I was wondering if there is some players who already made a system which allow to play Armada remotly while both of them have the minis on the table (so without using Vassal and TTS).
Some french players have try to do it, and I will be really interesting in such way of playing Armada.
So I buy some graph papers to see if I can easily create a coordinates system with the idea that when all this changes are done, you don't have to go with the same trouble again and you can directly play
- For the ship, it doesn't seem difficult if we have all the calcul of the movements done by the computer. The fact that the ships's bases are transparents are really helpfull, it doesn't need any change. See example here.
- For the squadron it will need some adjustement, the base is big and round therefore the position isn't precise. You can either try to cut the base with a cutter (but you'll need a good blade), or paint four orthogonal dots. See examples here and here. When this is done, it's easier to put it precisely.
- For the obstacles, you'll have to mark them on the thickness/side on particulars spots that will determine their position. See example here. The only thing is to share the same spots.
So far the positioning seems to me not so difficult (but it's not the same thing to look for coordinates on a big playmat), it's mostly the squadrons which are bothering me. Depending on the list, they can be a lot of them, so it will take a lot of time to move them, and looking for coordinates when there is a lot of minis in a small space or on an obstacle doesn't appeal me a lot 😄 Maybe when you have such configuration, as there is a lot of landmark and the grid of the playmat, a photo will be enough.
I don't think I will go further in this little project because it will need work (at least you need a common interface where you have all the object's actual position). So unless if there is people interesting to help me, I will let this idea there.
So I end up finishing the playmat for this mode. What do you think of it ? https://www.dropbox.com/s/5opy6vkgm53n1kp/tapis.pdf?dl=0
Well, not all players have the ability to download and run VASSAL or TTS. For myself, my pc has been loaned to my neice to do her schoolwork. Besides, all the incoveniece is worth seeing actual ships on the table sometimes
Not to diminish what seems like a pretty hefty achievement if you make this work, but... why not just download TTS? It’s a blast to play that way. And there’s enough wiggle room in the joints of maneuver tools and exact sizes of playmats that I would bet by turn three, your games could be off by several centimeters. Which, given the “every millimeter counts” nature of Armada, would seem to be an unacceptable level of imprecision.
Also, if anyone wants to give this method of playing armada a try, just post here or message me!
Well, if you get your hands on a 3x3 playmat (or measureKent’s for one) I’d be happy to run through a game with you
If I found the time I'll try to make a model for a playmat (maybe 3x3 for the begining) and I will seek players to try it :)
Hmmm interesting, I’ll have to see if I can find that
Nice! Based on the intent rule for squadrons, don't remember what it was officially called, where you state your intention in moving a squadron. "I want to be within range 1 of the Y-wing, but out of range 1 the X-wing." As long as that is a possibility, it happens. That rule did more to keep squadrons from being a truly tedious part of the game than anything else.
A grid is a good idea, we thought of a grid too just didn’t get there yet
It's pretty close of my solution, but more elegant because you don't have to send coordonate like a battleship game. But you have to have the same playmat... So maybe I can still try to make a common playmat with a grid and try in your way.
A bit more difficult, we Text where we’d like to move them and how far, then we move and take a pic and send it to our opponent. If we need/want, we can measure from the closest known point and get the position relativrly close
@RogueSquadronLeader A nice simple solution. How do you handle squadrons?
so each player move the same ship then if there is a different position you correct it ? Seems easier.
So every move you're measuring the distance between the ship and the origin ?
Me and a friend are currently trying to perfect playing remotely as well. We both set up identical boards with identical mins (only use 1-2 ships and 2-3 squadrons). We set using the edge of our mat as 0,0 of an x,y coordinate system measuring with our range rulers from there. We also take pics with our phones and text our movements/actions. Not the most precise system but it seems to work for a small, causual game