Web Posted September 06, 2003
Updated September 06, 2003

East Coast Adventures

Welcome back, high-octane addicts. Right before my cross-country trek, I recreated the CWIN subscriber list. When reformatting my computer, I safely archived all of my data . . . except for my address book. Now I know better to be lazy and not maintain the CWIN subscriber list in two places, Netscape and Quattro Pro.

Also before I left Seattle, my cable provider -- finally -- gave me the Speed Channel. I was able to watch all 10 hours of the Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta last month, one of the best races I have seen in a long time.

My trip to Annapolis, my first to the East Coast, was productive. I found a cheap, new copies of Carmageddon 3 (now of print) and MechCommander 2 at the mall across from my hotel, and a new copy of Ebola Monkey Hunt from Games, Comics, and Stuff, a Baltimore-area gamestore.

Games, Comics . . . and Stuff
http://www.gamescomicsstuff.com

GCS is a great store with lots of gaming space and a nice selection of comics and used games. I highly recommend you drop by when in the Baltimore area. GCS is only a few blocks away from the Maryland light rail train.

Thanks to those of you who wrote your concern about the recent unpleasantness regarding firearms. I was more concerned about missing my flights, losing my luggage, fighting the sinus-and-ear infection at the time I left Seattle, and not falling asleep in my training classes than about watching for bullets. As I predicted, the main threat to my safety was traffic. Maryland was beautiful but the drivers there would make WADA aces nervous.
 

Guns, Guns, Guns

Chris French launches this issue with comments on the never-ending ram-car debate, Thomas Pope notifies autoduelists of a new source of 1X and 1.5X scale miniatures, and Wesley Twitchell makes his regular reports on the happenings of the AAIE.

Christopher J. Burke has released another issue of BADM. Its feature article is AutoPower, a set of rules for combining Car Wars with the OverPower CCG. When you are reading CWIN and looking on the Internet for Car Wars action, do not forget to stop by the BADM site and check what is new. BADM has a lot of potential, but it won't succeed without support from readers.

The auto-combat classic Spy Hunter is going to be made into a motion picture. Details are in the NANS Ticker. There is no news on the Interstate '76 movie or Drive, the theatrical adaptation of Along the Scenic Route.

Full Metal Challenge started airing in the U.S. two weeks ago. If you like Car Wars, you are going to love this show.
 

Project Phoenix

This is something very special from SWAT. Expect it in January.
 

The last issue of CWIN for 2052 will be released on December 1st, unless I am flying out on business again. Please send submissions before November 28th.

Drive offensively,

Michael P. "Lab Rat" Owen
 

P.S. The class I attended was interesting, too.

THE RAM CAR DILEMMA

From: Chris French <csadn@ix.netcom.com>
To: SWAT: Michael P. Owen <owenmp@hotmail.com>
Subject: CWIN and the Ramcar Dilemma
Date: Mon, 14 Oct 2002 01:37:06 -0700

This is written in reply to last month's issue of CWIN, in which a duelist (whose name, at the moment, escapes me) complained that ram cars appeared to be taking over his group's game. That this happens comes as no surprise; as it stands, Car Wars rules give all the advantages to the ram car. What matters is, how can the ram car be stopped?

First, let us look at the advantages of the ram car:

* The ramplate is the cheapest, and yet most destructive, weapon in the game. Mere Tank Guns can only inflict 8d6 of damage; a typical ram inflicts 12d6+. Some might argue that it cannot perform ranged attacks; actually, a ram's "range" is equivalent to the velocity of the car (that is, a car traveling 10" per turn has a ram range of 10", +/- the target's velocity). More, the ramcar's "to-hit" is all but immune to defensive measures (a typical Crash Table roll still causes the ramcar to hit the target with the ramplate). All of this, for a cost and weight less than that of weapons which inflict one-third as much damage.

* The ram is the only weapon in the game which can, by itself, cause the confetti rule to be invoked. No other single weapon can be expected to inflict the single-shot level of damage necessary to cause a vehicle to shatter.

* The ram lends itself to high speeds, which render conventional weapons all but useless due to T-H penalties. A ram, however, is unaffected by speed modifiers.

* The ram, by its design, also serves to defend the car against weapon fire, and to an extent even other rams. It can truly be said that the only true defense against a ramplate is another ramplate (and that will only result in mutually assured destruction).

Some folks have suggested trying to outrun a ram car; this is impossible, due to the enclosed nature of the arena (the ram car will simply cut across and take the target in flank or front) and the design of the ramcar (ram cars are essentially driver, engine, and ramplate; ramcars can outrun anything less than a full-blown racer). Others have suggested dropped weapons; these only work if the ram car approaches from behind, and it will not do so as this will lessen the impact speed (and by extension the ram damage), and will also inconvenience the dropping car as much as the rammer.

So, how to defeat the ram car?

One method is to simply not use the confetti rule. This is a perfectly legal tactic -- in fact, in every edition of the Car Wars rules (with the possible exception of CW5, which I have not seen yet), the confetti rule is quite clearly labeled optional. Therefore, it is not a rule that players are required to use. If the ram car has to smash its way through a car's armor to destroy it -- well, what else is armor there for?

