Car Wars Internet Newsletter
Vol. 2, No. 4
April 13, 2049


Web Posted April 13, 1999
Updated September 02, 2001



THE GUNNERY CHAIR
 

There is one reason this newsletter is so late. Using medical terminology, I feel icky. Like S. John Ross, GURPS Worldbook author, I also have a sinus infection that is not going away quickly. I am finishing my medications this week and I am improving dramatically since last week but I still feel very tired. I have not had a sinus infection in over 12 months so I should consider myself lucky. Instead of writing this issue of CWIN, I have been getting rest and drowning myself with water and citrus juices. On the positive side, when I was not typing I was catching up with my BattleTech reading.

Your patience should be rewarded with this issue of CWIN. There is a large amount of content for Car Wars, Formula De, GURPS DarkFutureTech and fans of electronic gaming. Robert Deis, the AADA Head Referee, needs assistance with some of his projects. Details of these tasks are in the AADA News section.

If you are finding arena duels and combat races not exciting enough, this issue of CWIN has some solutions to this problem. There are several ideas for Car Wars scenarios that can be found in the world of professional wrestling and in the history of combat. The Arena Manager's column features some of these ideas. The Arena Watch features the Midwest Mud Arena, a facility that makes combatants really fight dirty with their opponents.

Michael Garrity of NOVA has written this issue's Daemon Mechanic which discusses battlesuits. Last issue, Tony Kontes of Boneheadz Central presented rules for power armor. Tony's armor suits are powerful and are the most sophisticated mecha the average autoduelist in 2049 will see. If you are wondering what types of power armor military forces use, read Michael's article, vehicles that should discourage raids on Commercial Combat Zones and military facilities (or inflict death quickly on those autoduelists that foolishly invade these areas anyway).

GURPS autoduelists and Matrix runners will find S. John Ross's GURPS Autoduel Cribsheet very useful when creating vehicles, Michael Garrity of NOVA has invented two more mecha (which makes eight this year so far) and Arthur Samuels has a spreadsheet to help with GURPS Vehicles weapon design.

If you feel 8X (plastic models) scale and 16X (Tonka) scale Car Wars games are too small for you, this issue's Heavy Metal column shows how you can run a Car Wars game in a very large way.

The NANS Ticker is full of interesting news. You can now purchase the Death Rally CD-ROM for only $5.00 US. Yes, you heard me correctly, this unofficial sequel to Origin's Autoduel can be acquired for only 500 US pennies. Jacqueline Hamilton, the SJ Games Webmistress, needs assistance with one area of the SJ Games Web site. Sadly, the future of the Viper television series has been announced. On a positive note, Dean Gibson has been consuming too much caffeine for the good of himself or the Car Wars community. Dean has entered the Car Wars Internet Renaissance by starting a new Car Wars periodical, a new combat racing league and a new discussion forum. Dean's resources for autodueling are some of the best ever created for vehicular combat.

The Cracked Windshield features the story of an environmental disaster that occurred on the Oregon coast. Oil spills are very serious but the way this crisis was handled should give you a smile. There is also a large announcement by SJ Games regarding Car Wars in this column. Because The Cracked Windshield discusses oil and fire, this issue's Fifty Years Ago Today articles include firefighting technologies and the VADR column lists many new electronic games featuring vehicular combat plus a review of the new cyberpunk movie The Matrix.

The Princeton University Corporate Car Wars League has started their campaign again. The group's Web site, static since 1996, has been significantly updated to include many photographs. The Web Site Watch column lists the specifics of the update and lists other updated sites.

I try to keep this newsletter focused on vehicular combat but with the start of another war in Central/Eastern Europe, I want to let you know about some information you will find useful. Christiane Amanpour, world-famous reporter for Cable News Network (CNN) and Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), hosted an outstanding five-hour mini-series on The Discovery Channel discussing the history of the conflicts occurring in the collection of countries that used to be called Yugoslavia. This documentary, called Yugoslavia: Death of a Nation, was aired in December of 1995, soon after the Dayton Peace Accords ended the Bosnia-Herzegovnia War, but its content is still relevant today. The problems in the former Yugoslavia occurring today started nearly a thousand years ago. Christiane Amanpour has navigated the maze of history to present a clear and detailed analysis of this flashpoint. The retail cost of this five-videotape set  is an expensive $49.95 US but the understanding you will gain of this area of the world from this program makes that cost worthwhile.

The May CWIN will likely be released much sooner than May 13. If you have articles or suggestions for articles, please do not hesitate to send that material to me. The number of articles written by volunteers I have at this time is very low. The smaller number of volunteers I have, the harder it is for me to write a newsletter you will find useful, so please start writing articles.

Michael P. Owen
Seattle Washington Autoduel Team President/Webmaster
Car Wars Internet Newsletter Editor
owenmp@hotmail.com
http://www.serv.net/~owenmp/swathome.html

P.S. To those of you participating in the WADA Car Wars League, you will have noticed I have not been entirely away from Car Wars activities on the Internet. In spite of the microbiological war in my body, I have been updating the WADA CWL Ratings regularly. Please continue to keep holding games and sending the results of those events to SWAT. Watching the championship points race has been very exciting for me. Keep up the great work of supporting the first WADA Car Wars League and the Car Wars community!
 


AADA NEWS
 

ASSISTANCE WITH THE AADA WORLD DUELING CHAMPIONSHIP NEEDED

Subject: Call for Referees
From: Robert Deis <AADAref@sjgames.com>
Date: 2 Apr 1999 04:59:50 GMT
Newsgroups: Pyramid Car Wars Message Board

For those of you that haven't heard, I'm becoming a father for the first time this summer.

You might wonder if having a new little one is going to make it difficult for me to travel to the site of the AADA World Championships
to serve as referee. I'm wondering the same thing.

The AADA World Racing Championship is well in hand (expect an announcement soon), but I'm in need of a contingency plan for the AADA
World Dueling Championship in case I have to cancel my travel plans at the last minute.

Since I've just recently assumed the responsibility of AADA Head Referee, I'm loathe to hand out this job to someone else, but I do need some assistance, and I need the assisting persons to be connected enough to take over the responsibility for the match this year on short notice.
If you expect to travel to a large game tournament this summer, have some experience at running large Car Wars tournaments, and are interested in helping out, e-mail me.

Robert Deis
AADA Head Referee
Rocky Mountain Autoduel Association (RMADA)
rdeis@io.com
AADAref@sjgames.com
http://www.io.com/~rdeis/
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Zone/8431/
 

AADA WORLD RACING CHAMPIONSHIP
http://surf.to/cadc
http://home.sprynet.com/sprynet/timgould/cadc.htm

The Championship Autoduel Circuit (CADC) is planning to hold the 2049 AADA World Racing Championships at Origins 1999. This gaming convention will take place July 1-4, 1999 in Columbus, Ohio. The location of this tournament is still tentative but if you agree with the location of this event, tell SJ Games you support the plans of the CADC. You can find more details of Origins 1999 on the event's Web site.

Although the location of the AADA WRC has not been finalized by SJ Games, the CADC has been very busy planning the event. Most of the tournament format has been selected, including the variant rules and racetracks to be used.
 


ARENA MANAGER'S OFFICE
 

PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING IDEAS FOR AUTODUELING

Autoduelists in arena circuits have personas like professional wrestlers of 1999, with allies, enemies and grudges. Death Race 2000 and The Running Man have examples of these flamboyant characters. Play it up with typical flare of the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and the New Wrestling Organization (NWO), autoduelists saying statements like, "You're going down Machine Gun Kelly at the Arena of Death at Duelmania VI."
 

