So yeah...VSD 1 good...VSD 2 bad?

Ive been using a Vic 1 with slaved turrets and a support officer.

Sounds crappy till it maneuvers perfectly and auto concentrates fire at the perfect time.

5 reds at long range.

4 red and 4 black at close range. 83pts.

Fun, and actually works.

I'm still running a Vic-1. The 37 points difference between the 73 points on a Vic-1 and the 110 for ISD-I allows for most of my fighter wing.

I came in 2nd at my LGS Store Championships (3 wins but lost on strength-of-schedule) running:

ISD-II - Gunnery, ECM, SW-7, XI7 (145 points)

Vic-I - Screed, Ordnance Experts, Assault Proton Torpedoes, Tractor Beam (114 points)

Glad-I Demo, Expanded Launchers, Ordnance Experts (83 points)

Boba Fett

Tie Fighter x4

I place the commander on the Vic-I and flank it with the ISD-II and Demolisher to basically dare my opponent to target it. It worked well versus an MC80, MC30x2 fleet and an ISD-II, Raider x4 fleet, but struggled against a tricked out Demolisher. That Demolisher's (Glad-II, Sensor Team, Engine Techs, Expanded Launchers) contained Sensor Team which allowed it to select a Accuracy to negate my brace. I deployed conservatively and the Vic-1 bait got exposed and went "boom". The good thing, my opponent skirted my ISD-II and Demo too much with his 180 point ISD-II and flew it off of the board. What are you going to do, not take those points?

I find I'm still trying to justify the VSD and find some role for it. The gun spread is good, the hull and shields are good, but I think the defense is where the ship is hit the hardest. Speed can be overcome if you're a ship that can take a bunch of hits and survive while dishing out just as much damage. After all, just look at how well MC80s work without Engine techs. But if the ship can't tank...?

Recently I thought about taking a couple of them to use as heavy firepower support for a 3xRDR or 2xRDR + Gladiator build. They would be deployed last, in the likely spot the enemy is going to go, with the hopes of hitting them hard when the enemy gets there. I could take Is or IIs... the former is kitted out for serious black dice punching and the latter will probably just have XI7s or SW-7s or both. The idea is that the VSDs creep forward slowly while the opponent is trying to negotiate with my higher-speed assets (in either chasing or avoiding them).

If the opponent comes at the VSDs, then my quick ships can come about and act in support.

We have a tournament coming up. I won't use the VSDs there, but I would like to experiment once store championship season is at an end and we're back to casual games.

I think that the issue with the victory for a lot of people stems back to their lack of manoeuvrability. Interestingly, this ties in with the canon: early in the days of the Empire, its propulsion systems were found to be inadequate, and those that remained in service had theirs replaced with Hoersch-Kessel Drive engines. This was technically the distinction between a Victory I-class and a Victory II-class, but it's not a distinction that's been carried through to Armada.

I wonder if there would be a way to produce a Victory-only upgrade that reflected this? Previously I've suggested an upgrade card along these lines:

Hoersch-Kessel Drive Engine refit

Modification

Victory only

Your maximum speed is increased by one.

At this speed, your yaw values are as follows:

[ I ]

[ I ]

[--]

Might fix the problem, but it's difficult to see how it would work - what upgrade slot would you put it in? And would you need to replicate it in other ships to be fair? You could possibly introduce a pack of cards along this idea of upgrading all the ships in both factions (call it the "Re-fit pack" and introduce cheap upgrades for individual ships that correct minor issues), but whether this would work or fit with how FFG do things is questionable.

The only other similar solution I can see is FFG releasing a card-set that creates a Victory MKII, based around the idea of this upgrade.

Actually, just make it an Imperial only offensive refit. Any other ship would be stupid to take it. every other imperial ship has the same, or better. Sure, it potentially gives the VSD1 something. ... Alternatively, make it an ion cannon upgrade. With, this ship cannot equip offensive refits.

Hmm, Offensive refit, Modification, Imperial only, this ship's speed 3 yaw chart is replaced with - 1 1, and it may move at up to speed 3. This ship cannot use black battery dice. 5 points.

... In theory it should work on Raiders too, as they tend to get unwieldy at speed 4...

Raiders have two viable speeds: Four, or Dead.