Another method, which is also letter-of-the-law legal, is to apply a hazard to the ram car for the damage it takes when it rams. The rules for weapons fire hazards clearly define the hazard: D1 for every 5 points of damage taken. Any decent-speed ram will knock the rammer's HC down to -6; at most speeds, that's a 6 or better on 1d6, with a +5 or +6 to the Crash Table roll if missed. (Think of a ram as a kinet ic-weapon-fire hit, with a shell weight of whatever the car weighs.)

Other solutions require some fiddling with the rules:

* Rather than the clunky "+2/-1" system inflicted on us by unnamed persons, simply apply the original rules, with the removal of the "2x damage to the target" clause. Now, that 50-point ram does not inflict four times as much damage to the target as it does to the rammer (50 x 2 = 100; 50 / 2 = 25; 100 / 25 = 4).

* For tournaments, require that no more than one-third of a car's mass may be applied to armor; as ramplates are extensions of armor, a ram car will have to skimp on armor elsewhere, leaving it vulnerable to gunfire (or other rams, even by non-ram-equipped cars!).

This rule is best employed with two other rules:

1) No car may devote fewer than 1/3 of total spaces to repeating direct-fire weapons; and,

2) No car may devote more than 1/3 total spaces to dropped weapons. (NOTE: Rule 1 must be complied with before Rule 2.)

Perhaps this will be of some help to those trying to deal with the Disciples of the Cosmic Spitball.

Chris French
Beaverton, OR
csadn@ix.netcom.com
 

PLASTRUCT

From: Thomas Pope <tpope@cs.cmu.edu>
To: SWAT: Michael P. Owen <owenmp@hotmail.com>
Subject: Brian Karr
Date: Mon, 21 Oct 2002 16:43:36 -0400

I was wondering if you had any information as to the whereabouts of Brian Karr and his Motorsport Miniatures line. The link from your Web page is no longer valid and I'd love to get in touch with him to order some of his resin miniatures. Thanks.
 

From: Michael Owen <owenmp@hotmail.com>
To: Thomas Pope <tpope@cs.cmu.edu>
Subject: Brian Karr Motorsport Miniatures
Date: Tue, 22 Oct 200

Dear Thomas,

When I get back to Seattle, I will have the Brian Karr Motorsport Miniatures Web page back on the Internet (I found the 2 MB+ of space for it recently), and I will forward your message to Brian (I believe the e-mail address I have for him still works).
 

From: Thomas Pope <tpope@cs.cmu.edu>
To: Michael Owen <owenmp@hotmail.com>
Subject: Brian Karr Motorsport Miniatures
Date: Tue, 22 Oct 2002 09:58:44 -0400

Wonderful, thanks! We just started a new RPG campaign and I have started to poke around looking for cars again.

I need to get the Stuff of Legends page updated to include Brian's pieces (once you have the Web page up) as well as a few more. One place
that's not listed on the page now is Plastruct. They have plastic and metal 1:200 and 1:250 scale cars which work nicely, even if some are a little bit low on detail.

Plastruct
http://www.plastruct.com

Unfortunatly, their online catalog is lousy.  I only knew about the cars from ordering their paper catalog. Every item is listed and illustrated
online, but finding it is nearly impossible if you don't know the catalog code. Here are the numbers to search for:

Plastic cars (low detail)
AM-200
AM-250

Painted plastic cars
AMC-200D
AMC-200E
AMC-200I
AMC-200J
AMC-200K

Metal cars
AMM-200A
AMM-200B
AMM-250A
AMM-250B

Plastic bus and truck kits (low detail)
TKK-200 through TKK-207

Metal trucks (low detail)
TKM-200
TTM-200

Metal bus
BUSM-200
BUSM-250

Painted plastic buses
BU-200
BUS-200
BUT-200

I have the 1:200 scale plastic and metal cars and plan on ordering a 1:250 set of each as well. They've got other stuff that might be useful so shelling out for a paper catalog (or browsing through one at a train shop) might be worthwhile.

At any rate, I'm looking forward to seeing the photos of Brian's work and looking forward even more to ordering from him. Thanks.
 

AMERICAN LE MANS SERIES 2003 SCHEDULE
http://www.roadatlanta.com/pressreleases/10-11.htm

Road Atlanta Motor Sports Center
http://www.roadatlanta.com/home.html
October 11, 2002

March 15 -- Mobil1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, Sebring (Fla.) International Raceway (3.7 mile), 12 hours.
April 6 -- Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Mexico City, Mex. (2.75 mile), distance TBA.
May -- European event (location and distance TBA).
June 29 -- Cadillac Grand Prix of Washington, D.C., RFK Stadium Circuit (1.661 mile), 2 hours, 45 minutes.
July 27 -- Infineon Grand Prix of Sonoma, Infineon Raceway, Sonoma, Calif. (2.53 mile), 2 hours, 45 minutes.
Aug. 3 -- Le Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres, Le Circuit Trois-Rivieres (Qc.), (1.52 mile), 2 hours, 45 minutes.
Aug. 17 -- Grand Prix at Mosport, Mosport International Raceway, Bowmanville, Ont. (2.459 mile), 2 hours, 45 minutes.
Aug. 24 -- Road America 500, Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wis. (4 mile), 500 miles.
Sept. 7 -- Monterey Sports Car Championships, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey, Calif. (2.238 mile), 2 hours, 45 minutes.
Sep. 27 -- Grand Prix Americas, Miami Downtown Street Circuit, (circuit length TBA), 2 hours, 45 minutes.
Oct. 18 -- Audi presents Petit Le Mans, Road Atlanta, Braselton, Ga. (2.54 mile), 1,000 miles or 10 hours.
 
