Web Posted March 01, 1998
Updated September 02, 2001
Editor's Note: Nathan Whitchurch of CRADA had not yet joined the CWIN staff at the time of CWIN 01.01 therefore this issue was written entirely by Michael P. Owen of SWAT.
It's ours now.
The Aussie is on sabbatical, working on his university physics program in order to become the first Car Wars player to learn how to pilot hovercrafts. Now the Yankees are taking over and initiating a New World Order for Car Wars.
The Car Wars Mailing List is temporarily suspended until Mr. Barton of HVD has less academic challenges. I have decided to start a new mailing list called the Car Wars Internet Newsletter (CWIN). I plan to run this publication like James with focus on the current Car Wars rules, errata/refits, Car Wars activities, new autodueling products, fiction, and small articles discussing variant rules.
I would imagine you are wondering who in Hades is this autoduelist writing to you. I am a player of Car Wars since January 1987. My first Car Wars set was the Third Edition Pocket Box rules. Since 1992 I have filled over 160 3.5" 800K floppy disks with Car Wars projects that I am slowly converting to Internet format. I have a very large selection of spreadsheets and word processing files for assistance in vehicle design and combats that I am planning to place on my newly-created Web site.
I have listed SWAT as a Car Wars Gaming Group in Seattle and in Spokane for the following reason. While I was attending university in Seattle I usually had my time occupied by academics although I occasionally held Car Wars sessions. Note that I was trying to hold Car Wars games during the early years of a Certain Card Game so autoduelists were in scarce quantity. I stayed in Seattle for most of the year and attending summer school in Seattle so I only visited my home in Spokane for a few weeks every quarter and during every April for the Spokane Gaming Convention Game Faire. When I would come home to Spokane I would usually bring my Car Wars materials with me and hold demonstration games and duels with friends. Because I lived and gamed in two cities I gave the name for SWAT two locations.
Note that I am likely moving to Seattle permanently in the next 12 months however I will still visit Spokane for Game Faire every April. Note when I move to Seattle my Internet Service Provider will change, resulting in a change of location for my Web Site and my ISP elmay address. However my elmay address at Hotmail will continue normally. For the next six months I do not expect to move so you can consider this newsletter and my Internet addresses stable as Pb-82 (the element lead, an end result of many radioactive decay processes).
Michael P. Owen
Seattle Washington Autodueling Team (SWAT) President/Webmaster
Car Wars Internet Newsletter (CWIN) Editor
owenmp@hotmail.com
http://www.serv.net/~owenmp/swathome.html
The following information is available in full detail in Pyramid Magazine
27, 28, and 29.
2046-2047 NOVA CHAPTER RACING CHAMPIONSHIP
The autoduelists of Nebraska caused a large amount of chaos in the Ozark Off-Road AutoDuel Arena with a Div30 five-lap dueltrack race. Here are the results of the event:
2046-2047 SPARK CHAPTER DUELING CHAMPIONSHIP
One of the nightmares of autoduelists, the Rainbow Bay Blast Furnace,
was the venue for this Div15 event that was a Survival Duel. The gas flame
bunkers were activated twice per second! James Beecher and Jeff Tidball
survived the fires and explosions to become co-champions.
2046-2047 AADA WORLD TOURNAMENT RESULTS
Pyramid Magazine Number 28 has apparently been released and contains the results of the 2046-2047 AADA World Dueling Championships at GenCon. Coverage of this event as well as the 2046-2047 World Racing Championships at Origins are also discussed in this issue of Pyramid.
In Pyramid Number 27 there is a small article about the 2046-2047 AADA World Racing Championships at Origins. David Kristensen won the event with a Can-Am racing car capable of 200 mph and HC 9.
The AADA World Headquarters Web Site has listed the top combatants in the Dueling and the Racing Championships of the 2046-2047 AADA Season.
2046-2047 AADA World Duelling Championships at GenCon 1997
This event was supposed to be held at Dexcon 6. No one has ever admitted to taking part in this, the first, BLUD World Championship.
