Highway Encounters

More Variety on the Road

by Stephen Beeman

Specialty vehicles, such as police cars, ambulances and news trucks, are for the most part missing from Car Wars source material. Referees are limited to the Police Cruiser of the Ambunaught unless they wish to devise vehicles of their own. This article gives some sample vehicles and design guidelines to help referees devise more interesting highway encounters than, "Twelve Police Cruisers pull out behind you and gun you down."

Police Helicopter. No police force worthy of the name lacks a copter in 2037. A good multipurpose helicopter can be bought for about the price of three cruisers and is easily three times as useful as a cruiser. Upkeep is a more important consideration than list price, but a high combat survival rate helps offset the maintenance costs. This example is lightly armed compared to most choppers, but meets all the needs of a small police department.

Police Helicopter - Small Helicopter, small helicopter power plant, pilot, passenger, VMG w/HD ammo in universal turret under, CACR, SWC from VMG to pilot, LD radio, radar, infrared sighting system, winch, 2 skid stretchers, Cargo capacity: 2 spaces (on stretchers), 300 lbs. Armor: 210 points, 10-pt rotor armor on each main rotor. Accel. 5, top speed 250, HC 3, 7,700 lbs., $58,600.

Encounter Ideas. The primary uses of this helicopter are high-speed pursuit, reconnaissance, and general air support. If the players roar through town at 180 mph, the police will send up the whirlybird to follow and direct the placement of road blocks; if road blocks cannot be set up in time, the bird will engage, firing through the light top armor of vehicles.

Paddy Wagon. This van is used by police forces to transport prisoners to court or prison. It will always be found with escort, since many transportees have well-armed friends interested in their release. The component armor around the passengers in this example represents an armored lockbox built to keep the crow safe from the prisoners. The tear gas discharger (mounted inside the armor) also helps prevent escape; note that this discharger is available only to officially sanctioned departments of public safety before its October release. Some police departments replace the tear gas discharger with a less expensive AP flechette grenade.

Paddy Wagon - Van, x-hvy. chassis, medium power plant with HD transmission, hvy. suspension, 6 solid tires, driver, gunner, 5 passengers. RL front, GL w/extra magazine in turret, 3 SS loaded with tear gas linked right, left and back, each with extra magazine loaded with tear gas, 2 SD linked right and left, tear gas discharger in passenger space. LD radio, SWC from gunner to GL, magazine switch for GL. Cargo capacity: 1 space, 55 lbs. (for crew hand weapons). Armor: 83 points, 2 10-point hubs front, 2 10-point guards back, 5 points CA around passengers. Accel. 2.5 to 25 mph, 5 thereafter, HC 2, 7,145 lbs; $20,850 plus cost of grenades.

Encounter ideas. See "Road to Freedom" in ADQ 4/4 for an example of the paddy wagon in action. Besides transporting prisoners, this van is also useful for riot control and mass arrests, and as a support vehicle for anti-cyclist activities. Players may find it hauling away arrested comrades of attacked by bandits.

Q-Car. Police forces, especially on the East Coast, often set up ambushes using fake distress calls to lure out vulture gangs. Q-cars are favorite vehicles for this tactic. Though nearly all such vehicles are custom-built, this example, resembling the common Morningstar, is fairly representative.

Q-Morningstar - Luxury, x-hvy. chassis, super power plant, hvy. suspension, 4 solid tires, driver only. Laser in turret, 2 concealed FCGS linked right and left, 2 concealed RLs w/LG links to laser front and back, fake MD back. SWC to laser, weapons timer (programmed to unconceal all weapons, then fire FCGS at the beginning of the next turn), LD radio. FP armor: F30 with ramplate, B25, R20, L20, T29, U15, 10 points normal component armor around driver. Accel. 5, HC 3, 6,600 lbs; $35,760.

Encounter ideas. See the AADA Road Atlas, Volume One: The East Coast for more details of this type of ambush operation. Remember that police are not the only ones to use Q-cars; vigilantes, independent couriers, and cycle gangs all have uses for such cars.

Broadcast Truck. Though unexcelled for reporting, the helicopter has only limited taping, editing and broadcasting abilities. Thus, video is usually fed from the helicopter through a broadcast truck before being sent via satellite to the network studios. This example even has a remote control station for a Robobee helicopter, allowing the truck to operate alone as a news gathering vehicle.

Broadcast Truck - Camper, x-hvy. chassis, super power plant, hvy. suspension, 6 solid tires, driver, technician, pilot (for remote control set). MG front, HDSS back. Portable earth station, LR radar, fire extinguisher, sound system, LD radio, remote-control sending station, studio equipment ($6,000, 300 lbs; 3 spaces). Armor: 135 points 2 10-point hubs front, 2 10-point guards back. Accel. 5, HC 2, 7,800 lbs; $38,550.

Encounter ideas. Typically, one broadcast truck will be sent out with two or three choppers to cover a 25-mile radius. Trucks may also be sent out to follow road races. When encountered on the road, these trucks will usually be stationary with the PES deployed; they will commonly have escort vehicles.

TV Chopper. The ubiquitous TV helicopter has never been described. Naturally, most people in the media-crazed world of 2037 wouldn't even consider gunning down one of these tickets to fame - but some would (especially rival TV stations), so the news helicopter needs some protection. The standard model by MicroAir is in use by hundreds of TV stations and networks.

TV Chopper - Small helicopter, small helicopter power plant, pilot, cameraman/gunner, Searchlight and TV camera linked in universal turret, 2 MG in EWPs linked facing front, MG back. Sound enhancement, LD radio, infrared sighting system, radar. Armor: 222 points, 10 points on main and stabilizing rotors, 10 points on each EWP. Accel. 5, HC 2, 8,000 lbs., $60,290. Note: the TV camera costs $2,000, weighs 100 lbs., takes 1 space and has 1 DP. It can record up to eight hours of video on one cube and has a "magazine" of five cubes.

Encounter Ideas. The player will not (or at least should not) be likely to initiate combat with a news helicopter. They could, however, come across a battle already in progress, such as a bandit attack on a helicopter or a combat between two rival TV stations.

Samaritan. Samaritans are crosses between ambulances and tow trucks. They cruise the roads, giving aid (for a price) where needed. They are usually independently operated, though some states and nations provide Samaritan services on patrolled roads. Samaritan vehicles are typically customized stock vehicles, though this common model by Courier Services is a standard option package.

Samaritan - Van, X-hvy. chassis, super power plant, hvy. suspension, 6 solid tires, driver, gunner, VMG front, MG back, HDFOJ w/extra magazine back linked to MG. Air station, portable shop, LD radio, Cargo capacity: 135 lbs., 3 spaces. Armor: 120 points. Accel. 5, HC 2, 7,165 lbs., $30,450.

Encounter Ideas. See the "ADQ Custom Feature" in ADQ 4/2 for another example of a Samaritan. Anyone who attacks a Samaritan is likely to be a target for the rest of his (brief) life. Most cycle gangs avoid them, either out of fear of retaliation or respect for the job. The best use of a Samaritan is as a tool for the referee's benevolence: "As you bleed to death, a Samaritan pulls up and saves your life." Samaritans do this for a living, and are typically mercenary - if you pay, they'll help.

HTMLized by Tim C Morrison and Odette Mintrom, tcmom@c130.aone.net.au