Star Wars Armada - Wave II News

Here They Come

Here They Come
Announcing the Second Wave of Expansions for Star Wars™: Armada


"Only the fighters are attacking… I wonder what those Star Destroyers are waiting for."
     –Lando Calrissian
Those Imperial-class Star Destroyers aren't waiting any longer… They're coming in the second wave of expansion packs for Star Wars™: Armada!
Imperial-class Star Destroyers, MC80 Mon Calamari cruisers, Raider-class corvettes, Slave I, the Millennium Falcon, and more! They're all coming in Armada Wave II, and the shots these ships will fire are bound to shape the course of the Galactic Civil War.

• Imperial-class Star Destroyer Expansion Pack
  
  
• MC30c Frigate Expansion Pack
  
  
• Home One Expansion Pack
  
  
• Rogues and Villains Expansion Pack
  
  
• Imperial Raider Expansion Pack
  
  

In Wave II, you'll find the game's first large ships and Rogue squadrons that can both move and fire during the squadron phase. You'll benefit from a wealth of new firepower matched only by the myriad layers of new tactical possibilities. Wave II also marks the introduction of a host of commanders, officers, crew, upgrades and ace pilots, and you'll find such renowned heroes and villains as Han Solo, Boba Fett, and Admiral Ackbar, alongside a new commander version of Darth Vader.

Imperial-class Star Destroyer Expansion Pack

At the height of the Galactic Civil War, the Imperial-class Star Destroyer was the commanding cornerstone of the Imperial Navy. Measuring 1,600 meters in length, a single Imperial-class Star Destroyer would boast a crew of more than 37,000 and carried a standard complement of four TIE fighter squadrons, one TIE interceptor squadron, and one squadron of TIE bombers. It could also carry an entire legion of stormtroopers, along with AT-ATs, AT-STs, and other landing craft. Most importantly, each Imperial-class Star Destroyer sported armament powerful enough to bring wayward systems to heel under Imperial control.
The Imperial-class Star Destroyer Expansion Pack brings this behemoth battleship to your games of Armada with one pre-painted miniature, two ship cards, three command dials, eighteen upgrades, and all requisite tokens.


Moreover, even as it affords you the opportunities to snare your foes with a tractor beam and fly your fleet to battle under the command of Darth Vader, the Imperial-class Star Destroyer Expansion Pack introduces a new type of defense token to your Imperial fleet: the Contain defense token. Featured on both the Imperial I-class and Imperial II-class Star Destroyers, the Contain token can cancel the standard critical effect of a shot that passes through your shields to your hull. Given the devastating nature of many of the critical effects in the Armada damage deck, theContain token is a valuable tool that you'll want to spend wisely as you use your Star Destroyers to spread fear throughout the galaxy.

MC30c Frigate Expansion Pack

One of the most powerful mid-level ships in the Galactic Civil War, the MC30c frigate was of Mon Calamari design and presented a lethal combination of speed, high-powered armament, and advanced deflector shields. The trade-off, however, was that the ship was relatively light on hull plating. This trade-off becomes evident, as well, in the MC30c Frigate Expansion Pack, which offers this ship to the Rebel Alliance as a fast, nimble, small-size vessel that can fire as many as five attack dice from its left and right hull zones. However, to do so, it must get within close range of enemy ships where its shields won't long protect it from taking damage against its four hull points.


In addition to its pre-painted MC30c frigate miniature, this expansion pack contains two command dials and ten upgrade cards, along with all the tokens you need to bring this Rebel ship to battle. Of course, as with other Armadaexpansion packs, the MC30c Frigate Expansion Pack also comes with two ship cards that let you field your MC30c as either the MC30c Scout Frigate or MC30c Torpedo Frigate. Though they share many of the same design elements, the different costs and battery armaments of these two different configurations ensure a wide range of tactical flexibility for your MC30c.

Home One Expansion Pack

"All craft, prepare to jump into hyperspace on my mark."
     –Admiral Ackbar
Admiral Ackbar and his flagship star cruiser, Home One, arrive to Armada in the Home One Expansion Pack. Featuring one large-size, pre-painted miniature MC80 star cruiser, two ship cards, three command dials, and fourteen upgrades, the Home One Expansion Pack gives the Rebel Alliance a ship that can trade blow for blow with nearly any Imperial vessel.


Boasting battery armaments of six dice from both its left and right hull zones, the MC80 star cruiser is as hard-hitting as a Victory-class Star Destroyer and the Rebellion's best answer to the Imperial-class Star Destroyer. Better yet, this Mon Calamari starship is even more powerful when flown under the command of Admiral Ackbar, who can add two red attack dice to any attack made by a starship that fires only from its left and right hull zones during its activation.
Will you race your star cruiser boldly down the middle of the Imperial fleet, firing at enemy ships on both sides? Will you dare your opponent to allow you the use of the Advanced Gunnery objective? Or will you circle the Imperial fleet at a distance, taking shots from a battery armament enhanced by Admiral Ackbar, Slaved Turrets, and the Defiancetitle? No matter how you bring it to battle, the MC80 star cruiser gives you the muscle to employ a whole new set of tactics in your battles for galactic freedom.

Rogues and Villains Expansion Pack

Han Solo, Boba Fett, and a handful of the galaxy's most notorious rogues and villains race to the battlefield in the Rogues and Villains Expansion Pack for Armada!


