To clear things up, this will be our normal winter issue. The special issue in which we were to cover the 2048 World Championships will not see print due to scheduling problems. Normally, we would have held both of our club championships by now. The best we can hope for is to have the dueling championship sometime in January. The coverage of this event will be in next issue (we hope).

While on the subject of the aforementioned World Championships, I want to take full responsibility for the disaster at Tacticon. The championships would never have been moved to Denver had I withheld backing from Mr. Deis. Others may disagree with this decision, but this doesn't change my mind.
 
 

The weapon wizards at NOVA have chosen this opportunity to present their latest creations. Some are harmless. Others are quite harmful.

Racing Wings: 25x the cost of 1 point of armor, 15x the weight.
    These items represent the airfoil surfaces found on Formula One vehicles, Indy Cars and Sprint Cars. Each item will give a bonus of +1 to HC and a -1 to all crash table rolls. Mounted together, the benefits are cumulative.

Medium Autocannon: To-hit: 6, $11,500, 600 lbs, 4 spaces, 5 DP, 10 shots, 4d6 damage, burst effect. CPS $150, WPS 15, loaded cost $13,000, loaded weight 750 lbs.
    This weapon is a single-barrel autocannon of intermediate caliber (25-mm to 30-mm). 20^th-century examples include the 25-mm Bushmaster gun on the Bradley IFV and the 30-mm chaingun on the AH-64 Apache. All types of ammunition are available. Non-oversized vehicles that fire this weapon take a D1 hazard from the recoil.

Super-Heavy Autocannon: To-hit: 6, $50,000, 2,000 lbs, 12 spaces, 20 DP, 20 shots, 15d6 damage, burst effect. CPS $300, WPS 40, loaded cost: $56,000, loaded weight: 2,800 lbs. May use HEAT, HESH, APFSDS & DPU ammunition.
    The super-heavy autocannon is a modern example of the GAU-8 Avenger cannon which armed the A-10 Thunderbolt. The GAU-8 was a seven-barrel 30-mm gun. Alternately, the SHAC could be a single-barrel weapon of large caliber (50-mm or above).

Light Combat Armor: $8,000, 4 GE if carried, 0 GE if worn.
    This suit of armor has 3 points of hardened metal layered over 6 points of HD plastic. It is impact-resistant and has a built-in NBC suit. Light combat armor is of vehicular quality, Accordingly, it takes ½ damage from most hand weapons.

Hardened Metal Armor: 1.5x metal armor cost, same weight.
    HMA is less vulnerable to the DP-removal effects of weapons fire or rams. Impacts (rams, etc) will only remove 1 DP of HMA per die of damage on rolls of 6. Burst-effect weapons make the same roll. The roll for HESH effects against HMA is 5-6 on 1d6.
 
 

Currently, the location of the next World Championships is up in the air. So, too is the choice of the duelmaster. There are at least four possible sites named, that's not to say that other locations could be added. There are also three or four other duelmasters who want to run said events. Of course, the final decision is up to SJG. We hope they make the right choice.
    NOVA has posted possible locations and divisions for the 2049-2051 World Championships or our website. Any comments should be directed to SJG or NOVA.
    The latest news from Austin is that Scott Haring (recently dismissed from his post with SJG) has been re-hired to be the co-editor of Pyramid. Why this staff change was done (or the reasons behind it) are unknown at this time. We'll keep you posted.
    SJG is also being rather tight-lipped about the state of their finances at the present time, considering the fact that they are just now releasing GURPS Traveler. One is forced to wonder why SJG is buying up old games and releasing them in GURPs format. This makes little financial sense, especially in light of the fact that they have a few top-selling games which have been almost untouched for years (Car Wars, Ogre). We must wonder how long SJG can stay afloat with such reasoning.
    The Internet is now the home of the Road Atlas & Survival Guide Volume 8: The Southwest and its companion, the Hot Asphalt Circuit. The HAC is by our own Tim Jacques. We hope that Car Warriors will use these supplements to fill in the holes in the Car Wars universe (and SJG still says that there's nothing new out there).
    The Ooby Dooby cult continues to do random monthly broadcasts. These pirate programs are driving the Government crazy (along with numerous TV stations world-wide). The Weasel disappeared about six months ago, and there has been a huge search for him and his pirate-broadcast equipment.
    The local spree of bank robberies ended on December 11th with the capture of the members of a new group of terrorists calling themselves the "Neo-ASPs". These low-level examples of the criminal fraternity called the robberies a fund-raising drive for their cause (such as it is). The capture was effected by the local vigilantes known as Batman and Ambush (a rather unlikely pair). The number of banks the criminals hit was 35.
 
