Why Armada Organized Play (OP) Matters to Me
Armada is the first minis game I've ever played, and the only one I stuck with. Minis games intimidated me for a long time because it felt like a lot of time and money to invest in a game at which I might never play well enough to validate such an investment. Honestly, I was thinking of games like Starcraft II, World of Warcraft, and first person shooters when I was thinking that way. For those video games, I couldn't afford to invest enough time in getting good at them for them to be satisfying. So I either had to invest more time than I could afford, or I had to be disappointed with my results when I couldn't invest enough. Minis games felt very similar. Especially because I was mostly basing that assessment on my extremely limited knowledge of Warhammer 40k.
Anyway, I started playing Armada because I thought it looked and sounded cool, but mostly because a friend of mine, Biff, wanted to play it. I found starter sets on sale, and so bought 2 for the price of 1. As with most games, Biff stomped me out on a regular basis. As in not even close. And he tried explaining to me why I was losing, what he was doing, etc., but it just wasn't clicking for me and I was getting frustrated. So I quit. My investment sat there, mocking me for a little while, before I decided to give it another try. I'm honestly not sure what caused me to try it a second time, but I fared no better than the first. Frustrated, I quit Armada. Again.
But that crap sat on my game shelf, taking up space. Just...you know, sitting there. Biff and I fell into a bit of a games rut, unsure what to play beyond the massive amounts of Descent we were playing. Especially relevant here is knowing that the Conquest LCG ended. That was a big blow for us. Because we not only loved the game, but we started to breathe it as well. Why? Because it was a game of competition, and he and I were constantly deck-building, theory crafting, experimenting, etc. It's ridiculous how much time, energy, and thought we invested in that game. Especially once we hit on solid decks that nobody on the tournament scene would see coming. We'd chosen warlords everybody ranked in the bottom tier and knew we were making them work.
All of that to say that the prospect of competition is what drove us. So when Conquest went away, there was a big gap in our gaming. And so, for the third time, I decided to try Armada. This time, we met some other Armada folks at our FLGS (Game Nite), and the game finally stuck. I was finally starting to get a handle on the basics. But beyond that, there was a community in which to play instead of it just being me and Biff. That was huge, but so was the promise of competitive play. Enter OP.
The swag is awesome. I really enjoy having alt art and other little trophies from playing and winning (or not, as I still don't have any fancy dice to throw!). For me, those little things make the game more fun. I don't need them, but they're fun and I get to be proud of earning stuff, since we're not playing for a boatload of money, right? Anyway, that's all great. But it's the community and competition that keep me playing Armada. The campaigns are fun, and so are casual formats and matches. But I stick with the game because it scratches that competitive itch better than any other games I've tried. It keeps me thinking about the game on a regular basis and building different fleet lists and theories on a nearly daily basis. That drive is what has kept me playing the game, even in the huge release gap that I know frustrated so many of us. And not for nothing, but even during that release gap, the meta still managed to evolve! That's ridiculously cool, and a testament not only to the Armada community for somehow discovering new combos and tactics, and not only to the game for being as deep as it is, but to OP. Because OP kept us all playing and innovating.
Covid has been tough on all of us. And some of us have been hit harder than others. Some of us have lost friends and family members. None of what I say is meant to marginalize or invalidate those experiences. But one of my biggest struggles has been the lack of consistent gaming, because that's huge for my mental health, for a variety of reasons. To that end, not having Armada OP has been tough on me because it's harder for me to stay engaged if I'm not building toward the next competitive event. Not impossible, of course, just difficult. Because I love building for that next challenge. It gives me focus, and gives my builds purpose.
So while I know that OP is not for everyone, there are those of us who miss it. And for those of you who have considered dipping your toe into the OP pool, but have been intimidated or reluctant for any reason, I encourage you to give it a shot. There's, in my opinion, that much more joy and fulfillment to be found in this game and this community through OP. This may sound silly, but if you've got doubts, drop us a line! I won't push you to try out the tournament scene if you don't want to, but I'll happily answer your questions and speak to your concerns. And if afterward, you want to try, then that's great! And if you remain unconvinced, that's cool too! Armada is like whiskey: there's no shame in drinking it the way you want. If anyone shames you for adding water or ice, that says plenty about them and nothing at all about you. But I can also promise that the vast, VAST majority of the Armada community won't judge you for playing Armada the way you want to play it. There's more than enough room for all of us! But we're always happy to see more people on the OP scene :D
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