Featuring some of the Star Wars galaxy's best known freighters, patrol craft, and bombers, the Rogues and Villains Expansion Pack introduces eight new irregular squadrons to Armada, each of which can be represented by either a non-unique squadron card or flown by an ace. Like the squadrons from the Core Set and the first wave of expansions, these come unpainted, but are presented in colors that complement their fleets.
Meanwhile, since these squadrons include the signature starships of some of the galaxy's most individualistic pilots, each is represented by a single miniature, and several of them allow you to take advantage of the new Roguekeyword, which grants a squadron the ability to both move and attack when it's activated during the squadron phase. Still, that's not the only new keyword introduced in this collection; both the Grit and Intel keywords appear on a number of its squadrons and introduce new tactical abilities that can help you steer the course of your Armadaconflicts.

Imperial Raider Expansion Pack

First introduced to the world as a huge starship designed for Epic games of X-Wing™, the Raider-class corvette is the Empire's response to the need for a designated anti-fighter vessel. Its six dual heavy laser cannons are more accurate against snubfighters than the turbolaser batteries of its Star Destroyer cousins, and the disruptive effects of its ion cannon emplacements, along with the efficiency of its localized command, make it a powerful addition to small strike forces.


This potent anti-fighter starship enters Armada in the Imperial Raider Expansion Pack. The second small ship for the Imperial Navy, the Raider is a quick and nimble ship that excels at dealing with pesky starfighter squadrons, but it can just as easily dart across the battlefield to pour concentrated fire into the broadside of a Rebel cruiser. Whether you field your pre-painted miniature as a Raider I-class Corvette or Raider II-class Corvette, the Imperial Raider Expansion Pack offers you plenty of ways to customize it for battle with either squadrons or capital ships. Among its eight upgrade cards, you'll find Ordnance Experts, a new commander, Quad Laser Turrets, two unique titles, and more.
Of course, as always, the Imperial Raider Expansion Pack comes with a command dial, speed dial, and all the tokens you need to enter the fray.

The Heat of Battle

"General, there’s a fleet of Star Destroyers coming out of hyperspace in sector four."
     –The Empire Strikes Back
Across the world, players have recently begun to explore Armada and its battles. Rebel and Imperial forces clash in heated contests for the fate of the galaxy. Rebel corvettes and frigates do their best to resist Imperial Star Destroyers, even as their ace starfighter pilots seek desperately for some means to cripple larger ships. Now, as their conflicts continue to intensify, Armada players can rest assured that the game's biggest battles are still ahead!
This is the promise of Armada Wave II. Your Star Wars fleet battles are nowhere near finished. They're only heating up. The five expansion packs in Wave II will soon flood the battlefield with even more iconic starships, advanced technology, and daring pilots. Field the first large ships and the first small ship for the Imperial Navy, trust yourRogue squadrons to harass your foes, and pour overwhelming firepower into the flanks of your enemy's ships.
The five expansion packs of Armada Wave II are scheduled to arrive in the third quarter of 2015!

Rule Through Fear

Rule Through Fear
Preview the Imperial-class Star Destroyer Expansion Pack for Star Wars™: Armada


"We won’t last long against those Star Destroyers."
     –Admiral Ackbar
The best way to win a military confrontation is to cower your foe into submission before any shots are even fired. But it takes a weapon of incredible power to convince your enemies that it would prove utterly suicidal to act against you. You can find one such weapon in the Imperial-class Star Destroyer Expansion Pack for Star Wars™: Armada.
The pre-painted Imperial-class Star Destroyer enters the game as the largest, most resilient, hardest hitting ship to-date. Whether you field it in battle as an Imperial I-class Star Destroyer or an Imperial II-class Star Destroyer , yourImperial-class Star Destroyer features no fewer than eight attack dice from its forward arc, and four dice from both its left and right arcs.


Line up the right shot, and that's twelve dice that you can blast into a single ship in just one round—before you even look into adding upgrades.

Forcing Your Opponent's Hand

While the sort of firepower that your Star Destroyer can unleash against enemy ships may very easily discourage your opponents from going anywhere near your ship, they might not have a choice. The Imperial-class Star Destroyer is surprisingly quick, able to fly as fast as speed "3," and once it closes on an enemy ship, your Phylon Q7 Tractor Beams can trap it within range of your full attack.



On the other hand, the Imperial-class Star Destroyer is also well-equipped to deal with any foes foolish enough to attack it directly. Featuring a hull value of eleven and shield values of four, three, and two on its front, side, and rear hull zones, respectively, the Imperial-class is more than capable of withstanding a few enemy volleys. Moreover, should any of those hits find their way to your Star Destroyer's hull, past its two redirect tokens, its brace token, and its shields, you can still exhaust your contain token to prevent your opponent from assigning you a faceup damage card per the standard critical effect.

Contain: A ship can spend this defense token to prevent the attacker from resolving the standard critical effect. The attacker can still resolve a non-standard critical effect, such as one granted by an upgrade card.
Then, if you've planned appropriately, you can reveal your repair command on the next turn to gain four engineering points, enough to repair one shield and move two more to your damaged hull zone from the zones your opponent might not be able to target.
In the end, your repaired Star Destroyer might be ready to withstand the same attack all over again, but it's highly unlikely that your opponent's ship can withstand two rounds of your Star Destroyer's concentrated fire. Instead, your opponent is likely to recognize the futility of a direct assault and make every effort to play around it, and you gain a key strategic advantage—the ability to limit your opponent's options before your fleets even come within firing range.

The Power of the Dark Side

Of course, your tactical options increase greatly with the different upgrades in the Imperial-class Star Destroyer Expansion Pack. In addition to the Phylon Q7 Tractor Beams, you'll find another seventeen upgrades, including offensive retrofits, defensive retrofits, turbolasers, ion cannons, three titles, seven officers, and a commander version of Darth Vader.
For thirty-six of your fleet points, Darth Vader is a truly aggressive commander who allows each of your ships to spend a defense token to reroll as many of its attack dice as you wish. Did you roll some blanks? Do you need another accuracy result to strip your opponent of any defensive options? Darth Vader's mastery of the Force allows him to bend the combat to your favor, taking advantage of the fact that you'll be able to see the results of your roll before you decide whether or not to use his reroll.
Meanwhile, even though you have to deny yourself a defense token in order to benefit from Vader's reroll, you benefit from a bit of redundancy in your Imperial-class Star Destroyer's defense tokens.