 

Memorial Day 1999: Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace

Summer 1999: Deep Blue Sea, End of Days, The Matrix, The Wild, Wild West

Future Releases: Alien 5, Batman 5, Planet of the Apes, Godzilla Millennium (Dec 1999), Mad Max 4 (2001)

Now Playing: The Siege, Enemy of the State, Star Trek: Insurrection, Rush Hour (Jackie Chan), Soldier, Ronin
 
 

RadCon: February 12-14, 1999, in Seattle, Washington. This 'Con will be the site of the NW regionals and possibly some chapter rumbles.

Skirmishes '99: July 9-11, 1999, in Kansas City, Missouri. Possible site of the 2049 World Championships.

Origins '99: July 1999. Possible site of the 2049 World Championships.

Gen Con '99: August, 1999. Possible site of the 2049 World Championships (we hope).
 
 

October 5, 2048: The First Bank of Nebraska located at the corner of 74th & Dodge was robbed at 2:00 PM. 90 minutes later, the Noreast Bank at 84th & L street was also robbed. Both groups of assailants got away before police could arrive.

October 8, 2048: The Greater Nebraska Bank in South Omaha was robbed at the same time as the USA Bank in downtown Omaha. Police are investigating whether or not these robberies are related to those that happened on October 5.

October 12, 2048: The Noreast Bank at 30 & Caming was robbed at 12:30 PM. Barley an hour later the First Nebraska Bank at 120th & Maple was struck in exactly the same fashion. Then, the USA Bank in South Omaha was robbed. Although different vehicles were seen, police believe that this robbery was committed by the same gang that has been prowling the Omaha Metro area for the last nine days.

October 15, 2048: The First Nebraska Bank at 13th & Dodge was robbed at 3:00 PM, exactly the same time as the Greater Nebraska Bank in North Omaha was being robbed. At 4:00 PM, the First New Omaha Bank at 76th & Pacific was robbed also. Witnesses to this last crime commented on the near-military precision of the robbers.

October 19, 2048: The string of bank robberies continued today, with the Greater Nebraska Bank, the First New Omaha Bank and the Noreast Bank all being robbed within two hours of each other.

October 21, 2048: Only one bank was robbed in New Omaha today, the unlucky victim being the Downtown branch of the USA Bank.

October 25, 2048: Police Commissioner Death Knight announced the formation of a bank robbery task force.

This group is composed of representatives from the local, state and federal governments. Its mandate will be to catch the criminals involved in the wave of bank robberies which has been plaguing the New Omaha metro area. Surprisingly enough, the local vigilantes (Ambush, Executioner, Batman, Peacemaker, The Master, et al) have been unable to make any headway against the criminals involved.

October 27 2048: The Peak Bank in South Omaha was robbed at 9:45 AM this morning. The robbery only took four minutes from start to finish.

October 30, 2048: The USA Bank on L street was robbed early this afternoon. Two hours later, a criminal was found hanging upside down from a streetlight near the police station. He was shouting that Batman had strung him up.

December 11, 2048: Batman and Ambush captured a number of terrorists in a South Omaha warehouse today. Police Commissioner Death Knight had no comment on reports that the suspects are thought to be responsible for all of the bank robberies in October.

December 14, 2048: At a news conference today, Police Commissioner Death Knight announced that the terrorists captured by Ambush and Batman were indeed responsible for the recent wave of bank robberies. Their group is known as the Neo-ASPs. Death Knight said the rest of their membership wound be hunted down and brought to justice.

December 25, 2048: Merry Christmas to all of our readers.

January 1, 2049: Happy New Year.
 
 

Drafting
Drafting is the practice of pulling up behind another race car in order to reduce the effects of wind resistance on one's own vehicle. In Car Wars terms, this has the effect of reducing the consumption of power or fuel by 50%. This applies only as long as one vehicle is drafting behind another.
    A second effect is that if two race cars are traveling at top speed (see picture below), the second driver may use the drafting effect to gain a temporary speed bonus. This allows him to pull up even with the first driver. Once the two drivers are even with each other, each of them must make a driving skill roll (roll 1d6; add driver skill level). If the second driver (the one who was previously behind) wins the roll, he is allowed to place his vehicle 1/4" in front of the first vehicle. If the first driver wins the roll, the second driver must stay even with him. This maneuver may only be attempted every two turns.

