Web Posted October 20, 2000
Updated September 04, 2001

G'day once again. There is a lot of news to cover this month. Most of the regular columns are here. The NANS Ticker has some of the most important information for Car Wars players announced in over 10 years. Painted Target now has a Web site devoted to the Games Workshop 3-D auto-combat board game Dark Future, the U.S. Southwest RDC and AADA WRC have been concluded, television is going to feature two awesome DarkFutureTech programs, and SWAT is planning its largest revision of its Web site ever. Grab a large cup of coffee, strap yourselves into your safety seats, and start reading. This mission is going to be a long drive.
 

SWAT'S HARD DRIVE CRASH AND RECOVERY

There is one reason why this newsletter is almost 30 days late: computer failure.

While installing a new hard drive for programs in late June, the directory structure of my hard drive that contained all of my Car Wars files was irreversibly corrupted. I could not begin to explain how this happened. The sharp irony about this situation was the procedure was going to result in three backups of my data. (Trying to backup 1.5 GB of documents is difficult to perform with 1.44 MB floppy disks and 100 MB Zip disks.)

Upon advice from a friend who is a computer expert, I removed the drive and mailed it to Ontrack Data Recovery Services. I was told the data was badly scrambled, therefore no guarantee on data access could be given. I do not partake in gambling, but I decided this one to time to place a bet and roll the dice, informing Ontrack to proceed with the recovery process. Last Monday, I received my hard drive and its recovered data on four CD-ROMs. The Spirits of Highway One must like me because all of my data was saved.

Thanks to Ontrack, the new version of SWAT HQ was saved along with hundreds of files I have found on the Internet that no longer exist on the Information Superhighway. My hard drive is in fine condition although I will have a computer expert install it for me next month. You can expect to see a new SWAT Web site and many new documents on SWAT HQ in late August and early September.

If you ever lose data you absolutely need, do not access the storage device then contact Ontrack. I would not consider anyone else in the data recovery business. If Ontrack's 15 years of experience saved my three years of data from a physically intact drive, I suspect their work can help in almost any type of data loss situation.
 

DRIVING TIGERS RETURN

For the past 18 months, I have asked Christopher J. Burke, editor of Driving Tigers Magazine and co-author of GURPS Autoduel Second Edition, to convince GURPS Autoduel 2 co-author Robert J. Garitta to join the Car Wars Internet community. Two weeks ago, I received a letter from Robert, informing his desire to write articles (Car Wars and GURPS Autoduel) and fiction for CWIN and Pyramid Online. In addition, Robert mentioned Christopher and Laura Tripoli are interested in writing Car Wars material again, but they need to know if the demand exists for their material. If you want these gifted authors to write for CWIN and Pyramid Online, tell SWAT and the Driving Tigers your opinion as soon as possible!
 

MESSAGE BOARDS

Activity on Car Wars message boards has skyrocketed summer, especially when the AADA announced it will be expanding its support for Car Wars (see this issue's NANS Ticker). Take an active role in the future of Car Wars by visiting these message boards to make your opinions known about the AADA, CWIN, WADA and the rest of the Car Wars community.

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

Dueling Debate
http://www.delphi.com/carwars

Pyramid Online's Car Wars Discussion Forum
http://www.sjgames.com/pyramid

The AADA has established a mailing list for official AADA Chapters (see this issue's NANS Ticker) and I have created Road In Your Sights, a private Delphi Forum for official AADA Chapters. Contact Philip Reed, the SJ Games Art Director, to subscribe to the AADA Mailing List. If you want to gain access to Road In Your Sights, e-mail SWAT with the activation and deactivation dates of your AADA Charter. If your gaming group has an active charter, I will configure the forum to give you entry.

Road In Your Sights AADA Forum
http:/www.delphi.com/aada
 

ROGUE MATTER

James Barton's automotive combat system is still being developed. The game will be abandoned if you do not help the project by visiting the Rogue Matter message board regularly. If you have ideas you want to see in Car Wars or GURPS Autoduel, Rogue Matter might be able to better accommodate those ideas, so make your voice heard now!

Rogue Matter Arena
http://www.delphi.com/roguematter
 

WADA WEBRING

Two months ago, the WADA WebRing was destroyed by the Jack Hackers. I am building the WebRing again, but I need your advice on how to maintain the resource.

* How often should a member site be required to have new material in order to remain a member of the WebRing?

* How often should a member site be required to play Car Wars and post results of those games in order to remain a member of the WebRing?

* Should active participation in the WADA League be required to join the WADA WebRing?

* Should the WebRing only contain gaming groups?

* Is there a need for the WADA WebRing while SWAT HQ and WADA HQ list all Car Wars Web sites?
 

PLAYERS AND SPECTATORS

I have published this newsletter every month for over three years. I have received supporting comments from many of you, feedback I appreciate greatly. I do not mean to be annoying nor impolite, but the active support of this publication, where 10 or less people write most of the material in this newsletter, is a situation that will not be sustainable for much longer. (This statement is not a threat to quit publication. I am giving you the truth about the status of this magazine.)

If you want CWIN to continue, I need you to start actively participate in the creation of this magazine. I am not asking for all of you to build arenas, invent variant rules or write short stories, but I am asking more of you to submit regular reports (monthly would be nice but I will accept quarterly) telling me what types of Car Wars activities you and your gaming groups are running. All I want would be a short e-mail stating the status of your involvement with Car Wars, your opinions of the Car Wars community (AADA, CWIN, WADA, etc.), suggestions for CWIN and my two Web sites, and any other ideas you have to make the auto-combat board game society better. Responding to the polls in this issue would be very beneficial when writing CWIN and maintaining SWAT HQ. I cannot publish a journal with the information and format you want if I do not know your opinions!
 

You can expect the next issue of CWIN to be released during the first week of August. Submissions need to be sent to SWAT before July 30th to be considered for the August issue.

Thanks for your patience and support. I look forward to writing to you again in two weeks.

Keep on dueling!

Michael P. Owen
 

MOOSE DROPPINGS: A-MOOSE-ING ANECDOTES AND ILLUMINATION BY AND FOR THE PAWNS OF THE MOOSE ILLUMINATI
http://www.etext.org/Zines/ASCII/m00se/m00se06

Issue #6
August 03, 1988
Disclaimer:The Editor will place almost anything

3)  GASP! In Autoduel Quarterly issue 6/2, somebody has dared to write a letter claiming that a group called "The Illuminati" controls the
Anarchist Relief Front! Since we, of course, control that group, or would pretend to if we didn't, I suggest a letter campaign directed at Autoduel Quarterly's ADQ&A department setting them right on this issue. If you're interested, let me know and I'll send you the address to use. Thank Indiana Joe for this piece of information.
 

ALTERNATE WEAPON MOUNTS
http://www.users.uswest.net/~manycubes/mounts.htm

Tony Kontes
Boneheadz of New Idaho
http://www.users.uswest.net/~manycubes
manycubes@uswest.net
 

MAN DRIVES PICKUP ONTO FRIEND'S ROOF AS A STUNT

May 27, 2000
Jack Hopkins
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Submitted to CWIN by Ed Davis <med4386@io.com>

KENT -- As Dave Anthony's pickup truck sank slowly through the roof of a one-story house yesterday morning, he popped a Spin Doctors CD into a player and reached for a can of Budweiser.

"It wouldn't be a good life without a challenge," he said. "If you don't break something, you aren't trying very hard."

Just how Anthony's truck got on top of
the house was a tale that had police
and firefighters shaking their heads in
disbelief.

It began with a few beers and an offer to help tear down a friend's old house. Anthony had already knocked down the garage by ramming it with his 1984 four-wheel-drive GMC pickup truck when he decided to drive his pickup truck onto the roof of the house.

Hoping for a snapshot to send to a four-wheel-drive magazine, he steered the truck over the rubble of the partially collapsed garage and drove onto the roof of the house next to the busy West Valley Highway.

"I just got a wild hair," the Shelton-area man said.

Kent Fire Department Lt. Pat Pawlak would have to agree.

"I've never been out on a call like this before," he said. "And I hope I never am again."

Anthony, a self-proclaimed "39, going on 15," handled the setback with aplomb.

As the sinking vehicle tilted precipitously to the left, he climbed down from his dangerous perch to greet police and firefighters called to the scene by workers at nearby Lucent Technologies.

Police and firefighters weren't amused. They rejected Anthony's requests to be allowed to climb back onto the roof and try to drive his truck to the ground.

It was too dangerous, they said. They insisted on calling Pete's Towing. Soon there were three tow trucks hooked up to Anthony's shiny black pickup with oversize wheels.

But none of that seemed to bother Anthony, who was reveling in all of the attention he was getting. A crowd was gathering and TV crews and newspaper reporters and photographers were scrambling to the scene.

Why did he do it, they asked.

"Because I could," he answered. "I saw the challenge, and I took it."

The two-bedroom house was owned by Ralph Fitzthum, who had sold the property and agreed to remove the vacant house to make way for commercial development. Fitzthum didn't take part in the dangerous adventure. But yesterday, he gazed admiringly at the scene.

"It's a pretty tough truck," Fitzthum said of the vehicle, which has "Live Your Dreams" written across the hood.

Anthony said he has insurance for the truck but wasn't planning on filing a claim for repairs.

"I'll fix it myself," the mechanic and journeyman carpenter said. "I don't want the insurance company to even know about it."

As he waited for the towing company to retrieve his truck, Anthony pulled a can of Budweiser out of an 18-pack sitting on the ground next to the house. Yes, he said, he had been drinking beer "before, during and after" the stunt.

Anthony barely got a taste of the beer before a Kent policeman hurried over and told him to throw the can into a nearby garbage container. Anthony complied.

A crowd of more than 100 laughed and cheered as the towing company winched Anthony's pickup off the roof.

Among them was a Kent woman who was driving by and stopped when she spotted the truck on the roof. "It's bizarre," said the woman, who declined to give her name. "That man is either nuts, drunk or starved for attention."

But an unrepentant Anthony steadfastly insisted it was merely a good stunt that went bad.

"I still think it was a great idea," he said after surveying the damage to his truck -- two broken drive axles, dislocated bumpers and a flat tire. "This house is going to go down in history."

Anthony kept smiling -- until the owner of the towing company came up and told him he wanted $695 for taking the truck off the roof. Immediately.

Anthony didn't have the cash. So the towing company winched up his truck and hauled it away.

He wasn't smiling anymore.

