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Irate Pooka

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Posts posted by Irate Pooka

  1. Posted

    Happy holidays to everyone currently celebrating them or about to celebrate them!

    A couple of small articles up on It's A Trap: Gold Leader and I each talk about why we're excited for all of the new content as well as discuss why the vitriolic responses we've read have bothered us, and Lewis delves into one of his first Republic lists (because he's been waiting FOREVER TO FLY REPUBLIC!)

    More coming in the next week!

    https://itsatraparmada.blogspot.com/2020/12/the-future-is-scary-but-not-bleak.html?m=1

    Rimsen and geek19 reacted to this

  5. Posted

    2 hours ago, Green Knight said:

    I've looked at some rebel builds with Ahsoka.

    She can convert only 1/turn, but it's still a huge flexibility boost.

    Oh absolutely! And she can be exactly what you need! But you've also now invested an Officer seat and another 2 points. Not saying it's not worth it, just saying that I think Comms Net still has a place.

    1 hour ago, flatpackhamster said:

    Sovereign ISD solves that particular problem for the Empire.

    Same thoughts as what I wrote above. I love Sovereign, especially as a Tarkin player! But now, you've invested a Title upgrade and another 4 points.

    Again, if this is the build you want because it serves you best, then go for it! Both are creative solutions and could play really well! But in answer to the original question, "is there still a place for Comms Net?", I believe there is, and these are my reasons why.

    flatpackhamster reacted to this

  7. Posted

    Thanks y'all again for your feedback and your patience! He's changing the format right now, and hopefully, the next time you check back in, it'll be easier to read and won't require copying and pasting elsewhere. Thanks again for reading and for taking the time to offer feedback as we continue our discovery of how to best provide more content for the Armada community we love so much!

    Rimsen and Formynder4 reacted to this

  9. Posted

    Thank y'all for the kind words and the feedback! I'm afraid I only write content for the site and don't run it (because I'm basically a walking EMP and don't interact well with technology, truthfully) . But I'll talk to Gold Leader about it and let him know how difficult it is to read the content or about having to copy and paste the content into another program. In fact, I JUST sent him the message! I'll post updates here!

    Formynder4 and Rimsen reacted to this

  10. Posted

    Good morning, y'all!

    There's a bunch of new content up at It's A Trap!
       -Gold Leader talks about what he expects from our (it's so close, now!) new factions, based on spoilers as well as how GAR and Separatists behave in Legion.
       -Gold Leader also has a new installment of 5 Minutes to Win It, wherein he breaks down the Ion Storm objective.
       -Part 3 of my Palpatine experiment, "The Greatest Teacher, Failure Is," is up with a couple of new batreps and analysis.

    Hope you find something you like!
    https://itsatraparmada.blogspot.com/2020/11/loads-of-new-content.html?m=1

    cadetvw, Rimsen, Wolf_58 and 1 other reacted to this

  12. Posted

    I don't think we'll ever really see the end of a squad-heavy meta. Flying squadrons is often more forgiving than flying squadronless, they often allow for more options in-game, and there are a lot of proven combos. Also, in Star Wars, squadrons are too central to the story and theme to really be disposed of.

    That said, I think there are plenty of opportunities for squadronless to do well, and I also think the 1.5 changes we've seen so far will help limit some of the more brutal combos we've seen in the meta. I think there's room for a lot, and one need not fly squadrons to do well. By the same token, by virtue of the game design fundamentals, I cannot imagine Armada ever reaching a point where we don't see a decent number of squadrons in the meta.

    lunitic501, Muelmuel and Bertie Wooster reacted to this

  13. Posted

    Good morning, y'all!

    Hope everyone is staying as safe and healthy as possible! It's been a minute, but we've got some new content up on It's a Trap! The team explores different ways that we've handled our approach in taking down the "new" hotness: Onagers. Also, since we haven't seen any Organized Play since Prime season ending, I decided to write a little bit about not only why I value OP, but why it's the driving force behind my playing Armada in the first place.

    https://itsatraparmada.blogspot.com/2020/10/defeating-secret-weapon.html?m=1

    Hope you find something useful, and always feel free to drop us a line! And thanks to Matt over in Indy for his suggestion on writing about the Onager!