 
 

DUELTRACK.COM

SAFOsoft.com RPG Productions
http://www.safosoft.com
 

Projects

DuelTrack.com (Project in Secondary Development)

Based on the popular Steve Jackson Game, Car Wars. You find yourself in a not too distant future where drivers battle other to the death/destruction of the others. Climb up the ranks of the national, international competions where more money is earned, better cars are bought. A whole new imersion of RPing online.
 

News

12-04-2001 -- SAFOsoft begins secondary development of AutoDuel Online. Preliminary release is summer 2002.
 
 

CAR WARS PBI

Forum: Dueling Debate
Subject: General / Free sex, booze, and cash (184 views)
From: 5LEEPWALKER
Date: Oct 29, 2002, 12:41 am

OK, so I have your attention . . . ;)

I am looking for some people who have played some of the other PBEM versions of CW, and am also looking for one other who has run a PBEM in the past, I need some playtesting done on an idea to see if it works prior to putting it to Mr. Jackson.

If your interested please post here and I'm sure I'll get some comments, I'll check back on a regular basis. If Mr. Jackson does turn up or one of his staff, I have read and understand all of his policies but need to test this idea out prior to approaching them so please no lawyers at my door (Yet anyway thanks).
 

From: Ed Davis (DIGITALDUNG)
Date: Nov 01, 2002, 1:39 pm
To: 5LEEPWALKER

I ran PBEM CW back in the early 90s using a computer program to compute moves (using the CW map as a grid, and a bit of Trig). I never scales it up to be fully automated, and ended up doing a lot of work each turn. I did 1/2 second turns, with weekly turns. I allowed IF THEN statements to allow the players to react to events during the 1/2 second.

I think about six duels were run by me or someone else using this system.

Ed Davis
RMADA
Greeley, CO
 

From: 5LEEPWALKER
To: Ed Davis (DIGITALDUNG)

Hi, Ed

Thanks for that, what I am trying to get at here is that I am not trying to start my own PBEM game up I have set up and am currently working on a PBEM CW client based on the CyberBoard software. I have done some screen shot's and have e-mailed them to Curt (see previous; any luck with the re-send to Curt Lindmark I sent it on Friday with a read recept? Pity you can't post screens here for all to see). What I want to do is find a few players and a ref who we can play test the software then if all works we can post it up to SJ Games (I got the idea as someone had done an Ogre version and posted to SJ Games).

Post back with your e-mail address then I can send you the pics and you can take a look at what I am aiming for.

CyberBoard PBEM Boardgaming System for Windows
http://cyberboard.brainiac.com
 
 

SPY HUNTER MOTION PICTURE

Spy Hunter movie franchise to be founded on "The Rock"
http://www.gamepro.com/index.html?/entertainment/movies/in_theaters/news/25167.shtml

GamePro.com News
by Dom Ex Machina
22-JUL-02

Late Friday, Universal beat out two other companies in an auction for the rights to popular video game Spy Hunter. According to initial reports, they'd like it to be an action vehicle for Dwayne" The Rock" Johnson. Johnson is also scheduled to star in two upcoming movies, Universal’s action comedy Helldorado (set to be re-named, and also starring Christopher Walken) and Columbia's biographic film about the Hawaiian legend King Kamehameha.

Though the movie has yet to be scripted, Johnson will play an ex-fighter pilot who becomes a secret agent, using his slick G-6155 Interceptor to hunt spies, who have their own super spy cars. It will be produced by Chuck Gordon and Adrian Askarieh, the men who bought the rights from
Midway.

Will Spy Hunter be the next great action franchise? Who knows, but at least it has the star power to draw adolescent boys by the millions. Here's hoping it's actually a good movie, too.
 

Moviefan Online Message Board
http://www.moviefanonline.com/cgi-bin/ultimate/ubb/Forum26/HTML/001949.html

From ComingSoon.Com:

Universal Pictures has optioned a feature film based on the Midway video game franchise Spy Hunter with wrestling superstar The Rock attached to star as Alec Sects, a former F-15 pilot employed by International Espionage Services as a member of the Spy Hunter team.

The Hollywood Reporter says that the producers are seeking a writer and director to get the spy pic in motion. Universal beat out two other studios for rights to the spy franchise. The video game franchise was introduced in 1983 at arcades and reborn on PlayStation 2 last year, with Xbox, GameCube and Game Boy Advance versions shipping earlier this year.

The movie will feature Sects doing battle with arch enemy Daemon Curry, president of Nostra International, an evil organization bent on world domination.
 

