Five Games That Made Me The Gamer I Am Today: (4) Full Thrust (2nd edition)

From fantasy it was a small step to boldly go into SF wargaming though after playing one game of Warhammer 40,000 I wasn't impressed with the rules although I bought far too many 40K figures! :D Simon and I did have a traditional annual pre-Xmas game of the GW/FASA Star Trek III: Starship Combat Game but whilst we liked the background the game itself didn't inspire repeated play. It was not until 1991 that I discovered a small A5 photocopied set of spaceship combat rules that within one year was re-released as an A4 second edition with a full colour cover...

4. Full Thrust (2nd edition) by Jon Tuffley (1992)

Compared to the complexity of American rules like the aforementioned Star Trek game or the legendary Star Fleet Battles, Full Thrust used simple mechanisms that allowed you to command a fleet of up to a dozen spaceships of varying type and have a challenging game in an evening with minimal record keeping. This 'Keep It Simple' approach built on my experience with Warhammer 2nd edition and has coloured my preferences in game play to this day.

For a couple of years Full Thrust dominated my gaming building up fleets from GZG and other companies (one having all the ships snapped off their bases by an unsupervised over enthusiastic toddler!), Simon, James and myself also raising Star Trek fleets using the MicroMachines models and running popular Star Trek: Full Thrust participation games at shows across the UK.

My gaming eventually moved into other areas with Aeronef replacing Full Thrust as my "flying ships" game but I still have fond memories of Full Thrust and one day will dust off my NAC fleet and repair the ESU one to boldly go once again...

ps. a PDF of the rules and the supplements can be downloaded for free from the Ground Zero Games website here.

Space Battleship Yamato (and Harmony)

I remember the first time I saw pictures of Space Cruiser Yamato in an article in an issue of Starburst magazine about the dubbed and heavily edited Star Blazers cartoon series . I had not seen the programme and had no idea what it was all about but the design of the Yamato spaceship was so cool to a teenage SF fan.

Over thirty years later I still think it is cool and have over the last decade picked up various Bandai kits from the original Japanaese anime series Space Battleship Yamato with a view to one day playing some Full Thrust games with them.

Clearly when I read about a live action movie in 2010 I was pretty excited but despite being showing in the US, I don't think it received cinema release here. The subsequent DVD releases covered every region except ours and I resigned myself to never seeing it until a chance conversation with a friend about the series led me to have one last check on Amazon, and there is was... Region 2 DVD, just released. A couple of clicks later it was ordered...

Despite being a big hit in Japan and having generally favourable reviews I wasn't expecting any kind of SF classic and that was just as well. Although much of the CGI is very good, there are some weak moments (no doubt the low budget is to blame), the story clearly owes much to Japanese culture and sensibilities and despite its best efforts to copy the feel of the Battlestar Galactica reboot, it on occasion drifts into Starship Troopers territory (without appreciating its intentional irony) and at its worse wanders into Galaxy Quest (without intending to be funny).  That said it was enjoyable and the Yamato looks great. I'm happy and now want to make up the kits!

Gromit of the Day:

Harmony

USS Sulaco

A while back Konami did a range of Aliens models including one of the USS Sulaco the USCM spaceship that takes the unfortunate Colonial Marines to LV-426. Whilst it does not feature extensively in the film it is an appealing, somewhat iconic, spaceship design. I picked up a Sulaco off eBay a while back and whilst nice in its pre-coloured blue-grey plastic I have always intended to give it a repaint.

In the end I decided to go part way by applying a black wash over the model to bring out the detail and then apply a GW Shadow Grey drybrush. Whilst I am fairly happy with the result I may do a bit of detailing work later as the model has some nice fine details that would reward a more patient approach.

According to the Aliens Colonial Technical Manual the Sulaco is a Conestoga class starship and the thirteenth of thirty-six vessels in the class. It is a shame that the Konami models are so damned expensive on eBay these days as I wouldn't have minded getting another couple for some games of Full Thrust.