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Monday, August 4, 2025

ARC01 Review, Part 2: Commanders

Commanders are the beating heart of Armada. They’re what make the game endlessly replayable—and often what defines the "soul" of your fleet. A good commander doesn’t just give you a bonus; they ask you to play the game differently. They push you to think in new patterns, build ships you might otherwise ignore, and execute tactics with precision.

Some commanders offer flat, easy-to-use buffs. Others demand deep planning and careful timing. That spectrum of complexity is part of what makes the game so rewarding.

That’s why having a diverse, competitively viable pool of commanders is absolutely essential to Armada’s long-term health. More usable commanders = more viable strategies = more variety at every level of play.

ARC01 recognizes this. In total, it updates eight commanders across the two original factions—most of them older and underused, though one (recently introduced by AMG) also gets a helpful revision. Some of these changes are small: cost adjustments or slight wording tweaks. Others are significant reworks that reimagine how the commander functions—while still preserving the flavor and general intent of the original.

🦅 Imperial Commander Reworks (ARC01)

ARC01 brings updates to four Imperial commanders—ranging from simple cost tweaks to clever mechanical reworks. Some of these were once titans of the meta. Others never quite found a place. Let’s see what’s changed—and whether it matters.

🟥 Admiral Motti

Change: -4 points (now 20 points)

The change is fine. Boring, but fine.

Motti wasn’t bad at 24 points, but when you compared him to what other 24-point commanders were offering, he was starting to feel overpriced. Dropping him to 20 feels about right.

That said, I’d still take Jerjerrod 99 times out of 100—he'll save me more damage over a game and get me into better firing positions. Motti’s just... simpler. He’s solid. Still B-tier, but more viable than before.

As an aside, I actually think giving Motti +4 hull on SSDs would’ve been perfectly reasonable. JJ would still be better, but at least you’d have a decision to make. But hey—I don’t play SSD much, so it’s not a big deal.

Verdict: Sensible change, even if it doesn’t set the world on fire.

🟥 Admiral Screed

Change: +2 points (now 26 points), and his "set a die to crit" result cannot be rerolled

Now this is how you do a meaningful rework.

The updated Screed bypasses a lot of the "stuff" that’s crept into the game since 1.5—PD Ions, evade buffs, and other tools that were starting to blunt his edge. The new wording is also cleverly designed: the crit die can’t be rerolled, and it bypasses evades at medium and short range, but not at long—so no cheap HIE spam tricks, for example.

This rework perfectly blends game mechanics, meta state, and Screed’s original design intent. I love it.

That said, classic black-dice Imperial MSU still isn’t in a great spot (my feelings on the pass token rules remain... complicated), so I don’t expect to see Screed spammed any time soon.

Verdict: A superb rework—even if it won’t bring Screed fully back to the top tables, it’s exactly what he needed.

🟥 Darth Vader

Change: -6 points (now 28 points, down from AMG's 34, 36 originally)

Now we’re talking.

Vader already had a small cost reduction under AMG, but it wasn’t enough to make a real difference. This drop brings him into much more playable territory. And I say that with some confidence—I’ve played Vader since before most of you were born 😉

There’s some counterplay in the reworded Palpatine, but nothing Vader can’t handle. And frankly, I don’t expect to see much Palpy anyway.

So yeah: I like this change. A lot.

Verdict: Go play Vader, you peasants.

🟥 Emperor Palpatine

Change: -3 points (now 32 points), and tweaked ability wording for better coverage

Another quiet win for ARC.

The point drop alone is welcome, but the key here is the subtle rewording of his effect—it now interacts properly with Vader, TRCs, Thermals, and a handful of other upgrade effects. The actual play experience is 99% the same, but now Palpy actually works in more situations and can’t be quite as easily ignored.

No longer binder fodder. Not oppressive either. Just... finally interesting.

Verdict: A very clean, smart tweak. It shows ARC knows what they’re doing.

🌟 Rebel Commander Reworks (ARC01)

ARC01 updates four Rebel commanders—ranging from long-time binder residents to ambitious reworks of recent AMG flubs. The results? Surprisingly fresh. None of these leap straight to S-tier dominance, but all four are now actually interesting—and at least one of them might be ARC’s best design win so far.

🔷 Commander Sato

Change: -2 points (now 25), and tweaked ability (better, but no longer affects salvo attacks)

Well, hello there, aren’t you a handsome fellow Mr. Sato.

I really like this one. ARC took a commander that was always very hard to get working at 400 points, and gave him the gentle—but substantial—nudge he needed. His ability is still recognizable, and may even reflect what FFG originally intended (if you’re old enough to remember the speculation when he was first previewed). But now? It’s better. Much better. And still not broken.

Yes, some players will complain about him no longer working with salvo or some corner-case interactions (like Solar Corona accuracy flips), but let’s be real: this is a big win.

There’s still a catch: Sato remains hard to fit. You need enough ships to leverage the ability, and enough squadrons to unlock it—which usually lands you in that awkward medium squad ball zone that isn’t elite at anything.

