Full Thrust...

[Harry Faversham]

All ready for our first ever game, but looking for a bit of advice... wots the best starter fleet for both sides, to get the hang of the rules and wotnot?
 

[AKULA]

All ready for our first ever game, but looking for a bit of advice... wots the best starter fleet for both sides, to get the hang of the rules and wotnot?
 

TBH, to get the hang of the rules I'd just pick 2/3 ships per player (of different classes)...the game will be quick, bloody, and teach you the rules... if its over really quickly, then even better, try some of the more advanced rules, with a similar number of ships, and have another go....a corvette/frigate sized craft...something like a cruiser...and then a big sluggy battleship... will quickly show the different classes, and why you shouldn't attack a BB without a swarm of small craft.

[BeneathALeadMountain]

Akula’s advice is sound: start with a large ship and a couple of reasonable escorts just using beam weapons. You’ll have the knack of manoeuvring and the damage basics down very quickly. Next game swap out a couple of escorts for missile boats and repeat. I’m sure you’ll pick it up easily, it’s a very fun game.

One of my favourite childhood gaming memories is spending a couple of days playing FT (against my long term favourite opponent) outside on a tennis court with ships made from blocks of 3”x4” wood and plastic shopping boxes for the bigger ones. I love Full Thrust and can’t recommend it enough - have fun!

Andrew
BeneathALeadMountain

[Chief Lackey Rich]

Worth asking what version of Full Thrust you're planning to play.  There's really no one official set at this point, and you'll have quite different experiences when using (for ex) the core FT rulebook pdf with cinematic movement and generic ship designs than you will when using the Fleet Book pdfs with vector movement and faction-specific ships, or any set of rules with your own ship designs and weapon layouts - and that's not even considering the multiple fan-written compilations, additions and homebrew tweaks out there.  Playing FT (especially with strangers) usually requires some advance discussion of what your expectations are, and IME every group has their own idea of what a "normal game" consists of.

[Harry Faversham]

Thanks chaps, your input is much appreciated.



 

[Ragsta]

If you play the full Thrust light edition ir gives you set forces already if that helps. Love the ruleset regardless

[Malebolgia]

From what I remember from back in the day the NSL weren't the greatest to have as a starting fleet as their firepower can be quite insane. In a lot of games my opponents couldn't really get into the game as they were obliterated from far away.

[Rick]

Might be worth checking out the Star-Ranger's 'Starship Combat News' site - they have a pretty good repository of Full Thrust ships for various GZG fleets.

[Chief Lackey Rich]

Might be worth checking out the Star-Ranger's 'Starship Combat News' site - they have a pretty good repository of Full Thrust ships for various GZG fleets.

There's a link to this there, but it might be simpler to just go straight to Dean's FT Resource page, which has been updated more recently than, well, 2014.

https://fullthrust.star-ranger.com/

There's also his franchise crossover page, which is even older but pretty inspirational:

https://fullthrust.star-ranger.com/SFXmenu.htm

 

[The_Beast]

Beat me to the draw twice, Rich. I'm just getting decrepit...

As for which flavor of, I recently started a thread on TMP, a forum comatose but not quite past, as "If you play, which Full Thrust is your Full Thrust".

http://theminiaturespage.com/boards/msg.mv?id=579704

I will say I think starting with Light and using those forces to get the feel seems right.

As for how I remember the main factions in Fleet Book One, and it has been too long since I last played, NAC and ESU felt different but close, FSE were fast but fragile, and NSL slow but brutal.

If the table doesn't have room for maneuver and/or your play is strictly head-on, Malebolgia's description sounds about right. If you can get in their baffles...

Do return with after action reports and questions. I will be in the corner turning green with envy.

Doug

[Chief Lackey Rich]

Beat me to the draw twice, Rich. I'm just getting decrepit...

I'm not feeling too young myself these days.  Went blind in one eye earlier this year and almost everyone I used to play FT with has died in the last three.

As for which flavor of, I recently started a thread on TMP, a forum comatose but not quite past, as "If you play, which Full Thrust is your Full Thrust".

http://theminiaturespage.com/boards/msg.mv?id=579704

There's a forum I haven't thought of in years.  SCN's not really seeing much traffic these days either.  We're living in a past that's fading fast.

I will say I think starting with Light and using those forces to get the feel seems right.

It's pretty solid for beginners, yes.  More coherently written than the original FT, nowhere near as confusing as the FB and fan-compilation versions can be when you just want to get the basics down pat.

As for how I remember the main factions in Fleet Book One, and it has been too long since I last played, NAC and ESU felt different but close, FSE were fast but fragile, and NSL slow but brutal.

Those two pairings of semi-traditional foes (I mean, every faction fights everyone else sometimes, but ESU vs. NAC and FSE vs. NSL are the classics) tend to produce interesting fights, especially under vector movement.  ESU is a little tougher overall but NAC has more weapon variety and a slight maneuvering edge.  FSE vs. NSL will teach both sides how salvo missiles real fast, and who wins is likely to come down to who does so first.  Even NSL bricks do not like catching a full spread of FSE ship-killers and they don't have the number of ADFC and PDS mounts you tend to see with custom designs, while FSE tie up a tin of mass on thrust that doesn't help as much against broad NSL firing arcs as they'd like and their magazine space is low enough that even a few complete whiffs will leave them having to retreat instead of fighting an uphill battle.  That's one thing high thrust pays off with - running away. 

If the table doesn't have room for maneuver and/or your play is strictly head-on, Malebolgia's description sounds about right. If you can get in their baffles...

Running in on the enemy prow is a painful fight against anyone, but NSL will really punish you for it when you're light-ish on hull and and screens like FSE are.

Do return with after action reports and questions. I will be in the corner turning green with envy.

You and me both.  I've tried playing online and it just isn't the same.  Minis games need real minis, IMO.