FULL METAL CHALLENGE

Rockcrawler.com News Shorts
http://www.rockcrawler.com
http://www.rockcrawler.com/features/newsshorts/02february/ultimate_machine_combat.asp
February 2002

From the makers of Junkyard Wars comes the ultimate in car wars: Imagine the most difficult video game you've ever played -- make it real and
you're just halfway there!

Twenty-seven teams from the US, the UK, Russia, India, China, Australia and Europe will battle it out at a secret location for the title of supreme car warriors.

It's modern day gladiatorial combat in homemade cars!

But first they'll have to prove they're up to the challenge. The world's most skilled drivers, mechanics and designers will be given three thousand dollars and just one month to build a car from scratch.

But these won't be any cars -- these will be the leanest, meanest fighting machines on the planet with the teams accessing whatever expertise they can get their hands on -- from NASA space technology to Bombay's engineering inventiveness -- anything goes!

But the creation of these mega machines is just the beginning.

After a month of welding, panel-beating, trouble-shooting, fine tuning and general bodging - the vehicles will be shipped to a purpose-built
stadium where they'll be put through a series of car-crushing challenges designed to test their endurance, speed, agility and durability.

It's survival of the fittest with only the roughest, toughest vehicles making it through to the next round.

The final will be a spectacular series of mega-challenges that will push the three top teams and their machines to the limit. The winner will come
away with a spectacular prize, the title of World Champion and -- even better -- the knowledge that they're the best in the world.

For more details and info on how to apply log on to our Web site.

Full Metal Challenge
http://www.ultimatemachinecombat.com

Call Jackie with any questions or queries: 818-817-5215.
 

Full Metal Challenge: Games
http://www.ultimatemachinecombat.com/games

Nine hair-raising games have been designed to push man and machine to their absolute limit. These games test the machine's endurance, manoeuvrability and speed. They test the driver's skill, reactions and aggression.

Ten Pin: The contestant must knock down as many skittles as possible in an oversized bowling alley where the skittles are 12 feet high -- and the bowling ball . . . is them.

Pitball: The pitch is a large flat-bottomed crater. The football is a flaming metal ball. The teams score goals by pushing the ball over the lip of the crater -- which is also encircled by fire.

Hall of Mirrors: Teams must navigate their vehicles through a constantly changing maze of fairground style mirrors. Once at the centre, they must turn around and find their way back to the starting point before the other teams do.

Bumper Cars: It's car-sized pinball! A large circular arena contains ten obstacles, which light up at varying intervals. When the obstacles are lit, the teams must plough into them at speed.

Rollercoaster: Like a funfair rollercoaster, teams must drive their vehicle along raised tracks negotiating terrifying obstacles up to 50 feet high in a race against time.

Wetropolis: Immersed in a lagoon, three giant fire hydrants have to be driven around in 360° loops -- in reverse.

King of the Hill: A game of territorial conquest. Six huge mountains of rubble surround an enormous central peak. Each team has to wrestle to the top of two outer hills -- then lay siege on the central one to become king.

Sumo: Like the ancient oriental game, Sumo is played inside a large circular arena by two opposing combatants -- only our Sumo wrestlers are monster vehicles.

Grand International: The grand finale, based on the Grand National Horse Race with high fences, tricky gates and dirty ditches. Three vehicles are at the starting gates but only one can be the ultimate champion.
 
 

HOT WHEELS BASH ARENA
http://www.thq.com
http://www.thq.com/games/MinisiteDefault.asp?UPC=49098

Windows 98+ CD-ROM

Hot Wheels Bash Arena for PC challenges players to dodge and crash into opponents with performance-varied Hot Wheels cars in a last car standing, interactive demolition derby-style competition. The game features 20 authentic Hot Wheels cars to unlock and control in eight dynamic multi-level arenas full of hazards. Vehicles will gather real-time damage while in competition, and can use more than 20 offensive and defensive power-ups to restore their condition. As players advance through the Bash Arena championship, they work their way closer to the ultimate goal of induction into the Hot Wheels Bash Arena "Hall of Fame." The game also features a multi-player option for up to four players to combat each other online.

Game description by GameZone.com.
 

HOT WHEELS VELOCITY X
http://www.thq.com
http://www.thq.com/games/MinisiteDefault.asp?UPC=49087

Windows 98+ CD-ROM

Put your driving skills to the ultimate test as you enter a world in which gravity-defying-stunts, huge loops, insane speeds, driving up walls and criminal racing gangs are an everyday affair!

33 authentic 3-D rendered Hot Wheels cars to unlock and drive!

Take the wheel on treacherous missions with multiple objectives in 5 huge levels of a destructible 3-D Hot Wheels world!

Do whatever it takes to crush your rivals and complete the mission -- speed through huge loops, pull off wild gravity defying stunts, catch big air off a jump, drive up a walls & buildings, find hidden short cuts or simply just run them off the road!

An arsenal of offensive and defensive power-ups at your finger tips!

Challenge a friend in two different multiplayer modes: Head to Head Racing and Battle Mode.
 

