Hi all,

As it stands I've put some feelers out into the local community and it appears as though there are a fair number interested in Armada, however, they haven't bothered due to X-Wing's dominance.

Given my outstanding interest I thought I may as well act as the investor in the hope that it'll pay dividends in the long term.

I recently saw some articles referencing upcoming support for 200 point games and my understanding is that this support has been added into the Rebels in the Rim expansion (think that's the name). Due to this I think the best objective would be to build a balanced 200 point set from the core set and appropriate expansions for optimal financial investment. In addition to this I've been led to believe that the 200 point set up is designed for 3ft X 3ft play areas which means I should be able to utilise an X-Wing table at the FLGS.

At the moment my shopping list includes:

• 1 X Core set
• 1 X Dice set
• 1 X Movement tool

Possibly Rebellion in the Rim if this adds/improves support for 200 point games. Beyond this I'm not sure what the best options would be in order to achieve my goal.

On a personal note I'm considering going Empire for my personal fleet, however, they seem to be the most popular to newcomers by far so I'm pretty flexible on this. Any thoughts or feelings on this last point would also be appreciated.

You'll need a little bit more for fleshed out 200 pts for beginners and Rebellion in the Rim won't help too much.

You should think about two fleets that are easy to play, that means playing without or with very few upgrades. The Core Set provides a Victory SD (73 or 85 pts) and 6 TIEs (48 or 52 pts). Tarkin (38 pts) is very expensive for this build, because you won't benefit very much! If you take the more point intensive build (85+52+38) you'll have 175 pts. With some upgrades you could go up to 200 pts., but that's no fun to play!

I would recommend to grab an additional Imperial Light Cruiser Expansion which gives you Moff Jerjerrod as Commander for the Empire. VSD, Arquitens and some TIEs with Moff Jerry can be a lot of fun to play!

Same for rebels! Nebulon and CR90 with some X-wings are not much of a build. Maybe you can get a cheap AFII (because medium sized), another CR90 (the more, the better), or some Hammerheads (because people recognise them from Rogue 1). In my eyes an additional CR90 Expansion with MonMothma as your new commander is the best for beginners and the most rebel you can bring to the game!

12 minutes ago, Triangular said:

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Hi Triangular,

Thank you for the response, it's greatly appreciated. My understanding of RitR was that it used 200 points as a launch point hence why I assumed this would potentially provide some good information and additional cards but for the time being I'll probably skip it.

Admittedly the Light Cruiser was on the purchase list but it's unavailable from very potential source I've been able to find so far. I've even checked eBay (at least for where I am country wise) and the only one available was listed at over four times the retail price. It's a shame as this seemed like an ideal candidate for achieving the 200 point goal.

Rebel availability is slightly better at present although not by much. I'll definitely investigate the Rebel ships further with particular reference to those you've mentioned.

Hopefully I can find some premade fleet lists or fleet builders to try put something together but without experience it's difficult to piece together a balanced experience for demo purposes. My own intention will be to develop my own 400 point fleet once I've gained some experience of how both factions play, I suspect that The Empire are/will be more popular based on what I've read over the last day so I will probably go down the Rebel line, I realise this latter point contradicts my original post.

One thing that is worth noting is that 200 point fleets do not require an admiral. (Although you do still have to specify a flagship) This is important since in 200 points an admiral can eat up a lot of your list.

To be fair, the contents of the core set will get you most of the way towards a pair of 200 point lists.

I'm most familiar with imperials, and for those you have a number of options for getting to 200 points:

1) another medium ship - either the interdictor or a 2nd victory class. You can trim the fighter support back to the bare minimum (6 squads is really more than you want to command) & have a really solid capital ship lineup.

2) a small ship: the light cruiser is obviously a bit hard to come by right now, but the raider could also work. (and if you can get your hands on it; the gladiator is a very powerful ship)

In this scenario you may also want to buy a squadron pack (for your purposes any will work (including the rogues & villains pack)) since you will want to reduce the number of squadrons and you will want some more individually powerful squadrons to compensate for this.

3) fighter command: add either 1 imperial carrier or 2 gozanti flotilla.

