Encouraging Dropped Weapon Use

[NexusGameTheory]

I love the idea of dropped weapons in Car Wars. Possibly influenced by too many James Bond movies and playing the arcade game Spyhunter.

It feels like the opportunity cost of having to wait till the Combat phase and also taking up one of the two firing actions seems really high. It is fine for a 1BP weapon, I just want to see more of them in play :).

I want to test the "zoom zoom pew pew" feel of the game with one or more of the below house rules and I am looking for opinions & votes.

Options:
1) Dropping a weapon can be done at any point of the movement phase, but still uses up a firing action from the upcoming Combat phase. This requires remembering by the players, not always a good plan.

2) Cars get an "extra" firing action, one each turn, exclusively for dropped weapons. This means players can do their two regular firing actions, and THEN still use one dropped weapon. If they want to do more than one dropped weapon in a turn, then they still have to use one of their two precious firing actions. Note this could be easily combined with Option 1 which effectively negates the memory problem.

3) A new card, something like a "drop computer", "hair-trigger finger pull" or something way better named, that costs 1BP as an Accessory that allows one or both of the above options, but now the player has to pay for it on their vehicle.

Thoughts and votes?

[43Supporter]

Originally Posted by NexusGameTheory

Thoughts and votes?

Given how Biblically overpowered DWs were in OG CW: Seeing them rendered ineffective does me a power of good.

[NexusGameTheory]

Originally Posted by 43Supporter

Given how Biblically overpowered DWs were in OG CW: Seeing them rendered ineffective does me a power of good.

I should take that as a vote for "non of the above"? :D

[Diehard]

I like the idea of an upgrade card that gives you more control of where they are dropped but it can be really unbalancing. Now you have to really plan your movement to use them rather than just dropping them along your path. This means you really have to watch your speed and movement to make them work as expected. I would have to vote no on this one for now. There is just too much potential for abuse currently.

[NexusGameTheory]

Originally Posted by Diehard

I like the idea of an upgrade card that gives you more control of where they are dropped but it can be really unbalancing. Now you have to really plan your movement to use them rather than just dropping them along your path. This means you really have to watch your speed and movement to make them work as expected. I would have to vote no on this one for now. There is just too much potential for abuse currently.

Diehard, I would love to know more about what you are thinking here. What is abusive, or potentially abusive, about it for you?

[beetle496]

I don’t have any aspirations to encourage dropped weapon use, but would “autofire” (or whatever it was called) so that hazard cards / mines dropped once per car-length movement be that bad? There are only four of whatever. Aesthetically, I prefer a small stream over blotches, but it seems like it would be only a small buff. If the player prefers one-at-a-time, or to take a firing action to turn off after a couple or three, that seems fine as well.

[43Supporter]

Originally Posted by beetle496

would “autofire” (or whatever it was called) so that hazard cards / mines dropped once per car-length movement be that bad?

Yes, actually -- it's one of the reasons DWs were overpowered in OG CW. Being able to "wall off" entire roads or arena sections (coupled to the complete lack of a "DW clearance" rule or item) resulted in a different iteration of "the four-second duel-of-tires" event.

[beetle496]

Again, I am not a fan of DW junking up the area.

Originally Posted by 43Supporter

Being able to "wall off" entire roads or arena sections…

Right, but 6e DW loadout is 4 car lengths max, not 25 (!) so seems like it would not really be a problem.

coupled to the complete lack of a "DW clearance" rule or item

6e improves on that too. I guess Oil/Spikes/Smoke are persistent, but Mines and Foam are temporary.

[JimTullis]

I'm thinking that if you can drop the SLAB at the end of any movement point there shouldn't be any problem dropping the other weapons that way as well. And to remember who fired it just tap crank exhaust er... rotate that crew member card.

[NexusGameTheory]

Originally Posted by JimTullis

I'm thinking that if you can drop the SLAB at the end of any movement point there shouldn't be any problem dropping the other weapons that way as well. And to remember who fired it just tap crank exhaust er... rotate that crew member card.

That is an excellent point! The rules already have an example of that idea. We would just be expanding it from the SLAB to other dropped weapons.