Hi folks, just wondering what folks think of Armada. How does it compare with X-Wing?

I run an after school gaming club and we play ALOT of XWing, but the interest is beginning to dwindle. I was looking at other Star Wars games. We tried Imperial Assault, but it just didn't work. Many of the kids just couldn't make the commitment week after week to complete the campaign. So I figured I would check out Armada. Compared to Xwing, is it way more complicated? Is it too unbalanced, where one side basically wins all the time? Do you feel that teenagers could fit in a full game in 2 to 2.5 hours?? Can you get away with the core set, or is it unbalanced?

Thanks

The Core set isn't unbalanced as so much as it is so limiting.

2 hours is bascially the game length for Fleet Patrol tournaments, so players once they've got the basic rules down are expected to be able to play full games in that timeframe.

Given that, I do believe that its at least possible to run in a 2 hour block with the less skilled as long as they are focused kind of individuals. Its very different to X-Wing in that regard, where X-Wing rewards snap decisions and seat-of-the-pants thinking and decision making, Armada is all about the long plan. Making a Plan, and then seeing that plan through, and really, it caters to those who either have a certain amount of respectful patience, or who are needing to learn it.

The first will enjoy it more than the second in that regard.

As much as I love the game of Armada (and its now the only game I play), and the fact I used to run gaming days with after-school groups, I'm not entirely sure that Armada is the game you're after. I no doubt feel that it would work, even in small scale, with a subset of individuals in the group - but its less likely to appeal to the group in whole, especially for the cost/time ratio.

Armada is the better game in my opinion. Armada is much more in depth and nuanced than X-Wing. You have to plan two or three turns ahead and have more of an overall strategy than you do in X-Wing. I'd say it's more complex but not more complicated than X-Wing. I think it's really well balanced and hasn't suffered from power creep the way X-Wing has. Don't know if it's for teenagers or not though. Can't say I've seen too many of them playing it.

You're looking at about $400 to get some decent list-building options for both sides, and though you can probably play in a two-hour window, I'm not sure if you can design a fleet and then play in that time. It has a much slower, more contemplative playstyle than X-Wing.

I love Armada, but for your purposes I'd suggest you might do better with Destiny, which doesn't have the cool minis as a selling point but which you can get quite a bit of for less money and play several rounds of during your time slot.

Have you tried the skirmish version of Imperial Assault? Games can be played in ~1 hour, and don't require all the bookkeeping and weekly commitments of the campaign. (I play both versions with my kids.)

Seems like our after-school, the time (2-2.5hours) might be an issue for some. In terms of attention span, that'll depend on the kids. (Mine are in elementary, and and struggle with the depth/ pace of Armada-- though I was able to get a complete game in with one a few weeks ago. Certainly starting with lower point games would help with learning the basics and getting a feel for the game. Once you get a hang of it, pace can increase. At my venue, I'm amazed at how quickly some guys can move through the turns.

Hmmmm....I wonder if you can run decent games of skirmish using just the core set?? (IA)_

You may be hard pressed to manage it in that time limit at first, but everyone gets used to the rules and you get more practiced with setup, it should be fine. Though, you’ll still want pre-made fleet lists. The startup costs can be high, but you don’t need much to manage a few good lists at lower point levels (maybe 200 or 250). Standard play is 400 points, but best to keep it limited until you know you want to get in deeper and that the kids can handle it.

I'd be curious as to how much X-wing material you have. Just the core? Core and a couple expansions? Is interest dwindling because there are limited options based on the limited number of ships to choose from?

The Armada core works just fine as is, and provides nice little skirmishes in the 150-200 point range. The game length at low point limits like that will be fairly quick, and you could likely fit 2 or 3 matches into your timeframe.

However, like the X-wing core, you have somewhat limited choices. After several games, the luster will wear off, and the limitation of the core box will start to show. The core is meant to give you a taste. A sample. It lets you try the flavor, but doesn't give you the full experience. The core box alone is a nice little addition, but honestly, if money is an issue, it's not the way I'd spend $100 for an after school game club. It's 2 player and has limited replayability.

Beyond all that, if you did drop the money to have some decent options and longevity ($400-$500), the choices would be somewhat overwhelming to new players...and for that price range you could buy a ton of other games.

X-wing and Armada are both expensive games that need a pretty substantial ongoing investment to really come alive. The core box is a fun little game, but I'm guessing the box would be gathering dust by the end of the school year without significant investment into expansions.

If you want star wars, you could try destiny. Easy to pick up, cheap to get into. Get the 2 player starter, and one of each other starter ($90 will get you the 2 player core, and one of each of the 4 starter decks...so you could have 3 pairs of people playing). Then buy a couple of each expansion as they come out and buy each new starter that comes out. It'll add fresh content over time.

Empire vs Rebellion is a nice little fully contained card game for 2 players. Cheap and no worry about expansions.

Rebellion is a great game, but might be pushing that time limit pretty hard, especially early on. I'm not sure if I would recommend this unless you have some experienced gamers.

The Star Wars Risk games are all decent, although time could be an issue again.

The RPGs could be fun, but if you have problems with people dropping in and out of IA, the same issue will exist here.