Verdict: Big W. Not S-tier. But definitely playable—and damn fun.

🔷 General Draven

Change: Kind of a full rework (now a raid-based squadron commander) and cost reduction (but he's not directly comparable to 2.0 anyway)

Ah, AMG. How little you understood Armada. I don’t miss you. At all.

Your two versions of Draven proved that point beautifully. The first was a mess. The second was at least playable—but still not good, and certainly not fun (for anyone involved).

ARC’s new Draven 3.0 might be ARC's biggest win yet.

Gone is the dial-peeking (which was annoying and mostly useless anyway). He still leans into Raid—but in a way that’s actually engaging. He’s now a real squadron commander, capable of boosting several Rebel squad ball archetypes without being oppressive. It’s not Sloane 2.0, and it’s not Raid spam either. There’s real counterplay.

Verdict: Fresh, flexible, and fun. Looking forward to seeing him on tables.

🔷 Leia Organa

Change: Removed her restriction on spending tokens while using her ability

YES. This is Leia in a gold bikini and she deserves appropriate alternate art:

Seriously though—this change completely fixes what was holding her back. Token use is essential in current Armada, and Leia’s old restriction made her feel like she was constantly fighting against the game’s most basic mechanics.

Now? She’s free to shine. Still requires thoughtful play, still rewards smart command stacking—but she’s no longer punished for daring to use a token.

Verdict: Competitive in the right fleet, but not oppressive. Exactly what she should be.

🔷 Mon Mothma

Change: Her ability now gives built-in ECM to evade tokens (can’t be locked down)

Binder queen Mon Mothma finally gets her due.

Her updated ability gives ECM-like protection to evade tokens—preventing opponents from locking them down, which is huge for ships with only one evade. But even double-evade ships like the MC30 benefit massively, and that’s where this starts getting spicy.

The only potential issue? Mothma Rogue fleets with dodgy small ships flying around the board, ducking everything you throw at them. During testing, ARC tried limiting her effect to close-medium range, but that turned out to be functionally irrelevant, so the final version is unrestricted.

That said, I still think Agate and Cracken will be just as good—or better—in similar roles. So this probably ends up being fine. Besides, if we’re cool with fortressing large ships in the meta, why not small ships that are hard to kill? TBH neither appeals to me but here we are.

Verdict: Minor misgivings, but more options = good. A small W.

🚀 Looking Ahead

ARC01 is just the beginning—and it’s a strong one. From cross-faction ships to revitalized commanders and squadron tweaks, this release shows that the ARC team understands both Armada’s design DNA and the evolving needs of the community.

Looking ahead, there’s a lot to be excited about:

The upcoming tournament season is already taking shape, building toward Worlds 2026.
Just before that, we’ll see ARC’s mid-season update, along with the VASSAL World Cup, which continues to grow as a major international online event.
And I’ll be heading to Gdańsk in November for the European Masters, which should be a fantastic in-person benchmark for how the new content is shaking up competitive play.

I’m also very much looking forward to seeing what the Armada Legacy Project rolls out next—presumably a Wave 1 to follow their excellent Wave 0 debut. If it integrates as smoothly into the ARC ecosystem as their first release did, we’ll be in for another round of fresh, community-driven content that expands the game in the best possible way.

Whatever comes next, I’ll be covering it—both here and in the tools I help maintain. Armada’s alive again, and that’s what matters.

Until then: fly casual. Or aggressive. Or dodgy rogue swarm. Just make it interesting.

Disclaimer: This post was created with help from ChatGPT, primarily outlining, formatting, and presentation.

ARC01 Review, Part 1: Ships & Squads

🛰 ARC01 Review – New Life in a Galaxy far, far away

Edit: Now including the recosted Dictor & Pelta Assault

It’s been a long time since we've had new content for Star Wars: Armada—but thanks to the Armada Ruleset Collective, the game is not just alive, it's evolving. With the release of ARC01, we're seeing a careful but meaningful shift: one that brings new play opportunities without asking players to 3D print or proxy unfamiliar sculpts.

Before we dive in, some disclosure: I’m a playtester for ARC, but not part of the core design team. I approach this project with a mix of enthusiasm and cautious optimism. That said, I firmly believe that what ARC is doing—maintaining the rules, supporting organized play, and producing new content—is absolutely vital for Armada’s future. Any one of those pillars alone wouldn’t be enough to keep the game thriving. Together, though? They give this community its best shot at staying vibrant, creative, and competitive.

At the same time, I’m also very enthusiastic about other fan-driven initiatives—especially the Armada Legacy Project, which recently released its own “Wave 0” of new content. I’ve been genuinely impressed by the quality and thematic consistency of Legacy’s work. And since ARC01 and Legacy Wave 0 are fully compatible, I’m excited to support both efforts moving forward. You’ll see both sets supported on Armada Warlords and the VASSAL module—and hopefully on more tables in the near future.

So what’s in ARC01?

