It’s been a while since I have written an article for this series but I have received a number of E-mails from what I have gathered are new x-wing players requesting more and since I don’t actually usually get requests I thought I would fulfill the ones I do have. I thought about what topics I wanted to breach and decided to talk about the frequently disputed elements of ordinance and ordinance based ships. Typically ordinance is an element of the game often labeled “not worth the cost”, a sort of standard mantra at least in the competitive and online conversations about them. Today we will get into some details about the problems with ordinance and ordinance based ships and some hopefully clever tips on how you can leverage them to your advantage.
Ordinance
Torpedoes, Missiles, bombs and the ships that use them are often seen as risky propositions in list building, in fact in the competitive scene you will rarely see ships fielding ordinance and ships like the Tie-Bomber are also very infrequently if ever used in competition. The reason is quite sound. Ordinance weapons are one shot use weapons and typically, for the cost, the effect or impact on the game is considered too small to justify it. At least that’s the theory.
So what are the listed problems or complaints about Ordinance?
Spending targets lock to fire them is just one of several issues with ordinance. Or do you, look closer, not all ordinance requires you to spend your target lock or focus.
The main complaint for starters is that you have to spend your target lock and really in the case of most ordinances this is the problem. As you can see above however this is not always the case, I point this out early because its a common oversight. You often only get one action so target locking someone which with primary weapons is used to trigger re-rolls is spent instead just to use the attack and rolling 3 or 4 red dice without a focus or target lock to improve odds means you are shooting at 50/50 odds. Even with various effects like getting two attacks, doing extra damage to nearby ships or triggering Ion effects there is a legitimate chance you will simply miss. By default hit or miss the ordinance is spent anyway. It’s like effectively shooting 3 to 5 points at a target. Consider the alternatives to spending 3-5 points on ordinance for something else like for example a push the limit (two actions – Focus and Target Lock) or Expose (increase primary weapon by 1), effects that can be potentially be used multiple times in a match. These effects increase your chances of getting more out of your primary weapons for the same price. Its a valid complaint in my opinion.
Perhaps the most common use of the Tie-Bomber is the cheaper, Scimitar Squadron Pilot coming in at 16 points Worth it until you see the dial.Not terrible, but this is no doubt the least maneuverable of the Tie class ships.
There is also the issue of the ships that shoot the ordinance or at least are designed to do it well like the Tie-Bomber for example. The stats on these ships are generally fairly mediocre and you typically are going to need to put more than one piece of ordinance to make it formidable on the field. That of course increases the cost. More than that, if you really want to get some guarantees you have to use special gear to allow you to do that like Munitions Failsafe, Extra Munitions or combining it with other gear like Push the Limit so you could at least roll the dice with a focus or special pilots. All this amounts to increasing costs for a ship that when it runs out of ordinance (assuming it survives long enough to shoot it) is a lack luster performer without ordinance.
For the ships that fall somewhere in-between, ships not really designed for ordinance but have the option it’s even less worth it. Putting ordinance on an X, A or B wing increases the cost of a ship but typically these ships gain far more benefit from its primary weapons when combined with gear more specifically tailored for the ship. Your far better off with an advanced sensor on a B-Wing than you are putting torpedoes on it. Again because you will be able to use advanced sensors throughout the match, while the ordinance is a one trick, one shot pony, the value is fairly easy to determine. You could of course do both but the costs mount and you really have to question the value of things like proton torpedoes where you can roll 4 dice at 50/50 odds one time during the match or rolling 3 dice with a focus (or 4 dice if you are close range) every time you shoot.
Even with its ability to shoot in a 360 degree arc you have to question the wisdom of using a B-Wing as a ordinance delivery system, especially considering the cost.
Some might argue that ordinance is all about player skill, if you are good, the impact of having ordinance at the table can be devastating and that to a degree is true, but X-Wing is not just a game of a skill, it’s a game of dice and when it comes to ordinance bad luck with the dice is going to have far more impact on you than it would if you were firing your primary weapons. Besides in the end, the argument that it’s “not worth it”, is a direct reference to point cost. Simply put the cost of mounting ordinance on a ship is going to weigh in at around 10-20 points extra and that is practically a whole extra ship which means that in order to get the value from the ordinance you really need to be able to do the work of 2 ships with your ordinance ship, that’s a tall order! That ordinance, no matter how good you are, simply cannot do it.
