GeekList: Games of Automotive Death

Games of Automotive Death

James Casey

(waferthinninja)

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I recently ran a crossover CarWars/Redliner game (Redliner is an RPG game world set in a post apocalyptic future). CarWars rules when they were in cars, d20 rules when out of them, a crazy make it up as I go along hybrid when some people are in cars and others are not

It worked suprisingly well and I was quite proud of the finale - driving a fuel truck away from the gang the players had stolen it from.

Anyhoot, it got me wanting to play other car games, and I picked up Wreckage. Here are the rest of the car games I have played or know about. Anyone know any others?

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Posted On: 2004-10-13 14:25:15

Edited On: 2004-10-13 14:25:15

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1. Car Wars [Average Rating:6.21 Overall Rank:1151]

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James Casey

(waferthinninja)

The granddaddy of them all. So much detail... too much for a lot of people. I enjoyed constructing new cars, but was never anally retentive about it - I prefered to keep things simple. I never played with hovercraft or any of the other more crazy vehicle types - I just never saw the point.

I was never keen on the setting - I preferred a more Mad Max low-resource struggle-to-survive setting.

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Posted On: 2004-10-13 14:25:15

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David Brauner

(mozart827)

The new version (whose development seems to be stuck in game limbo) is a LOT better than the monster the old version had become. The mechanics are much more managable, faster playing, less complex & detailed, and more enjoyable. I wouldn't mind paying a few extra bucks for actual die-cut counters. I really hope that SJG comes out with the long-promised Vehicle Design Book....

I'm not holding my breath though... :blush:

Posted On: 2004-10-13 15:01:56

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James Casey

(waferthinninja)

Actually yes, I should probably have included the new version as a seperate entity. I have played the new version and liked it, but without the design rules it is never going to be the same game. I even tried reverse engineering things from the various supplements, but only got so far before realising there are some things that you just can't work out (e.g. maximum spaces).

I emailed SJG about the new design rules, and apparently there are no longer any plans to publish them, so I guess we'll never see them.

Posted On: 2004-10-13 15:13:49

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Luca Iennaco

(Luke the Flaming)

the long-promised Vehicle Design Book....
I've been waiting that book for almost two years.

Once (June 2003) I wrote to SJ and they replied that the book was "killed" during playtesting and they were going to re-write it entirely.
I'm still waiting...

Posted On: 2004-10-13 15:14:14

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Mike West

(Gothnak)

I used to love this. Especially with Dueltrack added (both of which i still own). I used to make up whole teams of cars (with the Dueltrack rules) and be really excited when it came to racing them, and then the racing took so bloody long i'd give up after 2 laps. I have thought about making a decent PC conversion a hundred times, i may get around to it sometime.

Dueltrack also has rules for Crossbows and (something), which was Car Wars in a Mad Max era, was much more fun.

Posted On: 2004-10-15 07:46:32

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David Brauner

(mozart827)

For a game (system) that seemed to be at one time SJG's flagship, they certainly appear to have abandoned all interest in supporting it or developing anything new. :cry:

(Like I said above, I'd really like to see some die-cut counters for this game--I HATE cutting things out. :angry:

)

Posted On: 2004-10-22 12:42:06

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Todd Bagaason

(smegTgOD)

Car Wars is fantastic, but takes way to long to play. The car mechanics are spot on and feel very realistic. But when your gaming group gets exhausted before you complete “20 seconds” in Car Wars time, you know something wrong. If you’re willing to invest the time, you will be very happy with this auto combat game, otherwise you should play Battlecars or Gorkamorka. :gulp:

Posted On: 2007-01-09 19:57:06

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2. Wreckage [Average Rating:5.76 Overall Rank:2742]

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James Casey

(waferthinninja)

My recent purchase. Quick playing, fun, and less finickity than Car Wars, but not much depth to it, and you can't play "seriously"... if you consider that a problem.

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Posted On: 2004-10-13 14:25:15

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3. Dark Future [Average Rating:5.88 Overall Rank:2822]

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James Casey

(waferthinninja)

I remember this from my Games Workshop era although my friend owned it not me. Some clever ideas, the rolling road etc. The car models were great. It always bothered me that you couldn't play off road scenarios though. It set itself up for roleplaying in some ways, but dashed it by limiting you to road battles.

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Posted On: 2004-10-13 14:25:15

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Ben Vincent

(SabreRedleg)

I played this a lot in high school; I wish I could find a copy now. It was fun making up stats for all of our old Matchbox and Hot Wheels cars, which were just about the right scale. I seem to recall that we built a turning template to handle off road maneuvers.

Posted On: 2004-10-13 14:42:26

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James Casey

(waferthinninja)

I have seen it on eBay, but always for more than I was willing to pay. I'd definitely buy it if I saw it cheap though, I have nostalgic feelings towards it.

Posted On: 2004-10-13 14:49:35

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Ben .

(Snooze_uk)

I used to have this a long time ago, and seem to recall some balance issue with turret-based weapons? As I recall, they were too powerful since you could relatively easily avoid the lines of fire of fixed weapons, but turrets would have a free shot pretty much every turn.

Posted On: 2004-10-14 04:08:17

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Todd Bagaason

(smegTgOD)

This game isn’t all that bad, but you must find the death race campaign. It would be fun with some serious racers that start off with Junkers! The comment about the unbalanced turrets seems about right. Also proper fights between two groups at opposite ends of the road were quite strange with weird turning around rules. One of these days I will start up a racing league.

Posted On: 2007-01-09 19:47:10

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4. Battlecars [Average Rating:6.25 Overall Rank:1846]

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James Casey

(waferthinninja)

Never played this one, but I might try and pick up a copy. The 45 degree movement looks a bit funny, but I'm guessing that it makes the game play quickly. I like the look of the car damage reference thingies - looks a bit like Crimson Skies.

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Posted On: 2004-10-13 14:25:15

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Rob Robinson

(zombiegod)

The 45 degree turn is only a slight curve. Wait until you're trying to perform 90 degree turns, or even 135 degree corners :wow:

The great thing about Battlecars is the mechanics are spot on. Try performing a 90 degree turn at a slow speed and you will manage it more or less every turn. But try it at a high speed and you end up either spinning out, or overshooting the turn, resulting in a cool powerslide.

Posted On: 2004-10-13 17:15:23

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James Casey

(waferthinninja)