(Again you will want a squadron pack(again, any will do) to reinforce your fighters.

4) large ship: 1 ISD (or chimera) plus a gozanti, and a smattering of squadrons. I hesitate to add this one not only because I think it unbalances the 200 point game a little, but also because it is easily the most expensive option of the bunch (and also doesn't allow you to use your victory class.

For the purposes of eventually getting your imperials to 400 points, I reccomend option 2. We both know you're going to want an ISD at some point & a small ship (as opposed to a medium ship) will work better (assuming you want your victory class to remain part of the fleet). Either way the small ship affords you more flexibility while you get into the game & figure out exactly what you want to run.

I'm not going to cover rebels in the same detail (mostly because I don't play them & as a side effect don't know the faction as well as I'd like). But I will say that in terms of points value; any small or medium base ship plus a fighter pack of some description *should* get you a fairly serviceable 200 point fleet.

15 hours ago, FreeFragUK said:

Hi Triangular,

Thank you for the response, it's greatly appreciated. My understanding of RitR was that it used 200 points as a launch point hence why I assumed this would potentially provide some good information and additional cards but for the time being I'll probably skip it.

Admittedly the Light Cruiser was on the purchase list but it's unavailable from very potential source I've been able to find so far. I've even checked eBay (at least for where I am country wise) and the only one available was listed at over four times the retail price. It's a shame as this seemed like an ideal candidate for achieving the 200 point goal.

Rebel availability is slightly better at present although not by much. I'll definitely investigate the Rebel ships further with particular reference to those you've mentioned.

Hopefully I can find some premade fleet lists or fleet builders to try put something together but without experience it's difficult to piece together a balanced experience for demo purposes. My own intention will be to develop my own 400 point fleet once I've gained some experience of how both factions play, I suspect that The Empire are/will be more popular based on what I've read over the last day so I will probably go down the Rebel line, I realise this latter point contradicts my original post.

It's really a shame that it's so hard to get enough expansions to get into the game! You're UK based? There are no players near to you, you could find and contact? I always found that Armada Admirals are a nice kind of war mongers and like to help others to get into the game! (You always need new victims to crush!) Maybe you can lend and/or buy some used stuff. (That's my favorite way of buying things...). Ebay is not the best way to find good deals. Forums and chats like this, at gaming sites or in Facebook are way better to find ships, squadrons or cards.

I would like to help but sit at the other side of the channel near the Alps! I ordered at Wayland and Zatu games but at the moment it's nearly dried out. Maybe you could take a look at shops at the continent, like Fantasywelt.de. They sell english expansions as well! (Shipping for 13 € 😧 )

On 10/21/2019 at 11:16 PM, namdoolb said:

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Thank you for the in-depth response namdoolb, the tip on Admirals not being required definitely opens up some options.

The set which I've managed to pick up contains the Imperial and Rebel fighter expansions (just the first version, not the fighter II) and I did get to wondering how viable the Imperial Light Carrier would be given it's easier to obtain. I'm also a little confused about the squadron side of things (I'm waiting for delivery of my set), does 1 stand count as a squadron or does each fighter on a stand count as an individual squadron? It may seem like a silly question but it's something I'm a little unclear on and I suspect the confusion has been generated as a result of the various sources I've been reviewing.

I intend to pick up the Chimera at some point but until I'm more established and have had the opportunity to ascertain local player engagement I'd like to limit my investment to small and medium ships.

Hopefully this weekend I'll have some free time to sit down with a fleet builder and get something posted on the fleet build section.

Fleet composition at 400 points has crossed my mind but I'm doing my best to limit that train of thought for the time being as I have concerns about the development of a local community or even just establishing a group of regular people to play with. I'm hoping that the Star Wars branding will help in this area as X-Wing, Legion and Imperial Assault are all fairly popular but local support for Armada is none existent. Personally I suspect that this lack of local store level support is a result of product availability and issues in relation to restock consistency.

