core)
Interdictor

Corellian Conflict is not in the list, because it only offers cards. For these you can use proxies, unless you want to go for a tournament.
This list does not take into account how many of each are want/need. This really depend on the play style. I only checked what ships i found more important for playing.
The squadrons are rather high in the list, just because you get so many and because i find them this useful. But they could be further down in case they are not being used this much. This depend on the play style.

Looking back, I made lots of purchases in X-wing for ships that I never flew. And therefore, my advice would be not to worry about getting ships just for their upgrade cards and to get ships that you love. It's probably better in the long run to fly ships that you want to play (and have fun with) rather than feel beholden to fly net-lists with ships that you bought just because they're more useful in the game/meta.

I think the ISD and Imperial Squadrons I pack are the only absolute essentials, because it's a proper Star Destroyer and you get Interceptors, Vader and Bombers.

For beginners it is nice to have proxies of the command modifying officers: the ones for squadron commands and navigation, forgot the names, and suppport officer (all 3 in the home one expansion) and skilled first officer (liberty expansion).

Fab's fleet generator has the upgrades listed by expansion, so you can consider cards when deciding what to buy

Don’t buy a Gladiator early for exactly all the reasons people are telling you to buy it. Demolisher is a title that turns the ship into an intellectually disappointing crutch for fleet building. I repeatedly play (casual or tournament) games where the Demolisher carries the list and my opponent accomplished nothing meaningful with any other ship.

Especially dont get get it if you are expecting to collect the game and learn to play with a buddy. They are going to get crushed repeatedly and burned out by the disproportionate effect it has on games.

Get an ISD (one ISD, then get Chimaera in a few months here), Arquitens, and the Imp squad pack 1. Then Gozanti, Quasar, etc. last purchase is Gladiator.

2 hours ago, Church14 said:

Don’t buy a Gladiator early for exactly all the reasons people are telling you to buy it. Demolisher is a title that turns the ship into an intellectually disappointing crutch for fleet building. I repeatedly play (casual or tournament) games where the Demolisher carries the list and my opponent accomplished nothing meaningful with any other ship.

Especially dont get get it if you are expecting to collect the game and learn to play with a buddy. They are going to get crushed repeatedly and burned out by the disproportionate effect it has on games.

Get an ISD (one ISD, then get Chimaera in a few months here), Arquitens, and the Imp squad pack 1. Then Gozanti, Quasar, etc. last purchase is Gladiator.

So what you're saying is, "Don't buy the best ship in the game, it turns into a crutch..." That's... less than good advice.

I mean, the Gladiator was left off MY list for one significant reason: wanting to turn the VSD he already owns into a dangerous combat ship. That needs the Arquitens (Jerry & Tua) and Quasar Fire (Quad Lasers & Caps), which means a list that can use both of those ships, which means at least a somewhat strong squadron presence that's versatile, which means Imperial Squadrons 2 and by preference half of Rogues & Villains, which not coincidentally is also a VERY strong start into the Imperial side of the game.

Remember that he specified " I'd like to keep it relatively cheap/simple at first, and then buy MOOOOORE." An ISD and a VSD together are not a balanced squad; while the ISD is a great centerpiece, it's not really conductive to the 'start' of a collection, more like a 'middle' addition when you want something a bit scarier than a VSD and have the cheap activations to support it (Gozantis, Raiders) or the skill to take a double-activation list into a game dominated by 4-6 activations. While Boosted Comms IS a necessity for every serious player, it really doesn't come with any other cards that are essential either.

17 hours ago, Xeletor said:

For beginners it is nice to have proxies of the command modifying officers: the ones for squadron commands and navigation, forgot the names, and suppport officer (all 3 in the home one expansion) and skilled first officer (liberty expansion).

Fab's fleet generator has the upgrades listed by expansion, so you can consider cards when deciding what to buy

Some good advice so far. Buy what looks fun to fly. (Yes ISDs are fun, but you fly them better if you learn to fly the VSD first.)

I would suggest a squadron pack 1, a Gozanti flotilla, an Arquitens and a Gladiator. In that order. If you have the cash now to pop for the ISD, get it, but those 4 will get you started, and with enough variety to get all the concepts of the game.

As long as your opponents dont mind proxy cards, head over to KDY, http://kdyards.com/index.php , and print off proxy cards for any official cards you want to try. (This clinched my decision to pick up my 3rd and 4th MC30s.) Make sure you try out the cards from the VSD expansion. You won't want to buy one right away, but you will want to try them.

