''Car Wars'' is a vehicle combat simulation game developed by
Steve Jackson Games. It was first published in
1980. Players control armed vehicles in a post-apocalyptic future.
Game play
In ''Car Wars'', players assume control of one or more cars or other powered vehicles, from
motorcycle
A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...
s to
semi trucks
A semi-trailer truck, also known as a semitruck, (or semi, eighteen-wheeler, big rig, tractor-trailer or, by synecdoche, a semitrailer) is the combination of a tractor unit and one or more semi-trailers to carry freight. A semi-trailer ...
.
Optional rules include piloting
helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attributes ...
s,
ultralight
Ultralight aviation (called microlight aviation in some countries) is the flying of lightweight, 1- or 2-seat fixed-wing aircraft. Some countries differentiate between weight-shift control and conventional three-axis control aircraft with aile ...
s,
balloon
A balloon is a flexible bag that can be inflated with a gas, such as helium, hydrogen, nitrous oxide, oxygen, and air. For special tasks, balloons can be filled with smoke, liquid water, granular media (e.g. sand, flour or rice), or light so ...
s,
boat
A boat is a watercraft of a large range of types and sizes, but generally smaller than a ship, which is distinguished by its larger size, shape, cargo or passenger capacity, or its ability to carry boats.
Small boats are typically found on inl ...
s,
submarines, and
tank
A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and good battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engi ...
s. The vehicles are typically outfitted with
weapon
A weapon, arm or armament is any implement or device that can be used to deter, threaten, inflict physical damage, harm, or kill. Weapons are used to increase the efficacy and efficiency of activities such as hunting, crime, law enforcement, ...
s (such as
missile
In military terminology, a missile is a guided airborne ranged weapon capable of self-propelled flight usually by a jet engine or rocket motor. Missiles are thus also called guided missiles or guided rockets (when a previously unguided rocke ...
s and
machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic, rifled autoloading firearm designed for sustained direct fire with rifle cartridges. Other automatic firearms such as automatic shotguns and automatic rifles (including assault rifles and battle rifles) ar ...
s),
souped-up components (like heavy-duty fire-proof wheels, and
nitro injectors), and defensive elements (
armor
Armour (British English) or armor (American English; see spelling differences) is a covering used to protect an object, individual, or vehicle from physical injury or damage, especially direct contact weapons or projectiles during combat, or f ...
plating and
radar
Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, we ...
tracking systems). Within any number of settings, the players then direct their vehicles in combat.
The published games use cardstock
counters to represent vehicles in a simulated battle upon printed battlemaps. While the game rules allow for any scale, most editions of the game were published to use a 1-inch = 15-feet scale (
1:180 scale), although the Fifth Edition switched to 1-inch = 5-feet (
1:60 scale). At this larger scale, players can use miniature toy vehicles such as
Hot Wheels or
Matchbox
Phillumeny (also known as phillumenism) is the hobby of collecting different match-related items: matchboxes, matchbox labels, matchbooks, matchcovers, matchsafes, etc.
Matchbox
A matchbox is a box made of cardboard or thin wood and designe ...
cars,
S gauge model railroading
Railway modelling (UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland) or model railroading (US and Canada) is a hobby in which rail transport systems are modelled at a reduced scale.
The scale models include locomotives, rolling stock, streetcars, t ...
scenery, or 28mm-30mm scale wargaming miniatures.
''Car Wars'' had many scenarios available and the system allowed players to make their own. Common scenarios include a harrowing gauntlet and competition in an arena to win a virtual cash prize with which to upgrade their cars. Many game sessions consist of players taking their cars through many successive arena-style scenarios, upgrading their cars between each round. At the height of the game's popularity, many
gaming conventions and gaming clubs sponsored ''Car Wars'' tournaments where finalist players could win real world prizes.
''Car Wars'' uses standard dice to determine the outcomes of weapon fire, damage and vehicle control during the game. It is played in turns, each turn representing one second of real time. Each turn was initially divided into ten phases (first edition) then five (revised edition) and in the last edition three. All action in ''Car Wars'' is simultaneous. Players do not roll for initiative as is common in other combat games, instead each phase a vehicle moves a distance determined by the vehicle's speed. Players may fire weapons on any phase as long as they have line-of-sight with a target of their choosing. As part of movement players may attempt turns and other maneuvers of increasing difficulty. The more maneuvers one attempts in a turn and the more difficult they are, the more likely it is that a player's car will skid or crash. After all phases of movement and combat are resolved, a new turn begins. Typically, a game is over after a few turns, which represents a combat of a few seconds, but because every action in the game must be resolved a typical game takes a few hours to play.