This is especially true early on when it's extremely unlikely your opponent will be able to punch through your shields to land a critical hit that you'd need to contain. Darth Vader's also good in a fleet with Imperial-class Star Destroyers because their larger dice pools are likely to yield results you'll be happy to modify.
For example, consider his ability compared to that of Admiral Screed . While Admiral Screed could sacrifice a die from your attack by an Imperial II-class Star Destroyer to guarantee the blue  result you need to activate yourOverload Pulse , he can't guarantee you any accuracy results. Thus, while you might have hoped your damage would punch through your opponent's ship's shields to batter against its hull, your opponent might halve it, then redirect the majority to other hull zones. Darth Vader, on the other hand, can't guarantee you the blue  result, but he does let you reroll all four of your forward-facing blue dice, if you so desire.

The Best Defense Is a Strong Offense

While the Darth Vader command upgrade presents some important considerations about your defense tokens and their use in your strategy, it's not the only upgrade in the expansion in the set that plays to this theme. TheDevastator title also explores the trade-in value of your defense tokens; for each defense token you discard, theDevastator title grants you an extra blue attack die while you're attacking from your front hull zone. Altogether, anImperial II-class Star Destroyer equipped with the Devastator title could burn through its defense tokens early to fire as many as twelve dice from your front arc, eight of which would be blue. With a dice pool of that sort, you'd almost certainly be able to generate the accuracy you need to shut down your opponent's defense tokens, and Darth Vader could help you convert any extra accuracy results into hits or crits.


Captain Needa offers yet another use for your defense tokens. For two fleet points, he allows you to switch one of your defense tokens for an evade token. Do you plan to avoid allowing damage to go through your shields? Perhaps you can afford to trade away your contain token. Want a more balanced set of defensive options? You can trade out your second redirect for the evade. Either way, with Captain Needa aboard your ship, you can ignore some of the damage you might suffer at long range in order to close on your foes.

Develop Your Strategy

Naturally, since there's more to Armada than winning your exchanges of ship-to-ship fire, the Imperial-class Star Destroyer Expansion Pack also allows you to customize your Star Destroyer to your overall strategy by drawing upon the support of a whole cast of lower-ranked officers, weapons teams, and titles, as well as other defensive and offensive upgrades:

• Fleet admirals may appreciate the flexibility provided by a Support Officer , whom you can discard to reset your command dials in the case of an emergency.
  
  
• Should you ever find yourself resigned to firing at starfighter squadrons instead of an enemy ship, you may appreciate the talents of a team of Ruthless Strategists . It may hurt you a little to damage your own fighters, but every attack you squander against starfighters instead of enemy ships endangers the lives of thousands of crew. Besides, acceptable losses have long been part of the Imperial doctrine.
  
  
• Tired of rolling piles of damage, only to see your opponent halve the damage and then redirect it to adjacent hulls? If you're not running Vader to help you find accuracy, you might consider outfitting your ship with Heavy Turbolaser Turrets as an alternate means of forcing your opponent to take damage to the hull you've targeted.
  
  

Finally, each of the Imperial-class Star Destroyer's three unique titles offers an alternative approach to your battles for control of the galaxy:

• We've already seen the Devastator, but it's worth noting that on an Imperial I-class Star Destroyer, theDevastator title can go a long way toward providing the accuracy results you need to get all of your damage on target, not halved or redirected by your opponent's defense tokens.
  
  

• On the other hand, if you really want to get rid of your opponent's defensive options, you can run theAvenger with Admiral Screed and an Overload Pulse. Admiral Screed guarantees that you'll be able to trigger your Overload Pulse, and it, in turn, exhausts all of your opponent's defense tokens. The Avenger title, then, is the nail in the coffin; once your opponent's defense tokens are exhausted, the Avenger prevents your opponent from spending any of them. At a total of 149 fleet points, this is a flagship that's capable of making short work of any opponent.
  
  
• However, if you're more concerned with your strategy's adaptability, the Relentless title allows you to shorten your command stack by one dial, thereby increasing your ship's responsiveness. Still, it doesn't actually reduce your command value, so you can still assign the ship as many as three command tokens, making it an excellent vessel to partner with the command of Grand Moff Tarkin . Together, the Relentless title and Grand Moff Tarkin allow you to plan your commands for maximum effect, with minimal delay.
  
  

Fear Will Keep the Local Systems in Line

With countless systems to govern, the Empire needs a sure way to keep its citizens in line, and that way is fear. With its awesome armament and aggressive, dagger-shaped design, the Imperial-class Star Destroyer is an integral part of the Empire's designs to rule through fear, and though, in Armada, it won't turn your opponents away from combat, its mere presence may very well lead them to alter their tactics simply to avoid the inevitable destruction that follows upon engagement. In fact, few things in Armada are as terrifying as the prospect of facing threeImperial-class Star Destroyers flying together in tight formation, flanked by their TIE squadrons.


Few things embody the overwhelming might of the Empire so fully as the Imperial-class Star Destroyer. Be sure to bring this massive starship to your Armada battles as soon as it's released. Head to your local retailer to pre-order your copy today!