BURKE'S AUTODUEL MAGAZINE MONTHLY
http://www.io.com/~cjburke/badm

Feature: AutoPower
 
 

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

Scrapbook: Gen Con 2002 Photographs
 
 

PLANET HOT WHEELS
http://hotwheels.com/2001/index.asp
http://www.planethotwheels.com

Just Added! Planet Hot Wheels™ just got a lot more fun! Check out the new features we've added:
 

EXPLOSIVE 4-PLAYER RACE!

Full Contact Rally: Customize your car with add-on parts in the Mechanic's Shop and then tear up this circut track AND your opponents!  Find the best line while blasting the other players with weapons like lasers, missles, and electromotive bursts.  Speed past unsuspecting cars using your ramjet and aerodyne foil and outscore them by doing tricks while you fly through the air!
 

WHITE-KNUCKLE SINGLE-PLAYER RACING!

Drag Racer -- Ladder Of Champions: Burn rubber in the fastest street race on Planet Hot Wheels™! You and your opponent are staying up late for a night-time drag race, and you have the speed and skill to win! First, check out the track conditions and tune your car so it's operating at peak efficiency. Then put the pedal to the metal and make the other guy eat asphalt!
 

MULTIPLAYER RACE!

The Test Track: It's time to break out those upgrades from the Mechanic's Shop you've been itchin' to use! You and another player can inflict maximum pain on each other as you race for the finish line on the test track, where only the smartest will survive. In this race, careful planning and twisted thinking are more important than raw reflexes. Outwit your opponent with careful part placement. Choose when and where to use your parts and out-strategize the enemy to win big credits. Is your opponent playing dirty tricks on you? Play some right back at him! Laugh as your Dielectric Shielding counters his lasers! Blast him with an Electromotive Burst! Then fire up the RamJet and head to the checkered flag for a glorious finish!
Coming Soon!

We have big plans for the virtual world of Planet Hot Wheels™! Check out the exciting updates we're planning for Fall 2002 and beyond:
 

COOL MIDWAY GAMES!

Whether you're trying to earn a few credits or just looking for a good way to pass some time, we have a whole truckload of Midway games coming to Planet Hot Wheels™!

Race Above Planet Hot Wheels™: Time to soar above it all! There's a tricky, twisty track going through the sky above the streets of Planet Hot Wheels™ and it's all yours. But don't get too distracted by the scenery . . . there's racing to do! Either try to beat the clock in a solo drive or go up against the computer opponents for a greater challenge. Negotiate dangerous curves, go through loop-de-loops, and hear the whistle of the wind!

Cop Chase: There's a bad guy on the loose in the city and you have to arrest him . . . Planet Hot Wheels™-style! That, of course, means chasing him down and smashing his car into oblivion! You'll race at hectic speeds through the curvy streets of Planet Hot Wheels™, plowing through anything in your path in a reckless attempt to enforce the law. Skid around corners, keep your nerves in tight tunnels, and bring that bad guy down!

Bad Brakes: You've just learned a valuable lesson . . . no matter how strapped for cash you are, always pay for good brakes! But there's no time to think about that now . . . you're going out-of-control at the top of a steep hill and if you don't get this thing stopped, there's a big brick wall coming up with your name on it! Bash into planters, knock over trash cans, and plow through bus stops in an attempt to slow your car down, but don't hit any of the other cars on this busy street or your ride is gonna be over right away!
 

AWESOME CARS!

Right now we have eleven wild cars available, but we know that to the true connoisseur of extreme automobiles, there's no such thing as too many cars. Well, Planet Hot Wheels™ is about to get a lot more traffic! Expand your collection with over ten additional models. Want to take the Surfin' School Bus™ onto the half-pipe? You can!

These are the upcoming cars for your tuning enjoyment:

Backdraft™: Outrace and outclass your opponents in this sleek racing machine!

Jester™: Confuse and confound the competition in this funky concept pickup.

Mega-Duty™: Need something street-tough to overpower obstacles? This rugged pickup pulls no punches!

Overbored 454™: Catch a ride in this updated street-brawler with so much muscle, it doesn't even have to flex!

Surfin' School Bus: Take your opponents to school with this turbo-tough, unexpectedly agile gas guzzler!

Super Tuned™: This low-slung beast is powerful enough to take to the track and pretty enough to take to the prom! You'll be the king of the road in this track-eating truck!

Hyperliner™: This space-age, hyper-modified machine is van enough for racing and has enough space to carry all the upgrades you can stick into it!

Midnight Otto™: Open up a can on the competition in this car with an old-school look but some modern attitude!

Phaeton: This ain't your grandpa's hot rod! This mean machine has more than enough under the hood to drive circles around any opponent out there!

Tail Dragger®: The ability to burn rubber is built into this funky, '50s-inspired hot rod that's guaranteed to turn heads while it turns corners! This slick superstar has a big ol' grille and the style to crush the competition!
 

RED-HOT PARTS!

We have the lab technicians at Planet Hot Wheels™ locked in the lab researching new tech for your car and boy do they have some sick ideas! Those R&D boys will be crankin' out the insane parts as fast as they can think of them! Grow gigantic wheels! Blast your opponents with fusion cannons! Grab 'em with grappling hooks! We're stuffing the Mechanic's Shop with a whole slew of parts so wild, your opponents won't know what hit 'em!

