What was CAR WARS?

[johnsemlak]

What wass the Car Wars RPG? (was it an rpg?)

I while back when someone posted a photo of Monte Cook's game collection (weren't we all jealous?), I remember seeing that. I remember seeing it years ago at a FLGS and thought it was a wierd (well, bad) title, though I had no idea what it was and never picked it up.

Thing is, at about that time a couple of local car dealers had an ad campaign called "Car Wars" in which the dealers were at war to sell cars. They dressed in Jedi costumes and fought each other with light sabres.

 

[tleilaxu]

its a card game from steve jackson sjgames.com

 

[Kilmore]

It was great.

You hook your car up with machineguns, rockets, spikes, flamethrowers and all kinds of hardware, strap on armor and blow the snot out of the other players.

It isn't a RPG as much as it's a tabletop game, though there are roleplaying aspects to it, and SJG has a roleplaying suppliment "Autoduel" for GURPS that deals with a Car Wars RPG campaign.

 

[Gothmog]

Actually, the original Car Wars was a miniatures battlegame (with cardboard cutouts instead of minis), akin to Battletech in many ways. Players would make drivers, then trick out a vehicle with armor, weapons, sensors, and fancy gizmos of all kinds, then drive them into battle against each other. As drivers became more experienced, their driving, gunnery, and other skills improved, they earned money to use on new cars, weapons, gizmos, or even clones of themselves in case they died in a duel. If you see a copy of it, grab it quick- the game is a hoot to play, and is a fun one-night stress reliever.

 

[Aitch Eye]

I have the old version of the game, the one that came in the little flat plastic boxes (like Ogre and GEV did), and it is a lot of (grotesquely amoral) fun.

 

[Kilmore]

"Drive Offensively!"

 

[Templetroll]

My favorite run of Car Wars was inan arena and I had a motorcycle, which was insane in numbers less than 5! It had front mounted rockets and a mine-dropper in the back. I took out the driver of a caddy, the gunner stayed put and was trying to takeout anyone who passed his sight.

Later on my cycle got toasdted but *I* survived! Which meant, horror of horrors... I was a *PEDESTRIAN*!!!

I sprinted across the open space, jumped intot he drivers seat of the caddy and, as the gunner considered tossing a grenade at me I got the engine to START!

I have no idea if we even survived for another second, just that sequence has stayed with me for years. Car Wars was a GOOD game!

 

[jonesy]

What my gaming group did was to use the Car Wars
combat rules together with Twilight:2000, and mama
did we have fun. They fit together nearly perfectly.
(and the Car Wars map sets were brilliant)

 

[HellHound]

We still play Car Wars almost monthly as members of the FDA (Federal Dueling Authority) - a Car Wars chapter based out of Ottawa Ontario.

 

[megamania]

Later on my cycle got toasdted but *I* survived! Which meant, horror of horrors... I was a *PEDESTRIAN*!!!

My pedestrian was the only one to survive round one in Car Wars. Round two he died but took a car fender with him in the fierey explosion

Heard there was talks of doing a Carwars 3e rules. Hope so. I have too many Micromachines and hot wheels sitting around.