The Great ASP Hunt

College Autoduelling
Nightingale MacLaine Returns

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Vol. 9 No. 4 Winter2041

Contents
The Great ASP Hunt: The Final Chapter by Craig Sheeley . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Collegiate Autoduelling by Timothy Jacques ..................... 14
Road Trip by Laura Tripoli . . . . . . . : . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 16

Departments
The Driver's Seat by Chris W. McCubbin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
AADANews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Blasts From The Past by Timothy Jacques ....................... 7
SO Years Ago Today contributed by John Hurtt ................... 7
Dueltoon by Ashley Underwood .............................. 12
Excerpts from the AADA Road Atlas and Survival Guide:
Mercer County, NJ by Alex Rhodes ........................ 25
Arena Watch by M.J. Daniels ............................... 28
Backfire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 30
ADQ&A by Ken Scott ..................................... 31
ADQ Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 32
Editor
Chris W. Mccubbin
Advertisers Art in This Issue
Atlantic Watercraft/Rothschild . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .......... 19 Darrell Midgette
Atlantic Industries ....... ; . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Ashley Underwood
Steve Jackson Games ............................ 29, back cover John and Jason Waltrip
Uncle Albert's . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Rules Consultant
Kenneth Scott
Designs in Thia Issue Publisher
The Mako Belle by Ian Knights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 20 Steve Jackson
Trapshooter by John M. Hurtt ............................... 23 Managing Editor
Uncle Albert's Designs compiled by Craig Sheeley, Loyd Blankenship
submitted by Ed Brejtfus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Typographer
Monica Stephens
Production Manager
Carl Anderson
Car War.s, Due/track, Boat War.s, Car Warrior.s, Crash City, Truck Stop, ConYoy, Unck
Albert's, AADA and Autoduel are registered trademarks, and the AADA logo and Aeroduel are Maps and Production
trademarks of Steve Jackson Games Incorporated or are used under license. Manuel Garcia
[Link] Quarterly (ISSN 0740-3356) is published quarterly by Steve Jackson Games Incor-
porated, P.O. Box 18957, Austin, TX 78760-8957. "Winter 2041" issue published December, Circulation Manager
1991. First class postage paid at Austin, TX. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to AuJoduel Michael Hurst
Quarterly, P.O. Box 18957, Austin, TX 78760-8957. All material is copyright© 1991 by Steve
Jackson Games Incorporated. All rights reserved.
Subscription rates as of November 1, 1991 - In the United States: 4 issues, $12. Outside the Call the Illuminati BBS:
U.S.: please add $1 per issue for Canada, $2 per issue for foreign surface mail. International rates (512) 447-4449, 24 hours,
are subject to change as postal rates change. NOTE: All payments must be in U.S. dollars, made 300, 1200 or 2400 baud.
by International Money Order or check drawn on a U.S. bank. Printed in the USA.

Wlnter2041 1
 When I became ADQ editor, almost (RIP), doesn't that make NOVA the long- want to see more adventures of Chevy
two years ago, I also became AADA ad- est-lived extant chapter? Vasquez, don't tell us - tell Marvel.
ministrator. While there aren't lots of Chapters to watch: TRAACS, out of In the meantime, though, you
AADA local chapters nationwide - the Colorado Springs, is an aggressive club shouldn't be hurting for good autoduel-
number has hovered between one and two that seems to be aiming to give NOVA a ling fiction, because SJ Games has
dozen since I've been onboard - they run for their title as the most vocal club in reached an agreement with Tor Books to
bear the lion's share of the credit for the midwest. GBAH, from Hannover, publish three Car Warriors novels (not
keeping Car Wars more than just another Germany, is a small club taking on the directly based on the comic book of the
game. Though they make up only a frac- daunting task of bringing the AADA to a same title). The first novel, already com-
tion of all AADA members, most world whole continent with enthusiasm and plete, is written by none other than David
champions and most ADQ contributors vigor. Drake, the writer of the extremely popu-
are members of AADA chapters. Thanks to all of the above, and to all lar Hammer's Slammers science fiction
So I thought I'd devote this space to the other chapters out there. series! The second novel will be written
recognizing a few of the most active and And if you have four friends, and you by Mick Farren, author of the~science fic-
enthusiastic local chapters. We sincerely all like to play Car Wars, why on earth tion novel "Protectorate." Tor hasn't
appreciate all our local chapters, but the haven't you chartered your own AADA given us the final publishing schedule yet,
following clubs go above and beyond the chapter already? but look for them both in '92.
call of duty. SJ Games isn't going to be taking the
Driving Tigers: Some beneficent muse year off, though. Not by a long shot.
has granted these New Yorkers a whole Uncle Al's Catalog From Hell (yes,
barrelfull of literary talent, including Near Misses we're really going to call it that) is in
Robert Garrita (who wrote last issue's fic- playtest as I write this, and seems to be on
Mike Piacsek writes to tell us that the
tion piece), Laura Tripoli (who writes track for December release.
demented "Family Wars" scenario from
this issue's) and club president Christo- Craig Sheeley will follow up the CaJa-
Muskogee Mayhem was originally the
pher Burke, who edits the still sadly lo g From Hell with the long-awaited,
creation of Piacsek, Pete Hallenberg and
under-distributed Car Wars fiction fanz- expanded version of Chassis and Cross-
the other members of the now-defunct
ine, coincidentally named Driving Tigers.
Lex Talionis. Consider yourself credited, bow, scheduled for release in the first half
For information on Driving Tigers maga-
Mike, and sorry about the wait. of'92.
zine, write to Christopher Burke at 127
Bay 23 St., Brooklyn, NY 11214. Here's one for Murphy's Rules - a Our other Car Wars project for next
completely literal reading of the accelera- year (still in the preliminary discussion
GHOST, of course. This rookie c~p-
tion rules in Car Wars Tanks might lead stage), carries the tentative title Car
ter came out of nowhere to capture all
one to believe that it's possible to build a Wars: Golden Spike. This two-part
three of the top spots at the 2041 worlds,
tank with a top speed somewhere in the boxed set will carry rules for heavy trans-
setting this year's standard for smart,
same neighborhood as a Lear Jet's. To port in the 21st century - cargo ships
tough duelling. Can they repeat in '42?
correct the problem of supersonic armor (and their escort subs), transport planes,
That's the question on everybody's lips.
buzzing around the map, Tanks writer and even trains! Trains? In 2042? Well,
GODS: The Greater Orlando Duellist
Craig Sheeley says, "Due to the intricate not quite. You see, the second part of
Society, under the leadership of John M.
construction and natural velocity limita- Golden Spike will be a campaign book,
Hurtt, is probably my personal favorite
tions of caterpillar track systems, no detailing the audacious plans of a corpo-
chapter. Their remarkable enthusiasm
tracked or half-tracked vehicles may ration whose goal is to re-establish the
combined with a constantly cheerful and
move faster than 100 MPH, no matter transcontinental rail system by the year
helpful attitude make them a model of how much power is supplied to the
what an AADA chapter should be. See 2069 - the 200th anniversary of the driv-
tracks." We might refine this rule a bit ing of the Golden Spike that completed
pp. 4-5 for a visible and impressive exam- later on, but for now it's the official fix to
ple of GODS' efforts on behalf of the the first transcontinental railroad. The
the high-speed armor problem. players can choose to aid or resist this
autoduelling hobby.
- Chris W. Mccubbin second opening of the American frontier.
NOVA - that's right, NOV A. Obnox-
ious? Maybe, sometimes, but also active/ On the GURPS side of the fence, next
For several years now NOVA has been year will still be a great year for au-
aggressively (and I do mean aggressively) What's New toduellists! David Pulver's GURPS Vehi-
cles has been getting rave reviews in
promoting Car Wars through the good
times and the bad. While they don't al- We've finally got the tentative sched- playtest, and it should be on the shelves
ways see eye-t~ye with SJ Games or the ule for 1992 done, and it looks like it's early in the year. And the moment Vehi-
rest of the autoduelling community, their going to be a good year for Car Wars. cles is out, we plan to start work on
fundamental loyalty to the game has never First of all, by now you've all seen the GURPS Autoduel Second Edition (also
wavered. Say, somebody check me on explosive end to the first Car Warriors GURPS Mecha, if that particular sort of
this, but since the RCADA dissolved comics series from Epic Comics. If you vehicular action is your bag)!

2 Autoduel Quarterly
 AAi>A nc,vs
2D42 Tournament Season
It's upon us again. The world champi- Regional Champions get recognition from Car Wars Tanks or Aeroduel al-
onships will be held Aug. 20-23, at the in AD Q, advanced placement at the lowed!).
combined Origins/Gen Con convention in Worlds, and a handsome trophy recogniz- 3. Complete information about the
Milwaukee, WI. This gives us an ex- ing their achievement. tournament, including division, arena de-
tremely long tournament season - let's Any club hosting a regional champion- sign, scoring system and any special
make the most of it. I expect every active ship will also get its charter fees waived restrictions, should be available to com-
chapter to hold a championship, and for 2042-2043. petitors well in advance of the actual duel.
every region with an active chapter to Tournament referees (local or region- Next issue we'll have a complete list of
have a regional. al), when you report your results to ADQ, AADA chapters for regional organizers
Club Championships should be held please remember to include the winner's (so if you've been planning to start a local
between January 1 and April 1. You complete address, so we can send him his chapter, but dawdling, dawdle no long-
should have the name of your champion prize. Also, please include at least a cou- er). We'll also have a few tips on organiz-
intoADQnolaterthanMay 1st, sohecan ple of paragraphs describing the high- ing a successful regional. The actual rules
be announced in ADQ 10/2 in June. Early lights of the championship duel. for the 2042 World Championships will
birds who want to beat the rush can report All championship duels should strictly be published inADQ 10-3.
their champion by Feb. 1, and the an- follow the official tournament rules pub-
nouncement will appear in ADQ 10/1, in lished in ADQ 9/1. If you don't have a
March. copy of those rules already, you can ob- Note to Foreign Duellists
In addition to seeing their name in tain one by sending an SASE to Autoduel This year, for the first time, there will
ADQ, club champions will receive ad- Quarterly. Especially important points be separate Canadian, Australian and
vanced placement in the World Champi- from the official rules are: European regionals, rather then one,
onships and multi-round regionals. In 1. Tournaments should be Division 5- generic "foreign" regional competition.
addition, this year's club champions will 30 (no Division 80 blitzkriegs!). If you're interested in hosting one of our
receive a one-year extension of their ADQ 2. Only equipment and designs from foreign regionals, make sure you make
subscription (alternate bribes will be pro- the Car Wars Compendium Second Edi- your intentions known well in time for the
vided if the club champion is already a tion should be used (no heavy artillery deadlines above.
lifetime subscriber).
Regional championships will be held
between April 1 and Aug. 1. Champion- The 2041 World Championships:
ships held between April 1 and July 1 Tactics, Stratagems and
need to be scheduled and reported to ADQ
by Feb. 14th. Regionals scheduled during How I Got There
the month of July need to be reported to
ADQ before May 1. These deadlines are By Todd MacDennid, worthy vehicle designs, but ultimately I
very important/ If you don't schedule 2041 AADA World Champion hope to get most of the unique ones out
your regional in time to make these dead- into light of day, and see some really
I started duelling just five years ago,
lines, your tournament will not be an- weird designs next year.
and have seen my tactics progress consid-
nounced •in ADQ, and it then becomes erably since starting. My first vehicle ever In the first round, options were obvi-
your responsibility to let all the AADA was a Division-5 van with a turreted ATG ously limited by the six choices available
members in your region know where the and no armor! Since then I've improved a to competitors. The most popular choices
tournament is being held. Good luck. little bit, and was lucky enough to travel were a laser-armed compact, and an
It is very important that regional an- down to Baltimore, and duel against those HDFT armed Lux. One surprise that I had
nouncements include a name, phone num- guys I'd heard offromADQ. was that no one took the mid sporting a
ber and complete mailing address for the I'd never duelled against any of these Flaming Oil Gun system that would later
person who will act as a contact point for people, except of course the rest of the dominate the third round.
the tournament. If at all possible, the an- GHOST guys, so it was nice to find some Because most of these vehicles carried
nouncement should also include the exact guys that had duelled, or knew people that their weapons on their left side, the action
time and place of the tournament. We'll had duelled some of the people we'd be tended to flow in a counterclockwise di-
be contacting those who volunteer to or- going up against. The Kniffins gave us an rection around the drums. One effect of
ganize a regional by phone, to confirm the idea as to what we could expect, which this is that those picking the ramcar had a
details. was very helpful. field day, confettiing most vehicles that
Results of all regional tournaments Well, I was impressed by the number got near. After the field was thinned out,
need to be reported to ADQ absolutely no of new and interesting vehicle design the patterns tended to settle into these
later than Aug. 10. Remember, you're ideas that went by in each round, so I'll directions, with very few kills scored.
not really an AADA champion until your review those that were popular, or partic- The second round saw quite a few
victory has been reported to ADQ. ularly interesting. I may skip by some ramcars, high speeds and odd stunts, like

Winter2D41 3
the one pulled by Mr. Messervy with his fortunately for him, he ventured out and jump, with myself collecting the kill that
jump jets (see ADQ 9/3). These duels was pounced on near the edge. time. He later said that he had been pay-
tended to be won by the speedboxes, how- There were many similarities in the ing so much attention to where Brian
ever, who could avoid most engagements cars that showed up at the finals of the Morrison was that he completely forgot
because of the ban on dropped weapons. Worlds. Out of seven cars, six had no about my car, and thought he had a clear
In this round, my car was a ramcar with other direct fire weapons than Vehicular shot at a jump. Right after I fired the
one incendiary HR to give me a little extra Shotguns, and all seven had either fake or OGs, the infamous three-way collision on
offensive punch, and to cover my rear. I real ramplates. This isn't a real surprise the upper jump occurred, which elimi-
made a lap, which proved to be my saving when you realize how powerful a weapon nated 60 % of the current survivors. The
grace, and scored a point. I then saw what the ramplate is, and that the VS is the cause was a tremendous case of not look-
I thought could be a profitable situation lightest, cheapest, most accurate weapon ing before one leaped. The RCADA guys
when Heath Culp T-boned another com- that can inflict vehicular damage. With were wiped out, eliminating my biggest
petitor, leaving his side open to me. It points being awarded for shooting targets source of worry for the event. The duel-
looked like I could give him a T-bone, but over the arena, the VS was the most sen- lists at the table voted unanimously after-
he was able to amazingly turn into me, and sible choice. ward to immortalize the moment in the
give me a head-on, killing both of us. In Before the duel, I figured that if some- holographs at the center of Hammer
retrospect, my tactic probably should have one landed (a D3 hazard) on ice (D4 to Downs. At this point, five of the seven
been a swerve instead of a bend. hit, + D2 for the [Link]) and oil (another cars had perished in just under--6 seconds.
Luckily for me, there was a lack of D2), it would come out to a whopping Brian and I finished the duel up, which
club champions turning up to take places Dll [Link], assessed upon landing. This was completed when I T-boned him, and
in round 2, so most of the competitors gave the player a + 8 on his crash table got his fuel system. The arena was sched-
went on to round 3. The 1
point that I netted was
enough to advance.
Round 3, held in the St.
Paul Duellodrome, saw
the greatest diversity of
stratagems out of all the
rounds. This round saw
the first use of the Oil
Gun, which was loaded
with HT Flaming Oil
ammo in this round. Many
people had taken light
tires, depending on their
Guards/Hubs to fend off
tire hits, which were by-
passed by these weapons.
This was not the first
time I had used the tactic,
and when I had used it in
the GHOST duels at
home, it had blown the
competition away. All of
the GHOST people had the
same thinking, so the
arena was not a friendly
place for tires that day.
Only four would advance
from this round, and when time was roll, making this hazard an almost auto- uled for 175 points, I believe, but the
called, five people remained. The odd matic vault. The Oil Gun was the best grand total was more like 60. Since every-
man out was Darryl Kniffin, who tried at way to place these goodies on the ramps, one died so quickly, only the top three
the last second to jump off a ramp and and even better, they had a 5 to hit! finishers had positive point totals.
shoot through my roof with a Gyroslug- The killing began when Dan Harting For everyone who showed up at the
ger, but couldn't get my top in his arc. tried a lower level jump, and Paul Al- 2041 Worlds, I had a great time, thanks.
Don Lavante took a new tack by load- fonso moved in to collect the kill. Dan For everyone who didn't, c'mon on over
ing his vehicle with 2 HOSS, and one reg- vaulted, as was expected, and landed on to Milwaukee in '42. You'll have a great
ular, producing a smoke counter 2 l.'2'' his turret, knocking his car out of the run- time. We're ready to take on any chal-
wide in one shot. He also had an IR sys- ning. Most people went to the upper level lenge at most any time. Sorry RCADA
tem, allowing him to see perfectly. With after that event. had to go, things were just getting inter-
the new -1 per l.'2" rule, this could be- Paul stayed, however, and suffered the esting. Actually, very few of the big
come a popular tactic in large arenas. Un- same fate when he tried the same type of names were there. I was hoping to see

4 Autoduel r:iuarterly
more people from out west, but I'll settle ADQ variants and the events can be dis- first annual NOVA Awards. The proud
for next year. cussed just between us, if you can make winners are Chapter of the Year, to
Here's the winning vehicle for the the trip and accept the challenge. GHOST, of course, and the Psycho Award
2041 Worlds: "Drop me a letter. I'll be waiting. to Miles Messervy, for '' grand showman-
Der Autojager - Luxury, x-hvy. "Robert Dies, TRAACS President, ship in the preliminary rounds'' of this
chassis, 200 cid engine w/ tubular head- 2114 E. La Salle St. D217, Colorado year's worlds. (For the complete story,
ers, 5 gal. duelling tank, hvy suspension, Springs, CO 80909." see ADQ 9/3.) Winners should contact
2 plasticore tires front, 2 solids tires back, Ouch. Robert Dies obviously knows NOVA c/o Norman McMullen, 701 S. 22
driver, gunner, PG right w/ extra mag how to hit a gamer where it hurts - ques- St. #73, Omaha, NE 68102.
