Xwing and Armada

[cjk1975 47]

how many of you play Armada as well? Is it worth getting into????

[Drasnighta 26,831]

Did you mean to post this in the X-Wing Off topic, and not the Armada off topic?  


I'm one of the Rare ones.  I watched X-Wing, and never played it, before jumping on Armada at Release...

I'm still dabbling with the idea of picking up X-Wing, but you'll find there's quite a few of the regular X-Wingers hanging out these sides of the forums, too

[cjk1975 47]

i posted it in both just to get feedback.

[Drasnighta 26,831]

Its all cool

I know my local group has only 1 regular player who plays both.  The rest of us are pure Armada Players...

 

Plus there's also Kris of Dice Hate, Sentry Box MNG, and Nova Squadron Radio Infamy, who says he plays both, but really, doesn't get the chance to do either that often

 

Really, we're hoping with Waves 3 and 4 kicking off quickly, the "most wanted" Liberty and Interdictor coming down the way, that we'll drag some players across with the fleets they want to build, rather than what they feel they need to build...

[Lyraeus 4,759]

NEIN!

[Rocmistro 1,090]

I play both, but I vaaaaaaaaastly prefer Armada.

[clontroper5 4,232]

I Droped those puny fighters in favor of Star Destroyers the moment I could. So now I exclusively play Armada

But I did start with x-wing and It is still a fantastic game

[Akhrin 576]

I play both, but I vaaaaaaaaastly prefer Armada.

 

This.

[slasher956 546]

play both, want to play armada more... but dont seem to get the games as the other players who play both seem to end up practicing for X-Wing tournies all the time

[cjk1975 47]

I caved....

[Drasnighta 26,831]

I do feel that "They are both made by FFG" is where the comparison between the games (should) end.

 

And I know that as soon as the Liberty is up and here, we're going to see a lot more players come across - because they've definitively stated that is what they were looking for.

 

 

 

I like Armada for its slower play.  Its beard-stroking contemplation.  Its making those decisions, and having the time to watch your plan unfold, knowing it might be half the game before you can effect a change in your plan!

[Vase 12]

I play both, but I vaaaaaaaaastly prefer Armada.

 

 

Care to elaborate? I'm curious what it is about Armada that causes you to prefer it.

 

I dabbled in X-Wing, found it wasn't for me, and traded away all my stuff. When Armada was announced I found myself thinking "Ah crud, I wish I would have gotten THAT game instead." I'm on the fence right now about pulling the trigger on Armada with father's day coming up

[Drasnighta 26,831]

Well, what about X-Wing did you not like?  Why wasn't it 'for' you?

Because we can then take that, and see how Armada differs and see if it does fit in.

 

 

 

I prefer Armada because its a little slower.  A little more contemplative.  There is a dichotomy between Big Ships with Inertia, and Small fighters who dart everywhere...

[clontroper5 4,232]

I play both, but I vaaaaaaaaastly prefer Armada.

 

 

Care to elaborate? I'm curious what it is about Armada that causes you to prefer it.

 

I dabbled in X-Wing, found it wasn't for me, and traded away all my stuff. When Armada was announced I found myself thinking "Ah crud, I wish I would have gotten THAT game instead." I'm on the fence right now about pulling the trigger on Armada with father's day coming up

the question wasn't asked of me but I will reply anyway.

STAR DESTROYER...

Otherwise I prefer the further Tactical thinking that is required for armada compared to most games and that even though there is dice, the game has very little "random chance" a lot like chess. Generally you have to come into a game with a plan of attack and the player that executes their plan better wins.

Also:

STAR DESTROYER...

[Frimmel 2,593]

 

I play both, but I vaaaaaaaaastly prefer Armada.

 

 

Care to elaborate? I'm curious what it is about Armada that causes you to prefer it.

 

I dabbled in X-Wing, found it wasn't for me, and traded away all my stuff. When Armada was announced I found myself thinking "Ah crud, I wish I would have gotten THAT game instead." I'm on the fence right now about pulling the trigger on Armada with father's day coming up

 

I've played both and am getting drug toward X-wing more by opponent availability than preference and as mentioned the "Why it wasn't for you" would be helpful in providing help. 

 

It isn't so much apples to oranges as it is bourbon to scotch in my opinion. 

[JJ48 7,102]

 

 

I play both, but I vaaaaaaaaastly prefer Armada.

 

 

Care to elaborate? I'm curious what it is about Armada that causes you to prefer it.

 

I dabbled in X-Wing, found it wasn't for me, and traded away all my stuff. When Armada was announced I found myself thinking "Ah crud, I wish I would have gotten THAT game instead." I'm on the fence right now about pulling the trigger on Armada with father's day coming up

 

I've played both and am getting drug toward X-wing more by opponent availability than preference and as mentioned the "Why it wasn't for you" would be helpful in providing help. 

 

It isn't so much apples to oranges as it is bourbon to scotch in my opinion. 

 

 

Armada ships have to be aged on oak molds that were previously used for X-Wing fighters?  Great, now I'm really confused...and thirsty!

