Car Wars 5th edition physics problem

[helbent4]

Originally Posted by Teclis

Hi,

I played Car Wars 5th edition for the first time on Saturday. The Three phase system has a problem with the physics in that a car moving at a high velocity can pass a car with a low velocity during its movement phase and then when the lower velocity car moves it can initiate a collision onto the rear of the car with the higher velocity.

In essence you have a slower moving vehicle colliding with a faster moving vehicle that is both in front of it at moving in the same direction, which is impossible.

Hi Teclis,

I like 5th edition as well. I am using 1/64 scale vehicles (aka "Hotwheels/Matchbox" scale) but am finding even the 5-phase turns drag somewhat at 3x scale in "open road" scenarios where the combatants are not forced to constantly maneuver and fire. I am running a game with a friend and we are going to switch to 5th ed. 3-phase movement but keep most other rules (primarily for weapons) the same as Classic CW. (Although I do like how it's generally much easier to hit in 5th ed.)

This question was answered previously, so my apologies for going into a little more depth.

Page 6; Rear -End:

"A slower vehicle may not rear-end a faster vehicle. If this appears to occur, the faster vehicle is moved the smallest distance needed to remove the threat. This movement is subtracted from its next phase."

This seems simple enough according to the streamlined nature of 5th edition and works well if the slow vehicle would end its phase in the same spot occupied by the faster vehicle. You may wish to mark the faster vehicle's original starting position somehow to facilitate this, although this might make things a little confusing!

It follows that if the faster vehicle that has been moved in this manner wishes to make a maneuver at the start of its next turn then it can do so from it's original unaltered start point (again, it helps if this spot is marked).

A further suggestion is if the slow vehicle has enough movement to go completely "through" the faster vehicle's position, the slow vehicle simply ignores the presence of the fast vehicle for that move, and only for that move. (It could still theoretically put itself in a position where the faster vehicle is forced to rear-end it at or near the beginning of its next phase, but that's just cheap, not unrealistic!)

Another way around this problem is what I call "convoy" or "pursuit" movement. It's most useful on the open road where all or most vehicles are travelling the same general direction. The lead vehicle on the road moves first regardless of speed, then the next, and so on. This way slower vehicles can usually never rear-end a faster vehicle from behind (as by definition all faster vehicles ahead of it would have moved beyond where it can reach.) It also makes initiative very quick and easy because you can just look at the board and judge who goes next by where they are in relation to everyone.

Tony