® Game Design by Chad Irby and Steve Jackson Additional Material by Aaron Allston, Stephen Beeman, Keith E Carter, Scott Haring, David Ladyman, Charles Oines, Ken Scott, and David N Searle Cover by David R Deitrick Illustrated by Dan Carroll, C Bradford Gorby, Denis Loubet, and Kim Strombo President/Editor-in-Chief: Steve Jackson • Chief Executive Officer: Philip Reed Chief Operating Officer: Samuel Mitschke• Managing Editor: Miranda Horner Car Wars Line Editor: Scott Haring • Production Administrator: Darryll Silva Production Artist: Ben Williams • Production Assistant: Bridget Westerman Prepress Checker: Miranda Horner • Marketing Director: Brian Engard Director of Sales: Ross Jepson Playtesting, helpful comments, and creative interference: Karen Bingham, Loyd Blankenship, Ian J Brotzman, Christopher Burke, Carl Cravens, Scott Mercer, Mike Montgomery, Charles Oines, Mike Piacsek, and Tim Ray Car Wars, AADA, Autoduel, Uncle Albert's, the AADA logo, Boat Wars, and the all-seeing pyramid are trademarks or registered trademarks of Steve Jackson Games Incorporated Car Wars is copyright © 1990, 2014, 2015 by Steve Jackson Games Incorporated All rights reserved INTRODUCTION 3 Acceleration and Deceleration 8 Chronology 3 Handling Class 9 System Support 4 Handling Status 9 The AADA 4 Regaining Handling Status 9 The Control Table 10 1 GETTING STARTED 5 Maneuvers 11 Game Setup 5 Bend 11 The Game Maps 5 Drift 12 Vehicle Selection 6 Swerve 12 The Referee 6 Controlled Skid 12 Bootlegger Reverse 13 2 MOVEMENT 7 T-Stop 13 Movement Chart 7 Pivot 14 Straight-Line Movement 8 Deceleration 14 Maneuvers and Speed Changes 8 Evening-Out 14 Using the Movement Chart 8 Reverse Movement 14 2 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 carwars.sjgames.com Fishtail 14 Cover 37 Hazards and Road Conditions 15 Height Modifications 37 Tire Blowouts 15 Missed Shots 37 Banked Curves 15 Jumping and Falling 15 4 CHARACTERS 38 The Crash Tables 17 Skills 38 Crash Table Modifiers 17 Beginning Skills 38 Crash Table Results 17 Earning Skill Points 38 Crash Table 1: Skids & Rolls 17 General Skill Points 39 Crash Table 2: Fishtails 18 Spending Points to Improve Skills 39 Collisions 18 Using Skills 39 Collision Damage Table 19 Contests of Skill 39 Collision Types 19 Skill Descriptions 40 “Conforming” Movement 19 Prestige 42 Collision Procedure 20 Wealth 43 Concussion from Rams (Optional) 21 Pedestrians 43 Fixed Objects 22 Pedestrian Movement 43 Debris and Obstacles 22 Equipment and Encumbrance 44 Off-Road Duelling 23 Combat 44 Ditches and Gullies 24 Pedestrians and Vehicles 45 Water 24 Pedestrian Equipment 45 Jumping Out of Vehicles 24 Hand Weapon List 47 Rolling 24 Pedestrian Movement 24 5 VEHICLE DESIGN 48 Cars 48 3 COMBAT 25 Body Types 48 Rate of Fire 25 Armor Types 48 General Combat Procedure 25 Chassis 49 Line of Fire 25 Suspension 49 Car Targeting 25 Power Plants 49 Cycle Targeting 26 Range with Electric Power Plants 50 Trike Targeting 26 Tires 50 Rolling to Hit 26 Weapons 50 Targeting Modifiers 27 The Human Element 50 Range 27 Cargo 51 Movement 27 Acceleration & Top Speed 51 Vehicle Targets 27 Vehicle Diagram 51 Specific Target 27 Repair and Salvage 52 Visibility 27 Modifying Vehicles 52 Miscellaneous 27 Cycles 52 Damage 28 Suspension 53 Burst Effect 28 Power Plants 53 Area Effect 28 Tires 53 Recording Damage 28 Weapon Placement 53 Damage Location 28 Cycle Accessories 53 Collision Damage 29 Trikes 53 Combat Results 30 Construction 53 Injury to Drivers 30 Reversed Trikes 54 Fire and Explosion 30 Trike Combat 54 Odds and Ends 31 Automatic Fire 31 6 WEAPONS 55 Dropped Weapons 32 7 ACCESSORIES 57 Paint and Smoke 33 Linked Weapons 33 8 SAMPLE VEHICLES 60 Hand Weapons 34 Range 34 9 SCENARIOS 62 Firing Penalties and Bonuses 34 Grenades 34 ABBREVIATIONS 63 Buildings 36 INDEX 63 Breaches and Collapsing Buildings 36 Introduction Since Car Wars was first released in devastated Severe food shortages spring 1981, it’s become one of the most popular up across the globe The U S is in bet- tabletop games ever written This box is in- ter short-term shape than most, since the tended to be a basic rule set to let you blight apparently has no effect on foods get into the world of Car Wars quickly with preservatives in them The rules in this set are 100% compat- 2016: The Food Riots “Fortress” towns ible with the most recent available edi- develop National government fails to keep tions of Car Wars Compendium and Mini order throughout much of the U S Car Wars So if you want more rules and 2018: Gangs rule most of the U S out- even more detail, you can pick up the side of the fortress towns Country real es- Compendium and it will fit in right away. tate becomes worthless; algae farms make up lost food production 2020: Many large cities totally aban- Chronology doned National government regains au- Car