The staff of CWIN would like to extend many congratulations to the winning duelists and drivers. However the victors do not have long to rest. The 2047-2048 Dueling and Racing seasons are upon us and the mayhem has already started with armament factories increasing production of ammunition for the expected demand. :-)
LAMINATE ACCESSORY ARMORS
Laminate Accessory Armors – Cost 10x and Weight 1.25x per point laminate
plastic. AWHs and WGs of laminate plastic cost $40 and weigh 5 lbs. per
point. Laminate armor can only be installed on AFVs and armored cars.
LASER GUIDANCE LINKS
SWAT will likely present a special edition of CWIN about this subject or will discuss LGLs in The Firing Range in a future issue of CWIN. However I would like to try to clear some of the confusion of this wonder of combat technology (or bane to those duelists on the receiving end of weapons using this accessory). Specifically, the costs of installation of this item are explored here.
All types of lasers except pulse-modified or X-Ray can be utilized for the LGL.
Modifications for a laser to be used for the LGL is required for every laser in the LGL. This alteration costs $500 per LGL laser.
Every rocket weapon must have electronics installed in order to follow the path of the laser guiding the rocket. If the rocket weapon is an ammunition-using item such as an RL, every individual round must be LGL-modified. The electronics for the LGL cost $200 per rocket weapon or individual round.
The laser that is guiding rockets must be linked to the weapons it is guiding. Note that every rocket must have an individual link to the guidiance laser. Every laser-rocket link costs $50. Note that smart links are not required for these laser-rocket links because the smart link is a lower-tech version of the LGL.
Laser-rocket links do not connect rockets to each other therefore separate, additional links are required. Rockets in the same location (facing) can use $50 links. Rockets in different locations must use $500 smart links.
All types of targeting computers can be utilized with the LGL. Single Weapon Computers do not give their to-hit bonus when rockets guided by lasers are smart-linked.
Cyberlinks are considered Single Weapon Computers compatible with the LGL although not able to enhance targeting with smart links.
Example
Vehicle Weapon Configuration: Laser and RL (with 10 rockets) in 3-space turret, 2 linked RLs (each with 10 rockets) front, 4 HRs (1R, 1L, 2 linked B). 34-rocket LGL (Laser tuned, 10 rockets in turret RL tuned, 10 rockets in front RL tuned, 4 HRs tuned, 3 laser-RL links, 4 laser-HR links), HR-HR link, RL-RL link, RL-RL-RL smart link.
CHESSEX GAMES FORMULA DE WEB SITE
http://www.chessex.com/html/formula_d_.html
Chessex has installed an Errata/Refit Page and a Frequently Asked Question
Page. Car Wars players should also check out the racetracks on this site
as many are not going to be released for several months or are beta versions
that will likely not be printed.
FORMULA DE INTERNET HEADQUARTERS
http://www.formula-de.com
This site has become the best resource for Formula De on the WWW excluding the Chessex site. Its Webmaster, Jean-Jacques Enser, has been working overtime to make this site very useful and very nice in appearance. Nearly all of the sections of this site have been updated including the League Registry and Frequently Asked Question Site. By the way, Jean-Jacques does indeed work at Netscape Communications and is a very nice person, so check out the site and say hello.
DUELING AND ALLIED TECHNOLOGIES
Dave Terhune, a retired autoduelist that is returning to the sport, is offering a vehicle design service for free. Dave is also working on a vehicle database and a gadget database for the WWW. If you are interested in the VDS contact Dave at the elmay address below.
Dave Terhune / Dueling and Allied Technologies
meronson@technologist.com
GAME FAIRE 1998 TO BENEFIT HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
Merlyn's Science Fiction Fantasy Store is running Game Faire 1998, a gaming convention that focuses on learning new games and presenting a wide variety of games. GF is famous for having an awesome gaming auction that usually has large quantities of hard-to-find used games. As usual ALL profits from Game Faire will be donated to that spectacular charity HABITAT FOR HUMANITY, which builds houses for the homeless free of charge. Last year over $3,000 US was raised for this wonderful service simply as a result of a group of gamers rolling dice and referring to mathematical charts and tables. :-) Please help make GF make a larger donation by attending this exciting gaming event.
