CarWars / Crashes

RULES :: CRASHES AND COLLISIONS

If a vehicle rolls on the Control Table and misses its roll, it has gone out of control. If it lost control during a maneuver, it must roll on Crash Table 1. If it lost control because of a hazard, it must roll on Crash Table 2. Results may range from mild (a light skid) to disastrous (vehicle rolls and burns).

The result of a Crash Table roll is applied at the beginning of the next phase in which a vehicle moves. A vehicle that fishtails may move normally after it fishtails. A vehicle that skids must move straight ahead for the rest of that phase - i.e., if it skids 1/4", it must move 3/4" forward (the direction its nose is pointing) after the skid. If a vehicle is on its half-move, it cannot skid more than 1/2".

A vehicle that encounters a hazard while skidding or fishtailing must make another control roll, and may lose control again, affecting it on the next phase it moves. No vehicle may skid more than once per phase.

When a vehicle counter touches a fixed object or another counter, a collision has occurred. Even though all Car Wars counters are 1/2" wide (7 1/2 feet in game scale), the referee should use common sense when determining whether a collicion has occurred. A motorcycle can squeeze into tighter spots than a truck, even though the counters are the same width. If a player wants to take his motorcycle down a four-foot-wide alley, let him. The driver of a bus won't be able to pull off the same trick.

Collision damage is based on the type of collision, the weight of the vehicles involved, and their relative speeds. To figure out the result of a collision, determine the type of collision (T-Bone, Head-On, Rear-End, or Sideswipe). Every collision can be classified as one of these four types. When a vehicle is driving in reverse, rolling over, etc., designations of "front", "side", etc., are sometimes inappropriate. A rolling car can have a "head-on" collision in which a side strikes first, for example. If a car is doing a bootlegger, figure the leading side as its "front", moving at 15mph. In general, use common sense in determining the type of collision. Then follow the instructions for that type, and the steps below, to find damage, final speed, and final position for both vehicles.

  1. From the Damage Table, find the Damage Modifier (DM) corresponding to your vehicle's weight. A Shogun 100 (800 lbs) has a DM of 1/2. A Killer Kart (2300 lbs) has a DM of 2/3. A Piranha (5995 lbs) has a DM of 1. A loaded Houston Metal trailer with tractor (weight about 62,000 lbs) has a DM of 15. (Figure weight at the beginning of a trip; don't bother recalculating every time you expend a shell.) A pedestrian has a DM of 1/5.
  2. When a collision occurs, determine the collision speed according to the formula given under each type of collision. The number of dice of damage a collision of that speed will cause can be found in the far right column of the Movement Chart, under the heading, "Ram". Multiply the "ram" damage rolled on the dice by your vehicle's DM. That is the damage you cause to your opponent. The damage you sustain is the product of his DM multiplied by the same base damage rolled.
    • Example: A Killer Kart (DM 2/3) collides with a Piranha (DM 1) at a net speed of 40 mph. A 40 mph collision results in 3 dice of damage, and a 14 is rolled. The Kart gives the Piranha (14 x 2/3) = 9 points of damage (rounding down). The Piranha gives the Kart (14 x 1) = 14 points of damage.
    • Example: A Shogun 100 (DM 1/3) collides with the Houston Metal rig we mentioned above (DM 15), at a net speed of 10 mph. One die is rolled, and 2 points are subtracted, so that the result will be a 0, 1, 2, 3, or 4. In this case, the result is 3 points of damage. The Shogun gives the rig (3 x 1/3) = 1 point of damage. On the other hand, the rig impacts the cycle for (3 x 15) = 45 points of damage. Even at 10 mph, a big rig can smash a cycle.

Fixed Objects

A fixed object will cause exactly as much damage as it takes, up to the point at which the fixed object breaks. All fixed objects will have a DP rating, which is the number of Damage Points they can take before they are destroyed.

For each collision, determine the collision type - Head-On or Sideswipe - and apply damage, speed change, and hazards accordingly. Of course, in a Head-On, if the obstacle is not destroyed or breached, the vehicle stops. If the obstacle is destroyed, the vehicle's "Temporary Speed" becomes its new speed. If a Sideswipe does not destroy the obstacle, the vehicle finishes the phase by sliding along the obstacle.