P-I reporter Jack Hopkins can be reached at 206-870-7851 or <jackhopkins@seattle-pi.com>.
 

RATHER THAN BREAKING DOWN DOORS, AUTHORITIES TAKE DOWN WALLS IN OVERTURE TO IT PROFESSIONALS
http://www.cnn.com/2000/TECH/computing/04/28/infragard/index.html

D. Ian Hopper
CNN Interactive Technology Editor
April 28, 2000
Web posted at: 12:54 PM EDT (1654 GMT)

In this story:
Unsteady beginnings
Current agents have dedication, tech smarts
Still a long way to go

ATLANTA (CNN) -- The FBI has begun rolling out its InfraGard program, designed to promote understanding and a better relationship among IT professionals and law enforcement. It is creating local chapters to share security information, increase interaction and disseminate alerts.

InfraGard is just one portion of a larger plan to tackle computer crimes as networks become more valuable to international commerce and carry more important information. It began as a pilot project out of the Cleveland field office of the FBI, spawned from an executive order signed in 1996. It's administered through the FBI and the National Infrastructure Protection Center, another relatively new outfit begun by presidential order in 1998.

At the launch of the Atlanta InfraGard chapter, Ted Jackson, agent-in-charge of the Atlanta FBI field office explained how serious computer crime is to authorities.

"This is the new form of terrorism. Someone involved in attacking your system can cause more problems than bombs," Jackson said. "When
ou're at your computer and do something illegal, and you affect commerce or government, we're going to do everything in our power to bring you before the bars of justice."

The meeting continued with an explanation of the statutes and consequences of computer attacks. Then, Internet Security Systems CEO Tom
Noonan detailed how independent security companies can watch over a company's networks, and a federal prosecutor described his role in a
computer crime investigation.

This initiative is seen as a way of getting over the biggest problem in computer crime law enforcement: the idea of the government as
intrusive troublemakers.

"The real key is to get over the hurdle where victims didn't want to report to the bureau what had happened. The bureau now wants to approach the companies before they're victims, so it's not a cold contact. They get to know you and trust you," says Jim Williams, a former FBI Computer Intrusion Squad agent, now working as an attorney in Chicago.
 

Unsteady beginnings

This plan of breaking down walls is a far cry from 10 years ago, when authorities were just breaking down doors.

On March 1, 1990, Secret Service agents made an unexpected visit to the offices of Steve Jackson Games, a pioneering pencil-and-paper roleplaying game company best known for their AutoDuel and GURPS titles. At the time, the company was working on a new game called GURPS Cyberpunk.

The agents confiscated computers and other equipment during the raid, calling the Cyberpunk game rules "a handbook for computer crime." In fact, it was a game about futuristic credit fraud, talking about systems and tools that don't exist. However, the mere mention of hackers set off warning bells with authorities. Authorities later revealed that they had been watching the activities of game writer Loyd Blankenship since he began talking to security experts and self-described hackers in research for the game.

Due to the raid, SJ Games "very nearly closed its doors," according to the company, and only survived after laying off half its employees. But it also had some other important effects. SJ Games won a suit against the Secret Service, receiving over $300,000 in damages and attorney's fees. Also, inspired from the actions of authorities, the Electronic Frontier Foundation was born. The advocacy group is dedicated to free expression over the Internet.

Looking back on the incident, Steve Jackson holds few grudges but just wishes the authorities would have been more forthcoming.

"We're in good shape now," Jackson says," but ten years ago we were very nearly driven out of business for no reason, just because of a few overzealous, undereducated law officers didn't bother to ask even the most basic questions before raiding our offices.

"The biggest irony of all is that if they had asked for cooperation I would have given them full access. They just assumed that everyone here was some sort of bad guy, and clearly they looked at the raid itself as our punishment," he says. "Anything that encourages agents to see the business community as people -- and vice versa -- will benefit everyone."
 

Current agents have dedication, tech smarts

InfraGard should alleviate some of Jackson's concerns, as well as overall changes in law enforcement attitudes toward computer crime. As a former FBI agent Williams says, it was difficult in 1990 to be able to justify taking tech investigations more seriously and learning more about them.

"It would have been difficult to tell Congress that we need millions of dollars to combat 14-year-olds," says Williams.

The first dedicated FBI computer crime squads began in the mid-1990s, says Williams. But there was still more of a focus on violent crime. But as violent crime has dropped and computer crime has risen -- as well as the increased value of data - the FBI has devoted more resources to technology.

But with so many demands on the modern agent, the FBI still has difficulties with attracting people with the right mix of skills.

"An agent has to combine investigative skills and technical skills," Williams says. "It's hard to find people in society who can administer UNIX and professionally carry a weapon. And they pay way below market value."

Despite this, Williams says attrition is low. New agents are dedicated to their job, and think the work that they do outweighs more material concerns. The bureau has also had some great recruitment successes, even attracting a former Microsoft employee for their San Francisco bureau.
 

Still a long way to go

In fact, the agents can be even more knowledgeable than the systems administrators.

"We've walked into victim sites where the victim technical support and consultants have asked FBI agents what to do technically," Williams says. "But, of course, we're not allowed to help in that way."

Williams notes that having such technosavvy agents is essential to performing interrogations of hackers, too.

"The hacking community often has a general view of law enforcement as being incapable of handling these type of crimes," he says. "If you sit down in an interview and start speaking their language and showing evidence, you see an attitude of extreme arrogance turn into fear. But if you use a technical term the wrong way, you lose all legitimacy."

Even with all the media and government attention on computer attacks, Williams says, the FBI computer crimes unit is still woefully underfunded and recruitment remains a constant worry. President Clinton's recent call for tuition breaks for computer science students who agree to serve in a government computer security organization should help the ranks, but it's hard to keep the bureau competitive.

"Some people really enjoy the fact that they work for some government agency," he says. "But if you're just a computer analyst, and you can go make five times as much in the private sector, are you going to work for the government?"
 

MILESTONE IN HUMAN GENETICS TO BE ANNOUNCED MONDAY
http://www.cnn.com/2000/HEALTH/06/26/human.genome/index.html

Reuters and CNN Interactive
June 26, 2000
Web posted at 1:01 a.m. EDT (0501 GMT)
 

BLUEPRINT OF THE HUMAN BODY
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2000/genome

CNN Interactive
June 2000
 

NEW LAW RESTRICTS VIOLENT VIDEO GAMES IN INDIANAPOLIS
http://www.cnn.com/2000/TECH/computing/07/18/violent.videogames.ap/index.html

The Associated Press and CNN Interactive
July 18, 2000
Web posted at 3:47 PM EDT (1947 GMT)

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Coin-operated video games in which people are decapitated, dismembered, mutilated or maimed will soon be off-limits to children in Indianapolis.

Mayor Bart Peterson signed a violent video game law Monday, saying it was an opportunity for the city to put its foot down on what he called a burgeoning culture of violence.

The law requires coin-operated games featuring graphic violence or strong sexual content to have warning labels and be kept at least 10 feet from nonviolent game machines. They must also be separated by a curtain or wall so minors cannot view them. The law bars people under age 18 from such games unless accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Peterson called the law -- believed to be the first of its kind in a major U.S. city -- a necessary first step.

"The importance of it is that it's an effort to begin to attack the culture of violence that I believe surrounds our young people these days virtually from the day they're born," the mayor said.

The law takes effect September 1. Businesses can be fined $200 a day for each violation. A business with three violations in one year could be forbidden from offering violent games or have its amusement license revoked.

Elliott Portnoy, an attorney representing national video game industry groups, said his clients are considering legal action against the city.

"From the beginning the industry has believed that this ordinance is both unnecessary and unconstitutional," Portnoy said from his Washington office.

But the mayor said he believes the city has the power to enforce the law, just as it regulates arcades and other businesses that offer coin-operated games.

"Without a city permit you cannot display, and make available for use, a video game," he said. "So that gives us the authority to say that if you're going to display them, you've got to display them a certain way."

A Purdue University professor believes there is little, if any, correlation between violent games and aggression in young people.

"(The law's) not going to do any good," said John Sherry, an assistant professor of communication.

One of those who will be most affected by the law wasn't looking forward to it.

"I think it's an OK idea, but I like playing some of the violent games, so I guess it kind of hurts me," said Stephen Prunier, 13.
 

NITROUS OXIDE BOTTLE EXPLOSION
http://www.enhancedhealth.com/nitrousexpress.htm
 

GAMECENTER.COM'S BEST GAMES OF ALL TIME
http://www.gamecenter.com/Features/Exclusives/Alltime/index.html
http://www.gamecenter.com/Features/Exclusives/Alltime/adventurec.html

Adventure #2: Autoduel

Bicycle messengers, eat your heart out! Autoduel gave you wheels of steel, an open road spanning Scranton to Southern Connecticut, mission after mission of deliveries, and autoduels to the death.

Anyone who has ever played Autoduel (it was released for the C64, Apple II, and Macintosh) gets goosebumps whenever this classic is mentioned. Simply stated, this is one of the most unique, creative, and entertaining games ever created. Viewed from a top-down perspective, you bought, traded, and upgraded fire-armed automobiles, all in the name of money. With your pumped-up auto--flamethrowers, lasers, and machine guns were possible armaments -- you could either run courier routes from city to city along the East Coast (you actually selected your route and drove it!) or you could hit the local arena and duke it out with other aspiring drivers. If you were feeling lucky and were in the right city, you could even gamble at the casinos.

Supplementing Autoduel's open-ended architecture, a metaplot eventually popped up whereby you ran an increasingly difficult series of missions for some secret organization. Here's another game just begging to be remade.
 

FULL ON 3-D GAME REVIEW: INTERSTATE '82
http://www.fullon3d.com/games/reviews/i82

Let's talk about history. Even though 2.5 years may seem like ancient history to some of you, Interstate '82's history goes much further back. To be honest, I don't even really remember the exact year. Suffice it to say, sometime before the real 1982, a man named Steve Jackson created a turn-based pen-and-paper Auto Combat game called Car Wars. In that game (set in a post-semi-apocalytic future), you would agree on a combat situation and then play it out on paper roads. Created in the spirit of the classic film "Mad Max", the possibilities were near endless.
Eventually (1982), Steve Jackson Games started printing the AutoDuelers Quarterly which had game related updates, short fiction, and even tournament info if I remember correctly. It was a hit. Updates and add-ons were all over the place. Then, it went a step further and was incorporated into the GURPS roleplaying system (AutoDueler) and the gameplay focus shifted from the automobile to the driver. It was
this game that birthed the origins of Interstate '76. Much was taken from Car Wars to make Interstate '76 the game that it was. But, much
was left out.