    Formynder4, Rimsen, Sobonis01 and 1 other reacted to this

  14. Posted

    2 hours ago, Cpt ObVus said:

     

    I’m not typically a guy who declares ANYTHING unplayable. I’m a “card optimist,” who tends to think that everything can be made to be *at least* decent, if built for correctly, but Cracken is one of those cards that I read, and immediately thought “this is not great,” then saw in action and was further unimpressed. 

    And I mean, maybe I’m just wrong. Maybe your Cracken fleet is absolutely killer, and I’m missing out. I just haven’t seen any strong evidence that he’s anything but binder filler.

    I don't think anyone here has a problem with you not being impressed by him. I get it: I've built around him a bunch of times and never liked the results. But I don't think he's a commander to be dismissed out of hand. It's really difficult to gauge his impact on a game because we don't know what those obstructed dice would have been. Maybe they were already going to turn up blank. Or maybe they were critical results that would've meant the difference between life and death for that ship. We never find out.

    And if a player's fleet is one that likes to fly fast anyway, spending an extra 6 points to maximize the thing they were going to do anyway makes a lot of sense to me. You mentioned Mon Mothma, and yes, I prefer her to Cracken myself. But she has her limits, too. After all, you have to have the Evade token to spend in the first place, and then you need it to not be locked down by Accuracy.

    I agree with the assessment that he could use a little help against squadrons, as we well as the fact that he's situational. But you mention Dodonna as sometimes being good because he's the cheapest option (pre-Agate, as you say). Cracken is only 6 points more. And yes, maybe that buys an upgrade I want, but maybe 6 isn't enough to get me anything else I want that isn't just me spending points because I have them. And maybe I wanted to fly MSU, and my MC30s are sporting ACMs, while my CR90s aren't built for crits. I'm clearly looking to hit and run with such a fleet, so Dodonna might work fine with it. But Cracken feels like a better choice, here. He won't always work, but the intended synergy makes more sense.

    Again, not saying the commander is brilliant or anything. Just saying I really think there's more to him than binder fodder. The only commander I've resigned to the binder is Konstantine. Even Tagge has surprised me a bit on the SSD. I don't love it, and he's not an auto-include. But I can see it. For me, it's Konstantine who is in a class by himself.

    geek19 reacted to this

  15. Posted

    32 minutes ago, Alzer said:

    Wait, DCO doesn't make you immune to crits!? 

    😛

    Yes, I meant against APTs/ Dodonna's Pride/ XX9s (gags) etc in combination with Dodonna.  I am aware of how Contain interacts with him normally.

    Ok, cool. Just checking. Given that there are fundamental misunderstandings of rules in this thread already, just wanted to confirm. Like I originally said, I figured this was the case.

     

    24 minutes ago, Madaghmire said:

    Sort of a semantic difference, isnt it? If he has the contain for DCO, he has the contain to stop basic crit effects.

    I mean, semantics is the basis for a bunch of rules debates and arguments that have absolutely obsessed the FFG Armada forum since we've had little to discuss without organized play or actual releases. I just wanted to confirm there wasn't a misunderstanding of the rules. I know I was real upset to learn I'd cheated by using Hondo to relocate a squadron on top of an obstacle to kill it. It wouldn't have changed the outcome of the game, but it still bothered me that I'd gotten such a basic rule wrong.

    Gilarius reacted to this

  16. Posted

    53 minutes ago, Alzer said:

     I personally consider Dodonna to be a negative play experience.   I decide to take DCOs on more of my ships to not have to deal with him.

    I'm just checking in to make sure you know that DCO does not mitigate Dodonna directly. I'm assuming you mean to stop APTs so Dodonna is less likely to trigger. But just confirming that you know Dodonna is not directly countered by DCO.

  17. Posted

    1 hour ago, DarthRulesLawyer said:

    Well, most of you are not playing against optimal Cataclysm builds.  All they need to do is dial in a firepower command and roll 3 blanks + double hit + accuracy (or better).  Sensor team spend a blank to get a second accuracy, Gunner Chief Varnillian to switch out a blank with a double hit.  4 hits and 2 accuracies and boom, your flotilla and all of its upgrades are gone.

     

    And if they don't get all four they have Intel officer to take a token and make darn sure they'll get you next turn.

     

    And not all fleets can just "split up".  Your completely removing them from the meta.

     

    Cataclysm needs banning.  Everything else with the onager is probably okay.

