ECM is not the answer...

In our local Corellian Conflict campaign one of the Imperial players is using a fleet with 2 ISDs.  He has twice run up against the Planetary Ion Cannon when assaulting a Rebel base and come out the worse for it.  The ISDs were just not tough enough to survive the assault.  Which seems opposite of what you might expect.

This has coincided with the recent release of Minister Tua giving the much coveted Defensive Retrofit upgrade to more Imperial ships.  I have seen many fleets using her to add ECM in an attempt to improve the durability of ISD-Is and VSDs.

This got me thinking about some of the reasons it can be challenging to play with Large base ships in Armada.  The biggest of those challenges being durability.  So, what can you do about that?  The more I thought on what I was seeing on the table, the more sure I was that ECM is not the answer.

Video - Making the most of Gun Lines

It's been snowy weather around here and as I am a teacher, that's meant a couple of snow days.  This gave me the chance to put together another tactics video.  This time I share some of my experiences with using Rebel Gun Lines.

The Echelon

It's time for another video about tactics and formations.  This time I move on to talking about the Echelon formation, which works great for Star Destroyers and other ships with strong front arcs.

Capping the "T"

This post is the first in what I hope will be a series of tactics videos here on the blog.  While it is pretty easy to type about upgrades, admirals, and fleet lists I have struggled to communicate some of the tactical ideas I have wanted to talk about.  I am planning to use the videos to discuss maneuver, deployments, and formations in games of Armada.

Also, as another way to know when I have made a new post here you can follow me on Twitter @MrShmitty.  

Keep reading to see my first video:

Command Tokens and Tactical Flexibility - An Ode to Garm Bel Iblis

My last battle report featured the two token generating admirals Garm and Tarkin.  The game got me thinking about command token use.  With Garm I tend to use the tokens for flexibility and 'burst' turns.  My opponent was using Tarkin to stack with his squadron commands and boost his primary tactic.  I think that both tactics are valid, but tend to see people using command tokens more with stacking in mind for super-commands.  I prefer using them for flexibility and thought I would share some of my reasoning.

It's Good to be Predictable

In a game like Armada you might think that it's good to surprise your opponent with unexpected tactics or combinations.  While that can be true, I have begun to find the power in acting in predictable and repetitive ways.  When I know my plan and manage to stick to it I make certain that my fleet performs the way that I want.  More importantly, with practice I am able to predict how my opponents will typically respond to what I do.  If I know what they are gong to do most of the time, I can plan a counter rather than having to react on the fly.

Herding With Star Destroyers

I have been having some success recently using a pair of Raiders to set traps for my opponents.  I came across the idea for the trap as a way to work around some of the disadvantages that are built into the Imperial ships.

The Importance of the "Trailer"

One of the key constraints in games of Armada is the 6 turn limit.  You are not left with a lot of time to maneuver before or after key engagements.  This can lead to a situation where an opposing ship survives its initial engagement with your fleet, but none of your forces are in a position to finish it off.  This has lead me to start detaching a ship in my fleet to act as a "trailer" with the specific job of finishing off any ships that survive the initial pass with my fleet.

Out on Maneuvers - The Battle Line Pt 3

In my first article in this series, I looked at the ships that make up the battle line, while the second looked at how you can arrange them.  In my third installment on using battle lines and other formations in Armada I am heading back to the Rebel Alliance Sourcebook from West End Games to take a look at some of the battle line maneuvers outlined there. 

Out On Maneuvers - The Battle Line Pt 2

My experience at Nationals left me with feeling that moving in formation and coordinating your ships would be an important thing in high level Star Wars: Armada play.  With the game limited to just 6 turns there isn't a lot of time to maneuver around.  Keeping your ships in a formation allows you to concentrate fire and helps prevent your fleet from being destroyed piecemeal.   This article will explore some of the options for fleet formations in Armada.  

Out On Maneuvers - The Battle Line Pt 1

I don't think there was a single thing more influential on the pre-Disney Star Wars EU than the old West End RPG books.  Characters, ships, and locations that showed up all over the EU comics, novels, and video games were often first found in the pages of those RPG source books.  When I first started playing Armada I remembered some of the information on capital ship combat in those books and applied it to my fleets.  And ya know what?  It worked!  So, I thought I'd pull out one of the old books and take a look out how we can apply what's in there to our games of Armada.