After playing Interstate '82, I can fully say that it bears a much closer resemblance to the original , albeit evolved, Car Wars than does I'76.
This is a really cool thing.

PROS
Strong storyline progression
Excellent graphics and performance
Car customization is very smart
Killer Soundtrack and general theme
Skin support for cars
True to the original Car Wars game
Online Multiplayer support

CONS
Unambitious control scheme
Blah force feedback support
No dashboard or weapon view
 

ICELAN NETWORK GAME CENTER: REDLINE REVIEW
http://www.icelan.com/redline/Default.htm

Keno "The Rat"
keno@icelan.com

Keno was a big fan of Steve Jackson Games' Car Wars and would love to see someone make an action game with cars and on-foot action with lots of role-playing elements . . . you know, things like entering "autoduel" contests with cash prizes and salvage rights so you can upgrade you car. All this within a greater storyline involving government conspiracies, alien abductions, and pissing mutants. Okay, forget about that last part . . .
 

AADA MEMBERSHIP

Forum: Dueling Debate
Subject: General / AADA Membership
From: Michael P. Owen
Date: Jul 08, 2000 9:48 pm

The AADA offered members-only benefits to AADA card-carrying autoduelists. These perks included eligibility to purchase AADA merchandise, a quarterly AADA Newsletter, a subscription to Autoduel Quarterly, and opportunities to participate in the AADA WDC and
AADA WRC Tournaments.

Today, the AADA has few members and fewer benefits for its members.

* AADA merchandise is no longer available. Car Wars T-shirts and a small supply of AADA pins can be purchased at this time, but these items can be acquired without AADA membership.

* The AADA Newsletter, not seen in over three years, will once again see print late this summer every month on the AADA Web site. AADA membership nor a Pyramid subscription will be required to read this journal.

* Eligibility for the AADA WDC and AADA WDC Tournaments (Chapter, Regional, and World levels) does not require AADA membership.

* Autoduel Quarterly has not been published since the winter of 1992. AADA membership does not confer a subscription to Pyramid Online nor does a subscription to Pyramid Online give AADA membership.

The comments made above were not intended to critisize the AADA nor SJ Games. I wanted to give a clear picture of the current status of the AADA, information that will help you reply to my questions below.

1. What benefits should the AADA provide to its members in 2000, 2001 and beyond?

2. Should the AADA run a WADA-style league alongside its tradiational WDC and WRC Tournaments?

3. Should AADA HQ host the WADA Player Registry?

4. How long should an AADA charter last? The current duration is 12 months.

5. Should AADA membership be required to participate in the AADA WDC and AADA WRC?

6. If established, should the AADA Car Wars League require all of its athletes to join the AADA?

7. Are there enough active players of Car Wars to support two WADA-style AADA Car Wars Leagues, one for dueling and one for racing?

8. For a Car Wars gaming group to be sanctioned by the AADA, should an e-mail address be required?

9. For a Car Wars gaming group to be sanctioned by the AADA, should a Web site be required? How often should the Web site be updated (weekly, monthly, quarterly, annually)?

10. Phil Reed has created a mailing list for AADA-sanctioned gaming groups. I have established Road In Your Sights, a Delphi Forum for AADA-sanctioned Car Wars players. (You need to contact me via e-mail so you can access.) What other resources, physical and virtual, do you want to see available only to AADA-sanctioned autoduelists and AADA-sanctioned gaming groups?

11. Which regional classification do you prefer?

AADA Road Atlas and Survival Guide / HVD Car Wars Player Listing
http://www.sjgames.com/HVD/list/noam.html

Autoduel Quarterly Vol. 7, No. 4
http://www.serv.net/~owenmp/aada/map2039.jpg
 

From: Stormin Norman (DRJAKE2)
Date: Jul 09, 2000 9:07 pm

I always thought the WDC and WRC were open to anyone. Limiting them to AADA members would be too limiting.
 

From: Michael P. Owen (OWENMP)
Date: Jul-10 8:14 am

Yes, both AADA WC Tournaments and their lower levels (CDC, CRC, RDC, RRC) are open to non-AADA members. I mentioned that fact in my previous post. The advantage of this arrangement is Car Wars players who want to enter either tournament save money. The disadvantage of this format is the value of AADA membership is diminished. The two best reasons to join the AADA in the 1980s were to have a subscription to Autoduel Quarterly and to become eligible to enter the two AADA WC Tournaments. Now ADQ is no longer published and the two AADA WC Competitions are open events, I am wondering what benefits AADA Membership confers to its members, therefore I posted the message that started this thread. (Norman, you have been playing Car Wars for over 15 years, therefore I suspect you do remember an ADQ mailing cover was required to enter AADA events.)

It is nice to see your own gaming group listed on Car Wars HQ, but the AADA Chapter List is out of date. I was responsible for the December 1999 update of the document, but I had to include all of the chapters listed on the old page, groups I suspect no longer exist, because I was not given AADA chapter records nor given confirmation about the AADA membership status nor the activity of each group. The WADA Active Gaming Group Registry is probably missing a few organizations, but it likely gives a more accurate picture of the number of active Car Wars clubs existing today.

If the AADA operated a WADA-style league, I would not mind submitting an annual fee to register my gaming group to enter the tournament. Registration fees might make the competition appear more professional and promote good organization by the manager (revising points standings regularly) and the participating autoduelists (submitting event reports in a timely fashion, running events with many gamers, and planning several events in advance).
 

From: MiB3347 (RDEIS)
Date: Jul 10, 2000 12:24 pm

The WDC and WRC are now open to AADA and non-AADA members, but they were not in the heyday of Car Wars, the late 1980s.

Rob "Saturday Knight" Deis
Rocky Mountain Autodueling Association
rdeis@io.com
 

From: Kurt (KALDINGER)
Date:  Jul-11 7:20 am

I think that AADA membership should give you access to the articles published in Pyramid Online that deal with Car Wars (and possibly GURPS Autoduel as well).

If that is not logistically possible, a paid membership in AADA should at least give you a discount for a Pyramid subscription or include it free as part of the cost.

IMHO, there is no current reason to be an AADA member. Of course this could change if a newsletter was published. I also think that advanced standing in the WDC and WRC should be afforded to the club champions of official AADA chapters.

As things stand now, limiting participation in the WDC and WRC to AADA members would probably cut down the participants. In addition, I think it is kind of cheesy to require "membership" (especially when you have to pay to join) in order to participate in a championship.
 

From: Mr. TeamPlay (DHTEAMPLAY)
Date: Jul 11, 2000 8:06 am

As a Briton, I never saw much point in joining the AADA in the "good ol' days." There was (and still is) little chance of me ever making it to a World Championship event.

I'm all in favour of a centralised repository for players, groups, standings, etc., but understand the hassles of trying to maintain such a project. At the moment, I'm finding it harder than ever to spare the time to update my Web sites . . .

David Hudson
DragonSlayers, Inc.
 

From: Stormin Norman (DRJAKE2)
Date: Jul 16, 2000 8:27 pm

Thank you for the updates. We recently sent a Nightmessenger to SWARM only to have it returned to us, so another one bites the dust. Sorry, to hear about their demise.

The AADA membership must have some worth or it loses it meaning to everyone. How can you show proof at the WDC and WRC of being a member when the AADA has not issued membership cards in years? The AADA Manager/President is only around for maybe a year or so if we're lucky.

I like the idea of getting discounts through the AADA Web site. But AADA novelties are not in the Car Wars line anymore.

A WADA-style championship would be interesting to have, but it would have be a one-convention format so as not to conflict with the regular WADA competition and promote more convention events overall.
 

From: Michael P. Owen (OWENMP)
Date: Jul 16, 2000 11:26 pm

Since I started WADA, I have always wanted the league to end with a multi-round tournament that would include only the top-scoring participants in the league. A play-off tournament would be another incentive (seeing your name in print on the WWW matched against other Car Wars players around the world is the first) for people to submit results in a timely fashion to the league's organizers.

If I am still running WADA during this decade, and the AADA does not adopt a WADA-style league, I might create such a play-off tournament, but it would take place at least six months after the end of its respective league. For example, if I wanted to run a play-off
tournament for the 2000 league, the tournament would probably take place during the summer of 2001.
 

GOALS FOR 2000

Message Board: Dueling Debate
Subject: General / Goals For 2000
From: Michael P. Owen (OWENMP)
Subject: Jul 09, 2000 2:09 am

Now the AADA Newsletter is being published again and SJ Games has announced it is going to support Car Wars again, is CWIN needed anymore? One of the goals of CWIN was to get enough gamers interested in playing Car Wars that would support a renewed investment in the system by SJ Games. Has this goal been accomplished?

If any of you missed the report about SJ Games supporting Car Wars again, visit Car Wars HQ.
 

From: J-MAN (DRDEATH)
Date: Jul 09, 2000 3:58 am

Call me cynical, but I'm not convinced that SJ Games will be investing much extra time and resources. A similar thing was meant to happened not that long ago when SJ Games appointed a new Line Editor and AADA Head Referee. Full credit to both of the people involved in this,
as well as a new Webmaster. To the best of my knowledge the AADA Head Referee and Webmaster were unpaid positions, and I'm not sure how much the line editor actually did.

So apart from offering a small amount of Web space and a couple of honourary titles. Where exactly is the investment? To be honest it isn't coming from SJ Games; it's coming from everyone else, the players and rule creators. NOVA, Mike, CADC, DRAW, and countless other clubs and  individuals have been putting in the time, effort and in some cases money.

When and if Phil Reed does something I might change my policy, but currently I don't think anything will be any different and I beg of everyone to continue as is, even get more involved in the community projects. So I think you should definitely continue with CWIN, but then again you lasted longer than I did with CWML -- so it might be time to move on.

Just look at who has organised the last few WDC and WRC. If SJ Games was genuine about getting Car Wars going this would be the perfect oppurtunity to increase exposure, show that they are behind the Championships. Instead it's down to the individual clubs to organise. The WRC by CADC the WDC by Eric Freeman and MJ Daniels are organising it. I'll acknowledge Eric is AADA Head Referee, but he's not on the SJ Games payroll and is donating his time.