Fast and Aggressive
Fast and Aggressive
A Preview of the Imperial Raider Expansion Pack for Star Wars™: Armada

The Massing at Sullust preview event for Star Wars™: Armada is now only a couple of weeks away. That means you'll soon be able to take your shot at the exciting new starships from Armada  Wave II. Prove your worth as fleet admiral, and you might walk away with an early copy of the Imperial-class Star Destroyer Expansion Pack, Home OneExpansion Pack, MC30c Frigate Expansion Pack, Rogues and Villains Expansion Pack, or Imperial Raider Expansion Pack.
Of course, to win any of these expansion packs, you'll need to make your plans to attend a The Massing at Sullustevent. You'll also need to assemble your fleet and refine your strategy, and if you hope to claim first place and your first choice of expansion, you'll want to keep up to date with our Wave II previews.
Our first two previews offered closer looks at the Imperial-class Star Destroyer Expansion Pack and the Home OneExpansion Pack. We looked at the different ship cards these expansions offer, as we as some of their new upgrades, including the new commanders, Darth Vader and Admiral Ackbar. Today, we continue our previews with a look at the Imperial Raider Expansion pack and what it might offer your Imperial fleet.

A Dedicated Anti-Fighter Warship

Conceived by Lira Wessex, the designer of the Imperial-class Star Destroyer, as a small and aggressive assault vessel that could reinforce the TIE fighter squadrons deployed by its larger Star Destroyer cousins, the Raider-class corvette is a durable, 150m vessel that features multiple hardpoints and excels at suppressing Rebel fighter attacks.
Fighter squadrons can play one of two primary roles in Armada, which developer Max Brooke noted in his strategy article about squadrons, "Bomber Wings and Fighter Screens." Bomber wings can quickly rip through enemy ships, while fighter screens are designed to engage bombers and keep them from your larger ships. Because bomber wings can be so brutally effective unless they run into screens of TIE fighters, TIE interceptors, or A-wings, and because those fighter screens are not terribly effective in combats when there are no fighters for them to engage, your investment in fighter squadrons is always something of a calculated gamble.
As a dedicated anti-fighter warship, the Raider-class corvette offers Imperial fleet admirals a chance to hedge their bets. Whether you use it to support a bomber wing, to reduce your investment in your fighter screen, or to replace your fighter screen altogether, the Raider is extremely fast, accurate, and well-suited to fighter suppression in ways that the Empire's other capital ships are not.
For starters, both versions of the Raider-class corvette – the Raider I-class Corvette and the Raider II-class Corvette – come with anti-squadron armaments of two dice, a lethality matched only by the anti-squadron armament of theGladiator II-class Star Destroyer . Still, the Raider's two anti-squadron dice come at a discount of at least fourteen fleet points from the Gladiator's sixty-two points. Of the two Raider designs, the Raider II-class Corvette is the more expensive at forty-eight fleet points, while the Raider I-class Corvette weighs in at a mere forty-four fleet points.
Equally important to the Raider's role as an anti-fighter warship are a pair of upgrade cards that the Gladiator can't access – the two Raider titles, the Impetuous and the Instigator .

• The Impetuous title reads, "At the end of your Attack Step, choose 1 of your hull zones. You may perform an attack against 1 enemy squadron from that hull zone, even if you have already attacked from that zone this round."
  
  
• The Instigator title reads, "Enemy squadrons at distance 1 are treated as if they are engaged by 2 additional squadrons, even if they are not currently engaged."
  
  

Between them, these titles allow you to transform your Raider into either a powerful anti-fighter escort for your bomber wing or a resilient counter to your opponent's starfighters.

Outfitted with the Impetuous title, your Raider excels at cutting quickly through whichever squadron it prioritizes. While this ability doesn't offer it any extra defense against an enemy bomber wing, it comes in truly handy as you use your Raider to escort your bombers past an enemy fighter screen. Since admirals investing in fighter screens typically want to spend as little as possible on their fighter squadrons, they aren't likely to deploy more than a few squadrons to keep your bombers from their ships. That means that if your Impetuous can quickly punch through one or more squadrons in a round, your bombers are far more likely to be free to rain devastation upon a capital ship in the next round.

Meanwhile, the Instigator serves as a shield between your opponent's fighters and the rest of your fleet. In fact, because it can engage enemy squadrons, it can, in most ways, replace the need for a fighter screen, especially when it's further outfitted with Quad Laser Turrets and Ordnance Experts . These upgrades enhance the threat the ship poses to enemy squadrons by granting it both counter 1 and the ability to reroll any number of its black attack dice; the Raider I-class Corvette has two black dice in its anti-squadron armament.
Finally, because the Raider is relatively inexpensive, it's not inconceivable that you'd run both the Impetuous and theInstigator in the same fleet, using them to pincer your opponent's squadrons, locking them into position by engaging them with the Instigator, and blasting through them with multiple shots from the Impetuous.