Here's a sample of some of the wild stuff available soon for your vehicle:

Big Wheels: Can you say "Monster Truck Action?" Grow giant wheels that let you roll over anything in your path! Nothing can stop you when you're equipped with these babies.

Fusion Energy Cannon: The biggest, baddest cannon known on Planet Hot Wheels! When this carnage-causing construction deals its deadly blast, whoever's in its way better scoot or they'll end up seriously charred! Also comes in a Micro-Fusion version for those with tighter wallets and less power.

Pneumatic Mine: Add insult to injury! Leave your opponent in the dust, then let him run into this little surprise! He'll fly higher than a kite when he runs into this little baby.

Grappling Hook: Can't beat your opponent's speed fair and square? Well, there's nothing fair about this little device! Shoot the hook into his bumper and take him down a notch or two. Once you've got him where you want him, activate your boosters and close the gap!

Magnet: Having one of those days where your car is chugging, while your opponent seems faster than light? Well, here's an even dirtier trick than the Grappling Hook . . . this device bends the laws of physics to swap your speed with your opponent's! Let your opponent use energy building his speed, then steal it!

Energy Pool Booster: Less is more when you activate the E.P.B.'s spinning-disc technology! Give up particle energy to generate three times as much electrical energy!

Geo-Thermal Cannon: Your opponent thinks he's pretty cool? Pack some heat! Firing some big globs of molten lava down his tailpipe should show him who's boss!

Hologrammer: The Planet Hot Wheels technicians have been researching real-time holographic technology and now it's time to reap the benefits of their hard work! This cyber-powered device creates an illusionary image of your car that your opponent's weapons will fly harmlessly through!

Energy Leech: Use your opponent's own power against him! Drain his power pool and add it to your own. Yeah, it's totally unfair . . .  that's what makes it fun!

Shield Booster: Load up the shield booster and one of your shields, at random, is powered to super-levels. When you're feeling lucky, the Shield Booster can give you the defense you need to protect yourself!

The Pouncer: You're heading straight towards another one of your opponent's devious traps... it looks like there's no escape... enter the Pouncer! Watch your opponent's twisted, evil grin turn to a look of shocked dismay as pneumatic lifts fire you high into the air and velocity carries you safely past the obstacle!

The Buzzsaw: Get up-close-and-personal with this slicing-and-dicing machine! Teach your opponent to steer clear with a few swipes of this devastating piece of hardware!

Energy Re-Uptake: Be environmentally friendly and massively destructive at the same time with this handy recycling machine! Reclaim precious energy and use it to further fuel your upgrades.

Chemical Booster: Strap on this booster and chew up the road like nobody's business! The fastest speed booster on the planet, this device uses funky chemicals to increase your velocity to insane levels!
 

ASSOCIATED AUTODUELISTS OF THE INLAND EMPIRE

From: Wesley Twitchell" <splutch@mailandnews.com>
To: AAIE Mailing List
Subject: AAIE October 2052 Duels
Date: Wed, 9 Oct 2002 10:07:41 -0700

Greetings Duel Fans,

The reports have been a bit late, but with full splendor, here they are!

September 24: No event. Open House for Ana's school.

The next event was quite an entertaining one. Ana and Edgar had been putting together a bunch of her Harry Potter and Mars Legos, and they were all over the gaming table involved in a pitched battle.

So, partly due to the fact that we didn't want to tear down all the work right after it had been done, and that Edgar wanted us to see Tom's weird
designs in the Div. 10 game, we played an alternate one . . .

ALIENS ATTACK HOGWARTS!

We split up into two teams, lead by Bryan and Lafe, as they had the highest reaction rolls. They chose members and we placed on the various
sides.  The teams were as follows:

Aliens: Bryan, Edgar, Wesley.
Hogwart's; Lafe, Carol, Howard.

There was a goodly number of board elements involved. On the Alien side, there were machine guns mounted on the end of their tube transports, and they had a rock giant that would attack anything within reach. The Hogwart's side had a squadron of attacking dragons with a variety of weapons: two flamethrowers, a recoilless rifle, and a sonic cannon.

Last but not least, each side had a benefit granted to them. People on the Alien side had an enchanced computer, granting an extra +1 to hit on
any attack, and the Hogwarts fellows had their cars magically enchanted with a +1 bonus to Handling class.

With all of that said, I believe, the battle began!

Our two sides raced towards each other, with the first shots having nasty consequences.  I got my Blast Trike in close to Carol's Jackhammer, and took out her right front tire as she blew my left side apart. The attack killed my driver, and set my vehicle on a collision course with the side of Hagrid's hut.

After that, everyone else got close enough to get in the fray. Edgar's 2051 Moose and Howard's Rocket Prestidigitator traded shots, before Edgar broke away with Lafe coming in from the side in his own Rocket Prest.

As Edgar turned off, Howard changed course to get Bryan, and Lafe was still chasing Edgar.

Howard: "Hey Lafe, see the car that just turned the corner in front of you? That's me."