Now with that said is there any circumstance in which it is worth it? I believe the answer is yes. Getting value out of ordinance is all about understand how you can leverage ordinance ships not against cost, but against strategical possibilities within the structure of your list and tactics of the game. Another words, a Tie-Bomber with Cluster-Missiles and Extra Munitions might not be cost effective, but if combined with a good pilot card and some bonus gear your opponent will have to address that ship or suffer the consequences. The concept is what I like to call, “rat trapping”, which simply means that you have created an obvious and immediate threat, this Is your trap and your opponent is the rat. He will walk right into your trap because he will see your munitions ship as a major threat and as such if you build the rest of your list with your trap in mind, the combination can be devastating.
With that said, let’s look at an example list.
The Tie-Bomber is arguably the worst of the ordinance ships and so let’s see if can create a list using it as a base for our rat trap.
Major Rhymer 26 (Push The Limit 3, Advanced Proton Torpedoes 6, Extra Munitions 2).
The ability to increase range makes using Advanced Torpedoes more viable for this Tie-Bomber that is unlikely to ever get someone in their arc at range 1 given its dial.
You might immediately see how dangerous and expensive this ship is. At 37 points its death on wheels for at least 2 rounds. You have push the limit to assure you can target lock and focus, you have advanced Proton Torpedoes that can fire at range 1-2 that combined with a focus all but assures you are going to get 5 hits (3 blanks turn to focus, you need only to roll 2 hits with a focus at about 75% odds). Extra munitions that turns a 6 point piece of gear into a 2 point piece of gear.
Now this is a vulnerable ship but there is no question that your opponent will do everything in his power to eliminate it early, he will see this ship as a major threat and rightfully so because it is. If allowed to shoot, it’s going to earn its weight in points. He is your trap and you want to leverage your trap by creating the rest of your list knowing what he is going to go for.
1 x Tie Phantom (Sigma Squadron) 25 + Fire Control System
3x Tie Fighter (Academy Pilot) 36
Most people go for the expensive Phantoms, but the Sigma Squadron Pilot at 25 points is dirt cheap for a ship that can cloak and rolls 4 dice even at long range. Especially when you consider its dial.Consider the Interceptor dial, a ship widely accepted as being incredibly maneuverable.The Phantom is pretty comparable to the Interceptor. The only real trade up is boost for cloak. Make no mistake its an arc dodger with fire-power.
All you need to do is position these ships (your core squad) away from Rhymer to ensure that anyone going for him, is going to have to turn their back to the rest of your ships. With some good piloting and careful use of the Tie Phantom and at least one clean shot with Rhymer you should be able to gain an early advantage against most lists.
Now tactically you have many options with this list. Once Rhymer uses his ordinance, he is your blocker. Crash him into stuff and make him a nuisance setting up shots for your other ships. If your opponent chases the phantom or the Tie-Fighter play the avoidance game, evade, cloak and bug out forcing him to waste shots and buying you time to get Rhymer into position. With Rhymer you want to target any low agility ships, or core support ships or big easy to hit ships. Make that those 2 (5 dice) shots count if your opponent doesn’t address Rhymer. Most importantly remember however that Rhymer is not your fleet, he is your distraction, he is the ship that will put your opponents ships out of position and into your trap.
Is this a good list? I suppose we could argue about it, but it does show how the Tie-Bomber and ordinance can in fact have its uses and while this list isn’t what one might call ultra- competitive, it does certainly have a lot more going for it than just reliance on ordinance. The ordinance in this list is really just a ruse if you will for getting the actual threat (1 Phantom and 3x Tie Fighters) into position. The hope is that your opponent will not realize that the munitions ship, that Tie-Bomber is not really the big threat.
