An artistically done week for FFG Star Wars miniatures

  For those of us who have played the old TIE Fighter computer game there was several novel moments.  One was working your way up to being the Emperor's Hand.  Another was flying agile superiority fighters like the TIE Defender.  But one of my favorites was getting to fly one of those fearsome Assault Gunboats that were such a thorn in your side in the previous incarnation of the flight/combat simulator: X-Wing.  In that game they were the ambush monster of the mid mission.  Whether they were coming after you, a VIP transport, or making an attack run on the ole' Liberty, the gunboats were deadly strike craft.  Given their elegance and lethality, it was a little surprising to me (and some others) that the awesome StarWing was passed up for the boxy Punisher in the X-Wing table top game.  Given the lack luster performance of the Punisher, I'm glad we waited.

  In several spaces the fan community (myself included) has patiently and persistently asked for the Gunboat and this week we got it.  I was over the moon! Even better, the model was clearly based on the FractalSponge renders (which we be the gunboat I wanted to see the most anyway)

Fractal's excellent work

  Flying the gunboat was a treat, but then in old flight sim had another surprise.  Eventually you were caught up in an Imperial Civil War on the Fringe with Admiral Thrawn as your commanding officer.  While certainly he is most visible now in the Rebels TV series, it was equally nostalgic that FFG used a sort of mid way point between the two and gave us the Chimaera this week for Armada too.  Not only did we get the Chimaera, but we also received some Mandalorian heavy fighters, two new variants of the ISD, and Vader as a boarding party.  Truly one of, if not the greatest week in Star War table top space battles.  My hat's off to FFG and heres to more great things to come...

  However I did discover something that very much surprised me

  I don't want the Episode 7+ stuff to come into Armada.  I really like its setting as the early Galactic Civil War.  For a little while the community was left wondering if the hideous new Episode 8 "Dreadnought" would be the "big thing" coming down the pipe or if it'd even be the Resurgent.  I'm a big fan of the First Order stuff in X-Wing, but to me advancing towards bigger and newer ships is not something I want at all in Armada.  If anything I'd much rather have the Clone Wars ships come into the game over something something Kylo Ren or Poe.  To me, there is a feel that has developed around a game of Armada. They feel gritty, a little desperate, and really really fun.  I was thrilled at the move to pull in Rogue One stuff and I find holistically that the ship designs in that film fit much better into the Star Wars Universe than the new First Order capital assets we've seen so far.

  So here's a hats off to FFG for a simply stunning set of releases this week (especially for us Imperials).  But here's also a hope that the scope of time for Armada will stay at least pre-Endor and retain the flavor that makes Armada such a joy