Lafe: "Oh Bleep."

Shortly after this, Bryan got close up to Howard, and was looking like a head-on as Lafe came in on his left side. But Bryan's Piece-Maker still had something to say. He maneuvered between the both of them, and took a shot at Howard. He took out all of Howard's front, including his driver with one salvo, and then shifted his aim to Lafe. Bryan's second salvo took out Lafe's front and driver, but not before Lafe took out his left side. As Bryan drove off with the dead vehicles behind him, Carol finally regained all her handling class, and started chasing Bryan down.

As Carol closed in on Bryan, who wasn't able to shake her, Edgar circled around and started closing in to stop her.

But he wasn't fast enough.

Carol got up on his rear, and blew through his car, taking out his driver. As Bryan's gunner tried to regain control, Edgar got up there, and shot up Carol to make her a kill, and to end the game.

The Aliens had sucessfully invaded Hogwart's Castle!

Right after the ending announcement, the alien cargo flyer that was perched on top of Hogwart's with the pilot, and Dumbledore, the head wizard, engaged in a fierce battle for Dumbledore's staff, fell. As we picked through the wreckage, we saw that the pilot had wrestled the wand away, further ensuring a win for the Aliens.

October 01
AAIE Div 25 Alien Attack Duel
Hogwart's Castle
Duelmaster: Edgar T. Lincoln
Players: 6
Special Rules: All sorts of wacky rules.

1. Bryan Rider (36, VK x 2)
2. Edgar T. Lincoln (17)
3. Wesley Twitchell (10)
4. Carol Daugherty (3, VK x 2)
5. Lafe Daugherty (1.5)
5. Howard Lalicker (1.5)
 

The next event was the long-awaited Funhouse duel.

The Funhouse is a twisted arena, for many reasons, one of which is the fact that it looks like a giant clown face. It had a gravel area for hair, jersey barriers set up in a plus sign for eyes, a tofu pit for a nose, and staggered jersey barriers for teeth. In the middle of each eye was a special point, that would trigger a random dropped weapon. Between the eyes was a shootem, and for the teeth, you had to shalom through them going at least 35mph for an extra prestige.

Also, each player that had a "quirky" car to some sort got an extra prestige. Only three players managed to do that. Theo had a trike designed by Tom that was able to reach 200 mph, Tom managed to tweak a pair of VFRPs in a trike, and Edgar had a bomb bay in the side of his car.

As the duel began, Edgar opened up his side as his bomb dropped out and rolled in the path of Howard's car.  Howard decided to shoot at it, to get it to explode, and it did. Unfortunately, Edgar was still in the blast radius, with his exposed right side, and was splattered all over the inside of his car.

Meanwhile, Theo took off like a shot, going for the right eye. Some of us took our desparation-birthed designs, and raced towards the nearest
opponent. Tom and I reached each other at the same time as Bryan and Harry.  I did enough damage to Tom to confetti him, as he took out my front armor and engine for a mutual kill. Bryan and Harry hit each other and took out each others front armor, weapons, and engines, for another mutual kill.

As we waited to exit our vehicles, Theo raced through an eye, triggered a whole mess of something, and circled around to ram Howard from
behind.

The collision took out Theo's entire front side, and Howard's rear and driver.

After Theo regained control from the collision, Ken came up into view, and aimed himself right for Theo.

With a wall on one side, and a unsurvivable t-bone on the other, Theo went ahead and drove into Ken's front.  That collision confettied Theo's
trike, and disabled Ken's car for a kill, and the end of the game.

October 08
AAIE Div 10 Duel
The Funhouse
Duelmasters: Edgar T. Lincoln and Tom Lentz
Players: 8
Special Rules: 3X scale.

1. Harry Reed (35.5, VK x 1)
1. Bryan Rider (35.5, VK x 1)
3. Theo Hill (14, VK x 2)
4. Wesley Twitchell (5, VK x 1)
5. Howard Lalicker (4, VK x 1)
6. Ken Fourn (3, VK x 1)
7. Tom Lentz (2, VK x 1)
8. Edgar T. Lincoln (1)

Next week's game will be a Div. 30 Micro Machines (1.5x) scale duel in the Hammer Downs.

See you there!

Wesley Twitchell
AAIE Duel Reporter
 
 

From: Wesley Twitchell <splutch@mailandnews.com>
To: AAIE Mailing List
Subject: AAIE Weekly Rumble -- October 22, 2052
Date: Wed, 23 Oct 2002 14:25:19 -0700

Greetings Duel Fans!

Tonight's duel was quite an exhilarating one! We played on the Islands, otherwise known as the Coeur d'Alene Tribal Casino Floating Arena.
It is a collection of various shaped islands connected by land bridges and ramps. Tonight's particular configuration was set up by Dave Acton, who was in town for a bit before the duel.

On one of the islands was a trigger settled in between a pair of bridges that would put a random dropped item on them and was also good for half of a victory point. On another island was a checkpoint that was good for a whole point, but because it wasn't connected to the rest, you had to have some sort of water transportation to reach it. With six main islands out there, was all rolled a six-sided (die) when we were determining position. Five of us all rolled the same island, and it was one of the smaller ones.