    Dude, take a breath. I get that some builds can be frustrating. And Cataclysm and its accompanying build can definitely be frustrating. But it's also not broken. It's just a trap one needs to learn how to avoid. Admittedly, it's a lot harder to avoid said trap if you're tilting. Given how angry you seem to be about the title, it's possible tilting is part of the problem. I think the fellas over at CGYSO have some solid thoughts about that.

    http://cannotgetyourshipout.blogspot.com/2017/07/tilting-and-you.html?m=1

    Atromix, RyonOlson, Darth Sanguis and 2 others reacted to this

  18. Posted

    3 hours ago, Ginkapo said:

    I'm always curious about this. How do you think signing a petition which doesnt affect you will help? Doesnt it just dilute the message?

    I think it sends the message that the entire Armada community wants to see the game be more accessible, not just those directly affected by the lack of translations. And even if it doesn't directly affect me, it does in terms of support for the game. The more people who buy into Armada worldwide, the more money FFG makes, the more reason to keep supporting and developing Armada. Additionally, some of the folks in those countries may come play at tournaments like Nationals or Worlds. Not the majority of them, I'm sure, but even a couple would be most welcome, and that directly impacts my competitive experience.

    I don't think it dilutes the message at all. Just shows that the community at large cares about this particular issue, and so maybe FFG re-evaluates their decision. Nothing is guaranteed, certainly, but it costs me little effort. Plus, if I were in their position, I'd be happy to see some support from the rest of the Armada community thrown my way. Because I've never learned a new language just to play a boardgame, and it would be nice if other folks had that same luxury with a game they've possibly already played for years and really enjoy.

    Triangular, Chamberlin, ZaZ333 and 1 other reacted to this

  20. Posted

    Happy Friday, y'all!

    A couple of new pieces up on It's A Trap:

    • Gold Leader continues his Objectives series with Close Range Intel Scan.
    • I continue my "I'll Never Turn to the Dark Side" series by discussing why I'll never use Screed.
    • Finally, I write up my thoughts on and struggles with Mon Calamari Exodus Fleet.

    Hope you find something that interests you!
    https://itsatraparmada.blogspot.com/2020/10/weekly-round-up.html?m=1

  22. Posted

    28 minutes ago, Mad Cat said:

    My main problem with the Emperor as a fleet commander is that 2 Intel Officers + Motti/Jerjerrod/Romodi cost about the same as Palpatine. If your fleet has two main sources of damage output (double ISD) then Intel officers can generate a similar Palpatine effect and you get the extra hull, better turning or obstruction shooting bonus. 

    I feel like this is both true and not true. Your math on the cost makes sense, and to that end, I cannot think of any fleet archetypes that are "Palpatine no-brainers," in the way that Imperial squadron spam is basically Sloane or Rebel Aceholes is basically a Rieekan lock. But there are a couple of factors that I think change the way that math is assessed. Two ISDs fielding Intel Officers can be brutal. But they can also only target 2 defense tokens per turn. Additionally, they are far less effective against duplicate tokens. If your ISD targets one of my Redirects, I'll just use the other. Then your second ISD attacks, targets my healthy Redirect, and I end up losing it. But I still carry a Redirect over to next turn. Palpatine says it doesn't matter which Redirect I spend: it burns. So I'm either straight-up taking that damage to save my tokens this turn, or I'm burning them. Plus, if I can snag multiple targets with Gunnery Team, Palpatine is more effective because I don't have to exhaust him to use him. On top of all of that, I don't have to give up an Officer seat for Intel Officer, which should also be a consideration as to whether or not Palp is a good fit for your build or not.

    Specific to my build, I'd never put Intel Officer on a Quasar. That feels like a waste of 7 points. But with Palpatine hanging out, I don't need to justify that 7 point officer upgrade I'd rather spend elsewhere. As for ISDs, sure, Intel Officer fits on there! But there are also a ton of other upgrades that can just as quickly use that seat.

