Car Wars

This article is about the Car Wars combat simulation game. For the TI-99/4A video game, see Car Wars (TI-99/4A computer game).

Car Wars is a vehicle combat simulation game developed by Steve Jackson Games.

Game play

In Car Wars, players assume control of one or more automobiles, which may include any powered vehicle, such as motorcycles or semis. Optional rules include piloting helicopters, microplanes, balloons, boats, subs and tanks. The vehicles are typically outfitted with weapons (large guns), souped-up components (heavy-duty wheels, nitro injectors) and defensive elements (armor). Within any number of settings, the players then direct their vehicles in combat.

Although the published games use paper counters at 1-inch scale to represent vehicles in a simulated battle upon printed battlemaps, by modifying the scale of the game, players can use miniature toy vehicles such as Hot Wheels, Matchbox, Micro Machines, or even 1/25th scale models in the game.

Car Wars had many scenarios available and the system allowed for players to make their own. Common scenarios included making it successfully through a harrowing gauntlet, other times the victor would compete in an arena to win a virtual cash prize with which to upgrade their cars. Many game sessions consist of players taking their cars through many successive arena-style scenarios, upgrading their cars between each round. At the height of the game's popularity, many gaming conventions and gaming clubs sponsored Car Wars tournaments where finalist players could win real prizes or even a trophy.

Car Wars uses a number of standard six-sided dice to determine the outcomes of weapon fire, damage and vehicle control during the game. The game is played in turns, where each turn represents one second of real time. Each turn is divided into ten phases (later versions reduced to five). All action in Car Wars is simultaneous. Players do not roll for initiative which is common in other combat games, instead, each phase, a vehicle moves a number of inches determined by the vehicle's speed and players may fire weapons on any phase as long as they have line-of-sight with a target of their choosing. After ten phases of movement and combat are resolved, a new turn begins. Typically, a game is over after a few turns, which represents a battle being over in a few seconds of real time, but because every action in the game must be resolved a typical game takes a few hours to play.

Background story

Car Wars is set 50 years in the future. When it was published in the 1980s, the current time was the mid 2030s. The game follows an alternate timeline beginning in the year 2000, where worldwide political turmoil and the depletion of natural resources forces the United States government to nationalize oil production. The three major oil-producing states, Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana, secede from the Union and America fights a brutal "Second Civil War". The war ends in 2004 with the signing of the Texarkana Accords. The three former U.S. states become their own sovereign nations known as the "Free Oil States".

In 2012, a strange grain blight simultaneously plagues Nebraska and the Ukraine (which in this reality is still controlled by the Soviet Union). The blight spreads across the globe and worldwide famine results. Both the U.S. and U.S.S.R. toss heated accusations of using secret bioweapons. Eventually, World War III erupts and nuclear weapons are exchanged. Fortunately, the advanced satellite defenses of both nations manage to destroy almost all the incoming missiles. Only a few make it through to cause rather minimal damage.

Afterward, both nations suffer an economic collapse, effectively bringing down the rest of the world. In America, real estate becomes worthless, and the land remains a battleground. Food riots, disease, and territorial gang wars erupt in the most populated areas, which leads to a mass exodus of the cities and people gathering in heavily defended "fortress towns". The police and military fall to shambles and become decentralized, quickly finding themselves unable to handle the gangs who are better equipped than they are.

By 2018 the civil unrest quells itself somewhat, as "algae farms" spring up to compensate the shortage of food. However, the people at large remain lawless and continue to struggle against each other in an anarchic wasteland. "Death Sports" quickly become a popular form of entertainment. The U.S. government, unable to enforce many of the old laws, simply write them off and legalize such things as manslaughter "for entertainment purposes". In 2020, after a famous demolition derby where a participant mounted machine guns to his vehicle to eliminate the competition, the term "autodueling" was born. In 2021, the first official autodueling arena was opened, and by 2025, fifteen other arenas were in operation, including those set up in Canada and the "Free Oil States". The American Autoduel Association (AADA) is founded, to help sponsor arena events and assist drivers who become members.

Australia becomes a world superpower as it escapes the effects of the grain blight, at first electing a socialist government, which gave way by the 2020s to an authoritarian government. In order to stem the Asian refugee problem, and in particular to quarantine refugees against bringing in grain affected by the blight, the government erects a wall of radioactive cobalt in the Northern Territory, near Darwin. Since then it has become termed the "cobalt curtain".