The Raider and Ship-to-Ship Combat

While the Raider was designed specifically to suppress enemy fighters, it is still a capital ship and, therefore, benefits from all the mechanics associated with capital ships in Armada. It activates every round. It reveals commands. It is able to attack as many as two times before moving, and it has defense tokens, as well as upgrade slots.
These facts give the Raider some advantages over squadrons in certain Imperial fleets. For example, if you swap out three or four fighter squadrons from your fighter screen for the Instigator, then run against a Rebel fleet that doesn't use any squadrons at all, your Instigator will be able to switch from anti-fighter mode to anti-ship mode much more effectively than your TIE Fighter Squadrons or TIE Interceptor Squadrons would.
To start, your Raider offers a forward attack of four dice, of which either two or three can be launched from medium range. Then, if you want, you can equip it with Overload Pulse so that it can deactivate your opponent's ship's defense tokens, leaving that ship exposed to a later attack from your Imperial-class Star Destroyer or other ship. Alternatively, if you're not trying to set up future shots so much as you're trying to boost your Raider's shots, you could use your SW-7 Ion Batteries to convert the extra accuracy from your blue dice to damage.
The Raider's speed and maneuverability also help define its role in ship-to-ship combat. At speed "1" or "2," theRaider-class corvette can adjust its yaw by as many as two clicks at each joint of the maneuver tool, and while it loses some of this maneuverability at higher speeds, the fact that it can race about the battlefield as fast as speed "4" means that it can introduce a new measure of flanking tactics to your Imperial fleet, especially if you give it anExpanded Hangar Bay and use it to harry your foes along with a couple of TIE Bomber Squadrons .
Finally, the Imperial Raider Expansion Pack introduces two more upgrades that play to the Raider's speed and maneuverability. Because the Raider doesn't feature any red dice in its battery armaments, it needs to race into close or medium range in order to attack other ships. This would leave it vulnerable at distance, but it can rely upon its two evade tokens to avoid most damage as it makes its approach. Furthermore, when it's in a fleet led by Admiral Ozzel , the Raider can either fly into combat at an astonishing speed before slowing down to take its shots, or it can accelerate quickly to get back to distance after firing. And if it's flying off to long range at a speed of "3" or higher,Admiral Montferrat allows you to treat enemy ships' attacks as though they're obstructed, thereby reducing their available attack dice by one, meaning there's a better chance your evade tokens can cancel out the rest of the damage you might otherwise take.

Swift and Merciless

With its speed, maneuverability, anti-fighter capabilities, and versatility in ship-to-ship combat, the Raider-class corvette is well-suited to a wide variety of quick assault tactics. It has enough attack and defense to stand up to a wide range of threats, and it can easily race across the battlefield, launch a quick assault, and then sprint away. This makes the Raider ideal for use in a number of select Imperial strategies, many of which you're certain to see players explore during The Massing at Sullust.
In the meantime, head to your local retailer to pre-order your copy of the Imperial Raider Expansion Pack, and keep your eyes open for more Armada previews, including a look at the MC30c Frigate Expansion Pack!

Race into Battle

Race into Battle
A Preview of the MC30c Frigate Expansion Pack for Star Wars™: Armada


Star Wars™: Armada  Wave II is on its way!
With its iconic large-base ships and new squadrons, Wave II adds new measures of Imperial might and Rebel daring to your Star Wars space battles. In our recent previews, we've explored the likely impact of the massive, new starships from the Imperial-class Star Destroyer Expansion Pack and Home One Expansion Pack, and we've looked at some of the ways that that the Raider-class corvette from the Imperial Raider Expansion Pack provides Imperials with an excellent counter to the Rebellion's favorite squadron-based strategies.
Now, as players everywhere are looking forward to their first glimpses of these new starships and squadrons during next weekend's The Massing at Sullust preview event, we continue our series of previews with a look at the Rebellion's MC30c Frigate Expansion Pack.

The MC30c Scout Frigate

Because the two different models of MC30c frigate feature different attack dice, they encourage significantly varied tactics.
While both models share the same speed chart, the same upgrade bar, the same four hull points, the same eleven total shields divided between their hull zones, and the same total number of attack dice, the MC30c Scout Frigatepairs its black attack dice with red while the MC30c Torpedo Frigate substitutes the red for blue. Accordingly, the MC30c Scout Frigate suggests long-range, hit-and-run tactics that take maximum advantage of the ship's red dice as well as its tremendous speed and versatility.
The fact that the MC30c frigate fires most effectively from its left and right hull zones plays right into one of the Rebellion's better strategies. Rather than flying directly at enemy Star Destroyers, you can skirt the edges of the battlefield with your frigate, circling around your opponent's ships, and with the MC30c Scout Frigate's red attack dice, you'll be able to exchange shots the entire time.
Your frigate's ability to exchange long-range shots is further supported by its two evade tokens, and you can reinforce it by selecting Mon Mothma as your commander, allowing you to get the maximum utility from your evade tokens even if your enemy manages to trap you at medium range for a round. You can also bolster your attack and defense with several different, impactful upgrades.

• You can increase the battery armament of your left and right hull zones by one red die each with Enhanced Armament .
  
  
• Alternatively, for three fleet points fewer, you can outfit your MC30c Scout Frigate with Turbolaser Reroute Circuits . Though you won't gain the extra attack dice, you'll get more damage out of each die you roll.
  
  
• The Foresight title allows you to cancel two dice with your evade token, instead of one, and it allows you to redirect damage to more than one adjacent hull zone, a fact that is particularly useful when you consider how often you're likely to show the same broadside to your enemy.
  
  
• If your MC30c frigate features Redundant Shields , you will be able, each round, to regenerate some of the shields you lost.
  
  

Finally, you can trade away a little bit of your defensive abilities for offensive power by taking the command from Mon Mothma and assigning it to Admiral Ackbar . Over the course of time, the two red dice he grants you, partnered with your evade tokens, Foresight title, and other upgrades, can very easily prove the difference in your long-range exchanges of fire.

