Web Posted December 31, 2004
Updated December 31, 2004

Mea Culpa, Mea Culpa

Once again I have demonstrated I am predictable in bringing an issue out late again. Except for NOVA's Nightmessenger and Jeffro's Car Wars Blog, I do not see any of you publishing a newsletter, therefore I do not want to hear any whining. (Seriously, to compensate for the late release of this issue I will send out the November issue in a week or two.)
 

SWAT Updates

A.C.E. Unfortunately, real life issues have postponed this major project many times. I am guessing a release no earlier than March 2005.

Burning Rubber. I am slowly converting the large (10 MB) Word files of the Burning Rubber Interstate '76 RPG to HTML. The new files will be small enough for uploading to SWAT HQ. I am aiming for a January 2005 release.

VADR Index. Six years have passed since I wrote the Virtual Autoduel Review Index for High Velocity Dueling Magazine. I will update the list in early 2005 but I will need assistance to include titles I have missed, especially in the areas of console and computer games.
 

Biological Waste

If you are interested in the fields of biological and biomedical research, I highly recommend you join the American Biological Safety Association (ABSA). I attended the 47th Annual Biological Safety Conference, sponsored by ABSA, last month in San Antonio. The members are professional, courteous and enthusiastic about helping new members in biological safety and career development. Vancouver, British Columbia is the site of next year's conference (a two-hour ride on the Victoria Clipper high-speed ferry for the editor of this magazine.) Drop me a note if you will be attending the event.

American Biologial Safety Association
http://www.absa.org
 

Requests from the Editor

Weapons Wish List. What weapons have you seen in real life, in movies, on television, in books, in electronic games or other tabletop g ames that are not in Car Wars and should be in the system?

Gadget Wish List. What goodies have you seen outside of Car Wars but should be in the game?

Chassis and Crossbow Wish List. If you were going to write a comprehensive Chassis and Crossbow rulebook that would allow you to simulate Mad Max combat very well, what weapons, gadgets, items and rules would you want?

Conversations on these topics can occur on Dueling Debate, the SJ Games Car Wars Forum or via e-mail. These subjects would kill two targets with one bullet (give autoduelists interesting topics to talk about and give SJ Games feedback on what Car Wars players want), therefore start writing!
 

See you in a week or two and drive offensively.

Michael P. Owen
 

NATIONAL GAMES WEEK

The Daily Illuminator
http://www.sjgames.com/ill
November 9, 2004

The good folks over at Games Quarterly came up with an excellent idea, a way for the gaming industry to help gamers spread their love of gaming to their friends and family.

NGW™ is a coordinated nationwide promotional campaign to raise awareness of games as positive, social entertainment. The industry and game players will achieve this together, by creating a weeklong series of events that get people's attention -- a celebration of games. The staff of Games Quarterly is the coordinators. NGW even has its own official U.S. postage stamp!

National Games Week is now established as the fourth week of November every year. This year that makes it November 21-27, a Sunday through Saturday, when families and friends are coming together. It is a perfect time to play games.

NGW™ events will take place, for this inaugural year, in an expected 15,000 homes, schools, churches, colleges, community centers and retail stores. Game Retailers will run events, but otherwise events will be run when people such as you decide to take up the challenge. You have a keen interest in games and therefore are our best ambassador -- we hope you will decide to Host a Games Day during National Games Week, invite friends and family, gamer and non-gamer alike. The more people that hear the message the more new game players there will be.

Make your own event wherever you like- your home, school, church, or community center, and invite lots of people. Or, contact your local game retailer to find out what events they are going to run- they might even want your help with their events.

You are going to be provided with the tools to make a fun, successful event- posters, invitation cards, official stamps, and information for teachers, even games. The NGW™ Web site is <www.nationalgamesweek.net>. On this site you can get lots of information. Then, should you decide to become a member of National Games Week (there is no fee), you can log in to the secure part of the Web site and find all sorts of resources that you can order. Some are free, some have a shipping and handling charge, while others have a minimal cost. Stock up on all the supplies you need, including promotional packages of products from the publishers themselves.

During your Games Day be sure to have both your favorite games and some games suitable for newcomers. Be prepared to teach the games to them so they can start enjoying games right away.

For Educators
On the NGW™ Web site there is lots of information plus some special resources for your Games Day at school. Also, in each issue of Games Quarterly Magazine there is a good article on teaching games- you can download previous articles on the NGW™ Web site. You can also get a How To Host a Games Day kit at no cost, by ordering it on the Web site.

The legal fine print:

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: <ngw@gamesquarterly.net>

National Games Week is coordinated by:
Matthews Simmons Marketing
80 Garden Center, Suite 16, Broomfield, CO 80020 USA
Phone 303-469-3277 Fax 303-468-6174
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Games Quarterly Catalog, Games Quarterly Magazine, GQC, GQM, National Games Week, National Games Day, Games Day and NGW are trademarks owned by Matthews Simmons Marketing. All Rights Reserved.
 
 

WELCOME, CHRIS!

The Daily Illuminator
http://www.sjgames.com/ill
November 11, 2004

Good news for Jeff Johannigman was bad news for us: he was here half-time while searching for a full-time position, and an amazingly good one came amazingly fast. He's now at Dell. Johann may not have been here long, but he gave us a great kick-start to our efforts, and will still be giving us advice to which we'll definitely listen.

