Indeed. Atomic Mass must have one of the worst "official" websites in the industry. Hobbyists were churning out better websites in the 90s. If they intend to keep the rather large FFG Star Wars community happy (with news, product announcements, community portals, etc.), their website is going to need a complete overhaul. But I'd rather they spend their time, money, and effort on producing Armada, X-Wing and Legion than web development. So...

Indeed! Good catch.

That's an interesting update. Does this mean we should expect changes to X-Wing, Legion, and Armada? Will: One of Atomic Mass’ core philosophies is that there is no finish line. We see ourselves on a lifelong journey of learning and improvement. That’s a pretentious way of saying yes (laughs). If we’re doing the job right, and staying true to our ethos as a studio, changes will most certainly happen. Yes, but what changes, exactly? Changes to gameplay? Changes to expansion strategy? Changes to product volume? This update is certainly better than nothing, but it raises more questions than it answers. I wait with baited breath!

Couldn't agree more. I want to hear from Atomic Mass.

My thoughts around this are pretty simple: for Armada to be successful, Atomic Mass must be successful. So needless to say, I'm rooting for their success. I'm hoping (cautiously) that the studio sees this as an opportunity, grabs the reins, and goes for it. *Hearing from Atomic Mass themselves (and not merely Asmodee via press release) would be a start!

As someone who works in corporate America (you may too; I don't mean to discount your own experiences), I will say that corporations change direction all the time, often for nebulous and not obviously beneficial reasons. I've been with my current employer three years and the amount of change I've witnessed is staggering (and this is in a company that's doing well). My company is also made up of multiple smaller companies, like Asmodee, and in my experience, this may have been as much of a surprise for Atomic Mass as it was for FFG. It would not surprise me in the least if there was no "pitch" meeting. That the decision was made from the top, consulting only a bare minimum of employees. Again, just based on my own personal, tangentially related experiences.

Having just watched Crabbok’s interview with Gernes, I sure hope that’s not true. He seems like a great guy and genuine Star Wars fan, and I think he did a great job as developer and producer these past several years. I would be disappointed if he or Brooks were cut loose.

For what it's worth, Atomic Mass seems pretty active on YouTube (and Twitch). This could bode well for future updates and streams.

It's an interesting comparison, for sure. For 73 points, you get 12 anti-ship dice (14 with Salvo), 2 flak dice, 12 shields, and 6 hull. More command flexibility than a Victory, but less squadron pushing capability (though the Comms Frigate makes up for this). Speed is equal; however, maneuverability is better and Support Team is built in, which enables Engine Techs. Anti-ship dice being mostly red also means that the Star Frigate can shoot from the perimeter, rather than having to maneuver in up close. (Flip side of the coin is that red are the least reliable.) The Vic-I, also 73 points, gives you 14 anti-ship dice, 1 flak die, 10 shields (2 less total, but bolstered by double re-directs, potentially mitigating damage to the hull), and 8 hull (10 with Motti, though most Vic drivers no doubt run Jerjerrod). You have less command flexibility, but greater squadron pushing ability (than the Star Frigate, not the Comms Frigate). Of course, the true Achilles' heel is that speed and maneuverability are abysmal, unless equipped with Harrow and Engine Techs (which can only be equipped to one ship). Black dice pack a punch in close-in encounters, but the ship's speed and maneuverability (or lack thereof) make this easy to avoid. All in all, I have to agree with you: the Munificent is the better all-around ship, especially considering this is the cheaper variant of the Victory. Power curve, indeed. (And this is coming from someone who fields Vics often.) Edit: Yes, I know you can't use all of a ship's dice in a round. Just using numbers for comparative purposes.

Atomic Mass Games publishes Marvel: Crisis Protocol. I actually think that this could be a good thing, as it could give X-Wing, Armada and Legion added attention. Currently, FFG must balance all of their properties -- be it Arkham, Descent, or Keyforge -- whereas Atomic Mass is likely chomping at the bit to show the gaming community what they can do with the Star Wars property (which will now make up the bulk of their miniatures product line; currently, they only publish Crisis Protocol). This also gives me confidence: Simone Elliott, who has shepherded Fantasy Flight’s relationship with Lucasfilm Licensing since 2015, will lead Atomic Mass Games during this time of expansion as Head of Studio. Will Shick assumes primary creative oversight as Head of Product Development. Joining them will be key members of the teams involved in the creation and evolution of Fantasy Flight’s current Star Wars miniatures games, Star Wars™: X-Wing, Star Wars™: Legion, and Star Wars™: Armada.

An accomplishment more impressive than shooting a proton torpedo down a two-meter thermal exhaust port.

Wat Tambor plus Battle Droid Reserves plus Tide of Progress XII plus the Munificent's built-in 4 engineering points equals one tanky ship. And two more shields than a Victory.

I have to commend FFG for taking this route with the new factions. It opens up the door for future factions in a way that the core set makes difficult. And not just First Order and Resistance, but factions like Scum or High Republic as well. It's a good foundational step, I feel. (That doesn't mean FFG will, but now it's easier should they choose to.)

The thread title made me think you were referring to a Mandalorian capital ship (which had me intrigued). Not a capital ship appearing in The Mandalorian. 😆

Wow, less than a month away. We should be getting an article a week between now and then, I would imagine.

The black dice in front lines up nicely with lore. It's tough to make out, but in the top-right corner of this image, it says "Heavy strategic missile and torpedo launch tubes."

Tomorrow being Friday, we'll likely get a "Now Available" post. Perhaps next week though?

Based on FFG's GenCon announcement video, it appears that the Upgrade Card pack was designed specifically with players like you in mind. So yes, I'd say it's an easy purchase at $25 -- especially for new players. And welcome to the game! It's fantastic.

It's nice seeing how many of the wishes in this thread came true (or are on the cusp of coming true). Clone Wars Armada! Starhawk! Your wish has been granted! It's actually really cool. I mean, who would have thought we'd get the Starhawk? My wishlist: Resurgent class (Pleeeeeease, FFG!) MC85 Lucrehulk (Clone Wars Wave 3?) Malevolence (Honorable Mention - Huge with side ignition arcs? Yes, please!)

Heck no, looks great!

I tend to equip it if I'm also running G-8 Projectors, since the two appear to have been conceived as a pair. Ultimately though, I still like Interdictors best in campaigns.

Only one, and a fairly boring one at that. (Being able to use an "exhaust" card twice in a round.)

Don't feel too bad, Mel Miniatures gave it a flat-bottom hull as well.

This. Granted, I've only fielded my SSD twice, but both times, I equipped Gunnery Teams simply to mitigate this strategy. Neither here nor there, but I still find it to be a fun ship to fly. Unless you have Jerjerrod and are navigating constantly, it feels more like a space station than a ship.