4 new ships: familiar hulls, now usable by new factions with thematic tweaks and rebalanced stats.
2 recosted ships: same old, but cheaper.
3 updated squadrons: subtle changes to old favorites that may breathe new life into overlooked builds.
8 reworked commanders: some minor tuning, others full makeovers—with significant implications for list building and playstyle.

I’ve had the chance to test these changes both in person and online—and I’m excited to walk you through what’s new, what’s changed, and what it all might mean for your next fleet.

🟣 CIS Ships

The Separatists get two ARC01 additions—both unique ships with very different roles. One adds speed and bite; the other brings rare utility and support. Let’s take a look.

🐙 Quarren Prototype Gunship

Reskinned Rebel MC30 – Unique

The Quarren Prototype Gunship is a game-changer for CIS list building. It finally gives the faction a small-base, speed 4, close-range burst-damage ship—something they’ve sorely lacked. That alone opens up a host of new tactical options.

Perfect fit: It slots naturally into Kraken or TF-1726 builds, where its speed and bite can be maximized.
Spicy combos: You can also go all-in with D-Caps under Mar Tuuk, or even try it with Dooku running D-Caps + ICBs—especially at 600 points where points and timing are more forgiving.
No ordnance slot? No problem. The Ion slot gives it access to HIE, Overload Pulse, or even ICB for flexible burst or control. You could also boost defense with PD Ion Cannons if needed.
Limitations: It’s unique, so you only get one. And there’s no strong defensive title. Still, a lightweight kit—Expert Shield Techs + Blast Doors, or Advanced Projectors—can go a long way.
My take: Run it light and focused. Lurk. Strike. Disengage. Don’t overinvest. This is a scalpel, not a hammer.

⭐ Verdict: I’m genuinely excited for this ship. A fantastic design that adds a lot to CIS without bloating the faction. Hats off to ARC.

🧠 Munificent Command Frigate

New Munificent Variant – Unique

This one has me more conflicted. On paper, the Command Frigate looks incredible:

Upgrade bar includes: Weapons Team, Offensive + Defensive Retrofit, and Fleet Support—that’s an unheard-of combo on a medium-base ship.
Cost is reasonable, and the platform is familiar.

But then... reality sets in:

No Ion slot means no PD Ions, a big defensive loss.
No Support Team means you’re locked at speed 2.
It’s unique, so you can’t build a “support fleet” around a bunch of them.

It ends up feeling like a budget Providence—but with far less punch and a weird identity. And once you fill that beautiful upgrade bar, you’ve created a slow, expensive, medium-base piñata. It could be good, especially with a leaner loadout—but the hidden costs are real.

Also: it may unintentionally crowd out the existing Comms and Star Frigate Munis, which already see little play. On the other hand... maybe that’s okay. Any Muni showing up on competitive tables at all is an upgrade.

⭐ Verdict: Interesting but risky. Could be useful in the right hands—but not the slam dunk it looks like at first glance.

🟢 GAR Ships

On the Republic side, ARC01 brings in two non-unique additions—ships that help fill roles GAR has long struggled to cover. They’re practical, playable, and thematic... but perhaps not quite as exciting as their CIS counterparts.

⚪ Arquitens-class Light Cruiser

Reskinned Imperial Arquitens – Non-unique

This is the one I really hoped to see make the jump to Clone Wars—aside from, you know, the Lucrehulk (but that’s a discussion for another day). The GAR Arquitens gives Republic players a small, fast, long-ranged red dice ship with a light cost and small footprint. Sounds great, right?

Well, kind of.

Balance challenges: The design space here is tight. If this ship were just a 1:1 port of the Imperial version, it would’ve been crazy good with Luminara or Obi-Wan, especially when paired with ESTs, Zak Swivels, or other GAR-specific synergies.
ARC’s take: They’ve rebalanced it carefully, avoiding the need to make it unique while still keeping it usable. That’s a win in my book.
Token swap issues: I’m still not convinced the token change really nerfs it enough. Double Evades with Luminara will still be obnoxious. Meanwhile, Obi-Wan continues to suffer (again).
List fit: You probably won’t swarm with these. Maybe one or two in an Anakin fleet (e.g., Zak + Clone Gunners) could work, but an Arquitens spam list feels... off.
Dice control woes: GAR doesn’t have the best dice fixing options outside Anakin. Clone Gunners, Vet Gunners, Sensor Teams... sure. But with a small native pool and no crit effects to build around, it’s hard to push consistent damage.

⭐ Verdict: Honestly? I’m not thrilled. It’s fine, and I’ll run one now and then—but I doubt it’ll be a staple. I want to like it more than I do. Maybe I’ll be pleasantly surprised.

🔴 Venator-class Star Destroyer – Imperator Refit

New Venator variant – Non-unique

The Imperator Refit is a new Venator variant that aims to do one thing and do it well: get in and smash face. And... it does that. Very effectively.

