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Old 03-09-2019, 05:51 PM   #261
Racer
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: London, UK
Default Re: The Unoffial 2056 Vehicle Guide

Never seen a recreational trailer in Car Wars , so here's on I designed that got a big thumbs up on Combat Garage & Lightbulb's CW Group website :

Club Caravan - 10' Trailer , Std. Chassis , 2 PR Car Tires , Small Cycle Power Plant , 2 Passengers , Spikedropper linked to Smokescreen Back , 2x Passenger Accommodation , Galley , Armoured Beer Refrigerator , Fire Extinguisher , Solar Panel , Compact TV , Plastic Armour : F15 , L25 , R25 , B25 , T10 , U10 , 2-5pt Wheelguards , 4 Spaces plus 60 Beverages & 660lbs for Cargo , 4,040lbs , $7,500 .

The Club Caravan gives vehicles with extra towing capacity a more comfortable option than bunking in Sleeping Areas . Low cost with many convenience features , it can carry or host 2-4 more seated occupants .

[ Add a Portapotty - $550 , 75lbs , 2 Spaces ADQ 10/3 - , Extra Power Cells or a Car Top Carrier as required . Q versions have an X-Hvy Chassis & and any number of surprises for incautious attackers ... Blow-Through Concealed Spinal Mounted Blast Cannon being one ...
I'd imagine it would look like a shorter , lower version of this :
https://www.caravancampingsales.com....-rookie-58988/ ]
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Last edited by Racer; 03-09-2019 at 06:41 PM.
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Old 03-10-2019, 05:03 AM   #262
swordtart
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Default Re: The Unoffial 2056 Vehicle Guide

Mini Firefly by Swordtart:
Compact; Heavy chassis; Heavy suspension; HD Shocks;
Medium PP w/HTMs, Overdrive;
Driver.
Front Anti-Tank Gun w/10xStandard; Smokescreen w/10xSmoke.
6 x Smoke Discharger;
Armour 155 pts. Plastic (F: 40 R: 29 L: 29 B: 27 T: 20 U: 10);
4 Hvy Duty tires; 2x1 pt. Plastic Hubs F; 2x1 pt. Plastic Hubs, 2x1 pt. Plastic Guards B.
Cost: $9,925, Wgt: 4,059, HC: 3, Top Speed: 90 (67.5, 110), Accel: 5 (10, 2.5).



They said it couldn't be done, so we went and did it anyway. The original Mini Sherman evoked the spirit of a classic tank of WW 2, but was it really a tank? In WW 2 they built the Firefly as a tank destroyer. Our Firefly evokes that ethos and puts the Anti-Tank Gun on the Mini Sherman.

Ok, they were part right, the stock Sherman wasn't up to it, we had to upgrade the chassis some, and replace the plant with something more efficient. We put on HTMs and Overdrive to partially restore the original performance. In trade you get better armour than the Sherman , we also put on some anti-pedestrian wheel protection based on our trials in anti-bandit operations. The main benefit is of course that tank destroying gun (which can take HEAT for extra punch if you wish), we even put in HD Shocks to compensate for the recoil.

As a factory option we can mount the gun facing rear for effective tail-end charlie support.

Mini Firefly, at last a compact "tank" worthy of the name!


I never understood why the Mini Sherman was so named*. It only mounted MGs and a Smokescreen and its armour adequate at best. To me a vehicle evoking a tank name would need to mount a heavy weapon or at least be heavily armoured. This is an attempt to at least put a weapon with the work tank in it onto the vehicle.

Obviously you may want to put in electronics to compensate for the reduced accuracy, but overall, I think is is a genuine improvement and thematically appropriate.

The whole reason I looked at this was 43's comment's earlier in the thread regarding the Mini Sherman and an ATG. I was originally going for a spinal mount but after I did the calculations it didn't seem to offer any benefit (and added some significant restrictions) over a conventional front' mount. Is there any reason not to mount an ATG in a Compact?

*I am presuming the vehicle is named after the tank rather than the general that the tank is named after. Was Gen. Sherman a fan of the Gatling gun (and rockets)? Maybe an SJG staffer recalls the original reason for the name.