The Conclusion
Ordinance is not terribly cost effective, in fact the argument that it’s “not worth it” certainly has some validity and I mostly agree with it. X-Wing list building and in general playing X-Wing is about creativity and fun for most of us, so if you simply step out of the competitive number crunching (Math-Wing) and think outside the box a little, ordinance presents an interesting challenge to players. Can you create a great list that works with ordinance, I believe the answer is yes. I have had success with the list above, not because it’s a great list but because it’s unusual enough that your opponent is stumped on how to address the challenge. Do you split your fleet, do you go for the Tie-Bomber or focus on the Tie-Phantom.
I think meta thinking is part of the reason ordinance has such a terrible reputation in the competitive circuit, in fact, I believe that if you took a list like this to a tournament you would probably do quite well simply because of meta thinking. When everyone is expecting one of three or four meta lists and they are facing something unusual, it throws chaos into the their tactical expectations and this your advantage. I personally love flying lists like this, the look on your opponents face is all the reward I need.
2015 was an exciting year, in fact, I probably made more gaming purchases in the second part of 2015 than I have the two years before combined. We got awesome epics like Star Wars Armada and Forbidden Stars, we saw the release of some cool expansions and many great re-prints. It really was a fantastic year for gaming.
The first part of 2016 is already shaping up and there are a number of great games on the horizons worth bringing to your attention!
1. Star Wars: Rebellion
FFG just can’t seem to stop making awsome games!
Recently announced, once again leveraging their hold over the Star Wars license Fantasy Flight Games is going to add yet another “insta buy” game for me in 2016. Star Wars: Rebellion information is fairly limited at this point but what is known is that players will be in essence playing out the war between the Empire and Rebel alliance with over 150 plastic miniatures, the complete cast of the original trilogy in a seemingly War of the Rings style multifaceted strategic board game.
A combination of area control, specialty dice, card play, countless miniatures all hunched over a galactic star map in the Star Wars universe. What can I say other than “yes please!!”
2. Star Trek Frontiers
Vlaada games are hit and miss, but when they hit, they hit big.
One of the most successful board games WizKids has is Mage Knight, largely popularized by its complex competitive adventure style mechanics with incredible depth. While I consider Star Trek Fleet Captains another huge hit by WizKids, the announcement of Star Trek Frontiers, a Star Trek adventure game based on the Mage Knight mechanic certainly caught my attention. It’s really a perfect marriage as WizKids has collected considerable experience with Mage Knight as a board game and Star Trek as a franchise. There is going to be a lot of experience applied here and while Fleet Captains has cleaned out the taste of never ending failure in Star Trek based boardgames for me, that haunting feeling of hope and disappointment that has existed for years as far as Star Trek board games are concerned is still there. I am as they say, rooting for them, it’s certainly looking good so far.
3. Through The Ages 3rd Edition
Let’s hope that 3rd edition of Through The Ages gets a much needed visual upgrade as well!
I’m really excited about this one for one very huge reason. I really love Through the Ages but it is soooo bloooooody looooong that I simply never play. At this point, in modern design, despite sitting pretty in the number 4 spot on boardgamegeek.com, if this game was released today in its 2nd edition form it wouldn’t make the top 1000 let alone the top 10 on boardgamegeek. It has aged terribly. Thankfully Chivatil agrees and he is working on a new edition of the game that promises to be streamlined and faster, which to me simply means that awesome concept and Idea of a Civilization game in a much tighter package. Now to me that game already exists, it’s called Nations and it’s very good, good enough to make my own top 10 list, but I love Chivatil as a designer, I think he is one of the best in the business and when he makes something, I pay attention. I really hope that Through The Ages 3rd edition is everything its promised to be, because I’m a huge fan of all the ideas in it, just not 8-12 hours’ worth of it.
4. Star Wars Armada
It made my top 5 most anticipated games of 2015 and now it has crashed into my 2016 list as well!
You know I love my X-Wing but one of the most exciting releases to hit in 2015 was Star Wars Armada and its future in 2016 is looking very bright. Not only is there a new Star Wars movie being released from which Armada will no doubt feed, it has already proven itself as a popular concept and the game is clearly succeeding financially. This can only mean one thing, lots of new Armada stuff! While we really have no information what 2016 will bring for Armada, if you want to peek into the crystal ball you need to do nothing else but buy movie tickets to Force Awakens in December and keep an eye out for big capital ships! Force Awakens may as well be an advertisement for Armada at this point.