Arena Event: Royal Rumble. The WWF used to hold an event every January in the 1980s called the Royal Rumble. This scenario can be simulated in Car Wars very easily. If the gamers in your campaign have too many characters that are too powerful, running this event will make those duelists humble very quickly.

Thirty athletes can enter the event. The autoduelists draw tokens 1 through 30 before the fight. The combatants holding numbers 1 and 2 start fighting. After a set amount of game time or real time (perhaps five seconds of game time or five minutes of real time), the duelist with the number 3 token enters the arena. After the set amount of time passes again, duelist 4 enters combat. This process repeats until all 30 duelists have entered the arena. The winner of the event is the last duelist alive.

Another variation on the Royal Rumble has several Division 30 vehicles enter the arena. After five seconds of game time have elapsed, a Division 25 vehicle enters the event. After five seconds of game time has elapsed, a Division 20 vehicle appears in the arena. This process continues until the last car is a Division 5 vehicle.

Cash awards for winning a Royal Rumble are given depending on the inverse of the time when the duelist entered the event (not the mathematical definition of inverse). Duelist 30 would receive a multiplier of 1 for money won, duelist 29 would receive a multiplier of 2, duelist 15 would receive a multiplier of 15 and duelist 1 would receive a multiplier of 30.

To make Royal Rumble even more challenging, combine the event with the Speed Car Rules from the Dueltrack Racing Association Can-Am Rally (DRACAR) gaming group <http://www.dracos.net/dracos/carwars.htm>.
 

Arena Event: Tag Team. Rules for this event are in the description of the Double Drum in Arena Book 2038.
 

Useful books for running a professional wrestling-type of Car Wars campaign are the four-issue Car Warriors comic series by Epic Comics (1991-1992), Car Warriors Novel 3: Back From Hell written by Mick Farren (1999) and the article "Driver Personalities, The Great Rumble and Advanced Campaign Rules for Road Kill" in Volume 29, Number 6 of The General Magazine by Avalon Hill.
 

The campaign ideas for autodueling above were written by Jon "The Animal" Brown (visit the Dueling Debate Car Wars message board to contact Jon), Michael P. Owen <owenmp@hotmail.com> and Philip "Fool" White <fool@serv.net>.
 

HISTORICAL COMBAT IDEAS FOR AUTODUELING

Dogfight Night. This event has points-based arena dueling to encourage fighter pilot tactics and dropped weapon nastiness.

Note that if damage passes through the vehicle without hitting anything, it does not score points. An arena with several medium-sized obstacles would probably work well. Ramcars will lose lots of VPs when they hit somebody. Killing the occupant of a vehicle yields +20 VPs, therefore suicide tactics are not useful.

Some possible options include direct-fire weapons must be front-mounted, engines must be in front and every vehicle must have an ejection seat which fires automatically when back armor is breached. Turrets and rocket platforms should be prohibited.
 

Broadsides Night. This event simulates naval battles of the days when the British, French Spanish, and Portuguese Empires fought for control of the world. The ships of this era had most of their ordnance aimed to starboard and port. Vehicles in this event have the same weapons configuration as those vessels. All weaponry must be placed on the right and left sides. Turrets and rocket platforms are not permitted. Victory Point awards of Dogfight Night events can be used, giving extra VPs for inflicting damage on the Front and Back facings.

Tricycles are deadly vehicles in this event because their frontal and lateral firing arcs overlap. Ten-wheelers and buses are the land equivalents of large ships. Maneuvering these unstable vehicles to get into firing position is difficult but a target in the side arc is usually a kill. Tractor-trailer combinations permit even more firepower to be carried and make movement more challenging. Boats and hovercraft fighting each other on water is another variation for Broadsides Night that emphasizes careful thought for movement.
 

Tailgunner Night. Most bombers of World War Two had gunners operating batteries of several machine-guns and automatic cannon in the rear of the aircraft. This event is inspired by that tactic, requiring all weapons to be placed on the back facings of vehicles. Give VPs as in Dogfight Night except extra VPs are given for hitting the Front facing of vehicles instead of the Back facing.
 

Tail-End Charlie Night. One of the most valuable vehicles to a convoy is the rearguard or Tail-End Charlie, armed with many dropped weapons to the back and sides that make tailgating a deadly experience. In this event, only dropped weapons and dischargers are permitted on vehicles. These armaments can be mounted anywhere on a vehicle. Dogfight Night VP awards can be given or the players can use a different VP system.
 

Fire Support Night. Mortars have been used for decades because they can be transported easily and can deliver devastating firepower at a moment's notice. In this event, all vehicles must have autodueling equivalents to the mortar: dropped weapon projectors. Vehicles may have grenade launchers, spike guns, mine flingers, fluid projector guns, gas streamers and flame cloud gas streamers. Players can decide if a specific facing is required for all weapons and if turrets are permitted.
 

Events submitted by Guy Fullerton <hedgeboy@kagi.com>, Norman McMullen <drjake@novia.net> and Michael P. Owen <owenmp@hotmail.com>.
 


ARENA WATCH
 

MIDWEST MUD ARENA: ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI
http://www.novia.net/~desslok/midwest-mud.htm

When you visit the Midwest Mud Arena, driving might be harder than trying to shoot your opponents. This arena has rules for the effects of mud on vehicles and has several events including ones for monster trucks.
 


THE CRACKED WINDSHIELD
 

THE NEW CARISSA: THE INDESTRUCTIBLE CARGO SHIP
http://www.serv.net/~owenmp/magazine/carissa.html

The reports on this Web page excerpts from articles located on the Seattle-Times Newspaper Web Site. The original articles can be found inserting the phrase "New Carissa" into the search program on the site.
 

STEVE JACKSON GAMES BEGINS ITS CAR WARS RENAISSANCE

Newsgroup: Dueling Debate <http://www.delphi.com/carwars/>
From: Kurt Aldinger <Aldinger.K@grainger.com>
Date: April 01, 1999, 6:20 am

Great news! SJ Games has just announced three things that should promote the game of Car Wars in the coming two years.

First, they are completely revamping the Compendium. They are going to rewrite it from top to bottom. It will incorporate fixes to all the
problems that have cropped up in the past and will consolidate all the rules that are now scattered about in the book. For example, all the
rules for losing a tire/wheel will be in one place as will the rules concerning mines.

Second, they will be producing a cheap introductory set that will encourage new players to learn Car Wars. The set will contain a small,
concise rulebook, two maps (at the new "official" scale of one inch equals ten feet, i.e. Micro Machines scale), and a set of cardboard
counters (don't groan until you see point #3 below.) The cost is estimated to be around $7.95 which should mean that novices will not be
turned off by the price. The introductory set will be a stepping stone to the revamped Compendium and will be fully compatible. It will be a
simple process to go from the introductory set to the advanced rules.

Third, SJ Games has entered into licensing agreements with both Lewis Galoob (the maker of Micro Machines) and Revell/Monogram (the maker of 1/24 scale model cars) to produce vehicles that are compatible with Car Wars. The Micro Machines will be based on existing vehicle stats. Three 5-car sets will be initially offered as well as a set containing a tractor-trailer combination and two RVs. They will be priced at about
$4.95 per set. The 1/24 scale offerings will be more "customizable" with different weapons options offered in each set. No price for these was
listed.

All in all, this should make the game of Car Wars very interesting in the next couple of years.
 

Newsgroup: Dueling Debate <http://www.delphi.com/carwars/>
From: Michael P. Owen (OWENMP)
To: Kurt Aldinger (KALDINGER)
Date: April 01, 1999, 7:02 am

Dear Kurt:

Thank you for the information. Where did you learn of this news? Who announced these plans SJ Games has for Car Wars?
 

