Mick floored the accelerator. The engine howled, and he was pressed back in his seat further as the turbo kicked in. Once he was alongside the red car, he spotted a blown-off car wheel ahead on the track. He twisted the steering wheel savagely to the left, forcing the red car over the obstacle, and caught a glimpse of the other driver's eyes wide with shock before the man hit the obstacle, lost it and skidded out. Mick smiled a twisted smile.
Just in time he switched his attention back to the forward view, to see the gleam of the ball rocketing rowards him. He flipped on the electromagnet inside his ramplate, simultaneously braking as hard as he dared. In a flash the ball was upon him, the jarring impact shaking his grip on the wheel.
"Green three loaded!" he whispered urgently into the headset. Mick kept his foot on the brake as Dirk and Lee matched speeds, then accelerated past him towards the enemy goal. Lee drove straight at the enemy goalkeeper and rammed him, as Dirk, with his weakened front armor, drove past and blasted the red car with his flamethrower.
Mick stepped on the gas, slamming the wheel over as he entered the goalmouth to avoid another defender, who put a heavy rocket into his side. Mick skidded over some debris, lost it and rolled the car, the ball still clinging to the ramplate. His teeth rattled as the car turned over repeatedly. It ended sideways up, resting against the enemy goal plate. He watched helplessly as the referee switched o his car's electromagnet. The ball dropped to the track, then rolled idly inwards to be picked up by the red defender who'd nailed him. The man turned, smiled from behind his aviator sunglasses and waved before accelerating away.
Mick's last memory before he blacked out was of struggling with the safety harness, then noticing the pont of the sweeper truck coming straight at him, to clear his car away from the goal.
Thanks to Bod, Dirk, Lee, Mick, Peter and David for the playtesting and rules suggestions, and to the film Rollerball for the original idea.
Arenaball moves much faster than the average Car Wars arena game. Cars race round a track at 60-100 mph, and try to pick up a one-foot diameter steel ball using electromagnets set inside ramplates, then put it into the other side's goal.
The game is a cross between arena and road duel, but a new dimension is added as the tactics used between the cars in a team – to first grab the ball, then support the player carrying it – will decide the victory.
The track has an outer radius of 10", and an inner radius of 5". The goal circle at either end has a radius of 4". Use a pencil, a drawing pin and a piece of string to mark these out. As an aid to movement around the track, you can also divide the inner and outer circumferences into 1" sections marked in red.
All track walls are considered indestructible. The inner wall between the track and the pits is 3' high. Pedestrians can jump over this to safety, but cannot then re-enter the game.
The track and goal areas are sloped, and the normal rules for maneuvers apply: bends inwards and drifts outwards are at -D1, and bends outwards and drifts inwards are at + D l. In addition, if the car is facing toward or away from the pits area during the acceleration phase, it will have its acceleration increased or decreased by 5 mph. This is a useful way to pick up speed.
The goal at each end consists of three, 3-foot-high indestructible steel plates – a center plate ~ " wide, and two outer plates each 1" wide. Hitting the center plate with the ball scores three points, but the goalkeepercar will normally be parked in front of this plate. The outer plates score one point. To prevent goalhanging, no more attackers than defenders are allowed within the free-fire semicircle where each goal is situated.
Cars must at all times move counterclockwise, and cannot turn around or stop, with the following two exceptions:
1. Within the circle at either end of the track, defending vehicles can move as they like. This benefit applies as long as any part of the car is within the circle.
2. If a car hits the wall or a goal plate, once the driver has recovered he is allowed to reverse if necessary to give himself room to maneuver.
Each team designs one $20,000 car with a ramplate/airdam/electromagnet combination, and one $20,000 goalkeeper car with similar special equipment. Five copies of the standard car, plus one goalkeeper car, make up the team.
The teams take turns placing their cars anywhere on the track (roll to see which team places the first car). All cars start off at 60 mph, going counterclockwise. Two of the five track cars are not placed on the track initially, but are held in the pits as substitutes.
Once the teams have set up, a ball is fired from one of the two guns (roll randomly for which gun starts). The guns retract into the arena wall once fired, so as not to impede the ball.
If the ball goes out of play, either by a goal being scored or by the ball rolling down to the inside of the track, then an electrical circuit is completed and another ball is fired automatically at the start of the next phase.
The referee can also decide to fire another ball if the last ball embeds itself in a wreck, or is other- wise put out of play. The ball will be fired at the start of the next turn in this case.
