All mark 1 with Admiral Motti.

I totally new to this game, so is it better to have more naked ships or less with upgrades?

Most would say try running no upgrades for a couple of games to get a feel for the ships, and then start to change it up.

However there are a few upgrades that are so ubiquitous they are almost auto include, particularly demolisher and assault concussion missiles on your gladiator.

Thank you for the insight

Most would say try running no upgrades for a couple of games to get a feel for the ships, and then start to change it up.

However there are a few upgrades that are so ubiquitous they are almost auto include, particularly demolisher and assault concussion missiles on your gladiator.

It looks like your current list tops out at 299 points, so adding ACMs and Demolisher isn't feasible with your current listing. A Gladiator I with ACMs and Demolisher costs exactly the same as a Victory I (73 points), so it would be easy to trade one for the other if you have access to another gladiator model.

That said, your current list is heavy on hull damage and can take a beating. With four ships and 36 hull, you'll be hard to table. You might want to avoid Speed 2 Vics in the early rounds, as they tend to overshoot their targets. Navigate commands on a Vic (for an extra yaw) are invaluable for keeping enemy ships in your front arcs and avoiding crashes into obstacles and other ship.

Go forth and restore order to the galaxy.

I have my first tournament in a few weeks. Would this list be noob friendly? Help cover up mistakes made by a lack of experience?

I have my first tournament in a few weeks. Would this list be noob friendly? Help cover up mistakes made by a lack of experience?

I'm no expert, but I'll be happy to give you my two cents, for what it's worth.

Your list will be hard to table, so in that respect, yes, it's a noob friendly list. The easiest way to lose a match is to lose ships, but just a single 10-hull Vic, even if focused down, takes a while to finish off. Bringing three of those ships down is a daunting task, even for a seasoned player. Unless you fly some of them off the board, it's hard to imagine you losing more than two ships in a 300 point match--especially if you repair regularly--barring some exceptionally bad luck on dice rolls.

You also have four activations, which is really high for 300 point lists. If you have more ships than your opponent and go second, you can do back-to-back activations at the end of the round, getting your ships in close without having to hazard enemy fire; if you go first, you can go last in one round and then activating that same ship first in the next round, basically allowing you to move into position and then shoot (over the course of two back-to-back activations). There aren't that many lists with more than four activations, so the odds of you being victimized by this tactic are very low.

That said, there are still some areas that require special attention with this sort of a list:

1. Your damage output is entirely reliant upon your dice rolls. Without commanders/upgrades that modify dice results (Screed, H-9s, Leading Shots, Warlord), or give bonus damage based on dice results (ACMs), you'll have to live with whatever damage output you roll. With three Vic Is, that means relying upon your red dice primarily, as most enemy ships should be doing their best to stay away from your front arcs at close range. Get used to shooting at long range, and take advantage of double-arc shots whenever you can get them.
2. Your maneuverability is bad. Vics get a single yaw at speed 1 or 2, so once they're pointed in a direction, it's hard to change it. Maneuver commands can help by giving you an extra yaw, and even a maneuver token can be helpful (changing your speed to avoid crashing into another ship or obstacle, for example). Concentrate Fire commands are sexy, but a maneuver command that sets up a double-arc shot--or keeps your target in your front arc for another turn--is far more valuable. Practice how you want to deploy your Vics. If you place them too close together, they can collide on the simplest maneuver. If you place them too far apart, one can be singled out and damaged/destroyed before the others can react and reinforce. Your gladiator is far more speedy and maneuverable, which is both a blessing and a curse. There's nothing more liberating than a glad operating at peak speed, but if it outruns your Vics, a single glad is a dead glad.
3. You have no innate defense against squadrons, and the workhorses in your fleet move slowly and telegraph often. Fortunately, you have tons of hull and shields that squadrons will have to burn through. Your best bet is to do your best to ignore the squadron damage (shooting only at squadrons that wander into your side/rear arcs), and concentrate your primary firepower on the enemy carrier(s). Once a carrier goes down, squadrons become harder to manage (though they can still pose a threat to you if your opponent plans for the carrier's demise accordingly). If you're facing significant enemy squadrons, odds are that you have a 4-3 or even 4-2 ship advantage. Remove all enemy ships before your enemy destroys all of yours, and you score a win and 300 victory points.
4. You have a defense-oriented build, so don't forget to play defensively. Attrition is on your side. You want the enemy to come to you (preferably into your VSD's front arcs, at close range). You want lots of overlapping arcs, and no exposed/unprotected flanks (the Gladiator can help shore up any weaknesses). You want to shoot every turn, and repair often. Keep yourself in the fight, win the war of attrition, and wait for your opponent to make a mistake.
5. Because your fleet favors a defensive strategy, be ready to take advantage of any opportunity where you have an offensive advantage. A boxed-in ship should be destroyed in short order, as should any ship that ventures into your front arcs at close range. Keep your gladiator at the ready for sudden strikes on opportunistic targets.
6. Finally, I'd pay very close attention to the three objectives you pick. With 299 points, you have a very low initiative bid, and with four activations, my guess would be that most players will be afraid to have you go first (out of fear of the last-first activation order, discussed above). If that's the case, you'll be second player often, so your choice of objectives could be critical. Some of them significantly favor your build, others put you at a disadvantage. There are some excellent threads on the forum on objectives, if you want more information.

Good luck, and welcome to Armada.