Size Does Matter
Car Wars can be played in a number of scales, and yes this does matter. Scale is important because it determines the relative size of the combat area. For example, an arena set up in Matchbox scale is three times larger than the same arena in ordinary Car Wars scale. When scale is ignored, the headaches mount up rapidly.
    We shall begin with some basic Car Wars knowledge. In ordinary Car Wars scale, one inch is equal to 15 feet. A mile is 360 inches. The same measurements in Matchbox scale are 3" to the inch and 1,080 inches to the mile. In Micromachine scale, the distances are 25% larger (1.25" to the inch and 450" to the mile). Let's say that you travel 150 feet in the arena. This is 10" in normal scale and 30" in Matchbox scale (12.5" in Micromachine scale). Now, you see why proper scaling (and keeping track of it are vital for smooth game mechanics.
    DRAW has recently been experimenting with scaling up duels to 1/24 scale model cars. They've also run a duel in Tonka-truck scale. This singular event had them going outside and using up an entire backyard (definitely putting the whole scale thing in a new light). I haven't directly asked what scale this is in, but I imagine it to be in the neighborhood of 10"-12" equaling 15 feet in game scale.
    Here's a thought for space-conscious GMs. Using the original speed-table car counters to play with (which were 1/4" wide by 1/2" long), 15 feet in game scale would equal ½". You could shrink arenas to half their normal size. Of course, doing maneuvers in this scale will be rather interesting. None of the players should cough (or even breathe heavily) for fear of blowing the vehicle counters off the board. Don't laugh. This could really happen.

Crosswinds
We covered many of the combat-related effects of foul weather during the scenarios in Operation: No shoulders. However, we somehow missed crosswinds.
    Crosswinds are strong gusts of wind that cross the road (or path of travel) at or near right angles. This has certain effects for vehicles of all sizes. To wit:
    Crosswind speed: 1d6 x 10 mph, will last 2d6 turns (roll 2d6 turns to see when the wind will return).
    Assuming that the driver is taken by surprise, a small vehicle hit by crosswinds will be blown sideways ½" per 10 mph of wind speed. This distance is applied for each turn that the wind lasts. If the driver is expecting such winds, the sideways movement only lasts one turn.
     Oversize vehicles are especially vulnerable to the effects of high winds. Per turn, they take a D1 hazard per 10 mph of crosswind speed (a bus struck by a 60 MPH crosswind would take a D6 hazard). A roll on the following table is also required:

Oversize Vehicle Crosswind Table
2-5: No effect, take crosswind hazard
6-7: drift 1/4" in wind direction
8: drift ½" in wind direction
9: drift 3/4" in wind direction
10: drift 1" in wind direction
11-12: As 10, except that the vehicle begins to roll, taking sideswipe damage to each side that hits the ground. The vehicle loses 30 MPH per turn.

Crosswinds are blocked by tree lines, walls and bridges. Base the crosswind effect on the location of the vehicle relative to these structures and adjust accordingly. Crosswinds can happen in single bursts, or they can last for hours. They usually accompany strong weather patterns and are encountered when you hit the front.
    Aircraft (including helicopters and microplanes) and hovercraft are blown a number of inches equal to half the wind speed. For aircraft, this could be straight up or straight down into the ground (this is what happens when pilots encounter the phenomena known as 'wind shear').

Carbon-Aluminum Frames & Ram Plates
Some duelists who use these items have misunderstood how their costs are calculated. We shall attempt to set the record straight once and for all. First, these items are separate components and should be treated as such. Some players figure the costs together with their parent unit, which tends to simplify the number of errors made in the calculations (if any).
    Carbon-Aluminum frames add an additional 400% to the body cost, meaning that a luxury body with a CA frame would cost $4,000 (not $3,200). The cost multiplier for upgraded chassis (hvy, x-hvy) is based on this new cost. Suspension modifications are based on the cost of the original body, as they do not involve any structural modifications. As far as collision damage is concerned, a CA-framed vehicle should take +1 per die of damage (instead of double damage as they do now). This is to equal out the changes which were made in the ram plate years ago.
    Ram plates have to be figured separately, because you actually purchase the front armor only once. A ram plate is an additional thickness of armor bolted onto the front of a vehicle. Included in the cost and weight of a ram plate are the shock absorbers which lessen the damage to the vehicle carrying it.
    Ram plates cost twice the amount of the front armor and have half its weight. Thus, a luxury-size vehicle with 60 points of front armor would have a ram plate which costs $2,400 and weighs 300 lbs.

"To us, the only difference between peace and war is where we place our bombs."
--General Curtis LeMay

"I was tired of being bombed all day and all night. Then I was run over by American tanks, I have had enough".
--An Iraqi POW after Operation: Desert Storm.

"You used to be a hindrance. Now, you're a hindrance with an attitude."
--Pinky, Elmyra and The Brain
 

Godzilla Animated Series: The phrase "Something has survived definitely" comes to mind when watching this series. Remember the last surviving egg at the end of the movie? In the animated series, Dr. Tatopoulos finds it just as it hatches. The baby Godzilla imprints on him, following the good doctor around as if he were its parent. 'Zilla quickly grows up while being studied br Dr. Tatopoulos and his team of intrepid scientists. Needless to say, Godzilla doesn't escape the notice of the military for very long. In typical fashion, they attack and scare Godzilla off.