    All of that to say that I think he's a very niche commander, and that's my problem with him. I think one needs to work very hard to actually build around him, and then evaluate the fleet to see if another commander is a superior (and cheaper!) choice. I ran into this while trying to mess with Tarkin squadron fleets. Nearly every time I finished building the fleet, I subbed Sloane in for Tarkin, and it was a better fleet. So I think, when building around Palpatine, one needs to sub in just about every other Imperial commander to weigh pros and cons and see if you've accidentally built a Romodi fleet instead of a Palpatine fleet. I think I had a total of 15 different builds (including ones I actually flew once) before I settled on my current iteration that I'm testing. I think Palpatine is just a really delicate commander. If I sub out the Quasar or the Arq. for Demo, then I think I'd probably be better off with someone like Motti. If I'm flying a Kuat or ISD-I instead of a Cymoon, I think I'm better off with another commander like Jerjerrod. So I think it's a real delicate balance for Palpatine to be one's best commander choice. But when that balance is struck, I think that's where he might sing. As I've been evaluating my Palpatine fleet, I've considered other Imperial commanders I might use instead, and I currently can't find another commander who better serves the balance I've struck so far.

    Mad Cat, Rimsen, Formynder4 and 1 other reacted to this

  23. Posted

    Palpatine is a really tough nut to crack. I know I'm hardly the first person to say that, but I'm going through my own experience of trying to figure out how to use him. Or, more specifically, how *I* might use him, as I know duckbird has already had some success with him, as has snipafist. I'm documenting that process here and here. I keep coming back to the same base notion, though, which is ensuring I can leverage enough damage at any given time for Palpatine's ability to take effect. I think Palpatine is actually a commander of which only the most dynamic Armada minds can take advantage. I say that because I don't think there is any "right" order for Palpatine's tokens that translates to any match. The Scatter call makes sense, but if I've got one enemy ace with scatter and two incoming ships with Evade, unless that scatter ace outkicks their coverage, I'd rather call Evade and kill it in a round that makes sense, even if that means my enemy keeps the scatter.

    The other thing I'm learning about him is in the context of knowing that the full impact of his ability will never really be known without discussing things with my opponent, because I don't always know when Palpatine has played a role in decision-making regarding defense token use. Snipa says it on CGYSO when it comes to TIE Phantoms: "When they're attacking ships and one does 2 damage, do you Brace that 2 damage or not, knowing that the next Phantom can hit you for zero damage, or for 4 damage?" It's a really tough call with those swingy dice. So when and how does Palpatine force those bad decisions from your opponent, such as burning a token too early, or not spending it because they'd rather not "waste it?" I've found that Palpatine, in my own matches so far, has a smaller wide-ranging effect than I had originally intended. He only burns 2-4 defense tokens a game for me, so far. At first, I found that kind of disappointing. After all, I paid 35 points for him! But I've also learned not to get greedy. Yes, I want to maximize my use of him. Absolutely. But did he help me win the game? What were his specific impacts? I found it was hard for me to recall anything less than spectacular if I wasn't documenting my matches. But when I did, I could actually trace back certain game impacts to specific Palpatine tokens rather than simply by way of playing the game. The two batreps in Part Two of my series details that. But the more I use him and actually document the matches, the more I like him.

    Overall, I always knew I liked him, but couldn't figure out how to use him. I'm still figuring that out. But now that I'm actually documenting the process, I think I'm able to measure his value far more than when I sort of eyeballed his impact and couldn't really nail it down. That inability to nail down his specific impacts really soured me on him early. While flying Tarkin, I know when tokens have saved me a match or come up big for me (such as while playing Abandoned Mining Facility), or while flying Sato, I can see with every attack how Sato has served to change my red or blue dice into black dice. But with Palpatine, barring some really memorable moment in which a defense token was burned, and then the ship was destroyed that turn unexpectedly, it can be tough to gauge his impact on the game as opposed to other commanders. In short, I kind of feel as though he reads as a more sexy commander than he actually plays. If that makes sense...

    Bertie Wooster, Ginkapo, Rimsen and 1 other reacted to this

  24. Posted

    Good morning, y'all!

    We've got some new content posted over at It's A Trap:

    Hope you find something in there you enjoy, and have a great Sunday!

    cadetvw reacted to this

  25. Posted

    To go along with other suggestions, if you can borrow Imperial stuff, Sloane will murder a Vader fleet with no squadrons.

    Also, this is probably a stupid question, but have you considered just asking your friend to change it up? I have gotten tired of playing against the same fleets or looks before and unless we're prepping for a tournament, I've felt comfortable saying I'd like to go up against something different.

    Flengin, Gilarius, Formynder4 and 2 others reacted to this
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