Newsgroup: Dueling Debate <http://www.delphi.com/carwars/>
From: Michael P. Owen (OWENMP)
To: Kurt Aldinger (KALDINGER)
Date: April 01, 1999, 7:10 am

Dear Kurt:

I do not mean to sound pessimistic but was your post a joke for April Fool's Day?
 

Newsgroup: Dueling Debate <http://www.delphi.com/carwars/>
From: Kurt Aldinger (KALDINGER)
To: Michael P. Owen (OWENMP)
Date: April 01, 1999, 7:34 am

Michael:

Yes, you are correct. That was an April Fool's Day joke. Congratulations if you also caught the cynicism in my tone. The items I listed constitute a wish list of what I personally would want SJ Games to do.
 

Newsgroup: Dueling Debate <http://www.delphi.com/carwars/>
From: Dean Gibson <dracos12@yahoo.com>
To: Kurt Aldinger (KALDINGER)
Date: April 01, 1999, 11:06 am

Got me too! My heart was a flutter with thoughts of, "It's about damned time!" though my wish list would be for Matchbox/Hotwheels scale :)
 


THE DAEMON MECHANIC
 

BATTLESUITS
http://www.serv.net/~owenmp/daemon/pwrarm2.html

The recent developments in mecha such as power armor and walkers give strength to pedestrians that vehicles cannot ignore. While these weapons are impressive, military forces have the next generation of power armor in their arsenals now. This article gives a technical analysis of the capabilities of these devices commonly known as battlesuits.

Battlesuits article written by Michael Garrity
New Omaha Vehicular Association (NOVA)
garritym@hotmail.com
http://www.novia.net/~desslok/nova.htm
 


FIFTY YEARS AGO TODAY
 

FIRE KILLERS

The smallest jet-propelled fireboats are the Archerfish. They can blast 400 gallons per minute; flows of 1,000 gpm are possible when supplying land-based operations. A diverter valve shunts water from the rear of the boat to the front; the firestream of water will reach distances of 80 to 100 feet. Prices start at $24,000. Katydid Specialities, 1501 Allens Lane, Evansville IN 47720.

Color Drawing: Aquabike features front-mounted nozzle and a foam tank.

Popular Science Magazine
November 1996
 

FLOATING ONE-MAN FIRE BRIGADES

Small fireboats typically require two people and separate power sources to control the boat and operate the water nozzle, which is called a fire monitor. Zodiac's breakthrough design with the Archerfish monitor makes firefighting a one-man, joystick-controlled operation.

One 175-hp Mercury Sport Jet powers both the rigid-hull inflatable and the monitor. A diverter valve regulates the flow to the monitor via outside piping.

One-man fire brigades don't come cheap. The base fireboat costs $64,870, and options add another 10 grand.

Color Photograph: The monitor can deliver up to 665 gpm.

Popular Mechanics Magazine
July 1998
 

LONG-RANGE FIREFIGHTERS

New York, NY -- The Navy is investigating systems that deliver extinguishants to superhot fires while firefighters keep their distance.

One such system, called the Full-Mobility Telerobotic Vehicle Platform, is a remotely operated robot able to carry a hose into hostile environments. Equipped with 4-wheel drive, 360-degree independent steering and an adaptive suspension that actively controls the height of each wheel, the vehicle is able to traverse rough terrain and maneuver in tight spaces. The Navy expects the first prototype this June.

A more unorthodox approach is embodied in the Land Harpoon, a pneumatic cannon that shoots hose-carrying projectiles into fires as much as 1,000 ft. away with extreme accuracy. When compressed air or nitrogen is released into the barrel, a bullet-shaped projectile with an appropriate length of hose folded into its after-section, is launched. At a predetermined range, a braking system reigns in the hose, and the extinguishant sprays out through a 360-degree nozzle on the projectile. Fires can be extinguished far faster from the inside out, so the 10-minute burn-though time of the fluid-cooled hose is enough.

Color Drawing: Artist's concept shoes future stand-off extinguishers as they might be used in a carrier's flight-deck fire.

Popular Mechanics Magazine
January 1990
 

OUT OF THE ASHES

The Phoenix off-road fire truck enables firefighters to speed to locations traditional trucks can't reach. The all-wheel-drive Phoenix clambers up or descends a 60-percent slope with a full load of 2,500 gallons of water. Based on the U.S. Military's primary off-road transporter, the vehicle reaches speeds of 55 mph and fords streams as deep as four feet. Under-truck nozzles and one of two turrets can be used to protect the Phoenix as it drives into a fire while the main turret is used to fight the blaze. OshKosh Truck Corp., 2307 Oregon St., Oshkosh WI 54903.

Popular Science Magazine
January 1997
 

SEEING IN SMOKE

Firefighters can "see" through dense smoke and darkness using the CairnsIris helmet-mounted thermal-imaging system. The $25,000 2.8-pound unit perceives temperature variations as of little as 0.5 degrees F -- revealing a motionless victim, an unstable floor, or a fire raging behind a wall. Cairns & Brother, Box 4076, Clifton NJ 07012.

Popular Science Magazine
November 1995
 

SIGHT FOR SMOKY EYES

Clifton, NJ -- To equip firefighters with smoke-penetrating vision, Cairns and Brother has developed a helmet-mounted infrared imaging system that weighs only 1.4 lbs.

Called CairnsIRIS, the apparatus combines a camera, a beltworn image processor and a head-up display. Infrared images appear in the firefighter's line of vision, a la virtual reality, although they aren't stereoscopic.

Color Photograph: CairnsIRIS infrared camera alerts firefighters to trapped people, hidden hot spots and flashovers.

Popular Mechanics Magazine
February 1994
 

TANK-KILLER TO FIREFIGHTER

Camden, DE -- Fires that flare on the fringes of suburbia pose a special problem for firefighters. Pumpers designed to extinguish burning homes can't cope with an acre of burning brush. Water-drop aircraft used to fight forest fighters lack the precision for what amounts to backyard bombing.

AeroTech Ltd. says it has a solution. It wants to convert surplus A-10 tank-killers into high-speed air tankers for firefighting. The project's backers say the planes have nighttime fighting systems that can see through smoke and a constantly computed impact point targeting system to make sure theire 1,500-gal. "water bombs" land where they're aimed.
 


FORMULA DE NEWS
 

FORMULA DE INTERNET HEADQUARTERS
http://www.formula-de.com
 

Subject: Formula De Latest News
Date: Sat, 10 Apr 1999 20:48:09 -0700
From: FDIH Webmaster / Jean-Jacques Enser <info@formula-de.com>
To: "Formula De Mailing List" <fd-mailing-list@netscape.com>

Greetings to the FD online community! A few important news have been announced on the Formula Dé official web site. Check it out! Don't miss the Calendar of events (quite busy for the next few months) as well as the continuously growing International League Directory. Still in the works, a section dedicated to house rules and a track comparison chart.

Cheers,

Jean-Jacques Enser
Formula De Dude
jj@netscape.com
http://www.formula-de.com
 

New Leagues
Dallas De' Trippers: Dallas, TX, USA
Chalon sur Saône: France
Grenoble-Logras: France
RISK: Copenhagen, Denmark

Revised League Web Sites
BattleGroup Boston: Malden, MA, USA
The Line-League: Moedling, Australia
Québec Montréal: Canada
Villeneuve d'Ascq: France
 

Friday, February 5th, 1999: First Track Record From Canada

Today, Jean-Philippe Morin (Team LUNAS, Quebec championship) established a new world record for France "Magny-Cours" : 16 in 0:48.72.
Former record was 16 in 0:48.78 by Mary Us from Montpellier, France (source: Formule Dé Magazine)
 

Wednesday, February 10th, 1999

The Formula De Contact information page has been updated with new international distributors!
 