(one load HTFO, one load ice), magazine
switch, OG loaded right linked to PG,
VS, SWC from driver to VS, SWC from
gunner to linked PG, Armor (metal/plas-
tic) F:9/20 (ramplate), R:6/24, L:0/10,
[Link], T:0/1, U:0/10,2 l0ptWHback,
2 10 pt WG back, IFE,Spoiler, Airdam,
HD Brakes, Overdrive, 1 Fake Grenade,
10 pt CA around driver, gunner, Acceler-
ation 10, HC 3, Top Speed 80/100, 6,600
lbs., $29700.

More NOVA
Wars
Here's the situation. In ADQ 912
NOVA, the gadfly AADA chapter in
Omaha, issues a challenge to meet the
RCADA in a head-on, team-to-team duel
at next year's combined Origins/GenCon
convention. lnADQ 9/3, the RCADA un- tioning their knowledge of the rules! But
has he pushed it too far?
GODS Wins
expectedly disbands, but not without a few
final digs in NOVA's direction. You'd Next there's this, from even closer to Promotion
think it might end there, but no . . . NOVA central.
First, NOV A president Norman "The SAS ZEBRA Division is 'offi- Contest
McMullen's response to RCADA Presi- cially' announcing a challenge to NOVA. Those of you with long-range memo-
dent-For-Life Tim Ray. "We believe you are becoming a pest. ries may recall that 'way back in ADQ
"Mr. Ray, your comments were un- Let's see what you got. 8/3, we announced a contest for the best
needed. NOVA still wants a grudge "For more insults and information, in-store promotion by a sponsored club.
match against as many ex-RCADAers as contact SAS ZEBRA, 312 S. Dakota, We're happy to announce that the winner
you can dig up. We will not have a match Ames, IA 50010." is the Greater Orlando Duellist Society,
with GHOST, because we have no beef Hmmm. Sounds like a classic case of a of Orlando, FL, for their remarkable dio-
against them. MADD and Craig Sheeley newcomer trying to establish a rep by tak-
rama, "Pack Attack." Here's GODS'
are not worth the ammo.'' ing on the old guns. Hey, guys, how
own description of the scene.
In the meantime, several other parties about chartering your own club, before
have decided to interest themselves in this you go challenging real AADA chapters? "While cruising South on Interstate 4,
affair. First, Robert Deis, President of And finally, as if this wasn't already looking for trouble, members of the
TRAACS, challenges NOV A with: absurd enough, we get this. Greater Orlando Duellist Society engage
''We at The Regional Autoduelling '' Attention, Omaha Losers! This is the in their favorite pastime of "Mouse-
Association of Colorado Springs are a one and only Black Asp (no autographs, stomping." Their target, a lone Los Dis-
small but skilled chapter, and have waited please). I intend to demonstrate that your neys transport, puts up a spirited fight,
a long time for a chance to take you on in so-called ''Ogre Mk III'' is a piece of while a Los Disneys Security Service in-
man-to-man combat. I have read your overpriced rubbish. I formally challenge tercept chopper attempts to even the odds.
" house rules" and can tell you that they you to a tanko-a' -tanko duel with my new "The poor [Link] on the side of the
show a basic lack of understanding of the Adder-2 tank, August 9, 2042, on neutral road (salvaging the ammo and equipment
rules of the game. We pick up your gaunt- ground - North Kansas! If you decide of an earlier kill) are about to be blown to
let and slap you with it. not to show, I'll understand- losers!" Highway 1 when an out-of-control GODS
"Our finances and mobility are lim- Looks like NOV A has a busy 2042 in car slams into the stacked mines and am-
ited, but Genghis Con in Denver, CO this store ... munition the 'ghouls' have so far sal-
February is a place where we could meet. And while we're on the subject of vaged.
We'll use rules published in the Car Wars NOVA, on a distinctly more civil note, "Just another typical day in the 2041
Compendium II, and play it by the book. NOVA has announced the winners of the world of ... Car Wars!''

Winter2D41 5
 New Tank Gun
Shells
When you hear the words

UNCLE ILBIRT'S™ ''tank gun,'' you probably think

high explosives and maximum
lethality ... but sometimes a
subtler touch is needed, even with
a heavy hitter. I

~~~~,~-'~·,, ~j"
Heavy Vulcan Machinegun
,:' ~
~~ ~~~~
""'
'~-

¥''p~~-
\
,r~,
,~, , ~ ~~
The newest wrinkle in heavy firepower, the
Browning-GE .50 M4 Multi-Barrel Machinegun has ~ ~r
~
, { ,.L...2.
~,, t ,,..., t

just undergone trials with various branches of the

military, and will soon be made the standard
anti-aircraft machinegun of the U. S. Army.
Browning-GE had their sights on more than just
military uses, though. This offspring of Ma Deuce
and Vulcan is available for civilian use, and is
manufactured for autoduelling installation! So if you
don't have the space for that Blast Cannon, or you
just love the ammunition available to machineguns,
What if you need one of these sharp new
move over and try this on for size!
specialty loads? Isn't it worth the magazine space to
carry a few of these? Hey, that's what rotary
magazines and magazine switches are for!
Smoke - CPS 50, WPS appropriate to the gun. Creates a
2"x2" smoke cloud upon impact.
Smoke Streamer - CPS 100, WPS appropriate to the gun.
Creates a l'' x 6'' smoke cloud, starting at a predesignated point.
Hot Smoke- CPS 75, WPS appropriate to the gun. Creates a
2" x 2" hot smoke cloud upon impact.
Hot Smoke Streamer - CPS 150, WPS appropriate to the gun.
Creates a l "x 6" hot smoke cloud, starting at a predesignated
point.
Tear Gas - CPS 75, WPS appropriate to the gun. Creates a
2" x2" tear gas cloud upon impact.
Tear Gas Streamer - CPS 150, WPS appropriate to the gun.
Creates a 1" x 6" tear gas cloud, starting at a predesignated
Heavy Vulcan Machinegun (HVMG) - $1,000, 800 lbs., 3 point.
spaces, 5 DP. To Hit 6, 4d damage, 10 shots ($75 and 15 lbs. White Phosphorus - CPS x 1.5, WPS normal. This round hits
each). Loaded cost $7,750, loaded weight 800 lbs.; loaded mag- the facing armor of everything within the gun's burst radius with
azine costs $800 and weighs 165 lbs. Area effect. Can use HD, white phosphorus, doing ld damage to all targets (including ve-
tracer, anti-personnel and explosive ammo. Recoil causes -1 per hicles). Affected targets may catch fire; fire modifier 3, bum
weapon fired, cumulative. Cannot be mounted to the side. duration 2. A 2" x2" hot smoke cloud is created on detonation.

s Autoduel Guarterly
 History of 2026 - With the advent of autoduelling and other death-
sports, college athletics start to make a comeback. Combat foot-
Collegiate Autoduelling ball, hack hockey and full-contact basketball are the first sports
to enter the college circuit. The NCAA is reactivated in Septem-
1890s - College sports first enter into mainstream America, ber. •
as Ivy League schools in the Northeast have informal contests in
baseball and football. Schools such as Princeton and Yale become 2028-29 - Starting in the Midwest, several colleges start to
the first colleges to have organized sporting events. have informal team duels. Such fights are usually rather mild,
1932 - After several publicized scandals, the National Colle- although duels between rival schools can tum deadly. By 2029,
giate Athletic Association is formed. Its main purpose is to set the Big Eight Autoduelling Conference is formed. The confer-
safety and academic standards for all college sports. The NCAA ence is made up of eight teams, and has a championship tourna-
also acts as a watchdog to make sure that all rules are obeyed. ment in September. This league will later act as a building block
for future conferences. The NCAA classifies autoduelling as an
1980s - College sports enter a new age of diversity and prof- exhibition sport pending more study.
itability. Collegiate sports are a big business and a main source of
revenue for many college towns. More sports have been added 2031 - College autoduelling rises in T.V. ratings. Public
including swimming, volleyball, fast-pitch softball, tennis and pressure and potential megabucks make the NCAA recognize
track and field. A team making it to a national tournament or autoduelling as a sanctioned sport. In the middle of the duelling
bowl game can earn as much as two million dollars for their season, a terrible accident involving the University of Nebraska
school! T. V. and gambling revenues approach the professional and University of Oklahoma results in the deaths of ten duellists
levels. and 21 spectators. This tragedy forces the NCAA to suspend the
Unfortunately, such affluence causes many incidents of drug, sport until further notice.
recruiting and academic violations. The NCAA cracks down
heavily on such infractions. Penalties can include revoking schol- 2032 - The NCAA, with the help of the AADA, establishes
arships, barring the teams from T. V. coverage or bowl games a universal set of rules and procedures for all teams to follow. To
and even suspension from playing for up to several years. help deal with the new demands of such a sport, the NCAA forms
the NACAA (North American Collegiate Autoduelling Associa-
2012-2016 - As the Short War and Food Riots come into full tion).
swing, colleges become catalysts for insurrection and protests.
Several major riots start as "peaceful" student demonstrations 2035 - Purdue wins the NACAA championship for the third
that tum ugly. Many large campuses are burned to the ground and straight year.
looted. Food and energy research are delayed for two years,
TODAY - There are 64 teams in the NACAA with eight
causing more unnecessary deaths.
conferences. The season is from April to August with the national
2025 - Autoduelling invented. Deathsports begin to rise in tournament held in September. College duelling is almost as pop-
popularity. ular in some areas as its AADA counterpart.

5D Years Ago Today

Criminal motorcycle gangs are on the rise again in the U.S., Gangs like the Hell's Angels and Outlaws continue to main-
according to police intelligence officers. Biker club operations tain, as they have for decades, that police claims against them are
were seriously impaired during the 1980s, by non-stop racketeer- exaggerated. In order to counter negative publicity, the gangs
ing prosecution, but the recent shift of police attention to crack perform charitable activities such as toy and blood drives.
cocaine dealers and street gangs has allowed outlaw motorcycle Investigators say that major gangs are investing illicit profits
gangs to flourish once again. into legitimate businesses like bodyguard and limousine services,
Though the majority of motorcycle clubs remain legitimate catering companies and motorcycle shops.
organizations, federal officers estimate there are between 500 and Gangs are also reported to be spreading through Europe,
600 outlaw gangs in operation, with an estimated 2,100 full- where police are unfamiliar with the way they operate. As in
fledged members, and thousands more informal associates, from America, European police are more interested in the activities of
those who simply ride with the gangs to those who deal drugs for higher-profile groups like terrorist organizations, the Mafia and
them. invading Colombian drug cartels.
Typical criminal activity for hard-core gangs like the Hell's According to Interpol sources, a recent raid on a Hell's Angels
Angels and Outlaws include running guns and explosives, and clubhouse in Paris yielded 24 pounds of hashish, nearly two
prostitution. The cycle gangs are also believed to control the pounds of cocaine and an assortment of automatic weapons.
manufacture and distribution of the drug methamphetamine, or
''speed.'' - Orlando Sentinel

Winter2D41 7
 The Great ASP Hunt
The F inal Chapter
A Rolep laying Adven t u re for CAR WARS B y Craig Sheeley
February, 2041: An unidentified person, referring to himself via KC-1, to draw off pursuit. Then the proper convoy heads
only as ''Mongoose,'' advertises nationwide that he is offering north from St. Louis through Iowa to Council Bluffs, then
$5,000 bounty for any member(s) of the ASP (Assassination, Omaha. He's already arranged with the Iowa State Patrol for
Sabotage, Protectionism) terrorist organization. This offer is permission to retain weapons intact, and with him decoying the
viewed dubiously by many government and corporate organiza- opposition, it'll be a snap! Right? He'll meet the convoy in
tions, as "Mongoose" provides no further evidence of ability to Omaha, at the local AADA office.
make good on its promise.
May, 2041: Several incidents involving enterprising fortune What the Players Can Bring In
hunters bring the Great ASP Hunt national publicity. A number So far, the attackers haven't had more than a few cars or
of ASP installations are exposed and the ASP agents fight back cycles; the only time the worth of the attacking forces has sur-
vigorously. A growing casualty list highlights the sporadic war. passed $80,000 was during the ASP attacks, and they barely fired
No bounties have been paid, and generally well-equipped ASP a shot each time before the mysterious planes showed up and
forces cause an average of more than $5,000 damage per man drove them off.
anyway. Interest in the Great ASP Hunt begins to wane. Limit the player-characters to the vehicles they normally use
July, 2041: "Fang" Brodowski, notorious bounty hunter, for road travel. If they want to use their rig, let them ... If they
captures three ASP agents in L.A. and insists on being paid for want to use a subcompact, let them. Do not let them design
his triumph. After a week of interviews and appearances on local, vehicles specifically for the scenario. No "Tail-End Charlie"
national and worldwide television, harping about not being paid, vehicles sporting mines and other dropped weapons, and nothing
Brodowski receives $15,000 by ELMONEY transfer. The leader else; no "AAA" vehicles armed only with batteries of SAMs,
of ASP, the Black ASP, makes a speech on pirate satellite broad- etc.
cast, accusing the Mongoose of being a fake, a screwball inter- As far as personal gear and weapons, let the escorts have what
ested only in harming ASP with no intention of paying any they can afford, and what they can haul. Remember, roughly
serious money at all. 12-20 GE equals 1 space of cargo, and always use the alternate
October, 2041: Louisiana resident Claude Morris rockets to encumbrance rules to determine how much extra weight they're
instant fame after revealing an ASP installation and single-hand- carrying. The fuel stops on the road to Omaha don't sell ammo;
edly capturing all 20 of the ASP operatives in the base. He de- this is common knowledge, so the PCs might be ahead to bring
mands a meeting with the nebulous Mongoose, to trade the along their own extra ammo, too.
prisoners for the $100,000 promised in a face-to-face exchange.
The Black ASP makes another broadcasf, sneering that the Mon-
goose will never show his face, and promising that Morris is a
dead man. To the shock of all, Mongoose does agree to the
meeting, and Morris loads his captured prisoners onto a rented
Busnought for the trip to Omaha.

Enter the Duellists

When the player-characters meet Morris, he is laying over at
St. Louis, Missouri, preparing for his last drive into Iowa on the
way to Omaha.
The trip up from Louisiana wasn't very easy. On the way, no
fewer than nine attacks were made on his bus and convoy. Of the
nine, three were made by ASP forces, and the rest were made by
gangs and fortune hunters. None of the attacks succeeded - the
gangs and fortune hunters were driven off by Morris and his
escort group, and the ASP attacks were mysteriously thwarted by
interceptor aircraft painted in red, white and blue colors - but
the bus was pretty well shot up, and the escort vehicles were
largely trashed and their crews deserted. So now Claude is look-
ing for some more volunteers to go north, on a short jaunt to
Omaha. ''The tough part of the trip is over,'' he insists. ''Com- And They're Off!
ing up through Arkansas was a nightmare - they gotta have the True to his word, Claude Morris leaves early, before the con-
worst roads this side of Illinois!" And he' s offering $10,000 per voy, heading down 1-70 to KC-1 in a heavily-armed hovercraft
vehicle (up to 4 vehicles), plus all the salvage they can handle, to hired from one of the river cargo companies. The guards make
entice duellists to escort his replacement Busnought to Omaha. the bus ready to go, loading the manacled ASP agents, still in
Any takers? ASP uniform, onto the bus at gunpoint. The bus is the new
His plan is simple: He'll precede the convoy, going to Omaha Busnought Model G (seep. 13), a tough competitor in the bus

B Autoduel Gluarterly
market. The prisoners are chained to their seats and belted in At the Missouri/Iowa border, the convoy has to slow to get
(don't forget to buckle up!), the gunners tune in their sights, and through the checkpoints at Lamoni. All the State Patrol has to do
the bus is set. is check over the waiver and have the drivers sign the requisite
The route is the same no matter which one the convoy chooses: forms (a ten-minute affair; this can be done while charging vehi-
Terrible. If the players want to argue over the route, pull out a cles), and the convoy is on the move again.
road atlas of northern Missouri and let them pick their route. By this time, at least five hours have elapsed, thanks to slow
Please note that most of the roads in a 20th-century atlas are in travel along Missouri roads, charging at truck stops, and organ-
poor-to-nonexistent shape in 2041, and their travel will be slow izing rest stops for the ASP captives (think about it - there's no
until they reach 1-35 north into Iowa. The best route, according rest room on the bus). However, with the well-patrolled, well-
to AADA maps, is either Highway 61 straight north out of St. maintained roads in Iowa, the rest of the trip should be a breeze.
Louis, then tum west on Highway 36 at Hannibal after recharg- Wrong.
ing, or take 1-70 west to Columbia, tum north on Highway 63 The roads in Iowa are well-maintained - as long as they're
after recharging, then tum west on Highway 63 at Macon. Both interstates. As the AADA Road Atlas points out, traveling off the
routes lead to 1-35 at Cameron, which has charging stations. interstates is best done in an off-road vehicle, preferably a tank or
Taking 1-70 to KC-1, then striking north on 1-35, would defeat half-track. So it looks like the convoy's only course is up 1-35 to
the purpose of Morris' diversion. Des Moines and then west on 1-80 to Council Bluffs and Omaha.
