I, too, must protest this year's World Championships, but not for the same reason as Mr. McMullen. As a participant, I know that the protests in ADQ 8/4 are untrue and, for the most part, ridiculous.
While it is true that RCADA members are the most prominent competitors, I now know that Mike Montgomery is a master of the game because I have competed against him. He wins because his car designs and his tactics are flawless. Consequently, his regular opponents are also very good. I remember Jeff Boe in particular. The RCADA does, however, have an advantage in that they play with SJG referees and know how each rule will be interpreted well in advance of the tournament, while the rest of us must guess based on what we read in ADQ and the rule books. I cannot judge past tournaments because I did not attend, but this year I found the rules to be based more on David Searle's interpretation of what rules should be, rather than what rules are printed in the Car Wars Compendium, Second Edition. If the RCADA has an advantage, it is because they know Searle Wars better than the rest of us.
Mr. Searle is not intentionally biased towards the RCADA. He did, however, contradict his own rulings by changing his mind several times during the same day. And, as I have said, the rules in his mind, not the rules in the book, are the rules we played by. One of these rules in his head was a modifier of + 4 for oil guns and spike guns targeting the ground. If an OG targets the ground at +4 (TH of 1) and vehicles at 2 (TH of 7), what, pray tell, does it hit with a 5? He discovered the reason in this argument (and the rule in the book) and changed his mind after several participants had been eliminated by flaming oil and spike counters placed by oil and spike guns which at least four RCADA players used in prefinal tournaments. He made similar contradictions when ruling on whether or not jump jets could be used to sail over a ram car, avoiding the collision. His lack of respect for ADQ rulings, including one that Mr. Searle himself wrote on the subject in ADQ 7/4, resulted in a long, involved argument that does not belong here.
In the future, I hope that steps will be taken to eliminate, or at least reduce, the power that one person's interpretation of the rules have at the World Championship, even if he/she is Steve Jackson staff. Two possibilities are majority rule by the contestants and a referee council. A council consisting of three to five people from different regions of the country would remove most of the bias from the game. I have also competed in many duels refereed by the contestants. Admittedly, this system does make for some heated arguments, but it is normally fair. Perhaps ref by contestants with a referee to break ties? I'm open to any suggestions, because there has got to be a better way to officiate these tournaments.
The other major problem with the World Championships was the use of the CWC2 errata article in ADQ 8/2. This article contained information vital to some car designs, but ADQ 82 was not available to the general public until less than 24 hours before the start of the third round of the tournament! This was after the deadline to turn in car designs for the second and third rounds, and yet these rules were included in play.
Despite my scorn for Mr. McMullen in other areas, I would like to add my vote that the points should be weighted more toward vehicular kills. In my experience, if a duelling vehicle can't maneuver well, then it's cannon fodder anyway (especially with ram cars about). High point values for maneuvering only increase the merit of the alreadytooeffective ram car, a weapon that most good players despise.
Again, congratulations to the winners, because you all are very good players, but I hope that in future World Championship tournaments that the game is played by the rules that are in the book, and not by one man's interpretation of what they "ought to be."
Robert Dies
Golden, CO
It's easy to understand the view that the RCADA and the SJG staff are duelling buddies, but it just isn't true (and wouldn't be a serious problem if it was). You've probably played as often (or more) against the RCADA, Rob, as Dave Searle has.
We disagree with your idea that officiating by committee would reduce rules conflict in the championships (we suspect the opposite), but now the Compendium, Second Edition has been out for a year and everybody knows what's in it, and this year the chanpionships will be run according to those rules and no others.
You're right that the lack of the CWC2 additions and errata were a problem and a serious one but it was an act of God. The delivery service failed to deliver the ADQs to the con when they said they would, leaving us redfaced.
- CWM
At Origins, the Car Wars World Championship is held. World Championship? Five World Championships have been won by duellists from the same chapter, and the same city area Austin, TX. Is it a coincidence that the ADQ headquarters is in Austin, Texas as well? "RCADA keeps winning because they've been duelling longer and better than anyone else." Doubtable. My friends and I have played years longer than most of the World Champs. How do I know this? I spoke with them at Origins '90. My friends and I went to Origins and started in the atlarge qualifying round. All of us advanced through the next rounds up to the semifinals, one of us advanced to the finals and came in forth in the World Championship, but in the ADQ concerning the finals, the only three names listed were three members of RCADA. I totally agree with Norman McMullen, President of NOVA, and what he said in the last Backfire (ADQ 84). I would like to see the RCADA members start in the atlarge qualifying round and advance to the championship. I don't have anything personal against the guys of RCADA. They are friendly and fun to play with, but at Origins I noticed team tactics and an unfair placement system leaning their way. Will Baltimore be different? We'll see.
Dennis Vanderburg
Buies Creek, NC
The three names listed in ADQ were the first, second and third place winners. In the excitement of the final round, the official didn't get the names of anybody we didn't have to send trophies to, and nobody was more annoyed about it than I was. I'd be happy to print the fourth place winner's name, but you didn't send it to me either (sigh). I also wonder what your finalist friend thinks about giving up the semifinal seed he's earned in order to take the RCADA down a peg or two?
CWM
