"FULL THRUST" is a very simple-, quick-play

system for large Srace Fleet actions, using

model Starships or counters. An absolute
minimum of equipment is required for play,
FULL .l:HRlJST!
and this booklet contains a page of copiable
ship counters t·o mcke up your own fleets
at minimal cost!
FLEET ACTIONS IN DEEP. SPACE
For full details of our other Rulebooks for
SF actions in 25mm and 1/300 scales, plus our
extensive ranges of resin-cast SF vehicle and
building models in 25mm, 15mm and 1/300, send
an SSAE (or 3 IRC's) to:

GROUND ZERO GAMES

"FIZNO"
BARKING TYE
NEEDHAM MARKET
•••
SUFFOLK
IP6 8JB.

ROUND
ERO
---
AMES

NOT JUST ANOTHER BUG HUNT ....

STRATAGEM
18 LOVERS LANE
NEWARK, NOTTS. By Jon Tuffley GROUND ZERO GAMES
~·~-
 ('- 'r'" ~ ..
.• -- _..; _ _ • ~-..i.--""'~'""""'
10: NA~~~ CXllDIWEAL111 NAVAL, CDl99. ~ ~· .
FR(Jt:
-~-

HESSAGE BECillS • • • • • • • • • • .
....
HHS FUIIOUS EC-1406. ASSIGNED S!SlfJt DEFENCE CAKES VENATICI
~ ..
This is Captai~ Aluander. nn der Keij, c_;:..,u;i H/S Mljest1'• Escort cnu;;J
.
~
1
"Furious"~ At 13:04:121:32 CST, one of - far'.-orbit..senaors .detected eMr1~
difflisi"on effects cliariicteristic of a 1-.e task torce -of'"naval units droppha out
' of rn. drhe Oil the limits of tbe Venatici s_ystea. All .atu.pu to c-niate ,,-
vith t11e· iiitrudera baYe pro.ed negathe • .ad there is no resp0nae to· IFF; ahen
the current state of relations with Eurmsi.aD Union_forces ve have no option but
to classify the unknowns as hostiles and take appropriJite measurea to defend the
Venatici colony.
To this end I have ordered the Lancer llaet.s HHS v..pire (L-3517) and VenOll CL-3522)
to assume low orbit around the colony to ~vide final defence, while Furious and
our accOllllnying Destroyer HMS Zumwalt (~2004) proceed to engage the· enemy units.
HMS Valiant (L-3538). has been ordered to make all speed outsystem to Freya with
this message, plus all accompanying sensor dO¥Dloads.
Latest long-range scan intelligence indicates ainimwa of twelve hostiles inbound,
with high probability of at least two. Capital units. Three more contacts are
exhibiting signatures of heavy transpo~ craft, so we can only assume this to be
a landing force. Our duty therefore is to attempt to inflict as much damage on
this taskforce as possible before they rem.ch planetary orbit. Tac.Comp predictions
of the survival chances of Furious and z.....alt in our optimua attack pattern are
approximately 2.4% and 1.7%; accordingly we expect this to be our last transmission.
Estimated time to firm sensor contact 2.l hours, time to engagement 2.8 hours.
We are proceeding to engage at full drive. May God be with us.
MESSAGE ENDS ••••. SENSOR DOWNLOAD FOLLOWS.

This rulebook is the culmination of nearl} eighteen years of development. This

may sound a bit of an exaggeration, but ~ basis of the rules were actually
written in 1973, at the same time that Sk!=rex Ltd. released the first ever
miniature Starships suitable for wargamiaa; large fleet actions on the tabletop.
Since those distant beginnings, the rules aave evolved through many forms and
stages, with new ideas being added, tested and discarded; this end result is very
different in detail from the earliest set, but in concept is very much the same -
a set of si~ple, straightforward rules tba: enable players to handle LARGE fleets
of ships (a dozen or •ore per side is no problem) while still playing in a
reasonable time. Few players regularly ha•~ more than a few hours to devote to a
single game session, especially on Club ni~ts and similar, so the intention was
for a game that can be played within this sort of timespan and actually FINISHED,
ie: not having to end the game after threi= ~urns and assess victory points because
it is closing time!!
The sections of the rules titled "BASIC GA."E" can be used alone to provide a very
fast-play game with any size of fleet, with no complications. The "ADVANCED GAME"
rules are all modular "bits" that can be aaded to the basics to increase the level
of detail and complexity, particularly vhem using smaller forces. Note that it is
not necessary to use ALL the advanced rules - just pick and choose the ones you
want (but agree which with your opponent fi...-st •. !); even with all the options in
use the game is still far from complicated. but this is deliberate - the aia is
to HAVE FUN, not get lost in fifty pages of rules trying to find sub-clause B:2
to rule number 76.2,special case 5 •••••.•••

