Full Thrust

Introduction to Full Thrust First Edition

The photocopied starting point for Full Thrust, with the core ideas already visible.

Full Thrust First Edition

Full Thrust First Edition [GZG 1991] is the edition covered in this note.

First Edition is the rough beginning of Full Thrust as a published game. It is not the version I would put in front of most new players now, but it is worth knowing because the basic shape is already there.

Full Thrust First Edition Table of Contents

Core Rules

  • Equipment
  • Sequence of play basic & advanced
  • Ship classes
  • Weapon systems
  • Firing arcs
  • Fire control
  • Movement of ships basic & advanced
  • Movement orders
  • Ships leaving the table
  • Ship record chart
  • Sensors & Target Id
  • Hull Armour
  • Fighters
  • Anti-fighter weapons
  • Collisions & Ramming
  • Freighters & civilian ships
  • Morale
  • Play aids & models

The game is still recognisably Full Thrust: write movement orders, move ships, resolve fire, mark damage on records, and use whatever ships or counters make sense for the table. Later books tidy the machinery, but First Edition shows the design aim very clearly.

What makes it interesting

The most useful thing about First Edition is how little it needs to get going. It comes from the beer-and-pretzels end of the hobby, with enough naval-space flavour to feel like fleet combat but without pretending to be a physics textbook.

That simplicity is also its limitation. If you are used to Fleet Book ship records, revised beam batteries, and the later design system, First Edition will feel thin. As a historical ruleset, though, it is a good reminder that Full Thrust was always meant to be adaptable.

  • Good for seeing the original rules skeleton.
  • Useful for very simple old-school games.
  • Less useful if you want the later Fleet Book balance and polish.

Table notes

I would keep forces small and avoid trying to graft every later idea onto it. The charm is in seeing the original approach breathe a bit.

Card counters are perfectly in keeping with the period. The game did not depend on a locked miniature range, and that is one of the reasons Full Thrust stayed useful for so long.

Useful sources