Almost all of the episodes in the series deal with Godzilla fighting one or more giant mutants that were spawned by either the atomic blast that created him, or the lingering radiation left over from Godzilla's very presence. The series' best point is that Godzilla now has his atomic breath again (which was sadly ignored in the movie). Even so, the series has been made for a Saturday-morning audience (young children mostly). This has resulted in a near-total absence of blood and absolutely no killing. Still, the quality of the animation is first-rate. One thing is certain, this new series is vastly better than the dreadful Godzilla animated series which polluted the airwaves in the early 1980's.***

The road trip to Tacticon started more than six months ago, when RMADA got the bid to host the World Championships (resulting from SJG's decision to boycott Gen Con 1998). The first thing they did was to appoint a committee to run the Worlds. The obvious question at this point was: "Who said anything about them running anything?" They assumed that since they were hosting the World Championships, they got to run them also (THEIR way).
    RMADA had attended a number of World Championship events and decided that they didn't like how they were run. So, this bunch of rules lawyers took it upon themselves to fix what they saw was wrong. After much argument and confusion, NOVA and RMADA reached a compromise: They would run the dueling and we would run the racing. We had the structure of the Racing Championship posted on our website within the week (this was back in April). The RMADA committee took more than four months to accomplish the same task (and they still weren't ready in time!!).
    Things took a turn for the worse in the middle of July, when the people who were running Tacticon decided to switch the convention dates to a week forward of the original date. Confusion reigned again, with the Dueling Championship going to a four-round format (from five) and the Racing Championship staying the same. Briefly, I stepped in and took over the running of both Worlds. However, SJG gave control of the Dueling  Championship to Robert Deis and RMADA. Surprisingly, they only took a couple of weeks to re-post the changes in the Dueling (will wonders never cease). Now, there were only six weeks to go.
    The committee continued to argue over how the dueling championships should be run, said dispute continuing up until the beginning of the convention. They even said that they would use the Car Wars Compendium II, with all of its assorted loopholes. We thought that there was something very wrong with this.

And now, the convention.....

Getting there
Following our standard operating procedures (SOP), we left Omaha rather early (at about 6:00 AM) and headed west. The trip was rather uneventful and we managed to get to the hotel before the 3:00 PM check-in time. To pass the time after arrival, we briefly toured some of Denver (not a good omen for the rest of the weekend). We called a local friend of ours to get together with us, but he wasn't back from his own trip yet. So, we spent the entirety of Friday in our hotel room. We did check in at the convention around 12:00 PM. Afterwards, we explored the partially-together event (which proved to be a large disappointment). Tacticon is supposed to be Denver's answer to Gen Con. This incarnation was only a small size of the Milwaukee behemoth, with an appropriately-microscopic attendance. No one explained the DM procedures when I picked up my packet, so I goofed on the prizes (of which there was only one from the convention itself; none were had from SJG that I know of).

Road-Kill Count: 4 deer, 4 squirrels, 2 unidentified lumps, 1 dog, 1 red smear (the best one)

The Convention
Tacticon is a good-size convention for local gaming. It had one large hall and several smaller rooms. The Worlds were held in one of the smaller rooms, which proved to be almost too small (considering the size of the arenas used in the final rounds). RMADA didn't show up until late afternoon on Friday, at which time they began their set-up. Mike Garrity was the first to meet the RMADA crew and he was not very impressed. Later, Don Jacques and I came down and started the set-up for the Racing Preliminaries. The weekend went downhill from there.

The trip home
We left after I died horribly about half-way through the dueling finals. After over fours hours of play, only six turns (!!) of dueling had been completed. I was the only kill at the time. By then, the slowness of play and lack of food had put me a little bit off. We stopped at the edge of Denver to fuel up and get some snacks before heading home. NOVA's weather luck ran out, as we were chased all the way across Nebraska by powerful thunderstorms whose line of advance paralleled I-80. The weather was appropriate, because our collective mood was dark and gloomy.
 

In this installment, we present the designs that we would have used in the final round of the Dueling Championship. Upon further consideration, we are of the opinion that very few of the vehicles which did appear in that round could have stood against them.

BlastFighter XXXI: Sedan w/ CA frame, x-hvy chassis, hvy suspension, large power plant w/ PCs, 4 solid tires, driver, BC w/ extra magazine F (all ammo is HESH), 2 linked SDs w/ explosive spikes (1 B, 1 R), HrSwc, Sloped Composite Armor: F18/25, B10/20, R10/20, L10/20, T0/4, U0/10. Acceleration: 5, HC: 3, Top Speed: 92.5 mph, 6,116 lbs, $29,910.