Last edited by swordtart; 03-10-2019 at 05:28 AM.
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Old 03-10-2019, 01:02 PM   #263
swordtart
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Default Re: The Unoffial 2056 Vehicle Guide

Scrambler MD Redux by Swordtart:
Mid-Sized; Extra Heavy chassis; Heavy suspension; HD Shocks.
Large PP w/HTMs, Overdrive;
Driver;
2 x linked Machine Gun w/20xStandard (per gun) in each Left and Right 2spc Sponson. Sponsons Smart linked together;
Minedropper (R)w/0xStandard.
4 Solid tires;
Armour: 205 pts. Plastic (F: 45 R: 30 L: 30 B: 40 T: 30 U: 30).
Cost: $21,130, Wgt: 5,760, HC: 3, Top Speed: 92.5 (67.5, 112.5), Accel: 5 (10, 2.5).


The Scrambler was famed for an over abundance of Machine Guns. Whilst every arc was covered with only a single operator actually being able to fire was a logistical nightmare. We have revised the design to move the guns into sponsons. Wherever your opponent is you can bring at least two guns to bear, sometimes all four.

We have improved the performance to meet modern expectations.

Scrambler Redux when all round defence means all-round offence.


Having six guns was a nice idea, but an agile enemy would move from arc to arc and break any sustained fire bonuses. Even if they stayed in a side arc they would only suffer a single gun. Having 80 rounds of ammunition sounded good, but generally you were shot apart before you had expended even half of them and some guns never expended a single round.

Sponsons mean you can get 2 MGs on enemies lurking in the side arc and if you can get them square into the front arc you might get 4 guns on them.

Overdrive and HTMs are pretty much a pre-requisite of vehicles these days. You may wish to link them so that a single firing action swaps the HTM for the Overdrive.

Last edited by swordtart; 03-10-2019 at 01:08 PM.
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Old 03-10-2019, 01:08 PM   #264
swordtart
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Default Re: The Unoffial 2056 Vehicle Guide

Scrambler MD Redux by Swordtart:
Mid-Sized; Extra Heavy chassis; Heavy suspension; HD Shocks.
Large PP w/HTMs, Overdrive;
Driver;
2 x linked Machine Gun w/20xStandard (per gun) in each Left and Right 2spc Sponson. Sponsons Smart linked together;
Minedropper (R)w/0xStandard.
4 Solid tires;
Armour: 205 pts. Plastic (F: 45 R: 30 L: 30 B: 40 T: 30 U: 30).
Cost: $21,130, Wgt: 5,760, HC: 3, Top Speed: 92.5 (67.5, 112.5), Accel: 5 (10, 2.5).


The Scrambler was famed for an over abundance of Machine Guns. Whilst every arc was covered with only a single operator actually being able to fire was a logistical nightmare. We have revised the design to move the guns into sponsons. Wherever your opponent is you can bring at least two guns to bear, sometimes all four.

We have improved the performance to meet modern expectations.

Scrambler Redux when all round defence means all-round offence.


Having six guns was a nice idea, but an agile enemy would move from arc to arc and break any sustained fire bonuses. Even if they stayed in a side arc they would only suffer a single gun. Having 80 rounds of ammunition sounded good, but generally you were shot apart before you had expended even half of them and some guns never expended a single round.

Sponsons mean you can get 2 MGs on enemies lurking in the side arc and if you can get them square into the front arc you might get 4 guns on them.

Overdrive and HTMs are pretty much a pre-requisite of vehicles these days. You may which to link them so that a single firing action swaps the HTM for the Overdrive.
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Old 03-10-2019, 07:29 PM   #265
Racer
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: London, UK
Default Re: The Unoffial 2056 Vehicle Guide

As you are unable to focus the gunfire into a single spot , the Smart linked Side Sponsons would be incapable of actually being aimed together ?
A ½" wide target directly in front or behind the car - so their centrelines lined up - would be effectively outside BOTH arc ? This has come up before on here & illustrations in both ADQ 9/3 and UACFH clearly show this . They do not provide full Front aiming arcs like Trike Side Mounts do .

With the Scrambler , it's easier to mount 2 MGs Front & Smartlink them to 2 MHs in a Std. Two Space Turret . Thus like the original at least two MGs can be fired into all the ground arcs - and then have space for a Fire Extinguisher or other items . Bit cheesy going from a vehicle with no turret to one with not . Seen others with 3 Front MGs + 2 in Turret , all loaded with Incendiary Ammo , happily setting multiple foes on Fire ...
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Old 03-11-2019, 04:31 AM   #266
swordtart
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Default Re: The Unoffial 2056 Vehicle Guide

Quote:
Originally Posted by Racer View Post
As you are unable to focus the gunfire into a single spot , the Smart linked Side Sponsons would be incapable of actually being aimed together ?
This is true if the target is absolutely dead ahead (or astern) and parallel. Rarely does that happen for me. Usually at least one sponson can draw a bead. In the rare case where the target is absolutely lined up ahead a D1 drift or bend will bring it into one arc or the other.