5. Fury of Dracula 3rd Edition
Thank you FFG.. seriously, thank you!
Ok so technically if you live in America this just released and will be available within days for us living in Europe this is basically a super late 2015 very early 2016 release. I can’t say enough about how excited I am about this one, in particular because I won’t have to wait for it too much longer. Fury Of Dracula 3rd edition promises to be a more streamlined and touched up version of 2nd edition which to me was very nearly perfect. In fact, I was almost worried that it wasn’t a straight reprint but my understanding is that most of the changes revolve around non-core mechanics like expediting the combat mechanic, cosmetics like new art and a few other minor streamlining improvements. It all sits fine with me, I was never able to secure my own copy of Fury of Dracula despite it being in my top 10 list for years so I’m super psyched for this one. A wonderful one vs. all deduction game with adventure elements combined with one of my favorite themes.
When it comes to the world of miniatures games Fantasy Flight Games Star Wars X-Wing took the genre by storm, launching what has become one of the most successful miniatures game on the market today. Its popularity is undeniable and really when you think about the concept, is it any wonder given the revitalization of Star Wars as a franchise in particular in gaming, but in media in general. Star Wars really is an I win button and Fantasy Flight Games is just clever enough to realize that it needs to be smashed…. repeatedly.
For me personally it came as a considerable surprise however to find out that Fantasy Flight Games was going to be making another Star Wars based collectable miniatures game so bloody soon. In fact, in a sense I was deeply concerned, after all, what does that mean for my beloved X-Wing? Is it getting replaced? Star Wars Armada has now been released and we are about to receive the second wave which will effectively bring the game out of its trial period as was the case when X-Wing’s core set and wave 1 ships where all that was available and bring it into an actual level of completion worthy of dedicated play. I feel doing a review at this point is probably going to be very effective as I believe with this new wave we will see an big influx of players considering the game. Without further delay, here is your review of Star Wars Armada.
Overview
Star Wars Armada is a strategic miniatures game of ship to ship combat and oddly enough despite Fantasy Flight Games making a second game with this concept in a short couple of years there is a surprisingly few amount of games out there in this genre as a whole. Star Wars Armada is a zoomed out version of Star Wars X-Wing where you step out of the dog fights of small star fighter battles and experience the whole battle on a capital ship level. Maneuvering the lumbering hulk like capital ships across a 6×3 battlefield is a very different experience from zipping around in small star fighters on the tight space of a 3×3 as is the case in X-Wing, but the two games share enough similarities that it’s a safe bet if you like one you will probably like or at least have an interest in the other. That said there are also significant differences between the two games that are certain to lead some in one or the other direction especially given the expense of the hobby ,for economic reasons alone, for many they will have to make a choice between collecting one or the other.
The game looks great from any angle.
Components
Verdict: Tilt:
Pros: Without question the most awesome Star Wars components put into a game pretty much ever!
Cons: The core set comes up very short in providing everything you need to have a complete or even good gaming experience despite a very high price of entry. Not enough dice in the core set.
I tire of praising Fantasy Flight Games component quality and when it comes to Star Wars Armada they have once again hit near perfection square in the face. The miniatures and every component in the game from cards to tokens are of the highest quality. In fact the miniatures paint jobs are even better than X-Wing in my humble opinion and while I might question some of the aesthetic choices in terms of ships chosen like whale like Frigate for the rebels, it’s such a small quibble its barely worth mentioning. All and all the most recognizable Star Wars capital ships are already in the game and wave 2 adds even more of the ships from the classic original trilogy.
Now there are some issues with components, or perhaps better to say in regards to shortage of components that players getting the core set will immediately note. For one there is definitely not enough dice in the game, which is a bit frustrating given that these are specialty dice and the fact that many ships and situations will have you rolling 4 dice of the same color and the game only provides 3 of each. I really think it’s quite silly to skimp on such minor details that can have such a frustratingly big impact on the flow of the game. More to the point, it’s a cheap move to put a 10 dollar dice pack on sale the same day of release knowing full well that most players will break down and buy it because it’s necessary for the game. This practice is becoming common in miniatures games and it’s going to cost Star Wars Armada in this review.