A 180-mile trip; a mere three hours at 60-70 mph.
A Drive in the Country The State Patrol does issue a stem warning to the duellists and
Driving through northern Missouri is dull, to duellist's sensi- the bus crew: Any damage done to the road will be blamed on and
bilities. Two-lane roads in poor condition wind through country billed to the convoy, since other vehicles in Iowa aren't supposed
carved by primordial oceans and glaciers, thick trees lining both to be armed. So watch it with those mines and spikes (fines are
sides of the road - except for the broad sweeps of prairie-like $250 per mine counter, $150 per explosive/incendiary spike
terrain that vies with the forests for land. All very picturesque on counter, and $50 per spike counter. And they have your I.D. and
a brisk fall day, particularly since the trees are losing their leaves know which car mounts what dropped weapons, so they can fine
and the woods are ablaze with color. Few vehicles appear on the you anywhere in the country!).
roadway, and they are either passed rapidly by the convoy, or Soon the convoy is humming along the highway, headed for
swish past without incident. Aside from those few cars (and more Des Moines. Players must set the relative positions of their vehi-
numerous pickup trucks), the only other life seen is wildlife and cles - the highway is a-standard median-divided four-lane, with
some lone cows grazing placidly in the fields. 1.1" shoulders - and the speed of the convoy. They must main-
Rough Ride: Of course, driving through the countryside isn't tain these positions until after encounters; only then may they
without its hazards. The roads are badly maintained, requiring a switch the convoy order.
tire check for each vehicle per hour (the journey to Cameron will
take almost 4 hours - these roads are in no shape for high Repair Stop
speed!). Roll ld per vehicle, adding + 1 if the vehicle has Stan- Traffic along 1-35 is sparse, almost non-existent in the early
dard or Heavy-Duty tires. On a roll of 6 or better, one tire afternoon. Only a few trucks headed north for Des Moines popu-
(selected at random) has been damaged to the point of uselessness late the highway on this bright, lazy fall day.
by road debris and hazards. Repairing the tire temporarily is a About 30 miles north of the Iowa/Missouri border, five miles
Medium job for a mechanic, although if any other tire damage is from Osceola, at a full rest stop (with restrooms and picnic tables,
sustained by the vehicle with the damaged tire, the tire is then yet!), the convoy crews spot a lone bus pulled in at the rest stop
completely destroyed. Oh, did the duellists think to bring spares? parking area. It fits the description of a Scarab (AADA Vehicle
Deerkiller: In addition to the passive destruction the road of- Guide, page 38), and it looks like it's had some trouble. Two of
fers, the wildlife threatens more resistance. As the convoy rolls the wheels are being repaired, with spares lying nearby.
around a blind curve, the lead vehicle rounds the hill and smacks "Must not have had solid tires," the bus driver snorts deri-
straight into a deer that was crossing the road. The driver of the sively. The evidence for his conclusion is clear: The road is in
lead vehicle has one chance to avoid the deer with a D7 maneu- terrible shape, covered for over a hundred yards with junk and
ver, if he prefers - otherwise, he smacks straight into the deer debris - no large obstacles, but a covering that looks like a trash
head-on. If he attempts the maneuver and fails, roll on Crash truck accidentally emptied its hopper in the vicinity. Vehicles
Table #1 to discover his fate - at this point, the road is 2" wide with solid or plasticore tires won't have any trouble here - the
with a 1.1" shoulder. Beyond the shoulder is a 1.1" deep by 1.1" highway is wide and straight, without maneuvering problems.
wide ditch, then trees. Thick ones. And if the driver not only fails Vehicles that have standard, heavy-duty or puncture-resistant
his control roll but rolls a 1 for that failure, he also hits the deer tires are going to have to weave between the junk piles slowly to
as well as losing control! For purposes of collision, the deer is avoid tire damage. The convoy may slow to accomplish this, and
treated as a 200-lb. obstacle with 3 DP, but the vehicle takes full may even change the order in which they proceed through the
collision damage over and above the deer's DP. junk area, allowing vehicles with tires junk won't touch to go
through first (or last, depending on the players' preferences).
On to Iowa At any rate, the bus crew pays the convoy no attention, con-
Once the convoy reaches Cameron and 1-35, travel becomes tinuing work on the task of replacing their lost wheels. Nothing
much easier and the convoy speed can creep up to normal - the threatens the convoy at all, and no vehicles can be seen approach-
bus crew and driver are all in favor of accelerating to 70 mph and ing in any direction.
holding it. They have no stomach for being shot up like the last When the bus is halfway through the junk zone, the entire
bus was. hundred yards of it explodes without warning. There were mines

Winter 2 0 41 9
hidden underneath the junk, and the air is thick with flying frag- looking paint jobs that make them look like company vehicles of
ments. Vehicles in the hundred-yard section take damage: Any- some sort; the crewmen approaching the duellists wear uniform
one not protected by vehicle armor (exposed cyclists, people armor, reinforcing the impression.
standing in sun roofs, etc.) suffers ld damage. Oversized vehi- Still, they seem friendly. "Going far?" one of them asks.
cles (including the bus) suffer 4d damage to each tire and both "Just to Des Moines, or all the way across the state?" If the
Underbody sections. Each escort ground vehicle suffers 2d dam- duellists try to conceal their destination, the two truckers grin.
age to each tire/plenum skirt section and 2d damage to Under- "Yeah, right," the second one says. "The radio's been busy;
body armor (ld damage to a random component if a cycle is you've been spotted, and everybody knows about the snakes.
involved). The men working on the bus throw themselves flat to You're going to attract attention."
escape the shrapnel. "A lot of attention," the first one chimes in. "We wanted to
The concerted mine explosions clear most of the junk from the make a deal with you. We're salvage experts, see? If you'll let us
road. If the bus (or other vehicles) has lost a wheel, the Scarab follow you and, uh, clean up the mess, we'll pay you 10% of the
crew appears to have tools to help repair damaged wheels. take." He flips out an identification wallet and displays an offi-
The entire situation is a trap. The Scarab's wheels are actually cial license. '' As you can see, we have state authorization for the
still attached; they just look like they're being worked on. The job.'' And if it's a forgery, it's an excellent forgery.
Scarab houses four men with assault rifles, body armor, and 1 If the duellists accept the proposal, the truckers promise to
LAW each. The visible bus crew has body armor and SMGs. In warn them about road hazards ahead, when they hear from their
addition, the bushes at the side of the road hide a series of Clay- HQ. Otherwise, the truckers shrug, say, "It's your money, pal,"
more mines. The plan is to cripple one or more of the convoy's and walk off. In either case, when the convoy sets out: the pair of
vehicles, wait until the crew dismounts to start fixing the dam- vehicles will follow the convoy at about three hundred yards
age, then shred them with the Claymores and rifle fire. The (60"), waiting to do salvage work.
attacks will do little to the heavy armor of the Busnought, leaving
the captive ASP troopers intact as booty for the road scavengers. Snakes in the Sky
If the scavengers don't kill the vehicle crews with their mines and About 10 miles out of Des Moines, the Busnought's radar
rifles, the Scarab's guns come into play. If the scavengers are registers a trio of aerial targets, coming out of the west and
being defeated (taking lots more damage than they're putting closing fast at 300 mph, range 6 miles. This gives the convoy 72
out), then they start up the Scarab and attempt to run north, the seconds to track and prepare for an attack. When the three targets
outdistance the convoy's damaged vehicles. are 25 seconds out, the radar picks up another trio of aerial
After the battle, the duellists can go five miles up the road to targets, coming up from the south, range 4 miles at 500 mph!
Osceola and buy new tires. The bus crew has a credit line they can Which means the second group arrives roughly three turns after
use. the first.
The first group roars over at 250 mph (they slowed) and 500'
Wheeling and Dealing (20' ') altitude. The aircraft are three identical black twin-engine
While the convoy is stopped at Osceola, a pair of vehicles roll pusher airplanes, in the Large Plane category; the ASP prisoners
in and stop; a couple of their crewmen approach the duellists. (If raise a cheer when they see them. They release a shower of bombs
the convoy doesn't stop at Osceola, this encounter occurs at Des that fall largely short of the convoy, blasting holes in the fields to
Moines, where the convoy has to stop for recharging.) This looks the west and cratering the far lanes. The tail end of the bombs
suspicious, since one of the vehicles is a Scarab bus with some falls around the convoy: Roll 2d for each vehicle. On a roll of 9
fairly fancy-looking electronics, and the other vehicle is a well- or better, that vehicle takes 4d damage to one randomly-deter-
armed wrecker tractor. Both vehicles have fresh, professional- mined side and another Id damage to each tire on that side.

10 Autoduel Guarterly
 As soon as the bombs are dropped from the black planes or wrecked. If this happens, the others break off and go off-road,
(which is before they even begin to strike the ground), the ASP attempting to escape.
attackers turn a sharp 180° degrees and head west, accelerating at Should the duellists' vehicles or the Busnought need emer-
full gate. A couple of seconds later a trio of sleek, streamlined, gency repair or new tires, the wreckers following them have a
swept-wing interceptors buzzes by at 450 mph, following the portable shop and lots of spare tires . . . They'll sell their services
ASP planes. The duellists barely catch a glimpse of the red, white at regular rates (or deduct the cost from the 10 % salvage commis-
and blue paint schemes, and the two groups of airplanes are gone. sion if the duellists agreed to the salvage deal).
Should the duellists shoot at the interceptors, they ignore the
fire and go on. If the duellists shoot at and hit the bombers, their Snakes in the Grass
target is only affected if the duellists cause more than 30 points of
damage. Remember, these planes are traveling at 250 mph, ap- 60 miles from the state border, the convoy readies to cross the
proaching a horizontal range of 20" at closest, and maintaining Nishnabotna River bridge. Up ahead, sited on a ridge command-
20'' altitude. A hit will require some good, long-ranged weap- ing a view of the shallow river valley, a lone barn watches the
onry. If one of the bombers suffers more than 30 points of dam- scene in the slanting rays of the afternoon sun. Suddenly, it
age, one of its wings breaks off and the bomber plummets to the collapses, its walls literally falling out to lie flat on the ground.
ground to the east of the convoy. As it falls, the gun that had been concealed inside it fires at the
convoy!
This is another ASP attack. The ASPs have a 360°, carriage-
mounted, long-barreled 90mm tank gun, and are laying down fire
from a range of 400 yards (80' '). Thanks to the long barrel, they
only have a range modifier of -1 per 20", and any vehicles
approaching the gun's position along the highway is treated as
coming towards the gun (1.1 movement to-hit modifier). The gun
fires at the lead vehicle at all times - whichever vehicle is out
front is the target.
The 90mm has a To Hit of 7, and does 9d damage to its target,
with a 2" burst radius (for more on different kinds of tank guns
and tank gun ammunition, seep. 6 and Uncle Al's Catalog From
Hell). It has an attached Hi-Res single-weapon targeting com-
[Link] Blitz puter and the gunners are +2. Added to the + 1 for being a
stationary firer, the gun has an adjusted To Hit of 2, plus range,
After a recharging and rest stop at Des Moines, the convoy target size and movement modifiers.
continues west on 1-80. Once again, the journey steadies down to The duellists and the bus can return fire at the gun emplace-
dull highway driving, lulling the crews into a state of sleepy ment (it's pretty easy to hit - + 1 to hit the gun alone, plus an
boredom. There's traffic, yes, but it's pretty light, mostly con- additional + 1 to hit the stationary gun). The gun has 15 DP, and
sisting of lone trucks or small (2- to 3-truck) convoys headed for a 20-point gunshield Gust like a tripod gun shield) protects the
Council Bluffs and Omaha. Rarely, a passenger car whizzes by gun and crew from any hits to its front - and since the gun is
(or is passed, since the duellists may well be going faster than the firing at the convoy, it's doubtful that the gun will ever have any
other vehicles on the road). side facing the convoy except its front.
This changes at the off-ramp from Redfield, 22 miles from Des There are five crewmembers working the gun - if the crew is
Moines. The Busnought's radar picks up five vehicles moving off reduced to three men, the gun fires every other tum. If reduced to
the off-ramp behind the convoy, apparently another small convoy. two men, the gun fires every fourth tum. If reduced to one man,
This group is closing the distance, driving up behind the duellists' the gun fires every ten turns.
convoy at 10 mph faster than the Busnought's speed. At this rate, However, the gun doesn't have much time to wreak havoc on
they'll p~ the bus and its escorts in 3 minutes. If the duellists the hapless convoy vehicles. After five turns of fire, the Bus-
befriended the wreckers, the pair of heavy vehicles (still following nought's radar picks up another aerial target, very high-up. Three
the convoy at 300 yards) radios that this new convoy seems to seconds after that (eight seconds after the gun begins firing), a
consist of pickup trucks - fairly well-used pickup trucks. The bomb drops right on the gun, impacting underneath it and blow-
pickup convoy is making good speed, but the drivers drive polite-
ing it over. The crew runs back over the ridge (and hops into an
ly, even using proper turn signals and radio passing protocol. off-road jeep to make its escape). If the duellists are gaining
Indeed, the pickups call ahead to the duellists' convoy and
salvage from the wreckers, the gun's salvage is worth $1,500.
request permission to pass. Unless the duellists start tracking the
And who blew up the gun (if the duellists didn't)? Odds are the
pickups with their weapons (a distinctly impolite action), the
plane was painted red, white and blue.
pickups get the first attack, and the duellists can't react until the
next turn!
The pickups are a strong band of road pirates, fortune hunters Brat Pack
looking for salvage. Their salvage this time is the ASP prisoners, Battered, blasted, bruised and bullet-punched though they
so they don't shoot at the bus (much). If they do shoot at the bus, may be, the duellists aren't out of trouble yet. Not 20 miles out
they aim for the turrets and back tires. Their chosen tactic is to of Council Bluffs, a gang of cyclist road trash try to stop the
pick one car per pickup and blast it until it is dead. The pickups convoy! These suicidal cyclists barrel up over the crest of a hill,
break formation and start firing at 10" range, echeloned across running straight at the convoy vehicles in a mad game of armed
the road to allow the maximum number of trucks to fire. chicken, screaming in at 75 mph!
The fight continues until two pickups are crippled, destroyed, The cycle gang consists of two Mantis cycles, one Popper, a

Winter2041 11
Shockwave, and a Swift. All the cyclists wear body armor and are "security" as the reason for the numerous detours. When seen,
Cyclist 1, Gunner 1. The gang intends to slash through the con- the truck stop looks deserted, its massive gates closed "for pri-
voy, using their small size to avoid collision and weave between vate party," according to the sign hastily installed on the truck
the larger vehicles while carving up already-tattered tires. Once door. The gates are opened for the convoy, while the wall-comer
they're done with their initial pass, they keep going right on past laser turrets search the sky and ground hungrily for targets. Ap-
- and catch fire from the wreckers following the convoy! parently, the Mongoose is not taking any chances of an ambush
(This last encounter is nothing more than an annoyance, as the or attack. Radar is clear, though, and no vehicles or forces can be
duellists are about to reach their goal - this gang doesn't have seen to have followed the convoy, so it looks like the prisoner
the firepower or desire to hang around and slug it out with the transfer can be accomplished without incident.
convoy.) At the center of the courtyard, half a dozen men armed with
SMGs wait for the bus. Another man, his identity completely
concealed in body armor and mirrored visor, waits quietly with
The Final Option an armored briefcase. Morris climbs out of the bus and ap-
Finally, the convoy reaches the fortress town of Council proaches the lone man as the bus crew shepherds the ASP prison-
Bluffs. The drive to Omaha is short, after the convoy gets critical ers out onto the pavement. "You the Mongoose?" he asks. The
repairs. Morris is waiting patiently at the local AADA office, lone man nods. "Let's see the money." The lone man picks up
telling and retelling his exploits in the capture of the ASP troop- the briefcase and opens it to reveal a great amount of cash in large
ers. He's already gotten the directions on how to get to Mon- bills. Morris picks up a wad of bills and quickly counts them,
goose's location. The duellists have completed their mission; then turns back to the bus crew and calls, "It's 6kay. The
he'll pay them when he picks up the money. Of course, if the money's good." The bus crewmen nod and head back into the
duellists want their money quickly, they can tag along and meet Busnought. Morris puts the bills back into the briefcase, pulls out
the Mongoose, too. an extremely large, one-barreled pistol, and blows a big hole
Mongoose has chosen a small truck stop on the outskirts of through the man who admitted to being the "Mongoose."
town - Morris takes a circuitous route to reach it, citing At this moment, pandemonium reigns. The Busnought's
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12 Autoduel Quarterly
reloaded guns open up on the laser turrets, the ASP prisoners all Ravenger Axe - Camper, x-hvy chassis, super power plant,
shed their manacles, turning them into makeshift nunchakus and hvy. suspension, 6 PR radial tires, driver, AC in universal turret
attacking the gun-toting men with martial arts leaps, and after a with magazine (9 rounds), 2 linked HRs front, bumper trigger to
stunned second, the incredulous guards and truck stop defenses HRs. Armor: F30 (ramplate), R30, L30, B30, TIS, U24. Accel
respond, shooting at anyone in sight. 5, HC 3; 7,791 lbs., $30,645.