The ball starts off going clockwise at 100 mph, decelerating by 5 mph per turn. Note that just before entering each goal circle, the ball hits a slightly sharper bend which forces it across the goalmouth until it hits the outer track wall at the other side of the goal circle, then continues round the track.
If the ball hits a wreck, it has a 50% chance of embedding itself. Otherwise, the wreck slows the ball 10-60 mph.
If the ball hits an obstacle, it will be slowed by 1d x 5 mph. (If this stops it, the ball is dead and the referee will fire a new ball at the start of the next turn.) In addition, the ball will have its direction of travel altered according to the following table:
Die Roll Effect
1 30 degrees to the left
2,3 15 degrees to the left
3,4 15 degrees to the right
6 30 degrees to the right
Note that if the ball was going around the outside of the track when it hit the obstacle, a roll of 1-3 will have no effect.
Debris has no effect on the ball.
While the ball is not going around the outside of the track, it will undergo the normal 5 mph acceleration toward the center, so it will not be moving in a straight line. When it hits the opposite wall, it will continue round the outside if the angle it makes with the wall is less than 15. Otherwise, it will rebound at the same angle but with its speed halved.
To pick the ball up, a driver takes a firing action to switch his electromagnet on, then drives into the ball. The collision does normal damage (modified to because of the receiving vehicle's ramplate), and is a D3 hazard. The ball is not damaged, and the car's speed is unaffected. The ball can be picked up as soon as it is fired, but since the ram can be at up to 200 mph relative speed, you will need good front armor and handling.
If the car carrying the ball is involved in a collision with its ramplate, the referee will switch the electromagnet off at the end of the turn. This is to allow the defenders to tackle.
If the ramplate armor is destroyed, the electromagnet can no longer function and the ball is dropped.
The driver with the ball must now get it past the enemy goalkeeper (and any defenders) and switch off his electromagnet at the right time so that the ball rolls free and hits one of the goal plates. If the goalkeeper has been destroyed, or it is not in position for any reason, a three-point goal may be scored. Otherwise a one-point goal is generally possible, as long as there aren't too many defenders.
Ramming the goal while holding the ball does not count – the ball must roll free into the goal. In such a case the referee would switch the carrying car's electromagnet off, and the ball would roll down the track to be picked up by any other passing car.
If the game were being played for real, a half-hour or hour of game time might be allowed. This is clearly not acceptable in Car Wars terms, where one crucial second can take a half-hour of real time to work out. Say that the first team to score five points is the winner, and the game will then take four players an afternoon and an evening to complete (provided both teams have designed their cars beforehand). This limit could be altered to a real-time or game-time time limit, as long as all players agree before the game starts.
Since shooting is less important than in arena duels, and ram more so, a car is considered killed if it is immobilized or its ramplate is destroyed. This counts towards Skill Points and Prestige in the normal way. In addition, a Driver Point is awarded to the scorer of every goal, and each player in the winning team gets one Driver or Gunner Point, and one Prestige Point.
If a killed car has at least three wheels left, it will roll in towards the center under 5 mph acceleration, then stop when it hits the inner wall.
Two cars from each team must wait in the pits area as substitutes. A substitute can only enter when a car from its own team is killed, or when a damaged car is driven off the track (no re-entry allowed). The substitute car starts from either of the inner gates at 0 mph. It must then accelerate up to 60 mph, and is immune from hostile ramming during that time. However, if the new car takes any hostile action or fails to accelerate, the ramming immunity is lost.
Ramming is just as important a tactic in this game as shooting, since it can be done at any time to any car, not just to the car carrying the ball. (See the shooting restrictions below.) If the advanced rules are found to take too long to apply, the rules may be modified in the direction of the original Car Wars rules, as follows:
1. Ram damage is worked out using the Ram column on the speed chart, doubled and halved for ramplates if these are involved. Weight modifiers can usually be disregarded, as all cars will be in the 4,000-8,000 lbs. range (unless one team foolishly decides to use light trikes). Sideswipes do no damage.
2. All collisions are a D4 hazard.
3. Average the two speeds for head-on rams and rear-ends. A T-bone halves the attacking vehicle's speed, and puts the rammed car's speed to 0 (which will conform to the ramming car's movement). Sideswipes do not affect speed. Instead, bisect the angle the cars make, and turn both cars to point in the new direction.
4. Apply concussion effects. As in the advanced rules, you must roll two dice against a count of one for each 5 mph change in speed, and if you don't make the roll, you are stunned (no maneuvering or shooting) for the number of seconds you missed the roll by. The roll is one easier if you have a safety seat.