The MC30c Torpedo Frigate

While there are certainly times that your long-range tactics will play to your favor, there are also times you'll want to race headlong into the thick of combat, firing critical volleys of fire to finish off a badly damaged Star Destroyer or seizing key objectives. At these times, you'll be thankful for the MC30c Torpedo Frigate.
Of the two MC30c designs, it is the MC30c Torpedo Frigate that better embodies the ship's paradoxical, sometimes maddening combination of powerful close-range attacks and fragile hull. This is because the MC30c Torpedo Frigate has no long-range attack dice and, therefore, forces you to explore the tactical possibilities afforded by a fleet built around flying a four-hull ship straight into your enemy's guns.
Like the MC30c Scout Frigate, the MC30c Torpedo Frigate boasts a healthy supply of black attack dice in its battery armaments: three for its left and right hull zones, two for its front hull zone, and one for its rear hull zone. Unlike the Scout Frigate, however, the Torpedo Frigate pairs these volatile black dice with a complement of extremely accurate blue dice. This means that the Torpedo Frigate cannot attack from long range, but it also means that, at close range, it stands better odds of rolling accuracy results to negate your opponent's brace tokens and force all its damage through to its target's shields and hull.
Of course, to line up these shots, you need to fly your MC30c Torpedo Frigate into a position where even its hefty shields are unlikely to hold up for long. Then, since the ship has only four hull points, there's a good chance you may lose your Torpedo Frigate to any measure of sustained fire.
For this reason, players running MC30c Torpedo Frigates in their fleet are unlikely to adorn them with too many fleet points worth of upgrades. Nonetheless, at a mere four fleet points, your Ordnance Experts are still a sound investment as the ability to reroll any number of black dice can easily translate to two or more points of damage in an activation. Likewise, any critical damage you force onto your opponent with a volley of Assault Proton Torpedoesis more than likely to be worth the five fleet points you'd invest in the upgrade.


The key to running the MC30c Torpedo Frigate is to maintain your focus on the big picture: in the end, you need to score more victory points than your opponent. To do so, you may need to be willing to make sacrifices, but you certainly won't want to make them cheaply or at the wrong times.
If you're a gambler, you might crew your frigate with Lando Calrissian . At just four fleet points, he doesn't take up too much design space, and his ability could very well spare you the one or two points of damage that would prove the difference between exploding and living long enough to fire your guns and obliterate an enemy ship.
For those looking for more of a sure thing, the Admonition title allows you to discard your defense tokens in order to cancel your opponent's attack dice. After all, your evade tokens aren't generally worth too much once you get into close range. With the Admonition, they're worth nothing less than a hull point—possibly even two hull points—each.
Perhaps the upgrade card from the MC30c Frigate Expansion Pack that deserves the most consideration as a component of any Rebel fleet headed into a truly desperate battle is the new commander card,  General Rieekan . No stranger to difficult and unpopular decisions, it was General Rieekan who ordered the evacuation of Echo Base during the Battle of Hoth, and he arrives to Armada as a commander fully aware that the Galactic Civil War is larger than any single battle or ship.
As a Rebel fleet admiral, you may not like the idea of sacrificing your ships and their crews. However, there are times in warfare when you must be willing to accept those sacrifices, lest you otherwise fail to meet your objectives and progress toward an ultimate victory. With General Rieekan as your commander, at least, your sacrifices are bound to be far nobler and far less often in vain; whenever any of your ships are destroyed, they remain in play until the end of the round. This means that your opponent can't avoid the damage your damaged MC30c Torpedo Frigate is about to deal his ship by blowing it up. You'll still have your chance to fire. And if that frigate's sacrifice allows you to destroy your opponent's flagship – such as an Imperial I-class Star Destroyer – it's the sort of trade the Rebellion needs to make to win its war.



Rieekan's difficult decision to evacuate Echo Base won many Rebel lives and kept the Rebellion in the war, despite its loss. Likewise, in Armada, General Rieekan may help you with your most difficult decisions, as you weigh your position against your opponent's and consider the possible gains from one or more key sacrifices.

The Rebel Fleet Is Massing

Whether you field your MC30c frigate as a Scout Frigate or a Torpedo Frigate, you'll find it a powerful addition to your Rebel fleet. In fact, you'll find that the MC30c Frigate Expansion Pack, along with the Home One Expansion Pack, allows you to fly a Rebel fleet with enough muscle to stand even against a fleet of Imperial Star Destroyers.
How would you use these ships? Head to our community forums to share your thoughts as we gear up for The Massing at Sullust. Then, keep your eyes open for our final Wave II preview, with a look at the new squadrons from the Rogues and Villains Expansion Pack!

A Few Surprises

A Few Surprises
A Preview of the Rogues and Villains Expansion Pack for Star Wars™: Armada

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"This baby's got a few surprises left in her."
     –Han Solo
Over the last few weeks, we've examined the new starships and upgrades coming in the second wave of expansions for Star Wars™: Armada, and we've explored some of the ways that they're likely to change the nature of your Star Wars fleet battles.
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• We started with closer looks at the game's first large ships, the Empire's Imperial-class Star Destroyer and the Rebellion's MC80 star cruiser, and we discussed some of the possible ways you can take advantage of their tremendous firepower and resilience.
  
  
• We then revealed a good portion of the Imperial Raider Expansion Pack, including the Impetuous andInstigator titles, and we ventured a guess at how this unique Imperial starship could play a valuable role, filling in the gap between the Empire's starfigher squadrons and its larger Star Destroyers.
  
  
• Finally, last week, we looked at the two different designs of the Mon Calamari MC30c frigate and the different roles they might play within your Rebel fleet.
  
  

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Now, as we look forward to getting these ships into players' hands for the first time this weekend at The Massing at Sullust, we turn our attention to the final Wave II expansion pack, the Rogues and Villains Expansion Pack, which introduces eight new squadrons that represent some of the Star Wars galaxy's most noble-hearted scoundrels and ruthless criminals. And as you might expect of these fringe-dwellers and rulebreakers, they introduce all-new Roguetactics to your Armada battles.
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Rogues