The duellists, if they are in the truck stop at the time of this Ramrod: Pickup, x-hvy chassis, super power plant, hvy. sus-
fight, have the following options: They may side with the truck pension, 6 PR radial tires, driver, 2 GGs linked front, fire extin-
stop and fire at the ASP martial artists and the Busnought; they guisher, SWHRC, active suspension. FP armor: F60 (ramplate),
may side with the Busnought and attack the truck stop defenses; R45, IA5, B45, T18, Ul8, 4 10-point wheelguards. Accel 5, HC
they may burn rubber and get out of the truck stop, they may grab 2; 7,791 lbs., $52,024.
that lovely briefcase full of loot and then burn rubber out of the Chopper: Pickup, x-hvy chassis, medium power plant, HD
truck stop; or they may try something different of the players' transmission, hvy. suspension, 6 PR radial tires, driver, VFRP
own design. If they insist on fighting it out, use the Truck Stop (laser-guided) and IRTL (with LGL) front, FOJ back, spoiler,
map. There are five security personnel in the security station airdam. Composite armor: Fll/10 (ramplate), R9/10, L9/10,
(Handgunner-2, Running-I), armed with SMGs and body armor. B9/12, T0/6, U0/12, 4 10-point plastic wheelguards, 4 10-point
The half-dozen security men in the courtyard have the same skills plastic wheel hubs. Accel 2.5/5, HC 2; 7,793 lbs., $25,525.
and equipment, but they're almost certainly involved in battling MicroDuellist: Pickup, x-hvy chassis, super power plant,
the 20 ASP Krait Kommandos (wearing blended body armor, hvy. suspension, 6 PR radial tires, driver, RR in turret, 2 HRs
armed with nunchakus, Running-2, Handgunner-1, Martial Arts- front, fire extinguisher, hi-res computer. FP armor: F60, R42,
3 - they do ld-1 damage when they use thefr nunchakus and IA2, B60, T40, U40, 4 10-point wheelguards. Accel 5, HC 2;
Martial Arts in tandem). Morris is reloading his sawed-off I-bar- 7,794 lbs., $29,696.
rel gyroslugger with AP ammo; he wears body armor.

So What Rea/Jy Happened?

The Black ASP couldn't resist the chance to trick Mongoose.
He arranged for the ''capture'' of the Krait Kornmandos by secret
ASP agent Claude Morris, faked the ASP attacks all the way up,
and managed by this stratagem to infiltrate Mongoose's location
with a number of highly-trained, fanatic ASP soldiers. The whole
thing was a trick.
The red, white and blue force is also ASP. It's ASP's equiva-
lent of an aggressor force, used largely for training.
If the duellists let the bus go to the rendezvous alone and never
went to the truck stop, they're later paid $10,000 per vehicle, as
promised. If they survive the scenario at all and made a salvage
deal with the wreckers, give them 5 % of the non-damaged value
of the vehicles wrecked on the road during the scenario (the
wreckers only got 50 % of the full salvaged value, and 5 % is 10 %
of 50%), plus whatever they picked up for themselves.
If the duellists do manage to escape with the briefcase full of
loot, they have $100,000 to carve up between them.
Is "Mongoose" really dead? Nobody knows for sure ...
Vigilante Urban Cowboy: Pickup, x-hvy chassis, superpower
• Game Statistics plant, hvy. suspension, 6 solid tires, driver, RR in turret, smart-
linked to RR front, SD back, targeting computer. Armor: F50,
Busnought, Model G- 40' bus, x-hvy chassis, regular truck R40, L40, B50, TSO, U45. Accel 5, HC 2; 7,800 lbs., $22,350.
power plant, 10 solid tires, driver, gunner, 20 passengers, long- Pickup Drivers: Driver-2, Gunner-I.
barrel AT with magazine in universal front turret, XL in univer- Mantis: Heavy cycle, hvy. suspension, large power plant,
sal back turret, 22 AP flechette grenades, 2 hi-res computers, cyclist, 2 PR tires, 2 linked MGs front., SS rear. Armor: FlO,
radar, long-distance radio, fire extinguisher, no-paint wind- B6. Accel 10, HC 2; 1,296 lbs., $6,692.
shield, radar detector, light amplification. Armor: UF, UB 0/25, Popper: Medium cycle, hvy. suspension, small power plant,
all other locations 46, 6 10-point wheelguards. 20,981 lbs., cyclist, 2 std. tires, RL front. Armor: F30, B24. Accel 5, HC 2;
$88,170, top speed 120 mph. The Busnought's Crew: Driver 2, 1,100 lbs., $3,444.
Handgunner 1, Gunner 2. Equipped with body armor and SMGs. Shockwave: Heavy cycle, hvy. suspension, large power plant,
Scarab - 40' bus, x-hvy chassis, regular truck power plant, 2 PR radials, cyclist, RL (laser-guided) and TL (with LGL)
10 solid tires, driver, 2 gunners, 5 MGs (RF, LF, RB, LB, B), front, SS (with tear gas) back. Armor: FIS, B14, 2 4-point
turreted VMG TB, RL front, fire extinguisher, assault ramp, 22 wheelguards. Accel 10, HC 3; 1,300 lbs., $9,428.
AP flechette grenades. Cargo capacity: 8,820 lbs., 33 spaces. Swift: Heavy cycle, hvy. suspension, large power plant, 2 PR
Armor: F30, 20 in all other positions. 16,380 lbs., $67,850. The radial tires, cyclist, 2 linked MMLs front, SWC. Armor: F30,
Scavengers: Driver 1, Gunner 2, Handgunner 1. Equipped with B21, 2 4-point wheelguards. Accel 10, HC 3; 1,300 lbs.,
body armor, assault rifles. $7,342.

Winter2D41 13
 Collegiate Autoduelling
By Timothy Jacques Tournaments are handled like high-school or college wrestling
matches. The tournament is broken down into the same seven
events and each school competes for points (3 points for a first-
place finish, 2 for a second, 1 for a third). The team with the most
points wins the tournament. The Regionals are handled the same
way, but the top two duellists or teams in each event are eligible
to go the NACAA championships. All schools in their respective
conference are eligible to play in the Regionals.
The NACAA championships, held in September, are a huge
media spectacle. Prestige is doubled if you participate here. As a
rule of thumb, the more players a school sends, the better their
chances of winning. If a college is only able to qualify one or
two, their chances aren't too good of winning the championship,
but it's still a good way for roleplaying and developing character
backgrounds. Example: You're the only duellist from your
school to make it to the championships. All the eyes of your town
are upon you! Such duellists can easily play the role of the
spoiler.
There are several major differences between NACAA and
AADA duelling. The NACAA established a strict safety code
after the UN/OU incident in 2031. The safety rules fill volumes,
but they can be narrowed down to certain broad principles.
1) "The safety of the duellist comes first." This means that
certain steps will be taken so that college duelling will not have
the same high fatality rate as its professional counterpart.
A) No car may be over Division 20 (anything higher is just too
For many aspiring young duellists, who may not like the long dangerous).
odds of amateur night, but don't have the cash to buy their own B) Ramplates are forbidden! AADA statistics show that
car, going to college on a duelling scholarship may put them on ramplates increase the chance of fatality by 65 %. Ramming is not
their way to fame and fortune. illegal, but is usually discouraged by NACAA coaches.
The average college duellist is between age 18 and 23, has C) Body armor must be worn at all times. The NACAA fur-
proven himself in several amateur duels and tryouts, and meets nishes impact armor and fireproof suits to all of its competitors.
the NACAA academic requirements. He's a full-time student and This does not count toward the vehicle's divisional cost.
must have a C + average. Finally, he's an amateur. - the
NACAA does not allow professionals!
Many colleges offer scholarships during the national ''letter of
intent day" held in February. Duellists selected choose which
recruiting college they'll be attending, and make the necessary
arrangements.
Even if he's not selected in the draft, most colleges have sev-
eral positions open for "walk-ons" (duellists who join the team
without a scholarship). The best walk-ons can expect to be of-
fered a 2-3 year scholarship later on. Scholarships cover tuition,
room and board, and books. The NACAA also allows a $100 per
month stipend for personal expenses.
The regular season runs from early April to late July. Teams
compete against other teams within their conference twice while
the rest of the schedule is played against non-conference teams
and tournaments. This comes out to roughly a 17-20 meet season,
depending on how many tournaments a team goes to.
Regular season meets are broken down into seven events.
These are one-on-one divisionals (5-20), two-man team, five- D) Anti-fire systems of some sort must be installed (at least a
man team and special event. The team that wins the best four-out- PFE).
of-seven wins the match. The team matches vary from division 5 E) Medics and medical transport must be at the arena at all
to 20 - divisions are determined randomly by the NACAA be- times during an event.
fore the season starts. The special event can be almost anything, F) Anyone who leaves his/her vehicle is off-limits and is auto-
as long as both sides agree and it doesn't violate NACAA safety matically out of the event. The pedestrian is to proceed to the
rules. During tournaments, the NACAA furnishes the special nearest safety zone or bunker. Hand weapons may not be used
event. once out of a vehicle.

14 Autoduel tiuarterly
 A team which takes or leaves excessive casualties during a
season is subject to an NACAA investigation and possible disci-
plinary action. This is done to encourage additional safety mea-
sures, like roll cages and safety seats. It's also the reason that
rams and similar high-risk tactics are discouraged.
Surrendering in the NACAA is considered honorable, and the
penalty to prestige is halved. Coaches can surrender one of their
players, if they feel his safety is seriously jeopardized. Anyone
firing on a surrendering vehicle or pedestrian will be disqualified
and the school may be subject to a fine, suspension, or both. With
these rules in effect, the injury and fatality rate is only 12 % of the
AADA's.
Getting the money for such a team can be a challenge. Many
colleges depend on ticket receipts, donations, endorsements and
tournament purses for their main source of funding . Some have
corporate sponsors, and some have the backing of a local AADA
club or rich alumni. One of the many reasons for keeping the
divisions low is to make it economically feasible for colleges to
participate.
The benefits for the players are many. They can get a rela-
tively safe, yet high-profile start on their duelling career, allow-
ing them to build a popular reputation in their region and get a
professional sponsor. College also allows duellists to pick up
many helpful skills, including mechanic, karate, medic and busi- ing forces, when players aren't playing each other. Other players
ness skills. There is a national draft held every January in New can also play opposing forces besides their own team. Players
York, in which professional teams sign the nation's best college then go through the Regionals, trying to qualify as many of their
duellists. The average starting salary for a rookie professional duellists into the championships as possible.
fresh from the draft is $50,000. This system will take a long time to finish, and should be
College autoduelling can also be played like corporate Car treated like an on-going campaign. Each event in the Regional
Wars, with several people owning their own teams (this works and championships must be played out. The referee can resolve
best when there are four to eight players). Each player goes bouts between two non-player cars with a single die-roll, modi-
through his or her regular season in their respective conference, fied by skills.
playing against the other teams. The referee can play the oppos- Good luck!

IVY LEAGUE CONFERENCE Mississippi University University of Texas

Boston College University of Kentucky TexasA&M
MIT Baylor
Yale GREAT LAKES CONFERENCE NW Louisiana Tech
Army Notre Dame Texas Christian University
Harvard University of Michigan
Syracuse Michigan St. WEST COAST CONFERENCE
University of Maryland Purdue UCLA
Penn. State Ohio St. USC
University of Wisconsin Stanford
ATLANTIC CONFERENCE University of Illinois Oregon University
Richmond University of Indiana Washington University
West Virginia University of Nevada-Las Vegas
Virginia Tech BIG EIGHT CONFERENCE University of San Diego
University of Delaware University of Nebraska University of Cal-Berkeley
Virginia Military Institute University of Missouri
University of North Carolina University of Kansas MOUNTAIN WEST
Navy University of Colorado University of Arizona
Georgetown Air Force Arizona St.
University of Arkansas University of Texas at El Paso
SOUTHEAST CONFERENCE University of S.D. at Bismark New Mexico St.
University of Florida University of Minnesota University of Wyoming
University of Georgia Colorado St.
North Carolina St. FREE OIL STATES Montana-Nippon University
University of South Carolina Oklahoma St. University of Pueblo
University of Alabama University of Oklahoma
Georgia Tech LSU

Winter2D41 15
 Road Trip
By Laura T r ip oli ''Richard Anthony Santino! How could you even imagine
such a thing?"
"Now Griz, if you'll just put the acetylene torch down, I'm "You know my imagination stretches pretty far," he chuckl-
sure we can discuss this rationally,'' I said, crouched atop the ed. "Now quit pretendin' you're all insulted and tell me what
Samaritan, easing my hand behind me and groping for the spray you've gotten us into this time."
gun I'd set down only a few seconds previously. I'd seen him in "As if I've ever gotten us into a scrape we couldn't handle,"
this kind of mood only once, and that was when he'd overheard a I sulked.
boyfriend of his sister's bragging about how he was finally going "Hmmmmm, I seem to remember a certain Samaritan driver
to get to know her a lot better that Friday night. I hear the poor going 60 miles an hour eastbound on the westbound side of the
slob might regain full use of his right arm someday. Belt Parkway. Because, I believe, she claimed the tie-up on the
"Whaddaya mean, we're going on a road trip?" he roared, eastbound side was so bad we'd never get there in time to haul
coming around our unit from the front, being careful not to flame any live ones to Victory Memorial?"
the bear and songbird I'd just repainted on our newly patched side "Well, we're still here, aren't we?" Okay, so maybe that
armor. "What road trip?" hadn't been the smartest idea I'd ever had, but it worked. I hoped
His voice was amplified by the huge area inside the empty bay. he was going to be merciful enough not to mention. anything
Our workshop, a patched and leaky hangar on Floyd Bennett about our latest adventure in Canarsie. I'd been off crutches for
Field (a military airstrip all but abandoned since my great- two months now, but my pride still hurt almost as much as my
grandfather's childhood), was tentative proof of possession being left leg does when the weather changes.
nine-tenths of the law. Sure, my mom lived a bare ten minutes "Need I mention the header you took through the skylight into
away up Flatbush Avenue, but I'd rather be scrounging on my Boom-Boom's workshop ... ?"
own two feet than sponging free meals from her. That tore it. "All right already! You don't have to go, okay,
Lucy MacLaine was neither an admirer of ne'er-do-well fam- we can just rip all this stuff out and return it ... ''
ily nor of knuckle-heads, and according to her, my brother Andy "You know they won't take back installed accessories, 'Gale
and I were first-class examples of both. At the slightest provoca- "
tion (and sometimes none I could distinguish) we'd be regaled ''Or you can stay here and mope while I go on this trip and
with a harangue - invariably ending with a disgusted, make enough money to buy out your share of the Samaritan!''
"Phauuggh, kids!" and a rough hug. The Nightingale MacLaine He chuckled then. "What, and let you drive off with my third
version usually ended with a friendly shove and suggestion I share?"
settle down and marry Grizzly. "After all, the two of you are I slid down the front windshield, landing on the balls of my
living together. Things aren't that different from when I was your feet. "That's your quaner share, Grizzly, and don't you forget
age ... " it!''
"Mom, we're not really living together, not the way you ''Okay, okay,'' he said in a placating tone, putting his arms
mean it. The hangar's huge, plenty of room for one of us to bunk around me for a quick hug. "I'll try to work it so I can go on your
inside the van and one out. You know Griz and I are just trip. I really wish you'd said something before this, though. As it
friends." I was still making payments on my Gold Cross plan, happens, I had a sweet little deal all worked out. All we had to do
and would rather live in a decrepit hangar and have up-to-date was drive up to Chicago ... "
coverage than live in a cozy apartment and get splattered perma- Here he was, lecturing me about telling him my plans a few
nently doing something stupid like crossing the street. Besides, it days in advance, and he was springing a surprise drive in the
wasn't as if there was anything going on between me and Griz. country on me. I probably would have burst a blood vessel right
Our relationship was strictly business, right? there and then, except something he'd said set off a warning bell.
"Uh-huh." Then invariably came the look signaling the "Chicago?"
"Someday you'll have kids and then you'll understand," speech. Grizzly looked puzzled. "Something wrong, 'Gale?"
That was when I'd make my excuses and cut and run. I knew she I leaned back against the Samaritan, my eyes closed. I didn't
loved us and had it rough raising a pair of toddlers after Dad was have a headache yet, but I had a feeling I was going to get one
gone. I knew not every autoduellist's 20-year-old widow could soon. "Tell me please you didn't say Chicago."
have successfully reared such a willful daughter and reckless son. "Yeah, I did. What's with you? You feelin' all right?"
I loved her fiercely, but we could never easily live under the same There was that headache. I began to bang the back of my skull
roof again. against the side armor. Thump. Thump. Thump. Surprising how
I tore myself away from thoughts of mom. ''Come on, Griz- soothing something like that can be. Diamondback, I cursed si-
zly, you know neither of us had the money to buy a ramplate or lently, you sly sonovagun. "So, what'd he offer you?"
upgrade the turret to a universal,'' I said soothingly, making sure "All expenses, plus five grand," Griz replied casually. I
to place myself just behind the second of those expensive acqui- waited. It'd have to sink in sooner or later.
sitions in hopes that he'd want to destroy it less than he'd want to It turned out to be a lot sooner than I thought - only 45
kill me. "You must've known there was a catch somewhere. seconds before Grizzly asked softly, "What d'ya mean, what'd
How do you think I got this stuff?" he offer me?"
"I was hoping you'd been out nobly plying the world's oldest I sighed, jacking my thumb over my shoulder in the general
profession to get some cash so you could surprise me with some direction of our gleaming new universal turret. "Where do you
early Christmas gifts. " think that came from?"

16 Autoduel tiuarterly
 adjusted to the dimness of the hangar he stopped dead, his jaw
tensed, and the color drained from his face.
