The Holonet War College: Military Strategy, Naval History and Armada
29th October 2025
Rosco
5 mins
Preface
Alright, it’s time for me to really nerd out and get my Naval History hat on again. Strap in.
This article kicks off a new segment, The Holonet War College. It’s all about how Star Wars: Armada, among many other games, quietly teaches players the same kind of thinking that real admirals and other military minds have had to master for centuries. Across several posts, perhaps a series, we’ll look at how the game’s mechanics reflect real military strategy and tactics that have, in some cases, been derived from lessons learned the hard way; from Trafalgar to Midway, and then transposed across to Naboo to Exegol.
Intro
If you’ve ever played Star Wars: Armada, you’ll know it’s more than just moving cool plastic ships around the table. It’s a game that rewards patience, planning and the ability to live with your mistakes, which is exactly what real admirals have had to do for centuries.
As Naval Officers, we are expected to have a general, well-rounded knowledge of military history and strategy. This includes the likes of Clausewitz, Mahan, Nelson, Nimitz and so on. It’s with this background knowledge that I’ve come to realise that Armada doesn’t just simulate Star Wars battles. It quietly teaches you real-world strategic thinking. Every command dial, every activation order, every botched manoeuvre - even the bloody dice going against you - it’s all a lesson in military history disguised as a tabletop space battle. We know it’s called “wargaming”, but I want to highlight some of its origins. Here are a few quick parallels to get us started:
Command Dials and the ‘Fog of War ’
Clausewitz: Much like a more youthful Tarkin, don’t you think…?
Everyone has heard the term before, but it was Clausewitz who coined the term “fog of war”, the uncertainty that clouds every commander’s judgment. I think Armada captures that perfectly with its command dial system.
You have to lock in orders a few turns ahead, before you know what your opponent is up to. You might plan a repair too early or commit to a speed change just as the enemy turns away, like an admiral at Jutland guessing wrong about where the enemy fleet will appear. That feeling of being a step behind, of having to make decisions with incomplete information, is what real commanders have always had to deal with. The game doesn’t let you off the hook either; it makes you think like a leader, not just a tactician, particularly in how you place your forces at risk in an attempt to regain the advantage.
Big Ships, Bigger Egos
Mahan: Complete with moody background “It’s not a phase Mum!”
The Empire’s approach to fleet building would make Alfred Thayer Mahan proud. Mahan, a 19th-century naval theorist, reckoned wars are won through massive fleet engagements and sea dominance. In Armada, that’s your classic Imperial mindset: pile into a Star Destroyer or twelve and go looking for a decisive battle to finish the Rebellion, once and for all.
But the Rebels, whether they know it or not, follow Julian Corbett’s school of thought. Don’t fight fair, stay mobile and hit where it hurts. Rebel players often win not by smashing the enemy fleet, but by outmanoeuvring it. It’s the same argument navies have been having since sails first met steam, big fleet versus smart fleet. This is as relevant today as it was then.
From Midway to Endor
HM Ships Prince of Wales and Repulse learned about unchecked air power the hard way off the coast of Malaya in WWII…
History is full of lessons about what happens when technology and doctrine clash. Before WWII, most admirals believed battleships would always rule the oceans. Then came carriers and air power, and the Battle of Midway changed everything.
Just like Midway proved that air power could decide battles before ships even saw each other, Armada reminds players that ignoring squadrons is a fast way to lose. Learning how to use carriers and screens properly is a direct parallel to the shift in naval warfare in the Pacific. The fact that the game teaches this without ever saying so is part of its brilliance.
Logistics and Initiative: The Unseen Battle
Boyd: “Is that a… Combat Refit Interdictor up there..??”
Every good commander knows that wars are won long before the shooting starts. Logistics, timing and initiative are what keep fleets alive, and Armada builds that into the game.
Command ranges reflect comms limits. Activation order becomes a fight for tempo, and deciding who acts first can matter more than firepower. That struggle for initiative - acting faster than your opponent can react - is pure John Boyd. It’s about getting inside your opponent’s Observation-Orientation-Decision-Action (OODA) loop. Even the objective cards make you think about priorities beyond just destroying the enemy. Whether you realise it or not, you’re learning about operational planning and resource management every time you play.
The Admirals Hiding in the Rules
If you look closely, you can spot some familiar names hiding in the game’s DNA:
Clausewitz – The fog of war in every uncertain command dial.
Mahan – The Empire’s obsession with decisive battle and heavy ships.
Corbett – The Rebels’ focus on mobility, positioning and indirect victory.
Boyd – The tempo and initiative built into activation and reaction.
Nimitz – The cool, adaptive commander who understands carriers win wars through timing and logistics.
Yamamoto – The bold strategist who bets on surprise and coordination to strike first and hardest.
You don’t need stacks of military theory books to appreciate it, but the principles are there all the same. Armada turns strategy from something you read about into something you feel at the table with each decision you make.
The ‘So What?’
The best strategy games don’t just test your reflexes; they shape how you think. Armada makes complex strategic ideas fun, intuitive and appropriately challenging.
“War is the province of chance”
It’s one thing to read about “risk”, “friction”, and “uncertainty” in a book or hear about them in one of Drachinifel’s YouTube videos. It’s another to watch your perfectly planned formation crumble because you guessed your opponent’s move wrong two turns ago and now you’re buggered. That moment of frustration is the same lesson admirals have been learning for hundreds of years.
So next time you’re setting your command dials, remember, you’re not just playing a game. You’re stepping into a long tradition of strategic thinking, just with more pew pew and fewer real consequences.
Here we go
But seriously - that’s what makes Armada such a gem! Beneath the space pew pew dice rolling stuff and the angry space Dorito miniatures, it’s quietly teaching players to think like professionals. It’s a strategy textbook disguised as a wargame, and that’s what makes it brilliant (and my favourite).
Ok, so I reckon that this is a good start… In possible future parts of The Holonet War College, I can dive deeper into how Armada’s mechanics echo real naval history, and what those lessons say about command in any galaxy, not to mention my own tabletop.
Basically, if people are keen for more of this type of stuff, I’ll keep putting these out, drawing out specific examples in detail.
If you’ve found yourself learning real lessons from your games, or if you’ve got your own take on how Armada mirrors history, drop a comment below or on our socials. I’d love to hear how others approach strategy when the galaxy’s on the line, or even recommend some more history nerd subjects we can deep-dive into!
Cheers,
Rosco 🥃