The core set appears to come with a great deal, but the reality is that despite its price there is barely a game in the box. Be ready to spend money to get the full experience, lots of it!
I would also argue that the Core set as expensive as it is, is barely a game with the ships it provides. Now I’m not sure that this goes under component quality issues but frankly if you’re going to play you need to invest in components well beyond the core set to have a proper full experience, one might even say to have an experience worthy of the initial cost. That said, I’m not sure how they could have packaged it differently, after all the core set is already quite expensive and rightfully so since there are three large miniatures in the game with tons of components all absolutely necessary to play. Had they added more ships into a single box it would have likely been ridiculously expensive. It’s a double edged sword FFG can’t win.
In conclusion however with the few minor gripes this is still very much a near perfect score as far as I’m concerned, the components are all simply top notch even if perhaps there is insufficient components in the core set to have a complete gaming experience. It’s to an extent to be expected, to date I have never seen a miniatures game that is a complete experience with just the core set and this one is not any different. Collecting expansion packs is effectively, mandatory; if you intend to only get the core set you may as well skip it all together. If judged by the core set alone Star Wars Armada would not be on my top 10 best table top games list. Its addition is the result of purchasing and committing to the game completely.
Theme
Verdict: Tilt:
Pros: Perfectly captured theme in every definition of the word perfect. This IS Star Wars done in a way that is completely in tune with Star Wars Fans.
Cons: None, seriously.. Its perfect!
When it comes to Star Wars I’m always admittedly completely bias, I love Star Wars and a game in which I get to play out the fantasy of an epic capital ship battles in the Star Wars universe in a miniatures game is nothing shy of a dream come true. Still the question is whether or not the theme is presented well here and the answer is a resounding, abso-fucking-lutly.
Star Wars Armada handles every thematic element of the capital ship battles in the Star Wars universe with perfect precession ensuring not only the amazing art combines with amazing miniatures creating a smorgasbord of visual pleasure it manages to ensure the gameplay supports that fantasy.
Capital ships come in a variety of types and even each type has two sub-types offering plenty of choices but from a thematic point of view some of the most recognizable ships are already in the game including the Nebulan B, Corvette and of course the Star Destroyer. More to the point these ships act in a way that defines them thematically and as a Star Wars fan, I might say, thematically correct. The Star Destroyer is a slow powerful ship that while maneuvering poorly has immense firepower while the smaller, faster ships like the Corvette are able to zip around the battlefield giving them a maneuvering advantage they can leverage. Elements like these both play into the theme of the game but are matched by balanced mechanics and while certainly you will find people who will argue the finer points of balance of each ship or faction, largely it’s been my experience that Star Wars Armada is so thematic, that win or lose you have an amazing experience, the clearest sign you can have that the theme is done right. Regardless of what you think of the mechanics you can’t deny that Star Wars Armada captures the theme perfectly. That epic capital ship combat just sells itself.
While the core set and wave 1 had plenty of classic trilogy ships, wave 2 adds without question some of the most memorable ships from the Star Wars movies including the monster sized Imperial class Star Destroyer!
The theme gains a further sense of completion by the addition of the immediately recognizable squadrons of the Star Wars universe. I love the handling of the squadrons in Star Wars Armada because while they are tactically and strategically important, they are in a sense less relevant. It is a game of capital ship combat and while you use your fighters to protect your capital ships, to engage enemy squadrons or in attempts to bomb other capital ships the game cannot be won by squadrons alone. Capital ships are the hero’s here and the way the rules are managed this is ensured, yet the thematic presence of a Luke Skywalker or Howlrunner for example is such fundamentally important element in a game that to omit them would have been a crime against the fan base. Luckily FFG knows their fans well and many of the major player you might expect to be there, are.
As has become the norm for Fantasy Flight Games, the card quality is only surpassed by its artistry. These images will just put a smile on your face.
If there is anything to complain about in regards to theme in Armada I haven’t run across it yet. From cards to miniatures and everything in-between the game sings the Star Wars soundtrack with perfection.
