Armada – Mantic’s game of Naval Warfare

Armada

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!

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Warhammer 40k: The Arks of Omen

Arks of Omen

Abaddon’s Black Legion is spreading their influence and a new way of playing 40k with the Arks of Omen!

What started with Nachmund has paved way for the Black Crusade to nearly control the entirety of the Imperium Nihilus. Now the Arks of Omen are here to secure the rest and more. Abaddon has never been content his just his little corner of the galaxy and leads one of the only legions willing to expand their ranks from anywhere. This means he has one of the largest legions. Who will be able to stand up to this threat?

From a story perspective, this feels very much like the End Times of Warhammer. Will this result in a story reset or is this just the tip of the iceberg? I have no idea but considering the number of planned releases we have already heard about I don’t think this will be the equivalent of End Times.

From a game perspective, what does this supplement add to 40k as a whole? It adds an entirely new way to play games of 40k, utilizing terrain currently exclusive to the most recent releases of Kill Team. This expansion focuses on ship to ship combat or battles within the Space Hulks he has mobilized. Most of the information we have seen so far suggests his focus is on the Imperium. Will anyone else be strong enough to take on this threat? I highly doubt anyone will be strong enough to do it alone. Would be interesting if we had a global campaign to determine the outcome but I don’t think we are at a point where we will see that in 40k. Only time will tell though because I also said the same thing about End Times.