--- - ·---
 . b. ~th all our nil.; ;,..~ •. dda ia~ GEICEIIC - that cu be ,ued With ADJ
. bacltaroUIMfor future historJ tliat die pla7us desire. ,There are .eyeraJ. epic
s119cet1'attl• that c -· to' mnd &'im SF literature anc1 Hla~ from the ' mnd- 8 4
boUlina'neet action8 of "Doc" s.to's -i.e-n" saaa up to· .,r-e lioden works . ' ~ . ~ t- '!': 4. ...
• s~ . u H. Johll ~rrison' "The. C-.ari. Dence" (vith :its voaclerfuLthree-vaJ FRIEA'IJ 6 6 izB (F,P,S) ixc (P,S.A)
battle between the Israeli World Cowzwnt, the Union of Arab Socialist -
Republics and the Interatellar .Amrdd.sts ! ! ) and of couz:se the huge Capital- D£STIOYER 6 - 8 '2zB (F,P,S) lxC (P,S,A)
ship bettl• at the cli•air of "Ret11n ·of the Jedi". ·. · ·
Host players vill be able to thialt af maDJ other examples, and probablJ have LIGHT CRUISER 6 12 lZA ·CF.P.S) hB. (F,P ,A) hB (F,S,A)
their own favourites; the rules p~de JOU vith a frlllll!Vork onto vhich you
can hang all the background detail Jl'llU vish. ESCORT CIUISEI 6 14 l&A (F,P.S) 2xB (F,P,A) 2xB (F,S,A) 2
HEAVY CRUISER 4 18 lxA {F,P) lxA (F,S) 2xB (F,P,A) 2xB (F,S,A)2
EQUIPMENT: .r
The only items necessary for play are a suitable tabletop or similar flat area, BATI1.ESHIP 4 22 2xA (F ,P) 2xA (F ,S) 2xB (F,P,A) 2xB (F,S,A)3
' ship 110dels or counters, a tape~ and a number of normal 6-sided dice (D6).
Other ite1111 may be used if desired to aake the g881! 11<>re visually attractive or DREADNOUGHT 2 28 3IA {F) 2xA (F,P) 2xA (F,S) 4xB (P,S,A) 3
faster to play, such as a "turning sauge" for easy course reckoning and reading
fire arcs, "Bogey" markers for unideetifed ships etc; details of these items are CARRIER 2 24 2xB (F,P,S) lxB (P,A) lxB (S,A) 3
given in the relevant sections of the rules.
._.
Players vill also need copies of tile Ship record Chart included with these rules,
vhich may be photocopied as necessary for personal use.
Notes on table: DAMAGE • number of Damage Points ship can sustain before
PLAYING AREA: being destroyed. FIRECON • number of targets ship can engage in one firing turn.
WEAPONS: Example: 2xA (F,P,S) • two "A• (Prillary) batteries, each bearing through
One of the great advanta~es of Starship combat games is that you do not need any 3 arcs - Fore, Port and Starboard. ·· - ·
"terrain": Any flat area (floor or tabletop) will suffice for a game - if you are
using a very small area, simply recia::e all scales and ranges accordingly (eg: use
centimetres for all distances insteee of inches).
For maximum visual appeal, obtain a large piece of black cloth or paper to cover WEAPON SYSTEMS:
the playing area and speckle it with dots of white and yellow paint in varying The basic game uses only Beam Weapons, ~her types being discussed in the optional
sizes - the resulting "starfield" is surprisingly effective! advanced rules. The term "Beam" is a generic one, and may be assumed to represent
any form of energy weapon the players aesire - Lasers, Phasers, Particle Beams
or Blasters!
SEQUENCE OF PLAY - BASIC RULES:
There are three classes of Beam weapon batteries available: Primary (A class),
In the basi~ game, players start of: by writing Movement orders for all their Secondary (B class) and Tertiary (C class) . Each battery fitted to a ship is
ships; both forces are then moved i~ accordance with the orders. All firing is denoted Ol!_ the ship diagram by a circle c~.:itaining the battery type, surrounded
then carried out by both sides: note ~hat it does not matter who "fires first", as by one or more lines indicating the fi~ arcs through which that particular
no damage takes effect until all fi:"l.ng is completed. weapon battery will bear. Thus a Priaaf! ( A) battery bearing through Port, Fore and
Finally any destroyed ships (those ciovn to zero Damage Points) are removed, and Starboard arcs would be marked as: 1' while a Tertiary (C) battery bearing Aft
the next turn begins. only would be: ~ -i.Y

Each battery on a ship can fire indepemiently, bu~ note that the total number
SHIP CLASSES: of different targets an individual ship may engage in one turn is limited by
Ships are referred to under the rules by COlllDon Naval titles (Frigates, Cruisers, the ship class. Each battery may fire 01Ke only per turn, through any~ of its
Battleships etc) as this will be simple for most players to relate to, and is eligible fire arcs.
also the terminology used in much of the SF media. If you want to give the
classes more exotic names, feel free to do so!
For ease of play a table of basic ship types is included, listing weaponry
and capabilities for typical exaaples of each major class. If desired, ships
can be "cust0111ised" by varying the ratings given, \ and guidelines for this are
given in the advanced rules.
Note that if you are using co11111ercial llOdel ships, just because a manufacturer
happens to classify a particular model in his range as a "Destroyer", this
in no way prevents you calling it a Cruiser, or anything else that fits in with
your fleet structure!
3