Gameplay
Verdict: Tilt:
Pros: Amazing connection between theme and mechanics, everything works exactly as you hope. Squadrons handled brilliantly, giving them purpose but not stealing the show.
Cons: Complex strategies put this out of reach of casual gamers. Very sensitive and unforgiving mechanisms that punish mistakes without mercy.
Theme and components should theoretically not be that difficult to get right, especially when you have a license like Star Wars to work with. Really I fully expected Star Wars Armada with Fantasy Flight Games behind the work to master this part of the game. Gameplay however no matter how fancy looking a game is always going to be a challenge and very easy to screw up.
Fortunately Fantasy Flight Games got it mostly right here, though I have to admit there are quite a few quirks with Star Wars Armada that prevent it from reaching perfection in the same way they did with components and theme.
Let’s begin with what Armada got right. Without question the game has tremendously streamlined gameplay with well-defined rules despite a fairly steep learning curve and well-designed mechanics. Some of the highlights include a very creative use of movement tool that allows capital ships to maneuver around the map in a very thematically correct way. It creates plenty of tactical and strategic choices for you, in particular given that you may fire from two different firing arcs by default with each ship. Where those arcs end up pointing is a vital element of play and the many ways a firing solution can be manipulated from offensive equipment and crew cards, to defensive, defense tokens, there is just a lot of options and choices taking place. Each move and counter move makes up a strategic and tactical level of play that is unmatched in any miniature game I have ever played which includes Star Wars X-Wing. It goes into depths that will take dozens of games and hundreds of hours to explore. In a sense the complexity of the tactical options creates the dynamic gameplay and the amazing amount of content and replay ability.
There is also the structure of placing orders, in which you must plan ahead sometimes as much as three turns in advance, giving the game an element of pre-planning and prediction which unlike X-Wing leads to more long term strategies over the course of a game. The use of squads is also brilliantly handled giving them just enough influence on match ups to where they can’t be ignored, but not so much that they become overwhelming or steal the thunder from the games focus on capital ships.
I think overall list building even with the minimal amount of material provided at this point is incredibly challenging, deep and interesting, making the preparation for matches as much fun and often as complex as actually playing. In fact in many ways, far more strategy is determined in your pre-game decisions than in the previous X-Wing which is far more reactive. I love the fact that whatever choices you make there are no “hard” counters, in fact due list building includes selecting missions that generally favor your list, any match up can be dramatically changed just based on which mission you actually end up playing or even something as simple as deployment and initiative. Play the same match twice and change nothing but initiative and you will have two completely different results.
The main point to make here is that there is a tremendous amount of game here leading us into wave 2. It would be difficult to point to any specific mechanic and say “this is the reason the game is great”, combined however what you have is a deeply engaging strategic and tactical experience that is unmatched in the genre. That said there is really very little competition in the epic capital ship space combat genre to compare Armada to, but FFG has set a very high standard here.
The game does suffer from couple of minor issues for the lack of a better word which leads me to recommending it only if you as a gamer don’t actually see these particular problems as issues. It’s more of a personal preference thing rather than a problem, but I believe for many X-Wing players this will be a point of contention.
First and foremost is the fact that the game is considerably more complex and takes longer to play. Not to mention that it requires a very large table to play on. It goes without saying that as gamers when it comes to the complexity of games we all have our preferences but Star Wars Armada really reaches into that “pure gamer” level depth to the point where it becomes very unattractive to casual gamers. A typical Armada game can take upwards of 2+ hours especially at the new 400 point scale and requires considerable explanation of the rules which have many intricacies that go well beyond the casual spectrum, in particular since so many of the mechanics are very strategically sensitive, meaning that if you make one small error in judgement it can cost you the entire game. This results in the game really catering to the committed and experience gaps will have dramatic effects at the table. Notably the road to experience is long and can be quite frustrating. It will take dozens of games to really get a handle on the basics and dozens more to become proficient in understanding the many subtle effects of the mechanics. Suffice to say, its not for the feint of heart and a far cry from the simplicity and approachability of X-Wing.
At first glance the game appears no more or less complicated then X-Wing, but this game reaches elitist veteran level depth even as early as the 300 point limit during wave 1.