Role clarity: It gives GAR a direct, high-damage brawler without the carrier overhead or overreliance on SPHAT.
No frills: The loadout is lean, aggressive, and not too expensive. It works. It fills a gap.
But also... kinda bland. I’ll be honest—the best part might be the card art (and I’m only half joking). It gets the job done, but there’s not much flair or identity to it beyond “more dakka.”
Design constraints: That’s not really a fault of ARC’s design—it’s just a result of a narrow, pre-established design space. Within those limits, this is a well-executed ship.

⭐ Verdict: A solid workhorse. It makes sense, fills a need, and is a welcome addition—but doesn’t light any fires creatively. CIS got the fun toys. GAR got the tools.

📉 Points-Only Changes

Before we moe on to squads, let’s take a moment to cover two ships that received pure points adjustments in ARC01. No rule tweaks, no new variants—just good old-fashioned cost cuts. Do they make a difference? Let’s find out.

🟥 Interdictor Combat Refit (Empire)

Change: -8 points (down from 93 to 85)

This is a good change... in the most uninspired way possible.

Yes, the Combat Refit is finally cheaper than the Suppression Refit—as it should have been from day one. But the core problem remains: the Combat still only gets one Experimental Retrofit, while the Suppression gets two. And while the Interdictor is a solid platform, it’s not so amazing that this cost cut suddenly elevates the Combat Refit to greatness.

Sure, you can now fit two of them more easily (and save 18 points doing so).
Sure, if you love Projection Experts, that matters.
But let’s be honest: this chassis needed more.

Give it a turbolaser slot, and now we’re talking. This? Still feels like a placeholder fix.

Verdict: A step in the right direction—but not nearly far enough.

🔷 Pelta-class Assault Ship (Rebels)

Change: -4 points (down from 56 to 52)

Now this is a more interesting drop.

At 52 points, the Assault Pelta is now a super-cheap carrier for Fleet Commands, especially for Intensify Firepower!, which continues to be one of the strongest effects in the game. And that’s probably where we’ll see most of its use going forward.

But here’s the thing: this ship still lacks identity. It’s awkward, it’s weird, and it has one of the strangest upgrade bars in Armada. And ARC missed an opportunity here—if you can give the CIS MC30 a new bar and unique feel, why not tweak the Pelta?

It’s not a great platform for most Fleet Commands.
Its upgrades don’t synergize with itself.
And the Fleet Commands themselves are imbalanced, which doesn't help.

So yes, you’ll see it more often. But not because it’s “good”—just because it’s cheap and useful in one specific role.

Verdict: An effective cost cut, but a missed opportunity to truly fix a strange ship.

✈ Squadron Updates

ARC01 also brings some long-overdue attention to a few iconic—but underused—named squadrons. These aren’t massive overhauls, but each change is a clear attempt to make these ships relevant without pushing them into auto-include territory.

✨ Luke Skywalker (X-Wing)

Change: Loses Escort, gains Rogue

This change is... bland, but fine.

Swapping Escort for Rogue turns Luke from an overpriced target that never fit in 4-ace lists into a viable member of a Rebel Rogue ball. He’s not broken. He’s not an auto-include. But hey—he’s finally in the running, and that’s something. It’s kind of nice to see Rebel Hero #1 out of the binder at last.

That said, I would have loved to see Luke gain Adept 1, like so many players hoped. ARC felt it would be too much when combined with his “ignore all shields” ability—and while I get the reasoning, I’m not fully convinced. (You could give him Adept and reword the ability... but maybe that’s too much revisionism.)

⭐ Verdict: He’s fine. It’s an improvement. A win.

🖤 Darth Vader (TIE Advanced)

Change: Loses Escort, gains Screen, and -1 point

Again: fine, appropriate, and a massive improvement.

Vader can now hide behind his goons instead of dying first to protect them. That means his special ability (reroll all dice) might actually see play. He’s no longer binder fodder... but I’d still put him in Tier B, mainly because he’s competing with Darth Vader in a TIE Defender, which is frankly a hard act to beat.

Would I have liked to see a more radical rework? Maybe. Adept 2 feels like it practically screams to be included. But ARC stuck close to the original here, and the small twist does a lot.

⭐ Verdict: Expect to see him occasionally, but probably not often.

🟡 Han Solo (Millennium Falcon)

Change: -2 points

Zzzz… what, sorry?

Oh—Han. Yeah. Point drop is fine and long overdue. But honestly? He’s still binder material. He’s just too expensive for what he brings, and outside of a Sato fleet (old or new), there are just better options like Lando, Ketsu, or the new Luke.

⭐ Verdict: Not enough. Should have gotten Bomber. Still a snoozer. Sad times.

📦 Wrap-Up: Ships + Squadrons

ARC01's ship and squadron updates may not be flashy, but they’re targeted, thoughtful, and effective. The new cross-faction ships—especially for CIS—open up fresh list archetypes without forcing players into new purchases or custom prints. The squadron tweaks breathe new life into iconic pilots who’ve been gathering dust for years.

There’s clearly a design philosophy at work here: stay close to the original feel, but remove barriers to playability. And for the most part? ARC nails it.

