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Hey everyone!

I have been looking around for a game to play with my girlfriend who usually is not too much into tabletop or boardgames even.

I am playing KoW and have painted hundreds of minis for that but would like to now start something new. Ideally, the game would have a lower model count, be (largely) prepainteda and somewhat affordable, so that I can delve into it and start playing shortly afterwards. Bonus points for it requiring less hassle regarding setting up time, size of the gaming board etc etc.

Armada seems to be good on all of the above counts - the remaining question is: is it fun to play against someone who would not be investing dozens of hours in list building and would not take it too seriously an affair anyway?

How strenuous on your grey matter does it get? I like a tactical challenge and like manouvering and strategy paying off, but would like a game that doesn't completely overwhelm a newbie.

Thank you so much!!

For casual stuff I think X-Wing is more affordable, but it depends on what appeals more to you.

X-Wing is definitely more causal-friendly, especially compared to Armada.

Make no mistake, Armada is an awesome game, but it isn't something that you can just pick up and play really quick in a casual setting.

Yeah, I'd probably say X-Wing is more what you're looking for there.

However, Armada does have its place in that same sort of casual environment, particularly if you set it up as a team game. - Geek & Sundry had a good time playing armada with a whole group of completely newbies in a team game.

If you want to do Armada casually, the Starter set is a hard sell, as the rebels require a lot of finesse to use well right out the gate. pick up some of the expansions should make it easier, and a lot more variety to the game.

Armada requires the player to think two or three moves ahead of the game, and has a huge difference in power and tactics between the various different units such as Star Destroyer, fighter squadrons and Frigate.

X-Wing is a much more immediate game with closer balance of power between the basic units.

How strenuous on your grey matter does it get? I like a tactical challenge and like manouvering and strategy paying off, but would like a game that doesn't completely overwhelm a newbie.

The core rules of Armada are fairly intuitive, but the command stack concept can be a source of difficulty for some players. There's a higher "frustration factor" as mistakes compound on themselves for several turns. My main hesitation with Armada as a casual game is that it's long. Expect to spend about 2 hours on a standard game (and you really do want to be playing standard games - it's a lot less interesting with small fleets).

X-Wing is a better casual game, IMO. Imperial Assault is also a great casual skirmish game (though the minis are not pre-painted like the space games are). All of these can be played at a high level if you want to go down the rabbit hole.