The large table size requirement might be an issue for many, 6×3 is a very large dining room sized table and this is very much an absolutely, non-negotiable necessity. Play with anything less and capital ships will be flying off the tables. Know this going into it.
Now none of these things are really marks against the game as far as I’m concerned, they are simply notable things to consider before getting into Armada. The fact that the game is complex, time consuming and requires a large table are just features of the game, they aren’t good or bad, they just are and it’s a matter of preference whether or not you see these things as obstacles. You can’t pick up a game knowing it intends to be deep and complex, than complain that it’s too deep and complex. There is one issue that is very clearly a negative in my opinion which ties into the complexity however which I do think is a mark against it.
The game is incredibly unforgiving, I mean, super ultra-sensitive to the point where moving a single squad half an inch in the wrong direction can be traced back to the reason you lost a match sort of sensitivity. This is a very deeply strategic game with a lot of rules, sub-rules to rules and special equipment that alter the rules with incredibly intricate and very sensitive mechanics, all things that ultimately lead into the complexity of the strategies and tactics involved in Armada. They are well defined and very streamlined, but trying to juggle all this information while playing the game is a brain buster to the point where it can be uncomfortable. Consequently the result is that even the most minor oversight, the tiniest error in judgement can throw off your strategy and cost you the entire 2+ hour game. The sensitivity is so extreme that the game becomes very unapproachable to less experienced, casual and even intermediate gamers.
You could argue that at least up to wave 1 this game was still semi-approachable, but wave 2 is raising the ante through the roof with tons of special powers and unique abilities that will raise the bar far out of the reach of casual gamers.
Star Wars Armada suffers from a tremendous amount of “gotcha” mechanic situations as well. The gap between experienced and casual gamers is very wide and because the game is 2+ hours long and incredibly sensitive in terms of actions and consequences, less experienced players will spend a lot of time playing games in which they are effectively victims. In fact I think unless you are heavily invested in learning these intricacies, really studying the game, Star Wars Armada isn’t going to offer a very good gaming experience. Casual play is really not a thing here.
I think this really works against Armada as a game, FFG could and really should have made this a much simpler or at least split the rules between normal and advanced rules to make it a more all-inclusive to appeal to a broader audience. It is after all Star Wars which suggests just by the franchise alone that it should be for the masses, but really this is a very niche product made for a very specific, hardened veteran type purist, one might say elitist type gamer.
In conclusion, despite the steep hill towards experience and competiveness, I think it’s a wonderful game mechanic and has tremendous gameplay. The fact that it filters out the broad audience that Star Wars has access to is unfortunate and I think it will keep Armada from being the global success that X-Wing was, but I still think there are going to be sufficient board and miniature game veterans who will embrace and appreciate the depths of Armada.
Longevity and Re-playability
Verdict: Tilt:
Pros: Tons of options already with the game growing exponentially with each new expansion.
Cons: Expansion and longevity are dependent on collecting which can be expensive.
I’m going to make this short and sweet, even before wave 2 which will in effect double the content available for the game, Star Wars Armada has infinite re-playability. Its strategic depth is very tender and every tiny decision you make has wide sweeping consequences that even if you played with and against the same list dozens of time, no two games would be alike. This pushes you to perfect and analyze, ultimately leading to the road of trial and error the vary basis of replay ability. There is this rampant learning curve, not so much of the rules but in the depth of this strategic game that there is no amount of games you could play that would feel too much or would result in you not learning anything new. Each game is jam packed with experiences and while this hill is steep for the committed it’s well worth making the nearly infinite climb.
If there is any drawback or issue as far as longevity is concerned its going to be the cost. It may not be easy to sustain the constant and relentless release schedule of FFG.
Conclusion
Star Wars Armada is an epic gaming experience; it really deserves praise for presentation and scale. If you’re a fan of the genre or Star Wars theme, this is an experience you simply cannot miss. Its important however to understand that this is a gamer’s game, its very unapologetic about that and as such if your not ready to fully commit to the hobby, its really not worth it to dip your feet. Its expensive and demands commitment, if that doesn’t intimidate you, your ready, if it does, look elsewhere.
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