ADQ&A

HTMLized by William Reed. Design by Steve Vawter.
1) When firing at a cycle and targeting on its wheel, do both the penalty of -2 for shooting at a cycle and the penalty of -3 for targeting the wheel apply? 1) Yes, because of its smaller wheel.
2) Does the Dempsey XM-6 do damage on each phase or turn on which it is on a car, and also will it crush the suspension and the tires of the car which it rolls over? Also, is it possible for the Dempsey to roll over and burn, as it is so heavy? 2) Each turn; yes, it will crush tires and suspension. A Dempsey can roll only if it falls sideways over a 5+-foot drop.
3) Would it be possible for a car, which is at zero mile per hour and is hit by another car head-on, to end up further ahead when it is dropped to simulate the random spins, etc., of the impact? It would seem to me that the car at zero would only be able to go backward. 3) Yes. The collision result system of Car Wars (p. 9) is obviously an extremely simple approach to determining new positions. It's there to make an already complicated system easier to play. Truck Stop modified this for oversized vehicles, so that tankers don't randomly bounce when colliding with cycles. We're working on a more realistic (and complicated)system, taking into account relative speeds and weights. We hope to have it ready for ADQ v1 n2, and for out upcoming Reference Screen.
So, we've already come up with two modifications on our original system. You are suggesting another variation. It sounds reasonable; if everyone is agreed, use it. At SJG, we're spear-heading a play system which anyone is free to modify to taste; we're not insisting on rigorous adherence to our rules.
--Philip and Paul Schwartzberg
Minneapolis, MN
--DL
1) Is it legal for a character to tie spare tires and/or other stuff onto the roof of a vehicle to save space? If so, what is the space capacity of a vehicle roof? 1) Roof racks could be considered "illegal under strict combat rules, but reasonable for a referee to permit during a role-playing scenario." If a referee allows things to be strapped to the roof, you could probably get two spaces' worth on a compact, subcompact or pickup cab, three on a mid-sized and four on a station wagon, van or luxury car. A roof rack costs $100 and adds 25 lb. Without a roof rack, there is a 1/6 chance that everything on the roof will fall off any time a D4 or greater maneuver is made or a D4 or greater hazard is encountered.
2) May a character mount a small hunting scope on a hand weapon, getting a +1 on his "to hit" rolls? 2) Rules for hand weapon scopes appear in Sunday Drivers. They cost $500 and give a +1 to hit bonus.
--D.C. Hughes II --DL
1) If a car or a cycle has had everything shot off of it, can the chassis or suspension be salvaged? 1) No, they are scraps.
2) If a car or a cycle falls off a cliff, how can damage be determined? 2) Calculate drop damage as a collision at the appropriate drop speed:
5 ft. Drop - 10 mph
10 ft. Drop - 15 mph
20 ft. Drop - 25 mph
40 ft. Drop - 35 mph
70 ft. Drop - 45 mph
3) Will anything salvageable be left after a car or cycle falls from a cliff? 3) How much damage did it take?
4) What can you do about a character that gets so rich so quickly that he outstrips all the other players' resources? 4) How does he do it? Is he an excellent duelist, or does he moonlight as an armed robber? If he's into theft, outfit a police or vigilante squad and take him out of action. If he's legit, reward him with greater challenges. (Gang up on him!) Someone has to be controlling the purse strings - run handicapped arenas with no vehicle designs allowed over a certain price limit. If your local ground rules aren't producing balanced play, change them.
--Thad Blanchette --DL
On the rolls for reflexes: if player A rolls a 6; player B, a 6; and player C, a 5, then A and B would have a playoff. If, in the playoff, A rolls a 3 and B rolls a 5, would A's reflexes be 3; B's 6; and C's 5; or, after the playoff, would A have to roll off with C? Neither! A and B still have reflexes of 6, and C still has a5 - but B's6 is slightly better than A's since he won the playoff. Whenever A and B move at the same time, B can choose whether to go first or second.
Can you place a driver in the middle of the power plant so as to be protected on all sides by the p.p.? No.
If ramming or gunfire destroys a p.p., does it explode? No.
CWC2.5, pg. 42, col. 2, Fire and Explosion, A vehicle ... may also catch fire ... on a 2 in 6 chance on any turn that the vehicle's power plant ... are hit by enemy fire ...
Can drivers and gunners sit in the van's or pickup's cargo areas? No.
Can a laser or other weapon ignite the multiple fuel cell p.p.? If not, why not? No, because oxygen poisons the catalysis reaction that drives the cells.
CWC2.5, pg. 42, col. 2, Fire and Explosion, 4 in 6 chance if ... damage from laser, flamethrower, incendiary ammo or flaming oil jet.
What would happen if about 50 pedestrians climbed up onto a vehicle that was already loaded to its full capacity? The car would bottom out and not be drivable until the pedestrians got off.
Can more than one coat of paint be sprayed onto a windshield for cumulative effect? No.
When decelerating by 20+ mph, is the control roll made at the speed the car is traveling before or after deceleration? Make the control roll at the speed the car is traveling before deceleration. In this case your initial velocity is what might cause you to lose control of your vehicle.
Do motorcycles need to match sidecar tires with either of the other tires? Our cyclist friends advise us that it's a good idea.
Is it possible for a motorcycle to pull two sidecars? Go ahead, if you can manage the weight problem ... but it will look pretty silly.
CWC2.5, pg. 74, Cycles, A cycle can pull only one sidecar.
Is it possible to target individual components of a motorcycle - i.e., picking off a driver as he passes by? We've been known to allow it as referees: asses a -4 for the special target (plus all other modifications except the -2 for a cycle, which is already taken into account). If the shooter misses, he also definitely misses the cycle.
When attempting to avoid an obstacle (debris, paint, etc.) by performing a maneuver (such as a steep drift), is movement of the counter done in one step (move 1" forward and 1/2" to the side simultaneously, avoiding an obstacle in front of the vehicle), or is it two steps (move forward 1", hitting the obstacle, and then moving 1/2" to the side)? The former. Cars do not move in jagged angles, but in strait lines. The dotted lines on the Maneuver Chart show the true path of vehicles in each maneuver. Though movement may be computed as "one inch up and one-half inch over," the car's path is actually a diagonal line.

Forward to ADQ&A Summer 2033, vol. 1, no. 2

Steve Jackson Games * Car Wars * ADQ Index