Fighters may only be brought onto the map aboard a carrier that can use them. Shuttles, armed shuttles, breaching pods, and other small attack craft may be used. Shuttles can always be told apart from breaching pods, however. The board is set up in the usual fashion. There is no terrain.
Players toss a coin to see who begins placement first.
The second player then matches this by placing one of his ships along his map edge. This process then repeats itself until all units are placed. If this is done, the player need not announce their presence, though he must document where they are in secret, and reveal this written record the moment they launch. Even if they are not used during the match, they still count as part of the fleet point total. Shuttles of any type, including breaching pods, must begin play aboard their carrier.