In a recent E-Mail discussion on the GZG Mailing List, it was mentioned that there was a set of rules to convert to Full Thrust to the infamous Japanese Cartoon series "Space Battleship Yamato (a.k.a. Star Blazers) on my FT page. I had no such rules to offer, although I wish I did. Later, I was sent I set of rules written by a R Meaden. I am not sure who wrote them, but I like them. If I can come up with any other additions and or modifications, I'll post them here.
OK, Starforce! You wanted it, now you got it. Read my Special Rules & Designer's Notes postings for more poop.
EDF Destroyer: Mass 14, Thrust:8, Armor 0. 2 Scatterpacks, B Battery (FPS), C Battery (F), 2 PDAF Points: 94
EDF Battle Destroyer: Mass 22, Thrust 6, Armor 0. 1 Pulse Torp, 1 B Battery (FPS), 1 C Battery (F), 1 PDAF Points: 146
EDF Battlecruiser: Mass 38, Thrust 4, Armor 1. 1 Wave Gun, 1 A Battery (FPS), 1 B Battery (FPS), 1 B Battery (F), 1 B Battery (APS) Points: 351
EDF Battleship: Mass 50, Thrust 3, Armor 2. 1 Wave Gun, 2 A Battery (FPS), 2 B Battery (FP, FS), 1 B Battery (APS), 1 PDAF Points:441
EDF Battlecarrier (Wave-Motion Carrier): Mass 80, Thrust 3, Armor 1. 1 Wave Gun, 2 A Battery (FPS), 2 B Battery (FP, FS), 3 Fighters* **, 2 PDAF Points:656
The Andromeda: Mass 90, Thrust 3, Armor 2. 2 Wave Guns, 2 A Battery (FPS), 4 B Battery (2FP, 2FS), 2 A Battery (APS), 2 PDAF, 1 extra FireCon Points:780
*Can launch only 1 fighter per turn ** Earth players may spend additional points to upgrade fighters before game (ie., Attack, Torpedo, etc.) NOTE: Only Earth players are allowed to do this!
Gamilon Destroyer: Mass 36, Thrust 6, Armor 1. 2 Pulse Torps, 2 A Battery (FPS), 1 C Battery (FPS), 1 c Battery (APS)
Gamilon Battlecarrier (Flip-Deck Carrier): Mass 76, Thrust 4, Armor 1. [[1 Missile, 1 A Battery (FPS), 2 B Battery (FPS), 1 C Battery (FPS)]], 1 A Battery (FPS), 2 Fighters, 2 Torp Fighters, 1 PDAF. Points 668 (See notes on flipped-deck weaponry!)
Gamilon Triple-Deck Carrier: Mass 60: Thrust 3, Armor 0. 2 C Battery (FPS), 1 Torp Fighter, 3 Fighters, 1 PDAF. Points: 471
C.E. Destroyer: Mass 20, Thrust 6, Armor 0. 1 A Battery (FPS), 1 B Battery (FPS), 2 B Battery (1FP, 1FS), 1 PDAF. Points:159. Note:This ship will be beefed up!
C.E. Anti-Matter Missile Ship: Mass 36, Thrust 4, Armor 0. 3 Missiles, 2 B Battery (1FP, 1FS), 1 B Battery (F), 1 C Battery (FPS), 4 Scatterpacks, 1 PDAF. Points:237
C.E. Battleship: Mass 46, Thrust 3, Amror 1. 2 Railguns(Shockcannon) (F), 2 A Battery (FPS), 2 B Battery (1FP, 1FS), 2 B Battery (1P, 1S), 1 B Battery (APS), 2 PDAF. Points: 401
C.E. Single-Deck Carrier: Mass 60, Thrust 3, Armor 0. 1 B Battery (FPS), 1 C Battery (FPS), 4 Attack Fighters, 2 PDAF. Points: 484
C.E. Double-Deck Carrier: Mass 82, Thrust 2, Armor 1. 1 B Battery (FPS), 4 Attack Fighters, 1 Fighter, 1 Interceptor, 2 PDAF. Points 610
Fire arc notations F=forward, P=port, S=starboard, A=aft Now, onto the special rules...
