- BGG rank
- BGG #22,028
- BGG rating
- 5.8
Who Is Going to Do the Dishes?
- 2–4 players
- 20 min
- Complexity 1.3/5
- 1991
- BGG rank
- BGG #30,879
- BGG rating
- 5.2
Armada
1986
Rules assistance for Armada
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–4 players
- 120 min
- 10+
- Complexity 2.2/5
Rules assistant for Armada
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Armada is a board game released in 1986 for 2–4 players, 120 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Philippe des Pallières and Patrice Pillet and its main mechanics are Action Points.
Similar games
- BGG rank
- BGG #27,803
- BGG rating
- 5.5
Totem
- 2–4 players
- 90 min
- Complexity 2.4/5
- 1995
- BGG rank
- BGG #15,537
- BGG rating
- 6.4
Vertigo
- 2–4 players
- 90 min
- Complexity 2.2/5
- 1990
- BGG rank
- BGG #4,753
- BGG rating
- 6.1
Wooly Wars
- 2–4 players
- 30 min
- Complexity 1.7/5
- 2002
- BGG rank
- BGG #7,253
- BGG rating
- 6.8
Was'n das?
- 4–9 players
- 45 min
- Complexity 1.3/5
- 2005
- BGG rank
- BGG #8,309
- BGG rating
- 6.2
Shazamm!
- 2 players
- 30 min
- Complexity 1.9/5
- 2003
- BGG rank
- BGG #23,485
- BGG rating
- 5.7
Zwergen Ziehen
- 2–4 players
- 20 min
- Complexity 1.1/5
- 1997
- BGG rank
- BGG #27,591
- BGG rating
- 5.5
Savannah Café
- 2–4 players
- 20 min
- Complexity 1.2/5
- 2001
- BGG rank
- BGG #29,113
- BGG rating
- 5.0
Amazones
- 3–5 players
- 30 min
- Complexity 1.1/5
- 2006
- BGG rank
- BGG #31,150
- BGG rating
- 4.9
Pack of Flies
- 2–5 players
- 20 min
- Complexity 1.1/5
- 2003
- BGG rank
- BGG #76
- BGG rating
- 8.1
Sleeping Gods
- 1–4 players
- 60–1200 min
- Complexity 3.3/5
- 2021
- BGG rank
- BGG #1,392
- BGG rating
- 7.1
Dead Men Tell No Tales
- 2–5 players
- 60–75 min
- Complexity 2.6/5
- 2015
About the game
A board game with a nicely realized island group, which offers protection for either four nations or four pirate bands (depending on the edition) and indigenous people. Components: 300 plastic markers, 150 tokens, 8 ships made of metal with 2 masts, 55 cards (3rd edition only), 3 six-sided special dice, 1 rules booklet. Between the second and third edition, the theme of the game changed. The first and second have a theme of four nations exploring and colonizing new land, while the third edition has a pirate theme. The third edition also adds 55 action cards, resulting in more chaos and - possibly - less strategy (at least that's what is suggested in the rules). The board shows an island group composed of five smaller island groups separated by ocean. There is a large island group in the middle and four smaller ones in the corners. The four smaller island groups are the homelands of the four nations in editions 1 and 2 and the pirate bases in edition 3. Nations / pirates set out to explore and conquer the big island group in the middle (or each others' homelands). Every round, each nation / pirate group has 10 action points. With these you can accomplish various actions: move, load ships, explore unknown areas, attack your opponents, etc. Most important action is probably exploration, in which you roll two special dice which determine how many natives and how much gold there is in a neighboring, unexplored land. You'll have to fight the natives to conquer that land and get the gold. The gold itself you use to muster new armies / pirates. Conquest ultimately decides the winner. In the 3rd edition, you can use special cards to optimize your course or counter the actions of opponents. Thus you have a large freedom of movement, unfortunately your opponents do also. A winner of the 1986 Concours International de Créateurs de Jeux de Société.
Categories
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Descartes Editeur
- Eurogames
Questions and answers
Armada supports 2–4 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Armada is 120 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Armada for ages 10 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Armada has a complexity rating of 2.2 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Armada belongs to these categories: Fighting, Exploration, and Nautical. Its main mechanics are Action Points. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Armada are: Philippe des Pallières and Patrice Pillet. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Armada as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.