SWAT is going to be holding several Car Wars events at Game Faire 1998, including a convention tournament and a military combat scenario. Note that the Car Wars Tournament will NOT be a Regional Event, simply a convention tournament. Regardless of your experience with Car Wars you can participate in these events.
Here are the vital statistics you need about Game Faire 1998:
Game Faire 1998
Spokane Falls Community College Building 17 – Student Union Building
Friday April 17: 500 PM – 1130 PM
Saturday April 18: 900 AM – 1130 PM
Sunday April 19: 900 AM – 430 PM (Sunday Morning is the likely time
of the Game Auction)
Weekend Pass
Questions about Game Faire 1998? Please consult the information below:
Merlyn's Science Fiction and Fantasy Store
1 N Browne
Spokane WA 99201
800-429-4523
509-624-0957
kosh@pcartisan.com
http://www.bookandgame.com/merlynsmain.htm
GURPS VEHICLES SECOND EDITION REPRINTED
This foundation of the GURPS AutoDuel2 rules has finally been reprinted
after more than six months of OOP status. This is not a new edition however
errata has been retrofitted.
SEATTLE WASHINGTON AUTODUELING TEAM (SWAT) JUMP PAGE
http://www.serv.net/~owenmp/swathome.html
Finally, the author of this newsletter has navigated the maze of HTML programming long enough in order to create the first section of the SWAT Web Site. I believe Mr. James Barton is saying in his mind "It is about time . . . Two years of waiting and only one page." :-) I have been talking to James for over 18 months about Web publishing and James has patiently waited for my HTML material. I would like to thank James for all of his help otherwise the URL site would still be a word processing document.
The SWAT Web Page could have been uploaded to the Internet in 1997 however Internet access became severely limited for me. In addition, my keyboard on my Macintosh computer finally ceased to function in March, 1997, preventing me from continuing work on the SWAT Web Site and other Car Wars projects. December 1997 was a joyous time for me because not only did I gain a replacement keyboard for my Macintosh, enabling my computer Car Wars projects to continue, I was given a new, powerful IBM computer by a very generous family member, which I am using to write this document. Now I have permanent to the Internet and "Computer Car Wars."
As I mentioned before the first section of SWAT WWW Site is on the Internet. This page lists the URLs of the Car Wars and GURPS DarkFutureTech (a label I use to describe gaming campaigns combining AutoDuel, Bio-Tech, CyberPunk, High-Tech, Ultra-Tech, and Car Wars) sites on the WWW. I will perform verifications of the URLs at least once a month, primarily to search for new information on these Web sites. When I discover a site has been revised or if there is a new site I will place a notice in this newsletter.
If you have any comments, suggestions, submissions for a URL, or notifications
for changed addresses, please contact me using the elmay addresses given
above.
GAMING COMPANIES BYPASSING GENCON 1998
In the February 04, 1998 issue of The Daily Illuminator, Steve Jackson Games announced that have decided to not attend nor support any events at GenCon 1998. The French-Canadian Japanese Anime Art wizards at Dream Pod 9, who create the outstanding mecha gaming system Heavy Gear, also announced they will not attend GenCon 1998, along with Palladium Books, Plaid Rabbit/Pharos Productions, R. Talsorian Games, and RPGnet.
Steve Jackson Games also announced that they will likely be attending the 1998 World Science Fiction Convention in Baltimore, Maryland during the time of GenCon.
You can read the details of this story in the February 1998 edition of the DI Archive and by reading each new issue of The Daily Illuminator. The Web addresses of these magazine issues as well as the headquarters of the Baltimore WSFC are presented below.
Daily Illuminator Archive – February 1998
http://www.sjgames.com/ill/ill-feb98.html
Daily Illuminator WWW Magazine
http://www.sjgames.com/ill/
BucConeer – The 1998 World Science Fiction Convention
http://www.bucconeer.worldcon.org/
HIGH VELOCITY DUELING CAR WARS OPPONENT FINDER (HVD CWOF)
http://www.sjgames.com/HVD/
James Barton has created another wonder of HTML and Java for Car Wars players. This listing of Car Wars players for the entire planet is easy to use and has a wonderful appearance.
