New Objectives!!

One of the most exciting features of the Corellian Conflict was finally pre-viewed today.  The new objectives that come with the campaign, but that will be usable in any game of Armada from tournament to casual play.  Looking over my previous post on objectives, it says that I like objectives that give a strong advantage to the second player and allow for lots of bonus points to be scored.  That sounds like it is still true.  So, let's take a quick look at these new objectives through that same lens.

Red Objectives

Close-Intel Scan

• 2nd Player Advantage - High
• Additional Points Possible - High

This is an interesting and potentially awesome objective.  The second player advantage is great and uniquely for Red Objectives only in the way that points are scored.  I can't imagine that the first player will have many opportunities to spend 2 accuracy's in an attack.  the second player can plan for this with upgrades like Home One, H9 Turbolasers, and Quad Turbolaers.

It also uses the Dust Fields, which will be interesting to play with.  I think those will make great hiding places for damaged ships late in the game. 
 

Station Assault

• 2nd Player Advantage - Potentially Good
• Additional Points Possible - 80

The second player in this objective gets 2 different advantages.  There will be 2 stations in this game and only the second player can repair on either of them.  Many games include no use of the station for repairs, but the second player can set it up to turn that into a nice advantage.  Then they have the advantage of defending the stations.  I think you would want lots of deployments to really take advantage of that.  Knowing that unarmed stations have 10 hull really shows how much effort your opponent will need to gain those points.  It will take a significant amount of firepower to take them out that is diverted away from the second players fleet.

Blockade Run

• 2nd Player Advantage - ??? - seems good, but hard to say
• Additional Points Possible - Potentially quite a bit.

Can you imagine this objective with a Flotilla swarm?  A GR-75 that survives the game can be worth more points than it cost.  Of course, a dead one gives up double points.  This is going to be a high-risk, high-reward objective.  If the first player wins, it will likely be by a lot!

The second player advantage is mostly about setting the pace of the game and forcing the action.

I do like that this objective plays the game down the long-table edges.  That will be fun.  The extra deployment area will still keep the fleets close together.

 

Targeting Beacons

• 2nd Player Advantage - High!
  
• Additional Points Possible - None

This is the only red Objective that doesn't offer bonus points.  It's too bad as otherwise the bonus to the second player is absolutely huge.  Ackbar fleets will be terrifying with this objective.

Still not one I am likely to take very often as there are no bonus points available.

Yellow Objectives

Jamming Barrier

• 2nd Player Advantage - ???
  
• Additional Points Possible - None

This is not my style of objective.  It may end up being amazing once someone cracks the right deployment setup, but right now it just doesn't check any boxes for me.  There will be lots of damage mitigation, but I'm not sure how well that will help either fleet.

I suppose a squadron heavy build might like this as the obsatcles + the barrier will really slow down ship to ship fire.

 

Fighter Ambush

• 2nd Player Advantage - Mixed
  
• Additional Points Possible - Very High

This objective will ikely fit in with many with builds Precision Strike and Superior Positions.  It allows sqaudrons to do some real point-scoring throughout the game.  That trio of objectives will also be just murder for Rieekian fleets as you can kill a ship and keep harvesting points off of it for the rest fo the turn.

This objective is a mixed bag for the second player.  Forward deploying your squadrons seems neat and with Relay ships and Hera coming you can pull some neat tricks.  But, by deploying your squadrons last you have to give up the location of all your ships early on.

 

Planetary Ion Cannon

• 2nd Player Advantage - High
  
• Additional Points Possible - 0

This is a fun objective and really thematic.  You get to pick an opposing ship and potentially set it up for abuse later in that turn.

It will be a little variable depending on rolling that crit effect, but even the fear of the effect should make an opponent pause.

Too bad it doesn't score extra points. 

 

4th Yellow Objective - ?????

• 2nd Player Advantage -
  
• Additional Points Possible -

One Objective has not yet been revealed as of the time of this writing.

Blue Objectives

Salvage Run

• 2nd Player Advantage - Low (I think)
  
• Additional Points Possible - 80

This is one of several objectives scoring in the 75-90 range.  I don't think the second player advantage is huge in this one.  In fact, the first player has a big advantage in being able to actviate and steal an objective token at the start of the turn.

The biggest advantage goes to the Imperial player with an Interdictor and Grav Shift Reroutes.  This is a great objective for them, first or second player.
 

Sensor Net

• 2nd Player Advantage - ???
  
• Additional Points Possible - High

I don't know if I would take this objective to a tournament, but I will play it in every friendly match that I can.  the movement of the objectives will make for a chaotic, exciting game.

This will really favor swarmy, mobile lists who can keep grabbing objectives, turn after turn.

It will be interesting to see how it plays out, but the second player advantage could be really good. 

Navigational Hazards

• 2nd Player Advantage - Low
  
• Additional Points Possible - Variable, high potential

 This will be another fun, chaotic objective.  I don't see a huge advantage to the second player on this one.

I think the advantage would be to the player that has played it more.  I could also see large based ships being at a large disadvantage.

This objective would shine for Admiral Konstantine and a bunch of tractor beams. 

Solar Corona

• 2nd Player Advantage - Potentially Large
  
• Additional Points Possible - none

This will make for some interesting games. as players jockey for better position.  

The second player can get that position in deployment, but without a mobile fleet might not be able to exploit it.

Black dice heavy fleets will happily play this as first player as they have the least to lose. 





 
So, what do you like?  Which is the first objective that you will try?