Star Wars: Armada is a game of massive, intergalactic space warfare. You assume the role of either fleet admiral, assemble your fleet, and engage your opponents in strategic battles, the outcomes of which may help shape the course of the Galactic Civil War and the fate of the galaxy. That means, among other things, that you want your fleet to remain orderly and reliable. There are chains of command that must be followed. You assign orders to the ships in your fleet, and their commanders and crew must then carry out those orders.
Starfighter squadrons, meanwhile, are invaluable tools, but as fleet admiral, you can't be bothered to communicate with every pilot in every fighter. Instead, you leave it to your ship commanders to assign orders to those squadrons at the appropriate times; whenever you want the most from your squadrons, you need your ship to reveal a squadron command within medium range of the squadron or squadrons you want to activate. At those times, they can both move and attack. Otherwise, your squadrons need to wait for the squadron phase and are limited to either moving or attacking; on their own, they can't do both.
That is, most squadrons can't do both. The Rogues and Villains Expansion Pack, however, introduces squadrons with the Rogue keyword, and these squadrons can both move and attack during the squadron phase, as though they had been activated by the squadron command. Accordingly, these Rogue squadrons, likeDash Rendar in his Outrider, effectively carve out a unique space within the game – fitting into the gap between your capital ships and your standard starfighter squadron.
To be clear, these Rogue squadrons are still bound by all the standard squadron rules, except for those that their keywords overwrite. They can still engage enemy squadrons and be engaged. They are still limited to combat at distance "1." They can still only attack once per round, they can fire in a 360-degree arc, and they only score damage against ships when they roll  , unless they have the Bomber keyword.
However, because a Rogue smuggler like Dash Rendar doesn't need to be ordered around the battlefield in the same way as a Y-wing Squadron , you can use him to pursue new strategies and tactics. For starters, you don't need to worry about whether or not he's in range to receive his next squadron command. That frees you to pursue different tactics for your ships, even as you rely upon your Rogue squadrons to establish fighter superiority or contribute extra damage against enemy ships.
In fact, Rogue squadrons like the Firespray-31 or Boba Fett excel at damaging enemy ships, and the damage potential that they add to your fleet is only bolstered by the fact that they don't require you to build your fleet around your ships' squadron values and calculate the best timing for your squadron commands. Accordingly, even though their total hull points and speed would weigh in a little short versus a wing of TIE Bomber Squadrons , a wing of four or five Firespray-31s could pose a terrifying threat to any Rebel ship.
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Such threats only serve to highlight the importance of your fighter squadrons, and they give the Rebellion all the more reason to counter enemy fighters with their own Rogue ace, Han Solo. Aboard his Millennium Falcon, Han Soloboasts the Rogue keyword, as well as the new Grit keyword. Not only can he activate on his own each squadron phase, but he can fly away from engagements, so long as he's not engaged by more than a single squadron. That means that even if your opponent sends two squadrons to engage the Falcon, hoping to keep him from a wing of TIE Bomber Squadrons, Han Solo can still blast through one of those squadrons, ignore the other, and move to engage the bombers.
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Finally, although Han Solo's unique ability may seem redundant when he already has the Rogue keyword, it's worth noting that the combination of the two gives Han Solo a tremendous measure of flexbility to act on his own. He can act first in the ship phase, activating to move and attack, before your opponent has a chance to activate a single ship, even if he has the initiative. In this way, with his four anti-squadron dice, Han's likely to take out enemy fighters long before they threaten your other ships or squadrons. In fact, the only way another vessel can activate before Han is if your opponent is running another Rebel fleet that utilizes Han, and he has the initiative. Alternatively, Han Solo can wait until the squadron phase to activate, allowing enemy ships and squadrons to move into range before he launches his attack. It all depends on what he deems is the largest threat, and because he has the Roguekeyword, he can respond to it immediately.

Villains

You'll find more than just Rogue squadrons in the Rogues and Villains Expansion Pack; you'll find plenty of villains, and more than just Boba Fett. The expansion's four Imperial squadrons account for the majority of the bounty hunters that Darth Vader called onto the deck of the Executor and ordered to hunt for Han Solo and the Millennium Falcon.

IG-88 enters Armada with a unique ability befitting his identity as an Assassin Droid. He can ignore the Escort and Counter keywords on enemy squadrons. This means that if he wants to eliminate a squadron, he doesn't have to bother with any other squadrons that might be flying as its Escorts, and he won't have to worry about that ship firing back at him with theCounter ability. Instead, he can just focus on blasting it with his lasers, and if enemy ships fire at him, he can process that response, as well, returning fire with his Counter 2 ability. Finally, IG-88 has the Rogue keyword so that he can hunt his prey through the stars, wherever they go, even if their travels take them far from the Empire's capital ships.

Meanwhile, the relentless Trandoshan bounty hunter Bossk also arrives toArmada in the Rogues and Villains Expansion Pack, and he heads to battle in his Hound's Tooth, a custom YV-666 squadron with four black anti-squadron dice, an anti-ship battery of one blue die and one black die, and seven hull points. In his Hound's Tooth, Bossk can both dish out and survive a beating, whether he's battling another squadron or a starship. Furthermore, his Gritkeyword allows him to ignore lesser opponents who would keep him from his prey, and if he suffers any damage, he only becomes more lethally single-minded in his efforts. If he ever has fewer than six hull points remaining, Bossk adds a blue die to his attack total, permanently set to yield an accuracy result.