I would recommend you get one of each expansion pack, (except maybe the Interdictor, that is a tough nut to build around) before you start getting doubles of anything. Squadron pack are the best thing to double up first, followed by the Gozanti. (But two is fine. After all this time I finally picked up a third Gozanti, and I am a plastic crack addict from way back.)

Hopefully someone will have a sale on the ISD expansion when the Chimara expansion comes out.

Do you have a buddy to play against, or are you joining a local group? It makes a difference, as a local group will often let you run some of their stuff.

Hope that helps, happy hunting!

2 hours ago, iamfanboy said:

So what you're saying is, "Don't buy the best ship in the game, it turns into a crutch..." That's... less than good advice.

I mean, the Gladiator was left off MY list for one significant reason: wanting to turn the VSD he already owns into a dangerous combat ship. That needs the Arquitens (Jerry & Tua) and Quasar Fire (Quad Lasers & Caps), which means a list that can use both of those ships, which means at least a somewhat strong squadron presence that's versatile, which means Imperial Squadrons 2 and by preference half of Rogues & Villains, which not coincidentally is also a VERY strong start into the Imperial side of the game.

Other than the reason you gave, the other good reason I can think of for avoiding a Gladiator right now is they're out of stock at distributors, so your FLGS may not have one in stock.

I agree with you that the Demolisher hype train has slowed down since flotillas showed up with a particularly bumpy moment there after it was errataed to not work with Engine Techs. It's still good, but so are lots of things in the game at this point. It's only a "crutch" insomuch as it's a good way to teach beginning Imperial players how to use black dice ships before they start working on more skill-intensive methods of doing so.

8 hours ago, iamfanboy said:

So what you're saying is, "Don't buy the best ship in the game, it turns into a crutch..." That's... less than good advice.

I mean, the Gladiator was left off MY list for one significant reason: wanting to turn the VSD he already owns into a dangerous combat ship. That needs the Arquitens (Jerry & Tua) and Quasar Fire (Quad Lasers & Caps), which means a list that can use both of those ships, which means at least a somewhat strong squadron presence that's versatile, which means Imperial Squadrons 2 and by preference half of Rogues & Villains, which not coincidentally is also a VERY strong start into the Imperial side of the game.

Remember that he specified " I'd like to keep it relatively cheap/simple at first, and then buy MOOOOORE." An ISD and a VSD together are not a balanced squad; while the ISD is a great centerpiece, it's not really conductive to the 'start' of a collection, more like a 'middle' addition when you want something a bit scarier than a VSD and have the cheap activations to support it (Gozantis, Raiders) or the skill to take a double-activation list into a game dominated by 4-6 activations. While Boosted Comms IS a necessity for every serious player, it really doesn't come with any other cards that are essential either.

Handing a brand new player the most minmaxed, rule-breaking, and/or undercoated cards in the game isn’t a great way to show them how to play.

I’m dealing with this in the local gaming group right now. A new Imperial player. He is winning around 30-50% of his games. When he asks how his fleet looked, I ask him “what did the rest of the fleet besides Demolisher accomplish?” He has to awkwardly admit that Demolisher punched up and then the rest of his fleet just kind of floundered. He is developing a good skill set for DemoMSUs and struggles with anything else. Weirdly, with the squad heavy meta, he is also learning to fly raiders well.

6 hours ago, Snipafist said:

Other than the reason you gave, the other good reason I can think of for avoiding a Gladiator right now is they're out of stock at distributors, so your FLGS may not have one in stock.

I agree with you that the Demolisher hype train has slowed down since flotillas showed up with a particularly bumpy moment there after it was errataed to not work with Engine Techs. It's still good, but so are lots of things in the game at this point. It's only a "crutch" insomuch as it's a good way to teach beginning Imperial players how to use black dice ships before they start working on more skill-intensive methods of doing so.

So teach a new driver to drive by handing them a Ferrari? No. You teach them to drive on the tiredest, most broken down garbage that you can still legally refer to as a road worthy car.

Demolisher breaks a very fundamental rule of the game. Shoot, then move. Usng Demolisher to teach players how to use black dice ships is bogus. Using a non-Demolisher GSD and a Demolisher are two wildly different skill sets. Demo allows almost any player, new or old, to trade up significantly in a match if they don’t make a huge mistake.