[Lyraeus 4,759]

 

 

I play both, but I vaaaaaaaaastly prefer Armada.

 

 

Care to elaborate? I'm curious what it is about Armada that causes you to prefer it.

 

I dabbled in X-Wing, found it wasn't for me, and traded away all my stuff. When Armada was announced I found myself thinking "Ah crud, I wish I would have gotten THAT game instead." I'm on the fence right now about pulling the trigger on Armada with father's day coming up

 

I've played both and am getting drug toward X-wing more by opponent availability than preference and as mentioned the "Why it wasn't for you" would be helpful in providing help. 

 

It isn't so much apples to oranges as it is bourbon to scotch in my opinion. 

 

For me it is the mentality . . . OH and the balance!

 

The overriding question is "Do I want to be a pilot or a commander of a vessel?" I chose the bigger ship. 

 

Armada is better balanced from the get go compared to X-Wing. X-Wing has always been "Flavor of the expansion" which is fine but after playing 40k for a few years, that gets very tiring.

[Frimmel 2,593]

 

 

 

I play both, but I vaaaaaaaaastly prefer Armada.

 

 

Care to elaborate? I'm curious what it is about Armada that causes you to prefer it.

 

I dabbled in X-Wing, found it wasn't for me, and traded away all my stuff. When Armada was announced I found myself thinking "Ah crud, I wish I would have gotten THAT game instead." I'm on the fence right now about pulling the trigger on Armada with father's day coming up

 

I've played both and am getting drug toward X-wing more by opponent availability than preference and as mentioned the "Why it wasn't for you" would be helpful in providing help. 

 

It isn't so much apples to oranges as it is bourbon to scotch in my opinion. 

 

 

Armada ships have to be aged on oak molds that were previously used for X-Wing fighters?  Great, now I'm really confused...and thirsty!

 

 

Apples and oranges are quite obviously not the same thing. 

 

Bourbon and scotch are much less obviously not the same thing. They are both mini-spaceships moved around the table with the aid of a template. You roll some eight-sided dice to see what gets blown up. You have to dig deeper and look closer to see the differences. 

 

And I was/am thirsty. Slow afternoon before a long weekend and a steak, a cigar, and a bottle of twelve-year old single malt keep calling my name. 

Edited May 27, 2016 by Frimmel

[Vase 12]

Ok, let me see if I can explain. 1 caveat, I wasn't a prolific player. I never played in a tournament, and I don't pretend I was a great player or that I understood the more advanced strategies.

 

Having said that, this is what X-Wing felt like to me: spend 10 mins maneuvering. Either I've outmaneuvered my opponent (yes!) or I've been outmaneuvered (no!). At which point a perfectly-lined-up perfectly-timed shot is taken....which probably does nothing. Or even if it does something, it might remove a shield point or a hull point, which is pretty much nothing.

 

10 more mins of maneuver for the same result.

 

Then 10 more mins of maneuver for the same result.

 

Etc.

 

OR

 

Everyone flies into a big cluster in the middle, people crash/collide, fire is concentrated, etc. and tons of stuff dies. Now either one player has an overwhelming advantage so the game might as well be over, or both players have just a small force left so begin the 10-mins-of-maneuver-for-that-one-perfectly-timed-shot cycle and repeat for the next hour.

 

So that's the part that just isn't my cup of tea. I totally get that many people would love the constant maneuvering, and I'm happy they love the game. But I think maybe my background of chess and Warhammer Fantasy has me disliking that. In both of those games, maneuvering happens at the beginning. You arrive at a position that you have carefully planned and worked for, and then the crap hits the fan and you find out which players ideas were stronger and more well-thought-out. With X-Wing it feels like the planning and maneuvering is often pointless because outmaneuvering an opponent several times a game only to come up empty on the dice was pretty common. And I LOVE dice. I love randomness and chance in my games, just not the way it comes out in X-Wing. Also, how many times in the movies does a pilot outmaneuver another pilot, get behind him, get off that perfect shot, and then not destroy the enemy fighter? It seemed not only anti-climactic but anti-thematic as well. Still a beautiful game though, without a doubt.

 

It seems like Armada wouldn't have this problem though. Even just on this thread several people have mentioned that Armada is slower and more contemplative.

 

Oh and P.S., space dogfighting simulated in 2D bothered me as well. I don't think that will be much of an issue with Aramada though because it seems like the fighter squad rules are pretty elegant for allowing a feeling of 3D when it comes to how they interact with the big ships. And big ships don't need a ton of 3D because they aren't dog fighting, they are supporting and broadsiding, etc.

 

I tried to spare you guys from this madness in my brain by being simple. But you asked to know more.....

Edited June 6, 2016 by Vase

[Drasnighta 26,831]

Instead, with Armada...  You're potentially planning your "Bonus" ability three turns ahead...  Wether that's Squadron Orders, Repairing, Changing Speed or Concentrating Fire...

