From: Sean Bayan Schoonmaker <schoon@a...>
Date: Sun, 21 May 2000 14:03:33 -0700
Subject: Simple Campaign Thrust
Simple Campaign Thrust
The Short, Sweet Version For those who aren't big on reading, here's
essentially how it works. Groups of ships move like fighters with orders,
including endurance
(supply). Systems generate income and either have - or do not have -
military bases, shipyards and/or supply depots. That's it! The rest is
just details.
Designer Notes This set of rules, much like the original Full Thrust, is
intended to be simple and free of hard time or distance definitions. Most of
the campaign systems I've seen come across the FTML, including my own initial
attempts, have been quite complex. Though they may be good simulations, they
are somewhat tedious in execution. So I've made an attempt to make something
that's easy, and is familiar in mechanics to Full Thrust.
Units of Distance Like Full Thrust, the standard unit of distance is MU, which
may be inches, centimeters, or any other convenient unit. As map scale and
time are not defined, any convenient scale may be used. However, the suggested
scale is 1 MU = 1 inch = 1 light-year.
Turn Sequence The campaign is played in turns, following a sequence of play
that should be vaguely familiar to any Full Thrust player.
(1) Receive System Income (2) Write Economic Orders (3) Write Orders for all
Task Forces (4) Roll for Initiative (5) Move Task Forces (6) Secondary Task
Force Movement (7) Task Forces Attack (8) Receive Builds (9) Task Force
Reorganization (10) Turn End
Economics Each system has an Economic Value, listed above the system icon.
This is the income, in MUCr., that the system generates each turn. The income
may be allocated to construction, including repair, or put into the treasury.
Income assigned to the treasury may be used in any system on the following
turn, but may not be used for any purpose on the current turn.
Construction & Repair Shipyards may build or repair ships at the rate defined
below. The total cost of the ship, for new builds, must be paid when
construction is begun. Crippled ships cost half their value to repair, and
this cost must be paid in full when the repair is initiated. New builds and
completed repairs are delivered in Phase (8).
Initiative
All players roll a single die, re-rolling any ties to determine
who will have initiative for the turn. In various phases, higher initiatives
will move or act before those with lower rolls.
Movement Each TF receives movement orders in Phase (3) of each turn. These
orders are in the format of "Direction / Distance," where direction is
one
of the 12 clock facings, and distance is from 0-3 MU. So, NAC TF12 might
have orders of 9/3, meaning it will move 3 MU in direction 9.
In Phase (5) each TF executes its movement orders. The player with the lowest
initiative moves a single TF first, followed by the next lowest, etc. After
all players have moved one TF, they then move a second TF in the same order.
This sequence continues until all TFs have executed their movement orders. The
actual movement direction may vary by up to 15° off the clock facing
specified in the orders. This allows TFs to slightly adjust their movement to
allow for specific destinations or targets. TFs may move again in Phase (6) by
expending an Endurance Point, exactly like fighters in Full Thrust. This move
requires no orders and may be in any direction for up to 3 MU.
Endurance Points Endurance Points work in exactly the same way as they do in
Full Thrust. When expended, they allow additional movement or attack on
another TF. Military vessels have 6 points, and civilian ships have 2
Endurance Points are expended whenever a TF makes a secondary movement, or if
a TF elects to use "supplied" status for combat. Endurance Points are
automatically replenished when a TF ends its movement at a system with a
Supply Depot.
Combat If two opposing TFs end their movement within 3 MU, either may elect to
enter into combat. This combat may be resolved by playing Full Thrust, or by
the abstracted system below. When two TFs come into combat, each ship and
fighter group must select offensive or screening posture. Ships that are
"screening" must also be given a "target" to protect. These orders are written
and then revealed simultaneously. Each ship in a TF has both an Offensive and
Defensive Value. Starting with the player with the highest initiative from
Phase (4), one ship with offensive posture is selected to make an attack. The
ship rolls a number of dice equal to its Offensive Value. These dice are
scored as normal FT dice:
1-3 is a miss, 4-5 is 1 point, and a 6 is 2 points and a re-roll. If the
total is equal to or greater than the target ship's Defensive Value, it is
destroyed. If the roll is greater than half (fractions round up) the ship's
Defensive Value, it is crippled. A crippled ship's Offensive and Defensive
Values are halved. This is cumulative with the penalty for being out of
supply. Ships entering combat must expend one Endurance Point to fight at its
full potential. Ship that are out of Endurance Points, or those voluntarily
saving their points, are considered out of supply and fight at half their
listed Offensive and Defensive Values. Thus, a crippled ship that is also out
of supply uses one quarter of its listed values. Ships screening others in a
TF must be destroyed before the screened ship may be attacked. Ships may
combine their attacks against opposing ships, but do so along with the last
ship making the attack. Thus if a CH elects to make a combined attack, it
holds its fire until the second ship's turn to fire. The CH could, in theory,
be destroyed by the opposing player's next attack, loosing its chance to fire
at all. After all eligible ships have made their attacks, both players decide
if they wish to continue for another round of combat. If either player opts to
disengage, the combat ends for the current turn. Otherwise, both players write
orders for offense or screening and play out another round. Fighters act in
all ways as small ships. They must be given orders, may attack or screen, and
can be crippled or destroyed. If a fighter has no hanger to return to after
combat, however, it is lost.