2
 ~~=i;:=.:::Fc '.:!"=a:::._
: ~ aaJ_ cfUilil:auC.fenii fnm -.pona fire u marked off OD the
.....: ,,;.·w.. ~-of ~~tteri~~t ranees anaef{K.u·a. follows: ,ta!,a•.~· ~P~S,. record cbart. llut dom_. . tam. effe.c:t. until the ad of,.the"J:wn
- alJ.T'fi~ ia conaiderelf,. aimul~ (1e: de8tro1'4 sh1)19 are not r~-:"
PlIMAlf liatt~rles h.-.i a .:n.U. ~ ~3'~-; -;- 0 - 12!' each battiart hu nim: anti~ all fiQ.Di u comjaleted,. so Un.,. blive no·t : yet fired in - that~ ' ~
dice· fOf hits: at 12 - 24" ~~ !uu!."'llD dice and a_t 24 - 36". ONE' die ~J.: ae.t a~~- do.., liefore ._ beiaa ~). _ .?· _. . - _ -,' ~ \~,~
~ batterlu have a range of. a•,. ..using 'l1IO .dice At. 0 - 12." ..and ONE die There i• no •JSt- in the basic a- &r reducing a shi11's capabilitieit .as it·
at 12 - 24" range. • suffers cia.aae; a ship • J still - ... fiabt at full strength until it is ~
'l'EITIAIY batteries have a rangit of l:Z-. onl.J • and use ONE die up to this mxillum. ~actuallj~ri!auc:ed to zero' points &D.i' llestroyed. Rules for gra4ual reduction o(
s~hip~,' abilities vi th d-&e ari;_ f . - iJI tbe ad".-anced g..e~ section if desi~.
For e•erJ die rolled, d-ge is J.nfliullll OD the target ship as follows:
1.2 or 3
4,5
6
NO EFFF.CT (a lliss or 1-ign}ficsnt d-ge).
ONE DAMAGE _PODIT i~ oD target.
1\IO DAMAGE POINTS infliaed on target.
l«>VEHF.NT OF SHIPS: ·
..,. . "'-.
The mowei.ent of any ship iD a gi•ea blra . ., be defined ~Y tvo factors: COURSE
and V~. The ~urse of a ship is pvea in terms of a number fro. 1 to 12,
Examyle: A ship fires at an enemy at a range of 18"; the firing ship can bring using a cl~k-face -thod; course 12 is defined at the start of the game as
tvo batteries to bear on the arc coDtailling the target, one Primary and one being a certain direction (usually tbe cent.re of one side of the plajing area)
secondary (whether there are any Tertiary guns covering the same arc is irrelevant, and all courses are then worked out tram this reference point.
since they are out of range).
The Primary battery has a firepower of 2 dice at 12 - 24", the Secondary one die Example: If course 12 is towards the '"liarth" edge of the table, then course 3
only; thus the total firepower is THREE dice. Rolling the three D6, the firing will be due "East", course 6 "South" ... course 9 "West". BO'lll fleets use the
same set of course references for a1l 111ne11ent.
player scores I, 6 and 5 - · this inflicts a total of TI!REE damage points on the
target ship (1 is a miss, 6 • 2 Damage. 5 • 1 Damage). A ship's VELOCITY is the number of indles it vill 1110Ye in that turn, in the
ALL WEAPONS FIRE IN THE BASIC GAME USES TIIIS SIMPLE SYSTEM. direction of its current Course. n;i.5 is recorded from turn to turn, and may
only be altered by the application of ~t for acceleration or deceleration.
Each ship has a THRUST rating, indicsti.11!1 the output of its Drives relatiwe to
FIRING ARCS: the mass of the ship. This thrust is asat to change welocity and/or course-as
The 360 degree space around a ship is divided into four equal (90 degree) arcs, necessary, according to the aovement or9ers noted for each ship at the start
denoted FORE, PORT, STARBOARD AND AFT. All weapon systems carried by the ship of the turn. The Tiirust Rating of any sbip is the TOTAL amount (maximum) of
must be defined as covering one or more of these arcs, subject to the rule that power it may use to alter_course and 'Pl!loc:ity in any one turn, subject to the
arcs covered by a sinRle weapon hattery must be adjacent - ie: a battery could following limitations:
fire through Fore and Port arcs. but llOI' through Fore and Aft. Primary (A) and AHY OR ALL of the available Thrust may be applied to ACCELERATE or DECELERATE
Secondary (B) batteries may cover up to THREE adjacent fire arcs. whereas hte ship, but only a maximum of HALF c:.be Thrust rating may be applied to COURSE
Tertiary (C) batteries may, if required. give all-round coverage through all CHANGES each turn. (Eg; a ship with Thrc:st of 4 can only apply 2 points of thrust
four arcs. Please refer to "Weapon Systems" rules for explanation of weapon to course changes, leaving 2 points to be used for Velocity changes; it could,
battery types. however, apply 4 points to Velocity anci not alter course, or, say, accelerate
All lines of fire are jud~ed from the centre of the firing ship model (or centre 3 points and turn just I point).
of its base) to the corresponding centre of the target. Note that any given target EACH POI!« OF TilRUST ALLOCATED TO VELOCT:"! O!AHGE WILL ACCELERATE OR DECELERATE
ship may only be in ONE firing arc of tlM! attacking ship - if it is visually THE SHIP BY I"; EACH TilRUST POINT APPLIED TO COURSE CHANGES WILL ALTER THE SHIP'S
impossible to determine which arc, decide by a random D6 roll. COURSE BY ONE COURSE NUMBER (ie: a 30 degree turn ).
ALL FIRING RANGES AND MOVEMENT DISTANCES ARE SIMILARLY DETERMINED FROM TilE Example : A ship with an available thrus~ of 6 is travelling (in its last move)
CENTRE OF THE SHIP MODEL. at a velocity of 14", on a course of 7. 7oe player wishes to accelerate and turn
the ship to Starboard, so decides on USl.Jlg 2 points of course change and the
FIRE CONTROL SYSTEMS : remaining 4 on velocity; this means the St1ip vill move at a velocity of 18"
Each ship class is equipped with one or 11<>re Fire Control (FIRECON) systems, (14 + 4), on a course of 9 (original c0g.,-se of 7, + 2 = 9) .
representing the sensor suites and coepater facilities for directing weapons NOTE that STARBOARD turns rotate the shi~ CLOCIWISE. so all Starboard course
fire. In general terms , Escort craft (those up to Destroyer class) carry chang~s are POSITIVE (ie: added to prewious course number ) . Conversly, all PORT
ONE Firecon system, Cruisers carry 1\IO and Capital Ships have THREE, as noted turns are ANTICLOCKWISE, so SUBTRACT fraa the previous course.
in the Ship· Class Table.
In basic game terms all course changes are made by rotating the ship model to
Each Firecon system allows the ship to eDRage ONE target during a. firing turn. its new course at the start of its mov-t. A slightly more "authentic" system
Thus, for instance, a Heavy Cruiser can engage up to 11JO separate enemy ships of maneuver is detailed in the advanced rules.
each turn, splittin~ fire from its weaponry as desired (noting, however, that
each individual BATTERY can engaRe one target only - a single gun battery can
neither split its dice rolls between tarsets, nor split fire between different IMPORTANT NOTE! Ships hawe NO maximum sfee(I limit; they may continue to
arcs). If more than one target is engagei by a ship using two or more Firecon accelerate each turn if they so wish. alllf vill 11aintain any velocity reached
systems, the targets .!!!!!!. be in differf!llt fire arcs. until they apply thrust to decelerate. loce, however, the rule on "Ships leawing
the table" before trying to go TOO fast!
Example: A Light Cruiser has one target in its Fore arc, and another in. its
Port arc: using its two Firecon systems. it can engage both. The player
decides to engage the Fore target with the "A" battery and the starboard 5
11c>unted "B" battery (as this cannot bear into the Port arc, but can fire
Forward) and use just the Port-side "B• i:attery against the target in the Port
arc.
 CJUEIS• • - " . - ~~-~ ,.. - ... .
......
· TIMf.,.Jdp .ncord cbarta. ha•e a ser.iea oE lloa•; for ~tin& eac:ll,tam'~ llOY-.nt ~--- is -U £or~ the ~ · - - ·~ ..____.L
ordm !or •dl ship. AT the start .of tlm.tana; eKii ~yer iUit. Write orders .0•-.it ai-e c aame, ea~ for • few points. Mi:nrement 'orders· aDcl
~·
for each of hia ships thBt he wishes to aP,iJ' thrut; if ' he villhes the ship whether ·ta concluc,tecl nactly as ffr a.. basic rules; then pla1ers decicJe .
sillply to llOYe ahead at its current ..-d. no orders are nece-ry (any ship on ·the tabl~ any A~tive se~r ~ • .ad any ships' thus revealed are placed
vlth nci"4J"ders Vill llO•e straight ahmi at unchanaed speed. as vill an:r_.that Fi•hters •a laas are BDJ re•ede eel bJ a.iaa within Passive scan ranae). AnJ·
are giien illpossible orde~ - ~nes t:bmt _ e!c~ the ship's thrust~'rating). - .. P J are now mov • , ,- -. ;