On 10/22/2019 at 2:02 PM, Triangular said:

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I couldn't agree more and it's something I have attempted to highlight with the customer services team through the inquiry form on the FFG website but this concern was met with a rather apathetic response. I've not tried the community groups as of yet as I am not really engaged with social media but I may have to in order to secure some of the expansions which are (more or less) required to enter into the game. Unfortunately there isn't a local community at present (something I'm hoping to develop) so this will no doubt hamper things. Unfortunately this is the only forum I use in relation to Armada and I'm not really aware of any dedicated UK forums at this point in time.

I've combed a significant number of UK retailers but all of them are in the same situation when it comes to Armada stock. Many of the retailers I've talked to don't even have the additional dice and manoeuvre tool available although it's not uncommon for a small stock (1 or 2 on average) of consisting of random, less popular ships to be present. Thank you for the tip on Fantasywelt, I had a look when your post first went up but no such luck there either. To be honest I'm at the point where I'd have paid the 13 euros postage just to get a hold of the light cruiser.

Either way I've got the core set on the way and I'll try to pick up some additional Rebel ships while they're available but I can see Imperial ships being a struggle to obtain.

On 10/21/2019 at 6:31 AM, FreeFragUK said:

Hi all,

As it stands I've put some feelers out into the local community and it appears as though there are a fair number interested in Armada, however, they haven't bothered due to X-Wing's dominance.

Given my outstanding interest I thought I may as well act as the investor in the hope that it'll pay dividends in the long term.

I recently saw some articles referencing upcoming support for 200 point games and my understanding is that this support has been added into the Rebels in the Rim expansion (think that's the name). Due to this I think the best objective would be to build a balanced 200 point set from the core set and appropriate expansions for optimal financial investment. In addition to this I've been led to believe that the 200 point set up is designed for 3ft X 3ft play areas which means I should be able to utilise an X-Wing table at the FLGS.

At the moment my shopping list includes:

• 1 X Core set
• 1 X Dice set
• 1 X Movement tool

Possibly Rebellion in the Rim if this adds/improves support for 200 point games. Beyond this I'm not sure what the best options would be in order to achieve my goal.

On a personal note I'm considering going Empire for my personal fleet, however, they seem to be the most popular to newcomers by far so I'm pretty flexible on this. Any thoughts or feelings on this last point would also be appreciated.

Element Games and Zatu Games have some ships. EBay periodically has useful stuff appearing. A few months ago somebody was selling off their large armada collection in bits and pieces, and prices were fair for that (I saw a Pelta go for £13 for example). I noticed that yesterday somebody was trying to shift their collection which is rebel and imperial ships for £200 and it had a pretty good mix of stuff. The Armada facebook pages are well worth getting access to. Although it's mostly X Wing people still sell off their Armada stuff on there.

200pts has the advantage of speed but you don't get to showcase the power of a fully operational fleet, so to speak. There's something deeply satisfying about a 600pt game with huge ships throwing huge numbers of dice. However it takes AGES. 4 hours wouldn't be uncommon for many players. So 200pts is about 90 minutes or 2 hours and that works well.

Play styles vary so if you're trying to attract players you would need to cover the different styles of play. My regular opponent likes slow-moving and loads of dice. I prefer tearing around at high speed, and I like lots of fighters.

You ought to get hold of 1 ISD because they look really good on the board. The CR90 and Nebulon B, although they also come in the basic box, are cheap and easy to find and both have very different play styles. A couple of squadron I packs for each side are pretty much essential too. A large base rebel ship (such as an MC80) would also be good to include.

Where are you in the UK?

35 minutes ago, flatpackhamster said:

Where are you in the UK?

I'm based in Lancashire in the Preston area.

I've bookmarked a couple of bits on Zatu and Element, as well as various other retailers. While there are bits of stock dotted around there are various expansions which are simply unavailable anywhere. Or at least that's how the situation appears from my searching.

I've been keeping an eye on eBay, admittedly I probably need to administer greater scrutiny next time I look but I was unable to locate an Imperial Light Cruiser.

I appreciate that the games are very different as you increase in points but at this stage I'm just trying to demo it and generate interest. Granted an ISD is iconic and would perhaps help.

