Vassal is a Java (which most people already have on their computers) application used to replicate board games.
The Armada Vassal module is a top-down (2D) recreation of the Star Wars: Armada miniatures game.
It's not a substitute for the real thing, but a supplement, to let player hone their skills and connect with opponents across the globe!
Why Vassal?
It's 100% free.
Always up to date with the latest releases and previews.
Easy to use.
If you can use a mouse and a keyboard you're good. Simply put, every game piece has a right-click menu with all available actions.
As you play, you can learn hotkeys for important actions (hotkeys are visible in the right-click menus) to greatly speed up play.
You can automatically set up your fleet based on export from the major list builders. Very fast and convenient.
Lots of automation and reporting reduce bookkeeping to a minimum and speed up play.
Support for Corellian Conflict and Rebellion in the Rim.
You can play from home (convenient and safe).
You can save games and continue later.
You can log games and review them later.
GREAT community! Easy to find games and always friendly and casual.
You can join ongoing games as an observer and watch.
Get inspired by the lists you meet online and the talented players behind them
The only real drawback: you try something on Vassal, then decide to buy more plastic to try it IRL 🙃
How to successfully Vassal?
Watch the tutorials below!
Get online, watch a game or two.
Vassal's open nature means you can easily watch other people play.
Excellent way of getting inspiration for lists and play styles.
The Vassal players are all very welcoming and casual, so take the plunge and PLAY A GAME.
Even if you're really good at Armada, don't expect to win your first game - many Vassal players are really good + it takes some getting used to a digital format.
Don't be discouraged. Play another game. Then another.
When in doubt: RIGHT-CLICK. (Almost) everything has a right-click menu with actions.
Learn the important shortcuts for a faster, less mouse-intensive game.
Did I mention right-clicking? Right-clicking shows the hotkeys (if any) for that command.
Use the Preferences menu to customize your play experience.
EMBRACE the top-down graphics!
It looks pretty, but it'll never be 3D. If you MUST have 3D, TTS is the thing for you.
2D does, however, offer utter clarity and pixel precision.
Learn to use Shrimpbot over in the Discord to generate setup files based on fleet builder export.
Text export of fleet, PM to Shrimpbot, !vassal <paste list>, download vlog file, open/join a room in vassal, load continuation <vlog file>, step forward until fleet appears.
This way you can have any fleet set up in SECONDS!
Get a 2nd screen - or a big one. Being able to see the tabletop AND have room for the chat on one side is VERY helpful.
My home office/nerd space has THREE big screens... compared to my laptop that's a huge difference.
Don't be afraid to use Discord voice chat. Text chat is nice, but voice is even better. Especially if you're learning the game/module.
That said, I know many players appreciate Vassal bc they don't need voice to play.
TTS is an excellent platform for online play. No reason to limit yourself to Vassal.
Playing online isn't a substitute for the real thing. Push the plastic and the pixels both
Module version 4.2.5 "This is Vassal WC 2021"
Download: http://www.vassalengine.org/wiki/Module:Star_Wars:_Armada
Direct download link: https://1drv.ms/u/s!AmLOw84tw_3YhO8ApmKE2NT7f2oPpQ?e=FKoQ0V
Checksum: 66ec389a
OVERVIEW
Official VASSAL WORLD CUP 2021 version!
Fixed the chat delay bug!
### WARNING!!! ###
THIS VERSION OF THE MODULE IS NOT COMPATIBLE WITH ANY VERSION PRIOR TO 4.0.0!
REMEMBER TO UPDATE YOUR VASSAL INSTALLATION!
### WARNING!!! ###
Vassal Armada includes:
every ship, squadron, card, and token (up to and including wave 9/Clone Wars)
every card updated in the Card Pack
support for Corellian Conflict and RitR
Bug reports:
report them over at the Discord
Feature requests/suggestions/questions:
report them over at the Discord
Matchmaking:
join a tourney announced on this forum
hang out in the Vassal Armada lobby (when logged into the module)
join our Star Wars: Armada Discord server: https://discord.gg/ym4sUAy
join my blog's Discord server: https://discord.gg/H5R34FE4zB
use the Facebook Armada Online group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/starwarsarmadaonline/
Tutorials:
Green Knight