I guess I've used this as an excuse to rant, but I don't feel SJ Games have really done anything yet to convince me they are back in the game -- they've said they will, but they haven't yet.
 

From: Michael P. Owen (OWENMP)
Date: Jul 09, 2000 9:29 am

Thanks for the comments. A nice side effect of putting CWIN on the virtual bookshelf would be more time to write Rogue Matter. (I have been researching weapons data this week, and I may actually be able to send you some detailed combat sections for the game in August. Did you know a 15.5mm HMG was produced that several gun experts predict will succeed the venerable 12.7mm Browning HMG? The information I am sending you will include this powerhouse.)

One other major reason I have considered turning off the printing press is very people submit material to CWIN. For three years, most of the submissions have been the same group of approximately 10 gamers. The work of these individuals has been great, but I have wanted to see many writers assist with the magazine. Getting articles published in ADQ was difficult. Getting articles published in Pyramid Online is also a challenge. I was hoping CWIN's open acceptance policy would attract more writers, especially the ones who were rejected by ADQ and Pyramid, but maybe this problem is deeper than the explanation above.
 

From: J-MAN (DRDEATH)
Date: Jul 09, 2000 7:18 pm

Pretty much the same reason I stopped doing CWML; it just seemed to be less and less worth the effort. When you first start it's new and great -- maybe it will get things going. That's what it was like -- I got a couple of submissions, people were keen. Then it sort of dragged out and became a chore; that's when I stopped -- it wasn't enjoyable for me anymore -- I kept going for a couple of months in autopilot figuring people out there are still reading. The lack of response and such though really just got me thinking it wasn't worth the time I was investing. This was emphasized in my mind as SJ Ganes didn't support Car Wars anymore.

This was the excat same reason I stopped putting out HVDs, and never finished the U.S. Southwest RASG. (A computer crash which killed about 40 hours work killed that one instantly.) And for the same reason I will stop doing Rogue Matter after a couple of years -- unless of course it takes off. I think Rogue Matter will be my last Car Wars-related venture though. If it doesn't hit off might be time to move on.
 

From: Michael P. Owen (OWENMP)
Date: Jul 09, 2000 8:15 pm

I am partly at fault for your disinterest in Rogue Matter. I apologize for not getting you the weapons and combat data. My schedule (and interest) have both improved, therefore I am spending time on Rogue Matter again.
 

From: Manycubes
Date: Jul 10, 2000 9:49 am

Where on Car Wars HQ was the resurrection of the AADA Newsletter announced?

Personally I think you should keep CWIN going for as long as possible for several reasons.

First, where is this great Car Wars support and what will it amount to? The AADA Newsletter of old did not contain anything for the average duelist and I can't imagine it will now (if it even sees the light of day). CWIN is written by duelists for other duelists regardless of affiliation.

Second, you state that the same few people are the only ones writing articles for your newsletter, and you seem disappointed by the low turn out. Personally, I'm amazed the support is so high for a game whose publisher gave up on it 10 years ago. If SJ Games really does rekindle the Car Wars flame I bet you'll see a jump in the number of contributors. If they don't rekindled the flame then it will be up to CWIN to keep the pile smoldering until the next millennium.

Finally, where else am I and other die-hard duelists going to get maximum exposure for your creations? ADQ? Pyramid? Road and Track Autoduel? I don't think so. As you stated CWIN was created for those of us who were tired of the SJ Games merry-go-round of publishing,
and R&TA appears dead. Sure, most of us have Web sites, but when we all contribute to CWIN the whole becomes greater than the individual parts. CWIN unites us and keeps us abreast of each other within the dueling community and that's exactly what a newsletter should do.

Perhaps the goal of CWIN should not be to rekindle interest in Car Wars, but instead to unite the last of a dying breed. To let the lone duelist know that he's not the only one still on the highway and that a fresh load of ammo will be waiting for him in his e-mail box next month.

Tony Kontes
Boneheadz of New Idaho
 

From: mgarrity (DEATHKNIGHT2)
Date: Jul 10, 2000 4:55 pm

I also think that CWIN should continue. Having CWIN go away would be like giving the Shadows the run of Babylon 5. CWIN is one of the most important Car Wars resources on the Web today. It has helped keep the gane going when all seemed lost. As a measurer of its importance, look at the success of this forum (well over 5,000 messages to date).
 

From: Michael P. Owen (OWENMP)
Date: Jul 10, 2000 8:28 pm

Someone on this forum or someone who sent me an e-mail message a long time ago stated most Car Wars players would prefer to write on a message board instead of writing an article that is submitted for publication in CWIN. Dueling Debate has been more successful than I thought was possible, an observation that makes me wonder if Dueling Debate could take over the roles of CWIN (notifications of new Car Wars Web sites, reports of Car Wars games, notices of autodueling technology available today).
 

From: mgarrity (DEATHKNIGHT2)
Date: Jul 10, 2000 9:14 pm

I wholeheartedly agree. This board is accessed by a great many more people than are on the CWIN subscriber list. I do hope that you intend to continue running WADA, though.
 

From: Yoodle
Date: Jul 11, 2000 4:38 am

Personally I agree with this. All your efforts in CWIN are certainly appreciated, but I read the message board more thoroughly than the CWIN articles, and I'm more likely to post stuff here. Why? Simply because I can read it in smaller chunks. CWIN is large, so I tend to not get around to reading it because I always think it's going to take a long time to read. Where as here I can read a couple messages a day and keep up.

The negative side would be for the readers who don't regularly visit this forum. I'm sure there are a lot that use CWIN as their only source for news. Perhaps you should include something in the next CWIN asking for their opinions?

Jim Robertson
Steel City Autoduel Rampage
 

From: Michael P. Owen (OWENMP)
Date: Jul 13, 2000 1:56 pm

If I decide to take CWIN to the wrecking yard, the list of subscribers will not be shared with anyone else because I want to keep the confidentiality pact with my readers. If the AADA is interested in the list of autoduelists for the AADA Newsletter and other Car Wars
projects, I would send a note to the subscribers of CWIN asking if they would like or dislike for their names and e-mail addresses to be forwarded to another Car Wars writer. I have no intention to sell the contact data nor to send the information to a junk mail-generating company.
 

AADA CHAPTER CHAMPIONSHIPS

From: Philip Reed <phil@sjgames.com>
To: AADA Chapters, SWAT <owenmp@hotmail.com>
Date: Mon, 3 Jul 2000 17:40:44 -0500

As some of you may already know, I have recently taken over as AADA League Manager. I am in the process of creating an AADA mailing list but in the meantime have decided to send out this brief note.

Would all chapter presidents please let me know the results of their club championships or any other club events you would like me to know about? A semi-detailed report would be appreciated.

As I settle in and start working things should smooth over a bit. The big Car Wars news is the relaunch of the AADA Newsletter as an online 'zine. Keep checking the Car Wars page of the SJ Games Web site for details (including submission information). Thanks.

Philip Reed
Art Director
Steve Jackson Games
http://www.sjgames.com
 

AADA CHAPTER MAILING LIST

From: Phil Reed <phil@sjgames.com>
To: AADA Chapters, SWAT <owenmp@hotmail.com>
Date: Fri, 7 Jul 2000 11:36:26 -0700

SJ Games has created an AADA Mailing List. It is for official chapters only. Go to our site <URL OMITTED BY EDITOR> and click the "Join" button. I look forward to seeing you there.

Philip Reed
Art Director
Steve Jackson Games
http://www.sjgames.com
 

AADA NEWSLETTER

Message Board: Dueling Debate <http://www.delphi.com/carwars>
Subject: General / Goals For 2000
From: Philip Reed <phil@sjgames.com>
Date: Jul 13, 2000 4:26 am

As to what the AADA Newsletter will contain, here is a small section cut from the writer's guidelines.

Arena Watch -- Arena designs presented in the format found in the Car Wars Arena Book various issues of ADQ.

Road Atlas and Survival Guide -- Short (1,000 to 2,000 word) descriptions of towns/locations found in the Car Wars world. We don't want descriptions of towns or cities already described but would be very interested in new locales.

Vehicle/Gadget Designs -- This includes weapons, accessories, Uncle Al entries, etc. We don't want a lot of gadget designs but would love to see well-designed vehicles. Any weapon/accesory design will be heavily playtested before acceptance and any immediately obvious problems will cause a weapon/accessory to be rejected completely.

Feature Articles -- These would be articles on tactics, different organizations in the Car Wars world, etc. Read through old ADQ issues to get an idea of what we're looking for.

Roleplaying Adventures -- These will be long (4,000 to 5,000 words) adventures intended to get drivers out of their cars. All game statistics will be in Car Wars terms but roleplaying adventures including GURPS Autoduel statistics would be appreciated.

Board Game Scenarios -- These are short (1,000 words or so) scenarios or collections of scenarios intended for players who want to set up the map and start playing immediately.
 

ASSOCIATED AUTODUELISTS OF THE INLAND EMPIRE

From: Edgar T. Lincoln <lincolnis@juno.com>
Subject: May and June AAIE Duels
Date: Wed, 14 Jun 2000 12:36:10 -0700

Hey Duel Fans,

It has been a bit of a break again due to the end of school in this area but I have two duels to report.

First up is a Division 15 duel in the Big B. Arena on May 23 I don't remember much about. Tom racked up a couple of kills with a vehicle that sported two ATGs. I had a fast compact with very little weaponry (a HMG in a turret) and spent most of the game running around at over 100 mph.  I managed to get a kill shot on Tom after circling him three or four times. Trish rammed and killed Carol but was taken out by Tom.

Event: AAIE Division 15 Duel in Big B. Arena
Date: May 23, 2000
Location: Spokane, WA
Duelmaster: Edgar Lincoln <lincolnis@juno.com>
Special Rules: Arena reduced to an octagon.
Players: 5

1. Tom Lentz (30 points, 2 VKs)
2. Edgar Lincoln (14 points, 1 VK)
3. Trish Bridges (3 points, 1 VK)
4. Carol Dougherty (2 points)
5. Norma Barrett-Lincoln (1 point)

Second is the Division 30 duel in the Coeur d' Alene Tribal Floating Arena we played last night. Tom won the Scary Vehicle Award with a heavy trike that had three laser-guided VFRPs (1F, 1R, 1L). He started at a stop to lure in victims. Norma charged in first and shot him with her BC and RR. He responded with a full salvo doing 84 points of damage and a D17 hazard. Ouch! The best part is Norma only rolled a minor fishtail and her trashed vehicle ran into him at 70 mph, killing her driver but failing to breach Tom's front armor. He dropped hot smoke from a discharger on his left side, blocking Carol's laser. She rammed him at 60 mph into that side but failed to breach. Tom did a 1/4 move and pivot to turn that side
away from her. I pulled into arc and shot him with a four of my HMGs into the right side but failed to breach.