While the core of the original ''Car Wars'' was a boardgame, the supplements allowed it to be extended into a larger game with light role-playing elements.
Other expansions such as rule-additions,
mini-scenarios
and dual-statted products like ''
Autoduel Champions
''Autoduel Champions'' is a 1983 game supplement published by Hero Games for '' Car Wars'' and ''Champions''.
Contents
''Autoduel Champions'' adapts '' Car Wars'' to ''Champions''/''Espionage'', introduces the concept of superheroes to ''Car War ...
'' (for use with ''Car Wars'' or ''
Champions
A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, a ...
'')
published in game magazines expanded the game even further.
Publication history
''Car Wars'' was first published in a small ziplock-bag format in 1980,
and cited
Alan Dean Foster
Alan Dean Foster (born November 18, 1946) is an American writer of fantasy and science fiction. He has written several book series, more than 20 standalone novels, and many novelizations of film scripts.
Career ''Star Wars''
Foster was the ghost ...
's short story, "
Why Johnny Can't Speed", as a primary inspiration. (Later editions also cited
Harlan Ellison's short story "
Along the Scenic Route" and the movie
Death Race 2000
''Death Race 2000'' is a 1975 American science fiction action film
produced by Roger Corman, directed by Paul Bartel, and starring David Carradine. The film takes place in a dystopian American society in the year 2000, where the murderous Transco ...
.) The game won the
Charles S. Roberts Award (
Origins Award
The Origins Awards are American awards for outstanding work in the game industry. They are presented by the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design at the Origins Game Fair on an annual basis for the previous year, so (for example) the 1979 a ...
) for ''Best Science Fiction Boardgame of 1981''
and was named to the ''
Games'' magazine
Games 100 list in 1985.
As the game became more popular, there were a series of increasingly more expensive and elaborate editions.
''Car Wars'' also served as the inspiration for the 1985
video game
Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
''
Autoduel
''Autoduel'' is a 1985 role-playing video game published by Origin Systems for the Atari 8-bit family, Commodore 64, Apple II, Macintosh, and DOS. It was released in 1987 for the Atari ST and in 1988 for the Amiga. The game is based on the Steve ...
'', published by
Origin Systems
Origin Systems, Inc. was an American video game developer based in Austin, Texas. It was founded on March 3, 1983, by Richard Garriott and his brother Robert Garriott, Robert. Origin is best known for their groundbreaking work in multiple genres ...
.
Steve Jackson continues to express an interest in developing video games based on the ''Car Wars'' concept.
The game's popularity waned during the 1990s, and in response to slipping sales, Steve Jackson Games ceased support for ''Car Wars''. The last official ''Cars Wars'' material for the original game appeared in ''
Pyramid
A pyramid (from el, πυραμίς ') is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge to a single step at the top, making the shape roughly a pyramid in the geometric sense. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilat ...
'' magazine (an article introducing High Torque Motors, by Robert Deis).
Autoduel America, the setting for ''Car Wars'', was developed for
role-playing games (RPGs) using Steve Jackson Games' ''
GURPS
The ''Generic Universal RolePlaying System'', or ''GURPS'', is a tabletop role-playing game system designed to allow for play in any game setting. It was created by Steve Jackson Games and first published in 1986 at a time when most such systems ...
'' system (called ''
GURPS Autoduel
''GURPS Autoduel'' is the GURPS ''genre toolkit'' book which details the Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic science fiction, post-apocalyptic world of one of Steve Jackson Games, SJG's other popular games, ''Car Wars''. The initial publication was i ...
''). That ''GURPS'' worldbook has seen two editions. A series of expansions for both the ''GURPS'' version and boardgame, ''
The AADA Road Atlas and Survival Guide
''The AADA Road Atlas and Survival Guide'' was a series of supplements for ''GURPS'' and ''Car Wars'' published between 1987 and 1989 by Steve Jackson Games.
Contents
Seven different ''AADA Road Atlases'' were published for ''GURPS Autoduel'' an ...
'', were published in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
In 2002, Steve Jackson Games released an entirely new version of ''Car Wars''. Redesigned for a new audience, it was called version 5.0.
The new game's unusual marketing, scattering the game across several redundant products, met with mixed responses and the game's popularity has continued to wane. The 2002 products are still in print.
In October 2009, Steve Jackson Games made the ''Car Wars Compendium: Second Edition (Fifth Printing)'' available as a PDF from the e23 online store.