Saturday, February 13th, 1999: New Lap Record At Silverstone

From our local reporter: The officials from the "Major League - Paris 78" is delighted to announce their first official world record. During a very tight qualifying session (best time in 33.81s, 8 drivers under the minute!) Nick Helkroem (Sagarmatha) gets around in 15 moves, 0'34"55. Former world record was owned by Guy Ness (Jack Daniels - Montpellier), 15 moves in 0'48"31. Our warm congratulations to Nick for this amazing performance.
 

Monday, February 15th, 1999: Tracks #2 (Netherlands) And #10 (Brazil) To Be Renamed

In order to standardize the name of the Formula De race tracks available to date, Descartes has decided to rename tracks #2 to #10 according to the name of the closest city rather than the name of the country they're in. This change initially appeared with track #11 (Watkins Glen), the first american track released by Descartes, and this naming convention has been used ever since. The "renamed" tracks #2 to #10 will soon be available everywhere. See the updated board list in the Game Extensions page.
 

Tuesday, March 23rd, 1999: Descartes Launches Its Online Store!

You can now buy online any product from Descartes, including the entire Formula De product line, in English or in French! (German and Italian will follow soon). So what are you waiting for? Shopping is now just a click away!
 

Saturday, March 27th, 1999: Switzerland Joins The International Formula De League Directory!

Championnat Satellite de Formule Dé in Lausanne becomes the first Formula De League in Switzerland.
 

Tuesday, March 30th, 1999: Several Formula De Tournaments Announced

With spring coming, lots of things are happening around Formula De. Check out our Calendar of  Events.

Saturday, April 10th, 1999: Sneak Previews Of Tracks #23 (Monterey, California) and #24 (Portland, Oregon).

These tracks are scheduled for release in the summer of 1999.
 
 

ASSOCIATION DES PILOTES DE FORMULA DE (APFD) WEB SITE

Subject: Web Site Update
Date: Thu, 04 Mar 1999 23:11:53 +0100
From: "Alain David" <david.alain@wanadoo.fr>
To: "Formula De Mailing List" <fd-mailing-list@netscape.com>

Hi everybody. My person site about Formula De has the following revisions:

The site about APFD is at the following address (with a page in English): <http://www.citeweb.net/apfd/>.

My photo site about Formula De is at the following address: <http://www.multimania.com/apfd/>.

Hey! The APFD is not only for French racers! The San Francisco Bay Area Formula De League is now registred in APFD base and you can do the same if you contact me!

Alain David
F - 78180 Montigny
David.Alain@wanadoo.fr
ICQ: 19846363
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/david.alain/base.htm
 
 

COPENHAGEN FORMULA DE LEAGUE

Subject: Denmark Formula De Gaming
Date: Fri, 5 Mar 1999 20:15:03 +0100
From: "René Christensen" <renita@it.dk>
To: "Formula De Mailing List" <fd-mailing-list@netscape.com>

Hey, Formula De Internet Headquarters Webmaster and other Formula De fans, this is Denmark calling.

League name: R.I.S.K.
City: Copenhagen
E-mail Address: renita@it.dk
Web Site: Not yet, but we´re working on it.

Members

Next -- and first -- game date is 15/3/1999 at the City Hall of Copenhagen, where must of us work! I hope this is enough information to get registered on the Formula De League Registry. Goodbye and God speed!
 
 

FORMULA DE WEB RING
http://pages.infinit.net/seeker/webring.htm

Subject: Formule Dé Web Ring
Date: Sat, 06 Mar 1999 10:35:52 -0500
From: Martin Fraser <fraserm@videotron.ca>
To: "Formula De Mailing List" <fd-mailing-list@netscape.com>

Hello FD drivers. You may, or may not know about the Formula Dé Webring. The truth is, I was actually testing it for the last six months. But now, it is ready to receive your request for joining the Web ring.

This offer is absolutely free. No advertising is required. You only need a FD Web site to become a member. You may join the Web ring by following this link: <http://pages.infinit.net/seeker/webring.htm>.

Also at this link, you will find valuable information to help you putting the Web ring graphic on your Website. If you do not add the image (the only restriction), you will not be added to the Web ring.

My goal: To link every Formula De Web site on the Internet!

Martin Fraser
fraserm@videotron.ca
Can you handle a Formula De car? Come us visit us for track records, rules and more.
http://pages.infinit.net/seeker/
Webring Formule Dé
http://pages.infinit.net/seeker/webring.htm
 
 

KING OF PRUSSIA FORMULA DE LEAGUE

Subject: Formula De League in King of Prussia, PA
Date: 6 Apr 1999 23:29:47 GMT
From: EGDUSA1 <egdusa1@aol.com>
Organization: AOL http://www.aol.com
Newsgroups: news: rec.games.board

The Compleat Strategist store on 580 Shoemaker Road in K.O.P. PA is starting a Formula De League. The season kicks off on Saturday April 17th at 12:00. The rules for the seaon will be covered there and we will run the first two races of the season there that day. If you have never played this excelent racing game before, now is your chance. If you have any questions, or need directions call 610-265-8562
 

MID-OHIO FORMULA ONE LEAGUE
http://members.aol.com/wjelinek/mofo/

Subject: Mid-Ohio Formula One Web Site Update
Date: March 02, 1999 and April 04, 1999
From: "Mid-Ohio Formula One League" <WJELINEK@aol.com>
To: "Formula De Mailing List" <fd-mailing-list@netscape.com>

Hola. The Mid-Ohio Formula One Web site has been updated. Visit us to see

The MOFO has also completed its fourth round in Monaco. You can find the results of the exciting race and an original poem by last year's Drivers' Champion on the MOFO Web site. See you there and please sign our guestbook.
 
 

MULHOUSE OPEN

Subject: Mulhouse Open
Date: Wed, 24 Mar 1999 11:18:00 +0100
From: Aurelien Thion <thion@iap.fr>
To: "Formula De Mailing List" <fd-mailing-list@netscape.com>

Mulhouse's Open will be an international tournament as one to four German pilots from Koeln and Swiss pilots plan to participate. Feel free to accept the challenge . . . If you're interested, don't forget o register by sending an e-mail to <jph@evhr.net>.

Regards,

Manowar
 
 

OSLO NORWAY FORMULA DE LEAGUE

Subject: Oslo Caling
Date: Sun, 14 Mar 1999 23:23:24 +0100
From: "Jon-Roar Selenius" <jr@selenius.no>
To: "Formula De Mailing List" <fd-mailing-list@netscape.com>

I write this to inform you that Norway has entered the Formula De ommunity. We have just started a Formula De league in Oslo, and would like to be included on the FD International League Directory:

Name: Formula De Oslo
Country: Norway
City: Oslo
E-mail Address: <jr@selenius.no>
Mailing List Address: <formulade@listbot.com>
Web Site: <http://www.formulade.foslund.no>

The Web site is brand new, and its only in Norwegian for the moment. An English version is coming soon. We have also started a mailing list for our league. To join it go to this address: <http://formulade.listbot.com/>.

Greetings from Norway,

Jon-Roar
 
 

TIM TRANT'S FORMULA DE VARIANT RULES
http://www-ug.eecg.utoronto.ca/~tim/rules.html

Subject: Formule De Variant Rules
Date: 7 Apr 1999 18:24:27 GMT
From: "Tim Trant" <tim@eecg.toronto.edu>
Organization: Computer Group, Elec. Eng., University of Toronto
Newsgroups: news:rec.games.board

My latest variant Formule De rules, as used in the current series by our group, are now available on the Web. These are significantly
different from the "official" rules, and generally try to make the game less dependent on extreme (whether good or bad) movement rolls.  If you have the Eurogames version of Formula De, you will probably also want to get (from The Game Cabinet, for instance) a copy of the old movement charts which convert a 1d20 or 2d10 dice roll into the movement allowance for each gear.  As always, comments and suggestions are welcome.