After that, you're looking at picking up old copies of Hasbro branded grade school level stuff. Escape from the Death Star for instance. Or reskins of other games like Loopin Chewey or BB8 Operation, or Star Wars Monopoly. These games tend to suck or not likely be age appropriate for your group.

How many kids, what age range, and what interests are we talking about?

Can range between 5 and 15 teenagers. I'd say 14 is the youngest. They are interested in a ton of stuff...Talisman, Zombiecide, Coup, Xwing...etc.

Yeah, I like Armada, but it’s a 2 person game. You may want to invest in other tabletop experiences.

Gonna throw out some suggestions. You likely already have some of these.

Smallworld. Cut throat, fun, light, can handle up to 6 players if I remember right, no player elimination Lots of replayability.

Ticket to Ride is a classic. Good entry fodder.

Evolution is a fun game for groups. Again, no player elimination.

Either of the codeword games are good.

Forbidden island/desert. Great coop games, and pretty cheap too.

One Night Ultimate Werewolf.

7 Wonders is a solid deep thinking multi player game.

Exploding Kittens is a fun group card game.

Colt Express is a great little game that requires some planning ahead.

For $100 you could get several of those and have way more people involved and likely more replayability also.

5 minutes ago, kmanweiss said:

Gonna throw out some suggestions. You likely already have some of these.

Smallworld. Cut throat, fun, light, can handle up to 6 players if I remember right, no player elimination Lots of replayability.

Ticket to Ride is a classic. Good entry fodder.

Evolution is a fun game for groups. Again, no player elimination.

Either of the codeword games are good.

Forbidden island/desert. Great coop games, and pretty cheap too.

One Night Ultimate Werewolf.

7 Wonders is a solid deep thinking multi player game.

Exploding Kittens is a fun group card game.

Colt Express is a great little game that requires some planning ahead.

For $100 you could get several of those and have way more people involved and likely more replayability also.

Don't forget settlers of Catan. That's always fun. Pandemic is a hoot. Castle panic is good fun in about an hour or less. Sherrif of Nottingham is good too.

There's always the task force format, too, just do 200 point lists on a single x-wing mat. It plays faster and you can get a lot of build options without going entirely broke. I know I would have loved this game as a teenager, I was playing 6-hour matches of METW on the regular, so a slower play arc that requires more careful planning is certain to appeal to some portion of your x-wing players.

If I start listing board games I might never stop, but if you've settled into a thing with x-wing where you have a bunch of one on one matches going on at once you might look at Android: Netrunner, which is another of my favorite two-player experiences

I think the biggest problem is how long the game takes. It also takes twice as much space as X-wing. But it is a super super fun game. And I think there is more strategic thinking required than in x-wing.

1 hour ago, Noosh said:

Don't forget settlers of Catan. That's always fun. Pandemic is a hoot. Castle panic is good fun in about an hour or less. Sherrif of Nottingham is good too.

Catan was on my list but I forgot to type it. All great suggestions!

As a teenager myself that plays Armada tournaments, I fully support that decision, though Armada is kind of expensive for a school club unless you compare that to a robotics club. It might also take too long for an after school club, because most clubs tend to last an hour to an hour and a half.

300 point games were a thing once, that would be just about perfect size for an after school gaming club.

Also, don't get pigeonholed into "Armada is a 2 player game," some of the best games I have ever played were Take the Station games. And the Correlian Conflict exists too, but that would probably suffer from the same issue as Imperial Assault and I wouldn't start there.

A couple of 200pt stake the station 4 player games and a couple 300pt 1v1 matches would be perfect club fodder.

As far as entry prices go, there are places on the internet where whole collections sometimes get sold to the highest bidder for far less than MSRP that might be a good place to start for a school.

9 hours ago, shaner said:

Hmmmm....I wonder if you can run decent games of skirmish using just the core set?? (IA)_

Yes, you can...I'm not really into IA (I have the core and RG champion), and I can still play a quick skirmish with the stuff in the core. I figure it has enough stuff for 4-5 lists at the same time if you're careful with your points and command cards.

Also, I'm just now getting into it, but Wings of Glory miniatures is like WWI/WWII X-Wing except faster and easier. Maybe that would be good? Starter sets are $20ish, the rulebook package is about the same amount, and then you can get planes for $10-15 depending on where you buy them.

Second vote here for the 200 point Task Force format! Easily plays in an hour or so...

18 hours ago, Maturin said:

Second vote here for the 200 point Task Force format! Easily plays in an hour or so...

Actually usually takes about 45 minutes, and is a lot less expensive. And students can buy maybe one or two of their own fav ships and be completely ready to play. Imagine sharing 2 core sets and some dice... And say I buy one set of fighters and a Raider or a Gozanti. I have so many options at that point.

Buy one Shrimp, use the core Cr90, add some bombers? Cr90 + Yavaris + bombers? 2-3 CR90s? Maybe someone goes full hog and buys a ISD and adds some ties. ... man can you imagine going full hog to mean buy 50$ of stuff? WOW.

That said, I don't think Armada should be the game. Multiplayer things are more engaging. D&D? Catan?

Yes Armada is suitable for an after school club. That clyb would be Armada club.

It is not suitable for a general gaming club on the simple basis of cost per play if you arent dedicated to it.