FFG just pulled the covers off of what we believe is THE game to watch in 2015. Star Wars Armada!
I think we can safely say that the biggest game to shake up the wargaming/miniatures world in 2013, and again this year (so far) was X-Wing. Looking back 2 years ago, it seemed so quaint. A Star Wars dogfighting game from FFG. Then folks got their hands on the rules , the pre-painted minis, the killer license, and the explosion began.
Folks have long been wondering about how exactly FFG would shoehorn the “big boys” into X-Wing, and we have an answer. Get a load of what will perhaps be the next industry hit from FFG:
Here’s just a small taste from FFG:
Fantasy Flight Games is proud to announce the upcoming release of Star Wars™: Armada, a two-player miniatures game of epic fleet battles in the Star Wars galaxy!
Massive Star Destroyers fly to battle against Rebel corvettes and frigates. Banks of turbolasers unleash torrential volleys of fire against squadrons of X-wing and TIEs. Engineering teams race to route additional power to failing shields. Laser blasts and explosions flare across the battlefield. Even a single ship can change the tide of battle.
In Star Wars: Armada, you assume the role of fleet admiral, serving with either the Imperial Navy or Rebel Alliance. You assemble your fleet and engage the enemy. Using the game’s unique maneuver tool, you steer your capital ships across the battlefield, even while squadrons of starfighters buzz around them. Then, as these ships exchange fire, it’s your job to issue the tactical commands that will decide the course of battle and, perhaps, the fate of the galaxy.
The
Armada Core Set contains ten unpainted squadrons, three pre-painted capital ships, nearly one hundred cards, an innovative maneuver tool, a range ruler, six command dials, nine custom attack dice, and all the tokens that you need to engage the enemy and battle for the fate of the galaxy!
Space Battles on a Galactic Scale
Winning a battle between capital starships requires more than raw firepower. It requires the coordinated activity of hundreds – even thousands – of crew. As a ship’s commanders belt out orders, gunners rain fire upon enemy ships, and engineering teams race to keep their ship’s shields and hull intact, often rerouting power where it’s needed most.
Armada allows you to bring one or more of these massive ships to battle, along with whole squadrons of starfighters. To win, you must issue commands, direct your fleet’s movement, coordinate its fire, sustain its defenses, and do all of this while remaining mindful of your battle objective.
More than that, you’ll need to master every aspect of the ships in your fleet. You need to become intimately familiar with your ship’s design, its firing arcs, its attacks and defenses, and the way that it uses the game’s unique maneuver tool to set its course.
The game’s unique maneuver tool. (Product image not final. Pending Licensor approval.)
This maneuver tool is one of the game’s most innovative features and adds a unique feel to the way your capital ships must accommodate for inertia as they maneuver through the stars.
What we have here is a grand scale fleet action game set in the Star Wars universe. You will be in command of fleets of pre-painted capitol ships, and fighter squadrons, while attempting to achieve various mission goals. They have already mentioned named characters/pilots, and with this being an FFG game, I think we can safely assume that we will be seeing wave after wave of new pre-painted capitol ships to expand your fleet, and probably specialist fighter squadrons (or at least more squadron cards) down the road.
If you consider that FFG has had 2 good years to get their game design, production process, and forecasting models tuned with X-Wing, I think this game is going to big a game changer in the industry.
Now consider we are right at the cusp of many years of new Star Wars movies headed our way, to draw in the general populace into the game’s universe.
It’s very hard to not see this not exploding like it’s sister game did.
The game is slated to arrive in early 2015 with a street price of $100.
Dad, Gamer, Publisher, Pilot, Texan. All games all the time since junior-high.
I started BoLS Interactive in 2006. I’m a lifelong tabletop & RPG gaming enthusiast, and internet publisher working to entertain and inform my readers every day.
I've been playing RPGs and Tabletop Games since the 1970s. I'm been playing and covering Warhammer and Warhammer 40K for over 35 years.