''Car Wars'' (both boardgame and RPG version) was translated into
French by
Croc
Croc or CROC may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Gaming
* Croc (game designer), a French video game designer
* '' Croc: Legend of the Gobbos'', a 3D platform video game
** ''Croc'' (2000 video game), a 2D sidescrolling port of the abov ...
.
''
Car Wars: The Card Game'' was released in
1991
File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phi ...
(with a 2nd edition in 2001), designed by Creede and Sharleen Lambard, and published by Steve Jackson Games.
Main editions
The first four editions use a ground scale of 1-inch = 15-feet. ''Aeroduel'' introduced an air-to-air scale of ¼-inch = 15-feet. The ''Fifth Edition'' uses a revised scale of 3-inches = 15-feet.
;First edition
* ''Car Wars'' 1981–1984 (4" × 7" ziplock-bag or
Pocket Box)
** Cars, pickups, vans, and motorcycles. Turns have ten phases.
* ''
Sunday Drivers''/''Crash City'' 1982 (Pocket Box)
** Added pedestrians, a small bus, and rules for buildings
* ''
Truck Stop
A truck stop, known as a service station in the United Kingdom, and a travel center by major chains in the United States, is a commercial facility which provides refueling, rest ( parking), and often ready-made food and other services to motor ...
'' 1983 (Pocket Box)
** Added full-size buses and
semi-trailer truck
A semi-trailer truck, also known as a semitruck, (or semi, eighteen-wheeler, big rig, tractor-trailer or, by synecdoche, a semitrailer) is the combination of a tractor unit and one or more semi-trailers to carry freight. A semi-traile ...
s
* ''
Autoduel Champions
''Autoduel Champions'' is a 1983 game supplement published by Hero Games for '' Car Wars'' and ''Champions''.
Contents
''Autoduel Champions'' adapts '' Car Wars'' to ''Champions''/''Espionage'', introduces the concept of superheroes to ''Car War ...
'' 1983 (8½" × 11" book)
** Added helicopters, grasshoppers (flying cars), and superheroes (the last not canon for Car Wars)
** Introduced an alternative hex-based movement system–using 3-inch cars and 1-inch hexes–intended for use with role-playing games. This system was not used again in Car Wars, although the scale is the same as ''Car Wars: Fifth Edition''.
* ''Car Wars Reference Screen'' 1983 (3-panel 8½" × 11")
** Added "Advanced Collision System"
* ''
The AADA Vehicle Guide
''The AADA Vehicle Guide'' is a 1984 supplement for ''Car Wars'' published by Steve Jackson Games.
Gameplay
''The AADA Vehicle Guide'' is a supplement which includes 129 descriptions of different vehicles, with a brief analysis, game statistics, a ...
'' 1983 (5½" × 8½" book)
** Added trikes (three-wheeled motorcycles) and off-road rules
;Second edition
* ''Car Wars Deluxe Edition'' 1985 (9" × 12" box)
** Combined and refined the various first edition rules, adding 10-wheeler
truck
A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame constructi ...
s
** Note: Starting in 1990 the ''Deluxe Edition'' boxes contained the ''Car Wars Compendium: Second Edition'' rulebook rather than the original ''Deluxe Edition'' rulebook.
* ''Dueltrack'' 1986 (9" × 12" box)
** Added gasoline engines, metal armor, race-cars, and ''Chassis & Crossbow'' (rules for the primitive early history of Car Wars)
* ''The AADA Vehicle Guide: Volume 2'' 1987 (5½" × 8½" book)
** Added sedans, and campers (
SUVs
A sport utility vehicle (SUV) is a car classification that combines elements of road-going passenger cars with features from off-road vehicles, such as raised ground clearance and four-wheel drive.
There is no commonly agreed-upon definitio ...
)
* ''
Boat Wars'' 1988 (
Pocket Box), 1990 (9" × 12" box)
** Added boats, amphibious cars, and hovercraft
;Third Edition
* ''
The Car Wars Compendium'' 1989 (8½" × 11" book)
** Turns reduced to five phases. Control Table revised.
** Compiled all the second edition rules (except race-cars) in one place
** Refined car movement, based more on the ''Turning Key'' than on a map grid
;Fourth Edition
* ''Car Wars Compendium: Second Edition'' 1990,1996 (8½" × 11" book)
** Control Table revised again.
** Revised rules — including race-cars — with many updates and refinements.
* ''Car Wars Tanks'' 1990 (9" × 12" box)
** Added wheeled military vehicles, tanks, and really big guns
* ''Aeroduel'' 1990 (9" × 12" box)
** Added fixed-wing planes and
airship
An airship or dirigible balloon is a type of aerostat or lighter-than-air aircraft that can navigate through the air under its own power. Aerostats gain their lift from a lifting gas that is less dense than the surrounding air.