Systems The system map gives all necessary information for game play. The
outer ring gives the star's spectral color. The inner circle is color coded to
the star's initial nationality. The number inside the circle is the
star's "z-coordinate" for those who wish to add 3-D. The number above is
the system's EV in MUCr. The system's name is below. If present, the black
circle to the left of the system represents a Supply Depot. If present, the
black square to the right represents a Base. If present, the black triangle
above and to the right represents a Shipyard.
Supply Depots A supply depot can supply any number of TFs, so long as they end
their movement in the system. Supply Depots may be constructed in a system at
a cost of five times the system's EV, requiring five turns to complete.
Bases A "base" is actually a network of orbital platforms and system defenses,
making a system, and TFs sheltered there, much more difficult to attack. A
base has an Offensive and Defensive Value equal to one twentieth of its
Economic Value (fractions round normally). A base has five separate elements
(attacks) in combat, and each must be destroyed to eliminate it completely.
Each time one is destroyed, it looses one attack. Each of its five elements
must be completely destroyed before the next element may be attacked. Thus it
is entirely possible that a base might have three full elements and one
crippled element after a round of combat. A base may be constructed in a
system at a cost of ten times the system's EV, requiring ten turns to
complete.
Shipyards A shipyard builds and repairs at a rate of one tenth of the system's
economic value per turn, and may work on combined projects equal to one half
that value. A shipyard may be constructed in a system at a cost of ten times
the system's EV, requiring ten turns to complete.
Auxiliaries & Supply Fleet auxiliaries and freighters can be included with a
Task Force to increase its operational range. These ships must also be
included for combats in which the TF fights
Ship Statistics The following are suggested play values for the ships from the
Full Thrust Fleet Book Volume 1. They are presented in the format of: Name and
Class - Offensive Value/Defensive Value (1/2 values) [1/4 Values].
NAC
Harrison SC - 2/1 (1/1) [1/1]
Arapaho CT - 3/3 (2/2) [1/1]
Minerva FF - 4/3 (2/2) [1/1]
Tacoma FH - 5/4 (3/2) [1/1]
Ticonderoga DD - 5/5 (3/3) [1/1]
Huron CL - 6/6 (3/3) [2/2]
Furious CE - 6/7 (3/4) [2/2]
Vandenburg CH - 6/9 (3/5) [2/2]
Majestic BC - 9/10 (5/5) [2/3]
Victoria BB - 10/10 (5/5) [3/3]
Excaliber BDN - 10/12 (5/6) [3/3] 1 Fighter Group
Valley Forge SDN - 11/16 (6/8) [3/4] 2 Fighter Groups
Inflexible CVL - 4/13 (2/7) [1/3] 4 Fighter Groups
Ark Royal CVH - 5/16 (3/8) [1/4] 6 Fighter Groups
NSL
Falke SC - 2/2 (1/1) [1/1]
Strochen CT - 3/3 (2/2) [1/1]
Ehrenhold FF - 3/4 (2/2) [1/1]
Waldburg DD - 4/6 (2/3) [1/2]
Waldburg-M DM - 5/5 (3/3) [1/1]
Kronprinz Wilhelm CL - 5/6 (3/3) [1/2]
Radetzky CE - 6/7 (3/4) [1/2]
Markgraf CH - 7/8 (4/4) [2/2]
Maximilian BC - 9/9 (5/5) [2/2]
Richthofen BC - 10/8 (5/4) [3/2]
Maria von Burgund BB - 13/9 (7/5) [3/2]
Szent Istvan BDN - 10/14 (5/7) [3/4] 1 Fighter Group
Von Tegetthoff SDN - 14/17 (7/9) [4/4] 1 Fighter Group
Der Theuerdank CVA - 9/19 (5/10) [2/5] 4 Fighter Groups
FSE
Mistral SC - 2/2 (1/1) [1/1]
Athena CT - 3/3 (2/2) [1/1]
Ibiza FF - 4/3 (2/2) [1/1]
San Miguel DD - 5/4 (3/2) [1/1]
Trieste DH - 6/4 (3/2) [2/1]
Suffren CL - 7/5 (4/3) [2/1]
Milan CE - 7/6 (4/3) [2/2]
Jerez CH - 9/7 (5/4) [2/2]
Ypres BC - 9/9 (5/5) [2/2]
Roma BB - 11/9 (6/5) [3/2]
Bonaparte BDN - 10/13 (5/7) [3/3] 1 Fighter Group
Foch SDN - 16/19 (8/10) [4/5] 3 Fighter Groups
Bologna CVL - 7/13 (4/7) [2/3] 4 Fighter Groups
Jeanne D'Arc CVH - 9/20 (5/10) [2/5] 7 Fighter Groups
ESU
Lenov SC - 2/1 (1/1) [1/1]
Nanuchka CT - 3/3 (2/2) [1/1]
Novgorod FF - 4/4 (2/2) [1/1]
Warsaw DD - 4/5 (2/3) [1/1]
Volga DH - 5/5 (3/3) [1/1]
Tibet CL - 5/6 (3/3) [1/2]
Beijing-B CE - 6/7 (3/4) [2/2]
Gorshkov CH - 7/6 (4/3) [2/2]
Voroshilev CH - 7/7 (4/4) [2/2]
Manchuria BC - 8/9 (4/5) [2/2]
Petrograd BB - 9/11 (5/6) [2/3]
Rostov BDN - 8/13 (4/7) [2/3] 1 Fighter Group
Komarov SDN - 13/24 (7/12) [3/6] 1 Fighter Group
Tsiolkovsky CVL - 5/12 (3/6) [1/3] 4 Fighter Groups
Konstantin CVA - 10/22 (5/11) [3/6] 6 Fighter Groups