Autoduel Questions & Answers

  1. Can you have IR pulse lasers? How do you figure the cost?
  2. Do mines of any kind detonate in flame cloud or flaming oil?
  3. Can a car trailer have a hitch so the towing vehicle can haul two trailers?
  4. What are the new rules for helicopter maneuver foils and their armor?
Mark David Montgomery
Richardson, TX
  1. Yes. They cost 250% of the base cost. That's base cost + 50% for the pulse, + 100% for the IR.
  2. No, they are all fireproof
  3. Yes.
  4. The 1st pair adds +1 to the HC of the chopper when it's travelling over 60 mph. The 2nd pair subtracts Dl from every maneuver. These effects are cumulative. Maneuver foil armor costs 4 lbs. and $10 per point, with a maximum of 40 lbs. They must match the helicopter's armor type. The armor effectively adds its DP to the maneuver foil
KS
  1. Can a portable flamethrower have an extra clip or tank for more shots? How about a bigger tank?
  2. Can a shotgun use AP ammo?
  3. What is the burn mod and duration of gasoline? How much damage from burning and explosion does, say, a gallon do?
  4. I know that when a laser that is guiding rockets hits a vehicle with a laser reactive web, the laser damage is figured, but the rockets can never lock on to the laser because of the smoke cloud released from a SS connected to the web. But what happens when an IR laser is guiding the rockets? Can the rockets still lock on to the laser because the laser can penetrate the smoke?
John Holenbeck
Horseheads, NY
  1. No & no.
  2. Yes.
  3. There's no rule for that. Try making a gallon of exploding gas equal to 1/4 brick of plastique, with a burn mod of 2 and a duration of 2. Let us know how it works.
  4. The rockets can lock on if the laser can penetrate twice the distance through the smoke. The laser beam has to penetrate the smoke cloud going in, and again when reflected.
KS
  1. What kind of car is a jeep?
  2. How do you handle a side-swipe, when two cars are going the same way at the same speed, trying to run each other off the road by "bumping" into each other? According to the present rules there is no ram damage.
Ronnie
Helper, UT
  1. Good question. Call it a mid-size with OR suspension & cargo area reserved like a pickup.
  2. That's right, there's no damage. Each bump just creates a Dl hazard.
KS
  1. What ever happened to diesel engines?
  2. Is there high-octane gas for gas engines?
  3. Can a ram plate be put on before armor to save cost and weight?
  4. Are there special rules for using a Big Foot truck?
  5. When is a boat considered sunk? Is a sunk boat a hazard?
  6. Can a fake passenger be programmed to pull the trigger of a hand weapon, or any other weapon for that matter?
Tom Mulcahy
Bloomington, IL
  1. They don't exist in Car Wars.
  2. No. In 2040 they're lucky to get what they have.
  3. No. A ramplate is a multiple of all front armor cost and weight. Period.
  4. No. Would you like to write some?
  5. A boat has sunk when it takes on as many or more spaces of water as it has capacity. For example, a dinghy would sink after taking on 10 spaces of water. A sunk boat is not a hazard.
  6. No. They're mannequins, they just sit there. Their capacity for movement is nowhere near complex enough for what you want.
KS
  1. Why aren't twin turbochargers available?
  2. What are the durations for Smoke, Paint and Chaff Clouds? They're not in the Compendium?
  3. How does a computer gunner recognize colors, when they can only "see" through IR and radar?
  4. If there are enough photons in the infrared frequency to see by with an IR scope, Why does a vehicle equipped with IR need an IR spotlight?
  5. Is there a limit on the size of engine that can have a turbo-charger?
  6. From "State of the Art, Part 1" (ADQ 7/2) it seems that it is technically possible for a gas engine to have Superconductors. Is this allowed?
  7. Why isn't there a 7-space power plant?
  8. The SS has 4 DP, the PS has 2 DP and the GS has 1 DP. Why so much variation in the amount of damage an apparatus can take, especially ones that are so similar in size and purpose?
  9. How much is a power unit, in practical terms, and how much does it cost, for simple things like recharging laser backpacks?
James Wellington
New Zealand
  1. Because nobody's written the rules yet.
  2. Smoke lasts for 60 seconds. Paint lasts for 2 seconds. Chaff lasts for 1 second (that last is in the Compendium).
  3. This is a rules convenience, if it offends you scientifically, change it.
  4. This is an active IR system. If you want a passive IR system, write one up and send it in. It ought to cost a lot more.
  5. No.
  6. No. Superconduciors and Platinum Catalysts are only usable with electric engines. Blueprinting and tubular headers do the same thing for gas engines.
  7. Why should there be?
  8. Live with it.
  9. It's an arbitrary unit of power. They cost 4 for $1.
KS
Issue 8/2 Index

Steve Jackson Games * Car Wars * ADQ Index