Well, on with the duel!

Bryan popped open some nitrous, but blew his tranny doing so, which was really bad for his part-ram vehicle. The cluster of people on the island opened up fire, which the biggest results being that I lost my front side to Tom's Blast Trike, and I almost blew off his tire.  Steve was on the ramp leaving the island, and dropped spikes to show how he cared for us.

Lafe started going in reverse to get away from the rest of us, and Ken, hot on Steve's tail, drove between Tom and I, causing minor sideswipes for all. Bryan and Howard had a head-on ram, and in addition to his weapons, took out Howard's front-end and engine.

On the far side of the map, Edgar was in hot pursuit of Harry, until Harry covered one of the bridges in spikes, deterring Edgar.

Back over on the tiny island, Steve had jumped away, and landed on the next island over, hitting the trigger, making some mine-like objects appear. Ken had driven past us, and hit Steve's spikes, setting them off. As Ken hit the jump, he started dropping mines on the ramp.

Tom had to decide between letting me attempt to take his front tire out, or risk the mines.  He risked the mines, and they went off, taking two of his tires with them. I spun around, barely in control to snipe out Lafe's tires.  I took one of them out, then blew my control roll on a turn and skidded into the drink. At this same time, Carol was sniping out Lafe's tires, but only managed to blow some rubber off.

On the far side of the arena, Edgar turned hard to avoid Harry's spikes, lost control and slid into the water.  Now I had some company once the Boy Scout Commandos rescued us. In the middle of the arena, with Steve approaching from behind, Bryan spun around and aimed at him. They slammed into each other, and Steve then started pushing him.  During this, they traded shots, with Bryan doing minimal damage, and Steve taking out his front-end and his weapon.

Steve continued pushing Bryan's car until they smacked into Howard's car, jarring Bryan to a halt. Steve stayed on the pin until Bryan's tranny gave out, making him a full kill.

Harry had caught up to Carol and slammed into her side, wounding her. As Carol took off, dropping spikes on the way, Harry had to swerve away from the edge, and hit a couple of Carol's spikes, taking out enough tires to make him a mobility kill. As Harry skidded to a stop, Carol reached the first island, in pursuit of Lafe. She managed to shoot up Lafe, making his car a kill as he slammed into Tom, spinning him around to get a shot on Carol with both weapons.  Tom hit with both weapons and blew off Carol's side and her driver. Ken, during all this, had jumped to one of the far islands, and was gaining up handling and speed so he could jump off of there. Harry's skid left him with a perfect view of Steve, so as Steve started maneuvering around getting out of the tangled car mess, Harry kept picking at him.

Steve spun around to have a bead on Ken, and started shooting at him, which caused Ken to go out of control as he turned to hit a ramp.
Meanwhile, Harry finally breached Steve's right side, but Steve spun his car so Harry wouldn't have a shot. By this time, Bryan pulled himself out of the car, and tried a ped shot at Steve, but just barely missed.

Now Ken had landed on the next island, and as he skidded, one wheel dropped of the edge, which was only bad because he had already lost the matching wheel.  Ken slid off into the water, leaving Steve the only full vehicle on the arena, and the winner of the game.
 

October 22
AAIE Div 20 Duel
Coeur d'Alene Tribal Casino Floating Arena
Duelmasters: Edgar T. Lincoln and Tom Lentz
Players: 10
Special Rules: 3X scale

1. Steve Carder (60, VK x 1)
2. Bryan Rider (29, VK x 1)
3. Tom Lentz (18, VK x 1)
4. Carol Daugherty (12, VK x 2)
5. Ken Fourn (6)
6. Lafe Daugherty (3)
6. Howard Lalicker (3)
6. Edgar T. Lincoln (3)
6. Harry Reed (3)
6. Wesley Twitchell (3)

Next week's duel will be a Division 15 in The Thorne. That's the wrecked parking garage. Scale will be determined at the game.

See you there!

Wesley Twitchell
AAIE Duel Reporter
 

From: <DELETED BY EDITOR>
To: <owenmp@hotmail.com>
Subject: Article(s)/Newsletter Filler
Date: Sat, 17 Aug 2002 14:01:07 -0400

Dear Mr. Owen:

Before I retired I was a claims adjuster, supervisor, manager and trial assistant. The business of insurance claims is a brutal, hard-nosed, uncaring industry. How do I know that? Because for almost three decades, "I was there and done that" !

I'd like to offer you "how to" insurance claim articles (at no charge) to be published in your newsletter and/or on your web site. You may edit these as you see fit. (I have no problem with that) !

If this is not possible than perhaps you'd consider providing your readers with insightful information I know will be of tremendous help to them when it comes to the handling and settlement of their motor vehicle accident claim. And so, I submit the following, as a brief "filler"and ask you to please consider publishing it in your newsletter.
 

INSURANCE CLAIM HELP

Secure professional insights regarding motor vehicle accident insurance claims (plus information concerning the calculations used to determine the dollar value of the "pain and suffering" you experienced because of your injury). Both found at <URL DELETED BY EDITOR>.

Thank you.