Tim Trant
Electrical & Computer Engineering, University of Toronto
tim@eecg.utoronto.ca
 


GURPS DARKFUTURETECH
 

CARMAKER'S CRIBSHEET FOR GURPS AUTODUEL SECOND EDITION
http://www.io.com/~sjohn/carcrib.htm

Whenever I design something with GURPS Vehicles, I scratch my head over the drivetrain power. I like to get it exactly right on the first go,
but that isn't possible without knowing ahead of time what the final vehicle (including the drivetrain!) will weigh. This plagued me as I began work on some GURPS Autoduel campaign material a while back, and that's where this article began.

While I was at it, I also wanted to lock down a working "arena definition" of "car" for game purposes. Since I like letting my players design
their own vehicles, I wanted solid parameters defining what kind of vehicle the AADA (or any other dueling authority) would let into an arena to compete. Chapter Six of GURPS Autoduel gave me a good start, defining typical frame strength, material quality, and volume (AD2, p. 103), and I took it from there, adding a few more limits to keep the "Car Wars feel" in GURPS.

S. John Ross
sjohn@io.com
http://www.io.com/~sjohn/blueroom.htm
 

ED'S ROLEPLAYING PAGES
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Portal/3685/Games.html

This Web site has a list of characters he plays in GURPS campaigns, including several ones for use in Autoduel and Cyberpunk campaigns. Ed has also mentioned on his site three adventures GURPS Autoduel and GURPS Cyberpunk games, including the two Car Wars scenarios "Mutant Zone" from ADQ 7/2 and "Charge of the Light Brigade" from ADQ 10/2, are under construction.
 

TRACY RATCLIFF'S GURPS STUFF
http://www.bright.net/~tratclif/gurps/

Tracy has a nice set of resources and hyperlinks to resources for GURPS DarkFutureTech campaigns. This Web site features the very interesting section titled GURPS Vehicles Second Edition Upgrades, featuring many new gadgets, the GURPSnet Vehicles Construction Directory, Sails and Rigging and a bibiography of  GURPS gadgets.
 

VEHICLE DESIGNS: MUSCLEMAN TL8 WORK SUIT AND VENATOR TL8 CYBORG
 

The Muscleman is a heavy-duty work suit designed to get into places where conventional construction amchinery can't go. Its design principles were used in the first battlesuits.

Sub-assemblies: Two manipulator arms, two legs, limited-rotation turret
Drivetrain: 3-KW motive power leg drivetrain in legs
Arm motors: ST 240 arm motor in each arm
Thrusters: none
Battlesuit system: Pilot weight 200 lbs, has complexity: 2 suit computer in body
Built-in weapons: Heavy laser torch in right arm, vibroblade chainsaw (fully-retractable) in left arm
Sensors: AESA (x2) and PESA (x2) in turret facing forward
Commsuite: Mini-commsuite in turret
ECM: none
Power plant: none
Energy bank: RPC with 360,000 KWS in right arm, powers laser torch for 1,500 seconds. RPC with 1,000,000 KWS in body, powers all other systems for 42.73 hours
Volumes: each arm 2 cf, turret 1 cf, body 5 cf, each leg 4 cf
Structure and hit points: X-hv.  frame (advanced materials), each arm 120 HP, turret 36 HP, body 108 HP, each leg 96 HP
Surface features: none
Armor: PD 4, DR 600 (universal). All armor is open-frame metal
Statistics: Loaded weight 2,689.35 lbs., empty weight 2,489.35 lbs., loaded mass 1.34 tons, mecha volume 18 cf, size modifier +1, arms -1, turret -2, legs +0, price $342,255, HT: 12
ST and reach: Body ST 133, arm ST 240 (reach 2, damage thr 25d, sw 27d)
Dimensions: 3.26 yards tall, 1.08 yards long and wide
Ground performance: Speed 18 mph, gMR 3, gSR 1, move 9
Aerial performance: none
Space performance: none
 

Venator is a total cyborg built to resemble a large human male. It can use human-scale weapons and equipment. Note that the cyborg's human brain will have whatever statistics (IQ, etc) the GM decides.

Brain: Small computer brain with +3 DX booster, genius, hardened, high-capacity and neural net options  (6 lbs., 0.12 cf, $315,000, complexity 3)
Cyborg brain: 20 lbs., 0.4 cf, $150,000, 80 points, LR 4)
Sensors: Basic sensors with acute vision +5, laser rangefinder, telescopic zoom +10, thermograph vision, super hearing, acute taste and smell +5, discriminatory smell and discriminatory taste (10 lbs., 0.2 cf, $45,500, 170 points, LR 6)
Communicator: Basic communicator with superior voice option (1 lb., 0.02 cf, $3,000, 25 points)
Arm motors: 2 ST 30 arm motors (each 6 lbs., 0.12 cf, $12,000)
Leg drivetrain: 1-KW leg drivetrain (60 lbs., two motors; each 0.6 cf, $6,000), requires 1 KW
Weaponry: ST 10 crushing jaw (1 lb., 0.05 cf, $4,000, 5 points, LR 6)
Accessories: Gyrobalance ($5,000, 15 points), inertial compass (1 lb., 0.02 cf, $250, 5 points)
Power system: Routine power requirement 1.4 KW, has two rechargeable E-cells (40 lbs., 04 cf, $4,000, store 360,000 KWS, endurance 71.42 hours)
Sub-assemblies: Head, two arms, two legs
Body design: Houes cyborg brain, two rechargeable E-cells, gyrobalance, inertial compass, turret rotation space and 1.12-cf empty space; 2-cf total
Arm design: Houses ST 30 arm motors. Right arm houses electronic lockpick and 0.02-cf empty space, left arm has 0.08-cf empty space. Arms are 0.2-cf each
Head design: Houses computer brain, sensors, communicator, ST 10 crushing jaw and  0.01-cf empty space; 0.4 cf total
Area: Body 10, arms 2.5 each, turret 4, legs 5 each, total surface area 29
Structure: X-hvy. frame (advanced materials); 87 lbs., $145,000
Hit points: Body 60, arms 30 each, head 24, legs 30 each
Armor: Laminate armor PD 4, DR 100 (universal, 290 lbs., $29,000, LR 0, 200 points), sealed body  ($580, 20 points),
Biomorphics: Realistic flesh (14.5 lbs., $11,600)
Statistics: 589.5 lbs. (.29425 tons), 4 cf (1 hex, 6.87' tall), $788,720, body ST 57, arm ST 30 (175 points), DX 12 (20 points), IQ 7 (-20 points), HT 12/30, speed 13.5 (25 points), cannot float (-5 points), legality 0, point cost 715
 

Muscleman and Venator designed by Michael Garrity
New Omaha Vehicular Association (NOVA)
garritym@hotmail.com
http://www.novia.net/~desslok/nova.htm
 

WEAPON DESIGN SPREADSHEETS

Subject: Vehicles Weapons Spreadsheets
From: Arthur Samuels <cardinalsin@mindspring.com>
Date: 31 Mar 1999 18:13:35 GMT
Newsgroups: Pyramid GURPS Message Board <http://www.sjgames.com/pyramid/>

I have hacked together some Excel spreadsheets for weapons in GURPS Vehicles Second Edition. These are hardly what you'd call full-featured
applications with a slick user interface -- just something to help me automate the number-crunching. And I am still finding bugs. Does anybody want a copy? I ask in return that you notify me of any bugs you find. I haven't done much in Excel, but I know very few tricks. However, the base function setups were not too difficult (I am a C programmer, after all . . . ).

