If everything is equal (gear, stats, etc) and excluding lightsabers, is a tricked out vibroaxe more useful than a tricked out riot shield + vibrosword?

Depends on what you want to do. The vibrosword+shield combo is very defensive, but has a very high combined Encumbrance. The vibroaxe hits harder and crits worse, but requires two hands. A matter of personal preference, I'd say.

Riot shield is ridiculously good, particularly if you stack it with as many defence granting/boosting items as possible (e.g. armoured clothing rather than padded/laminate).

Ahhh the old "Sword and Board vs Two Hander" arguement. Glad to see some traditional RPG elements surfacing.

On topic: I'd use the Czerhander from Suns of Fortune I think it is, a mix of the nastiness of a axe with the defensive qualities of the sword.

If you have Defensive Training (the talent) then weapons with Defensive loose much of their appeal since the talent rank replaces the weapon quality (if higher). I suggest using the Vibro-ax and trying to pick up a few ranks of Defensive Training.

My personal favorite is riot shield and blade-breaker. Then let the actual combat people fight it out.

Blade breaker seems like it would be fun.

Vibrorapier + Blade Breaker

I tried the combo on a Performer with low Brawn but ranks in Melee and I was actually OK in melee combat, though I did prefer to use a blaster for most combat situations (higher Agility)

I favoured vibrosword and stun baton (with weighted head) when I was playing my marauder.

Having concussive as an option was nice for non lethal takedowns.

If you have Defensive Training (the talent) then weapons with Defensive loose much of their appeal since the talent rank replaces the weapon quality (if higher). I suggest using the Vibro-ax and trying to pick up a few ranks of Defensive Training.

That's true, but Defensive Training is limited to a select few specs from F&D that focuses on lightsaber combat - hardly applicable to most character builds. People who aren't Force sensitive aren't likely to swing by any of those specs just for this talent. Marauder would be a much better choice for them.

You can't stack Defensive qualities.

https://community.fantasyflightgames.com/topic/108101-ffg-developer-answered-questions/
The question I'm looking at is under Personal Scale Combat, question by Yepesnopes:

Does a character wielding two Ryyk Blades (or two superior vibro swords) gain automatically two advantages with his melee checks? or just one?
Does he gain 2 points of melee defence (one per weapon) or just 1?

Answered By Sam Stewart:
Just one advantage, and just one melee defense.

So if you're using a Riot Shield and a vibrosword, you'd get getting 2 Defensive dice, not 3.

It should still stack with armor defense, though.

Wow. That makes sword and board a bit less appealing. Not sure I agree, considering the system favors offense to begin with, not sure where the harm is in letting these qualities stack.

Also, FWIW, in Oggdude's character tool, the shield and sword stack.

Also, FWIW, in Oggdude's character tool, the shield and sword stack.

It's worth pointing out as an error and nothing more.

Vibrorapier + Blade Breaker

I tried the combo on a Performer with low Brawn but ranks in Melee and I was actually OK in melee combat, though I did prefer to use a blaster for most combat situations (higher Agility)

Your charcater would attack with the Blaster and defend with the Blade Breaker and still have the option of using the Blade Breakers "Sunder" if you want.

A character I am playing uses a "X-30 Lancer" + "Blade Breaker" for defensive melee ranged combat.

He switches to a "Vibrorapier" + "Blade Breaker" if blasters are not an option (some places we go to have a "No Guns" policy).

He gets the same melee defense bonus (assuming they don't stack) but the "Pierce:5" on the "Vibrorapier" means even with low Brawn he can deal some decent damage when the blaster is not available.

The "Vibrorapier" also has this going for it "Unlike other vibroblades, which emit an audible hum, vibrorapiers are completely silent" which is good for stealth characters.

Riot shield is ridiculously good, particularly if you stack it with as many defence granting/boosting items as possible (e.g. armoured clothing rather than padded/laminate).

Wow. That makes sword and board a bit less appealing. Not sure I agree, considering the system favors offense to begin with, not sure where the harm is in letting these qualities stack.

It's an awful lot of setback dice to start throwing, mostly. 2 for the shield, 1 for the sword, 2 for your armor... Five setbacks? Really? Four is a lot, even if you don't count the sword.

And realistically, if you have a massive shield and any kind of armor, I'm not sure you'd get much of any defensive benefits from the vibrosword.

As far as being less appealing, I'm not sure what you think you're missing out on. The +3 damage weapons are all two-handers, so as far as sword-and-board goes, the vibrosword is about the best thing you're gonna find short of a lightsaber.

Wow. That makes sword and board a bit less appealing. Not sure I agree, considering the system favors offense to begin with, not sure where the harm is in letting these qualities stack.

It's an awful lot of setback dice to start throwing, mostly. 2 for the shield, 1 for the sword, 2 for your armor... Five setbacks? Really? Four is a lot, even if you don't count the sword.