Next time, we’ll dive into the commander reworks—there’s a lot to cover, from subtle tuning to total reinventions.

Disclaimer: This post was created with help from ChatGPT, primarily outlining, formatting, and presentation.

Monday, November 13, 2023

RitR Revisited - A Rebellion in the Rim supplement UPDATED v1.10

RitR Revisited has been updated to version 1.10.

CHANGELOG

V1.10: Updated to comply with Revised RRII (this is getting ridiculous, AMG—try playtesting a little next time). New layout/visuals. Some typo corrections and grammatical fixes (not highlighted).

Changes and additions in blue:

• Fighter Group Leader restricted to max 3 squadrons per activation.

• New options for random objective selection and reduced potency of veteran tokens.

• Suggestions for additional anti-snowballing options added.

• Tweaked the "Additional obstacles" option for Pivotal battles (remember that the final confrontation is also a Pivotal battle).

• Added "Hyperspace reinforcements" option to the Final confrontation.

• New alternate use for the Contain token, tweak for the Dodge keyword and added a new pass token option.

• Various points adjustments (see points list for details).

• Republic Arquitens changed to be more similar to the Imperial version (cost changed too).

• Kit Fisto added as a replacement squadron (with scatter).

• Grievous gets Intel instead of Grit (so his slaughter lambs can follow more easily).

• Advanced Transponder Net, Avenger, Hot Landing, and Hyperwave Singal Boost were added to replacement upgrades.

• Replacement Jyn Erso got a boost.

• Obi-Wan (Delta-7) was replaced by Jedi Escort (partly to provide a non-Ace Delta, but also bc Obi + Axe + Implacable was proving to be a bit much). He might return later (although he doesn’t like flying).

• The following squadrons were significantly reworked (some other squads received minor tweaks):

o Anakin (Twilight).

o All Eta-2 squadrons.

o Some further minor tweaks.

Thursday, June 22, 2023

RitR Revisited - A Rebellion in the Rim supplement

Do you like playing campaigns?

I do.

I’ve collected a bunch of house rules, customization ideas, and additional content for RitR that I want to share with the rest of the Armada community. I’ve also included some ideas for running RitR with Clone Wars factions and playing CC with RitR mechanisms.

Get it here.

Sunday, November 27, 2022

Return to the Rim (and the Corellian Sector)

I've collected a bunch of house rules and options for RitR that have sprung from the campaigns we've played (we're doing one right now but I don't have the energy to report from it).

Also included is a way to run CC using RitR rules (custom map included).

I'm calling this version 0.95. If anyone has any feedback, feel free to PM me on Discord or send an email. A final version 1.00 should be out in the not-too-distant future.

RitR house rules

Corellian sector map

AAR Open World Qualifier 2022 Copenhagen

SSD&Onager vs 2xOnager - how cool is that!?

I went to the Open World Qualifier in Copenhagen (or just outside the city, in Taastrup) in November. It's the same place I won Nordics FIVE years ago (2017). It was a surprise when this event popped up on Facebook but a welcome one, especially since I couldn't go to Poland the week before. A lot of the same guys are still playing down there, so I couldn't miss the opportunity to meet up. Not when the last time we met was back in 2018 (Nordics Stockholm, which was the last time I played an IRL Armada tourney thanks to f-ing COVID). My regular Armada buddy from Trondheim also made it, as did Rolf from Østersund.

I went down, and had a great time on Saturday, going 2/2, getting knocked out, going 3/0, and winning the side event on Sunday.

This was my list for Saturday:

I wanted to run the Liberty in honor of Alessandro/Aresius, but wanted to put my own spin on it, so I experimented a bit and settled on the AF + Heraball. And before you say that's not very competitive, I must say that the AF overperformed 4 out of 4 games, and the squads did quite well in 3 of 4 games. My losing 2 games came mostly down to a lack of experience with the Liberty and a general lack of playtime.

Name: ZZ Games OWQ22 - Bjørn B. Sørgjerd
Faction: Rebel
Commander: Kyrsta Agate

Assault: Advanced Gunnery
Defense: Asteroid Tactics
Navigation: Infested Fields

MC80 Star Cruiser (96)
• Kyrsta Agate (20)
• Expert Shield Tech (5)
• Caitken and Shollan (6)
• Engine Techs (8)
• SW-7 Ion Batteries (5)
• Spinal Armament (9)
• XI7 Turbolasers (6)
• Mon Karren (6)
= 161 Points

Assault Frigate Mk2 B (72)
• Boosted Comms (4)
• Electronic Countermeasures (7)
• Linked Turbolaser Towers (7)
= 90 Points

GR-75 Medium Transports (18)
• Toryn Farr (7)
• Bright Hope (2)
= 27 Points

GR-75 Medium Transports (18)
• Ahsoka Tano (2)
• Comms Net (2)
= 22 Points

Squadrons:
• Hera Syndulla (X-wing) (23)
• Biggs Darklighter (19)
• Jan Ors (19)
• 3 x X-wing Squadron (39)
= 100 Points

Total Points: 400

1st game: 7-4 win vs PF TF w/4Hardcells. He had 5 raid sources which caused a lot of stress. AF and squad did the work, Lib did OKish but was poorly handled.