Of course if your enemy is dead ahead at any angle other than parallel to you and then the vehicle can be in both arcs (you target the counter). In the ideal case the car will be broadside on to you and will be 1" wide (from your perspective) and you have 1/4" overlap each side of the 1/2" wide no-fire corridor. If the vehicle is only 15 degrees off parallel then it will still be more than 1/2" wide (0.74" if my trig is correct) which means you can still get it both sides of the no-fire corridor). Your position is obviously a factor, but the blurb only says that you COULD get all four guns on, if it is possible, no matter how unlikely then trading standards would be required to accept it ;)

These situations are sufficiently frequent that the use of smart link is justified. Of course it only alters the price if you choose to strip it out, so no biggie. You can still get 2 guns into any arc and this is an improvement on the single gun into the largest arcs on the standard car.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Racer View Post
With the Scrambler , it's easier to mount 2 MGs Front & Smartlink them to 2 MHs in a Std. Two Space Turret . Thus like the original at least two MGs can be fired into all the ground arcs - and then have space for a Fire Extinguisher or other items . Bit cheesy going from a vehicle with no turret to one with not . Seen others with 3 Front MGs + 2 in Turret , all loaded with Incendiary Ammo , happily setting multiple foes on Fire ...
I agree there are better configurations, but as you say, it is really a re-design at that point.
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Old 03-11-2019, 11:22 AM   #267
juris
 
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Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: CA
Default Re: The Unoffial 2056 Vehicle Guide

I'd definitely allow side sponsoons to 'converge' on a target directly in F or R. That's kinda the whole point. I'd rule the turrets 'stick out' just far enough to angle forward or backward. It's still hard to get a target in that position, especially the target keeps making it difficult.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Racer View Post
As you are unable to focus the gunfire into a single spot , the Smart linked Side Sponsons would be incapable of actually being aimed together ?
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Old 03-11-2019, 02:26 PM   #268
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Join Date: Dec 2007
Default Re: The Unoffial 2056 Vehicle Guide

Quote:
Originally Posted by juris View Post
I'd definitely allow side sponsoons to 'converge' on a target directly in F or R. That's kinda the whole point. I'd rule the turrets 'stick out' just far enough to angle forward or backward. It's still hard to get a target in that position, especially the target keeps making it difficult.
Unfortunately, the rules as-written specifically show the Sponsons *don't* converge (_UACFH_ p. 48), so Racer is correct. (One of the reasons I've only ever seen Sponsons used in an event *once* -- the only way to fire them at the same target is if the target is in both Sponson arcs at once; and for the cost and weight, one may as well get more armor, and focus the firepower out one side.)
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Old 03-11-2019, 02:41 PM   #269
swordtart
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Default Re: The Unoffial 2056 Vehicle Guide

Quote:
Originally Posted by juris View Post
I'd definitely allow side sponsoons to 'converge' on a target directly in F or R. That's kinda the whole point. I'd rule the turrets 'stick out' just far enough to angle forward or backward. It's still hard to get a target in that position, especially the target keeps making it difficult.
I don't let side sponsons converge. The rules are quite clear, there is a definite 1/2" no fire corridor directly ahead and behind.

If you want convergence then you need to operate a sponson with a turret or a side sponson with a rear sponson (and maybe a turret as well). They work well with long trailers as a pair of sponsons each side can operate into a common arc (and you avoid all that fiddly overlapping side arcs business) with luck you can have a vehicle in the front and back side sponson arcs, the rear sponson arc and front and back turret arcs.
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Old 03-11-2019, 03:36 PM   #270
swordtart
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Default Re: The Unoffial 2056 Vehicle Guide

The one I really want to tackle is all the so called "economy" vehicles. These are generally death traps.

When you optimise a vehicle I accept that you usually have to weaken it somewhere, the problem with the suicide specials is that they are usually gutted to the point of uselessness is every regard.

The Applause for example. "Low budget vehicle for the family that duels together". With 10 points of armour per side, they will be lucky to make it back from the shops. Why waste 2 MGs on that heap of junk. You would be better to junk them, spend the weight on better armour (or component armour if you are retrofitting) and rely on your pedestrians using hand weapons. Ok, I can take on that challenge.

The Shiruken is marginally better as at least it is cheap, but even so who would ever use it when there are a hundred better ways to spend 6K. I might be able to make something from that.

The Yellow Jacket. Talk about an eggshell armed with a hammer. I am not going to even touch this one though, as it is an arena model and frankly silly.

We covered the Economy tractor in another thread.
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