Also, if there are any Excel gurus out there, contact me. I have some questions for you, if you don't mind.
 


HEAVY METAL
 

BIKE WARS: MOTORCYCLE DUELS AT 100 PERCENT SCALE

I have come up with a crazy idea: motorcycle duels at 100% scale. I'm not sure how to start this but I'll try to do my best.

This duel will be used with regular Car Wars rules, and using the Car Wars movement system. The bicycles should be around the same size (a few inches shouldn't make a difference; motorcycles are not the same size anyway!) and have riders eager enough to sit on a bike an hour or so. Having good weather during the event is highly recommended.

Play goes as normal, but using these rules requires a referee to keep score and such. Instead of making a huge turning key, put a protractor-like thing on the front of the frame (where the fork goes through the frame). It should be paper glued onto cardboard. The middle should have zero degrees and going down the sides with the other normal degrees used in Car Wars (15, 30, 45, 60, 75 and 90) with 90 degrees being parallel with the bike. All the rider would do is turn the front wheel until the middle of the tire aligns with the degress he or she wants to turn. The person then moves the bike slowly until it has gone a bike length (Don't lean the bike!).

If anyone ever wants to use this rule, it should prove interesting! If you don't understand what I am trying to describe with the protractor thing, I'll draw one up in my paint program and send it to you.

I don't take responsiblity when the cops show up to see what the heck  your doing. :)

Paul "The Viper"
Viper473@aol.com
 


NANS TICKER
 

APOGEE GAMES SALE-A-BRATION
http://www.apogee1.com/misc/sale.html

You can own the CD-ROM edition of Death Rally, which retails for $29.95 US, for only $5.00 US! Apogee Games, producers of Death Rally, are selling Death Rally and several other games at bargain basement prices. Death Rally features top-down vehicular combat like in the classic computer game Autoduel by Origin Systems. For more information on this game, visit the Virtual Autoduel Review Jump Page on the SWAT Web site to discover Web pages about Death Rally.
 

ARES MAGAZINE INDEX
http://www.erols.com/mrboone/wg_home.html
http://www.erols.com/mrboone/mag_ares/mag_ares.html

This Web site is a comprehensive index to the out-of-print gaming magazine Ares. In addition to a list of the articles in each issue, there are scans of each cover. The final issue of Ares had three Car Wars articles. The descriptions of those articles are listed below.

Ares 17 Final Edition
Pancake Alley: Driving Fast and Dangerously in Car Wars. Steve Winter. pp.14-15.
Reviews: Autoduel Champions and Car Wars Game Reference Screen. Steve List. pp.55-60
 

AUTODUELIST'S HAVEN, CAR WARS INTERNET MAGAZINE AND THE DRACAR LEAGUE

Index Page to Dean Gibson's Web Site
http://www.dracos.net/dracos/top.htm

Autoduelist's Haven Car Wars Forum
http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/carwars

Dean Gibson's Car Wars Web Site
http://www.dracos.net/dracos/carwars.htm

DRACAR Internet Headquarters
http://www.dracos.net/dracos/dracar.htm

Dean Gibson has entered the Car Wars community with the impact of twin linked blast cannons. Dean's resources are quickly becoming some of the largest on the Internet in the few months of their operation. Autoduelists should definitely keep their radar and infrared systems locked on these arsenals and tool kits.

Autoduelist's Haven is a Car Wars forum sponsored by the Yahoo! Network, featuring a message board, a chatroom, a list of Car Wars Web sites and a calendar of autoduels. You will need to register with Yahoo! to access the forum but registration is free.

The Dueltrack Racing Association Can-Am Rally (DRACAR), previously called the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing/Dueling (NASCARD), is a Car Wars gaming group led by Dean that holds combat racing events using a set of rules similar to the Championship Autodueling Circuit (CADC).

Dean publishes the Car Wars Internet Magaazine (CWIZ) every two to four weeks. This magazine is similar to the CADC Journal Tire Tracks. The table of contents for the first two issues published are listed below.

CWIZ Volume 1 Number 1: March 15, 1999

CWIZ Volume 1 Number 2: April 01, 1999 The first issue of CWIZ has rules for Speed Car Wars. When using this format of Car Wars, autoduelists must fight against the clock as well as their opponents! Although these rules should be used only by experts of Car Wars, they provide a very interesting way to play and will likely reduce the time required for games dramatically. Eric Freeman's Car Wars Referee Questionaire, published in the March 1999 edition of CWIN, is now sponsored by CWIZ. The guidelines of the Gibson Cup combat racing league are discussed and the vehicle designs Dean Gibson used in the OrcCon 1999 Car Wars Tournament, with color photographs of Hot Wheels miniatures are displayed.

The second issue of CWIZ is as exciting and detailed as the first issue. Autoduelists should not miss reading about the Florida Police Challenge, a DRACAR event that provides a new way to use police vehicles in Car Wars.

The CWIN Staff would like to give many thanks to Dean for all of the cool Web pages he has created for the Car Wars community and hopes his resources will be available for a long time. Good luck with the DRACAR League and your other projects!
 

ILLUMINATED SITE OF THE WEEK KEEPER NEEDED

Subject: IllSotW Keeper Wanted
From: Jacqueline Hamilton <kira@io.com>
Date: 8 Apr 1999 19:28:00 GMT
Newsgroups: Pyramid SJ Games General Message Board

Our current keeper of the Illuminated Site of the Week has had to step down due to RL pressures, so I'm looking for a new volunteer to take on
the IllSotW-keeper mantle.

Duties: look through the list of suggested sites, and/or find your own illuminated sites; pick one each week, and write a description for it.
New IllSotW entries are posted in our Illuminator each Friday.

E-mail me if you're interested. :)

Jacqueline Hamilton
Webmistress, Steve Jackson Games
kira@io.com
http://www.sjgames.com/
 

IMEAGLE'S CAR WARS WEB PAGE
http://www.geocities.com/Petsburgh/2344/

This site is under construction but it does have a copy of the vehicle design spreadsheet created by the Duelists of Alberta.
 

JOEL AGEE'S ROLE-PLAYING GAMES PAGE
http://home.att.net/~joel.jae/

The Arizona autoduelist who has been a long-time member of the Car Wars community has several vehicle designs for our persusal.
 

KARL LOW'S JAVA CAR WARS GAME
http://triton.pc.athabascau.ca/html/students/stupage/vhd/bios/karl.htm
http://triton.pc.athabascau.ca/html/students/stupage/vhd/

Karl Low, a full-time student at Athabasca University (Calgary, Alberta, Canada), is working on a Jave implementation of Car Wars.
 

PROPERTIES OF DICE
http://hjem.get2net.dk/Klaudius/Dice.htm

Klaus Æ. Mogensen has written an excellent primer on mathematics have affected the design of dice. You do not need to be an expert in geometry to understand this page but there are detailed equations for those people who want to know the mathematics.
 

VIPER TELEVISION SERIES CANCELLATION
http://members.xoom.com/tvviper/

April 6, 1999: It is official. Viper will not be returning for another season. They are packing up and heading home after the closed set work is done.

After hearing the endless rumors of Viper not returning for the 1999-2000 season on the Internet, I decided to find out the truth for myself. I telephoned them this afternoon and asked a question or two concerning the future of Viper. The friendly production staff there replied "Viper has been cancelled . . . for good." I was so stunned that I just said "Thanks" and before I knew, I had already hung up the phone. I called back, just to make sure I heard this right, and asked them what is the reason that led to the cancellation of Viper. They said, "They don't know."