"You!" he squealed, jumping back like a frightened wild
colt. His left leg folded under him, and he crashed to the ground
with a metallic clank. As a matter of reflex, both Grizzly and I
were at his side and helped him back up, after a cursory survey
showed that the fall hadn't harmed him. "I'm sorry, it's all a big
mistake," he raced on, trying to back away again, "wrong ad-
dress, you know how it is . . . "
"Yeah, we sure do," Griz growled sympathetically, taking
the poor man's hand, engulfing it in his huge paw, then shaking
it vigorously. "Welcome to the club, pal."
Kneecap looked from Griz to me uncertainly, and I couldn't
blame him. The last time the three of us met, Griz and I had
nearly killed him. We hadn't, obviously, but his erstwhile part-
ner, Autopistol, hadn't been so lucky. A petite young woman
from the islands named Flashpoint had seen him preparing to
blow me away, and that had been his last mistake. No citizen
tolerated the murder of a perfectly good (or even perfectly medi-
ocre) Samaritan. You never know when you might need one.
Kneecap was a little slow, but suddenly a glimmer of under-
standing entered his muddy brown eyes. "Diamondback."
"You got it. "
"Diamondback!" he shouted, kicking our tool cabinet vi-
ciously. ''Of all the low-down sneaky stunts that lousy
''Diamondback.'' Grizzly muttered under his breath. sonovabitch could pull ... !"
"Diamondback," I agreed. ''My sympathies,' ' I snorted as he hopped around on one foot,
"That sly sonuvagun!" Grizzly shook his head in wonder. cursing. Our cabinet wasn't packed, it was packed, and there just
"'Gale, we've been had!" wasn't any give to it anymore. Serve him right if he broke his
foot, I thought, turning and heading for the Samaritan.
''Tell me about it.''
Kneecap hobbled after me as fast as he could. ''Where ya
"What'd that snake tell you we were doing?" I could tell that
goin'?"
Griz would gladly have wrung Diamondback's neck on the spot.
For once I wasn't sure who he was angrier with - ol' Diamond- ''To see a man about his last wish, if you must know.''
back Peters, or himself for being suckered. The only safe thing to "Diamondback?" He didn't wait to hear my answer before he
do when he was in that kind of mood was to tell the unvarnished pushed past me to sit inside.
truth and get ready to duck. "Hey! Where do you think you're going?" I snarled, diving
"We're playing doctor for one of his convoys to Chicago," I in after him, Griz only inches behind me.
said. ''I figured it was easy money. After all, nobody in his right "You're not leaving me stranded in the boonies again!" he
mind fires on a Samaritan. What'd he tell you?" shot back. ''Do you have any idea of what I had to do to get home
Grizzly frowned. "Patient transfer. Said he wanted us to drop after you two so-called 'angels of mercy' left me in Canarsie?"
one of his boys off for some reconstructi ve surgery. '' "Not interested," Griz replied.
I whistled in amazement. "Must be some injury, sending That didn't seem to slow him at all. "I had to beg a ride from
someone all the way to Chicago. Couldn't they do it here?" jailbait, that's what! Took her trike into Canarsie on a dare. And
Griz seemed to be cooling down in the face of this puzzle. you know what? She wanted me to pay for the ride!''
"Guess not. Either whoever it is can't afford Gold Cross, or I tried to pretend I wasn't interested.
maybe he's not that much of a goner. " "I didn't have any money left, if you recall, after you sold me
"Poor fella. Wonder what happened to bust him up so bad?" back my own gun to go with those clips you traded me for the
''Or for Diamondback to want him so far out of his hair.'' location of Boom-Boom's garage!''
To tell the truth, I was amazed I hadn't come to that conclu- Grizzly yawned elaborately. He was a lot better at feigning
sion myself. Diamondback was aptly named - and I was getting indifference than I was. His knuckles also popped louder. ''So?''
really tired of playing Eve and eating apples. I shook my head. "So, she wanted to take it out in trade, if you, uh, know what
"Say, Griz, you fix that loose cabinet door yet?" I mean."
"I was just goin' to now." I grinned wickedly. ''And you couldn't rise to the occasion?''
A knock rattled our corrugated tin door. He looked miffed. ''No! I mean, um, of course I could.''
I looked up at Grizzly and saw a grim, slightly puzzled look in Griz whooped. ''You got caught with your pants down!''
his eyes that was surely reflected in my own. He draped one of Kneecap blushed furiously. "Her five Italian uncles didn't
his arms around my shoulder absently and called, ''Come in!'' have much sense of humor, it seems," he said dryly. "It's not
The door scraped open, and a slight figure limped in. He very healthy for me around here any more.''
looked a lot scruffier and limped a lot less painfully than when I frowned slightly. "I still don't get how Diamondback fig-
we'd last seen him, but I recognized him instantly. There was no ures into this. How'd you get involved with him?"
doubt our guest had recognized us, for the moment his eyes Kneecap shrugged. "Hey, I was desperate. Word was, he

Winter2D41 17
could get me out of Brooklyn fast.'' He smiled wickedly. '' So, "Uh, yeah," he said, scratching the back of his head. He
what's your excuse?" looked distinctly uncomfortable, and I didn't blame him. Getting
I went for him, and Griz grabbed me by the shoulder. "Cut it caught between Diamondback and Grizzly wasn't pretty.
out, you two! That won't solve anything!" "Well, I say we go, if only to have the satisfaction of telling
"It'll solve him," I grumbled. "What're we going to do, him what he can do with his practical jokes. It'll satisfy our end
Griz? I'm not hauling him to Chicago!" of the deal so he doesn't have an excuse to take the Samaritan.
"And I wouldn't travel with you if my life depended on it!" Agreed?"
"In case you've forgotten, Prince Charming, your life does Grizzly sighed. "I don't like it. Over eight hundred miles of
depend on it!" the worst roads on the continent for that creep."
"Shut up!" Grizzly snapped. "It's very simple, troops. We'll "Seems like there isn't much choice, is there?" Kneecap mut-
drive over to Diamondback's garage and shove a grenade up tered.
his ... " I glared at him, and he subsided into uneasy silence. What he
"Grizzly!" thought didn't really make a difference to Griz and me, even ifhe
was right. "What else can we do, Griz?"
We drove over to Diamondback's garage. Although I talked Griz shook his head, consigning·us to fate. ''God help us.''
Griz out of his grenade plan, he insisted on being the one to tell
Diamondback where to shove his lousy job. When he came back I'd been following the three 18-wheelers we'd been assigned
almost immediately, his silence and flinty eyes told me all I to for almost five hours, and the trip had been uneventful. No
needed to know. equipment failures, no cargo breaking loose, nothing. Not even a
"He's bugged out, hasn't he?" pass from the truckers raunchy enough to warrant a good mock
''He did this to us on purpose. Look what I found taped to the feud. All that happened was that this joker in a Wall Street Spe-
door." He tossed a crumpled paper ball into my lap, and after cial who'd been sitting on our tail for ten minutes passed close on
smoothing it out, I read it. our left. Half an hour later, I caught sight of him passing on our
There were only 13 words printed on the page, in right and turning off at the next exit. I guess I should have been
Diamondback's distinctive scrawl of barely legible block letters. suspicious. After all, nothing ever went off without a hitch when
How techs ever read his designs, I'll never know. The note read: Diamondback was involved.

LIVE WITH 11 GVYS

ONLV lb I-IRS .To CI-IICA60
SEf U THERE
-PIAM0N08AC\(
"Live with it?" Kneecap moaned. Kneecap had sprawled, to my annoyance, on one of our
"We're not going." Grizzly said decisively. "Screw him and gurneys, and had been humming tunelessly for some time. ''Hey,
his mind games. I quit." sweetheart, think we can pull over so I can, uh, take care of
Now Kneecap panicked. "You can't quit! Someone's got to business?"
get me outta Brooklyn, and that someone is you! If I stay here, I rolled my eyes at Grizzly. "Better radio and let our pals
I'll die!'' know we're making a pit stop.''
"You're breaking my heart. We're not going,_right, 'Gale?" "We're already behind schedule," Griz reminded me.
He looked toward me, expecting confirmation. "Yeah, I know. But I'm not riding to Chicago in a puddle."
I shook my head. "Wrong. We do go." Griz frowned and picked up the mike. "Breaker, Hawk, this
''What?'' is Mercy-I, come on."
"Look, we have to, Griz, he's outmaneuvered us for the mo- I'd met Hawk, the driver of the lead truck, at one of
ment. He paid for the new additions to the rig, and he'll leap at Diamondback's victory parties. He didn't look particularly
the chance to repossess her if we renege. And Kneecap, you've hawklike, but I don't look like a drab brown bird either. He was
probably paid him big time to get you out of Brooklyn, right?'' a handsome young man dressed in a weathered brown bomber

1B Autoduel Quarterly
jacket with a sheepskin collar. What intrigued me most was his bling behind me. Rather superfluously, I thought, he screamed,
entirely unassuming demeanor as he watched everyone else at the "Hijackers/"
party, occasionally flashing an engaging smile at acquaintances. The tires squealed as I skidded onto the roadway, spraying
Jimbo and I had just had a particularly nasty break-up, and I'd gravel. "Whatever gave you that idea?" A flash of red streaked
quietly been putting away enough whiskey to support a small by my window.
family in Scotland. Suddenly, I'd found myself without a glass "Pull over!" the radio crackled.
and on the receiving end of the most deeply relaxing shoulder and "Like hell!" Griz snarled, and I heard the VMG whine
neck massage I'd ever experienced. The rest is history. Not very around and sputter furiously.
interesting history, since at the time I was too hung up on Jimbo ''Why are they shooting at us?'' I howled as I heard my beau-
to realize what a "catch" Hawk was. By the time I'd finally tiful paint job being blasted away.
wised up, Hawk was happily pursuing a pretty, smart young lab
technician. We still flirted, though that was as far as it went.
"I read you, Griz. What does Legs want now?" Atlantic Watercraft and Rothschild's
I leaned over to the microphone while keeping my eyes on the
road. "One of your patented neck rubs for one, lover."
"Granted, when we pull into the truck stop tonight. And any-
thing else you want rubbed, too. Anything else?"
Mako Belle
"We're pulling over for a pit stop. We'll catch up with you
• • • • • • • • • •
guys in ten, okay?" Griz answered before I cquld get a word in. Live life on the open sea, away from the
"Anything wrong?" Hawk asked worriedly. hassles of city life! Get the Mako Belle.
"Nab, just need to see a man about a horse," Griz told him.
''I copy. 'Gale, you take good care of Griz, now, hear?'' He This lady has all the comforts of home.
sounded a little uneasy about leaving us, but he knew as well as I It's perfect for you and a friend to take it
that if we pulled over the entire convoy, it would take twice as
long than if we bung back and caught up with them. easy - with the security of an Autocannon,
''I heard that, Hawk. Catch ya later,'' I said. and the luxury of Rothschild fittings.
"Not if I catch you first."
"Promises, promises," I sighed, scanning the side of the
road. A few minutes later I spotted a place where a few haggard
trees provided privacy from passing traffic. I parked and opened
a cabinet about a foot away from Kneecap's left ear. "Watch your
head," I said as I took down a handful of sterile gauze pads.
"Here you go, sir. Restroom's on the right."
He looked out the windshield gloomily. "You're kidding."
"No, I'm not kidding. We're late, and we don't have time to
look for a truckstop, so get moving."
"What if something happens? Like, I get bitten by a snake?"
"We'll congratulate it," Griz said, "then we'll treat you."
I leaned back in my chair, stretched lazily, and closed my
eyes. "We'll wait five minutes. If you're not back by then, we'll
call the snake patrol. ''
Muttering darkly, no doubt about my parents' state of matri-
mony, he climbed down and walked off.
"Thin)c we should just drive off and leave him, Griz?" Mako Belle - Cruiser, 1/2 top; above deck: AC in univer-
He speculated a moment. "Nab, 'Gale. Too easy." sal turret w/2 extra mags (one HD ammo), magazine switch,
Blam, blam! Two quick shots in succession, and a scream of 8 spaces cargo/deck space, life raft, below deck: large PP, 2
utter panic. ''Guess he found that snake.'' props, pilot, hi-speed homing torpedoes L and R, 2 passen-
Grizzly fairly shot out of his seat, grabbing his rifle off the ger accommodations w/4 spaces cargo/headroom, galley,
rack behind him. "Guess again." mobile TV and audio stack, marine radio, computer naviga-
As Griz ran to the back doors, flung them open, and took aim, tor, sonar, FE, bilge pump, anti-theft, outside; 11 APFDs,
I started the Samaritan. I saw Kneecap pelting toward us, his armor: F40, L40, R40, B40, T35, U35, D35, 2 10-pt. prop
jumpsuit only half-zipped. Driving slowly behind him, laughing guards, HC 2, Accel. 5, top speed 40 mph, 14,480 lbs. (pilot
and firing just close enough to keep him moving, was a Bombar- only, no cargo), $62,000.
dier. Two good 'ol boys having a little fun. They caught sight of Mako Belle L - add NoPaint tinted windows, vehicular
the Samaritan and Griz's rifle and sped up. computer, radar, radar jammer linked to detector, surge pro-
I gunned the engine. "Move it!" tector, $71,900.
Kneecap dove for the back doors, and Griz caught him on the Mako Belle XL - as L, add Autopilot linked to computer
fly. He yanked Kneecap in and slammed the doors just in time to gunner for AC, laser battery, 14,640 lbs., $85,500.
stop a volley of gunfire that would've cut them both in half.
Grizzly flung himself towards the front of the Samaritan as I
threw her into gear. As Griz strapped in, I heard Kneecap furn-

Winter2041 19
 "Because we're carrying narcotics and look like a fat, easy Even as I swung left to force the door to latch, I heard the muffled
target?" Griz said in a sweet sing-song. sound of sterile dressings raining down on Kneecap. "Watch
"We're Samaritans, damn it!" I looked into my side mirror. your head!'' I advised.
They were gaining fast, and I saw what looked like a missile "Watch the road," Griz cautioned.
launcher being brought to bear. We had other problems, too, a jet "Why, is it going to do something?"
'copter coming up fast. Strange that we were well within missile It did indeed. It opened up just in front of us and pelted the
range and it hadn't opened up yet. I tried not to think about our windshield with chunks of asphalt. Instinctively I flinched, and
problems in the air since there wasn't a damned thing I could do we sloughed to the right and nearly ran off the road.
about them. My main concern was spoiling the Bomb's aim. I That did it. I dropped the side window and stuck my head out,
took one hand off the steering controls to punch a red button on looking back wildly for the dark green Bombardier that had been
the roof between Griz and me. blazing away at our tail armor. Now it was only half a car-length
away from being parallel with my window. ''Whadd-arya,
blind?" I screamed, jacking a thumb back at my side panel.
"Can'tcha see I'm a medic?!"
"Medic!?" the Bomb's gunner yelled back. "Why ain'tcha
marked?"
"What?!" I slammed on the brakes.
We skidded to a stop on the gravel shoulder, while the Bom-
bardier overshot us and pulled to a screeching halt ... •right in
the front arc of our VMG. Almost before we stopped, Griz was
out the door. I'd switched the VMG to my controls, my finger
tensing nervously on the trigger. Griz took only a minute to come
back with the bad news.
"Paint gun," he said with disgust. "Someone nailed us but
good ... all our red crosses but the one topside.''
The Bomb's driver looked uncomfortable. "Oh. Maybe that
was what our air unit was trying to tell us, huh, Moe?"
"Paint gun?" That bastard who'd been following us! I folded
my arms and put them and my head on the steering yoke. ''What
color, Griz? Electric blue? Neon pink? Acid green?"
I heard their tires screech as they tried unsuccessfully to avoid "Hospital white. And it ought to be easy enough to touch
running right into a wall of flame. For the few moments that they up.'' He reached in through the window and patted me on the
were blinded, I slammed the accelerator to the floorboards and back of my crash helmet. ''They didn't spatter a single drop on
gained some precious distance. God, I loved my HDFOJ! the mural, either."
"Call the truckers!" Kneecap squeaked. "No?" I lifted my head, looked at him hopefully.
"For one Bombardier? Are you kiddfug? We'd be laughed "No. Tweedledumb and Tweedledumber left some nice
right out of Brooklyn." Grizzly kept firing. scorch marks, though.''
"Oh, joy." Kneecap moaned. "After all, it's much better to "I'll kill them." I started to slide out the window to get a
be dead.'' better look, but my holster got caught. As I drew my Puma so I
"Make that one Bomb and a jet 'copter, Griz. Check six and could wriggle free, the Tweedles started jabbering.
thank Diamondback for upgrading our turret to a universal." "Hey, come on, man, we didn't know you was medics!"
Against my better judgment, I took my eyes off the road to look ''Yeah, you wasn't marked or nothin'. And how do we know
up into my rear view mirror - the one I'd affixed to the front you are medics, anyway?"
windshield. Not that in an ambulance you could see traffic com- Grizzly slipped his hand into his license pocket. ''Here. If you
ing up behind you; that was the job of the two oversized shatter- don't believe us, I can shoot you and 'Gale here will treat you."
proof mirrors on either side of the Samaritan's cab. My 'rear From underneath my supplies in the back of the Samaritan, I
view' was strictly for looking into the back of the Samaritan to heard a muffled voice. "That was a joke, right?"
see how Griz and our patients were doing. • "That was a joke. I think."
Kneecap didn't look too happy. He'd strapped himself into the
hard little fold-down seat and was hanging on for dear life. "Are We caught up with Hawk and the other truckers without fur-
you trying to get us all killed, you stupid woman driver?" ther incident, and pulled into the heavily fortified truck stop
Grizzly never took his eyes from his display or stopped firing they'd selected for the night. We were all hungry, so the matter
the VMG. "Shaddup, ya wimp," he growled, slapping Kneecap of what to take care of first - rooms or food - was easy. Truck
across the side of the head. stop restaurants aren't much to look at, but they serve the best
"Hey! Look who's talking! Here you are shooting at tires coffee and pie anyone could ever want, and the best food, if you
when we got a ramplate!" don't order anything too fancy.
