Does Armada from Mantic stand on it’s own or is it the next best thing for players and fans of Games Workshop’s Dreadfleet?
Mantic‘s 2 Player Starter for Armada has arrived and in their words is the Game of Epic Naval Warfare based on Black Seas from Warlord Games. As their description implies, the game of Armada is a naval battle skirmish game. What it doesn’t imply is that it is centered around the world of Kings of War.
During gameplay, the initiative or turn order is dictated by the direction the wind is going. Those positioned in favor of the wind go first. This is the first time I’ve ever seen this type of initiative mechanic. Combat is basically a continuation of their movement mechanic too, where you move your ships into position and unleash hell on the enemies from your row(s) of cannons. The game is quite dynamic in how the ships move and attack. For Kings of War players it also adds to the growing world for your own armies but fails to deliver towards progressing towards any sort of story or lore.
Compared to Dreadfleet, the gameplay is solid but where it fails is the detail on the models. The models are great, don’t get me wrong but the quality of Dreadfleet’s are far, far, FAR superior. Alternatively the assembly is much easier with Armada. With Dreadfleet no longer supported and this game still getting regular releases and it’s own core following it would seem Mantic wins in overall. Speaking of support, this is one of the first titles I’ve heard of that is directly setup with the Wargaming Simulator that is Warhall, allowing players to enjoy the game on the go or online with friends! I have always said I wanted a tabletop simulator that allowed you to play games like Warhammer and I think this may be exactly what I’ve been dreaming of. Add direct support for a well designed game like Armada and you have an extra large win!