In early ...
s with both civilian and military grade weapons
* ''Uncle Albert's Catalog From Hell'' 1992 (8½" × 11" book)
** Includes all previously published construction rules, weapons, and equipment, but the only play rules are minor updates to the CWC2E rules.
;Fifth Edition
* ''Car Wars'' 5.0 2002 (9 comic book sized pamphlets, containing the same rules with different car designs, any one of which is all that is required to play).
** Back to just cars (pre-designed), with simplified play rules. Turns reduced to three phases.
** Scale change, with 1-inch = 5-feet instead of 15-feet
** No official construction rules published , although a reverse-engineered unofficial version exists
The fourth edition has been re-released, and includes the auto creation rules and simplified rules for Role Playing.
;Sixth Edition
On Nov 29, 2019, a
Kickstarter was started to create a sixth edition, similar to the popular OGRE kickstarter. It was funded as of Jan 6, 2020, with 3,936 backers pledging $652,995.
Background story
''Car Wars'' is set 50 years after the publication dates of the various books. In this alternative future, natural resources are severely depleted and the United States government
nationalized
Nationalization (nationalisation in British English) is the process of transforming privately-owned assets into public assets by bringing them under the public ownership of a national government or state. Nationalization usually refers to p ...
oil production. This eventually led to a second American civil war, ending with the secession of the "Free Oil States",
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
,
Oklahoma, and
Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
. Following famine in various parts of the world, there are limited nuclear exchanges between the
USSR
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
and the US, but anti-missile systems limit the resulting damage. After these wars, there are years of worldwide economic crisis, and related global unrest, during which "death sports" become a popular form of entertainment. This
post-apocalyptic
Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction is a subgenre of speculative fiction in which the Earth's (or another planet's) civilization is collapsing or has collapsed. The apocalypse event may be climatic, such as runaway climate change; ast ...
setting has drawn comparisons between ''Car Wars'' and the ''
Mad Max
''Mad Max'' is an Australian post-apocalyptic action film series and media franchise created by George Miller and Byron Kennedy. It began in 1979 with '' Mad Max'', and was followed by three sequels: ''Mad Max 2'' (1981, released in the Unite ...
'' movies.
As things began to recover, the organized sport of "autodueling" was born as a form of armed
demolition derbies
Demolition derby is a non-racing motorsport usually presented at county fairs and festivals. While rules vary from event to event, the typical demolition derby event consists of five or more drivers competing by deliberately ramming their veh ...
. The American Autoduel Association (AADA) was formed, to sponsor sporting events and up-and-coming autoduelists. In this future, technology has allowed for new vehicle designs, miniaturized weapon systems, and replacements for internal combustion engines. Furthermore, human cloning (together with techniques for storing memories), has made death only a minor setback for autoduelists who can afford the procedure. ''Car Wars'' is a game designed for simulating these autoduels between competing players.
Clubs and organizations
The American Autoduel Association (AADA) was a worldwide group of players. It was started by Steve Jackson Games who supported the club with a quarterly magazine called ''Autoduel Quarterly''.
This contained campaign ideas, vehicles, "mock" advertisements, and new weapons and accessories, as well as questions and answers. Subscribers would receive a bonus in the form of an extra cutout or cartoon on the protective mailing cover. Local clubs could also pay a yearly membership fee to be considered "official."
The AADA served as a structured clearinghouse for common rules and guidelines to be followed during 'official' events. World Championships were held each year at the
Origins Game Fair
Origins Game Fair is an annual gaming convention that was first held in 1975. Since 1996, it has been held in Columbus, Ohio at the Greater Columbus Convention Center.
Origins is run by The Game Manufacturers Association (GAMA). Origins was c ...
.
The AADA is no longer an official club as recognized by Steve Jackson Games. There are still several local clubs that claim to be AADA affiliated,
and there are even
web site
A website (also written as a web site) is a collection of web pages and related content that is identified by a common domain name and published on at least one web server. Examples of notable websites are Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Wikip ...
s where interested parties can enjoy
PBEM games. One site has a ''Car Wars''
podcast
A podcast is a program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. For example, an episodic series of digital audio or video files that a user can download to a personal device to listen to at a time of their choosin ...