The main page shows a world map with each of the seven continents color-coded according to the amount of Car Wars players listed in the database. This world map has hyperlinks that focus on a specific continent from where the user of the program views the population of Car Wars players in individual countries then regions and states/provinces.
James usually updates the registry at least once a month and often performs
this task weekly. This site should be placed in every Car Wars player's
WWW bookmark list.
INTERSTATE 1976 WINDOWS 1995 PLUS DESKTOP THEME
http://www.activision.com/
The I-1976 Headquarters at Activision Games has a very cool desktop theme for Win1995 computers. This interface has sounds of engines, bullets, and combat dialogue. The mouse pointer becomes a bullseye and the wallpaper has a very nice car loaded for lethality. You will need MicroSoft Plus for this program and you need to unZip this theme when you download the folder. I have noticed that the pointer sometimes leaves "streaks" on the screen, including when I am defining the area of an object I want to scan however I have not had any major problems with this environment. Autodueling fanatics will fall in love this program.
CARMAGEDDON
http://www.interplay.com/carma/
The Carmageddon Splat Pack has been released, containing new tracks and new vehicles. However this program appears to have a large conflict with Windows 1995 because graphics can look "low-tech" on a powerful computer. The manual suggests running in DOS but that appears not to work either in a Win1995 environment. I am trying to work out the problems running this program by talking to a computer expert friend and contacting Interplay and I will let you know what results I obtain.
June 19, 1998 Update: You CAN run the Splat Pack in High-Resolution mode. Interplay Productions contacted me and told me to insert this command line when starting the game: -HIRES -NOVOODOO. Here is the command line I use on my computer:
INTERSTATE 1976
http://www.activision.com
The Interstate 1976 Nitro Pack has been released, containing new vehicles, new environments, and other goodies. The expansion CD-ROM is only sold via the Activision Interstate 1976 Web Site. The Nitro Pack sold in stores contains the Gold Edition of Interstate 1976, featuring enhanced 3DFX capabilities, and the Nitro Pack Expansion.
3X CAR WARS
http://home1.gte.net/dmaltais/3XCW/index.htm
The MatchBox/Hot Wheels autoduelists now have road section templates
for highway combat. These documents are in MS-Word 7.0 (Office 95) format.
This group has also expanded its "Modeling Tips" section.
AADA WORLD HEADQUARTERS AT STEVE JACKSON GAMES
http://www.sjgames.com/car-wars/aada/
The results of the 2046-2047 AADA World Tournaments, both Dueling and Racing, are listed. You can also see that listing in the AADA News section of this issue of CWIN.
AADA metal pins are back in stock. There are two kinds of pins. One
type is black and silver. The other type is red and gold. The pins are
$4.50 US each plus shipping.
CAR WARS CENTRAL AT STEVE JACKSON GAMES
http://www.sjgames.com/car-wars/
The AADA Tournament Regulations are now present at CW Central although
I personally feel HVD Central's edition is more complete. :-) A link to
the Car Wars Web Ring Headquarters has been established as well as notification
of the AADA Vehicle Guide Volume 3 Errata/Refit Page by Morpheus Unbound.
CHAMPIONSHIP AUTODUELING CIRCUIT (CADC)
http://surf.to/cadc
http://home.sprynet.com/sprynet/timgould/CADC.htm
Those combat racing fanatics in Michigan are burning rubber on their Web site. The 2047-2048 CADC season rules are presented and their newsletter, Tire Tracks, has several editions in print. Many race results are also published. The CADC Vehicle Design Program Version 1.0 is available for downloading, which is an Excel 1995 file. It includes modified CADC body styles and has some automatic accounting features.
The CADC has a lot of nice variant rules for racing in Car Wars, a subject
that needs a large upgrade. Autoduelists interested in simple races or
dueltrack races should consider using some of these rules.
DEATH RACING ASSOCIATION OF WASHINGTON STATE (DRAW)
http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Battlefield/6056/index.html
DRAW is back on the WWW and with a vengeance. Their site has a very
nice appearance with moving graphics and bright colors. The results of
the Car Wars events held at RadCon 2B 1998 are presented which includes
a large expansion for Uncle Schmalbert combats.