"Not in back, we don't!" he snarled back. There were a bunch of cyclists inside, but that didn't worry me
I swung hard to the right to avoid a missile burst, and sure much. What we hadn't counted on was that I was the only woman
enough, I heard a loud thunlc and a curse. I'd been after Grizzly in the place. There wasn't even a waitress; you gave your order,
to fix that loose cabinet door for months. Every time I made a carried it to your table, and then cleaned up when you finished.
tight right, the latch slipped and the door swung wide, braining The truckers gave me a warm and boisterous welcome. I
whoever was lucky enough to be sitting in the fold-down seat. grinned a little uneasily, said a general' 'Hi, guys,'' and sat down

20 A uto duel Guarterly

to study my menu. Griz, Kneecap and I shared one table while seemed to vibrate on the still, smoky air. "Please, 'Gale, not
Hawk, the other two drivers and their gunners took a table for six now. I've got a headache."
nearby. "Hey, it's cool," I said, trying to reassure Griz and get rid of
"Hey, beautiful, if you're lookin' for some southern comfort, the cyclist at the same time. I didn't feel much like a brawl
come on up to my room." myself. Truck stops are supposed to be neutral territory. Besides,
I looked up and met the gaze ... no, the leer of the scruffiest I didn't want to get kicked out before a quick shower.
person I'd ever seen. He was dressed in black leather and seemed "Look, man," Kneecap replied softly to the cyclist's last
never to take the toothpick from the comer of his mouth. I felt question, "I'm just telling you for your own good ... "
Grizzly tensing up beside me, and saw Hawk watching from the The cyclist's face positively beamed with joy. "That was a
comer of his eye. With as charming a smile as I could manage, I threat!'' he crowed, grabbing Kneecap by the front of his jacket.
said, ''I don't think so, thanks.'' ''You threatened me right here in front of everyone. Right,
"Baby, you're the most gorgeous thing I've ever seen. guys?"
Looked over here and said to myself that I just had to have you.'' "Yeah, whatever," some weary, put-upon traveler yawned.
I felt the smile freeze in place. ''No, really. Thank you for the "Just keep it down over there."
compliment, but all I want is to get some supper and tum in by The cyclist pulled back and cocked a fist. I'd never seen any-
myself." one so happy to get an excuse to break a face before. I had a big
He leaned over me, and put his hand on my shoulder. "Come choice: let Kneecap get some teeth knocked out, or get involved.
on. We both know what kind of lady you are showing up at a Personally, I was inclined towards the former. Kneecap and I
truck stop, so quit playin' so hard to get. You came in with two were hardly on the best of terms. I was the reason for his nick-
men. Why not give a little fresh blood a try?" he asked. name, having damaged both his kneecaps in less than 48 hours.
Kneecap scrunched down in the booth, trying to hide behind However, he was going to get his face beaten in in defense of my
his menu. "Please," he muttered softly to the scruffy-looking honor, and that was a privilege I reserved for myself, for Grizzly
cyclist who was standing over our table picking his teeth, "don't and for my family.
start with her. We don't want any trouble." I jumped up, barking both thighs against the table's edge, and
The cyclist turned to him with a nasty, gap-toothed smile. grabbed the cyclist's wrist. "I said, 'It's cool'," I repeated icily.
"Oh, I can see you're not looking for trouble, Gimp," he There was a blinding white flash of pain, and I found myself
sneered, slapping Kneecap on the left knee just a tad too hard to sprawled on the cold, supposedly white linoleum. I put my hand
be friendly. Kneecap sucked in his breath, his eyes clenching to my face - it hadn't started hurting anywhere specific yet -
shut, but otherwise said nothing. "Whatsa matter, little man ... and came away with a handful of hot, coppery-smelling blood.
you 'fraid to take it outside if I bother your old lady?'' "Hey!" That brought Grizzly rearing to his feet, swatting the

ii)%;
~.. •·.
-:
:':~•:: ·;t:~ .~,~--:...

Old lady? I felt my cheeks start burning, and caught a glimpse formica table out of his way with a wicked backhand. The table
of my reflection in the plate glass window. My upper lip was skidded about a foot out into the aisle before it crashed into me,
peeled back slightly over my upper teeth, my eyes narrowed. The and I swore roundly as its pedestal settled on top of my right
unflinchingly optimistic might have termed my expression a hand. From my vantage point, I could see Hawk charging to-
smile, but when Griz looked my way, he closed his eyes and wards us.
rested his head on his folded arms. His voice, much muffled, "Eeep!" Kneecap commented as he ducked and Griz's swing

Wlnter2D41 21
whistled by overhead. Too bad the cyclist didn't catch the hint "Not true," Griz protested. "Most of the time things are
half as well as he caught Grizzly's roundhouse ... in the teeth. pretty quiet. Seems like the only time people start gunning for us
The cyclist was knocked back, still hanging onto Kneecap, and is when Diamondback's involved."
landed on the table of the traveler who'd asked him to keep it "Yeah. Funny how it works out that way, isn't it?" Hawk
down. said thoughtfully. ''Though you two are the only ones it seems to
That was when the fun began. happen to twice in one day ... ''

"Ow!" I whined, jerking away from the stinging antiseptic I know I should have been grateful to have reached Chicago in
swab Grizzly was dabbing my forehead with. I'd bandaged his one piece the next day, but as I carefully guided the Samaritan
slashed arm, and now it was my turn to have all sorts of uncom- through the streets I felt anxiety settle like a cinder block inside
fortable things done to me in the name of warding off infection. my chest. I found myself checking the mirrors religiously every
"Keep still," he said soothingly, "I'm almost finished." few seconds. Brooklyn habits die hard, especially when I'd been
"It hurts!" running as long and as hard as I had during the past two days.
"Want me to kiss it and make it better?" he asked quietly, "How's the wing, Griz?" I asked.
smiling and leaning a bit closer. "Been better." he grunted. I could see from the comer of my
"Yeah, me too," Kneecap moaned, startling us and making eye that blood was starting to soak through the bandages, but he
Griz jump back. "Why do I get an ice pack and 'you'll be fine' merely asked nonchalantly, ''Why do you ask?''
when I've been beaten within an inch of my life and she gets the "I dunno, Griz. I've just got this, well, feeling." .
royal treatment for a little cut on her head?" "I often have that effect on women, you know," he rumbled
"Because she's prettier than you are." Hawk smiled and teasingly, patting my right knee with his left hand.
stepped into the van, sporting one hell of a shiner. "How you "Griz, that's not what I . . . " I trailed off and frowned
feelin', Legs?" slightly, looking at Griz from the comer of my eye. Was it my
"I'm fine. Kneecap's right, it's mostly superficial." I put a imagination, or had I been as dense as neutronium? Suddenly I
hand to my nose to make sure the bleeding had stopped. got the feeling that Grizzly wasn't hanging around just because he
Hawk chuckled and stepped behind me, massaging my shoul- owned part of the Samaritan. Sure, we did just about everything
ders while Griz glared poisonously at Kneecap. "Legs, Griz, I together, and he'd always been protective of me. I'd always gone
hate to say it, but you're trouble magnets. Every time I turn out on a limb for him, too. Sure, he'd hated Jimbo on sight. I
around you're patching each other up." should've followed his lead. As I was trying to figure out how I
felt, I got the distinct feeling I should stop worrying about our
partnership and start worrying about our skins again.
He must've sensed how ill at ease I was, for suddenly he
turned serious. "Trouble?"
I shook my head. "I dunno."
He checked his mirror. "'Cept for an ice cream truck, we're
clear aft. There ain't a duellin' machine in sight."
"Yeah, guess so." I sighed, and peered into my mirror. It was
one of those boxy trucks, with an ugly lit-up plastic clown and a
Simplicity, accuracy, reliability, and enough fire- plinkety melody guaranteed both to attract every kid in the neigh-
power to blow your opponents' doors off! The nap- borhood and cause any nearby adult to cough up money just to
shooter is the answer to the prayers of Div. 20 make the damned thing go away. The other thing I (and most
other city drivers) hate about ice cream trucks is that they're a
duellists who want that "lean, mean, fighting bona fide road hazard. If a kid ran out to the curbside and acci-
machine," not a cart full of Mister Professor's dentally dropped _some change in the street, those trucks'd liter-
dubious gadgets. Twin front-mounted Vulcans give ally stop on a dime. While I was a young EMT in training on the
you accuracy, firepower and plenty of ammo to chew city ambulance corps, I'd been riding shotgun with my instruc-
your opponents up. A third, turreted Vulcan, loaded tor. We were cruising along on the Belt Parkway service road
when this ice cream truck right in front of us came to a stop so
with high-density ammo, insures you can hit your short that we plowed right into the back of his truck, and I do
opponents at any angle. And when you bring your mean into the back of his truck. Hated them ever since.
targets into the front arc, the Electrofabrique Suisse I guess having that monstrosity latched onto my rear bumper
brand smart-link allows you to concentrate the fire- for six blocks was beginning to get on my nerves, and I checked
power of all three guns for a hail of ammunition that my mirror again. "Griz ... will you scope out the rear view?"
will shred the most heavily armored opponents. Get He looked into his side mirror, scowling. "Ain't it gone yet?
'em in front, and shoot 'em up, with Trapshooter! He gonna pass us or what?"
I shot another look in my side mirror. "I don't get it. Kneecap
Trapshooter - Mid-sized, x-hvy. chassis, hvy. suspension, large
PP, 4 puncture-resistant tires, driver, 2 linked Vulcan machine guns hasn't done anything cute like write 'Help, I'm being kidnapped'
front, turreted Vulcan machine gun loaded with HD ammo, 3 linked FC on the back windows, has he?"
dischargers (1 each R, L, B), SWC (turreted VMG), smart-link (turreted "With what?" Griz got up, walked back and looked at him
VMG to front VMGs), portable fire extinguisher. Armor: F40, R27, anyway. '' Sleeping like a baby, but otherwise fine.''
L27, B25, T20, U12, Accel. 5, top speed 92.5, HC 3; 5,743 lbs. (cargo Something in the mirror caught my eye, and I looked back to
capacity 17 lbs.), $19,316. see the impossible. There was a kid chasing the ice cream truck,

22 Autoduel tauarterly
waving a ten and cursing the driver at the top of his lungs. I saw shield. Those bikers were getting closer, too. A quick look in my
the driver flip the kid the bird, and that's when I knew. side mirror showed they'd been joined by a pickup full of heavily
I slammed the accelerator to the floor. The laws of physics armed punks.
dictated what happened next: bodies in motion tend to stay in "So, tell me Kneecap," I said calmly, easing the Puma out of
motion, and bodies at rest tend to stay at rest. Grizzly stayed at its holster. ''Who should I ask about why everyone is gunning for
rest relative to the rest of the Samaritan just a moment too long. us?"
His feet were yanked out from under him, and I heard a wheezy "I, I don't know what you're talking about."
grunt of expelled air as he fell on top of Kneecap. "What the "Oh, I think you do." I put my gun in my lap. "The drivers
hell .. . " of the Bombardier were chasing you. There'd be no reason for
''Ambush!'' I howled into the radio, and I flipped on the lights anyone to set me and Griz up. How powerful were these Italian
and sirens. uncles you crossed?"
"Ow." Kneecap said softly. "No, it couldn't've been them," Kneecap protested.
Grizzly staggered forward as I tried to lose the ice cream "They're strictly local!"
truck. I heard the staccato stutter of a machine gun. "You're sure?"
Grizzly punched the flaming oil jet again. This time, there was "Listen, if they were connected, would they have come after
no familiar fireball, and Griz swore and punched the dashboard me personally? With baseball bats?"
as he dropped into his station. "We're Samaritans, damn it! Why He was right, that didn't sound likely. I looked into the side
is everyone gunning for us this trip?" view. The cyclists had just drawn even with the ice cream truck.
"Don't ask me, I'mjust the driver!" . The super missile was pointed right at us. We couldn't go any
"Well, who else should I ask?" he asked, blazing away at the faster. There wasn't time to tum off the avenue. And there was
ice cream truck. nothing we could do to avoid getting hit.
I pulled a sharp left through an intersection, swore, and ''Hang on,'' I shouted, and I slammed on the brakes.
swerved right again. I almost missed the wire trash can on the
comer. It rebounded off the comer of my bumper and crashed "Lady? Lady, are you all right?" Someone was shaking my
through the front window of a bar. shoulder firmly, and someone gently slipped my crash helmet
Kneecap was standing at the back doors. ''Great driving, Mac- off. "Maybe we better send for another ambulance ... "
Laine! You know what kind of bar that was?'' I roused myself at that. Maybe I wasn't fit to drive, but I'd be
"Let me guess. The kind where they serve booze?" damned if I arrived at the emergency room without my Samari-
''Give you a clue. There are 30 guys getting on their cycles.'' tan. Somebody knew his stuff: my head was being held in line
"Oh. That kind of bar." with my spine. I ached all over, but my neck didn't hurt enough
"'Gale!" to signal any serious injury. I felt a pair of sure hands glide over
the back of my neck, feeling for any deformities.
"I don't think it's broken," I ventured shakily. "Where's my
partner?''
"Right here, 'Gale." Grizzly swam into view, smiling
grimly. His helmet was scuffed up and had a terrible crack in it,
but I could see he was all right. "Lucky I had this to break the
radio with instead of my pretty face, huh?"
''You were right, Griz. That was a stupid place to put a radio.''
Griz leaned over and checked me out. "Well, it looks like
your thick skull hasn't been hurt in the least. You can tum her
loose now, Fever. "
My eyes adjusted as a man dressed entirely in black leather
came around and grinned at me. ''Say, gorgeous, you ever wanna
put those driving skills to good use, why don't you dump the
extra tonnage and try two wheels?"
"I've grown accustomed to breathing," I answered. Motor-
cycle wrecks were the worst.
He laughed. "Be serious. The way you handle this monster,
you're a natural!" He hopped out from the side door and trotted
toward the back of our Samaritan.
I turned to Griz, and hugged him. I needed the support in more
ways than one. "What happened?"
He stroked my short blonde hair. "They never got the chance
I looked into my side mirror. Grizzly seldom panicked, and to fire the missile. They would've gotten a clear enough chance
when I got a look at what he'd already seen, my heart nearly to fire despite me, but their driver was a little hyper. He was
stopped. The plastic clown was tilting back, and I didn't like practically riding our bumper when you hit the brakes.''
what I saw mounted underneath it. There was no way we were "Where are they now?"
going to survive a hit from a supermissile. Not with our weak- "Fever's gang got 'em. They were pretty upset when you sent
ened rear armor. that trash can through the front window of their favorite bar, but
Grizzly was keeping the ice cream truck from getting a clear when they saw why, well, it was the cavalry to the rescue." He
shot by hammering away at their front armor and their wind- sighed, and held me away from him by the shoulders, his expres-

Winter2D41 23
sion turning serious. ''Nightingale, would you do me a favor? If of Diamondback's mechanics .. . until the mechanic saw the
I asked you real nice, I mean?" look in my eyes and stepped out of my line of fire. "And?"
"You got it, buddy, whatever you want," I said, brushing the ''In addition to his troubles with certain irate persons, his
hair out of his eyes tenderly. boss, Oddjob, really didn't want him to go ... "
"Don't ever do that again!" he growled, punctuating each "So we've been playing bumper tag all this time with
word with a shake. Oddjob's goons?" I asked.
"In case anyone's interested," Kneecap said faintly from "I'm afraid so." Diamondback smiled. "On the other hand,
under a pile of sterile dressings and rubber gloves, ''I'm fine.'' uh, I'll be glad to repair the damage to the Samaritan ... ''
"Hey. Thank God for rear armor, huh?" I pulled away from ''And move the damned radio,'' Grizzly rumbled.
Griz, opened the door, and more or less fell onto my feet. I'd '' And move the radio.'' Diamondback continued pleasantly.
limped barely six feet before a woman with purple hair and a "And install an anti-paint system," I added.
safety pin through her ear came over and handed me an ice cream Diamondback's face crumpled into a frown. ''Come on,
cone. "Have a cone on the house." 'Gale, be reasonable ... "
"You're kidding. It was a legit ice cream truck?" "Let me put it to you this way: Which do you think is worth
"When they weren't busy tryin' to knock folks off, yeah. more, installing it, or your life?"
Probably how they paid for their toys." Diamondback smiled nervously. "One anti-paint field gener-
I looked at the back of the Samaritan. Diamondback was going ator coming up. But that's all, 'Gale."
to be extremely glad to see us, or rather how much damage we'd "Hey, fine with me." I turned to Griz. "Tum him loose."
sustained, until he remembered that he'd promised Griz "all ex- Griz looked at me as ifl were insane, but shrugging,he did. I
penses paid.'' The ice cream truck was in a lot worse condition, turned and we started to walk away.
though, and as I looked at its roof I realized that the super missile
and its launcher were missing. I cocked an eyebrow at my compan-
ion, and she grinned wickedly. I decided I'd be happier not know-
ing. I looked at the dripping cone in my hand. ''Rocky Road?''
"Under the circumstances, it seemed kinda appropriate."
"Huh. You have no idea."

We drove straight to Diamondback's garage, honking the horn

about 50 feet from the door. "He'd better damned well open that
door, Griz, or I swear I'll drive right through it."
"Take it easy, 'Gale. I know it sounds strange, but it might
not be his fault we got into all those scrapes," Griz said.
"Do you really believe that?"