Note: A building breach is generally 1/4" wide (see "Buildings"). A vehicle ramming a building or wall must, in effect, create two such breaches in order to break through. Thus, when ramming a 6DP building, a vehicle must do 12 points of collision damage to create a double breach and continue through. In addition, each 1/4" section of wall will return damage, up to its full DP value.

Collision Types

"Conforming" Movement

When one vehicle pushes another one out of the way, the second vehicle is "conforming" to the first. A vehicle conforms to another by pivoting on one corner until, through regular movement, the two vehicles are no longer in contact. The driver of the conforming vehicle selects an appropriate pivot corner from the choices shown below. In each case, V2 is "conforming" to V1. During its own movement phase, V2 does not pivot; it moves normally as its driver maneuvers it (or as required by the Crash Table, if it is out of control).

Note that subsequent phases in which the vehicles are still in contact are not new collisions. Do not assess additional damage or adjust speed again unless a vehicle hits something else. For example, a car might sideswipe a trailer, slide along its side (accumulating no new damage) and then collide with the tractor, which had turned into the car's path (a new collision). Or a car might sideswipe a building and then have a new collision with a projecting wing of that same building.

Collision Procedure

  1. A Head-On collision affects the front armor of both vehicles.
  2. Collision speed is that of V1 plus V2; apply RAM damage at this speed, as modified by each vehicle's DM.
    1. Figure out the "Temporary Speed" for V1 and V2 from the Temporary Speed Table.
    2. Subtract the speed of the slower vehicle from the speed of the faster vehicle. The faster vehicle is now moving at this new speed; the slower has speed 0.
    3. Adjust the marker on the Movement Chart.
    4. If the phasing vehicle is still moving, complete this movement phase.
    5. The slower vehicle (now at 0 mph) "conforms" itself to the faster one.
  4. Reduce the Handling Status of each vehicle by 1 for every 10-mph change in speed (rounding up) and make a Control Table roll for each one at its original speed. Apply at least a D1 hazard to each one, even if it lost no speed.
  1. A Rear-End collision affects V1's front armor and V2's back armor.
  2. Collision speed is that of V1 minus V2; apply RAM damage at this speed, as modified by each vehicle's DM.
    1. Figure the "Temporary Speed" of V1 and V2 from the TST.
    2. Add these two speeds together. Both V1 and V2 are now moving at this speed.
    3. Adjust the markers on the Movement Chart.
    4. If V1's DM is higher than V2's DM, complete its movement for this phase. Otherwise, do not complete its movement.
    5. Reduce the Handling Status of each vehicle and make a Control Table roll for each as described for Head-On collisions.
  1. A T-Bone collision affects V1's front armor and V2's side armor.
  2. Collision speed is that of V1; apply RAM damage at this speed, as modified by each vehicle's DM.
    1. Figure V1's "Temporary Speed" from the TST. This becomes its actual speed after the collision; adjust its marker on the Movement Chart.
    2. If V1's new speed is above 0, and it was making its move when the collision took place, it completes this phase's movement, and V2 "conforms" to V1's movement. If V2 was making its move when the collision took place, and if V2's DM is higher than V1's DM, complete V2's movement for this phase. Otherwise do not complete V2's movement.
    1. Reduce V1's Handling Status and make a Control Roll as described for a Head-On collision.
    2. Find V2's corresponding hazard, as follows:
      • V1 -> V2
      • D1 -> D4
      • D2 -> D3
      • D3 -> D2
      • D4+ -> D1
    3. V2 makes a Control Table roll but does not change speed, even though its direction may be shifted by V1's subsequent movement.
  1. A sideswipe affects the side armor of both vehicles.
    1. Figure the net speed of the collision. If both vehicles are going in the same direction subtract the lower speed from the higher. If they are going in opposite directions, add the two speeds.
    2. Divide net speed by 4, rounding up to the nearest 5 mph. This is the collision's "Swipe-Speed".
    3. Apply RAM damage at the "Swipe-Speed", as modified by each vehicle's DM.
    4. If the phasing vehicle's DM is higher than the other vehicle's DM, it finishes its movement by sliding along the other vehicle.
    5. Reduce the Handling Status of each vehicle by 1 for each 10 mph of "Swipe-Speed", and make a Control Table roll for each.
    6. If either vehicle fishtails as a result of this control roll, the fishtail will be in the direction away from the collision which just occurred.
    7. A Sideswipe does not affect the actual speed of either vehicle.