At the same time Trish shot me in the back with two ATGs, doing enough damage that I was unable to make the turn I needed to get to Tom's island, so into the drink I went. Carol cut a D6 to get around and put a shot into Tom's wounded left side, lost control, and skidded into the drink on top of Turn 3. Trish put two ATG rounds into Tom's right side also at the top of Turn 3. She hit the engine and finished him off.

We started dueling around 7:00 pm and we were done by 8:00 pm.

Event: AAIE Division 30 Duel in Coeur d' Alene Tribal Floating Arena
Date: June 13, 2000
Duelmaster: Edgar T. Lincoln <lincolnis@juno.com>
Players: 5

1. Trish Bridges (30, 1 VK)
2. Tom Lentz (14, 1 VK)
3. Edgar Lincoln (1.5)
3. Carol Dougherty (1.5)
5. Norma Barrett-Lincoln (1)

Next week is a Division 25 brawl in the Floater again. See you then.
 

From: Edgar T Lincoln <lincolnis@juno.com>
Subject: July 18 AAIE Duel
Date: Wed, 19 Jul 2000 10:18:08 -0700

Hey Duel Fans,

We finally got around to doing the Division 25 duel in the Coeur d' Alene Tribal Floating Arena that we had been planning on for a month.  Only four duelists showed.

Tom Lentz's Vaporous Apparition: Sloped sedan, driver, gunner, RL (with rotary magazine and a few tear gas rockets) in turret, VFRP front, 2 GSs (each with tear gas; 1R, 1L).

Carol Dougherty: Stretched pickup, SD back, ramplate.

Edgar Lincoln: Sloped compact, active suspension, racing slick tires, HMG in turret, SD back, FOJ back.

Norma Barrett-Lincoln's 2049 Cyclops: Sloped sedan, BC front, SD back.

I usually lose control and wipe out into the water in the TFA, so I took a car with a lot of handling class.) Seems the problem is me, not the car, because once again I was in the drink by the end of turn one. Oops.

Norma tried to take out Carol with a 90 mph head-on collision and went SPAFF! Carol had solid tires so she was able to drive through the debris field and Norma's spikes without losing tires. Tom jumped onto her island, put a VFRP rocket into her front to breach its armor, and shot a tear gas rocket toward her front. Her next move put her into the tear gas but didn't knock her out. She cut a D6 in front of him as he landed, trying to force him into a t-bone, but he managed to turn it into a sideswipe and cut his own D6 across a small inlet, makinga control roll at -6 at 60 mph to stay on the island. There ensued some more tear gas for Carol and her sideswiping Tom for a turn or two until Tom got a clear shot at her front to finish her off.

Event: AAIE Div 25 Duel in Coeur d' Alene Tribal Floating Arena
Date: July 18, 2000
Location: Spokane, WA
Duelmaster: Edgar Lincoln <lincolnis@juno.com>
Players: 4
Special Rules: Jumps and Islands

1. Tom Lentz (24, 1 VK)
2. Carol Dougherty (11, 1 VK)
3. Edgar Lincoln (2)
4. Norma Barrett-Lincoln (1)
 

BONEHEADZ OF NEW IDAHO
http://www.users.uswest.net/~manycubes

Subject: New article
Date: Mon, 26 Jun 2000 09:51:19 -0600
From: Tony Kontes <manycubes@uswest.net>
To: "Michael P. Owen" <owenmp@serv.net>

Dear Michael,

I just finished my article on Alternate Weapon Mounts and added it to my Web site. I'm just about done with an article on non-arena style
campaigns, and I am also working on an article on low-tech vehicles (frames, unibodies, gas-powered juggernauts, etc.).
 

CAR WARS HQ
http://www.sjgames.com/car-wars

Sunday May 21, 2000: ADQ 6/4 Has Been Uploaded!

Another issue of ADQ has been converted to HTML thanks to Michael P. Owen. You can link directly to ADQ 6/4 to view it or go through the ADQ Archive. In the winter issue of 2038 (ADQ 6/4), you will find:

Three Mini-Scenarios by David N. Searle
Dueling on a Budget
Autogyros (variant rules for the predecessors of helicopters)
Convoy Tactics

plus much much more. Thanks again to Michael P. Owen.
 

Sunday May 21, 2000: ADQ 6/4 Has Been Uploaded!

Another issue of ADQ has been converted to HTML thanks to Michael P. Owen. You can link directly to ADQ 6/4 to view it or go through the ADQ Archive. In the winter issue of 2038 (ADQ 6/4), you will find:

Three Mini-Scenarios by David N. Searle
Dueling on a Budget
Autogyros (variant rules for the predecessors of helicopters)
Convoy Tactics

plus much much more. Thanks again to Michael P. Owen.
 

Sunday May 21, 2000: ADQ 6/4 Has Been Uploaded!

Another issue of ADQ has been converted to HTML thanks to Michael P. Owen. You can link directly to ADQ 6/4 to view it or go through the ADQ Archive. In the winter issue of 2038 (ADQ 6/4), you will find:

Three Mini-Scenarios by David N. Searle
Dueling on a Budget
Autogyros (variant rules for the predecessors of helicopters)
Convoy Tactics

plus much much more. Thanks again to Michael P. Owen.
 

Tuesday June 27, 2000: AADA DragonCon Car Wars!

Scheduled Car Wars Events at DragonCon <http://www.dragoncon.net/dc/gaming/ebcar104.htm>

Two preliminary rounds (6-8 players per event) with pre-selected Div 10 designs. (I could be persuaded to run additional prelims as time, schedule, and demand warrant.) The top six players in points advance to the final round (Div 30 on Sunday morning). Finalists may either select a pre-selected Div 30 design or submit a custom design to me by Saturday evening, 8 pm. Contact John W. Blaylock <jblaylock@sarcom-mem.com> for more information.
 

Sunday July 02, 2000: New AADA League Manager, WRC Rules Available

Elizabeth Lindsay has stepped down from the position of AADA League Manager. Our thanks for her hard work on the AADA.

Steve Jackson Games' art director Philip Reed has taken over the position. Phil is a Car Wars fan who has been in love with the game since he first discovered it in junior high and infected his circle of friends (who enjoy the game to this day).

Phil will be overseeing some cleanup and organization of the AADA as well as pushing to expand the number of AADA chapters. One of his top priorities will be reviving the AADA Newsletter as a free online 'zine -- the first step toward expanded Car Wars support from Steve Jackson Games.

The Championship Autodueling Circuit (CADC) just uploaded the rules that will be used during the AADA 2050 World Racing Champion. You will find both the event rules and the CWRQ that has been answered for event to help clear up any confusion beforehand. To review the rules, visit the CADC web site and click on the "AADA WRC" button in the top menubar.

In case you just walked out of your Y2K shelter, the 2050 WRC will be held at Origins 2000 in Columbus, OH. Qualifying will take place on July 14th and 15th, and the WRC will be on the 16th. The event has been listed in the pre-registration books, so attendance is expected to break the 20 players mark hit last year when the event was omitted from the books. Trophies will go to the top three drivers of the WRC and the weekend's most honorable mention. See you there.
 

Sunday, July 09, 2000: AADA World Championships

Next weekend the AADA 2050 World Racing Championship (WRC) will be hosted by the Championship Autodueling Circuit (CADC) at
Origins 2000 in Columbus, OH. The AADA 2049 World Racing Champion (MJ Daniels) is expected to return this year to defend his
title along with some of the best the CADC has to offer, plus the event is open to anyone in the autodueling public who is eager to do battle
on the dueltracks of the future. This year's attendance should beat last year's total of 20 players for the weekend. For all the details about the
event, check out the AADA page or visit the CADC web site and click on the "AADA WRC" button in the top menubar. A brief posting of
the event's results will be posted here next Sunday night. The CADC will also publish another WRC Edition of Tire Tracks to cover all the details, interviews and photos of the event a few weeks later.

And don't forget that next month the AADA 2050 World Dueling Championship will be at Gen Con 2000 on August 10-13, 2000 in Milwaukee, WI! Eric Freeman (AADA Head Referee) and MJ Daniels will be hosting the event. Some of the details of the event are available on the AADA Web site.

Additional information will be posted over the next couple of weeks. All reports indicate that Michael Garrity of NOVA is expected to return this year to defend his 2049 AADA World Dueling Championship. Be sure you're there to take a crack at the defending champion.
 

Monday July 17, 2000: AADA 2050 World Racing Championship

The Championship Autodueling Circuit (CADC) hosted the AADA 2050 World Racing Championship at Origins 2000 in Columbus, OH
this weekend and the 2050 World Racing Champion is Keith Scherer (CADC -- Warren, MI). Scherer followed Matt "George" Lintemuth
(CADC -- Grand Rapids, MI) for all of the final race until the last turn where he pushed his engine to 227.5 mph to beat Lintemuth across the
line by a mere 25 one hundredths of a second to claim the title. Scherer blew up his engine and was on fire when he crossed the line, but the
sparks did not ignite his gas engine or rockets. The CADC completed the sweep of the podium positions when Scott Hinkley (CADC -- Grand
Rapids, MI) finished approximately two seconds later. The honorable mention of the weekend event goes to Sean Hixenbaugh (Independent -- Dayton, OH) who was awarded the Quick Exit Award for all three of the qualifying races, but low attendance at the last race guaranteed him a position on the starting grid for the finals. Hixenbaugh never gave up over the weekend and placed fifth in the finals. Congratulations and thanks to all that entered the event.

Editor's Note: Thank you, Tim Gould for acknowledging on Car Wars HQ the time I spent converting ADQ 6/4 to HTML format, but you did not have to express your gratitude three times. (The Car Wars HQ News Archive lists the ADQ 6/4 report three times.)
 

DRAGON CON PHOTOGRAPHS
http://hometown.aol.com/bytoast/dragoncon2000pics.html

Date: Thu, 20 Jul 2000 04:49:38 EDT
From: TJ Jensen <Bytoast@aol.com>
To: mib-l@lists.io.com
Subject: Dragon Con Photographs

I have added some Dragon Con pics to the U.S. Southeast MIB Web site. There are some good shots of the Car Wars arena, but due to bad photography the Ogre miniatures pictures did not turn out well. I posted the best ones out of the batch.