"No. But one of us has to be reasonable."
The door to the garage lifted slowly, and as our headlights
swept into it, we could see that there was a party going full swing
in there. My blood pressure crept up another few notches as I
pulled into the bay and shut the engine off. "Before we all get
out, are you sure there's nothing I should know, Kneecap?"
I heard the sliding side door slam shut.
"That's about what I thought.'.' I opened my door and jumped
down. Grizzly was about three moves ahead of me. He'd already
gotten out of the van, grabbed Diamondback, and was holding
him against the wall by his throat.
"'Gale! Grizzly! Are you a sight for sore ... "
"Can it!" I snapped. "You set us up! You always set us up!" Diamondback never realized what was coming. If he did, he
"I do not always set you up. Remember Canarsie? I told you had the good grace to walk right into what he had coming to him.
I'd take care of it, but you were dead set on finding Boom-Boom I whirled around and punched him as hard as I could right in the
yourself. I merely stepped in when it seemed judicious to do so.'' solar plexus. I knew, both from my course work and hard expe-
''You took advantage of the situation!'' Grizzly snarled. rience, that a well-placed punch at this nerve juncture was no
"I never said I didn't." Diamondback said defensively. picnic. He fell to his knees, wheezing, and looked up at me with
"You also never said you didn't set us up this time. What was surprised puppy-dog eyes. It didn't work this time. I was too mad
it? Contraband in the universal? New designs in a secret compart- at him to care. A gasp went up among his techs and guests, and
ment in the ramp late?'' the party came to a grinding halt.
"'Gale, dear, I never lied about what you were carrying." "Don't you ever let me catch you using us again, you son of a
"You never told me who I was carrying!" bitch!'' I snarled, not caring who or how many were staring at us.
He smiled nervously. "May I finish, please?" Your good Then, with as much dignity as we could muster, Griz and I
friend, Kneecap there, whom incidentally we all know you'd stalked out.
never have agreed to take, may be a lousy thug and a worse It didn't occur to me until nearly a month later - when Griz,
gunner. He is, however, a superb designer." our gleaming new Samaritan and I were safely back in Brooklyn
I whirled and looked at Kneecap. He was standing behind one - that all I'd really done was tell Diamondback not to get caught.

24 Autoduel Ciuarterly
 Mercer County, NJ
By Alex Rhodes

The new governor is Mason Ford, who makes little effort to

conceal his status as a puppet of the corporations. Over the last
few years, incidents of road duelling have increased. Ford insists
that this is not a result of cutting off state funds to EDSEL/NJ,
but popular sentiment disagrees.
Mercer County is home to the capital of New Jersey, Trenton.
Trenton was hit badly by the Food Riots, and is now mostly in Points of Interest
shambles. While the Government offices remain in town, most 1. Municipal Center. This is where the governmental offices
government employees and elected officials live in Princetown or for the state of New Jersey are located. It was all but destroyed in
another nearby community and commute by subway. Most of the the Food Riots, and had to be rebuilt. The headquarters for most
permanent population of Trenton is squatters and dregs, though of the major corporations that operate in New Jersey are also
some tenements survive, controlled by the big corporations that located in this area.
run most of the state.
Mercer County has the only significant tourism in the whole 2. Trenton Death Sport Stadium. The "stadium" is actually
state, due mostly to the New Jersey Turnpike, which runs an old tenement neighborhood surrounded by concrete walls.
through the county. The greatest driving hazard on the turnpike There is no live audience - spectators watch only on video, on a
is craters and debris from EDSEL/NJ attacks on duelling motor- pay-per-view basis. Though ostensibly a government-funded
ists. public resource, it is generally known that the stadium is actually
a corporate front. Many events are run here. The most common
History are automotive street duels, but private wars between rival street
Early in the 20th century, most of Mercer County was farm- gangs are among the biggest attractions. Although Trenton is
land. In time, the land became steadily more developed. By the vigorously campaigning for the AADA to sanction the stadium,
1980s Mercer County was beginning to get overcrowded. Farm- their petitions have so far been denied, both because of unsafe
ers, who found it harder and harder to make a profit, sold their arena conditions and in protest over the Johnson assassination.
land to housing developers at windfall prices. Housing develop-
ments grew like wildfire, the houses snatched up by yuppies and
businessmen. By the tum of the century almost all of the farmland
had disappeared. 5 miles
The highway system did not keep pace with the changes in
population that occurred during the last half of the 20th century.
The existing roads were not designed to take the new levels of 9
traffic. Many towns unexpectedly became major thoroughfares. 11
New roads were built to handle the traffic. When autoduelling 11 11
became popular, it was promptly declared illegal on most roads, 11
but the ban did not last long, due to the difficulty in enforcing the 11
law in such traffic. Not even EDSEL/NJ could keep the incidents
down. Traffic jams became more and more common as more and
more wreckage and debris piled up. The dangers of driving and
the incredible volume of traffic led to a spontaneous increase in
car-pooling, which actually decreased the traffic dramatically.
Government employees commuting to Trenton formed coopera-
tives to buy themselves mini-busses to transport them to work.
This experiment proved remarkably successful, and soon the cor-
porations were offering their employees incentives to carpool,
including the use of new-model corporate vehicles. Overall traf-
fic volume decreased by more than 50 %.
In recent history, until 2039 the governor of New Jersey was
Mark Johnson, a popular and charismatic leader, who actually
managed to win the active support of both EDSEL/NJ and the
state's autoduelling community with his radical populist/anti-
corporate message. However, Johnson was slain by a still-un- 3. Princeton. Princeton is perhaps the safest place in all of
known assassin, shortly after it was revealed that he was secretly New Jersey. It is surrounded by protective walls, and patrolled
channeling state funds to EDSEL/NJ to support EDSEL's anti- regularly by helicopters and patrol cruisers. The walls were paid
corporate policies. A formal investigation of the assassination is for by donations from the residents, Princeton University and the
still underway, but many independent observers see little chance state government.
of the true culprits ever coming to light. Johnson's death marked Princeton has much to see. The Governor's Mansion is located
a major blow to EDSEL/NJ. here, and there is a subway leading from it to the Municipal

Winter2D41 25
Buildings in Trenton. Princeton University is alive and well, 6. Hightstown Iron Works. Located just off the Route 33 exit
although enrollment is limited and tuition is very, very expensive of Route 130 lies the HIW. A registered Uncle Albert's dealer, it
(currently at least $50,000 a year). Points of interest inside the specializes in helicopters and metal armor. Metal armor is readily
walls include PU's campus and Nassau street, which houses available, and can be seen on many cars in the vicinity. HIW is
countless businesses, including Thomas' Sweets, the best ice the exclusive dealer to EDSEL/NJ.
cream parlor in New Jersey.
Vehicles are strictly prohibited within the city limits. How- 7. Hightstown. This is the center of Windsor-Rights. Local
ever, trucks are allowed in to make deliveries to the local mer- residents vehemently insist that it be called Hightstown, which
chants. Others must leave their vehicles outside the walls, in was the original name before it officially merged with East Wind-
well-armored garages protected by the Princeton Police Force. sor in the early 21st century. For reasons that remain inscrutable
Anyone caught trying to steal, break into or tamper with anyone to outsiders, it is considered an insult to ask a Hightstownian, or
else's vehicle will, in addition to risking bodily harm and crimi- any native of New Jersey for that matter, what exit he or she lives
nal charges, have his own vehicle confiscated and impounded. on. Such a question will be met with return fire, no questions
The PPF is a shining star among New Jersey's local police de- asked.
partments. They can rarely be bribed. Most of the outlying area is wasteland, destroyed in the food
riots. In the last few years, a few farms have begun to struggle
4. The Route 1 Corridor. Also known as the Highway to Hell. back to life.
This is the heart of the New Jersey business community. This Hightstown High School is also in this area, and is protected
district is one of the corporate espionage capitols of the world. by walls and machine gun nests. School buses are escorted by
Duelling can be nasty in the corridor. In addition to frequent private security forces, as well as the HADDOCK (see below), as
EDSEL/NJ chopper patrols, corporate mercenary ambushes, de- the local police are corrupt.
signed to target key personnel traveling to work, are also a fre-
quent hazard. Finally, the affluent commuters that frequent the 8. Pa's Saltshaker Truckstop. Located just off the New Jersey
Corridor can afford the very best in highway armament. The Turnpike (Exit 8), this establishment should be avoided at all
cooperatively-purchased car-pool minibuses are particularly well costs. The food is terrible and overpriced, the place is filthy and
defended, and should not be provoked. the management is corrupt. Though there is no hard evidence,
Corporate mercenaries have been known to imitate EDSEL/ local rumor has the truckstop as the front to some sort of illicit
NJ patrols. If you have reason to suspect such an impersonation, operation, simply because that seems the only possible explana-
the AADA recommends that you report it to EDSEL/NJ immedi- tion for its continued existence.
ately. Duellists who have accurately reported such incidents
have, in the past, been identified to EDSEL/NJ patrols with in-
9. Hopewell Torie Waste Dump. One of the worst of the
structions to "look the other way."
myriad dumps in the state. The entire area should be avoided, as
Police in the corridor are completely controlled by the corpora-
safety regulations are none too strictly enforced. Leaky drums
tions. Police are extremely stem with out-of-towners, as they are
from the dump have been reported floating in the Delaware
under orders to consider every stranger a potential corporate spy.
River.

10. Washington Crossing StaJe Park. This is New Jersey's

only real tourist attraction. Many Cultural events are held here,
including drama, music and dance. However, scenery is mini-
mal, and the park service personnel are known for their un-
friendly attitudes. Nearby are several shops in the "safe" (i.e.,
furthest from the dump) part of Hopewell, where almost anything
under the sun having to do with crafts or hobbies is available.

11. Fortress Developments. These housing enclaves represent

the evolution of the housing developments of the late 20th cen-
tury. The houses and condominiums inside the developments are
themselves very expensive, and in addition each resident pays a
large monthly fee, for hired guards and maintenance of the sur-
rounding walls. Development houses are highly coveted, and sell
for enormous amounts of money. Duelling is illegal within the
walls, and this rule is rigorously enforced by development secu-
rity. Fortress developments can be found all over Mercer
County.
5. Mercer County Community Park. The park is indifferently
maintained. Though echoes of its former beauty remain, it is now Organiztllions
choked with trash and overgrown with weeds. A haven for small- There are several autoduelling groups in the area, the most
time gangs and drug dealers, it is presently completely unsuitable militant of which is The Hightstown Autoduellists Disgusted
for most recreational purposes. However, several impromptu off- with Oppression, Corporations, and Kickbacks (HADDOCK).
road duels occur here each week. Several corporations are report- They can be identified by the fish logo appearing on the hoods of
edly considering plans to take advantage of this. their vehicles. They are not yet officially affiliated with the

26 Autoduel Guarterly
AADA. They have been known to work with EDSEL/NJ against The standard model deployed by EDSEL/NJ is the Enforcer.
corporations flying EDSEL colors for their own purposes. Enforcer Mk I: Standard copter, super copter plant, pilot,
A new group in the area is the Autoduellists Who Hate Incred- gunner; 2 4 space EWPs with VFRP (AP ammo) and MML
ibly Long Acronyms Like This One (ADWHILALTO). As their (Incendiary ammo) in each (forward) with ejection systems
name says, they are a sarcastic bunch, nominally dedicated to the (linked) and 10 points plastic armor each; CD (back); HDSS
elimination of organizations with overly-long and contrived acro- (back); ITL (front) linked to VFRPs and MMLs; OG (bottom); 3
nyms. They have an ongoing rivalry with HADDOCK for this space bomb rack with 3 CBs (bottom); IFE; laser guidance for all
reason. They are known to be rabid fans of the classic comedy 80 rockets to ITL; radar; radar jammer; radar detector (linked to
troupe "Monty Python's Flying Circus," and their CB conversa- chaff dispenser); infrared T&D; LDR; 2 HRTCs (driver, gun-
tions are smattered with quotations from their shows and movies. ner); 2 ejection seats; computer gunner; 2 pairs of maneuver foils
In general, they are more humorous than they are dangerous. with jettison option (each pair linked); CACR; fiber optic web
Nonetheless, the group contains several skilled duellists, and (covers back armor, EWPs, and both rotors), 5 photocells (links
they should not be provoked lightly. above webs to HDSS); links: both VFRPs, both MMLs, ejection
The only other autoduellist association of note is the Princeton seats and rotor jettison system; Rotor armor: 10 points each
University Pro-duelling Squad (PUPS), which is made up of rotor. $156,250, 19,945 lbs., accel. 5, maximum speed of 240
students attending PU who have also won an AADA sanctioned mph. Metal Armor F20, 120, R20, U30, B21, T18. HC 3. Ejec-
event. tion seats work as they do in the Firebrand.
Workers for the corporations usually travel to and from work
in packs of commuter minibuses. Rush hour should be avoided, The Mark II improves upon the Mark I by converting the pod
as the workers can be testy after a day at the office. armor to fireproof, adding fireproof armor to the maneuver foils,
and changing the metal armor to a metal/FP plastic composite.
Enforcer Mk II: Standard copter, super copter plant, pilot,
gunner; 2 4-space EWPs with VFRP (AP ammo) and MML
(Incendiary ammo) in each (forward) with ejection systems
(linked) and 10 points FP plastic armor each; CD (back); HDSS
(back); ITL (front) linked to VFRPs and MMLs; OG (bottom); 3
'--0 space bomb rack with 3 CBs (bottom); IFE; laser guidance for all
)(~ 80 rockets to ITL; radar; radar jammer; radar detector (linked to
chaff dispenser); infrared T&D; LDR; 2 HRTCs (driver, gun-
>£;-
·-:f<-
ner); 2 ejection seats; computer gunner; 2 pairs of maneuver foils
with jettison option (each pair linked) and 8 pts FP plastic armor
each; CACR; fiber optic web (covers back armor, EWPs, and
both rotors), 5 photocells (links above webs to HDSS); links:
both VFRPs, both MMLs, ejection seats and rotor jettison sys-
tem; Rotor armor: 10 points each rotor. $164,035, 19,995 lbs.,
accel. 5, maximum speed of 240 mph. LR Metal/FP Plastic
Fl9/17, Ll8/16, R18/16, U19/18, BlS/16, T18/16. HC 3.

The Mark III is the latest model in the Enforcer Series. It takes
EDSEUNJ advantage of new technology, and marks a change in design phi-
The headquarters of EDSEL/NJ is located somewhere in Mer- losophy, with some items being replaced by cheaper alternatives,
cer County, but State Commander Barbara Hampshire constantly and others being removed altogether. The result is a deadlier,
moves the base to keep herself safe from corporations, au- more efficient, and menacing helicopter.
toduellists, and (it is rumored) certain higher echelons of EDSEL. Enforcer Mk III: Standard copter, super copter plant with
She maintains 73 squadrons of three helicopters each, with six platinum catalysts, pilot, gunner; 2 4-space EWPs with VFRP
squadrons normally patrolling Mercer County. The squadron (AP ammo) and MML (Incendiary ammo) in each (forward) with
leaders are hand-picked by Hampshire. Their favorite haunts are ejection systems (linked) and FP 10 points plastic armor each;
the Route 1 corridor and the NJ Turnpike. MML (back, with smoke stream loads); ITL (front) linked to
EDSEL/NJ's helicopters are much deadlier than other EDSEL VFRPs and MMLs; OG (bottom, with 3 magazines with regular,
chapters'. However, Johnson's assassination and the end of flaming, and ice ammo with a magazine switch); IFE; laser guid-
EDSEL's financial support could not have happened at a worse ance for all 80 rockets to ITL; radar; radar jammer; radar detector
time. Hampshire had just started revamping her chopper force to infrared T&D; LDR; HRTC (gunner); HRSWC (pilot to ITL); 2
compete with the increased deadliness and survivability of road safety ejection seats; 2 pairs of maneuver foils with jettison op-
vehicles. She had just started receiving shipment on the new HIW tion (each pair linked) and 10 pts FP plastic armor each; im-
Enforcer Mk III. She only received 50 before the money ran out. proved tail assembly; 2 extra main and 2 extra stabilizing blades;
As a result, only the best squadron leaders fly the new Enforcers. retractable landing gear; fiber optic web (covers back armor,
In addition, Hampshire has been forced to reactivate her mothball EWPs, and both rotors); links: both VFRPs, both MMLs, ejec-
fleet of Enforcer Mk Is. She may have to divert funds from tion seats and rotor jettison system; Rotor armor: 10 points FP
counter-espionage operations against the corporations in order to each rotor. $167,870, 20,993 lbs., accel. 5, maximum speed of
buy desperately-needed new helicopters. As noted above, they 210 mph. LR Metal/FP Plastic F20/22, 120/21, R20/21,
are purchased from Hightstown Iron Works. U22/23, B20/20, T18/20. HC 3.

Winter2041 27
 The Cloverleaf Arena, Dearborn, Ml
By M.J. Daniels

Gate 11 -... Gate 10

I I I I
,~ ,.
Gate 12'
~ llli.. I I II '-.
'Ill ~G;te9
"II
~ i~
~,, "" . ~ ... "
~ ~ ~ ~

... ---... _-- -- -- --... ....

. ...
~
Gate 1~ ..
. ~~Gate 8
.... ,,
~ ... ~
~
~
...
Gate2~ """ Gate 7
~,,
,, ~ ...
, ___ -- --- -- -- ---- "II

~ ~

--- ,
I l

' ' ~
i,-

. ,,,
~
,.. ~ ...,

r. ,, "
~
/~ ~ 1' ...
