Overview

Armada is a naval exploration and colonization board game designed by Philippe des Pallières and Patrice Pillet, originally published by Jeux Descartes in 1986 and later republished by Eurogames in 2001. Players represent colonial nations (or pirate bands in the 3rd edition) competing to explore and control an island archipelago. The board features a central island group surrounded by four corner islands, and gameplay revolves around an action point system for moving colonists and ships, exploring for gold, and battling rivals and indigenous peoples. The 3rd edition adds action cards for more chaotic gameplay.

Components

• Game board (island archipelago map with 5 island groups)
• 300 plastic markers (colonist/pirate counters, 18 per player)
• 150 tokens
• 8 two-masted metal ships (2 per player)
• 3 special six-sided dice:
  • Combat die
  • Indigenous peoples die
  • Gold die
• 55 action cards (3rd edition only)
• Rules booklet

Setup

1. Place the island archipelago board in the center of the table.
2. Each player selects a nation (or pirate band) and receives:
   • 18 colonist/pirate markers
   • 2 ships
   • 2 action cards (3rd edition only)
3. Place starting colonists and ships on the player’s home island (one of the four corner island groups).
4. Place indigenous people markers on the central island group as specified.
5. Determine the first player.

Turn Structure

Each turn, a player receives 10 Action Points to spend on any combination of actions:

1. Move colonists/pirates: 1 AP per colonist moved to an adjacent space or onto/off a ship.
2. Move ships: 1 AP per ship moved to an adjacent sea space.
3. Explore: 1 AP to roll the gold die and indigenous peoples die when entering a new area on the central island.
4. Attack: 1 AP to initiate combat against indigenous peoples or rival players.
5. Convert gold: Spend gold to recruit new colonists/pirates.
6. Play action cards: (3rd edition) Play cards for special effects.

Actions

Movement

• Colonist/pirate counters move one space for 1 Action Point each.
• Ships move one sea space for 1 Action Point each.
• Colonists can board and disembark from ships at coastal spaces.
• Players allocate their 10 AP among any combination of units and actions.

Exploration

• When a player moves a counter onto a new space on the central island, they spend 1 AP and roll:
  • Gold die: Determines how much gold is found in the area.
  • Indigenous peoples die: Determines how many indigenous people inhabit the area.
• Gold is collected as a resource; indigenous peoples must be dealt with through combat or avoided.

Combat

• Initiate combat by spending 1 AP and moving at least 2 colonist/pirate counters into an occupied area.
• Combat is resolved using the combat die.
• Combat can occur against indigenous peoples or against rival players’ colonists.
• Defeated counters are removed from the board.
• Conquering an area allows you to establish a trading post or claim a city.

Trading Posts and Cities

• Control areas by having your counters present and no opposition.
• Establish trading posts in controlled areas on the central island.
• Trading posts generate ongoing benefits and count toward victory.
• Cities are controlled settlements that opponents may try to conquer.

Action Cards (3rd Edition)

• The 55 action cards add surprise events and special abilities.
• Cards can provide combat bonuses, extra movement, resource theft, or other effects.
• The action cards increase randomness and reduce the purely strategic nature of the base game.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

A player wins by achieving either of these two conditions:

1. Owning 3 trading posts on the central island plus retaining control of their original home island.
2. Conquering 4 cities controlled by other players.

The game ends immediately when either condition is met.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• 10 Action Points per turn: The AP system means every move costs resources — efficient allocation is critical.
• Gold conversion: Gold gathered from exploration can be spent to recruit new colonists, replacing losses.
• Two-counter minimum for attack: You must move at least 2 counters into an area to initiate combat.
• Central island is key: The large central island group has the most valuable territory and is where most conflict occurs.
• Home island vulnerability: Your home island counts toward the trading post victory condition, so losing it is devastating.
• Edition differences: The 1st/2nd editions have a colonial nations theme; the 3rd edition rebrands as pirates and adds 55 action cards.
• Indigenous peoples: These neutral forces defend the central island and must be overcome through combat.

Player Reference

Action	AP Cost	Description
Move colonist	1	Move one counter to adjacent space
Move ship	1	Move one ship to adjacent sea space
Explore	1	Roll gold + indigenous dice at new area
Attack	1	Initiate combat (need 2+ counters)
Convert gold	Varies	Recruit new colonists with gold
Play card	0-1	Use action card (3rd edition)

AP per turn: 10 Victory (option 1): 3 trading posts + home island Victory (option 2): Conquer 4 opponent cities