.
The official ''Car Wars'' site notes plans to relaunch the AADA and start a new periodical called ''Autoduel Times''.
No date is given for this project.
Supplements
*
Car Wars Expansion Set 6
*
Car Wars Expansion Kit 10
*
Hell on Wheels
Hell on Wheels was the itinerant collection of flimsily assembled gambling houses, dance halls, saloons, and brothels that followed the army of Union Pacific railroad workers westward as they constructed the First transcontinental railroad in 186 ...
Uncle Albert's Auto Stop & Gunnery Shop 2035 Catalog
Uncle Albert's Auto Stop & Gunnery Shop 2035 Catalog is a supplement published by
Steve Jackson Games in 1985 for the vehicle combat simulation game ''Car Wars''.
''Uncle Albert's Auto Stop & Gunnery Shop 2035 Catalog'' was the first of six ''Car Wars'' expansions published by Steve Jackson Games between 1985 and 1992. Each supplement featured new cars and armament compiled from past issues of ''
Autoduel Quarterly''. This book is written in the style of a catalog that includes over 120 items, complete with prices, sizes, descriptions, and everything else needed to use these items during a game of ''Car Wars''.
Craig Sheeley reviewed ''Uncle Albert's Auto Stop & Gunnery Shop 2035 Catalog'' in ''
The Space Gamer
''The Space Gamer'' was a magazine dedicated to the subject of science fiction and fantasy board games and tabletop role-playing games. It quickly grew in importance and was an important and influential magazine in its subject matter from the ...
'' No. 76.
Sheeley commented that "Some of us like complexity. Some of us like to build our own vehicles, and outfit them with dozens of options. Some of us like the monster that ''Car Wars'' has become
..If you are one of these ''Car Wars'' players, this supplement will prove to be invaluable, as it is an almost complete listing of the options in ''Car Wars''."
Mike Eckenfels recalled this supplement with fondness, saying, "If the ‘basic’ Car Wars rules just didn’t have enough creative ways to destroy, maim, and otherwise disassemble, the ''Uncle Albert'' catalogs certainly helped pad those needs, and then some
..There’s a lot of ''Car Wars'' goodness in the pages of this one catalog, alone, to really get you going." Eckenfels noted that "Some accessories actually have in-game use while others have more of an RPG element to it (or are just nice to have to brag about around the table, because apparently wasting pretend money in a fictional game on things that don’t actually have a practical use in-game are... bragable, I guess)." He concluded, "this was a nice little addition to the Car Wars universe back in the day."
Other products
In addition to the spin-off video game, ''
Autoduel
''Autoduel'' is a 1985 role-playing video game published by Origin Systems for the Atari 8-bit family, Commodore 64, Apple II, Macintosh, and DOS. It was released in 1987 for the Atari ST and in 1988 for the Amiga. The game is based on the Steve ...
'',
Epic Comics
Epic Comics (also known as the Epic Comics Group)Shooter, Jim. "Bullpen Bulletins: The Truth About the Epic Comics Group!" Marvel comics cover-dated November 1982. was an imprint of Marvel Comics from 1982 to 1996. A spin-off of the publisher's ...
published ''
Car Warriors'', a 1991 four-issue comic book mini-series set in the Car Wars world.
There were also a series of six gamebooks based in the Car Wars universe, where a player could make choices for the protagonist to affect the outcome of the story. The Car Wars Adventure Gamebooks were titled: ''Battle Road'', ''Fuel's Gold'', ''Dueltrack'', ''Badlands Run'', ''Green Circle Blues'', and ''Mean Streets''.
A trilogy of novels was published by
Tor Books
Tor Books is the primary imprint of Tor Publishing Group (previously Tom Doherty Associates), a publishing company based in New York City. It primarily publishes science fiction and fantasy titles, and is the largest publisher of Chinese sci ...
: ''The Square Deal'' by
David Drake in 1992, ''Double Jeopardy: Car Warriors 2'' by Aaron Alston in 1994, and ''Back From Hell'' by
Mick Farren
Michael Anthony Farren (3 September 1943 – 27 July 2013) was an English rock musician, singer, journalist, and author associated with counterculture and the UK underground.
Early life
Farren was born in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, and aft ...
in 1999.
In 1995 VictorMaxx technologies announced plans for a series of
gaming centers based on ''Car Wars'', with a prototype site to debut in Chicago in 1996.
