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Old 11-17-2017, 07:43 AM   #1
Yoda
 
Join Date: Nov 2017
Default Car Wars Version Question

Hi there! Haven't played Car Wars in an embarrassingly long time, but as I've been kind of reading up on where the game has gone since then and looking at Warehouse 23, I was wondering if anyone could clarify what editions/versions that are on Warehouse 23 are?

I have the Car Wars Deluxe Edition - the boxed set from 1985, which I believe is known nowadays as 2nd ed. As I understand it, the current Car Wars Classic offered on WH23 is a reprint of the original 1st ed (the ziplock bag 'pocket' game). Then there is the Car Wars Deluxe edition on WH23.

Is the Car Wars Deluxe edition currently offered on WH23 considered the '3rd ed' which came out in 1989 or is it '4th ed' which was released in '90/'96' (or is this something completely new - I know it's not '5th ed' which kinda quickly vanished into the unknown)?

I'm guessing that it's something that combines all the refinements/changes/updates from the past 30 years or so since my 1985 Car Wars Deluxe Edition boxed set was released...

BTW - the Uncle Albert's Catalog from Hell looks like it may have all the Uncle Albert's supplements combined into one volume, is that correct? (Although part of me kinda wants to collect all the small Uncle Albert's notebooks again...)
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Old 11-17-2017, 12:51 PM   #2
TheAmishStig
 
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Default Re: Car Wars Version Question

Hi! Don't feel bad about being away, we love it when people come back to the game!

If I understand the cover variances/etc correctly, the Compendium on W23 is the 1996 edition (the most recent revision of the 1" = 1 car, granular-construction ruleset). Also if I understand correctly, the Deluxe set on W23 is the tokens, counters, maps, and etc of the most recent Deluxe box paired with the most recent Compendium. They also have a 'Conversion Kit' for if you have the Compendium and just want the tokens/counters/etc.

From the information we outside the company have, that is currently (and probably will remain) the definitive edition of the 1" = 1 car, high-granularity game. There's enough errata that I'd love to see a revised printing, but nobody's sure whether the sales would be there to justify it.

We have heard rumblings of a 6th Edition, though possibly not until 2019+. From what's been revealed, it's being positioned to be to Car Wars what the Heroclix conversion was to Battletech...an attempt to run Car Wars through the filter of modern design philosophies, bringing it to a generation that considers high granularity games 'quaint' or 'archaic' rather than an amateur engineer's toybox of 'exactly and only what you want' infinite possibilities.

Those differences are also why I hope SJG keeps Classic available even after the launch of 6E, there's no need for either playstyle's fans to end up in a "The other doesn't want so you can't have" situation. FASA/Wizkids learned that lesson the hard way by disavowing hexes-and-record-sheets Battletech after the clix game launched, and I don't want to see these guys go through that too.

I must say, I'm intrigued by 6th...from what Phil (the CEO) has teased us with via playtesting pictures/reports, it looks like it's taking inspiration from newer vehicle combat games like Attack Wing and Wings of War as ways to streamline the turn-by-turn side of things, while trying to strike a balance between "ease of jumping right in" and "true to the spirit of Car Wars". It leaves me...cautiously optimistic. I do so love my granular fiddly games, I love the engineering playgrounds they bring to the table, but if it gives me a chance to say "Hey, have you ever tried Car Wars?" and hear "Oh, that looks cool!" instead of taking one look at the record sheet and being scared off, I'm more than happy to give it a chance. If it's good, great. If not, my ability to MC a game of Classic / make props to take some of the bite out of the intimidation factor gets better every time I do it.
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Old 11-17-2017, 12:58 PM   #3
Parody
 
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Default Re: Car Wars Version Question

Quote:
Originally Posted by Yoda View Post
I have the Car Wars Deluxe Edition - the boxed set from 1985, which I believe is known nowadays as 2nd ed.
Car Wars was in its third edition by the time the pocket boxes were the main product. My recommendation is to think in terms of these eras/rulesets:

Car Wars Classic (Classic, CWC, Pocket Box, etc.) is everything before the Car Wars Compendium, Second Edition. It includes all of the ziplocks, pocket boxes, catalogs, and such up through around 1992 (plus the Classic rerelease) in whatever subset you feel like using. If you're using the actual Classic product without anything else it's a lot simpler than CWC/UACFH.

Car Wars Compendium/Uncle Al's Catalog From Hell (CWC, UACFH, CWC/UACFH, and yes it is confusing thanks to the Classic rerelease) is Car Wars based on the Car Wars Compendium Second Edition and the UACFH. It has most of the rules and items, making it comprehensive but more complicated.

Car Wars Fifth Edition (CW5) was the short-lived, much simpler version from 2002. It had some good ideas but no design rules on release.

Car Wars Sixth Edition (CW6) is the one currently in design.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Yoda View Post
As I understand it, the current Car Wars Classic offered on WH23 is a reprint of the original 1st ed (the ziplock bag 'pocket' game).
Assuming you're talking about the white-box product from 2015 (also available physically), that is a reprint of the Car Wars product from 1990 that replaced the pocket boxes from earlier years.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Yoda View Post
Is the Car Wars Deluxe edition currently offered on WH23...
The black box Deluxe set includes the Compendium Second Edition (Fifth Printing) PDF as well as various counters and such you need to play CW.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Yoda View Post
BTW - the Uncle Albert's Catalog from Hell looks like it may have all the Uncle Albert's supplements combined into one volume, is that correct?
The UACFH was a collection of everything available when creating vehicles in Car Wars in 1992, plus a few new things and a couple of rules changes. I recommend getting it if you're going to play with the Compendium ruleset.