The actual orders are written in shmt -tation, ghina course chanae (if any) ::;:: 1
!!;ebe•!i=~~edbe~:.: WP11tneows1j basic-rules~ ~r'if.
as for i:he
and direction (Port or Starboard), phlli any Acceleration (as a+) or Deceleration one ship of hi h JllmJoen (the player with the llOSt ships fires
(as a -). The neloi final •elocity is diem written in- tlie smll boll after the ha•e '--- f1· -=-~ c oicei,hethenlhis op..-i fires one, and so on) -until all ships
_, r ..... or ne t r p ayer ~ t f · I
order boll, as reference for next tuna. Eg: an . order of P2, +4 vould indicate daaaae inflicted takes effect lftlEDIAlELY o ire any ~re. n thi~ case~ any
a tvo-point turn to Port (P), plus ~eration of 4".If (say) the ship had been chance to fire back. Use of this ral . •without gi•1ng the ene11y ship a
tra•ellina at •elocity 8 last turn, die aev total velocity of 12 (8 + 4) vould fire of ships: do ou f" d ede llri.111~ a lot more tactical thought into
be written in the velocity box to giwe die starting velocity for the next mo•e. before beiaa d t Y d ir~ : a11ag sllip first to ensure it gets its shot off
doin-g· llBlC;-- de sroy~ • or 0 you use your hei!_viest ships first in the hope of
- - aaage . -
SHIPS LEAVING TIIE TABLE:
H~ that _each . ship must fire all of its weaponry that it desires t~ use_at _
As there is no HAXIHUH speed for any ship (they can theoretically keep accelerating t e one t111e; it may not fire again 1-rer in the turn. -
each turn without li•it). it is possilale that sometimes a ship may find it
ill)>Ossible to turn enough to avoid flfina off the playing area. ADVANCED f'()VEHEN'f:
If this occurs, roll l die: on a roll of 1,2 or 3, the ship 111ay NOT return to
play during the game: a roll of 4, 5 or 6 indicates the ship may re-enter the The only alteration to the basic: · ·
table after the equivalent number of tarns have elapsed (eg: 5 turns if a 5 is ships. In this advanced rule, shi::-:o~~es~~!~ is to do with turning
rolled). Ships will always re-enter play from the same side of the playing area Change at the START of their movement If he full ~rdered Course
as they left, though the actual point of entry is up to the player.
~:~n!~u~::'a:~emo~=~dt~!1~t~:~i:;.~~l~~
thro h TWO
;tr!i;~~ =~~:;~g~~:tt~~!e~o~~s:he
or eir movement; if they are turning
THE SHIP RECORD CHART: (rou::ed now:r_more course points, thea they aeke HALF of the course change
The chart included in these rules should be photocopied enough times to move half dist if total ~~urse change is an odd number) at the start of ·the· DK>•e
give each player sufficient room for all his ships. To enter a ship's details complete the .:~~~~. t is course, them turn the remaining course points and '
on the chart, first write the ship I.D. (whatever mark or number is on the
model to identify it), and name the craft - naming individual ships gives a This rule has the effect of making ships ·
much better sense of identifying with your forces rather than just calling a curve, rather than sudden an ular llO•e in 110re of an approximation of
a model "Frigate No.3", and thinking up suitable names is an interesting more carefully about where thegshi ~adnt, and makes players t~ink rather
pastime in itself! P -~ e up wh en writing their orders'
Example: A ship is · 1 . .,.. •
Enter the CLASS of ship in the relevant box. then fill out the Ship Diagram It is ordered t mov~ng at ve ocity ~- • and is travelling on course 3.
with the systems the ship carries. STllDols for Beam batteries are described in the shi be . o _turn points to Starooard, bringing it round to course 5·
the weapons rules: Drives are denote<! cy a triangle with the Thrust Rating, 6" on c:urs!izs its move by turning to course 4 (half its full change)• mo~es
thus : L1!::::. If using the optional weapons from the advanced rules, Pulse ( H d . .__ • PlYOts again to course 5 and then moves its remaining 6"
Torpedo tubes are marked vi th the syaool c:. and Needle beams with - . a it ueen turning THREE course · ~ h · ·
course 4 as ab h poin:..s. t e ship would have first turned to
Mark each Fi rec on system vi th a ® S'.'llbol. ove, t en turned the re.a=ing 2 · t 6
point of its move). po1n s to course at the midway
Now fill out the Damage section by blanking out all boxes except the number for
the ship's damage value; if usin~ the advanced rule for specific: damage, leave
an equal number of blank boxes on eact: l ine so that reaching the end of a line
indicates the "threshold point" for special damage. As normal damage occurs
cross off boxes of damage, while specific: damage is noted by crossing out the
relevant system on the diaRram. Any other details (fighters carried, Bogey I.D.
etc) can be added in the NOTES section, while the rest of the chart is used
for each turn's order writing.

