Full Thrust

Introduction to Fleet Book Volume 1

Fleet Book Volume 1 tightens ship design and gives the main human fleets proper SSDs.

Fleet Book Volume 1

Fleet Book Volume 1 [GZG 1998] is the edition covered in this note.

Fleet Book Volume 1 is the point where Full Thrust becomes the version many players still mean by 2.5. It does not replace every earlier rule, but it changes enough that the game feels more settled.

Fleet Book Volume 1 Table of Contents

Core Rules

  • Introduction and designer’s notes
  • Vector movement system
  • New fire arc rules
  • Rolling ships
  • Reroll and damage rules
  • Core systems rules
  • Expanded fighter rules
  • Modified weapons systems
  • Defensive and other systems
  • Turn sequence summary
  • Salvo missile systems
  • Ship design
  • Mass and points cost table
  • Summary of weapon systems
  • NAC ship designs
  • NSL ship designs
  • FSE ship designs
  • ESU ship designs
  • Merchant and support vessels
  • Background information
  • Final comments and counters
  • New ship record sheet
  • Full Thrust starship miniatures list

Main differences from Second Edition

  • Real Thrust movement system
  • Mega weapons de-emphasised not to let them unbalance
  • 60 degree fire arcs
  • Rolling manoeuvres
  • Changes to the damage track
  • Penetrating damage system
  • Critical system hits
  • New fighter rules - greater range and endurance and fighters as PDS
  • Beam weapons now have numeric size designation
  • Pulse torpedoes - upgraded
  • Needle beams - upgraded
  • PDAF Point Defence System (PDS) - upgraded
  • ADAF changed to a special fire control
  • Hull Armour
  • No level 3 screens
  • Fire control has to be paid for in design system
  • Crew factors and Damage Control linked to damage track
  • New turn sequence (like More Thrust)
  • Salvo Missile System (SLM) - new very powerful offensive system
  • New mass based design system
  • No class breakpoints
  • Hull strength system using percentage of mass
  • Some beam classes get free arcs
  • Screens get expensive
  • Multi arc pulse torpedoes
  • Percentage mass system for main hull components

The big shift is practical: clearer arcs, revised beams, vector movement support, better ship construction, and full ship lists for the main human powers. It turns the game from a loose construction kit into something with recognisable fleets.

What changed at the table

The 60 degree fire arcs are one of the most visible changes. They make ship facing and weapon layout easier to read, especially when you are using miniatures rather than a hex map.

The revised mass based design system matters just as much. Ship builds become easier to compare, and the published NAC, NSL, FSE, and ESU designs give groups a shared reference point.

Why it became central

A lot of older games ask players to invent fleets before they have learned what a good fleet looks like. Fleet Book Volume 1 solves that by giving usable force lists and showing the design language in practice.

It also gives the official background more weight. You do not have to use the GZG setting, but the ships and political blocs make pick-up play easier.

  • Best starting point for human Fleet Book era play.
  • Strong reference for ship design and SSD layout.
  • Pairs naturally with Second Edition and selected More Thrust rules.

Useful sources