A GSD with no title plays wildly differently. I have no problem with a new player running naked GSDs, but Demo is so painfully undercosted that it’s willfully stupid not to take it if you have a GSD

That is why is will never recommend a GSD as an early purchase. Literally any other ship from either side first. I’d rather a new Imperial player buy an MC30 for upgrade cards first.

I'm gonna say maybe try another VSD and some more fighters. Only because VSD in my opinion the best way to learn the imps main playstyle and their all around decent. They don't move too well so it teaches mindfulness in manuvering. Has command 3 to give you the hang of planning commands. Has a pretty good fighter value and engineering.

Basically ISD light. With it's learning curve if you can master it the ISD (Wich is an enevitable purchase) becomes a monstosity in your arsenal because you have honed your skills on the not as good version.

But that's just my opinion. IT DOESN'T MAKE ME RIGHT by any stretch of the imagination.

2 hours ago, Church14 said:

That is why is will never recommend a GSD as an early purchase. Literally any other ship from either side first. I’d rather a new Imperial player buy an MC30 for upgrade cards first.

True. It is way better to give them a weak list and let them lose 90% of the games, because they dont have the important cards in the fleet .

I see what you mean. GSD can be the same one shot trick as a MC80 + 5 Transports is. If you as a player of these lists what the rest of the fleet (beside the MC80) has done, you get the same answer.
And i do agree that this is not the best learning way. But there is a reason the GSD is so often used for the fleets. Cost / use factor is really good from it. The Imperals are just missing a mid level ship like. The rebels have: Pelta, Nebulon, MC30 and Mark II that are all in this level. But the imperials are missing a ship between the GSD and VSD. The Arquitens is not really fitting into this. It is the same level as the GSD, even a bit lower because it is way more specific. Same for the Quasar. It is a carrier, not a combat ship.

You have the Gozanti and Raider as cheap ship. The Arquitens and GSD as low combat and after this already the VSD, Interdictor and ISD as big Combat ships. Along with the Quasar as special Carrier.

And if i have to give a hint what ship to buy, i would always suggest the GSD over the Arquitens. Because giving them the hint to buy the worse ship first does not help him and does not help the game.

12 minutes ago, Tokra said:

True. It is way better to give them a weak list and let them lose 90% of the games, because they dont have the important cards in the fleet .

I see what you mean. GSD can be the same one shot trick as a MC80 + 5 Transports is. If you as a player of these lists what the rest of the fleet (beside the MC80) has done, you get the same answer.
And i do agree that this is not the best learning way. But there is a reason the GSD is so often used for the fleets. Cost / use factor is really good from it. The Imperals are just missing a mid level ship like. The rebels have: Pelta, Nebulon, MC30 and Mark II that are all in this level. But the imperials are missing a ship between the GSD and VSD. The Arquitens is not really fitting into this. It is the same level as the GSD, even a bit lower because it is way more specific. Same for the Quasar. It is a carrier, not a combat ship.

You have the Gozanti and Raider as cheap ship. The Arquitens and GSD as low combat and after this already the VSD, Interdictor and ISD as big Combat ships. Along with the Quasar as special Carrier.

And if i have to give a hint what ship to buy, i would always suggest the GSD over the Arquitens. Because giving them the hint to buy the worse ship first does not help him and does not help the game.

For some return snark with a grin: Why would you run a ruthless tourney list against a new player to force them to lose 90% of games. Go run something fun.

Maybe my opposition to buying the GSD Expansion early is because Demolisher is so good that it seems to stunt learning. Like I said earlier, too many Imperial lists I see at tournaments punch up with the Demolisher and then the rest of the fleet is flown poorly and accomplishes essentially nothing. They still win or don’t lose badly because Demolisher trades up so easily.

I advocate the arquitens early while accepting that it is kind of a one trick pony. It hits solidly enough and has just enough durability to not vaporize after every mistake. The upside is that that one trick doesn’t fundamentally break the game or stunt learning. You actually have to get good at maneuvering when flying those guys. Of course, you get Jerjerrod, so my point isn’t so strong there

Funny enough, I like the GSD and would have flown it a lot if the Demolisher title didn’t exist.

Alright, let's not overload the new guy with the Demolisher debate, valid as it may be.