EXAMPLE OF RECORD CHART:

Below is one line of the record sheet. filled out fpr a sample ship from the
basic ship class table; the sheet is depicted after· several turns of play,
after the ship has taken some damage.
l.D. Ship Diagram Damaga Orders
D No.
3
~-©--©-
Pl , •?• l'f-iS :_, 0 l<t-
lame
r~s·~,..
~s~ ©-
0 ®
~~ ~
:laa
~net.rt'"""-

·. 7
-- - - - ---
 Admiral Battle
$HIP RECORD CHART Fleet
.1
( I. D. I Ship Diagram I Damage _ I Orders l
ID No.

~
Name

Class

ID No.

~
t>
Name

Claaa
/
ID No.

~-
Name

Class

ID No. F•
,.
.
t>
Name

Class
I
'\
ID No. ' .
' , . . .. --- •

t>
IName --
Class
/ I

ID No. F•

t>
Name

Class t ;
'
ID No. F• I

Name

Class t> I
I~
\'

ID No. I

Name

t> \
Class
/
i:.::· 11~ · 01 11111111 11 11 11 :. : I
 - - ---- - ~- -·-.-·- ---,
ID No.
Name

Class
[>
ID No. F.,..

[>
Name

Class
. )

ID No. F.,..
Name
[> . ,_
.,

Class
/ '

ID No. F.,..

[>
Name
'

Class

I~ No. F.,.. ,_,_

.. -· - .... - • •
[>
Name -- - -- -- - ~

Class

ID No. F.,..
-
Name

Class
[> •
'
.
ID No. I

Name

Class
[> \ I

ID No. F.,..
Name

Class
[>
..
ID No. . ,
i; p..I"
''
..
Name
[>
:' 1

f
Class

COPYRIGHT {£) 1991 J.TUFFLEY GROUND ZERO GAMES. Permission sranted to Photocopy for private uae.
 -----·~ --~-

