Upon receiving my latest copy of ADQ, I was simultaneously elated and dismayed. It seems one of my entries in the ob-racing contest won first runner-up, yet my name appeared nowhere in the artide and I was never notified. I'm sure this was a simple oversight, but I would appreciate it being corrected as soon as possible with a printed correction.
Andrew Sharp Carlisle, PA
Consider it done, Andrew, and our apologies for the mix-up. Andrew is the designer of the diabolical "Dodge City" obstacle.
CWM
Welcome aboard! As a reader of ADQ since issue 1/3, I'm quite happy to see a woman in "The Drivers' Seat," and all I can say is; are you planning to stay awhile? Seeing the Editors come and go of late has depressed me more than a little, and the quality of ADQ has declined in recent issues. I hope you can bring back that quality; consider this a vote of confidence.
You welcomed comments and questions in your inaugural "Drivers' Seat," so I have a couple of each for you.
First: Could we have a standard format for vehicle designs published in AD Q? The Taxi on page 27 or Issue 7/4 was a complete mess, and some of the vehicles on page 22, while good, were a bit muddled. Printing a standard format would help us referees a great deal. How about it?
Second: BRING BACK UNCLE ALBERT! The whole idea behind Car Wars is that everyone can design their own vehicles, and my gaming group doesn't like having their freedom to choose what to use and what not to use taken away from them. If you don't like X-ray lasers, don't use them: it's that simple. As to the argument that "the game is getting too complicated," all I can say is that it only gets as complicated as the referee allows; I personally haven't had a single game-balance problem in my campaign yet, even with X-ray lasers, blast cannons, cybernetics and vehicular computers. So, bring back Uncle Al, the duellist's pal, and to heck with the grumblers!
Third: Consider this one "yes" vote for Car Wars Tanks. Any complete campaign needs to know what the military has - even if the players never meet up with a tank, what does the National Guard use to quell riots? Go for it.
Overall, Issue 7/4 was very enjoyable - one of the best of late, in fact. The Cybernetics article made a couple of my players nervous, and "Full Moon Over Midville" gave me a sick idea or two. And it was nice to see the Vehicles back again; new designs are always welcome.
Finally, what are your Submission policies? I'd like to submit some material to ADQ, and I need to know how to go about doing so. I have enclosed a SASE for your convenience.
Again, welcome to ADQ, and long may you duel.
Tristan S. Scott Gabriola Island, BC, Canada
Of course, the editor to whom Tristan addressed this letter was Teresa Laman, the former-editor-plus-one (*sigh *). Well, I'm not a woman, Tristan, but I'll accept your best wishes anyway. I do plan to be around for a while, and quality is a priority. So try to keep your depression at bay.
I'll try to keep the vehicle designs standardized. I expect Uncle Al will be back by the end of the year - he originally went on vacation to wait for The Car Wars Compendium, Second Edition, to come out and make everything crystal clear. Then he got distracted with his next big project, the still-secret Uncle Albert's Military Surplus. That's right, Car Wars Tanks is coming, and Uncle Al will be right there to meet it (Aeroduel, too)!
On submissions, I'm pretty easy. Go to your local library and there should be several books on getting your articles published. Any of the formats presented in any of those sources would probably make me happy. Just make sure that your printer or typewriter has a good, dark ribbon, and don't forget that SASE that's self-addressed, stamped envelope since some of y 'all (not Tristan) have been asking. I generally prefer articles and stories of 2,000 to 5,000 words. Other than that, it mostly depends on how good your work is. ADQ needs more good writers, and I'm always happy to look at first timer's work.
CWM
I have just purchased the Spring 2040 issue and have enjoyed it thoroughly. I have written this letter to say a few things, so I'll get started.
First, the last issue of ADQ I bought was 5/2, so I have been out of the dueling circuit for awhile. I looked in my closet and found all of my old Car Wars stuff and said, "Wow! I should get back into this!" Hence, my purchase of ADQ 8/1. What I was looking for was a classified or an address for an AADA Chapter in my area, that being the San Francisco Bay Area, but it was to no avail. I was wondering if you could send me a list or partial list of AADA chapters. This is what the envelope is for. It is also for a copy of the AADA Newsletter if there are any copies left.
Secondly, I found a small, meaningless mistake in your latest issue. It's so small that I shouldn't even mention it, but I can't help myself. In your article "100 Years Ago Today," it mentions how the Finnish forces used Molotov cocktails. This fact I don't dispute, but the article says, "This simple, gasoline-filled bottle," when a Molotov cocktail isn't that simple. A Molotov cocktail is 1/3 oil & 2/3 gasoline, so the oil catches fire after gasoline is finished flaming out. This is just FYI, and in no way diminishes my eagerness to read your magazine. If you would like to double check me, I got my information from The Anarchist's Cookbook. So much for subtleties.
Anywho, your magazine is wonderful, and I look forward to being a subscriber very soon.
Dr. Frank-N-Furter
(alias Robert S. Dunn) San Leandro, CA
Welcome back, Frank, and thanks for the recipe.
Next issue I hope to run a current and complete list ofAADA chapters.
CWM