Hope this helps.
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Old 11-17-2017, 01:24 PM   #4
TheAmishStig
 
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Default Re: Car Wars Version Question

Thanks for having my back, Parody!

I learned something new from that too, I was under the impression the brand new [2015-ish] "Classic" box used a subset of the compendium's rules.
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Old 11-17-2017, 02:55 PM   #5
Magesmiley
 
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Default Re: Car Wars Version Question

The 5th post in this thread has an FAQ discussing the versioning and the compatibility of the various expansions.

Quote:
Originally Posted by TheAmishStig View Post
Thanks for having my back, Parody!

I learned something new from that too, I was under the impression the brand new [2015-ish] "Classic" box used a subset of the compendium's rules.
It is.

The Classic set currently in print a reprint of the older 1990 small box rules which was a subset of the 2nd Edition (blue cover) Compendium. So yes, the Classic rules are a subset of the Second Edition Compendium.
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Old 11-17-2017, 05:41 PM   #6
JimTullis
 
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Default Re: Car Wars Version Question

Quote:
Originally Posted by TheAmishStig View Post
We have heard rumblings of a 6th Edition, though possibly not until 2019+.
Do you have a reference for the 2019 date?

Ogre got it's designer edition started for it's 35th anniversary.
If they hold off on CW 6th until 2019, it will be the 38th for CW.
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Old 11-17-2017, 05:56 PM   #7
TheAmishStig
 
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Default Re: Car Wars Version Question

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Originally Posted by JimTullis View Post
Do you have a reference for the 2019 date?

Ogre got it's designer edition started for it's 35th anniversary.
If they hold off on CW 6th until 2019, it will be the 38th for CW.
Nothing hard; I'm going off the 2016 Stakeholder Report mentioning it was backburnered until Munchkin CCG, Munchkin Shakespeare, Dungeon Fantasy, and Ogre Minis 1 were dealt with, adding in the 6-9 month production window on recent SJG kickstarters, and speculating from there.

I'm guessing a commercial release / kickstarter fulfillment in 2018 isn't happening; we're simply running out of time for them to pull the game out of mothballs, finish it, polish it, and get it back from the factory in time.
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Old 11-17-2017, 07:01 PM   #8
Yoda
 
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Default Re: Car Wars Version Question

Wow...thanks so much to everyone for chiming in on my questions! (and so swiftly!)

Ok...a few notes from my side here...

Quote:
Car Wars was in its third edition by the time the pocket boxes were the main product. My recommendation is to think in terms of these eras/rulesets:

Car Wars Classic (Classic, CWC, Pocket Box, etc.) is everything before the Car Wars Compendium, Second Edition. It includes all of the ziplocks, pocket boxes, catalogs, and such up through around 1992 (plus the Classic rerelease) in whatever subset you feel like using. If you're using the actual Classic product without anything else it's a lot simpler than CWC/UACFH.
Wow...since I pretty much stopped playing CW in the late 1980's, what I consider 'Classic' may be more 'Classic' than I thought! HA!

Quote:
Car Wars Compendium/Uncle Al's Catalog From Hell (CWC, UACFH, CWC/UACFH, and yes it is confusing thanks to the Classic rerelease) is Car Wars based on the Car Wars Compendium Second Edition and the UACFH. It has most of the rules and items, making it comprehensive but more complicated.
Well I hate to say it...depending on the game, I sometimes consider complicated a good thing! :) With that said, much of my gaming these days (obviously since I was playing CW in the mid-to-late-80's "these days" I'm, ahem, a touch older than then) sometimes does default back to quick and easy to play things - and then some stuff that a few of us can knock out a game of on a evening at the local game store.

Quote:
Don't feel bad about being away, we love it when people come back to the game!
I couldn't agree more...a big part of my interest in diving back into CW though is really more from a nostalgia end of things.

Quote:
...it's being positioned to be to Car Wars what the Heroclix conversion was to Battletech
That's interesting. I had been wondering of the concept of CW being converted to the open tabletop movement and combat systems of things like Xwing and Wings of War. I have to admit there's a certain beauty (and fun) in flying TIE fighters and the Falcon around on my kitchen table. The downside of Xwing for me has been that it went the way of many things these days in that the 'competitive' scene for such games drives me away quickly...hard to just find people down at the store that wants to play a game for fun, enjoyment, and relaxation.

All that aside, again thanks very much for the info. Guess I'll be hitting WH23 for some stuff to sift through gleefully feeling like a teenager again :)

Best...
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Old 11-17-2017, 07:10 PM   #9
Yoda
 
Join Date: Nov 2017
Default Re: Car Wars Version Question

Quote:
The 5th post in this thread has an FAQ discussing the versioning and the compatibility of the various expansions.
Magesmiley: That link and post is extremely helpful...thanks!
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Old 11-18-2017, 07:18 AM   #10
swordtart
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Default Re: Car Wars Version Question

CW was always very competitive. IIRC it started as a "beer and pretzels" game, which I presumed to mean really easy to play (only Mini Car Wars in the currently available product line really fits this description). CW got very complicated as the game progressed and the rules became increasingly inconsistent with each other.

If you want simplicity then CW5 may be the way to go (as you just pick a design and play). That said Mini Car Wars is so cheap that you might as well give it a go. You can even sub your mates a copy so they don't even need to invest.
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