HOT ASPHALT SHORT TEMPERS UNHOLY RITES (HASTUR)
http://www.cybercity.com/blueroom/hastur.htm
This East Coast US Car Wars group has a very large vehicle collection
of high quality termed "HASTUR's Unspeakable Vehicle Database." Explore
the designs and download them for your stock car list.
NEW OMAHA AUTODUELING ASSOCIATION (NOVA)
http://www.novia.net/~desslok/nova.htm
If the Black ASP, chief rival to NOVA, was not retired from his terrorist
activities he would be furious at the action NOVA has performed with their
Web Site and commit random acts of annoyance in Nebraska. Convention information
was updated, the Dropout Arena was added, and new vehicle designs were
also presented. I would guess this Web site is updated weekly so check
out the entire site for awesome information often.
MORPHEUS UNBOUND
AADA Vehicle Guide Volume 2 Errata
http://members.aol.com/morpheusxx/houserul/carwars/vg2.htm
AADA Vehicle Guide Volume 3 Eratta
http://members.aol.com/morpheusxx/houserul/carwars/vg3.htm
This site recently entered the Car Wars world with errata/refit pages
for the AADA Vehicle Guides Volumes Two and Three. After trying to use
the Omega 20R, a reversed heavy trike with a drop spike plate in AADA VG3
(picture this trike moving forward then firing the DSP) , I believe you
will like to visit this site for assistance.
PAINTED TARGET
http://www.bus.bton.ac.uk/staff/fesg/games/
Francis Greenway and Painted Target have a relatively new Web Site.
The first Car Wars component of the site is the Great Britain AADA Road
Atlas and Survival Guide in Adobe Acrobat format. The second Car Wars component
is quite strange . . . Autodueling in the eras of dinosaurs! Rules for
those giants are presented with new equipment including advanced Boat Wars
items.
PRINCETON CORPORATE CAR WARS LEAGUE
http://www.princeton.edu/~sgu/carwars/index.html
The autoduelists of the Princeton University corporate campaign have likely encountered the hazards of autodueling and academics. I wish them success in their classes and I hope to see them again on the Internet after graduation. Their Web site has been static for at least 12 months. I would download their Chaos Crusader OR Arena, shown in 3D format, before the Web site is removed. Be sure to activate the arena hyperlink to download the full version of the graphic. This site also has a very nice list of vehicles so download those as well.
Another casuality of academics and autodueling at Princeton University
is the removal of the Car Wars Java-Based Vehicle Design Program from the
Internet. I feel great regret for this event because just as I gain a Java-capable
power-Internet computer this program disappears. If you have this tool
please send me a copy and I will place it on the SWAT Web Site.
VIP OF GAMING MAGAZINE INDEX BY ETLOH TECHNOLOGIES
http://pweb.netcom.com/~dannyh22/etloh.html
http://pw2.netcom.com/~dannyh22/wrg/update.html
Etloh Technologies, producers of the Wargamer's Reference Guide, has
added a wonderful tool: an index to the VIP of Gaming Magazine. Issue Two
has a Space Gamer section that is filled with a large selection of Car
Wars articles. Note that I have won this magazine in a recent auction on
the Internet and expect to receive the issue within the next two weeks.
I will try to place these articles on SWAT WWW HQ in the next few months.
CAR WARS INTERNET NEWSLETTER
VOLUME 1, NUMBER 1 ADDENDA
MARCH - APRIL 2048
Revision Date: January 13, 1999
Upload Date: March 10, 1998
AADA NEWS
2047-2048 AADA WORLD DUELING / RACING CHAMPIONSHIPS
I have been informed by Scott Haring <sdharing@io.com> that the AADA 2048 World Championships will be held this year despite SJ Games and others boycotting Origins and Gencon to protest "Unfair Business Practices" by Andon and Wizards of the Coast (see the SJ Games Web site for details). The World Dueling Championships will be held at TactiCon in Denver, Colorado, which is usually held the weekend after Labor Day.
TactiCon is scheduled to be held September 17-20, 1998 at the Double Tree Hotel in Denver, Colorado. Some cheap lodging (i.e. pull up a floor and bring-your-own sleeping bag) may be available in local players' homes if you cannot afford a convention hotel room. For now that is all the info I have. More data will be released as we get it. Also watch the Steve Jackson Games Web Site <http://www.sjgames.com> and Pyramid Magazine <http://www.sjgames.com/pyramid>.