And realistically, if you have a massive shield and any kind of armor, I'm not sure you'd get much of any defensive benefits from the vibrosword.

As far as being less appealing, I'm not sure what you think you're missing out on. The +3 damage weapons are all two-handers, so as far as sword-and-board goes, the vibrosword is about the best thing you're gonna find short of a lightsaber.

Is 5 setbacks that bad for a melee/brawl focused character? And that is on the extreme side. Most people are not going to have the hut shell armor or a personal deflector shield. The 1 purple for engaged difficulty is almost laughable. The majority of melee/engage focused PCs/NPCs are going to be able rip right through that. At least ranged focused characters will have 3-4 purples plus setbacks to help protect themselves. The melee/brawl characters have to cross range bands, making them easier targets to hit as they do it before they even get to swing. So why not give them some extra survivability?

The best possible defense I think is only 4 setback:

Personnel Defector shield (+2 Defense)

Hutt Shell Armor (+2 Defense)

I hardly think that is such a huge advantage.

The 1 purple for engaged difficulty is almost laughable.

The difficulty of a combat check depends on whether the attack is a ranged attack (using Ranged (Light), Ranged (Heavy), or Gunnery) or a melee attack (using Melee or Brawn).

Melee attack difficulties are always Average (2 Purple).

Ranged attack difficulties depend on the distance the target is from the active character, or in other words, the range band the target occupies.

Those modiferes are found on page 210 in the "Making Ranged Attacks While Engaged" section.

Why they thought putting the modifers in a different section from the base value they modify was a good idea I don't know.

"Superior Reflexes" (+1 Melee Defense, Not Ranked) and "Armor Master (Improved)" (Increase Defense by 1 when wearing an armor with a soak rating of 2 or higher, Not Ranked) would likely also stack in this situation.

The best possible defense I think is only 4 setback:

Personnel Defector shield (+2 Defense)

Hutt Shell Armor (+2 Defense)

If you want a Difficulty 1 attack to use on an Engaged opponent, I suggest the Ithorian Bellow.

Mostly what arclance said, here. Aside from that:

Most people are not going to have the hut shell armor or a personal deflector shield.

No, probably not, but there's enough ways to increase your melee defense. If you're defense-minded, 2 is generally the max (short of, yes, layering a force field with talents).

The best possible defense I think is only 4 setback:

Personnel Defector shield (+2 Defense)

Hutt Shell Armor (+2 Defense)

I hardly think that is such a huge advantage.

Anyway it's not about the "huge advantage", it's about not having to roll scads of dice every time you attack the guy. The designers have stated that their intent is normally you wouldn't roll more than three setbacks on a given roll. Not unless there's some unusual circumstances at play. Your normal defense loadout really shouldn't be that hefty.

The best all around defense to me looks like

Hutt Shell Armor: 2 Soak, 2 Defense

Armor Master (Improved): Increase Defense by 1 when wearing an armor with a soak rating of 2 or higher

Riot Shield: Defensive:2 (+2 Melee Defense), Deflection:2 (+2 Ranged Defense)

This comes out to 5 Ranged and 5 Melee Defense.

Superior Reflexes would push that to 6 Melee Defense.

If you make the Shell Armor Superior it also gives you a Soak of "Brawn + 5" since you will get "Armor Master" on the way to "Armor Master (Improved)" and Hutts have 1 Racial Rank of Enduring.

Of course you are only a 3 Advantage Sunder away from someone disabling your Hutt Shell Armor with you inside it which might leave you imobilized.

Now I want to play a Hutt who beats people with a Riot Shield.....

My personal favorite is riot shield and blade-breaker. Then let the actual combat people fight it out.

Defensive bonuses from the 2 items don't stack. You can stack armor and weapon/shield, but not shield & weapon.-Per one of the devs in the EotE forum.

The way I read it you get one "set" of Defensive from weapons, whether you're using one or two (and a shield counts as a weapon) and one "set" from the armour you're wearing. Talents that give +1 Defence (Superior Reflexes I believe it's called) also stacks, unless otherwise specified such as with the Defensive Training talent.

The way I read it you get one "set" of Defensive from weapons, whether you're using one or two (and a shield counts as a weapon) and one "set" from the armour you're wearing. Talents that give +1 Defence (Superior Reflexes I believe it's called) also stacks, unless otherwise specified such as with the Defensive Training talent.

Well there's Melee Defense and Ranged Defense (the Defensive & Deflection qualities can add to these), and then there's General Defense. General Defense does not stack with Melee or Ranged Defense.

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Armor increases General Defense, meaning that it doesn't stack with Defensive or Deflection qualities.

The talents Superior Reflexes and and Sixth Sense offer +1 Melee Defense and +1 Ranged Defense (not the Defensive or Deflection qualities), so those don't stack with armor either. The way I read them, though, is that they would stack with the defense offered by the Defensive & Deflection weapon qualities because of their "+" symbol.