Wars is set 50 years in the future thority but enforcement decentralized The “now” of the Car Wars world moves Economy weak but stable, with food ra- ahead as the real world does It was 2031 tioned and unemployment at 37% when the game was first published and this 2022: Supreme Court decision de- edition first came out in 2040. It’s a rough criminalizes manslaughter in arena games world and “Drive Offensively” is its “Death sports” become popular Television motto becomes nation’s number-two industry, just after food production 2000: Federal government moves to 2023: “Crazy Joe” Harshman wins nationalize dwindling supplies of oil and Fresno destruction derby by mounting a natural gas production Legislatures in surplus 50-caliber machine gun in his Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana react by Chevy Term “autoduelling” first used by seceding, and nationalize these resources sportswriters themselves Pitched battles with federal 2024: Armadillo Autoduel Arena opens forces follow, resulting in the destruction on site of former shopping mall in Austin, of several oilfield sites on both sides of the Texas newly-established border 2025: Autoduelling becomes most pop- 2003: U S forces stopped in the hills ular TV sport, edging out combat football of central Texas, ending bloody “Gulf or and private wars Eight more autoduel are- Bust” campaign Rebel forces begin to re- nas open in North America The American take lost territory Autoduel Association (AADA) is formed 2004: Texarkana Accords are signed, 2026: Utah autoduellists form vigilante ending the Second Civil War Oklahoma, group to counter Badlands cycle gangs Texas, and Louisiana become three sepa- AADA holds first sanctioned “National rate sovereign nations, referred to as the Championship” in Austin, Texas AADA Free Oil States also begins issuing area advisories and 2012: Grain blight breaks out in Ne- helping duellists organize against cycle braska, spreading rapidly to neighboring gangs and other hazards, upsetting local areas A simultaneous blight takes root police forces in the Ukraine. Accusations fly, charging 2027: Police admit inability to deal with deliberate biological war, followed by duellist-armed vehicles in highway use In- nuclear warheads To everyone’s surprise, formal duels increase in numbers satellite defenses stop most of the missiles 2028: Many localities legalize vehicular Meanwhile, the world’s stock of grains, weaponry of a “defensive nature” – very excluding barley and sesame, has been loosely defined Duelling outside city limits Introduction 3 now legal in 14 states and tolerated in carwars sjgames com You can also see most others what’s available in electronic format at 2029: A variety of weapons becomes warehouse23 com Some of our offerings available as “factory options” on all U S include great stuff like the Car Wars Com- makes of cars and several imports pendium, which includes all of the rules 2030: Statistics show “smash-and- for Car Wars Deluxe Edition, Boat Wars, grab” cycle and car gangs much reduced Dueltrack, and Uncle Albert's Catalogs Rural real estate begins to rise in value Law-enforcement officials credit vehicu- Autoduel Quarterly lar weaponry of private citizens, but most For 10 years, Autoduel Quarterly was point out that “The gangs that are left are the official Car Wars magazine It ap- now better armed than we are ” Auto- peared four times a year until 1992, with duelling now legal in 39 states, as well as new rules and variants, scenarios, back- the Free Oil States ground information, fiction, and other 2033: Autoduel Quarterly, “The Jour- Car Wars material You can now read nal of the American Autoduel Associa- some of the archived issues online at tion,” is first published Autoduelling now carwars sjgames com, plus acquire legal in all 47 states in the U S , as well authentic PDF reproductions of all as Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, most Ca- the Autoduel Quarterly magazines at nadian provinces, the Republic of Quebec, warehouse23 com Australia, and Mexico 2036: Gas-powered racing and duelling events begin to grow in popularity 2037: Armed and armored boats be- come popular among coast-dwellers Pi- racy rises dramatically but drops again by the end of the year as more and more boats have “defensive” modifications added 2038: AADA recognizes boats and other watercraft events 2040: In response to the increasing number of “sport” flyers armed with duel weaponry, the AADA sponsors several “aeroduel” events on a trial basis Errata Support Errata updates for Car Wars products System are available free from Steve Jackson Games; please visit carwars sjgames Support com to view them If you locate new er- With over a million and a half prod- rata, please let us know by contacting our ucts in the Car Wars line sold since 1981, errata