Cleaned Out Links

I cleaned out the deadwood from the links today (sorry to see some favorites go, like TSAR). If you want me to add something, just pop a line.

CWC 2.5 at e23!

Or, for the acronymically challenged, the Car Wars Compendium 2nd Edition 5th Printing is now available for purchase as a PDF at e23, the Steve Jackson Games website! We (the aging CW community) have been waiting for this for years - it's the most definitive set of the CW rules, trapped in a time capsule (ironically, like the basic narrative of the game) and had been only available on ebay for the high two digits of greenbacks. I bought mine today, and I recommend you get yours as well - if anything to convince the Illuminati that we still want the (original) game.

Thanks Steve (Jackson)!

Overkill - Div10 Trike (AADA Update)

The Original: Hvy Trike (C/A frame), Std. Ch, Lt. Sus., 100 CID engine, carburetor, 4 gallon econ. tank, 3 Std. Tires; driver; 2 un-linked ATG (R & L)(7/reg each), 1 3pt. cycle WG front, fake WG rear; 87 pts. armor: F20 R19 L19 B17 T6 U6; 5 acc, HC 0, Top 67.5, 2715 lbs., $9995

Update 1 (Div 10): Hvy Trike (reg. frame), Xhvy Ch., Hvy Sus., 100 CID engine, multi-barrel carburetor, 5 Gal. HD tank (4 DP), 3 HD tires, driver; 2 linked ATG (R & L)(5/reg each); 3 pt WG front, 1 pt WG rear, 10 pts CA around driver, 10 pts FP-CA around gas tank & engine; 75 pts. armor: F14 R14 L14 B14 T13 U6; 5 Acc., HC 3, Top 65, 3134 lbs (226 to max), $10000 even.

Update 2 (Div 15):Hvy Trike, Xhvy Ch., Hvy Ch., 100 CID engine, Tubes, 5 gal. HD tank, 3 PR tires, driver; 2 linked ATG (R&L)(7/reg each); 6 oil/smoke dischargers, HRSWC to ATG link; 8 pt WG on all 3, 10 pts FP-CA each around driver & engine/tank; BA for driver; 84 pts armor: F15 B14 R17 L17 T14 U6); Acc 5, HC 3, Top 67.5, 3358 lbs, $14841

Design Notes - The AADA Vehicle Guide vol. 3 is riddled with cars which were over-weaponed and under-handling. Seriously, who designed these turkeys? Who needs two Anti-Tank Guns in Div10 if it means having a HC of zero?! The 79 points of armor plus a C/A frame is just a prank, no? And I know trike tops are -2 to hit, but they can still be targeted! Standard tires?! And these 2 powerful ATGs, the whole point of this juvenile design, aren't even linked! Moreover, at least according to MADHAT, the gas tank is too small.

So my main task in updating these cars is to crank up the HC (which IMHO is the single greatest key to life or death in the arena - what's the point of 6D6 damage if you blow a slight drift?!)

With 'overkill' I decided that I'd keep the essential definition: linked ATG in a Hvy Trike, with a gas engine. After that, I wanted it to be survivable.

Revising the AADA vol. 3

As avid readers may have noticed, most of my work on this page occurs around this time of year; it's no coincidence - my tricky brian gets re-obsessed with Car Wars when the school year begins. Maybe it's the commuting. No bother. Anyway, this year I managed to purchase the latter two AADA Vehicle Guides, vol. 2 & 3. Volume two meets the same density and interest of Vol. 1 but Vol. 3 is pathetic! There are typos, clear math errors, and blatant mismatches between the cars and the accompanying counters. And, to quote 'Guy' (where I got the cover pics): "the designs themselves were often flawed or illegal."

Flawed, illegal, and clearly wrong. The AVG3 is an early sign that SJGames wasn't caring too much about Car Wars. In any case, I'm taking it upon myself to revise these monstrosities. These revised cars will be under this special tag.

Astatine - Div70 Luxury

Luxury, Xhvy Ch., Active-Hvy Sus., 150 cu in engine, Tubes-Blueprinting-VP-Spr, 5 Gal. Duelling tank (8 DP); 4 Solid FP-Radial tires; driver & gunner (driver has blended BA & 3 Paint grenades, both crew have PFE), Pulse Laser in turret, OG (10/Flaming Oil) right, DSP under, ABS-HD Brakes, HD Shocks; 10 dischargers (8 oil/smoke, 2 ice); spoiler & airdam, 1 Hi-Res Computer (gunner) 1 HRSWC (driver-Laser), Laser Battery, 4 bumper triggers (4 to dischargers - 1 double with OG), weapon links (OG & Laser each to DSP, 1 panic link to all weapons); 9 pts LRFP CA each around engine/gastank & driver; 40 pts LRFP WH/WG (usu. 9 pt Guards rear, 9 pt Hubs front, + 2 pt Hubs rear); 167 pts. LRFP armor F 33 B 32 R 36 L 36 T 15 U 15; HC 5 (6), Acc 20, Top 80, 44 MPG, 220 Range, 6599.8 lbs, $69,880.00.

• IFE Option - Remove DSP & PFEs, add IFE, remove 10 pts armor; $69,180.

Design Notes - This wasn't supposed to be a Div70, but after adding on things that I thought every decent car needed, the numbers just started adding up. It's still not a perfect design (the IFE option is safer but less armored), but seems well-rounded and mean.

Name Notes - The names for the newest cars will come from the Periodic Table, and will be called the Elemental Series; this element according to the Wiki: "is a radioactive chemical element with the symbol At and atomic number 85. It is the second-heaviest of the discovered halogens. Although astatine is produced by radioactive decay in nature, due to its short half life it is found only in minute amounts."