FNORD Exploder: Luxury w/ CA frame, x-hvy chassis, hvy suspension, large power plant w/ SCs, 4 SBPR tires, driver, 2 RLs linked F, dual-weapon magazine w/ incendiary rockets & 2 magazine switches, 2 armor-piercing MFRPs linked L, 4 incendiary LRs (L) linked to MFRPs, 2 IcDs w/ bumper triggers (1 R, 1 L), 2 PDs (1 R, 1 L) linked to IDs, targeting computer, blow-through concealment for MFRPs & LRs, 10 pts CA on driver, Composite Armor: F18/50, B0/60, R0/50, L0/50, T0/7, U0/8. Acceleration: 5, HC; 3, Top Speed: 90 mph, 6,600 lbs, $29,130.

WD 2048: Luxury, x-hvy chassis, hvy suspension, sports power plant, 4 solid tires, driver, 2 RLs linked F, 2 corner-mounted SDs (right & left rear corners), HrSwc, weapon link (RLs/SDs), spoiler & airdam, HD brakes, tinted/no-paint windows, 10 pts CA on driver, 10 pts CA on power plant, 4 5-pt wheel hubs, Sloped Armor: F56, B50, R50, L50, T6, U8. Acceleration: 10, HC: 3 (4 at 60 mph+), Top Speed: 120 mph, 6,600 lbs, $28,910.

WorldFighter III: Luxury w/ CA frame, x-hvy chassis, hvy suspension, super power plant, 4 PR radial snow tires, driver, RR w/ HEAT ammo F, 2 IDs (1 R, 1 L), 2 MMLs (1 R, 1 L), SD w/ explosive spikes B (linked to RR, IDs & MMLs), targeting computer, 4 bumper triggers, blow-through concealment for IDs & MMLs, 4 10-pt wheelguards, Composite Armor: F18/20, B7/20, R7/25, L7/25, T0/8, U0/10. Acceleration: 5, HC: 3, Top Speed: 100 mph, 6,595 lbs, $29,994.
    Option 1: Replace MMLs w/ Jds and slope the armor. $28,646.
    Option 2: Replace MMLs w/ SDs (all spikes are explosive) and add 10 pts armor. Slope the armor. $29,979.

Big Gun G: Mid-size, x-hvy chassis, hvy suspension, large power plant, 4 PR radial tires, driver, ATG (F), SD w/ explosive spikes B, Swc, 2 bumper triggers (ATG & SD), weapon link (ATG/SD), blow-through concealment for SD, 4 10-pt wheelguards, Sloped Armor: F60 (ram plate), B46, R45, L45, T6, U8. Acceleration: 5, HC: 3, Top Speed: 92.5 mph, 5,755 lbs, $14,830.**

WDP 2048: Sedan, x-hvy chassis, hvy suspension, large power plant w/ PCs, 4 SBPR tires, driver, 2 RLs linked F, 2 MFRPs linked R, bumper spikes (F), Swc (RLs), 10 pts CA on driver, Armor: F60, B55, R55, L55, T6, U8. Acceleration: 5, HC: 3, Top Speed: 92.5 mph, 6,086 lbs, $14,742.**
    **: indicates these designs were used in the preliminary round of the dueling championships.

Currently, We at NOVA are beginning preliminary work on several long-range projects, which are listed as follows (along with their anticipated completion dates):

Car Wars Compendium III: Spring 1999

Godzilla Articles: Winter 1999

NOVA Flag: Spring 1999

NOVA T-Shirts: Summer 1999

Website Goals: Publish one issue of the Nightmessenger and one arena/race track per month throughout 1999.

I think these projects will keep us hopping all through 1999 (2049).
 

Supertrucks are among the largest and most powerful land vehicles ever built. They were a common sight at some large-scale mining & quarry operations in the late-20th century, where their gargantuan weight capacity made it possible to economically transport large quantities of ore, coal or crushed stone. These giants fell out of use when the petroleum industry declined, as their huge engines guzzled fuel at rates which were measured in gallons per mile.
    Recent advances in automotive technology & materials science have allowed supertrucks to roam once more. Although the chief use of these vehicles is in the construction & mining industries, some duelists began to wonder how they would perform when fitted out with armor and weapons....

Body Style
There are four different sizes of supertruck, each with increasingly greater weight capacity. The basic structure of a supertruck is a large armored box on wheels. Other versions are available.

Size	Cost	Weight	Max. Load	Spaces	Tires	Armor Cost/Wt
Small	$350,000	15,000 lbs	250,000 lbs	100	4	50/20
Medium	$500,000	30,000 lbs	500,000 lbs	200	4	100/30
Large	$750,000	60,000 lbs	1,000,000 lbs	400	4 or 6	150/50
Heavy	$1,000,000	120,000 lbs	1,600,000 lbs	800	4 or 6	200/80

Chassis & Suspension
Supertrucks are specially-built to carry very large loads. They are also automatically off-road capable. All supertrucks have a handling class of 0, and no changes to either chassis or suspension are possible.