TJ Jensen
U.S. Southeast MIB Director

Editor's Note: This letter forwarded to CWIN by Eric Freeman <efreeman@physics.ucsd.edu> July 21, 2000. Thank you, Eric.
 

DRAGONSLAYERS, INC.
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/HUDSOND/dslayer.htm

Subject: Re: 2050 DSI Car Wars Events, 2050 WADA League
Date: Tue, 06 Jun 2000 20:03:25 +0100
From: David Hudson <dhudson@deepdale-systems.demon.co.uk>
To: "Michael P. Owen" <owenmp@serv.net>

Michael,

At DragonSlayers, we play most of our duels to a conclusion, rather than a time limit, so they often take more than a single session to complete.
Consequently, I can't really give dates for the events we've played so far this year; I don't have such records, other than Event 3 was completed on June 2nd.

The full description of each completed event can be found on the DragonSlayers Web site, including winning vehicle designs and the current points standings, but I will summarise the details for you.

Event 1: Division 25 Duel in Omni Coliseum
Special Rules: Any number of cars with an aggregate value equal to or less than $25,000.

1. DRAGON (Fnord Blur, 0 Kills, 5 Points, $30,000)
2. BUMS (Switchblade, Fantasia, 1/2 Kill, 3 points, $15,000)
3. HAVOC (HAVOC 1, HAVOC 2, 1/2 Kill, 1 Point, $5,000)
4. Archdiocese (Ultima Thule, -1 Kill, 0 Points, No Winnings)

Event 2: Division 45 Midville Massacre
Special Rules: Any number of cars with an aggregate value equal to or less than $45,000.

1. Archdiocese (Agnus Dei, Fidie Defensor, 3 Kills, 5 Points, $54,000)
2. BUMS (Firestarter 1, Firestarter 2, Firestarter 3, 1.5 Kills, 1 Car Killed, 3 Points, $27,000)
3. DRAGON (Roamer S1D, Toymotor Sillycar, 1/2 Kill, 2 Cars Killed, 1 Point, $9,000)
4. HAVOC (HAVOC 1B, HAVOC 3, HAVOC 3B, 2 Cars Killed, 0 Points, No Winnings)

Event 3: Division 20 Duel in Circle of Doom
Special Rules: Any number of motorcycles with an aggregate value equal to or less than $20,000.

The following details are subject to confirmation of legality of the winning designs, which currently are in doubt. Although Archdiocese were classified as winners, initial reports indicate they fielded an illegal cycle design, which, if confirmed, will disqualify them from the event, and move the other teams up a place each on the following table.

1. Archdiocese (Satan, Lucifer, Inferno, 3 Kills, 5 Points, $24,000)
2. BUMS (Cycle 1, Cycle 2, 0 Kills, 3 Points, $12,000)
3. DRAGON (Fuzz Bomb, Cherry Bomb, Madness, 2 Cycles Killed, 1 Point, $4,000)
4. HAVOC (Shogun 200, Shogun 250, 2 Cycles Killed, 0 Points, No Winnings)

I trust you'll want details of future events when they're completed. I'll e-mail you with the result of the "Stewards Inquiry" into Archdiocese's winning entry when we have a final decision.
 

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

Arena Watch: Carter Lake Aqua Arena, Bemidji Bi-Oval Dueltrack, Radius Test Track
Nightmessenger Archive: Vol. 10, No. 2; Vol. 10, No. 3; Vol. 10, No. 4
Vehicle Designs: Mid-sizes, Miscellaneous

Subject: NOVA June Duel
Date: Sun, 25 Jun 2000 14:26:27 PDT
From: "Michael Garrity" <garritym@hotmail.com>
To: Michael P. Owen <owenmp@serv.net>

After a hiatus of more than two months, NOVA returned to the arena with a vengeance. This month's action took place at the Diamond Acres Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii. The event was a Division 15 off-road duel with combatants Mike Garrity, Norman McMullen, Tim Jacques and Adrian Shipley.

This arena was unlike any that NOVA has ever fought in, in that the entire arena floor was filled with a large number of diamond-shaped columns arranged in alternating rows. Each column was no more than 22.5 feet away from each other. Combined with the arrangement of the columns, this largely prevented long-distance shots. The arena layout also interfered with maintaining consecutive fire bonuses.

The duelists started out at the customary 30 mph and began to angle towards each other. Because of the columns, combat didn't begin until the
Turn 3 or Turn 4. Norman and Tim both had vehicles with metal armor. Norman was armed with a VMG and spikedropper with explosive-tipped spikes, while Tim had a VFRP. I had an RL with an extra magazine and Adrian carried three MGs with incendiary rounds. There was much maneuvering as we each tried to line up our sights on each other. The tight turns we had to do caused several control rolls.

Combat lasted a total of 13 turns, top speeds reached 60 mph and the average speed was 50mph.

1. Mike Garrity (2 VKs)
2. Norman McMullen
3. Adrian Shipley (killed by Mike)
4. Tim Jacques (surrendered to Mike)
 

PAINTED TARGET
http://www.bus.bton.ac.uk/staff/fesg/games/index.html

Car Wars: Cycle Side Armor
Dark Future: Everything (New Section of Web Site)
 

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AUTODUELING BROTHERHOOD

From: <efreeman@physics.ucsd.edu>
To: owenmp@hotmail.com
Subject: May 2000 SCAB Report
Date: Sat, 3 Jun 2000 16:42:06 -0700 (PDT)

I'm not sure if I'll be able to get out duel reports from the U.S. Southwest RDC. There was too much action to keep track of.

On May 7th, SCAB got together for a Division 30 brawl held in Double Drum that had six competitors:

Coming off of his win at the SCAB CDC, Eric Freeman came in a luxury that featured a front-mounted HSC and a rear SD.

Convinced after the SCAB duel that projectile dropped weapons were too powerful, Stan Wells came in with a car that featured a front-mounted MF.

AWOL for the SCAB CDC, Chuck Phillips made his return with a car with a pulse laser in a turret.

Rob Hagmaier, the host for this duel, brought out his beautiful baby before the duel to suck out the bloodthirsty tendencies of his opponents towards him. To further hidden aggresions towards him, Rob drove into the arena with ramplate-equipped pickup with a front-mounted FCGS.

Jeremy Wilis came in with an electric luxury that featured triple front-mounted incendiary RLs with an incredible dropped weapon package: a rear-mounted HDFCE in conjunction with a HDFOJ.

Tom LaLonde also chose the triple incendiary RLs front, but went with a gasoline ICE and a paint-loaded GS back.

Starting Positions (clockwise around the arena from the far end of one drum): Tom, Chuck, empty passage, Rob, Eric, Jeremy, empty passage, Stan.

The close proximity of the Double Drum meant the action started early. Both Rob and Jeremy turned away from Eric and towards the middle of the arena. Eric turned towards Jeremy and unleashed a sonic blast for a hit that was just outside the double damage range.

Meanwhile, Tom, Chuck and Stan all converged towards each other. Stan and Chuck were the first to engage. In the middle of Turn 2, Chuck used his laser to cleave off one of Stan's wheels. Response fire from Stan was a well-placed mine counter that Chuck ran over, however Chuck had more than 10 points of underbody armor. The presence of the turreted pulse laser combined with a negative handling class convinced Stan to drive straight for a few seconds towards the tunnel.

By Turn 3, Tom was in the fray and in Phase 1 he cleaned off one of Chuck's tires. In the next phase, Tom t-boned Chuck (Heh, heh, heh, a chuck t-bone steak) and succeeded in killing the driver getting a complete kill for Tom (Tom +20 points, Chuck -20 points). After the ram, Tom was facing right towards the middle of the arena.

Meanwhile, Jeremy laid down the "package" of flame clouds and flaming oil to discourage fire from Eric's heavy sonic cannon. This tactic succeeded and Eric turned his fire towards Rob who was heading to the center of the drums.

Rob was in position for a head-on collision with Tom, but instead opted for a FCGS shot and continued his progress around the drum.
Figuring that the best place to face a ram car was behind it, Eric followed Rob around the drum, but was too far to even get off a shot.

Jeremy stopped in one of the tunnels and turned around while Stan was going through the opposite tunnel. From across the tunnel entrances
Stan and Jeremy exchange fire while they closed on one another. Stan was able to place mines accurately and damage Jeremy's tires and underbody. Jeremy fired his incendiary RLs at Stan's tires and put one on fire, giving Stan only four seconds until he was a mobility kill. They collided head-on in Turn 6 at a total of 70 mph. Both drivers survived the collision.

Eric continued to follow Rob around one of the columns, but as Rob gained more and more distance it became less clear who was following whom. Rob passed by Tom again, and left him with a parting gift of a FCGS discharge, which succeeded in popping one of Tom's tires.

Jeremy and Stan continued to grind against each other and in Turn 9, Stan pushed Jeremy over some mines plus Jeremy's own package of flame clouds and flaming oil. This popped Jeremy's tires and gave the mobility kill to Stan (Jeremy -10 points, Stan +10 points).

At the end of the same turn, Rob managed to catch Eric around the column. (His better handling allowed him to make tighter turns.) Eric was heading towards the center of the arena towards spikes he laid himself. At the last moment he turned away from the spikes and then Rob nailed him with a FCGS. The hazard from the flame cloud caused Eric to go into a spinout. At this point, Jeremy exploded, giving the complete kill to Stan. (Jeremy -20 points, Stan +20 points).  Meanwhile, Tom got some incendiary RL shots into Stan, placing him on fire (convincing Stan that fire extinguishers may be a good idea).

In the beginning of Turn 11, Rob t-boned Tom, but did not kill him. At the same time Stan's second tire finally burned off to give the mobility kill
to Jeremy (Stan +10 points, Jeremy -10 points). Soon after, the vehicular fire set by Tom destroyed the last of Stan's weapons (Tom +30 points, Stan 0 points).

After being rammed by Rob, Tom started to pursue Rob. Eric recovered from the spin right in front of Tom and unloaded two sonic shots, one into Tom and one into Rob's rear. These last three now formed a Conga line around the column with Rob in the lead and Eric in the rear.