2nd game: 6-5 vs Agate AF2A/Foreskin and the usual rogues. AF and squads overperformed and Lib did well in screening Foresight out of the fight. BUT instead of turning to kill Agate AF, I decided to chase down Foresight for the kill. Which I got, but my AF died, and his did not. Very bad decision in an otherwise good game.

3rd game: 3-8 loss vs Prov/PF/Muni/HC Mar Tuuk. Fatigue-induced brainfart caused 5 damage (all the shlds) off my Lib and let his PF live for too long. So Lib basically had to run after that. Got his PF and HC, and it looked good until turn 6 when his dice caught fire and burned everything down. But it wasn't the dice but the poor Liberty play that cost me this game.

4th game: 4-7 loss vs Ozzel Duonager. Hard to attack 2 Onagers with Liberty, but I tried to trade my AF for his flag, but it survived on 2 hull on turn 6, which was sad. I also did poorly with the squads vs his screen.

All in all, I'm pleased with the way my list worked and how I flew, except that some mistakes were made and dice happened 😅😅

My friend (Craken MSU and rogues) made the cut after a played dropped, so that was super cool. While he played 3 rounds Swiss top 8 on Sunday, I played the side event using this Duonager fleet. Not too creative but ET Onagers operating in pairs... with Maaredon as a finisher. Quite killy.

Name: ZZ Games OWQ22 - Bjørn B. Sørgjerd
Faction: Imperial
Commander: General Romodi

Assault: Surprise Attack
Defense: Asteroid Tactics
Navigation: Infested Fields

Onager Testbed (96)
• General Romodi (20)
• Minister Tua (2)
• Ordnance Experts (4)
• Veteran Gunners (5)
• Engine Techs (8)
• Orbital Bombardment Particle Cannons (5)
• Electronic Countermeasures (7)
= 147 Points

Onager Testbed (96)
• Admiral Ozzel (2)
• Ordnance Experts (4)
• Veteran Gunners (5)
• Engine Techs (8)
• Orbital Bombardment Particle Cannons (5)
• Cataclysm (5)
= 125 Points

Gozanti Cruisers (23)
• Hondo Ohnaka (2)
• Comms Net (2)
= 27 Points

Gozanti Cruisers (23)
• Darth Vader (1)
• Comms Net (2)
= 26 Points

Squadrons:
• Maarek Stele (21)
• Colonel Jendon (20)
• Ciena Ree (17)
• Tel Trevura (17)
= 75 Points

Total Points: 400

1st game: 8-3 vs Assault SSD/Goz. Traded my Ozzel Onager for the table.

2nd game: 8-3 vs Rieekan TRC90s and rogues. He didn't want to play the slug objectives, so went for Surprise attack, but he didn't have Hondo... so I started with mega-dice and just blew Rieekan up in round 1. So despite a potentially bad matchup, I ended up trading my flag for the table.

3rd game: 10-1 vs Piett Onager/Dictor objective play combo. We played his Ambadoned Mining, and I managed to trick him into thinking I'd go for some mining at setup. Which I did not. Instead, my 2 Onagers killed his one Onager, then cut down the rest of his fleet. He had a raider limp away at 1 hull, so no table...

And that's it really. Sooo much fun playing Armada for 2 whole days. Hope I get to do it again!

Tuesday, September 27, 2022

Future of Armada and this blog

This blog is no longer active. Haven't been for a while.

Armada is pretty much dead at this point. It's still played, even Organized Play, and it's still getting some kind of support from AMG, but it's not a living, thriving game anymore. More like a zombie horse that keeps getting kicked.

Nothing new, really, just a variation by degree. I mean, after wave 7, how long did we wait for the SSD? Very long. And then we got the lamentable wave 8. And finally, after even more waiting, we got two new factions, which was great... except they are only half complete factions!

But AMG's support for the game has been WORSE than FFG's. FFG actually made new expansions. AMG doesn't. They've given us some half-baked "events" and a couple new print-out cards. And I don't see this changing any time soon, if ever. So the game is until proven otherwise, dead.

I'll keep playing the game locally, sector fleet battles, campaigns, and the occasional 400-pointer, but I don't see any point in running this blog anymore.

I'd love to be proven wrong btw...

Monday, March 21, 2022

VASSAL OP 2022 Spring Team Tournament

Announcing the "Spring Team Tournament" VASSAL Organized Play event!

We had 2 team events in 2021 and both were very well received. This year we're doing something pretty close to standard Armada - but with teams.

Format

Players are grouped into teams:

Each team picks a single faction (Empire, Rebel, Republic, or Separatist).
There are 3 players per team.
Each team elects a "Grand Admiral" to be in charge of the team.

3 rounds of "team" Swiss:

It's the team's total score that determines the Swiss seed.
During the 1st round, each team will be paired within its time zone (if possible).
Rounds 2 & 3 are normal Swiss.

