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Star Wars ARMADA: Wave 2 Incoming!

By Rob Baer | April 7th, 2015 | Categories: FFG / Asmodee, Star Wars, Star Wars Armada

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Get ready to spread fear across the galaxy, Armada Wave 2 is incoming!

Take it away FFG:

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 $49.95

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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, the Contain 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 $29.95

 

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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 $39.95

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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 $19.95

swm14-layoutHan 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 Rogue keyword, 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 Armada conflicts.

Imperial Raider Expansion Pack $19.95

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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 first 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.

 

It’s looking like Wave 2 is where both fleets will get really rounded out and start to feel like those Return of the Jedi fleet battle scenes.

The more you tighten your grip, Tarkin, the more star systems will slip through your fingers…

About the Author: Rob Baer

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Rob Baer

Job Title: Managing Editor

Founded Spikey Bits in 2009

Socials: Rob Baer on Facebook and @catdaddymbg on X

About Rob Baer: Founder, Publisher, & Managing Editor of Spikey Bits, the leading tabletop gaming news website focused on the hobby side of wargaming and miniatures.

Rob also co-founded and currently hosts the Long War Podcast, which has over 350 episodes and focuses on tabletop miniatures gaming, specializing in Warhammer 40k. and spent six years writing for Bell of Lost Souls. 

Every year, along with his co-hosts, he helps host the Long War 40k Doubles Tournament at Adepticon and the Long War 40k Doubles at Las Vegas Open, which attracts over 350 players from around the world.

Rob has won many Warhammer 40k Tournaments over the years, including multiple first-place finishes in Warhammer 40k Grand Tournaments over the years and even winning 1st place at the Adepticon 40k Team Tournament.

With over 30 years of experience in retail and distribution, Rob knows all the products and exactly which ones are the best. As a member of GAMA (Game Manufacturers Association), he advocates for gaming stores and manufacturers in these difficult times, always looking for the next big thing to feature for the miniatures hobby, helping everyone to provide the value consumers want.

While he’s played every edition of Warhammer 40k and Warhammer Fantasy (since 5th Edition) and has been hobbying on miniatures since the 1980s, Titans of all sizes will always be his favorite! It’s even rumored that his hobby vault rivals the Solemnance Galleries, containing rulebooks filled with lore from editions long past, ancient packs of black-bordered Magic Cards, and models made of both pewter and resin.