Around one corner on Turn 15, Rob dropped a discharger package of flame clouds and ice that Tom could not avoid. The hazards caused Tom to roll and burn (Tom +10 points, Rob +20 points). Rob's superior handling and acceleration quickly got him out of range of Eric's sonic cannon, so Eric slowed down to 5 mph to await the final showdown.

By Turn 17, Rob once again circled (for the fourth time!) the same pillar to close on Eric. He pushed his ICE to 80 mph, causing the block to crack and catch fire. Eric was able to unload two close range sonic blasts on Rob before an 85-mph collision killed both of them. The crash barely finished off Eric, with only five damage points to spare (Rob +20 points, Eric 0 points).

Nobody survived this Division 30 bloodbath, but with the most points, Rob came away with the win.

1. Rob Hagmaier (20 points; 2 kills, own vehicle killed)
2. Tom LaLonde (10 points; 1 kill, own vehicle killed)
3. Eric Freeman (0 points; 1 kill, own vehicle killed)
3. Stan Wells (0 points; 1 kill, own vehicle killed)
5. Jeremy Willis (-10 points; 1 mobility kill, own vehicle killed)
6. Chuck Phillips (-20 points; killed)
 

STEVE JACKSON GAMES MINIATURES DIVISION
http://www.sjgames.com/ill/2000/ill-jul00.html
http://www.sjgames.com/miniatures/

Steve Jackson
The Daily Illuminator
July 13, 2000

For years, our fans have been asking us to bring back the miniatures for Ogre and to offer figures for our other games. And for years we’ve
been working on it, trying not to compromise between our goals. We wanted to offer fine miniatures . . . at a good price . . . with guaranteed
steady supplies . . . while still keeping full creative control of the line. Not easy.

But now, at last, we are making some progress. We've decided to bite the bullet and create our own casting division right here at SJ Games
Secret Headquarters. This requires time and investment . . . but most of all, setting up a casting shop requires a significant number of clues. I'm
very proud to announce that we have acquired those clues in the person of Richard Kerr, former head sculptor for Ral Partha and creator of the
"Off The Wall Armies." Richard is a master sculptor and painter (and an old friend). He will be heading our casting division . . . and I'm
confident that he will create figures that I'll be very proud of.

Richard's timeline has us pouring metal by this time next month. It's a little bit early to say when that will translate into products on sale. We've
set up a Web page for the miniatures division -- check it every so often to see our progress. There will be photos . . .

Thanks go to a lot of people for making this possible, including:

* The folks at FASA and Ral Partha, for working with us to locate the master molds for our old miniatures. They've been very friendly and
helpful, even while they're busy with enlarging their own operations, and we appreciate it.

* Merrick Burkhardt at ANTS, who has spent a lot of time sharing his knowledge of resin casting, laser prototyping, and other cutting-edge approaches to casting.

* Denis Loubet, multi-faceted illustrator from way back, who has now turned his hand to computer renderings of Ogre vehicles. You can see some of his work in GURPS Ogre, and maybe some day you'll see those same renderings in 3-D.

* Richard Meaden, who was Ogre line editor for years until his "real" job ate his brain . . . Richard always told me we'd get the miniatures out someday. If he had faith, I had to have faith . . . Hey, look, Richard, it's happening!

* And, finally, all the fans who kept reminding me about miniatures and did not thrash me within an inch of my life because I kept saying, "I'm working on it." See, guys, I really was.
 

U.S. SOUTHWEST REGIONAL DUELING CHAMPIONSHIPS

From: Eric Freeman <efreeman@physics.ucsd.edu>
To: SWAT <owenmp@hotmail.com>
Date: Fri, 14 Jul 2000 09:45:32 -0700 (PDT)

These duel reports are a little more sparse than usual from me. There was too much action for me to keep really good track of . . . Anyway, here are the highlights.

The 2050 U.S. Southwest RDC was held at the OrcCon Gaming Convention in L.A. over the Memorial Day weekend.  It consisted of two preliminary events and a final.A total of 16 people participated in the carnage and slaughter . . . with the survivor taking the crown as the Regional Dueling Champion.
 

Preliminary Round #1: Division 5 Duel in Towers Arena

Flamethrowers were the name of the game for this duel, with half of the competitors sporting flamethrowers of some sort. Four new players showed up right at the start and were given pregenerated vehicles. All of the cars were electric powered.

Christian Vanover: Subcompact, LFT with HT fuel
Tom LaLonde: Light trike, two LFTs (each with HT fuel)
Mike Heim: Referee-designed subcompact with RL
Gar Francis: Referee-designed compact with FT and HR
Devi Hughes: Referee-modified Sizzler from AADA Vehicle Guide Volume 1 (two FTs, no SD, more armor)
Dan Cetorelli: Referee-designed subcompact with MG
Chris Ganiere: Bumper spikes, large amount of armor
Peter Cossaboon: Unknown
Chuck Phillips: Subcompact, OJ back, ramplate
Jeremy Willis: Compact, RL with AP rockets and SWC, and SWC, plastic armor, plastic AWHs
Stan Wells: Unknown
Erik Rasmussen: Unknown

Most notable for the duel is what I'll call, "Best Performance by a Duelist Who Got Absolutely Nada" Award which goes to Tom LaLonde.
Tom had set Dan Cetorelli's car on fire, which had no fire extinguisher and a Fire Modifier of 6 with Burn Duration of 1. Tom also set another vehicle (can't remember whose) on fire that also did not have a fire extinguisher. Tom looked like he was going to satisfy the two-kill condition, right? Wrong. Tom's kill on Dan gets vultured by Chris Ganiere, who drives through Dan the same turn the fire would have killed the driver and given the kill to Tom. On the other car, Tom had two chances to roll a 6 or less on two dice. Tom failed both of these rolls. Tom got nothing for either effort and ended up dying with zero kills.

Ganiere got a ram kill early (on Peter Cossaboom, who got stuck in the corner of the arena with nowhere to turn to avoid the ram), and
subsequently got a second ram kill (the one he "stole" from Tom) to start the victory condition countdown. However, a skid a couple turns after the second ram popped two of his tires and (mistakenly in hindsight) made him a mobility kill. This opened up a window for Christian to come in and satisfy the two kill victory condition and come away with a win.

Christian's flame subcompact went face to face with Devi's modified Sizzler. Christian managed to get Devi on fire and came out the victor. Devi's spinout combined with the fire blew out his tires and after two turns his FTs burned up giving Christian the complete kill.Christian took out Tom LaLonde for his other kill.

Other kills went to Erik Rasmussen (Gar Francis) and Mike Heim (Jeremy Willis). Chuck Phillips and Stan Wells mutually eliminated one another. Chuck rammed Stan in Turn 4, was set on fire by Stan in Turn 5. By Turn 7, the fire killed Chuck, but he was able to finish off Stan in the process.

Despite the preponderance of flame weapons, the prevalence of metal armor and/or fire extinguishers meant that there weren't many kills due to flame (two).

1. Christian Vanover (40 points; 2 kills)
2. Chris Ganiere (20 points; 1 kill)
2. Mike Helm (20 points; 1 kill)
2. Erik Rasmussen (20 points; 1 kill)
5. Stan Wells (0 points; 1 kill, own vehicle killed)
5. Chuck Phillips (0 points; 1 kill, own vehicle killed)
7. Jeremy Willis (-20 points; killed)
7. Devi Hughes (-20 points; killed)
7. Gar Francis (-20 points; killed)
7. Peter Cossaboom (-20 points; killed)
7. Dan Cetorelli (-20 points; killed)
7. Tom LaLonde (-20 points; killed)
 

Preliminary Round #2: Division 15 Duel in Towers Arena

The action in this duel was fast and furious, with too much going on for me to remember accurately.

Rob Hagmaier: Compact, ramplate
Chris Mazourek: Referee-design, ramplate
Zak Hill: Two RLs front, fake ramplate
Chris Ganiere: Unknown
Dean Gibson: OG, HDFT side, FCGS
Stan: Unknown
Tom LaLonde: Unknown
Chuck Phillips: Sedan, PP, ATG front, 2 FCEs (1R, 1L)
Erik Rasmussen: Unknown
Peter Cossaboom: Unknown

The most notable event of was the "Alcove of Death." Five or six cars entered the Alcove, including Dean, Rob, Chuck, Peter, and Erik, and only two (Rob and Dean) left. In this area Chuck took shots at both Peter and Erik.Rob rammed two people (one for a kill on Chuck, who bounced a shot off Rob's metal ramplate before saying goodbye), and was T-boned at 80 mph and survived. Dean got himself stuck in the corner to become a sitting duck (possibly after taking a t-bone ram). Everyone in the Alcove decided to attack other targets figuring they could "get back" to Dean later, who like a fiery phoenix, survived the "Alcove of Death," virtually unscathed and went on to secure second place.

1. Rob Hagmaier (40 points; killled Tom and Chuck)
2. Dean Gibson (30 points; killed Peter, shared kill on Eric)
3. Chris Mazourek (20 points; killed Zak)
4. Zak Hill (0 points; killed Stan, own vehicle killed)
5. Tom LaLonde (-10 points; killed Chris Ganiere, own vehicle killed)
5. Stan Wells (-10 points; mobility-killed Chris Ganiere, own vehicle killed)
5. Peter Cossaboon (-10 points; shared kill on Eric, own vehicle killed)
8. Chuck Phillips (-20 points; own vehicle killed)
8. Chris Ganiere (-20 points; own vehicle killed)
8. Erik Rasmussen (-20 points; own vehicle killed)
 

Final Round: Division 25 Duel in Aspen Octagon

Rob Hagmaier: Compact, ramplate
Chris Mazourek: Pickup, ramplate
Zak Hill: Referee-designed car, 2 ATGs (each with APFSDS ammo), FOJ
Chris Ganiere: LRW connected to smoke rockets, 2 MDs, bumper spikes
Dean Gibson: Two MLs side-mounted linked to rockets
Stan Wells: MF front, ramplate and possibly a dropped gas weapon
Erik Rassmussen: BC front, ramplate
Christian Vanover: Two RLs with incendiary rockets and LGL right

Gate Selections

NW: Rob Hagmaier
NE: Stan Wells
EN: Chris Mazourek
ES: Zak Hill
SE: Erik Rasmussen
SW: Dean Gibson
WS: Christian Vanover
WN: Chris Ganiere

Chris Mazourek took out Stan Wells in a head-on, ramplate versus ramplate collision in Turn 2. Chris Mazourek's 25-point metal ramplate gave him more than enough protection to survive, however the ram left Chris at 0 mph and vulnerable (Chris Mazourek +20 points, Stan Wells -20 points). Rob entered the action in two turns and t-boned Chris Mazourek for a kill (Rob Hagmaier +20 points, Chris Mazourek 0 points). Zak was also bearing down on the area. Dean peppered Zak's side with laser fire and t-bones him on the left side, but Zak survived.