Autodueling quickly grows into the most popular sport in the world. Within the cities, autoduelists fight it out in dueling arenas to win large cash prizes and prestige. Aside from the arenas, autodueling is forbidden within the city limits. Outside the cities where laws don't exist, autodueling is everywhere and drivers have to take their chances when it comes to surviving road gang ambushes set up to steal their vehicles and take their gear.

Technology however, has caught up with the needs of the autoduelist. New innovations in vehicle design has replaced gas-powered internal combustion engines with more efficient electrical fuel cell power plants, and miniaturized weapon technology allows military grade weapons and armor to be easily mounted on civilian vehicles. A popular vendor for such gear is "Uncle Albert" who has a chain of autodueling outlets in every major city. Even auto manufactures typically sell their cars with offensive and defensive gadgets included as standard equipment.

In the medical field, human cloning has become so advanced that complete, full-sized, adult, replacement bodies can be grown from donated cells in a matter of days. Those autoduelists who can afford expensive "cloning insurance" can have their damaged bodies replaced by these new clone bodies. Their mind and consciousness are periodically recorded and stored inside sophisticated computer databanks, which are then uploaded into the clone upon death. With this technology, death has become a minor setback for many autoduelists, and they can return again to fight another battle.

History

Car Wars was first published in a small ziplock-bag format in the early 1980s, and cited Alan Dean Foster's short story, "Why Johnny Can't Speed," as a primary inspiration. The game won the Charles S. Roberts Award (Origins Award) for Best Science Fiction Boardgame of 1981.

Within 10 years, the game had attained enormous popularity and was available in a series of increasingly more expensive and well-developed editions. At the height of its popularity in the late 1980s, it was available as a computer game, Autoduel, published by Origin Systems. It boasted a subset of the features of Car Wars.

The game's popularity waned during the 1990s, and in response to slipping sales the publisher all but ceased support for Car Wars. The last official Cars Wars material for the original game appeared in the Pyramid electronic magazine (an article introducing High Torque Motors, by Robert Deis).

The world of Car Wars, Autoduel America, was developed for roleplaying games using the company's GURPS system (called GURPS Autoduel). The GURPS worldbook has seen two editions. A series of expansions for both the GURPS version and boardgame version, the AADA Road Atlas and Survival Guides, was published in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

In 2001, Steve Jackson Games released an entirely new version of Car Wars. Streamlined and re-imagined for a fresh audience, it was called version 5.0. The new game's unusual marketing, scattering the game across several redundant products, met with mixed responses and the game's popularity has continued to wane. The 2001 products are still in print.

Car Wars (both boardgame and RPG version) was translated into French by Croc.

Some time in the 90's, Steve Jackson Games was raided by the U.S. Secret Service and all the company's computers were confiscated. This author has heard that the computers were returned, erased, some years and thousands of legal dollars later. Why the company was raided needs to be added here by someone who knows more about it.

Clubs and organizations

The American Autoduel Association (AADA) was a worldwide group of players. It was started by Steve Jackson Games who supported the club with a quarterly magazine called Autoduel Quarterly. This would contain campaign ideas, vehicles, "mock" advertisements and new weapons and accessories as well as questions and answers. Subscribers would receive a bonus in the form of an extra cutout or cartoon on the protective mailing cover. Local clubs could also pay a yearly membership fee to be considered "official."

The AADA served as a structured clearinghouse for common rules and guidelines to be followed during 'official' events. World Championships were held each year at the Origins Game Fair.

The AADA is no longer an official club as recognized by Steve Jackson Games. There are still several local clubs that claim to be AADA affiliated, and there are even web sites where interested parties can enjoy PBEM games. One site has a Car Wars podcast.

The official Car Wars site notes plans to relaunch the AADA and start a new periodical called Autoduel Times. No date is given for this project.

See also

• Battlecars
• Mad Max
• Roadwar 2000
• Dark Future

External links

• The official Car Wars site
• Car Wars, Car Wars 5th Edition and Car Wars game expansions and supplements at BoardGameGeek
• Listing of all Products (under construction)

Fan sites

• Gear Jammer Motor Works
• MADHAT's Car Wars site