I am considering getting a second victory and a light carrier for the time being. Especially given what I've already obtained with the core set. I also plan on getting the rebel assault ship and perhaps another nebulon and cr-90 although I'd like to see if Rebels have a carrier.

I'm at the other end of the country sadly.

I would give up on the Arquitens, it's rarer than hens teeth. You are right that some stuff simply isn't available at all and it's a constant grumble. Armada is very much the redheaded stepchild of the FFG games suite.

One of the other things you can do on the facebook page is ask if anyone's selling Armada stuff. There's usually someone looking to offload a few bits and pieces.

At 200pts I wouldn't worry too much about the second VSD unless you can get it really cheaply (2nd hand). As for a carrier - at 200pts you would be bringing 67pts of fighters, which isn't much to speak of. Try and track down a Gladiator, their black dice throwing at close range is hilarious. You definitely need the Squadron I pack. I ended up buying 3 to give me 6 bombers, interceptors and advanced.

I'm noticing that vibe too although I'm not sure why it is treated as such.

Unfortunately I don't have a presence on social media but it seems like I'll be forced down that path.

I can get a VSD for a pretty good price to be honest, although I'm not sure the cards it comes with are worth it. I've not come across any Gladiators in my searching but this is another I was looking out for.

As it stands I've got the core set, imp raider, imp fighter I, mc80c (I think that's what it's called) and the rebel fighter I

1 hour ago, FreeFragUK said:

I'm noticing that vibe too although I'm not sure why it is treated as such.

Unfortunately I don't have a presence on social media but it seems like I'll be forced down that path.

I can get a VSD for a pretty good price to be honest, although I'm not sure the cards it comes with are worth it. I've not come across any Gladiators in my searching but this is another I was looking out for.

As it stands I've got the core set, imp raider, imp fighter I, mc80c (I think that's what it's called) and the rebel fighter I

I disagree about the cards for the VSD. Of the 14 cards included I use half in most games - Flight Controllers, Gunnery Team, Assault Concussion Missiles, Intel Officer, Expanded Hangar Bay, Overload Pulse and it also comes with Admiral Motti.

You did well to get a raider! I have 1 and they're nearly as hard to find as the Arquitens.

6 minutes ago, flatpackhamster said:

I disagree about the cards for the VSD. Of the 14 cards included I use half in most games - Flight Controllers, Gunnery Team, Assault Concussion Missiles, Intel Officer, Expanded Hangar Bay, Overload Pulse and it also comes with Admiral Motti.

You did well to get a raider! I have 1 and they're nearly as hard to find as the Arquitens.

Yes. Card-wise the VSD is one of the best expansions.

And @FreeFragUK you can play two Motto-VSDs in a 200 pts. game. My only concern is, that it almost dictates a certain way of playstyle. (If you'll get problems to squench all things in at 200 pts. just go up to 250 pts. That's the better point-limit for Task Force fleets with commander.)

But that's what it is for you now and it wasn't so different when the game came out. It developed fine and I'm sure, it will do so for you.

21 hours ago, FreeFragUK said:

The set which I've managed to pick up contains the Imperial and Rebel fighter expansions (just the first version, not the fighter II) and I did get to wondering how viable the Imperial Light Carrier would be given it's easier to obtain. I'm also a little confused about the squadron side of things (I'm waiting for delivery of my set), does 1 stand count as a squadron or does each fighter on a stand count as an individual squadron? It may seem like a silly question but it's something I'm a little unclear on and I suspect the confusion has been generated as a result of the various sources I've been reviewing.

Fair question; the whole stand is 1 squadron.

I've not played a great amount of 200 point games. I actually couldn't comment on the viability of the carrier. It's extremely viable in 400 points, in 200 points I expect its viability will be fairly closely tied to the quality of the squadrons you are using with it.

12 hours ago, flatpackhamster said:

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Thank you for the heads up on how potent the cards are, I went ahead and placed an order for one.

It's a shame about the Light Cruiser but I'll just keep an eye out and carry on until I can locate one.