Tires
Unlike smaller vehicles (cars, etc) which use the same size tire, each size of supertruck has a size of tire that is specific to it.

Type	Cost	Weight	DP
Small	$12,500	1,500 lbs	120
Medium	$25,000	3,000 lbs	180
Large	$30,000	6,000 lbs	240
Heavy	$50,000	12,000 lbs	300

For purposes of long-term durability, supertruck tires are assumed to be of PR construction. Supertruck tires may be steelbelted and fireproofed, but no other modifications are permitted. They also take no damage from being used off-road.

Power Plants
Supertrucks use power plants which have been engineered for maximum pulling capacity. Although supertruck power plants are very powerful, the top speeds they provide are relatively low.
    There are three types of power plants available; 1) Electric, 2) Internal Combustion, 3) Nuclear.

Electric

Size	Cost	Weight	Spaces	DP	Maximum Load
Small	$180,000	12,500 lbs	35	70	225,000 lbs
Medium	$300,000	15,000 lbs	50	100	450,000 lbs
Large	$450,000	25,000 lbs	75	150	900,000 lbs
Heavy	$800,000	40,000 lbs	100	200	1,440,000 lbs

These power plants can use platinum catalysts, superconductors and extra power cells. They may not use supercharger capacitors.

Internal Combustion

Size	Cost	Weight	Spaces	DP	Maximum Load	MPG
Small	$360,000	11,250 lbs	30	90	250,000 lbs	1
Medium	$450,000	13,500 lbs	40	120	500,000 lbs	1/2
Large	$600,000	22,500 lbs	60	180	1,000,000 lbs	1/4
Heavy	$1,200,000	35,000 lbs	80	240	1,600,000 lbs	1/8

In order to supply these engines with the large amounts of fuel required, a special type of fuel tank was developed. It is called the "bunker".

New Fuel Tank

Type	Cost/Gallon	Weight/Gallon	DP**	Gallons/Space
Bunker	$50	25 lbs	20	40

**: Metal

Fuel bunkers have fireproof insulation built-in. If a bunker is struck and breached by weapons fire, the amount of fuel lost is 1-5% per hit (1d-1).
    Internal combustion engines may use blueprinting and tubular headers. They can also be fitted with truck turbochargers, but require a number equal to 10% of the engine's spaces in order to get the bonus to maximum weight.

Nuclear

Cost	Weight	Spaces	Maximum Load
$2,500,000	40,000 lbs	40	2,000,000 lbs

Acceleration & Top Speed
Supertrucks (regardless of the type of power plant) accelerate at the rate of 1 mph per turn up to 20 mph, and 2.5 mph per turn thereafter. The top speed of a supertruck is calculated with the following formula: (100 x Max. Load/Max. Load + Vehicle Weight). Assuming that a particular power plant is hauling its maximum load, this formula will yield a top speed of 50 mph.

Accessories
The size of a supertruck's tires and their wide turning radius precludes the mounting of wheelguards. However, oversized wheel hubs may be used. These hubs cost $100 and weigh 40 lbs per point. The maximum armor value of a supertruck wheel hub is equal to the side armor of the vehicle that carries them. Supertrucks also use outsized versions of the roll cage. Supertruck roll cages cost $1,000 per armor facing, and weigh the equivalent of 2 points of metal armor per facing. They also take up 10% of the supertruck's body spaces. Supertrucks do not use HD shocks, as their equivalent is already built-in. All other accessories are available at their normal cost and weight.
    A supertruck may mount two AFV turrets (1 on each of the TF & TB facings) whose total spaces are equal to or less than 40% of its body spaces. Note that one of these AFV turrets must be designated as being higher than the other. All supertrucks can mount two car turrets or cupolas of any size on each of the TF & TB facings. As with the AFV turrets, one of the turrets on each facing must be higher than the other. Supertrucks can also mount two car sponsons of any size on each of the RF, RB, LF & LB facings. One sponson on each facing must be at a higher level than the other.

Combat
The vast size of a supertruck means that it is much easier to target than any other vehicle. Supertrucks have the following targeting modifiers:

Size	Sides	Front
Small	+4	+3
Medium	+5	+4
Large	+6	+5
Heavy	+7	+6

    The thickness of a supertruck's tire walls (which exceeds several inches in places) means that such tires are much less subject to spike damage. Accordingly, normal spikes do 1d-5 per counter, explosive spikes do 1d-4 per counter and drop-spike plates do 1d-3 per plate.