Even from reading all the e-mails and pages regarding Viper not returning for another season during the past few weeks, I really didn't believe it until I heard it from the right people. Well, guys and gals, this must be one of the saddest day in Viper history, eh?

To allow all of you to show your years of love and support for Viper, I've decided to bring back the [ Fan List ] that my page once possessed that users loved very much. Please take a minute or two and fill in the form. I hope Mr. Bilson and Mr. De Meo will somehow see this and realize
how many lives they have entertained and maybe change their minds. :o)

As for the current season, there are only five more new episodes of Viper left this season. Enjoy them while you can. But remember, even though its Viper we're talking about, concentrate on your final exams for those of you that are still in school. :o) I've been there, and putting TV first isn't the best idea at times. :o) The first of those five episodes, Holy Terror, starts on the weekend of Saturday, April 17th, 1999.

Steven Lawrence
Webmaster, Viper Project Web Site
vipertv@aol.com
http://members.xoom.com/tvviper/
 

PETER WITNEY'S HOMEPAGE
http://www.kobal.demon.co.uk/
http://www.kobal.demon.co.uk/floor2/cars.html

Peter's resources for Car Wars are still under construction but there are two useful articles available. The first article discusses the three major design strategies of autodueling: the Lion, the Rabbit and the Vulture. The second article discusses the tactics of using vorpal bunnies and the historical naval maneuver called crossing the T.
 

WOMANMOTORIST.COM'S GLOSSARY OF AUTOMOTIVE TERMINOLOGY
http://www.womanmotorist.com/glossary/glossary.shtml

Womanmotorist.com has a very detailed list of internal combustion engine and automobile racing terms. If you have had questions about autmobiles but did not know where to find answers, check out this site first.
 


VIRTUAL AUTODUEL REVIEW
 

ASSAULT VEHICLES
http://macgaming.simplenet.com/reviews/gamereviews/assaultvehicles/

This computer game is available for Macintosh computers. A screenshot showed cars can have a weapon called V-Mine and five types of missiles: Damage, Ice, Stealth, Death and Nuclear. The description of gameplay from the MacGaming Web site is reprinted below.

The game runs smoothly and rapidly on my machine in all modes. There is no screen jump or pauses. I am sure that the game is even better in Multiplayer LAN suffering none of the long loading time problems so often experienced with Carma and other games. Basically there are five zones in which one can play. These arenas (think Car Wars arenas with natural instead of cement borders.) are located in Egypt (complete with Pyramids), Himalayas, the Midwest, Siberia and South America. In the Trophy game one faces one more opponent at each level (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, max) which one has to kill to advance to the next level of play. After completing all areas one moves onto the Gold Trophy contest where one gets awards as one advances. (Options and two vehicles are among some of the goodies available.)

There are two other modes, both can involve team play with other cars. These are Elimination and Kill Count, last man stranding and a pre-set kill amount respectively. Both of these ways are a great way to learn how to play the game and develop skills needed in the Trophy chase. It would also pay to try this a few times before facing human opponents in the multiplayer mode.
 

BURNOUT: THE ORIGINAL HOT ROD BOARDGAME
http://www.hotrodgame.com/

The description of this boardgame on the Burnout Web site is reprinted below.

Attention Hotrodders, introducing Burnout, the world's first real Hot Rod game, made by Hotrodders for Hotrodders, of all ages. Imagine racing your car with High Performance parts like Big Blocks, Blowers, Tunnel Rams, and Nitrous. You and your friends run race after thrilling race against each other and America's fastest muscle cars and Streetrods. Burnout,where 400 horsepower and smoking tires are the rules of the street. Burnout: An exciting fast-paced boardgame of fast cars, smoking tires, blown engines and run-ins with the law.
 

DRAG RACING: THE BOARDGAME
http://www.ainet.com/racegame/

The description of this boardgame on the Drag Racing Web site is reprinted below.

Pilot a Top Fuel Dragster, Nitro Funny Car, or ProStocker. Set low E.T. then blast through eliminations and win the race. Watch out, you might smoke the tires, brake a blower belt, or blow up your engine.
 

INTERSTATE ROADKILL
http://www.dracos.net/dracos/top.htm
http://www.dracos.net/rkclient.htm

Dean Gibson, the sponsor of the Dueltrack Racing Association Can-Am Rally (DRACAR) League and editor of the Car Wars Internet Magazine, is producing a very intriguing vehicular combat computer game called Interstate Roadkill. The description of the game on the Interetate Roadkill Web site is reprinted below.

InterState is set in a feudal, dark future where civilization has crumbled under the strain of the once world powers. Major cities lie in ruins while
others struggle to survive in what used to be the "Free" world. Now, cities must govern themselves, establishing city-states and feudal-type laws to manage their shrinking populations and building walls to keep out the thousands and thousands of outcasts and refugees spawned from the final days of civilization.

The only hope for city-state survival, and the last breath of civilization itself, is the INTERSTATE. The once mighty network of roads that linkedthousands of towns, cities, and homes still stands and will serve as the only means of communication and trade between the city-states! No city-state is truly self sustaining and relies heavily upon these networks of roads to keep the supply of goods flowing and the demand for life growing!

It's your responsibilty to enter into the world of Interstate and try to survive it yourself! You can build your own motorcycle, car, or truck and
dare the Interstate's fast-shooting lanes! Or you can interact with the people of the Interstate world: trading goods, buying lands, collecting
enough wealth and power to start your own city-state!
 

LOOSE CANNON
http://www.pcgames.com/news/news_digi_anvil.html

An excerpt of an article from the PC Games.com Web site is reprinted below. The original article can be found at the URL above.
 

Digital Anvil Forging Four PC Games By Willem Knibbe

The secretive Digital Anvil finally pulled back the curtain on its upcoming lineup.

The Austin, Texas-based DA -- formed in 1996 when Chris Roberts left Origin -- signed a distribution deal with Microsoft, then went into hush-hush mode. Until now, its designers wouldn't even discuss what genres they were exploring.

Tony Zurovec of Crusader: No Remorse/Regret fame is letting his fascination with mid-1980s car-combat games (Car Wars and Autoduel) fuel a game set right here on Earth.

Loose Cannon takes place in the near future, after the petroleum wars and the resuling economic collapse. Crime and corruption are rampant, the police are ineffectual, and bounty hunting is legal. Cannon will have you accepting jobs to score bucks to get better cars to take tougher jobs to score more bucks. The overall goal is to take down crime lord Bishop, and the nonlinear missions will include everything from escort missions to hostage rescues to surveillance and recon in one of nine cities or twelve country locales.

Many missions will require action on foot as well as in cars. For instance, you might be blasting criminals in high-speed chases on the way to Bad Guy X's hideout, then get out and stealthily make your way around the grounds until you can pull off the assassination.

Loose Cannon is scheduled for a release in the summer or fall of 2000.
 

THE MATRIX
http://www.whatisthematrix.com

The CWIN editor saw the new movie The Matrix on April 06, 1999. His comments about the production can be summarized by the statements, "I loved it and I want to roleplay it." The movie was so exciting in his opinion there is not a review or summary of it here. If you combine GURPS Bio-Tech, GURPS Cyberpunk, GURPS Martial Arts and The Terminator movies, you have a good idea of what The Matrix is about. The martial arts sequences alone make the cost of theater admission worthwhile. The article on the CNN Interactive Web site listed below and the official Web site of The Matrix gives more details about movie.


MAXTRAX RACING BOARD GAMES
http://www.maxtrax.net/index.html

This Web site is the Internet home of the producers of the NASCAR-endorsed Daytona Challenge boardgame. Information about future racetracks for Daytona Challenge are planned to be uploaded to this site.
 