If the advanced rules aren't being used, the following table may be used to make high-speed ramming deadlier, thus discouraging 100 mph-plus driving except when absolutely necessary.
Missed roll by Effect
1-3 Stunned for 1-3 seconds
4-6 Stunned for 4-6 seconds and injured
6-9 Unconscious (ambulance comes out)
10+ Dead (0 DP – ambulance comes out)
Sideswiping the arena wall is a D2 hazard for each inch of movement along the wall. Each inch also scrapes off one point of armor and slows the car by 5 mph.
If a car is rammed into the wall, the armor on the wall side takes ram damage as if it were rammed at half the speed of the original ram.
Weapon effectiveness must be severely restricted to prevent the game from turning into a straight shooting match.
1. On the n in circle of the track, firing is only allowed at the car carrying the ball. This car can shoot at any other car. However, the semi-circular goalmouth area at either end is a free-fire zone, where no restrictions apply. Normal firing is allowed as long as both firer and target are at least partly within this semicircle.
2. Track cars are only allowed one-space weapons, except that a standard flamethrower is allowed. The goalkeeper is allowed two-space weapons, plus the heavy-duty flamethrower. So that teams don't resort to passengers carrying bazookas, only hand weapons of 10 lbs. weight or less are allowed.
3. No links, except linking a targeting laser to rockets (which can only be fired one at a time).
4. No shooting at tires.
5. No offensive dropped vehicular weapons. Non-offensive dropped weapons (i.e. smoke and paint) are allowed. Smoke might obscure the game for the cameras, so air vents are set into the arena floor which disperse smoke clouds after two seconds.
6. No grenades. These slow the game excessively.
7. Metal armor is banned. It creates too much mess on the track, as an obstacle is created whenever a point of metal armor is lost.
Thinking ahead is the key to success in Arenaball. The tactical situation changes wildly from second to second. Think where all the cars on the track will be in one or two seconds time, make sure that you have more cars in the crucial position than the other team, and you will have the edge.
In order to have the best chance of picking the ball up, all the cars in a team should be spread out around the outside of the track and going at high speed. This will allow them to cover the maximum amount of track each turn. Unfortunately, the driver who does pick the ball up needs to slow down to minimize the damage from the impact. Once he has the ball, he needs his teammates to cluster round him to prevent rams and block the opposition's line of sight.
The trickiest part of the game for both sides is putting the ball into a defended goalmouth. The attackers should send in an advance squad to disorganize the defenders, so that the driver with the ball can sneak in and score. The defenders will need to roll with the punches, and have a car at high speed on the track trying to ram the driver with the ball from behind.
Going at everything at 80 mph will be spectacular, but will rarely be a winning tactic. There is little point in being two points up if you've only got two cars left against the other team's four. Try to take things at a moderate speed, avoiding rams at more than 60 mph. Allow the opposition to score a goal if you will lose a car trying to prevent it.
Any size car or trike may be used. However, all cars must be fitted with a ramplate/airdam combination. Inside this is a powerful electromagnet. Allow $500 and 100 lbs. for the extra equipment. This figure also includes skirts down to near ground level on the other faces of the car, to prevent the ball rolling underneath. In an attempt to cut down on driver casualties, all characters are given free impact armor.
This is the most important part of your design, as the car will be going round the track at 100 mph or more. 10 mph acceleration is a must. Heavy duty brakes and shocks are well worth considering. Since an airdam must be fitted, a spoiler will help further on Crash Table rolls. The goalkeeper will find rocket boosters useful, to get to that difficult ball.
With only one-space weapons to choose from for the track cars, the choice of weapons is severely restricted. Accuracy is important, as the driver with the ball will be going at 60 mph minimum, so a light laser is worthwhile if you have $3,000 to spare. Otherwise, a turreted MG with HD ammo, or a turreted MML with incendiary ammo are the best options. Both should have computer assistance, as you will only have a few shots with which to take out the player with the ball before he scores.
The goalkeeper car can have any number of two-space weapons, but these cannot be linked. You should have both a driver and gunner, with an effective two-space weapon for each.
Picking the ball up and ramming at 60 mph can take it out of your armor. Since metal armor is not allowed, look for at least 60 points on the front of your car, and 40 on the sides and rear.
Since rams are just as important a tactic in this game as shooting, you should buy at least a roll cage, and possibly a safety seat. Even if one side of your armor has gone, if you're alive and mobile then you're still in the game.