A supertruck's size and ground clearance has the following effects against other types of dropped weapons:

1) Ice & oil do not affect a supertruck's handling class unless the counter is the same size (or larger) than the vehicle itself. This is because one or more of the tires will be on bare ground or pavement.
2) When a supertruck crosses a mine counter, the mines will only damage the tire that hit them (the other tires are outside the damage radius). Mines of all types do half-damage to a supertruck's bottom armor (because of the high ground clearance).
3) Flame clouds & cloud bombs do normal damage to supertruck tires and bottom armor. They do not damage the top armor, and only cause half-damage to the side armor (such clouds only extend part way up the side of the vehicle).
4) Paint (unless delivered by a grenade or rocket which strikes the front of the vehicle) doesn't affect a supertruck's windows. This is because the paint cloud doesn't rise to their level.

Supertrucks can steamroller any vehicle or building which is half their size or less. Vehicles of van size or less can drive underneath a supertruck and take no damage (unless they get hit by one of the tires). Supertruck ram plates only affect targets which are greater than half the supertruck's size (this is because of the height at which the ram plate is mounted).
    A supertruck's vast size gives it very sluggish handling characteristics. All reflex rolls made by a supertruck's driver are at a -1 penalty. Also, rolls of "6" only give a +1 to HC (not +2). Driver skill can be used to offset the reflex roll penalty. Supertrucks can perform any maneuver up to D3 without any trouble. D4 maneuvers are at an additional +2 to the hazard level. Maneuvers of D5 hazard or greater are not possible.

Weapon damage hazards
A supertruck's immense size makes it relatively immune to the hazards caused by weapons fire. The hazards are as follows; 1) D1: 50-64 points of damage, 2) D2: 65-80 points of damage, 3) D3: 80+ points of damage. Note that this damage must be suffered from a single attack, not a large volley of smaller weapons.
    Supertrucks may side-mount and fire any weapon of 75-mm TG size or less without hazard. Weapons of 90-mm to 140-mm TG size can only be mounted front & back (but still cause no hazard). Weapons of 150-mm bore or greater (artillery pieces) cause a D1 hazard when fired.

Other Configurations
Some purchasers may be interested in using supertrucks for more than just combat. To accommodate their wishes, the following versions of the basic body are available:

1) Flatbed: -50% to body cost, -1/3 from body weight (round down)
    This configuration has no armor on the TB, RB & LB facings. The armor on the B facing now protects the compartment housing the crew, power plant & weapons.

2) Dumper: +100% to body cost, +50% to body weight
    A dumper is actually the original configuration of all supertrucks. It has no armor on the TB facing, and the armor on the B facing protects the power plant, crew & weapons (see above)

Road Lord: Small supertruck, small power plant w/ SCs, 4 small tires, driver & 4 gunners, 2 TGs w/ magazine switches linked F, 4 extra magazines (2 HESH, 2 APFSDS), 4 pulse lasers in 2 universal turrets (1 TF, 1 TB), 8 laser batteries, 2 HVMGs (1 RF, 1 LF) w/ 2 extra magazines each (all ammo is HD), 5 HrSwc, radar, LD radio, 5 safety/ejection seats, CASM (TGs & ammo), improved fire extinguisher, 4 200-pt wheel hubs, Composite Armor F120/180, B80/120, RF50/75, RB50/75, LF50/75, LB50/75, TF30/50, TB30/50, UF30/50, UB30/50. Acceleration 1/2.5, HC: 0, Top Speed: 62.5 mph (50 mph w/ full load), 146,295 lbs, $990,650.
    The Road Lord is designed as a pure combat machine, with no cargo capacity. As such, it would be used to escort convoys of other vehicles.

Titanosaur: Medium supertruck, medium power plant w/ upgrades & 1 set extra power cells, 4 SB medium tires, driver & 11 gunners, 2 TGs w/ 3 extra magazines each (1 F, 1 B), 2 TGs in 25-space AFV turret TB, 6 extra magazines, 4 sponson-mounted HVMGs (1 RF, 1 RB, 1 LF, 1 LB) w/ 2 extra magazines each, 4 sponson-mounted HDFTs (1 RF, 1 RB, 1 LF, 1 LB) w/ 2 extra magazines each, 3 cyberlinks (TGs), 8 HrSwc (all other weapons), CASM (TGs & ammo, HDFTs & ammo), 12 safety/ejection seats, radar, LD radio, deluxe galley, 24-space crew lounge, portable earth station (in AFV turret), cargo safe, improved fire extinguisher, composite turret armor (600 points metal/600 points plastic), 4 composite wheel hubs (50 points metal/50 points plastic each), Composite Armor F200/300, B150/200, RF100/100, RB100/100, LF100/100, LB100/100, TF50/75, TB50/75, UF50/75, UB50/75. Acceleration: 1/2.5, HC: 0, Top Speed: 57.5 mph (50 mph w/ full load), 389,520 lbs, $2,025,600.
    Cargo Capacity: 7 spaces, 110,480 lbs.
    Note: the turret armor placement is specified by the purchaser.
    A Titanosaur is one of the toughest fighting machines on the road today, with an armor & weapons package that exceeds some MBTs. It has a small cargo capacity which is used to transport highly-valuable commodities (precious metals, computer chips) or personal weapons & equipment for the crew.