1) Fighter endurance: Advisable, esp. due to the lack of strong anti-fighter defenses! When fighters return to carriers, they can be refuled/reloaded in one turn (you'd work fast whilst under attack, too!). Use the scrambling rules - they're fun... maybe even morale if you wish. Strongly suggest you use the modified moving sequence for fighters, as per More Thrust.
2) No ships (other than Heroic Ships) can use Damage Control Parties, or repair things. Use Boarding Parties and combat.
3) All ships explode when at 0 damage, except, Heroic Ships. They suffer Heroic Deaths (see below).
1) Comet Empire players must hum the gothic Comet Empire theme when moving; they must also talk in pseudo-Russian/Transylvanian accents. Gamilon players must salute, and hail "Dess-lok, Desslok Desslok" (famous Leader Desslok quotes from the series are good, too) when they move; they talk in German accents. EDF players must sing/hum the Starblazers theme; they talk in exaggerated 'American' accents (I'm Canadian - there IS a difference, eh?), fighter pilots in a Southern droll. Everyone will feel really stupid doing this.
These are basically 'character' ships, famous in what they do/are, and who they are captained by. The Argo (Yamato), Desslok's Command Ship and the Andromeda are Heroic Ships. Players may arbitrarily make other ships Heroic to suit campaigns, etc.
The benefits: HS have Damage Control Parties, and any boarding actions they are involved in have an additional dice in combat. Any Fighters launched from HS (if possible) always have Aces, and they are immune to morale. HS also have a +1 in rolls on fighter scrambles. In campaigns, or in linked battles, HS always appear FULLY repaired in the next fight - this represents inconsistent script-writing on the part of the Japanese writers! However, if a HS reaches 0 in damage, it suffers a Heroic Death. However, in a campaign, there is a 5% chance (D100) that it mysteriously appears again in another battle - this can only happen once. Inconsistant script-writing yet again! When a HS dies, choose one of the following
1) Fire ALL beam batteries (incl. destroyed ones) once at any targets you wish. Firecon limitations are ignored, but fire arcs & ranges aren't. 2) May make another immediate move +1 course heading changes if you want. If the ship comes in contact with an enemy ship, both automatically collide & explode! 3) Honorable dying speech! With a dramatic, lonely yet defiant speech, the captain extolls the reasons for his fight before being reduced to Astro-Ash. The player must do this, too, so feel stupid! The enemy are so shaken by this honorable act (a very Anime thing!), that they cannot fire next turn, though fighters may still launch/land and missiles may attack (robotic weaponry have no honour!). 4) Kaboom! In a great big fireball, the ship dissolves, taking out huge chunks of nearby enemies! Use the Nova Cannon burst templates & damage. The explosion is immediate, the template removed after determining damage.
These are Deaths we've used, and they're based on fitting ends seen in the series, and some others. Make up your own if you like. Be tragically dramatic!
Here's my reasons why, and other things!
First off, armor. Ships in Star Blazers blow up alarmingly easy, and I carried that over to the stats. Medium armor is Level 1, Thick Armor is 2, and the Argo (only ship to have it, and stats made up by me only!) are at Level 3. Armor 0 is average for Comet Empire, and the wimpier Earth ships.
Weapon batteries. I could have taken into account every little turret, but in some cases the ships would be Mass 100 and over! As Japanese writers are big into Awesome Arrays of Weaponry and Destrution, some ships have LOTS of weapons! I tended my stats towards fleet battles, so in some cases I clumped weapons into a single battery and arc. The batteries are not just beams, but they can also represent missiles & torpedoes, too.
Wierd mixes of weapons?!? Yes, I wasn't neccessarily tending towards optimal mixes of weapons for the ships, and some are alarmingly short of PDAF's. That's the way they are in the show! In come the Black Tigers, and boom, no carrier taskforce! Use your wimpier ships as fighter screen, and blow the carriers away before they can land to refuel. Suck vacuum, Blueface!
What I've Missed Not too much, with the exception of a couple of ships, and everything from the Bolar Wars. I'm still reworking the Argo, and Desslok's Command ship, as well as General Gleeb's Magna-Flame Cannon ship. Which reminds me, any ideas on the stats of the Maga-Flame Cannon? As well, I haven't included stats on the Desslok Gun, and Desslok Mines. What an ego - I wish I had weapons of mass-destruction named after me...
These will come as I think of them.