ln the Basic rules, any ship could c:amc:i.Due to fight at full strength until HULL AJtKXJI:
. ... . . -
Under the hit procedure Wied. in the ~c . . . .. all ships ha;e
..actuallJ 4utroyed, r.egardlesa of cS-.. 8USt&ined. Thia is obYiously a •ast ~ -;_ ..,..
the - cbance
oYer-simplification, and if 11e>re accsracy is desired the. following procedure
may be used_. of sufferiiia damp fro11 W.j,on hita. 'l1d.a ..U• allova for header ship__
, . . classes to be 1111re resistant to hit effects, through hull al'90ur, defensiYe
.• -
Rather than burden the game with endless "critical hit". rolls and tables, screens or whate!er.
ve si•ply define '"Threshold points• of ..._ae sustained at which the possibility Fot all Esc~rt classea (destroyers an·d .-1.J.er).•. use. the normal d...ge system
of extra specific systellS d...ge . .y occar. For Escort classes (up to Destroyers) of 4 or 5 • 1 point damage, 6 • 2 points.-
the Threshold point is at HALF of the blltal d...ge a ship can take; for Cruisers
there are two points, at t and i damaae. and for Capital ships there are three: For Cruiser classes, use 1,2,3 ~ 4~aa DO effect, 5 • 1 point,_ 6 • 2 PC)ints.
t. t and t damaae. . . a ship sustains ~e that takes it to or past one of these For Capital ships, count rolls of 1 ~ 5 as . . effect, and 6 ~ l point only.
points, the ovnina player •ust roll 011Ce for EACH system still functioning on
the ship, to see if it reuins opera~l or is knocked-out. Use of this rule changes play balance c~bly , and also has a great effect
Roll a D6 for each Weapon battery or ~ea. for the Dri•es and for each Firecgp; on tactics; it ukes larger ships euch . .re resistant to damage, and . .kes
For Escorts the system rolled for is lost on a roll of 4,5 or 6; it less easy for a swarm of smaller craft t.o o•ercome a few larger ones.
for Cruisers the effecti•e roll is 6 at: the first point C! damage), and 4.5.6 at The best tactics to use in this case is to .se ·the lighter ships to engage the
the second point ( J d~ge); . enemy's own light screening forces, leaYillg the Heavyweights to slog it out
for Capital ships the first point (!) requires a 6, the second (!) a 5 or 6, between themselves.
and the third (~) a 4,5,6.
Any systems damaged in this way are crossed off the Ship Diagram on the record FIGHTERS:
chart, and may no longer be used; the ezception is the Drive, which is reduced Some Warships are equipped to carry groups of Fighters, sull combat craft not
to HALF its Thrust Rating the first ti.me it is damaged, and completely disabled FTL-capable in themselves. Specialised Carriers 1111y carry up to 18 fighters
on the second. hit. while Dreadnoughts may have up to 6; no odler classes may carry fighters.
Example: A Destroyer is reduced to 4 damage points left (half its original 8) All fighters •perate in GROUPS of 1-6 craft. the group mo•ing and f_iring as a
so has reached its Threshold point and must dice for damage to each system. single unit. As hits are scored on the groep, individual fighters are r:;moved.
The player rolls a 5 for one "B" battery (thus losing it), but the otherr'!B'!:-·· It is recommended that a group is represented by a single base (eg: a 2 square
survives with a roll of 2, as does the -c" battery with a roll of 3. The d~ives of clear plastic) with ·the required number of fighter models (or counters)
get a 6, being reduced to half thrust, while the Fir.econ survives with a 1 roll. placed on it. perhaps attached with Blu-taek or similar for easy removal.
Thus the ship is left able to maneuver (just), and still able to fight with its Fighter groups do not need 11avement orders; on each turn, they may move up to
two remaining weapons. 18" in any direction, regardless of how the! moved in the previous turn. All
Fighters are moved AFTER the movement of all major ships, with players moving
one group alternately until all have been mowed.
SENSORS AND TARGET IDENTIFICATION: Fighter groups may be launched from a Carrier or mother.ship in any turn, but to
This rule allows a basic form of "li.citee intelligence" to be brought into the do so the Carrier must NOT make any Course Changes OR velocity changes that turn.
game, and makes the initial fleet dispositions much more interesting. The Fighter group is launched at the Halfwa~ point of the Carrier's moveme~t; the
When the fleets enter the table, all slups are represented not by their actual launching shQµld be noted in the Carrier'~ orders for that turn. A specialised
models or counters, but by "Bogey" -ricers. These can be simple counters of Carrier can launch up to TWO fighter groups per turn (12 fighters), other ships
card or plastic, or for best visual effe:t a black-painted Ping-Pong ball one group only.
mounted on ·a stand ideal. Each "Bogey" i.s marked with an identifying letter or Fighter recovery is similar to launching; uie Carrier must travel on a straight
number, which the owning player secretl! notes as representing a certain ship. course at constant speed for one turn, the :ighter group being moved to the
During the initial turns of play, the lioi!eys are moved exactly as for the ships Carrier at the end of the turn. Only ONE group may be RECOVERED by any ship per
they represent, using the normal orders system (players must ensure they do turn, including specialised Carriers. FI~ HAY ONLY BE LAUNCHED AND RECOVERED
not write orders for Bogey movement tha: exceed the capabilities of the ship ONCE EACH during the game - once back aboa--C their Carrier they may not be
itself). Whenever two opposing Bogey maners come within 36" of each other, launched again in that action.
BOTH are removed and replaced by the actual ships - this is the effective range Fighters have an attack range of 6", firini; through the Fore arc of their base
of "Passive Sensors" to accurately iden~fy a target contact (the Bogey itself only. All fighters in the same group must eagage the same target. Roll 1 die per
represents a long-range sensor contact o! undefined class). fighter attacking, hits being scored just as for all other attack die rolls.
If a player .wishes to try and identify enemy units at greater than this 36"
range, he may choose to have one or more of his own ships make an ACTIVE SENSOR ANTI-FIGHTER WEAPONRY:
scan; this reveals the identity of the scanned Bogey, '. but also "illt:111instes" All Warships are equipped with a number of short-range turrets for use against
and reveals the SCANNING ship (it is 8.SSalled that as soon as a ship commits fighters, similar to contemporary AA guns (they are of no use against other
its Active Sensors their signature will identify it to enemy vessels): major ships). Anti-fighter weapons have a raage of 6". Each ship is equipped with
One ship may scan one Bogey in each turr.. regardless of class of either vessel AF guns equal to its number of Fir.econ systemS, ie: Escorts 1 system, Cruisers
invol•ed, at a range of up to 54". 2 and Capital units 3. Each AF system allOMS one die roll against any attacking
fighter group; note that ships can only fire on fighters actually attacking
To add extra confusion to the game, pla!'eI"s may (if agreed) deploy "dummy" that ship, and may not engage groups attaclti.Da other ships, even if within the
Bogey markers, representing Drones equipped to emit the same sensor signature 6" range. For every AF die rolled, count results as for a normal damage roll:
as a warship. DU11111y markers are removed from play when they are scanned (Passively ie: 4,5 • one fighter removed, 6 • two figltters hit.
or Actively), but until then moye as a morwal ship, having the maneuver ability
of a Scout/Courier. All AF fire is carried out BEFORE the fighter attack is resolved, and fighters
lost may NOT then attack.
Note that loss of Fir.econ systems due to damage also indicates loss of AF weapons. ll
----~, tJpea ~ -poaa cu lie 1DU'Oilllc9d ~o tbe • - other duln Jut thl: Be... n.e 11u1c s111e clusea gtftll 111 the data tU1e . ., be aodified to pro-ride a
...a· a'l:be"lluic rules, and pa,_.. an free to iJIMnt new ones, proYidina differeat Id.it of -ponry amt perfo~ "1 uchanaina SJ~t- Oli • points