Mark your calendars, Ladies and Gentlemen. All rounds of these events will be run in MatchBox (TM) or MicroMachines (TM) scale. You may bring your own miniatures as long as they conform to referee specifications that will be released in conjunction with the event details.
Please forward this message to anyone who may be interested.
Robert Deis
The Regional Autoduel Association of Colorado Springs (TRAACS)
rdeis@io.com
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Zone/8431/
2047-2048 AADA WORLD DUELING / RACING CHAMPIONSHIPS -- TENTATIVE RULES AND REGULATIONS
The 2047-2048 AADA World Dueling Championships and the 2047-2048 AADA World Racing Championships will be held for the first time simultaneously and in the same location: TactiCon: September 17-20, 1998 at the DoubleTree Hotel in Denver, Colorado, USA. The AADA Chapter NOVA, in conjunction with Robert Deis of TRAACS, will be holding both events at this convention.
DUELING TOURNAMENT
Preliminary Rounds
Division 15 pre-generated vehicles will be utilized. The top finisher
in each arena advances to the final round.
Final Round
Division 30 custom-designed vehicles will battle in the Hammer Downs
AutoDuel Arena.
Point Awards/Penalties
Full Kill: +3
Mobility Kill: +1
Firepower Kill: +1
Your Own Vehicle is Killed: -3
Loss of Firepower: -1
Survive Event: +1
Event Restrictions
Preliminary Rounds
Division 15 pre-generated vehicles with off-road capabilities will
be utilized.
Final Round
Division 30 custom-designed Sprint Racing Cars with off-road capabilities
will fight on the Ozark Off-Road AutoDuel Arena.
Event Restrictions
New Omaha Vehicular Association Web (NOVA)
http://www.novia.net/~desslok/nova.htm
drjake@ix.netcom.com
Robert Deis
The Regional Autoduel Association of Colorado Springs (TRAACS)
rdeis@io.com
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Zone/8431/
Scott D. Haring
Pyramid Magazine Editor
AADA President
sdharing@io.com
http://www.sjgames.com
2047-2048 AADA MOUNTAIN WEST REGIONAL DUELING CHAMPIONSHIPS
The 2047-2048 AADA Mountain West Regional Dueling Championships will be held at BenCon in Denver, Colorado in late May (tentative dates are May 24-27, 1998). Qualifiers will be Division 15 in the Rainbow Bay Blast Furnace. Finals will be Division 30 in the Octagon at Aspen. Points will be awarded for combat only, not for target shooting or checkpoints.
We'd love to see a large non-Denver-resident turnout. The convention is fairly inexpensive, and all reports call it a lot of fun, so there's more to do than just Car Wars if that interests you.
Contact me for further details and thank you for your time.
Robert Deis
The Regional Autoduel Association of Colorado Springs (TRAACS)
rdeis@io.com
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Zone/8431/
DEATH RACING ASSOCIATION OF WASHINGTON STATE (DRAW)
http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Battlefield/6056/index.html
The Death Race Association of Washington (DRAW) has added over 20 pictures (most thumb-nailed) of the Car Wars tournament, held at RadCon 2B in Pasco, Washington. The top three champions are named and are shown displaying there well-earned prizes provided by RadCon, DRAW, and of course Steve Jackson Games!
In addition to the photos and final results, there have been additions to the pages for Play By E-Mail, House Variants, Car Designs (all of the new ones are from the tournament), and "Thank You's" (look for the link at the top of the RadCon page). In the near future the arenas used at the tournament will be added.
Thank you all for either taking part in Car Wars or at least for supporting the game.
Bookmark the URL above to access the DRAW Web Site and check back for more information! Please also sign the guest book with your comments as it is a small reward for all of the time Phil puts into the maintaining the site. While there, you can also check our link to the Official RadCon page! Thank you for taking the time to read this and I hope you enjoy the site!
Bill Stevenson
Death Racing Association of Washington State (DRAW) President
billst@televar.com
http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Battlefield/6056/index.html