Stone Giant: Large supertruck (dumper), large power plant w/ upgrades, 6 SB large tires, driver & 3 crew, vehicular computer, LD radio, 4 safety/ejection seats, improved fire extinguisher, roll cage, Composite Armor: F20/45, B20/30, RF20/30, RB20/30, LF20/30, LB20/30, TF15/20, UF15/20, UB15/20. Acceleration: 1/2.5, HC; 0, Top Speed: 85 mph (50 mph w/ full load), 231,800 lbs, $2,657,975.
    The Stone Giant is one of the most common supertrucks in use today. Its immense carrying capacity have made it indispensable for large-scale construction & mining projects.

Load Master: Heavy supertruck (flatbed), large power plant w/ upgrades & 1 set extra power cells, 6 SB heavy tires, driver & 3 gunners, 20-space AFV turret (TF) w/ heavy crane, 2 HVMGs (1 RF, 1 LF) w/ 2 extra magazines each, 2 ACs linked F, 4 extra magazines, 2 pulse lasers linked B, 2 laser batteries, 4 HrSwc, radar, LD radio, improved fire extinguisher, deluxe galley, 24-space crew lounge, 6 100-pt wheel hubs, composite turret armor (250 pts metal/250 pts plastic), Composite Armor: F100/150, B30/50, RF50/75, LF50/75, TF30/50, UF30/50, UB30/50. Acceleration: 1/2.5, HC: 0, Top Speed: 70 mph (50 mph w/ full load), 451,320 lbs, $2,355,600.
    Cargo Capacity: 446 spaces, 583,680 lbs
    Note: the turret armor placement is specified by the purchaser
    The Load Master is designed as a large-capacity vehicle transporter, able to haul a pair of 100-ton AFVs or numbers of smaller vehicles (cars, truck trailers, etc). Note that the lasers are positioned to sweep the flatbed cargo area.

Last but not least, we would like to say a few words about the Car Wars Internet Newsletter, an on-line publication run by our very good friend Michael Owen (the strong right arm of SWAT). Since its inception in early 1998, CWIN has proven itself to be a valuable resource for the Car Wars community. Of particular interest is Mike's extensive list of links which is referred to in almost every issue. When considering all of the Car Wars-related sites to be found on the Internet, SWAT and CWIN are among the very best.*****
 

At long last, we reach the end of another chapter of our never-ending story. What a relief it is to have finally put the 2048 World Championships out of its misery. Our apologies are offered to those who were expecting the write-up on our club championships. The aforementioned scheduling conflicts seem to have gotten the better of us. The good news is that by the time this issue has gone to press, NOVA will have held its club dueling championship, with the write-up to be in the next issue of the Nightmessenger (really, we promise!!).
    Until next time, may the curse of Molly Malone and her nine blind orphan children pursue our enemies so far over the hills and seas of this green Earth that the Almighty couldn't find them with a KH-12 reconnaissance satellite!!

"DRIVE OFFENSIVELY"
 
 

Norman McMullen	Michael Garrity
NOVA President	NOVA Secretary

NOVA Works: Michael Garrity

The 10 O'clock News: Norman McMullen

Nuts & Bolts: Michael Garrity & Norman McMullen

Quotes: Norman McMullen & Michael Garrity

Cube Logs/In the Arena: Norman McMullen

The Showroom: Norman McMullen, Michael Garrity & Don Jacques

Supertrucks: Michael Garrity

Typesetting & Page Layout: Michael Garrity

Editors: Michael Garrity & Norman McMullen

The Nightmessenger is published quarterly by the New Omaha Vehicular Association, 2524 Madison St., Bellevue, NE 68005. All material is copyright 1999 by the New Omaha Vehicular Association. All rights reserved. Car Wars, Dueltrack, Boat Wars, Car Warriors, Crash City, Truck Stop, Convoy, Uncle Albert's Catalog From Hell, Autoduel and AADA are registered trademarks of Steve Jackson Games Incorporated, or are used under license. The above trademarks, and the characters and situations of the Car Wars background are the exclusive property of Steve Jackson Games Incorporated and are used in Nightmessenger under permission. Reproduction of any material published in the Nightmessenger without the express written permission of the publisher is prohibited. Any reproduction of Car Wars articles published in the Nightmessenger, or any unauthorized publication of fiction using the Car Wars background without the express written permission of Steve Jackson Games is strictly prohibited. Subscription rates (for 4 issues) are: Regularly attending club members: $4.00, U.S. subscribers: $6.00, International subscribers: $12.00.

Back to Nightmessenger Page

Back to Front Page