Winner:

The team with the most combined tourney points is the winner!

Schedule

Rounds will last 14 days.

Key dates:

Signup/fleet submission deadline: Sunday, 10th April.
Round 1 starts Monday, 11th April.
Round 3 ends Sunday, 22nd May.

Listbuilding restrictions/rules tweaks

Standard Armada rules, with the following exceptions:

UNIQUE cards, including objectives, are unique within the team.
Grand Admirals are responsible for "battle pairings" within each team.

Battle pairing:

The GA of the team with the lower score (determine randomly round 1) decides if their side will put a fleet forward or of the opposing team will.
The opposing team decides which fleet will oppose the nominated fleet, then puts forward one of its remaining fleets.
Repeat until all fleets have been paired.

Signup

Fleet submission

You submit your fleet when signing up on TTT (see above).

Grand Admirals need to PM me on Discord with team names and members.

Battle reporting

Report battles here: https://tabletop.to/sw-armada-vassal-team-tournament/submit

Discord

Join the Armada Discord/VASSAL OP channel here: https://discord.gg/NKxp5DEkPC

Tournament software

We're using Tabletop.to to track players, scores, and matchups.
You can find the event here: https://tabletop.to/sw-armada-vassal-team-tournament

Grand Championship 2022

Points:
Entry: 1
Completion: 1 (3 games)
Top 4: 1
Runner-up: 1
Winner: 2
Special: 1 each
TBA
TBA
Scoreboard: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1uA8tqtouirSzFUsqmNzvPcATvHLdEGid8rYlvjwKcH4/edit?usp=sharing

Wednesday, February 9, 2022

Star Wars: Armada Fantasy League 2022

Welcome to the Fantasy League!

Signup deadline: Sunday, 27th February. Sing up HERE.

This is the place where we explore the what-ifs and could-have-beens of Armada. The place where we play with new versions of old ships and squadrons - and introduce completely new ones such as the Separatist Lucrehulk and Sith Infiltrator, the Republic Stealth Ship and Naboo N-1.

It's also where you'll find existing upgrades - with a twist - alongside entirely new cards. Even the objectives have been tweaked to make more of them useful to a variety of fleet archetypes (without shifting the advantage too strongly towards the 2nd player). Last, but not least, we're even experimenting with a few rules changes...

Important external links

Fantasy League RRG: Download the pdf here (latest version is 1.02)

Custom fleet builder (Warlords clone): https://vassalwarlords.twilightpeaks.net/

VASSAL: Module download (latest version is 4.7.0fl)

TTS: Currently only implemented in the Development version which you can get here. You also need the custom database for the Fantasy League.

Card collection: All cards are available as a pdf here.

Where?

It's primarily a digital event on VASSAL and TTS (with support from @Valadian) but if you want you can easily print all the cards you need from KDYards and play on the tabletop!

Why?

Why not?

The changes are big enough that everything will feel fresh and uncertain, but not so big as to make it another game entirely. It's also an unique opportunity: AFAIK no one has ever attempted to host a world-spanning custom event for Armada.

Virtual plastic spaceships will go pew pew, mistakes will be made, dice will happen. It's going to be fun - don't miss out!

Phases and What to Make of Them

The Fantasy League isn't just ONE event. Every few months, a new Phase is initiated. Each phase adds new stuff to the game. In fact, phases are pretty much like new waves.

In Phase 1, only Empire/Rebel factions are playable, and the selection of ships, squadrons, and upgrades is limited.

In Phase 2, Republic/Separatist are added, and the first large base ships appear.

In Phase 3 there will be rogues & villains for all four factions - and more.

Phase 4+ is still on the drawing board.

Each Phase is a separate league event; scores are reset to zero. So even if you didn't win Phase 1 there is no reason why you couldn't be the Phase 2 champion!

What's new?

Let me give you some examples of what to expect:

Rules: The rules are largely the same, with a few big changes and a bunch of minor ones. If you want to know more about the various rules changes, check out the Rules Reference Guide, the YouTube videos below, or chat with me on Discord (links below).

Here is an example of a big change (highlighted in red): You can spend readied (green) defense tokens targeted by accuracy icons. But if you do, you have to discard that token.

Objectives: We're using the objectives that you're used to. But they have been tweaked with the aim of making more of them playable with the right fleet. Second player is pretty strong ATM so the tweaks aren't necessarily buffs; some objectives got nerfed.

Fleet Ambush is a good example: It's almost the same, but there is a restriction of deploying squadrons and the first player has to pass his first activation round 1. There is also a bit about deploying overlapping obstacles; that's because the rules now forbid this for all ships, not just Huge ships.

Ships: The ships in the first phase are tweaked versions of existing ships. Later new ships - both variations of existing ones and completely news ships - will be added.

This Vic is no joke: It can turn reasonably well, has goodish flak, a black die in the front, a salvo token, and an amazing upgrade bar. For a mere 79 points. Still a speed 2 ship that can easily turn into a point piñata.