11 hours ago, Triangular said:

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I'll have a read and see what I come up with, perhaps I'll up it to 250 if that'll make life easier and open it up a bit more to a better demo experience for potential recruits.

That's a fair point, if you have any alternative recommendations then they'd be more than welcome.

38 minutes ago, namdoolb said:

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Thank you for clarifying the squadron side of things, it's good to have it cleared up. My core set has arrived today so I've got a bit of reading to do which will no doubt answer many outstanding questions.

That's a fair point, at the moment I've got the Fighter I expansion but no doubt the Fighter II expansions will be added at some point. I've watched a couple of YouTube videos this evening and one of things highlighted is that apparently (and the videos maybe outdated) the VSD makes a good carrier.

The VSD does make a good carrier. It can take Boosted Comms to give it extra fighter control range, and it can take Flight Controllers (for extra fighter damage). It's not much good at shooting down fighters with just one blue flak die but that can be enhanced with cards (Warlord title, Linked Turbolaser Turrets, Agent Kallus officer). Its 'problem' it has a high command value (3) so you've got to plan 3 turns ahead for its moving and fighter control. You will soon find that keeping on top of your command 3 ships is the toughest part of Armada!

There are a couple of good websites for Armada information - this us my favourite: https://cannotgetyourshipout.blogspot.com/

Well I've had the opportunity to go over the bits and pieces now in my possession, as far as definite upcoming purchases an extra set of dice is needed but beyond that it's now the development of two balanced fleets. Or at least as balanced as can be done with two forces which seem to use somewhat different approaches to warfare.

At the moment I've got the following at my disposal for fleet compositions:

• Core Set.
• Imperial Victory Star Destroyer (awaiting dispatch).
• Imperial Raider.
• Imperial Fighter Squadrons I.
• MC30C Frigate.
• Rebel Fighter Squadrons I.

For now I think I have enough to cobble something together on the Imperial side but I anticipate a bit of a shortfall on the Rebel side. I was considering getting a hold of an Assault Frigate or possibly a Profundity although it is simply tempting to invest in another CR-90 and Nebulon.

I'd just like to thank you all for your assistance so far in my journey, it's greatly appreciated.

Well done, looks like you're nearly there. Assault frigate would be worth having. It's not loved because it is not much of a looker and it isn't good at any one thing, but it's versatile. A second CR90 is worth having, but (cards apart) I am less convinced by a second neb b. have you looked at transports?

On 10/28/2019 at 5:50 AM, flatpackhamster said:

Well done, looks like you're nearly there. Assault frigate would be worth having. It's not loved because it is not much of a looker and it isn't good at any one thing, but it's versatile. A second CR90 is worth having, but (cards apart) I am less convinced by a second neb b. have you looked at transports?

To be honest I don't mind the looks of the AF, it's something a bit different. Admittedly it also gives the Rebels a medium ship for my goal which makes it a bit easier to offset the Rebels against the VSD, assuming I'm not barking up the wrong tree completely haha.

The main drive for the second CR90 is the cards at this stage but it also looks like something I'd want a couple of in a fleet if I opt to develop a Rebel fleet for myself. I've written off the Neb B for now after doing some more digging. I did briefly look at transports and I'm on the fence about them.

I'm actually half tempted to grab the two campaign expansions as they seem to offer a lot although RitR looks like the better option given my goal of having something smaller scale for demo purposes.

I have had a play with a fleet builder but without a bit more knowledge in relation to mechanics it's hard to assemble a solid baseline. I'm of the inclination to try set the Imp's up as a blunt instrument and develop the Rebels as fire and manoeuvre but I realise both are limited at 200 - 250pts.

On 10/21/2019 at 1:31 AM, FreeFragUK said:

If your just looking for mof JJ I know many people have bought duplicate imp light cruisers. Logically they would have a spare jj either for trade, sale, or just to give.

Right now getting your hands on a fair few kits is hard. But I think that will change here soon. I'm under the impression that we're getting clone wars here in about a year and that may accompany a 2nd Ed. Which may be why there haven't been any reprints lately, seeing as they are probably printing 2md Ed copies as opposed to their original run. That's total speculation on my part though.