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While watching B5, the Vree battle-saucers were my favorite ships, next to the Minbari war-cruisers. Can anyone who's used them in the game provide feedback on how well they fare? Strengths, weaknesses, tactics, etc? I was thinking of creating a battlegroup of just Vree saucers, but I'm unsure as to the viability of such a force in the game and currently I own none of the rulebooks or other supplements.

I played with one last night, they are manuverable but not particurally fast, have a very nasty weapons that is on a turret, and lots of anti fighter guns. They also have low hull and hits and disintegrate pretty quickly. They are a finesse fleet and not very forgiveing to mistakes

In our new Expansion campaign my fist game was a Patrol 4 mission with my Drazi against Tim's Vree. Let me sum up:

Me: 2 Victory Points
Tim: 45 Victory Points

The Vree are GREAT at low priority levels. However, like all members of the "League of Non-Alligned Worlds" the Vree don't do well at All priority levels. At higher priority they run into trouble.

But no problem, they can ally up with other league members to complement their forces.

I don't think you'd be sorry with Vree. The background fluff on them is great too. They ARE the 'little grey men'.

Thanks, DM. What about combining Vree saucers with other ships in the League? Additional viability there?

And forgive me for asking, but how well does B5 lend itself to power gaming? I don't power game myself, but I was wondering what are some especially nasty combinations of ships to look out for?

Thanks, Russ, for the information. So they are definitely more viable at low 'point' levels?

So they are definitely more viable at low 'point' levels?

B5 works wierd in this way, but yes, they are basically stronger in smaller actions than in larger ones. Other races, like Shadows and Vorlons, are the reverse. Much better in larger battles than small skirmishs.

The races in the "League of Non-Aligned Worlds" work well togeather. Some races are better in large games, others, like the Vree, are better in small. You can choose to field a "League Fleet" if you like and pick some from each list. So the nice thing about Vree is you can start with them, then add ships from other league races later.

And forgive me for asking, but how well does B5 lend itself to power gaming? I don't power game myself, but I was wondering what are some especially nasty combinations of ships to look out for?

We're just starting our campaign, with already more than 10 players, so I'll have more data on that soon. Right now I'm having a hard time seeing any min/max combos yet. The rule set is really tight. Plus, there's nothing like "wargear". Each ship is what it is. The only "killer combos" are which ships you choose to use with each other.

So far no one's really complained about particular combos. It's more this kind of stuff: "How do you deal with all that stealth the Minbari have?' Or "How do you deal with the Earth fleet interceptors"

That kind of thing.

Russ, since you have more experience than me with B5 (though I anticipate getting the rulebooks and whatnot soon), could you recommend for me a primarily (if not solely) Vree fleet up to the Battle level and downwards to Patrol?

I'm also interested in perhaps building a Vorlon fleet. How do they fare? Weaker at lower Priority, stronger at higher Priority?

Russ, since you have more experience than me with B5 (though I anticipate getting the rulebooks and whatnot soon), could you recommend for me a primarily (if not solely) Vree fleet up to the Battle level and downwards to Patrol?

Whoa, that's a tall order, kinda like saying "Can you make me 40k lists for 500, 1000, 1500, 2000, 4000, and 5000 points please for orks."

Too much flexibily to even go there. There are as many options in fleet design in B5 as there are in WHFB or 40K. I can't tell you what to take for every possible engagement size. I wouldn't know where to begin.

I'm also interested in perhaps building a Vorlon fleet. How do they fare? Weaker at lower Priority, stronger at higher Priority?

Vorlons are almost the exact oposit of Vree. Strong at high, weak at low, and not manuverable.

Okay, no problems, Russ.

I was reading the official forums for MP and saw 1 guy recommend 10 Vree Battle Saucers for 5 pt Raid missions. Viable? Legal? Worth it to include a Scout Saucer as well if possible?

I was reading the official forums for MP and saw 1 guy recommend 10 Vree Battle Saucers for 5 pt Raid missions. Viable? Legal? Worth it to include a Scout Saucer as well if possible?

It is certainly legal. If you read my review of B5 again you can pick up a description of how fleet priority works. Basically you play a mission at a given level, say Raid 5.

This means you can have 5 ships if each of the ships is Raid priority. In the above case a Battle Saucer is "Skirmish" priority, which is one below Raid. This means you can have 2 of them for every 1 Raid point. So 10 is legal.

The scout saucer was very annoying in my game against Tim. Mostly because it has a Stealth trait of 5+. This means that when you attempt to shoot it if you fail to roll a 5+ on a D6 all your shots miss!!

A very nice little saucer. There are also some nice advantages to the "scout" trait.

Ah, thanks for the explanation, Russ, much appreciated; I hope you didn't violate any IP with those explanations though.

So would I want the majority of my fleet to be an even split between Battle and Scout Saucers? Or more like 2/3 Battle and 1/3 Scout? Mostly I'm just trying to stick to the fluff of the Vree by only taking 1 Scout Saucer, at most 2, in any Vree fleet.

As for the small game you mentioned before, could you comment on tactics and strategies to using the Vree? DM mentions they're maneuverable and have good guns, but don't move very fast and can't take much damage. Does that go along with your own experience in that other game? Do the Vree's weaponry (range, strength, etc) at least make up for their lack of durability?

Darn, seems my last post got lost in the forum glitch.

Anyway, in my post I also expressed my interest in the Vree (must be all that playing of U.F.O. Enemy Unknown).

I'm wondering what the strengths and weaknesses are of the other League races. Obviously I'll need to team up with some of them when I get to higher priority levels but what does each ally bring into the fight?

Thanks in advance for any info guys.

Nobody out there who can give me a bit more insight? Russ maybe? You play Drazi right?

I like my vree.  They are really maneverable and they can really pack a punch, but they are fragile, and in raid or bigger they start to be out gunned.  Definetly tabe a torpedo saucer or two.  Theie long range will help!

Here are some pics

 

 

Very nice paint job! (I assume the men are not to scale? ..... or are the Vree kind of like the aliens at the start of Men of Black?)

Ooooh, nice painting!! Thanks for shwoing them!

@vonTed: The Vree are actually the 'little grey men', the classic grey large-eyed alien also known as 'Sectoid' if you've ever played U.F.O. Enemy Unknown.