N.I.C.E. 2
http://kickass.com/demo/98/nice2.html

Demonstration versions of the game that is described as "High-speed death the way God intended" are available. Fast cars with powerful weapons. This game appears to have a winning formula for an autodueling simulation.
 

ROAD WARS
http://www.game-over.net/news/jan25-31.html

Intense Announces Road Wars

Intense Entertainment Interactive races into reality, publishing the toughest, automobile combat racing game yet, Road Wars. Road Wars is a cutting-edge vehicular combat racing game set in a police state of the near future where the extreme sport of Road Wars has emerged.

With twelve different character with their own unique car, eight track combinations, and a plethora of hazard effects, Road Wars is designed to satisfy the craving of the worst adrenaline junkies. Setting itself apart from the competition, Road Wars features the Season Race, where players win money from each race and are challenged to repair and add weapons, armor, and tires to their vehicles from race to race. Road Wars also features single and pulse-pounding multi-player modes, realistic weapon and car physics, 3D dynamics, force feed back, EAX, 3DNow, and
DirectX 6.0 support, Road Wars is surely to immerse players in the role of a road warrior. Road Wars also has an original soundtrack by Mike Miller and The Method.

This is Intense's first in-house development project. It is expected to release in April 1999.
 


WADA EVENTS
 

APRIL-MAY 1999: DRACAR EVENTS
http://www.dracos.net/dracos/carwars.htm

I'm organizing an expeditionary race with the DRACAR format for April 17th in the L.A. area. Anyone local to L.A. is welcome to attend!
Free beer and chips will be provided as well as official entry onto the DRACAR Web site. I'd like to continue this format monthly using DRACAR rules and establish some kind of league-style play.

For those of you in San Diego . . . I was thinking of also running a DRACAR race down at Game Empire. If interested please post to the Dueling Debate message board! I will send out a mass e-mail later.

Visit the DRACAR Web site for construction rules (see the About Page) in this first "Gibson Cup" Series race. The Autoduelist's Haven forum has a list of DRACAR events scheduled for April and May.

Details about GameX 199 can be found on the Strategicon Web site <http://www.strategicon.com>.

P.S. Did I mention free beer? :o)

Dean Gibson
Dueltrack Racing Association Can-Am Rally (DRACAR) President/Webmaster
dracos12@yahoo.com
http://www.dracos.net/dracos/carwars.htm
 

OCTOBER 1-3, 1999: ARCHON 23 SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY CONVENTION
http://www.sjgames.com/con/

Location: Gateway Convention Center/Holiday Inn at the intersection of I-55/70 and I-255 in Collinsville, IL just 10 miles east of
St. Louis, Missouri

A Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention featuring Guest Authors, Artists, a Costume Masquerade Show, Dealers Room, Videos, Panels, Contests and Gaming. The Game program will feature 150+ game events. Role-Playing: GURPS, In Nomine, RPGA, L5R, AD&D, Call of Cthulhu plus more. Collectible Card: INWO, Star Wars, Star Trek, Magic the Gathering plus a few more. Miniature/Board Games: Car Wars, Games Workshop, Clan War, Battleground WWII. Plus many more games still being determined.

Archon will also be featuring our First Annual Post-Apocalyptic Car Show. Art cars with an attitude! Think Car Wars/Road Warrior/Death Race 2000. If you've got a heavily armored 1977 4-door Impala with twin 37mm autocannon, bring it on down and see if you can take first prize.

Contact Person: Jon Bancroft.

For more info, contact: Archon 23, PO Box 8387, St. Louis MO 63132-8387.
 


WEB SITE WATCH
 

AMERICAN VIGILANTE ASSOCIATION (AVA)
http://z.interspeed.net/ava/index.htm

SWAT has not been able to find the Web site for this Interstate 1976 organization until recently. The AVA assigns costs to cars, weapons and accessories like in Car Wars to determine the eligibility of vehicles in multi-player games.
 

AUTODUELISTS OF VANCOUVER REGIONAL ORGANIZATION (AVRO)
http://avro.simplenet.com/carwars/index.html

The report of the 2047 AVRO Chapter Championship is now available on the AVRO Web Site.
 

CAR WARS INTERNET HEADQUARTERS BY STEVE JACKSON GAMES
http://www.sjgames.com/car-wars/

Lonnie Foster, member of SWAT, has converted Autoduel Quarterly 4/3 (Fall 2036) to HTML format. This issue is now on the ADQ Archive. The CWIN editor has submitted the Corporate Car Wars article missing from the ADQ Archive edition of ADQ 4/4 (Winter 2036) to SJ Games and plans to convert ADQ 6/1 (Spring 2038) to a series of Web pages later this spring. If you want to help correct errors on the issues already on the archive or want to convert an entire issue, contact SJ Games. There is still a large amount of work to be done with the ADQ Archive. This project will not be completed unless you help.
 

DEATH RACING ASSOCIATION OF WASHINGTON STATE (DRAW)
http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Battlefield/6056/index.html

The Calendar of Events, Season Standings and "Games DRAW Plays" page have been revised and the results of the April 1999 Division 40 Duel results have been posted.
 

THE DRAGON'S LAIR
http://www.gate.net/~dogarin/

Aaron Armstead is looking for autoduelists near the University of Florida to form a Car Wars gaming group. If Aaron can find players, it is very likely Car Wars resources will appear on his Web site.
 

NEW OMAHA VEHICULAR ASSOCIATION (NOVA)
http://www.novia.net/~desslok/nova.htm

The Midwest Mud Arena is now available in the Arena section. The Vehicle Designs database and the Conventions page have been updated.
 

NEW TORONTO AUTODUEL ASSOCIATION (NTAA)
http://www.interlog.com/~stab/ntaa/

Commentary on Amateur Night between Peggy Suicide and Kevin Krunch in the MegaDrome is now on NTAA virtual headquarters.
 

PRINCETON UNIVERSITY CORPORATE CAR WARS LEAGUE
http://www.princeton.edu/~sgu/carwars/

Aaron Mulder and the Princeton University corporate autoduelists are in the arena once again after a three-year hiatus! Three events have been held so far this year: a three-person Division 20 duel in the Armadillo Autoduel Arena, a four-person Division 15 duel in the Double Drum and a five-person Division 30 duel in the Spaghetti Junction Duellodrome. Descriptions of these events with photographs of the arenas are on the Princeton CCWL Web site. Details of the active corporations are also displayed, new designs added to the vehicle database and  there is a section of the site titled LoTek Arena Rules that make Car Wars easier for beginning duelists. The LoTek Arena Rules are also useful for expert players because their restrictions challenge the design skills of gamers used to relying on advanced weaponry and equipment.
 

KEVIN "KRASH MACALISTER" REGIER'S CAR WARS WEB SITE
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/2550/

The Car Wars chatroom has been removed. The Web site now has a message saying, "Soon to be the HomePage of Pure Kaos."
 

SOUTHERN HITMEN AUTODUEL ASSASSINS GUILD (SHAAG)
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Dreamworld/2274/shaagCW.html

The HTML conversion of Autoduel Quarterly 1/4: Winter 2032 has been completed. SHAAG  has submitted an application for AADA membership and will be holding presidental election duels soon.
 

STEEL CITY AUTODUEL RAMPAGE (SCAR)
http://www.icubed.com/~yoodle/carwars.htm

James Robertson, SCAR Webmaster, has performed some reorganization of the SCAR's Internet headquarters. All of the resources are still available, including modified Miles Messervy turning keys, movement templates that present a variant system of speed modifiers.
 

TOP DRIVER ASSOCIATION
http://www.soltec.net/~lee/

The TDA Web site has been replaced by a Web page saying, "Under construction. Future site for Daytona Challenge and Formula De."