FULL Thrust and it's supplement MORE THRUST is probably one of the most successful sci-fi games every created. In about five years it's grown from a garage game to an international success that spawned small companies (built solely on a rules variant) and is being used as the engine for the new Babylon 5 game. If you have any interest in space combat at all and haven't checked it out yet you really should.

The nature of the game is such that it encourages you to change and adapt the rules to fit your interpretation of space combat or simulate warfare in your favorite sci-fi universe. That said, below are some variants for your consideration. Some ideas are my own other come off the Full Thrust mailing list.

FIGHTERS VS SHIPS.

Fighters are very powerful in FT and I have some dislike for their ability to overwhelm ships. Limiting the number of squadrons that can attack a target at one time is a good way to reduce this effect and at the same time simulate cinematic space combat of movies like STAR WARS.

The number of fighters that may engage a target at one time is limited as follows:

ESCORT CLASS ONE SQUADRON
CRUISER CLASS TWO SQUADRONS
CAPITAL CLASS THREE SQUADRONS
SUPER SHIPS FIVE SQUADRONS

If more than the above number of squadron attacks the attacker must roll dice for collisions. on a 4 or 5 fighter is lost, on a 6 two fighters are lost. If you like you can apply this to fighter vs. fighter combat as well. One squadron can be engaged by up to two other squadrons before collisions occur.

DEDICATED FIRE CONTROL.

This one comes off the FT mailing list. DFC are fire control systems that are slaved to a particular type of weapon (all A batteries, B batteries, Needlers, etc.). When fired with DFC attack rolls are made at +1 per die. If the DFC is used to fire another system, attacks are rolled at -1. The cost to purchase the system is the same as other fire control.

CASCADING DIE ROLLS

Cascading die rolls are used in the Babylon 5; Earthforce Sourcebook. When ever a six is rolled the die is rolled again and the effects are cumulative. For example an A battery fires at a range of 24 inches. Two dice are rolled for the attack. A 5 and a 6 come up. The six is rolled again and another 6 appears. The die is rolled again and a 5 surfaces. The total damage is 1+2+2+1 for 6 points of damage

CREW AND EVENT CARDS

Decipher makes the Star Trek and Star Wars Collectable Card Games. Included in these games are a number of generic crew (navigators, gunners, engineers), weapons (ion cannons, tractor beams) and event cards (plasma fire, phaser burns). Most of these cards are commons and easy and very cheap to get. I thought these would be a good way to add crew and weapons to ships, and special events during the game.

First decide on a number of cards to use. I recommend one card for every 100 to 200 points of ships.

Next, select the card you want to use. Try a 50/50 mix of crew/weapons and events. Keep the crew/weapons and events as two separate stacks of cards. Shuffle and deal the cards out randomly to the players one stack at a time.

Crew and weapons are deployed immediately on the players ships (record sheets). Weapons are in addition to systems already on the ships. You can think of these being the non-regulation weapons often mounted on real naval vessels (like the 40mm AT gun mounted on the PT-109). Crew members (which represent above average individuals) must be assigned to a station (fire control, batteries, etc.). One personnel and one droid may be assigned per station. When that system is destroyed the crew member assigned there is lost. Event cards are player anytime during a turn. The last played card has precedence. It a ship is destroyed any cards deployed on it are removed from the game.

Some possible card uses are as follows:

CREW/WEAPONS

NAVIGATORS or PILOTS:
A ship with a navigator can use 75% of it's thrust to change heading (instead of 50%). A ship with both can use 100%. Pilots may be assigned to fighters (if not using the turkey/aces rules). In this case pilots add I to his fighters attack roll OR subtract one from an opponents roll against his squadron. Pilots in Star Wars have variable ratings. If you want you can use this number to represent pilots of different abilities (+1, +2, etc.).

GUNNERS:
Gunners must be assigned to a weapon system. When that weapon fires it adds +1 to one of its dice rolls. This is done after the roll is made.

ENGINEER:
Engineers made add 1 to die rolls for damage control, or may act as an additional Damage Control Party.

MIRACLE WORKER
(The Scotty card from Star Trek CCG): MW always succeeds on his damage control rolls, may act as TWO Damage Control Parties, may add 50% to a ships thrust for one turn or may allow a ship to immediately jump to Faster Than Light (instead of waiting one turn).

MEDICAL:
Medical Personnel can attempt to save a character card the same way Damage Control Parties can try to save a system.

ION CANNONS:
A ship hit by an ion cannon loses its engines until repaired by DCP or a six is rolled on I d6. The effect lasts at least one turn. Ion Cannons fire as do C batteries but ignore shields.

TRACTOR BEAMS:
Tractor Beams act as B Batteries but ignore shields. A hit results in the target being tractored. If the attacker is larger, it controls the movement of the target within 24" radius. If the ships are the same size neither may move unless one of the controlling players allows the other to take control of both ships. If the attacker is smaller the target controls movement. If the target moves out of the 24" radius the tractor is broken. Each turn the target can attempt to break the tractor. Both sides roll a d6. If the ship is a cruiser it adds 1, if it's a capitol ship it adds 2. Unused thrust may be added to the roll. If the target rolls higher, it breaks the lock.

ANTI-MATTER SPREAD:
This acts as a one turn/one use shield.

EVENTS

PLASMA FIRE:
Play on any ship that has just been successfully attacked. As long as the card is in play the target takes an additional point of damage per turn until put out by a DCP, engineer or the ship is destroyed.

PHASER BURNS:
Play on a character card on a ship that has just been successful, attacked. That character is taken out of play (cant be saved by medical personnel).

ESCAPE POD:
Play on a ship just destroyed. Any personnel cards escape to the nearest friendly ship.

SENSE or ALTER:
May be used to cancel any event card just played.

EVASIVE MANEUVERS:
Play to reduce all die attack rolls by 1 for this turn.

COORDINATED ATTACK:
A pair of attack dice rolls for this turn may be combined into a single roll. For example, two 2s may be combined into a single 4, yielding 1 points of damage where no damaged would have been scored.

These are just some of the ideas that can used adapting cards. Other CCGs (like Wing Commander) may provide more inspiration.