tbe~ opponenets aaree! Tvo e~ &re ahen below:. ; basia. 8 - lieaponi° are . costed 'by Pacioiii; .ttlli _. •1• batt_er:r C09tin&. 3 factors,
a ~· 2 and a "C" 1. DUaae points are_ a.tM ~- _one factor per po?t; and •Y be
PUi.sE TORPEDOES: Hea...y, short nmae eaeraJ discharae -•pons firina "bolts" of
traded for weaponry of aillilar points Yal'!!I sabject to _;he foll~na liaita~on:
plasiaa._lanae 18": roll 1 die per sllot~ aeedina 4,5,6 to hit up to 6•, 5~6 to 12",
6 only at up to 18". If the shot bits, then roll another die to deteraine l>allllge ftlue •y nOt ~ i*iicreased or- deC:t - d tO vithi1l' leu•"tliaa,.l - po1nt of
damqef the amber rolled is the nam.e- points inflicted (ie: ran· of 5 • the next highest or lowest ·ship cl.Bas; ie: a Battleship _could-not han its
5 damage points!). d...ge "ralue reduced below 19 as this waa}j briJl& _it into Hea"ry Cruiser class, or
Torpedo launcher• . .y be carried bJ Cruisers and Capital Ships only, and replace abo•e 27 as this would aalte it a Dread~ · --
3 factors of lieu weapons per torpelo launcher {ie: one "A" battery •ust be lost Exaaple: a Destroyer coUid trade-in its "C"' ~tter:r for one extra Damage point
to fit one torpedo tube). Torpedoes . .y be fired through the Fore arc only. (bringing it to Damage of 9), or could lOlle a damage point (down to 7) AHD its
NEEDLE BEAMS: Short-range, higly-focassed energy beaas with •ery accurate "C" battery, to add an extra "B" battery -{2 factors).
targettina capability. Range is oaly 9•, but the firing player •Y use this Note that the arcs of fir~ of a .batt.;;.y do - t count to~rds its cost, just the
weapon to att. .pt to hit a SPECIFIC STSTEl'I on the target ship {ea: a gun battery, battery strength. Nev batteries added sbolal• be distributed between fire arcs
Firecon, Dri•es etc). Nominate the intended target systea and roll 1 die per in a reasonable manner, using the basic silip types as a guide.
Needle firing: on a roll of 5 or 6 that system is hit and knocked out (other
scores have no effect). NOTE: Dri"re hits do not i11111ediately destroy the system - Drive Thrust values IDBJ NOT be altered; these are fixed for the various classes.
the first hit reduces the drive to HALF its original thrust, the SECOND hit Firecon systems may similarly NCTI' be traded for other systems.
disables it outright~
Needle weapons may be fitted to aay ship in place of one factor of Beam weaponry.
Needle batteries may fire through OIE arc only (ie: a Port-firing Needle may FREIGlfTERS AND MERCHANT CRAFT:
fire to Port only, not through any other arcs). Some scenarios may cail for Freight ships, Liners and other Merchantmen, or for
Fleet Auxiliaries such as Depot ships, Teaders etc . These function as for
COLLISIONS AND RAMMING: Warships. except they are very lightly ~ (often unarmed, in the case of
Civil ships) and generally have low Thrust le•els; they do, howe•er, have
The distances represented in the gaae are actually so vast that the risk of an fairly high Damage ratings due to their bCllt.
actual accidental collision is incalculably small. and is ignored for game A few typical classes are listed here, but players are free to design their own:
purposes; if two ships touch at the end of a 1110ve. simply arrange them as
closely as possible to the agree9ellt of both players. CLASS ~ DAMAGE ~ ~
However, in some circumstances it aay be possible for one ship to deliberately LIGIIT FREIGIITER 4 10 bC Call round fire) 1
ram another, or at least try to. To accomplish this, the "ramming" player must
have planned his move so that the sh.ips end up within 2" at the end of the turn BULK CARRIER 2 26 hC (all round) or none. 1/ 0
(or models in contact, if they are larger). Should he succeed in this ( difficult COMMERCIAL LINER 4 18 lione 0
enough in itself, unless he has very accurately anticipated his opponent ' s
moves) then both players roll a D6 and add the Thrust Rating of their ship; i f FLEET TENDER 2 24 lxB (F.P,S) lxC ( P,S,A)
the ramming player's total is higher he has succeeded in raD111ing the enemy shi p,
if it is equal or lower then the eneay has evaded the attempt. If using the opt ional Armour rule, all aerchan• ships have hul ls as per Escx-ts.
To assess damage from a ra111111ing. rol : 2 D6 and multipl y the result by the
Firecon number of the ra111111ing craf t (eg: for a Cruiser class, x2) ; BOTH s hi ps
suffer damage equal to the result ( :i:is will more than li kely dest roy a ll but ~:
the heaviest or luckiest craft! ).
This is a tricky subject for a simple rules system - to be i n any way realistic ,
morale rules generally end up being very c!Jml)lex and t ime-consuming to use.
For basic games it is suggested that morale is generally ignored, as it does
not have a very great bearing on Fleet actions anyway. If a system is desired
for use in the advanced game. the f ollowing will give reasonabl e results
without TOO much extra dice-rolling and c:.alculation.
When a player's fleet ( or a Squadron if larwe forces are sub-divided thus)
reaches 50% losses or more (in actual numbers of ships, not points values) ,
there is a chance that it will attempt to break off and withdraw; roll 1 D6:
a roll of 6 indicates that the unit or Fleet will disengage and attempt to
retreat off-table, or to join with the aail: force in the case of a squadron
or similar sub-unit. If this first test is passed, test again each time a further
ship is lost, reducing the needed roll by oae, eg: if two more ships are lost
then a roll of 4,5 or 6 will cause a retreat.
IMPERIAL SUPER-DREAIJllO(l;}fI' (Skytrex STARGUARD range,
illustration courtesy Sltytrex Ltd.) Many special cases can be added to this rule if desired: loss of the Fleet
Flagship (which must be nominated at the start of the game) might cause the
force to test morale regardless of other losses; alternatively there might
12 be some races which consider retreat to be so dishonourabl e that they will
fiiht to the last ship.
13
 ':..
Apart frc. the obriou.t "-ting ~t.er~ between two fleets, there are .many K>DEL AVAILABILITY: -~ ~ '¥',.~
other sceniariOi. t.hi.t can be playet ~A good ellllllple i.8 the. "conwoy act.ion", Unti1-early 1991, thei-~ had been Yirtuallf - mc1ei.- of ships sui~ble for larp
wbe.r e one pl.a.fer bu a group of -mas: or auxiliary ·ships prot.ected by a · scale fleet actions in production for mallf J'llBl'8· llov there is a 'aroving range ~
small fleet of warships, while the ctacbr has a larger task-force of warcraft · -de by SimEI LTD •• (28 Brook St, V, 1H. Loughborough, Leieesterahire),
with which to destroy, disable or ca,iture the convoy. under the title "Starauanl". At the~- ol vritinacthere are tvo fleets a•ailable,
Multl-Plar~Scenarios ~e also- ~·· either Wit.II payers controlling sub- the Imperial Starguard forces and the· liplHao ltercenary fleet, each COllprising
units under a Cr&Dd Acleiral, or a.ell player having a different force or fac~ion six different llOdeu· ranpng from Scouts. dirough Destroyers~- Cruisers etc up to
in-:. malti-sided battle. some really 88SSiTe l>r•dnoughts. Prices rmge fn:a £2.95 for 2 scouts to £9.95
Whate•er scenario ia played, it ia -.aested that fleetS do not simply approach for the Dreadnoughts. ltore "races" are prami.secl shortly, plus the possibility of
each other from opposite sides of .clie play area; instead, have each enter from other ship classes including fighters and lllS'Chant craft. ~ (
an ADJACENT side (eg: one from Nortll edge, one from East), on a converging Another sou~ce of ships vill be - the n.:;: C - Worksh~p g~: "Battlefleet Gothic (TH)"
course. This is probably more real.i.st:ic, - as both adnrsaries try to match courses which at this tille is due out sometime in mrly/llid 1991; this is promised to
to intercept the enemy fleet. Initial •elocities are up to the players, but it contain verious "strange" designs of plascic ships, with more probably following
is suggested that speeds are not too high as this will severely limit maneuver. in metal - size is likely to be compatible Vi.th the Skytrez ships, and the llOdels
may well prove quite useful for alieji- forces. -
, -:-;- ("

