Miniature Wargames 🇺🇸United States21st century

Star Wars: Armada

CAPITAL-SHIP FLEET MINIATURE WARGAME (2015) by FANTASY FLIGHT GAMES / ATOMIC MASS GAMES. 2 players command fleets of STAR DESTROYERS, MON CALAMARI CRUISERS, CORELLIAN CORVETTES + SQUADRONS on 3×6 foot table. Uses SLOW-BURN ship movement with dial-planning + power allocation + squadron dogfighting. Complements X-Wing (fighter dogfight) with LARGE FLEET SCALE. Considered the best FLEET SPACE WARGAME. 2-3 hour games; active tournament + Rebellion vs Empire vs Republic vs Separatists factions.

📐3×6 foot table (91×183 cm)⏱~150 min🌤indoor

What is Star Wars: Armada?

STAR WARS: ARMADA is a CAPITAL-SHIP FLEET MINIATURE WARGAME published by FANTASY FLIGHT GAMES (2015-2021) then ATOMIC MASS GAMES (2021+). 2 players command opposing fleets of large STAR WARS CAPITAL SHIPS + squadrons of fighters. Complements X-Wing MINIATURES GAME (small-fighter dogfight scale) with FLEET-BATTLE SCALE — instead of 4 X-Wings vs 4 TIEs, you command a Star Destroyer + Nebulon-B frigate + Corellian Corvettes + 8-12 fighter squadrons. FACTIONS: (a) GALACTIC EMPIRE (Star Destroyers, TIE fighters, Interdictor, ISDs); (b) REBEL ALLIANCE (Mon Calamari cruisers, X-Wings, Y-Wings, Home One); (c) GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC (Venator-class Star Destroyers, ARC-170s); (d) SEPARATIST ALLIANCE (Munificent frigates, Vulture droids, Providence carriers). GAMEPLAY: Each ship has SPEED (0-4), COURSE-CHANGE JOINTS (movement flexibility), ARMAMENT dice pools (attacking), DEFENSIVE dice pools, DEFENSE TOKENS (redirect/evade/scatter/brace/contain), SHIELDS + HULL. SHIP ACTIVATION uses SPEED DIAL + PATH JOINTS — you plan your ship's course 1 activation ahead + must commit to trajectory. COMMAND DIAL system unique to Armada — you set command dial 2-3 turns AHEAD (assign command to future rounds). Massive planning depth. SQUADRON activation separately — small-fighter dogfighting phase in each turn. GAME END: after 6 rounds; score points from destroyed enemy ships + objectives. STARTER: (a) ARMADA CORE SET (2015) — Victory-class SD + Corellian Corvettes; (b) CLONE WARS CORE SET (2020) — Republic vs Separatists. Considered one of the best FLEET WARGAMES ever designed alongside AXIS + ALLIES: WAR AT SEA + Battletech. Long play time + high complexity limit casual reach, but hardcore competitive scene loves it.

Quick facts

How it works

Objective

Score points from destroying enemy ships + achieving objective conditions across 6 rounds. Highest score wins.

Rules

Basic rules

Fleet build: 400 points standard
Includes 1 flagship + 2-4 additional ships + 100 points of squadrons + upgrades.
Command Dial planning 2-3 rounds ahead
Set command 2-3 rounds in advance; unique 'plan the plan' mechanic.
Ship activation: reveal speed dial + follow path
Speed 0-4 + course-change joints; can't reverse; commit to trajectory.
Attack: gather dice pool based on hull side + range
Front/side/rear firing arcs; range affects dice pool composition.
Defense tokens spent to modify attacks
Brace (halve damage), Evade (change red die), Redirect (reroute to shields), Scatter (cancel all), Contain (prevent crit).
Shields absorb damage; hull destroyed = ship removed
Shields regenerate per turn via Repair command.
Squadron phase = fighter dogfight subgame
8-12 small fighters per side; move + attack separately from ships.
6 rounds; objectives + destroyed ships = score
Highest points wins.

Scoring

Score points from destroying enemy ships (based on point cost) + achieving objective conditions across 6 rounds.

Action	Points
Destroyed enemy ship	Full ship point value
Objective completed (varies)	20-100 points per objective
Damaged enemy ship (>50%)	Partial points
Fleet survival	Preserve flagship + expensive ships

Win condition · Highest point total after 6 rounds.