Reception
In Issue 36 of ''
Phoenix
Phoenix most often refers to:
* Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore
* Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States
Phoenix may also refer to:
Mythology
Greek mythological figures
* Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...
'' (March-April 1982), John Lambshead reviewed the first edition of ''Car Wars'' and thought it was "quite decently presented." However, Lambshead found the simultaneous move system "excruciatingly tedious", and the combat system complex. He wondered who the audience for this game was, since it was too complex to be a "fun" game, but "On the other hand, who wants to expend so much effort simply to drive an armoured beach buggy around." He concluded that "a combination of intelligence and immaturity is required for a full appreciation of ''Car Wars''."
The ''
Chicago Tribune
The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television a ...
'' described the game as "vicious combat takes place on the highways and waters of a future that is not a kinder, gentler America".
Other reviews
* ''
Casus Belli'' #18 (Dec 1983)
See also
*
Alan Dean Foster
Alan Dean Foster (born November 18, 1946) is an American writer of fantasy and science fiction. He has written several book series, more than 20 standalone novels, and many novelizations of film scripts.
Career ''Star Wars''
Foster was the ghost ...
the author of ''Why Johnny Can't Speed'', originally published in
Galaxy Science Fiction
''Galaxy Science Fiction'' was an American digest-size science fiction magazine, published in Boston from 1950 to 1980. It was founded by a French-Italian company, World Editions, which was looking to break into the American market. World Editi ...
in 1971. The short story is the primary inspiration for Car Wars.
* ''
Mad Max
''Mad Max'' is an Australian post-apocalyptic action film series and media franchise created by George Miller and Byron Kennedy. It began in 1979 with '' Mad Max'', and was followed by three sequels: ''Mad Max 2'' (1981, released in the Unite ...
'' (1979) and ''
The Road Warrior
''Mad Max 2'' (released as ''The Road Warrior'' in the United States) is a 1981 Australian post-apocalyptic action film directed by George Miller. It is the second installment in the ''Mad Max'' franchise, with Mel Gibson reprising his role a ...
'' (1981) – Although commonly assumed to be an inspiration for Car Wars, its American release postdates the release of the game. Both draw from similar inspirations, and many Car Wars supplements would have been written by authors familiar with Mad Max.
* ''
Battlecars ''Battlecars'' is a simple wargame based upon the ''Mad Max'' genre of a post-apocalyptic world dominated by aggressive, warring gangs. It was first published by Games Workshop in 1983 and the game designers were Gary Chalk and Ian Livingstone.
...
'' (1983) – A
Games Workshop, ''Mad Max''–inspired road combat game using 1:60 scale miniature cars
** ''
Dark Future
''Dark Future'' is a post-apocalyptic miniatures wargame published by Games Workshop in 1988.
Description
''Dark Future'' is a ''Mad Max''-like game of vehicular combat set in an alternate world.
Setting
The game is set in a fictional alternate ...
'' (1988) – A revised and expanded version of ''Battlecars'', also by Games Workshop
* ''Autoduel'' (1985) - A video game inspired by ''Car Wars''
* ''
Freeway Fighter
''Freeway Fighter'' is a single-player roleplaying gamebook written by Ian Livingstone, illustrated by Kevin Bulmer and originally published in 1985 by Puffin Books. It was later republished by Wizard Books in 2005. It forms part of Steve Jackson ...
'' (1985) - A
Fighting Fantasy
''Fighting Fantasy'' is a series of single-player role-playing gamebooks created by Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone. The first volume in the series was published in paperback by Puffin in 1982.
The series distinguished itself by mixing Choos ...
game book set in a Car Wars-style dystopia
* ''
Interstate '76
''Interstate '76'' is a vehicular combat video game for Microsoft Windows. It was developed and published by Activision and released on March 28, 1997.
Plot
The game opens in the Southwestern United States in an alternate history of the year 1 ...
'' (1997) - A later video game inspired by ''Car Wars''
*''
Gaslands'' (2017) - Tabletop game by
Osprey publishing
References
External links
The official ''Car Wars'' siteSteve Jackson Games ''Car Wars'' Forum*
Listing of all ''Car Wars'' products*{{Cite news
, issue = April 1999
, last = Orpheus
, first = Rodney
, title = Car Wars – Death Rally
, work = Pyramid Magazine
, access-date = 2009-11-26
, year = 1999
, url = http://rodneyorpheus.com/?page_id=17
Board games introduced in 1980
Origins Award winners
Science fiction board games
Steve Jackson (American game designer) games
Steve Jackson Games games
Post-apocalyptic games