If you are prepared to in•estigate the seamd-hand field, either through adTerts
'n!E COURSE GAUGE:
This is a dewice that is not essential to play, but certainly speeds things up
or at bring-and-buy stalls at the big a...
shows, there is a wide selection of
out-of-production ranges, some frDll many ~s back. The very first Skytrez ships
if you spend the short time necessary to .aake one. Basically it is a ring of (in resin) were followed by some metal ~ from Hinifigs (aroiind 1974/75, very
card or plastic, about (say) 5" d1-ter and with a 4" central hole, making short-lived) and a large range of very goal models from qr under the title
the ring section about !" wide. On die ring are marked the 12 courses (exactly "Starforce.. 300"; some of the latter were 1-er briefly produced by Workshop/Citadel
as a clockface). and if desired the fuur ·firing arcs can also be marked, either before the 110ulds were apparently destroyel. Also available for a short while
inside the clock ring or superimposelll on it in a different colour. A small in the late seventies was the American "Valiant" range, ·some superb ships cast in
plastic handle attached to the ring vill allow it to be easily picked up and the UK under license by Hinchliffe, and a Jarge selection of llOdels by Superior
positioned. _in the USA, either iepor·ted or license-case by Citadel at really extortionate
In use, the Gauge is placed over t.be ship model, and centred on the ship'.s base. p~ices! Other US eanufacturers included Ei.seawerk and HcEwan Hiniatures, the latter
If reading off courses, the "12" llilr1< is aligned with the reference point, so still beinR available in the States from ~resco, Suite 345, 2586W.4700S , Salt
the ship can be rotated to its new beading. If the device is being used to Lake City, Utah 84118.( A range of very "3Ci's pulp" style ships, all streamlined
judge fire arcs, align the front arc with the bow of the model. hulls and fins, but quite useful).
Other minor makes that may crop up from ti.ae to time are Model Figures and Hobbi es
This handy little device is well vo~ constructing - just make sure it will from N.Ireland, who made a few ships in tt.e 70's, and the ex-{;arrison "Startroopers "
fit over your biggest ship model! ships of around t he same vintage ( recently ~ill in production by SIT, but now
I understand the moulds are up f or sale a~).
Apart from the commercially-made ships men:ioned above, there are of course
endless possibilities for simple scratchbuilding using card, plastic, Mil l iput,
Plastruct co~ponents etc. As another optio::: for players who do not wish to
purchase or bui ld models, we have included c page of sample ship counters which
ma y be photocopied as many t imes as neces.53...,- to produce any size fleets you wis h.
Though using the counters is not perhaps ~ ~isuall y appealing as models, the
game will function j ust the same:

THE COUNTERS:
A page of sample shi p counters is i ncluded . so the game is actually playable
without models . Photocopy the page several ::iJDes onto coloured card (if possi ble ) ,
or onto paper to stick to thicker card. De.rr-e different forces by different
colours, add an I.D. letter or number to ~ ship, and you have your fleets '.
A slightly more involved (but much more at:=active) way of using the counters
is to copy each ship twice and stick these =cpies to two sides of a triangular
"prism" of thin card; laid on its third sitie., this makes an effective "3-D"
counter (see diagram below).

14

15

t::~============-=-=--=-="-'~ - -·- ---- --

 -.
No_

No_

No_ No_ No_

Permission granted to Photocopy for private use.

16 THE COURSE GAUGE: Ring from card or plastic,

handle from plastic scrap.

COPYRIGHT @ 1991 J.nJFFLEY GROUND ZEiO GAMES.