Squadrons: Existing squadrons get tweaks and points changes, and new uniques are added. We'll eventually see new squadron types, including some multi-faction squads. Hondo and Gauntlets for all four factions. V-wings, N-1s, Eta2s, and LATT/i gunships for the republic. U-wings. More TIE variants. Dooku, Maul, and Ventress. It's quite the list.

This is Thane. He's dangerous and cheap. And he has colorful dice and a squadron evade. S-foils is a new keyword for B-wings and X-wings that let them get +1 speed if they remove a die.

Upgrades: We got some old upgrades that have been modded and a few entirely new cards. The cost of some cards has changed.

Ion Missiles are new, same with the Audacious Arquitens title. Lando is the same old, but with an additional effect.

More info

YouTube video of me talking about the Fantasy League format:

Another YouTube video, this one gives an overview of Phase 1 content:

Event format

The Fantasy League is a... league event 😅

Rounds: There is only 1 "round" which lasts for the duration of the phase. Each player can play and register any number of games during this round, but you don't sore points equally for all of them (see below).

Opponents: Players are expected to arrange their own games; there are no TO-controlled pairings.

That said, you're encouraged to play a variety of opponents, not just your IRL buddy over and over. A few games against the same guy is OK (not going to set a hard cap) especially if you use different lists, but if you play vs 1 or 2 people only you're doing something wrong.

Lists: You can use the same list for every game, iterations of the same list, or wildly different lists. It's up to you.

Scoring: Scoring works a little differently. We use the standard MoV/TP table.

The following restrictions apply:

You have to play a minimum of 4 games.

If you play 6 games, only your best 4 games will count towards your score.

Example: You go 9-2, 8-3, 4-7, 2-9, 10-1, 6-5. The 4-7 and 2-9 are ignored for scoring purposes, so your score is 10+9+8+6=33.

For each game beyond 6 you play, you score 1 additional tournament point, regardless of your score. If you play more than 6 games, only the 6 first games count towards scoring. So you can't play 20 games and cherry pick the best 4.

Continuing the above example, if you played 10 games, you have 33+4=37 TPs.

Schedule

Signup deadline: Sunday, 27th February.

The event starts Monday, 28th February.
The event ends Sunday, 24th April.

Phase 2 will begin shortly after phase 1 ends. It adds CW factions and large ships to the game. Phase 3 will start this summer. Details to follow.

Signups

Fleet submissions

You do not submit your lists beforehand. Instead, lists are handed in during the After Action Report step (see below).

Report results

Results of your games are reported directly in the event: https://tabletop.to/vassal-fantasy-league-2022/submit

One player needs to report, opponent has to confirm the result!

List submission/After action report

List submission: After playing, you need to submit your list using Google forms: https://forms.gle/oVZqN6jAvoA7WRFv5

AAR: You only have to include your list; the rest of the questions are optional but do please make the effort as the feedback will directly impact future Fantasy League phases.

VASSAL info

To play in the Fantasy League, run this module version and you'll see the new cards. When you want a standard game, just run the standard version.

You can use Shrimpbot to generate setup vlogs. Get the text export of your fleet, paste it into a text editor and remove any custom cards (new upgrades and squadrons).

Use !vassal to generate a vlog, load the vlog as normal, then add the custom pieces by dragging them from the Pieces menu. It's not 100% but still saves time and effort.

TTS info

First you have to load the module (currently only the Development version has support for custom databases). Then you need to additively load the Fantasy League database.

If you've correctly used additive load on the Fantasy League database the fleet spawner will spawn all custom cards without issue!

The only thing that isn't fully implemented is scoring: the crippled rule isn't in effect and non-VP token scoring isn't implemented. So you'll have to manually calculate scores.

Discord channel

Here is the Discord channel for VASSAL OP: https://discord.gg/NKxp5DEkPC

And a channel on the TTS Discord: https://discord.gg/T2TWx7qNkb

Use discord to chat and ask questions, but keep it at least vaguely related to the event 😅

Tournament software

We're using Tabletop.to to track players, scores, and matchups. You can find the event here: https://tabletop.to/vassal-fantasy-league-2022

Grand Championship 2022

Each phase of the Fantasy League counts as a separate event towards the GC2022.

Points:

Entry: 1
Completion: 1 (minimum 4 games)
Top 4: 1
Runner-up: 1
Winner: 2
Special: 1 each

After Action Report Specialist: You've submitted an AAR after every game.
Much To Test There Is: Played at least 10 games.

Scoreboard: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1uA8tqtouirSzFUsqmNzvPcATvHLdEGid8rYlvjwKcH4/edit?usp=sharing

Friday, February 4, 2022

Vassal OP, Q1 2022, 1-day Swiss Event (Sunday, 20th March)

It's time to find out who is the ultimate Vassal Armada 3-round Swiss Champion of 2022!

We did the same thing last year, and with over 30 players it turned out to be a great event. The only difference this year is that the CW factions are fully revealed and integrated into he game.