Finally, Imperial admirals looking to get the most of these new Roguesquadrons might consider partnering with Dengar , who doesn't boast theRogue keyword himself, but instead features an array of valuable support abilities. First of all, with his Intel keyword, Dengar can assign the Heavykeyword to enemy squadrons within distance "1" so that those squadrons won't prevent your other fighters from flying straight toward their intended target. This also makes him an excellent addition to any bomber wing, as does his ability to grant the Counter ability to friendly ships within distance "1-2." With Dengar in their midst, your TIE Bomber Squadrons can better stand up to an enemy fighter screen, and a squadron that already has theCounter keyword, like IG-88, becomes even more lethal.
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Catch Your Foes by Surprise

The Rogues and Villains Expansion Pack comes with eight miniature squadrons, four for the Rebellion and four for the Empire, all of which can be fielded as unique or non-unique squadrons. Taken all together, these irregular squadrons introduce a whole new arsenal of tricks, keywords, abilities, and possibilities, and learning how best to make use of them will play an important part in your future Armada fleet battles.
How will you make use of these new squadrons? Will you treat Rogue squadrons almost as though they were lesser ships? Will you rely on squadrons with the Intel keyword, like Dengar and Jan Ors , to see that your bomber wing delivers its payload on target? Or will you call upon only a few new squadrons like IG-88 and the YT-1300 to ensure the superiority of your fighter wing?
There's no better time than now to discuss your new takes on the game's squadron tactics. The Massing at Sullust is this weekend, and we'll see the first of these squadrons in action. Until then, head to our community forums to share your thoughts and learn how others plan to use the eight irregular squadrons from the Rogues and Villains Expansion Pack![/size]

Shields Up!

Shields Up!
The Second Wave of Expansions for Star Wars™: Armada Is Now Available
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"Shields up!"
     –Captain Needa
Attention, fleet admirals, it's time to raise your shields and command your fleet into a new wave of strategic space battles!
The second wave of expansions for Star Wars™: Armada is now available at retailers throughout the United States and scheduled for European release on December 1st. Availability in other regions may vary.
The five expansions packs from Armada Wave II introduce the game's first large-base ships, the Imperial-class Star Destroyer and MC80 Mon Calamari star cruiser. These massive warships are bigger and more brutal than anything yet to enter the game, and they are bound to form the backbone and high command of many opposing fleets.
Meanwhile, a handful of new Rogue squadrons are likely to reshape your fighter battles with their ability to move and attack in the squadron phase, independent of the squadron command, and the Raider-class corvette and MC30c frigate arrive as versatile, small-base ships that give you more reason than ever to diversify your ships and tailor your fleet to your overall strategy.
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• Imperial-class Star Destroyer Expansion Pack
  
  
• MC30c Frigate Expansion Pack
  
  
• Home One Expansion Pack
  
  
• Rogues and Villains Expansion Pack
  
  
• Imperial Raider Expansion Pack
  
  

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Bigger and More Brutal Than Ever

Even as it expands your fleet-building options, Armada Wave II marks the introduction of yet another expansion—the tournament standard for Armada Organized Play is growing to 400 fleet points.
Whether or not you use the Imperial-class Star Destroyer or MC80 star cruiser, these colossal capital ships are making their impact upon the battlefield, and at 400 fleet points, your Armada battles are bound to feel larger, more strategic, and more epic than ever. The game becomes truly galactic in scope, and your range of possible fleet designs increases accordingly.
At 400 fleet points, your Imperial fleet can easily consist of three Imperial-class Star Destroyers, or you could select one Imperial-class Star Destroyer to serve as your flagship and have it lead an assortment of smaller Star Destroyers or a deadly swarm of Raider-class corvettes, all of which could be escorted by a mighty wing of starfighters.
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Or if you're a Rebel player, you could run the Home One alongside a fleet that consists of some of the most iconic ships and pilots in the game. With Wave II, the Rebels can now take advantage of most of the ships that featured in the Battle of Endor, and with its squadron value of three, your flagship MC80 Assault Cruiser can easily direct Luke Skywalker and a couple of B-wings into battle, while Han Solo and Dash Rendar can use their Rogue ability to engage and attack the enemy on their own time.
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Altogether, the addition of the Wave II ships and the increased number of available fleet points means that, whether you're an Imperial or Rebel player, you'll find more flexibility in your range of potential Armada fleets, and you'll be able to more precisely build to your strategy. Will you bank on the power and resilience of a few large ships? Will you buzz about your opponent with a swarm of small-base ships? Or will you balance your approach between ships of various sizes, accompanied by bomber wings and fighter screens?

Learn More About Wave II from Our Previews

You can learn more about the new Wave II capital ships and squadrons from our previews, and you can find plenty of information about them in our community forums as well, where fans have responded to their early appearance during the recent The Massing at Sullust preview event.
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• In Rule Through Fear, we looked at what the Imperial-class Star Destroyer, the new Darth Vader commander, and the expansion's many upgrades might add to your Imperial fleet.
  
  

• Then, we took a look at the Rebellion's counterpart in Rebel Command, in which we previewed both versions of the MC80 and the Admiral Ackbar commander, along with some of the possible tactics they might introduce.
  
  
• Fast and Aggressive highlighted the Raider-class corvette and its uses as either a dedicated anti-fighter vessel or a fast and nimble support ship. Equipped with an Overload Pulse , for example, your Raider II-class Corvetteis a terrifying, low-point addition to any fleet running the Avenger .
  
  
• The MC30c frigate was the focus of Race into Battle, the preview that also looked at what General Rieekanmight add to a fleet of Rebels dedicated enough to their cause that they'd be willing to make the ultimate sacrifice. In response, the fan community has already begun barking out commands, directing their ship captains to "accelerate to ramming speed!"
  
  
• Finally, A Few Surprises addressed the new squadrons from the Rogues and Villains Expansion Pack, along with the impact that their new Rogue, Grit, and Intel keywords are likely to make. The best use of squadrons has been the subject of a long-running, heated debate, and these new squadrons are certain to spur further debate as they open fire on your enemies.
  
  

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Intensify Forward Firepower!

Intensify your forward firepower with the new ships and squadrons from Armada Wave II!
From the lethality of its large-base ships to the versatility of its new Rogue squadrons and nimble, small-base starships, Wave II launches Armada into the midst of a bolder, bigger, and better battlefield. The fate of the galaxy is at stake. Pick up your Wave II ships today!
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