 

You can maneuver within the bounds of your speed and how dancy your ship is every turn (Changing Speed just grants additional turning, too)...  But you still have that "Lumbering Ship" feel for the most part...  You're set in a general direction, and pulling a swift Handbrake turn and change direction takes a lot of planning, its generally not something you can do on a whim...

 

 

The downside is, you can lock in the wrong thing right from the get-go, and find it takes half the game to get to the position where you can change your mistake (3 turns vs 6 turns total)...  

 

But on top of that, the dice are not so much of a battle - as there is no defence dice.  You have some control over your defensive measures (but not entirely!), and the ability to completely obliterate an opponent in a single salvo is relatively limited in comparison.

 

Squadrons can feel more like an extension of the ships, or even somewhat like disposable ordnance at times - ones that you can somewhat control the flight path of.

 

Honestly, I think the biggest difference between the games is the fact that Armada is limited to 6 turns...  There is no "Game doesn't go my way so I break off and fly around trying to find a better position..."

 

No, both players are incintivised right from the start to Play to the Objectives as well as just cause massive damage.

 

Oh, right.  There's Objectives, too.  Its rarely just a full free-for-all, there is a reason to be playing rather than just trying to blow the enemy  up...  The amount of times I squeaked out a win by losing my ships but playing to the objective, I can no longer count...

 

There is certainly still the 2D Element to it...  Big ships can fly over each other, but if they land on each other, they're bumping and grinding...  Not that it stops them shooting at each other or anything, it just means they hurt themselves in the process..  

 

So there are fundamental differences.  

 

Both games scratch different itches in the way they are.  Neither is better than the other, it just depends on which itch you want scratced.

 

It seems like you are much the same as me - You want a game with a defined set of parameters to play and achieve, rather than just make snap decision after snap decision to try to come to a head, with no defined end rather than destruction or time...

 

So, Armada will play more to the itch you want scratched.  

 

We also have the benefit of, right now, still being the new game, and still evolving.  There is little established that won't be overturned very quickly, and almost anything you can come up with is useful in some way, shape or form...  

So certainly try it out.  

[Drasnighta 26,831]

I may add, I also firmly believe its possibly to upsell your favourite, without disparaging the other

[Frimmel 2,593]

Ok, let me see if I can explain. 1 caveat, I wasn't a prolific player. I never played in a tournament, and I don't pretend I was a great player or that I understood the more advanced strategies.

 

Having said that, ....

 

**** snipped for space ***** 

Going by this as Dras points out you'll like Armada better than X-wing in my estimation. I've so far found X-wing to be pretty easy really. Mostly, when I play games with a customizable force where I'm the new guy, it goes much worse than my initial endeavors of X-wing have. 

 

I was explaining Armada to the X-wing guys and they all groaned at the much greater need for a plan. The games are both fun in my opinion but they are not at all interchangeable. 

Edited May 27, 2016 by Frimmel

[Lyraeus 4,759]

 

Ok, let me see if I can explain. 1 caveat, I wasn't a prolific player. I never played in a tournament, and I don't pretend I was a great player or that I understood the more advanced strategies.

 

Having said that, ....

 

**** snipped for space ***** 

Going by this as Dras points out you'll like Armada better than X-wing in my estimation. I've so far found X-wing to be pretty easy really. Mostly, when I play games with a customizable force where I'm the new guy, it goes much worse than my initial endeavors of X-wing have. 

 

I was explaining Armada to the X-wing guys and they all groaned at the much greater need for a plan. The games are both fun in my opinion but they are not at all interchangeable. 

 

Bleh. . . X-Wing is predictable. Well so is armada to a degree but X-Wing is easy! 

 

In X-Wing, I feel that experience can account for 5-15% of gameplay, list is 50-65% and luck fills the rest. 

 

In Armada, I feel that Experiences is a solid 65%, list is 25%, and luck is 10%

[Frimmel 2,593]

 

 

Ok, let me see if I can explain. 1 caveat, I wasn't a prolific player. I never played in a tournament, and I don't pretend I was a great player or that I understood the more advanced strategies.

 

Having said that, ....

 

**** snipped for space ***** 

Going by this as Dras points out you'll like Armada better than X-wing in my estimation. I've so far found X-wing to be pretty easy really. Mostly, when I play games with a customizable force where I'm the new guy, it goes much worse than my initial endeavors of X-wing have. 

 

I was explaining Armada to the X-wing guys and they all groaned at the much greater need for a plan. The games are both fun in my opinion but they are not at all interchangeable. 

 

Bleh. . . X-Wing is predictable. Well so is armada to a degree but X-Wing is easy! 

 

In X-Wing, I feel that experience can account for 5-15% of gameplay, list is 50-65% and luck fills the rest. 

 

In Armada, I feel that Experiences is a solid 65%, list is 25%, and luck is 10%

 

I think in my case that even though I'm new to X-wing I'm not new to strategy games. So I'm not coming at this from "zero" while I think a lot of the guys I've been playing are.

[cjk1975 47]

So I'm now a core and complete rebels up to the current wave complete....

I have issues lol