Playing area

Called

3×6 foot table (91×183 cm)

Dimensions

3 feet × 6 feet — standard tournament fleet table

Standard 3×6 foot deep-space play area with obstacle tokens (asteroid fields, debris, station tokens) that affect movement.

Equipment

Armada Core Set (2015)
$100 USD; Victory-class SD + Corellian Corvettes + fighters + rules
Clone Wars Core Set (2020)
$100 USD; Venator SD + Munificent frigate + fighters
Ship expansion packs ($30-90 each)
Large capital ships (ISD, Home One, Providence) are premium $60-90 packs
Squadron expansion packs
$25-30; 8 fighters per pack
Command + speed dials + tokens
Included in ships
Custom armament + defense dice
Attack: red/blue/black; defense: brace/evade/redirect/scatter/contain
Range/movement templates
Speed 0-4 + course-change joints
Objective + squad + upgrade cards
Deck-based faction customization

Strategies

Command dial timing critical
Setting Squadron 3 rounds ahead vs Repair or Nav — must predict game state early.
Alpha strike with squadrons
Massed squadrons can nova-bomb enemy flagship first turn if positioned well.
Defense tokens are one-shot per activation
Save Scatter for critical incoming attacks; Brace for consistent halving.
Range brackets change dice pools
Close = red dice (crit); mid = blue; long = black — plan approach for optimal range.
Objective selection matters
Each mission = 3 objective options; pick fleet-favorable one.

Terminology

Command Dial: Pre-set command assigned 2-3 rounds ahead — Nav / Squadron / Repair / Concentrate Fire.
Speed Dial: 0-4 speed selection per ship activation.
Course-change joints: Path template articulation points affecting turn severity.
Defense token: Brace / Evade / Redirect / Scatter / Contain single-use tokens on ships.
Squadron: Small-fighter model activated separately in squadron phase.
Firing arc: Front / left / right / rear — determines attack dice pool.
Flagship: Fleet leader ship with command upgrades.

Major competitions

Armada World Championships
annual · worldwide · since 2016
Armada North American Championship
annual · USA · since 2016
European Championship
annual · Europe · since 2017
Regional GT + Store Championships
ongoing · worldwide · since 2016

Where it is played

Governing bodies

Atomic Mass Games (current publisher)
Founded 2021 · USA
Fantasy Flight Games (original 2015-2021)
Founded 1995 · USA

Famous names & records

Famous athletes

James Kniffen (USA) — Original Armada lead designer at FFG
Alex Davy (USA) — FFG designer
Michael Gernes — FFG editor
Atomic Mass Games team (Will Shick + others) — Current developers

Learn this sport

beginner

1
Buy Core Set + play 200-pt games first
Smaller fleets learn faster.
2
Focus on command dial timing
Most-difficult concept for new players.

intermediate

1
Build 400-pt tournament fleet
Study meta lists on Steel Strategy blog + BGG forums.
2
Master defense token economy
Timing tokens = victory vs defeat.

advanced

1
Compete in Regional Championship
Path to World.

Frequently asked

What is Star Wars: Armada?+

CAPITAL-SHIP FLEET WARGAME by FFG (2015) / AMG (2021+). 2 players command fleets of Star Wars capital ships (Star Destroyers, Mon Cal cruisers, Corvettes) + squadrons on 3×6 foot table. Uses slow-burn ship movement with 2-3 rounds command pre-planning. Considered THE BEST FLEET SPACE WARGAME. 2-3 hour games; active tournament scene.

How is Armada different from X-Wing?+

SAME UNIVERSE + PUBLISHER but DIFFERENT SCALE. X-WING = 4-8 fighter dogfight (fast, 1-1.5 hours). ARMADA = fleet battle with 3-5 capital ships + 8-12 fighters (slow, 2-3 hours). Armada is DEEPER + more planning-heavy; X-Wing is tactical + reactive. Both by same team + share universe but distinct playstyles.

Is Armada still supported?+

SLOW SUPPORT — AMG has focused primarily on Star Wars: Legion + Marvel: Crisis Protocol since 2021 takeover. Armada receives occasional expansions but not the primary product line. Active community + tournament scene keeps game alive, and existing product library is enormous (30+ ships + 20+ squadron packs). Still recommended for FLEET WARGAME fans.

Sources & provenance

Atomic Mass Games — Star Wars: Armada— AMG
BoardGameGeek — Star Wars: Armada— BGG
Wikipedia — Star Wars: Armada— Wikipedia

Last verified 2026-08-27.verified