The good news for us: Johann's last act was to bring us a great replacement. Chris Maka will be taking over where Jeff left off . . . our full-time Executive Producer, leading our digital game development efforts. Chris has six years' experience as an IT project manager and comes to us from NCsoft, where he worked on City of Heroes, Guild Wars, Lineage, Lineage II, Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa, and Auto Assault.

Chris got hooked on gaming back in 1980 when he discovered both Dungeons and Dragons and the Atari 2600, and claims to have played "nearly everything" since then. His first Steve Jackson Games love was Car Wars in the small, black plastic box circa 1983. Chris will be around for the long haul ("Coming here was the offer I couldn't refuse!"). He can be reached at <cmaka@sjgames.com>.
 

POLICE THWART 'CANNONBALL RUN'
http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/europe/09/14/cannonball.run.spain.reut/index.html

Reuters News Service and CNN
Tuesday, September 14, 2004
Posted: 6:14 PM EDT (2214 GMT)

MADRID, Spain (Reuters) -- Spanish police temporarily seized luxury and sports cars driven by people they suspected of participating in an illegal road rally named after a 1981 film starring Burt Reynolds, a spokesman said on Tuesday.

Police said they were tipped off by a driver of a family car who said he had been overtaken by high-powered cars bearing rally-type markings in the northeastern region of Catalonia.

The managing director of Cannonball Run Europe, Tim Porter told Reuters on Tuesday that entrants in the rally of the same name had been fined by Spanish police, citing a law which the Spanish embassy later told his organisation does not exist.

"I think it is absolutely outrageous the police can make up laws as they go along," Porter said, adding that another of the rally entrants detained was charged with suspected speeding.

"At least half a dozen of them were picked up in a service station drinking coffee."

Police said they tracked down and impounded 71 cars including Porsches, Ferraris and Rolls Royces and took statements and addresses from their mostly British drivers.

"We suspect (the racers) of belonging to an illicit group, which organised illegal races which could put the lives of other people in danger," a Catalan regional police spokesman said.

A judge is now deciding whether to formally charge the drivers, he added. Their cars were released after they paid fines of between 150 and 400 euros ($183.6 - $489.6).

Police are attempting to identify the organisers of the rally, which drivers are believed to have paid thousands of dollars to join.
 
 

BIG RIG PLOWS THROUGH CARS DURING HOUSTON CHASE
http://www.ksat.com/news/3825658/detail.html

Driver Arrested After 20-Minute Pursuit

KSAT Television News, San Antonio, Texas
Posted 3:55 pm EDT October 15, 2004
Updated 6:02 pm EDT October 15, 2004

SUGAR LAND, Texas -- The driver of a tractor-trailer led dozens of police officers on a high-speed chase through Houston Friday, barreling through cars stopped in front of him.

The chase started at about 2 p.m., police said.

"It started out as a hit-and-run, and we located the vehicle pretty quickly, and he ran into one patrol car," said Cpl. Daniel Kerr.

The driver then sped down the freeway, weaving in and out of traffic and sometimes driving on the shoulder, police said. Several law enforcement agencies joined the chase to try to stop the driver.

Because traffic was stopped on the freeway, the driver pushed the vehicles in front of him out of the way, according to witnesses. The big rig hit a box truck, minivan, pickup truck and at least one another vehicle. No one was seriously injured.

"Before I knew it, the 18-wheeler was in the middle lane where I was in the right-hand lane and he didn't stop. He kept going and he jammed the cars into my car. The police officer started shooting at his car with their pistols and their shotguns -- at the tires -- and I took off," said Sam
Rodriguez, who was caught in the accident.

Spikes that were put down in the road punctured one of the big rig's tires, but the driver did not immediately stop. Officers then drew their weapons.

"Sheriff's deputies threw spikes out. He went off in the grass to avoid the spikes. A couple of sheriff's deputies got out and fired their shotguns in the radiator to stop him," said Robert Spears, a witness.

About 30 minutes after the chase began, the driver stopped in a median and dozens of officers surrounded the cab and pulled the driver out. He was apprehended at the scene.

Several charges are pending.
 

WASTELAND 2042: BATTLEFIELD MOD
http://www.wl2042.com

Mid-West Gaming League
http://www.mwgl.org
http://www.mwgl.org/archives.php?archives=1075615200

Tuesday, Feb 17, 2004
Posted 11:11 PM By WaRMaN

Today marks the release of a very original MOD which dipicts the aftermath of an apocalypse caused by a crucial mistake made in the 80's, and we're not talking about Motley Crue! Wasteland 2042 for Battlefield 1942 brings a Mad Max feel to Battlefield with dune buggies, crossbows and the occasional Molotov cocktail. Fly around in an engine powered glider or a crude one-seater helo if the ground game is too intense. You will find yourself in close combat more times than not, where a spiked baseball bat is your best friend matched up to a crowbar or wrench. Yes, there are more powerful weapons, but who can pass up beating down your enemy up close and personal? Download the MOD and start playing now, because you'll never know when the wasteland will become a reality!
 

DRUNK DWARVES: AXLE TRIBES
http://www.drunkdwarves.com/pages/axletribes.html