SW Armada: Spicing Up Your Game

Are you weekly Star Wars Armada games getting a bit lackluster? Here are some ways to spice them up!

There comes a point for most players when they find their regular game is getting a bit predictable, when the spark just seems to go out for bit. Some players will take this time to step away from a game and try others. A lot of players will instead try to reinvigorate their gaming. As it’s been a while since we’ve had any new releases in Armada I’ve been thinking of a few ways to spice up my playing. And no, I am not talking about glitterstim here.  Rather I’ve come up with a few ways you change up your normal games to get some extra excitement out of them. Let’s take a look.

Try a Campaign

Campaigns, like the Corellian Conflict, are a great way to change up how you think about and play the game. They allow for a whole new host of tactical and strategic ideas to come into play. By focusing on long running battles and creating continuity between games they can add a lot of fun. While the Corellian Conflict is an official campaign, homemade ones are also popular. Come up with your own ideas and rules and get some people together for a great time. The downside to a campaign as it requires commitment from a group of people and isn’t something you can generally finish in an afternoon. So for those of you looking for quicker fixes I’ve got a couple of other ideas.

Change Up the Points

At last I will be able to use the full pizza! 

This by far the easiest way to really change you game. Simple change the size of the game you are playing. By either increasing or lowering the point limits of the game you really change how it feels. A 600 or 700 points will be drastically different as whole fleets of ISD push across the board. A 200 point game might turn into a tight skirmish between a handful of CR90s and Raiders. Larger battles also allow lesser used support ships, like the Pelta or Interdictor to shine.

Change the Playing Field

The odds of getting anyone to play in this are 3,720 to 1

One of the complaints about Armada is that the playing field is pretty repetitive. Almost every game is played on a 6′ x’3 with the same 6 pieces of terrain. A few missions alter the terrain slightly. However making some changes to the field can have big effects. Try playing in a cluttered star field. Use twice the normal amount of terrain and watch as ships have to rapidly maneuver to avoid collisions. Trust me it will change things up. Or try changing the size of the map. Try playing a normal 400 point game on a 3′ x 3′ and watch as it becomes a tight slaughter fest.

Limit What You Can Take

So the opposite of this. 

One of the ideas I really loved from the Corellain Conflict was how it limited what you take in your fleets. Not only were unique cards limited per side, but when you originally built your fleets you could only include a single upgrade card on each ship. This lead to some really interesting builds and a focus on having more ships. Try using these ideas in your regular games. The one upgrade per ship idea is a really fun limit. Or try playing with no uniques, aside from the Admiral. You could also increase or decrease the points that can be spent on squadrons.

Build for Fluff

The fluffiest list?

Star Wars has a rich background but it’s one that isn’t often interacted with much in games of Armada. There is really no incentive to build background appropriate, fluffy lists.  There is also nothing stopping you from doing it. Try building lists that reflect the fluff. Did you take an ISDII? Well then try taking 2 TIE Squadrons, 2 TIE Interceptor Squadrons, and 2 TIE Bomber Squadrons as well to represent it’s normal compliment of fighters. Taking Ackbar? He’d better be on Home One. Don’t take a fleet with Ashoka and Luke, they’ve never met (yet). These fleets are rarely optimized but they can lead to some really fun battles nonetheless.

Insert Your Idea Here

Wrong setting! 

These are just a few simple ideas for how to change up your game. Using any one of these will lead to a very different and hopefully highly entertaining game of Armada without changing the basic structure of the game. You could always go for more drastic changes and house rules have a long and proud history among gamers. One should try to be careful however. Too many changes and you’ll end up looking like the Special Edition.  In the end the galaxy is yours, do what you need to have fun, change the game or enjoy its official form, it’s all up to you.

~That’s all for this time BoLS fans. Let us know how you spice up your game, down in the comments!

Author: Abe Apfel

Abe is that rare thing, an Austin local born and raised here. Though he keeps on moving around, DC, Japan, ETC., he always seems to find his way back eventually. Abe has decades of experience with a wide range of tabletop and RPG games, from historicals, to Star Wars to D&D and 40K. He has been contributing to BOLS since almost the start, back when he worked at and then owned a local gaming store. He used to be big into the competitive Warhammer tournament scene but age has mellowed him and he now appreciates a good casual match. He currently covers 40K tactics and lore, as well as all things Star Wars, with occasional dabbling in other topics. Abe remains in mourning over the loss of WFB to this day.