If the ball embeds itself in wrecks every time it is fired, the referee has control of a turreted Heavy Laser (with HRSWC) in a universal turret over the center of the pits area. This can be used to clear the ball's path. In addition, any player who contravenes the rules (intentionally or not) can be warned with a shot into his top armor.
The referee has a switch to control each player's electromagnet. If the car is made undrivable, or the driver is rendered unconscious or is killed, the referee will switch the electromagnet off at the end of the turn, and the ball will roll down the track to be picked up by any passing car.
The referee also controls the sweeper truck and the ambulance, if they are used.
The sweeper truck is a 10-wheeler fitted with large brushes, which keeps the track clear by driving over debris or obstacles at 30 mph or less, and sweeping them up. Any debris or obstacle within 1/4" of the front of the truck is removed from the track, so in effect the truck sweeps a 1" wide path clear. The truck also has a ramplate for moving wrecks out of the way, if (for example) a car gets killed in front of a goal and does not roll down to the center of the track. The truck starts the game going round the track at 40 mph.
The ambulance will move out from the pits if a character is injured outside his car, or unconscious or at 0 DP inside it. The paramedic will help the character into the back of the ambulance and ferry him to the pits, but he will not be allowed to rejoin the game.
1. Remove the ambulance and sweeper truck, particularly if there is no referee. Players can then concentrate on moving their own cars. If the truck is not used, a timeout can be called with the agreement of all players after a goal has been scored, to clear the track. Cars are then placed as if a new game were starting.
2. Don't allow any substitutes. This makes for a faster game, as both teams are rapidly reduced to one or two cars.
3. Certain rules are there to speed the game up. They can be ignored in order to add more detail, but you should be aware that the game will move more slowly. The rules in question are – Simplified ramming rules – No grenades allowed – All track cars being the same design
4. Add peds on roller skates. All cars have grab handles to hang on to, and burst weapons have to be outlawed if the men are to last more than a couple of seconds. Since they cannot pick up the 1-foot diameter steel ball, they have their own 3-inch ball, made of aluminum so that the cars can't pick it up. The balls are fired simultaneously from opposite guns, and a goal with the smaller ball (scored by throwing or rolling it into the goal plates) counts as much as a standard goal. Control rules for roller skaters are left as an exercise for the referee.
Track Car – Mid-sized, x-hvy chassis, 200 cid engine, hvy. suspension, turbocharger, 1 gallon dueling tank, 4 PR tires, driver, flamethrower right, electromagnet, spoiler, airdam, improved fire extinguisher, bumper spikes back, HD brakes, roll cage, safety seat. Armor: F60 (ramplate), R40, L40, B50, TO, UO, 10-pt. FPCA around each of driver, plant, flamethrower. Accel 10/15 w/turbo, top speed 85, HC3; 5,671 1bs., $20,000.
Goalkeeper – Luxury, x-hvy. chassis, large power plant w/superconductors, light suspension, 4 HD tires, driver, gunner, turreted RL w/incendiary rockets, RL w/incendiary rockets front, electromagnet, airdam, improved fire extinguisher, roll cage, 2 safety seats, 2 SWC. Armor: F50 (ramplate), R25, L25, B10, T25, UO, normal CA around each of plant, driver and gunner (together), FPCA around each RL. Accel 5, top speed 90, HC 1; 6,600 1bs. $19,170.
Ambulance – Van, x-hvy. chassis, 300 cid blueprinted engine with tubular headers, VP turbocharger and supercharger, hvy. suspension, 1 gallon dueling tank, 6 PR radial tires, driver and paramedic (both with impact armor), improved fire extinguisher, medical equipment, 2 stretchers, roll cage, HD brakes, HD shocks, antilock brakes. Armor: F46, R40, L40, B45, T0, U0, FPCA around each of driver, paramedic, plant, 2 stretchers, medical equipment. Accel 25, top speed 82.5, HC 3; 7,200 1bs., $45,050.
Sweeper Truck – 10-wheel cabover, standard chassis, small power plant with truck turbo, 5 gallon dueling tank, 10 PR tires, driver (impact armor), improved fire extinguisher, roll cage, HD brakes, HD shocks, sweeping equipment, safety seat. Cab armor: F20/0 (ramplate), R45, L45, B6, TO, UO, FPCA around each of driver and plant. 15' tanker carrier. Carrier armor: 10 each side. 14,999 1bs., $57,105.