We are hitting on some truths of Armada.

1-If you learn to fly a VSD effectively, you can fly nearly anything.

2-learning to use squadrons & Flotillas is vital. You don't need a ton, but you need to know how to run them.

3-learning to use the entire fleet effectively is more important than being awesome with just one ship. Play a solitaire game with new ships to get a feel for the movement differences.

4-go light on the upgrades early on. While fun, they add complexity, and there is no point buying an upgrade you then forget about all game.

@Npmartian , at this point a little more information about your preferred play style & how and where you plan to play would help move this from a philosophical discussion on how to buy and learn Armada, to specifically helping you.

Tell us what you think you would like to play (no wrong answer here, so don't be afraid to go against any advice so far. I just want to know what you think would be fun.) Give us some insight into your local Armada community.

Various Types of Grey and Black Triangles
Author: Spaceman71

Faction: Galactic Empire
Points: 400/400

Commander: Moff Jerjerrod

Assault Objective: Most Wanted
Defense Objective: Hyperspace Assault
Navigation Objective: Superior Positions

[ flagship ] Victory II-Class Star Destroyer (85 points)
- Moff Jerjerrod ( 23 points)
- Minister Tua ( 2 points)
- Gunnery Team ( 7 points)
- Expanded Hangar Bay ( 5 points)
- Electronic Countermeasures ( 7 points)
= 129 total ship cost

Raider-I Class Corvette (44 points)
- Ordnance Experts ( 4 points)
- Assault Concussion Missiles ( 7 points)
= 55 total ship cost

Arquitens-class Light Cruiser (54 points)
- Reinforced Blast Doors ( 5 points)
- Dual Turbolaser Turrets ( 5 points)
= 64 total ship cost

Gozanti-class Cruisers (23 points)
- Comms Net ( 2 points)
= 25 total ship cost

1 Maarek Steele ( 21 points)
5 TIE Fighter Squadrons ( 40 points)
2 TIE Phantom Squadrons ( 28 points)
1 VT-49 Decimator ( 22 points)
1 TIE Defender Squadron ( 16 points)

Card view link

With some of your advice taken into account, I feel like this would be a fun list to try for my first few times playing. It also is a little easier on the wallet, as it just requires the Core Set, Gozanti, Raider, Arquitens, and Imp Squadrons 2. I generally like to play a bit on the aggressive side but am open to change. Locally, the game store, Fair Game, does Armada for a few hours every Thursday night with occasional tournaments (I think. I hope!).

I think @cynanbloodbane hit it on the head @Npmartian knowing a little more would be useful for more tailored advice.

4 hours ago, Noosh said:

I think @cynanbloodbane hit it on the head @Npmartian knowing a little more would be useful for more tailored advice.

What do I need to know, then? Teach me the ways of the Force! Pretty please?

20 minutes ago, Npmartian said:

What do I need to know, then? Teach me the ways of the Force! Pretty please?

I actually think that your list you posted above is okay - four activations is pretty good, the Victory is a fair combat carrier with Jerry around and maybe a Navigate token if you need to speed change, the Gozanti and it together can push almost all your squadrons if they have tokens, and the Arquitens circles the battlefield. My quibbles are mostly about the Raider - it's devilish to use, particularly without External Racks (currently only available in a Rebel boxed set, gosh darnit!) though Ordnance Experts will help get that ACM crit effect off. Basically you have to get really good at zooming in from long range to short range, blasting them, and then GTFO'ing.

TIE Fighters AND Phantoms are also hard to use, and the reason I recommended the Jendon/Marna/Maarek core in my previous post is because it's a tight set of activations that can dish out damage to both squadrons and ships equally, meaning that if you win the squadron mini-game you can go on to the ACTUAL game of killin' ships (and that your opponent can't just ignore your squadrons lest they start tearing up your ships!)

Remember, squadrons don't matter if you don't have any ships around. Killing squadrons is secondary, killing SHIPS is what matters. That's one reason why Sloane is hyped a bit, because she means that regular ol' TIEs can help kill ships by making their ordinarily worthless blue anti-ship die into a token remover - not that I'm endorsing her to you, Motti and Jerjerrod are far better beginning Imperial commanders, if only Motti wasn't in the Victory expansion...

But seriously, if you haven't, read at least the beginner and Imperial relevant parts of the Cannot Get Your Ship Out blog. It's quite good.