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Star Wars: Armada

2-2 players 120-120 min 7.8 Board Game Geek Rating

In Star Wars: Armada, players command Imperial or Rebel fleets in tactical space combat. Using an innovative hinged maneuver tool, you plot capital ship movements while managing starfighter squadrons. Ships require advance planning through command stacks—secretly selecting orders that execute several turns later. Victory comes from outmaneuvering opponents and coordinating attacks between massive warships and agile fighters in epic Star Wars battles.

Published 2015

Star Wars: Armada

Get Ready

Setup the game with these step-by-step instructions before diving into your turn.

1
Form teams
Divide players into two teams of equal skill level, with Empire vs Rebels or Republic vs Separatists
2
Create starting fleets
Each player builds a 200-point task force with custom commanders (no standard commander cards)
3
Apply squadron cap
Limit squadrons to 1/3 of total fleet points (67 points at 200-point start)
4
Restrict unique squadrons
Fleets cannot include unique squadrons from the start; they must be earned later
5
Ban large ships initially
No large base ships at campaign start; they can be upgraded to later
6
Ban Starhawk and Onager
These ships are not recommended for 200-250 point task force play on 3x3 maps
7
Select starting locations
Each team picks two base locations with Resources tokens during setup
8
Place initial bases
Teams establish their starting bases on the campaign map following setup rules
9
Assign commander abilities
Each custom commander starts with abilities based on available XP tiers
10
Prepare strategic tokens
Set aside Ally, Destiny, Diplomats, Repair Yards, Resources, Skilled Spacers, and Spynet tokens
11
Reference the turn structure
Familiarize with the sequence on the rules booklet back cover

On Your Turn

What you can do during your turn.

1
Follow campaign turn structure
Progress through Management Phase, Strategy Phase, Battle Phase in order
2
Collect strategic tokens
Gather one token from each location with a base or where you placed a sticker this turn
3
Build bases
Construct one base per turn unless you have fewer than three, then build up to two
4
Declare assaults
Only one assault can target an enemy base or presence location per turn
5
Resolve battles
Fight on a 3x3 play area using task force rules
6
Gain experience
Commanders earn maximum 3 XP per battle
7
Select rewards
Winner and loser choose rewards from the battle location
8
Use fleet reserve
Bank unwanted reward points in reserve instead of buying squadrons/upgrades
9
Add or remove forces
Discard squadrons and upgrades to recover half points for new purchases
10
Spend strategic tokens
Use tokens for tactical effects during battle or strategic effects between battles
11
Track campaign score
Monitor both total campaign score and current act score separately
12
Apply conditions
Task forces can have multiple conditions (Low Fuel, Low Morale, Low Supplies) simultaneously
13
Repair scarred units
Spend yard points to unscar ships and squadrons between battles
14
Upgrade ships before pivotals
Spend Ally/Repair Yards and Resources tokens to buy or upgrade ships

Winning

How to claim victory.

1
Track act scores
When a 3-player team reaches 5 campaign points, the act ends and a pivotal battle occurs
2
Fight pivotal battles
Win pivotal battles to score additional campaign points and advance the campaign
3
Declare climactic battle
If trailing by 5+ campaign points when a pivotal occurs, declare a climactic final battle
4
Increase fleet cap by act
Maximum fleet points rise from 200 (start) to 250 (Act 1) to 300 (Act 2) to 300-350 (Act 3)
5
Expand commander abilities
Maximum ability tiers increase from 4 (Act 1) to 6 (Act 2) to 6-8 (Act 3)
6
Apply crippling rules
Ships escaping with depleted shields and minimal hull count as crippled for scoring
7
Use tabling rules
Standard tournament tabling rules apply; play out the round then calculate scores
8
Win the climactic battle
The team that wins the final climactic confrontation wins the campaign
9
Compare total scores
If no climactic battle is declared, the team with more total campaign points wins

watch & Learn

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FULL rules

Looking for the full details? Grab the complete rulebook as a downloadable PDF.

PDF RULEBOOK

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