Quickly accelerating after the first ram, Rob transversed the arena to bear down on Chris Ganiere, who was practically stationary after some failed control rolls put him into skids that greatly reduced his speed. Sensing that his top speed of 85 mph might not be enough to power through Chris Ganier's armor, Rob decided to push his ICE to get a higher top speed. On the ICE Critical Damage Table, Rob rolled high, resulting in an engine block cracked and on fire. The mobility kill of Rob Hagmaier was awarded to Chris Ganiere since preparation for the ram caused the ICE's destruction (Chris Ganiere +10 points, Rob Hagmaier +10 points). In anticipation of the ram, Chris Ganiere put his mines on automatic, but the head-on ram killed him (Chris Ganiere -10 pts, Rob Hagmaier +30 points). Rob survived the ram and two exploding mine counters.

Christian used his RLs to obliterate Zak's right side and cause internal damage to his engine and gas tank. Christian's successful hits also set Zak on fire. Meanwhile, Zak tailed Christian. Zak's driver used a PFE to try to put out fire. Instead of having his gunner also use a PFE, Zak's gunner unloaded two ATG shots into Christian's rear armor (weakened earlier by a pot shot from Dean's laser aimed across the arena).  Zak survived three turns of fire without exploding, though after two turns his power plant burned up (Christian +10 points, Zak -10 points). While blasting away, Zak pierced Christian's back armor and caused enough damage to kill Christian's driver, a gutsy move (Christian -10 points, Zak +10 points). The crowd loved it! Both Rob and Zak were then coasting through the arena.

Erik Rasmussen and Dean went head-to-head with Erik's blast cannon, which stripped Dean's front armor. Dean faced a decision of a ram with a pillar or with Erik's ramplate. Knowing this was  his dying breath, Dean made a kamikaze attack into Erik, who barely survived with no front armor intact, but with a blast cannon still functional (Dean -20 points, Erik Rasmussen. +20 pts). Erik was the only participant with full mobility left.

Rob (at 20 mph) crossed right in front of Zak (at 10 mph) on the west side of the arena. Zak took a shot at Rob's side, but Rob survived. Once Zak was in point-blank range, Rob unleashed a dropped discharger package of ice back and flaming oil right. To avoid hitting the flaming oil, Zak took a D6 on the ice. At 10 mph, Zak only needed a 2 or higher on 1d6 to keep control. He blew the roll and suffered a skid result on Crash Table 1.

Here was the point where the only major controversy occurred. The referee had consistently ruled that the deceleration from skids happened immediately and the skids were performed at the slower speed. Zak's skid required him to lose 10 mph, which  put him at 0 mph with no movement left to skid into the flaming oil. Eric Freeman agreed that this scenario pointed out the ridiculous idea of applying the speed change immediately (as opposed to after the skid), however he felt he had to be consistent with how he had ruled for the entire weekend, whcih  meant Zak did not skid to a stop on top of the flaming oil, which would have surely killed him. Eric Freeman resolved to change his rulings on skids in the future, but this time Rob Hagmaier just got a bum deal.

Rob eventually coasted to a stop. (Chris Ganiere 0 points, Rob Hagamier +20 points). Erik Rasmussen. then traveled across the arena to complete the kill on Zak for the win of the event and the U.S. Southwest RDC (Eric Rasmusen +30 points, Zak 0 points).

1. Erik Rasmussen (30 points; 1 kill, 1 completed kill)
2. Rob Hagmaier (20 points; 2 kills, own vehicle killed)
3. Chris Mazourek (0 points; 1 kill, own vehicle killed)
4. Chris Ganiere (0 points; 1 kill, own vehicle killed)
4. Zak Hill (0 points; 1 kill, own vehicle killed)
6. Christian Vanover (-10 points; 1 mobility kill; own vehicle killed)
7. Dean Gibson (own vehicle killed)
7. Stan Wells (own vehicle killed)

A final word of thanks to all the participants for a truly memorable weekend.
 

PLISSKEN SNAKES ONTO TV
http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/art-tv.html?2000-07/14/10.30.tv

Sci-Fi Channel Wire
http://www.sci-fi.com
Web posted July 14, 2000, 9:00am ET
Updated July 21, 2000, 3:01pm ET

Director John Carpenter will develop a syndicated television series based on Snake Plissken, Kurt Russell's character from Carpenter's Escape from New York and Escape From L.A. movies, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Carpenter, Russell and Carpenter's longtime producing partner, Debra Hill, will executive produce the series for Tribune Entertainment for the 2001 season, the trade reported.

Russell won't reprise his role in the series, which will also be called Escape from New York. The series will mark Carpenter's first television series. It will take place in the 21st century, after natural disasters have devastated the world. The U.S. president will hire Plissken as a roving agent for the United Nations, traveling to the Earth's surviving cities to help restore normality.

If the series succeeds, Hill told the Reporter that the team might consider a third movie based on the character. The feature would be titled Escape From Earth, she said.
 

RACE AGAINST TIME
http://tnt.turner.com/movies/tntoriginals/race/index.html

Turner Network Television

Premiere
Sunday, July 23, 2000, at 8 p.m. (ET/PT)

Encores
Tuesday, July 25, at 10 p.m. (ET/PT)
Friday, July 28, at 8 p.m. (ET/PT)
Sunday, July 30, at 3:30 p.m. (ET/PT)
Saturday, Aug. 5, at 6 p.m. (ET/PT)
Monday, Aug. 7, at 10 p.m. (ET/PT)

Race Against Time is a gripping action thriller set in the not-too-distant future. In an attempt to save his dying son, Jim Gabriel (Roberts) makes a deadly pact with the powerful organ-harvesting organization Lifecorps: They provide him with the money to pay his son's skyrocketing medial bills, and at the end of one year they come and collect his body. Tragically, before the ink is even dry on the contract, Gabriel discovers Lifecorps has deceived him by concealing news of his son's death. Unable to break his contract, Gabriel is on the run from Lifecorps, its merciless leader Dr. Anton Stofeles (Sarandon) and his henchman Burke (Elwes), a vicious tracker. Gabriel's luck changes when he saves the life of a beautiful but tough bounty hunter named Alex (Wynter). Gabriel finds another ally in Helen Steele (Venora), a rising star in the corporation who doesn't agree with the doctor's win-at-any-cost philosophy.
 

THE RETURN OF THE ROAD WARRIOR
http://movies.ign.com/news/3918.html

IGN Movies
July 18, 2000

Seems that Heath Ledger is stepping up for Mad Max 4.

If there's any project that we're really stoked about it's Mad Max 4. The movie world is primed for some more post-apocalyptic insanity,
and with a lack of solid action flicks these days, it's time to dust off this gone but not forgotten franchise. Obviously, it's all in George Miller's
hands. While the G-man has been keeping pretty busy since Beyond Thunderdome in '85, we still think he did his best work with Mad Max and
The Road Warrior. Maybe he's beyond (or incapable of) putting out another fierce desert-flick. But he's gotta give it one more shot while Mel Gibson has still got, er, the mustard. If they hand the torch off to a younger character, this franchise could get cooking again in a big way.

Think back to The Road Warrior. Remember how the narrative unfolds through a man's voice over descriptions, situating the story as one big
flashback? We learn at the end that this man is actually the grown-up Feral Kid from the film. Miller seemed to plant a seed with this connection that maybe someday he'd dip into the Feral Kid's future. We know, we know. There ain't no Feral Kid in Beyond Thunderdome. Frankly, we're still bummed about that flick overall, despite some legendary moments. Well, it looks like the Feral Kid might just be back on the scene, stepping up to recross paths with Mad Max.

You see, a few weeks back when we were interviewing Mel Gibson and Heath Ledger for The Patriot, we couldn't help but toss some Mad Max questions out. Without giving much detail, Mel said that The Road Warrior would be back. Heath claimed that he had turned down the role of Spidey in Raimi's Spider-Man, gushing about how much he wanted to be part of the next Mad Max. Some of our online compatriots also broke word on these Mad Max bits and before you know it, the buzz was in high gear.

So check out how this breaks down: Mel teams up in The Patriot with a young Aussie who reminds of himself when he was a young up-and-comer. The Patriot essentially fails at the boxoffice. Heath gabs about wanting to be in the next Mad Max after turning down one of the
biggest roles (Spidey) in the history of movies. George Miller is sitting on his hands. Mel is feeling the clock ticking. Heath is on his way and if they wanna get him, they should get him now (before he has second thoughts like Russell Crowe did with the Wolverine role in X-Men). The online buzz has made it clear that the fans want another Mad Max flick (with Vin Diesel as the bad guy). Looks like things have heated up
quite a bit for Miller and crew. Now comes word (via Dark Horizons) that various Sydney radio stations are running word that Heath has indeed signed on for the role of the grown Feral Kid, with production getting underway once George finishes a couple of smaller films. We love it when a plan comes together.

Chris Bernier <chris@ign.com> could use some time in the desert.
 

DICE PRIX BY INFINITE WONDERS
http://www.infinitewonders.com
http://www.infinitewonders.com/dicepage.html
 

FORMULA DE BY DESCARTES AND EUROGAMES
http://www.formula-de.com

U.S. Pack #1: Monterey, Portland, Elkhart Lake and Indianapolis
U.S. Pack #2: Detroit, Lexington, Atlanta and Daytona Beach
 

HELL ON EARTH BY PINNACLE ENTERTAINMENT GROUP
http://www.deadlands.com
http://www.deadlands.com/hoe/hoeindex.htm

Hell on Earth: Road Warriors
Cardstock Cowboys: Hell on Earth #3: Road Warriors
 

BAYOU MOTOR CARRIAGES
http://boryla.tripod.com/bmc
 

GAMERS.COM: CAR WARS
http://www.gamers.com/76231
 

ROADKILL
http://www.burgergames.com/rk.htm

Editor's Note: This RPG from Burger Games, the same publisher of the Taiga RPG mentioned elsewhere in this newsletter, is available as a  Adobe Acrobat document written in the Finnish language. If anyone on this list can translate Roadkill to English, I will post the translated rules on the SWAT Web site.