Gate 6
Gfte .1 ~~ I ~
' I I
I
Gate4- ~ate 15
Scale: 1 square =2 x 2 Car Wars squares
I I

The Ford Road-Southfield freeway exchange has always been 11'7". It is 3'4" of concrete and steel, and thus indestructible.
dangerous. The collapse of law and order in Michigan made the The dotted lines indicate the edge of the overpass.
cloverleaf a deadly one. The locals often came by to collect any
salvageable materials that were left behind, and watched the mo- Events
torists battle for the right of way. Standard duelling events are held here, as well as races. The
Entrepreneurs B.P. Hammer and Ted Downs bought the land typical crowd seems to favor duellists who travel at high speeds.
surrounding the cloverleaf, and claimed the roads. They widened Because of this, dropped weapons are not allowed in about 50 %
the on and off ramps, and removed the walls separating the traffic of the events. A favorite event here is the "Cloverleaf Charm";
lanes, thus enabling head-on collisions with daydreaming driv- a duel where high speeds are usually attained. Points in the charm
ers. Spectator seats were built around the cloverleaf, and conces- are received as follows: 2 points for a mobility kill, 3 for a
sions are sold to hungry fans. Every Saturday, from 1:00-6:00 firepower kill, and 6 for circling all four infields. 2 or 3 points
PM Ford and Southfield roads are blocked off (alternate routes are lost for being killed in mobility or firepower, respectively.
are available) and scheduled duels are held on ''The Cloverleaf.'' The winner is the first to score (1.25 xnumber of contenders) +6
points or more.
Arena Notes
All of the walls are 5 feet high and are 45 DP. The gates are Arena Tactics
made of the same materials, and require a forklift to open and When allowed, use dropped weapons. Despite the banked
close. Because of this, gates are opened only as necessary, and are turns, HC drops quickly and the extra maneuvers could easily
not closed until the event is over. The curves are banked at a D 1, spell death at high speeds. Spoilers, airdams, and heavy-duty
and there is no guard rail on the bridge. The bridge clearance is shocks are also popular and wise.

2B Autoduel Ciuarterly
 The Card Game
At last, a Car Wars game everyone can enjoy.
Sure, Car Wars is
the most fun you can
have with four wheels
and some serious light
artillery, but let's face
it, not everyone gets
into rules-laden adven-
ture games, and even
the most die-hard
gamer needs a break
sometimes from
charts, tables and dice.
Car Wars, The Card
Game packs all the
excitement of autoduel-
ling into a fast, fun
game everybody can
play. Fire at your oppo-
nents with machine
guns, missiles, auto-
cannon and flame-
throwers. Skid out of
the way of your
enemy's shots or block
them with your armor.
Blow your foes away to
become an ace and
win the game!

STEVE JACKSON GAMES

Wlnter2D41 29
 Well, first I would like to say that !just I must respond to Robert Dies' letter in weapons is always nice. Turreting them is
picked up the new format ADQ (912 - I ADQ 9/3 about the "unstoppable" ram- even better. And, if you are doing a one-
have been out of it for awhile). I do have plate vehicles. On the contrary, they are shot combat, I find that you should have
mixed feelings about it, but all in all I quite stoppable, if you know what to do. two gunner skills for every driver skill
think that the magazine is good. First, let's assume you have an aimed you have. That is, a 30-point character
I think that this is a reply to Rich Pizor weapon. This is not the best thing to have should be driver/gunner + 1.
of Cupertino, CA. I would like to say ... against a ram-car (see below), but it will And finally, here's a devious sugges-
You're right. So, in keeping with the do. Mr. Dies claims that these vehicles, tion: if you feel that you probably will
spirit: zipping around at 100 MPH, have a -6 to face a ram-car, and you've got the money,
To all those Northern Duellists (Cana- hit due to speed. Well, that's true, but don't build a car; build a truck. Anything
dian): Route 417 is heavily guarded on only for certain bad positions of you vs. over 8,000 lbs. delivers twice the damage
both ends, as two rival gangs vie for con- him. More often, the speed modifier is rolled in a collision, without a ramplate.
trol of the toads. The back route, #7 into (1,,2 target speed), or 50 mph, which is just - Douglas Kelly
the city, works well as long as you can get -3. In certain good positions, the speed Chatsworth, CA
off before the city and take a minor road modifier can be even less. Furthermore,
in and if you can shake off a hit from a don't forget your sustained fire bonus,
cycle gang. The cycle gangs are weak and your gunner bonus and your computer
dispersed. With road salvage as high as it bonus to hit. Those tires begin to get eas-
is, they'd rather go for the easy kill any- ier to hit.
way . However, as I said before, that's not
To the Brotherhood: Highway 401 To- the best way. Instead, use the area-affect
ronto to Montreal jams up in Cornwall. weapons. There are two classes: oil and
The county mounties are on the rampage ice make it tough for your opponent to
again. Definitely a place to avoid if your maneuver to get you. The other group has
paperwork isn't all up to date or you have flaming oil, junk droppers, flame clouds,
an outstanding speeding ticket. mine droppers (napalm and TDX are You're right, Doug, that good tactics
Travel Advice: I want to take a vaca- best), and explosive spikes - all designed and a carefully-designed vehicle can still
tion, and cannot seem to decide where to to hurt his tires. Of course, the HD ver- beat a ramcar. But after talking it over
go. It is a toss-up between England and sions, where available, are even deadlier. among ourselves, and with some of our
Australia. Can anyone tell me what the He's got a fireproof car, you say? Did he best playtesters, we've decided that Rob-
duelling is like there? ~ remember to make his tires fireproof? ert has a point - the game seems to be
The annual arena duel held at our The car may not catch fire, but the tires polarizing into dedicated ramcars and
nation's capitol was indeed spectacular. will bum (see the "Fire and Explosion" dedicated anti-ramcars, which is not
Our own Prime Minister attended the rules)! what we want it to be.
event. I heard that some other foreign dig- Finally, a good anti-ramcar starts be- Consequently, we're going to be mak-
nitaries also attended. It was all made pos- fore the race. Have a high-RC vehicle ing some major alterations in the current
sible with a grant from the city. yourself. I feel this is good regardless of ramp late rules. We 're still working on the
- Keith A. Tapp whether you're facing a ramcar or not. details. Look for them in ADQ 10/1.
Weston, Ontario, CANADA Likewise, a computer for your aimed -CWM

30 Autoduel tauarterly
 1. If passengers can fire hand weapons 6. Does the laser battery take damage cause a vehicle to explode if it takes dam-
and be totally protected by armor, why separately from the PP, or does it add its age from fire.
would anyone ever want a sunroof? DP to the PP's? -KS
2. Are fake weapons really fake weap- 7. A convertible hardtop is limited to
ons, or just fake weapon ports? 20 points plastic. Does this mean it can't 1. Why are there no jeeps, minivans or
3. Is using a portable fire extinguisher have metal armor? AFVs?
a firing action? 8. With composite armor, can a given 2. Can you put an ejection seat on a
4. It seems like two portable fire extin- facing have any number of points of plas- cycle? Why not a safety seat?
guishers have a better chance of putting tic under any number of points of metal, 3. Do metal tires still exist?
out the fire than a regular fire extin- or does there have to be an equal number 4. Can you slope EWPs or car-top car-
guisher, for the same price and less of points on each facing? riers?
weight. Is this so? 9. Are spoilers and airdams made of 5. Why can't you just bolt a weapon
5. Can you link multiple foam gre- plastic? Can they still be mounted on a onto your hood, a rocket platform or an
nades, to be sprung in the event of a ve- vehicle with metal armor, paying the reg- EWP?
hicular fire? ular plastic price? When are they de- 6. Are AP incendiary rockets legal?
6. Can extra magazines for internal stroyed? 7. What effects does sawing off a shot-
weapons be put into external weapon 10. Can a gas mask or LIG which has gun have?
pods? been covered with paint be cleaned later, 8. Can you fire hand weapons from a
7. If you put a dropped weapon on preventing the wearer's having to buy a cupola?
"blackout," and then lose control with new one? 9. Why is the super rocket so incredi-
the result, "No further automatic fire this 11. If I had a VMG in a 3-space turret, bly devastating for its size and weight?
tum,'' does this mean the dropped weap- and an extra magazine in the car's body, 10. How do you create two- and three-
ons do not fire? and I wanted to put CA over it, how much trailer rigs for tractors?
- Matt Glidden space is taken by the CA, and where is it 11. Can you land a helicopter on a flat-
Bellevue, WA put? bed?
12. Can you have FP, LR, metal and 12. Can truck and car trailers use no-
1. A. To use pintle mounts. B. To fire composite component armor? Does FP paint tinted windshields?
straight up. C. To catch some rays. CA confer any of the benefits of flame-re- - Robert Brown
2. They're ports. At the start of the tardant insulators? N. Whitefield, ME
duel afaJce weapon is called as "a large- -Andy White
boreweaponforward" (forexample), not 1. AFVs are in Car Wars Tanks.
as "an autocannonforward." J. Yes and yes. There's no particular reason for no jeeps
3. Yes. 2. Same as the cost to repair 5 points or minivans - they're just not official
4. No. Multiple portable fire extin- ofplastic or LR plastic. right now.
guishers cannot be used cwnulatively - 3. Automotive turrets taJce no time to 2. Yes. There is no way to adequately
you still only get one die roll. rotate. Large Tank turrets do, but there restrain a cyclist.
5. No. You cannot link ped weapons. are rules for that in Car Wars Tanks. 3. No, they've been replaced by plas-
6. Absolutely not. 4. Yes. ticore.
[Link]. [Link]. [Link].
-KS 6. It adds its DP to the PP's. 5. There are no provisions for that in
7. A convertible hardtop can have the rules - the state of the art is so far
1. Can hand weapons which do only metal armor, provided the weight of all beyond this point that any duellist who
half damage to vehicles remove 1 point of armor does not exceed the weight of the showed up with such a kludged weapon
metal armor if they roll a 6? How about 20 points ofplastic. So it can have up to 4 system would be laughed off the road.
weapons like the light FT, which does ld- points of metal armor. There will be rules for makeshifts like this
2 damage? 8. Any number ofpoints. in Chassis and Crossbow.
2. How much does it cost to repair one 9. Yes. Yes. When that side takes 30 [Link].
point of metal armor? LR metal? points of cwnulative damage. 7. It just makes the weapon shorter and
3. Does it take any time or firing ac- JO. Yes. easier to conceal.
tions to rotate a turret from one firing arc 11. You havie to buy 3-space component 8. Yes.
to another? armor, and the 1 space for the C4 is taken 9. Sorry, that's a military secret.
4. If a volatile weapon is mounted out- inside the tu"et. So your design is legal. JO. Use trailer hitches.
side the vehicle (e.g., in an EWP or 12. Yes. The weight cannot exceed the 11. Yes (assuming the flatbed is sta-
rocket platform), can it still cause the ve- weight of JO points of normal plastic. No, tionary; if it's moving, there'll be sub-
hicle to explode? but if a vehicle catches fire, the compo- stantial penalties, to be detennined by the
5. Do armored hubs or wheelguards nent armor (fireproof or not) will taJce referee).
protect the tires of a car that triggers damage be/ore the component protected 12. Sure.
mines? does - and a volatile weapon will only -KS

Winter2D41 31
 Ai>O CLASSii=ii:i>
FELLOW GAMERS: I'm Selling all Wars and more. Write: SJSGS, 1234 Ca- ATTENTION D/FW & Mid-Cities
of my Car Wars books, including Car nary LN, San Jose, CA 95117. duellists. I am looking to form a Mid-Cit-
Wars Deluxe Edition expansion sets. All ies AADA chapter. I have three members
are in near-mint condition. For more in- DEUTSCHLAND: Ich suche already. I just need two more accom-
formation, send an SASE to: Tim Hooke, duellisten in ganz Deutschland, die bereit plished duellists to flesh out our club. For
6717 Wartburg Circle, Mequon, WI sind, neue chapter zu griinden. Contact more info contact Rollin Kearley at 700
53092. GBAH, c/o Thorsten Haude, Hildeshei- Polk St. #204, Arlington, TX 76011, or
mer Str. 52, 3014 Laatzen, 0511/82 28 call Metro (817) 261-3402.
TACTICAL OVERLAND PATROL 19.
of Gunther's Grenadier Unit Now Strik- WANTED: ISSUES 2/4 to 6/3, pref-
ing Strategically (TOP GUNS) is looking LOOKING FOR FELLOW duellists erably in good condition. Willing to bar-
for duellists, armored vehicle crews and in upper Westchester, NY or Western gain with prices. Would like to deal
flotilla personnel in the University of Farfield, CT to play and/or form a club. locally. Write to Glen Hattrup, 9816 W:
Florida and SFCC area. Contact Gunther Several ADQs for sale (very few copies): 101st, O.P., KS 66212.
"Swashbuckler" Bellows, Route 2, Box 3/3, 5/3 and up. Old grenadier Car Wars
157, Micanopy, FL 32667. (904) 466- miniatures available, as well as Convoy, CONTRA COST A COUNTY area
0117. Truck Stop, Crash City. Send for info or duellists wanted! We are putting together
make an offer. Scott Lehman, 399 Cross a local chapter of the AADA and need
WANTED: DUELLING CLUBS Pond Road, Pound Ridge, NY 10576. more members! So if you want to duel
which are now recruiting new members, with us, then give the president, Hank
or duellists looking to form a duelling HARTFORD AREA DUELLISTS
UNITE! Looking for a burning wreck (or Stalica, a call at our main office, 827-396.
club in the Toronto area. Scarb., North Join the California Highway Organiza-
York, Etobicoke, York, Woodbridge, want to be one)? Join the official chapter
tion for Killing Everyone today!
Thornhill, Vaughn area also OK. Cri- of the top three finishers at the '41
teria: Understanding of the rules and sub- Worlds: GHOST. Contact GHOST c/o
Brian Morrison, 57 Pheasant Hill Dr., WAS IT SOMETHING I SAID? Look-
scription to ADQ. I hate rules conflicts. ing for a few good duellists (but I'll take
Age not a must, maturity a factor. Please West Hartford, CT 06107; send e-mail on
Illuminati to Doctor Z #232; or call the the other kind too) to start a chapter in the
send SASE to: KAT, 22 Tampa Terrace, Troy area. John Hollenbeck, send me your
Weston, Ontario, CANADA M9M 1T9. home of GHOST, the Cutting Edge BBS
(203) 233-8993 (300/1200/2400 N-8-1) number! High-school age preferred.
and send Feedback. Write, phone or fax: Timothy Bruce, 230
ATTENTION DUELLISTS in the Canton St., Troy, PA 16947. Phone:
Pottsville and Kutztown areas; I'm look- (717) 297-2022, Fax: (717) 297-5080.
ing to form a chapter. Write to: Roger L. WANTED: ANY DUELLISTS in the
Harris, Jr., R.D. #2 Box 1274, Schuylkill Anaheim, Fullerton or Buena Park area.
Write to Alexander Lau, 214 W. Sirius,
Haven, PA 17972. P.S.: Jaguar . . .
where are you? Anaheim, CA 92802. Or call (714) 971-
Conventions
9855. Any age welcome. JANCON II. January 17-19, 1992.
GEEEZE! ARE YOU ALL DEAD? "Let's Do the Time Warp Again." At the
Oregon duellists in the Grant's Pass/Cave GREETINGS FROM GEORGIA! I'm Quality Inn, New Haven, CT. Send an
Junction area band together. Dusty pretty new at Car Wars, and I'm looking SASE to Jancon II, c/o Timewarpers, PO
"Mud" DiFuria, 128 Hogue Dr., Selma, for correspondents to trade advice, cars . Box 55552, Bridgeport, CT 06610. Or
OR 97538. and other material through the mail. call (203) 371-4330.
Write to: James Tanis, 3426 Starwood
WANTED: DUELLISTS IN SCOT- Trail, Lilburn, GA 30247. DunDraCon XVI, Feb. 14-17, 1992.
LAND to form an autoduelling club or Now in a new. larger hotel, the San
AADA chapter. Anyone is welcome. TRAACS IS BACK! Any and all au-
Ramon Marriott, 2600 Bishop Dr., San
Contact Steven Johnston at 4 Balmanno toduellists in the Colorado Springs or
Ramon, CA 94583 (mention DunDraCon
Gardens, Bridge of Earn, Perth. Or tele- Denver areas, The Regional Autoduelling
for special room rates). Over 120 spon-
phone 812771. Association of Colorado Springs wants
sored RPG events. $25 until Feb. 1, $30
you! Branches to begin in both areas.
at the door. $15 for one day. Write Dun-
VERY GOOD CONDITION copies of Contact Robert Deis, 2680 Fairway Dr.,
DraCon, 386 Alcatraz Avenue, Oakland,
Autoduel Quarterly 1/1 and 1/2. Only one Colorado Springs, CO, 80909. Phone
CA 94618.
copy of each available. Serious offers by (719) 578-9728.
post to: Joel Brandon, The Old Farm "ADQ Classified" is offered free as a ser-
House, Barton-in-Fabis, Nottingham, THE GREAT ASP HUNT; now taking vice to ADQ readers. No11-commercial, Car
ENGLAND NGII OAL. place across the USA! Bounty of $500 for Wars-relaJed messages 011/y, please (co11ve11-
each ASP agent killed, and $50,000 for tio11 a111iou11ceme11ts a11d sales ofperso,ral col-
SAN JOSE DUELLISTS: Call the San the Black ASP himself. Be on the lookout. lectio11s are OK). ADQ reserves the right to
Jose Strategic Gaming Society for Car - The Mongoose edit messages for space a11d co11te111.

32 Autoduel Guarterly
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