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This page last updated Tuesday, 06-Sep-2005 12:28:17 EDT.
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Role Playing News
Volume 2, Number 2 - March 27, 1995
The Roving Gamer is Mark Christopher. To submit articles contact him at:
The Roving Gamer
21 Claymoss Rd
Apt. 2
Brighton, MA 02135-4202
or e-mail markus@shore.net
Volume 2, Number 2
March 27, 1995
Driving with Car Wars
by Brian Woodring
You're driving along and all of a sudden, out of nowhere, some moron cuts you off. Or you're riding along in the fast lane and some sightseer is doing fifty miles per hour, totally oblivious to you behind him. Didn't you wish you had a machine-gun mounted on your hood so that this jerk in front of you was dog meat? There is a game out there with exactly that idea in mind. It is called Car Wars.
This game is, for me at any rate, the ultimate tactical simulation game going. Now I know that some of my esteemed colleagues (you know who you are) will disagree, but I stand by my decision. And I'll tell you why...
Unlike any other game that I've played, Car Wars lets you design your own weapon (vehicle) from the ground up. While other games let you choose from a list of weapons (ships, tanks, etc.), Car Wars lets you build it to your specifications. Now don't go thinking, "well I'll put a tank gun on the front, a laser in the turret, maybe a multifire rocket pod on the back and I'll have 100 points of armor all around." Remember there are rules to limit you from building the most mongo machine in creation. And it can get a bit confusing, as the Car Wars Compendium so eloquently puts it, "It's pretty complicated to build a car, just ask Detroit." The regular car warriors in the field don't call it 'Car Wars Calculus' for nothing.
Building the vehicle is only the beginning, a fun and sometimes extremely frustrating beginning, but only a beginning. Actually taking the car into battle is the ultimate. Have you built the best car you can? Can you drive the car you built? I have seen more people (myself definitely included) lose a duel because of bad maneuvers rather then being shot to death. Having the biggest gun or the latest weaponry will not win the game for you. Maneuvering and timing play a key role in just surviving a combat.
Build a good car. Drive it well. This is the essence of Car Wars. Not to frighten off the mathematically challenged, the books and supplementary materials come with a number (no pun intended) of ready made vehicles to kill your friends with. This game has it all: the chance to build your own weapon; maneuvers in a heavily terrained environment; ready to run prototypes; and lots of fast paced action with easy-to-understand movement rules. With that, I'll see you on a duel track. Happy Hunting!
Volume 2, Number 2
March 27, 1995
Ogre: the Battlefield of the Future
by Mark Christopher
While this is a venerable (read: old) game, I felt it was worth reviewing not only for it's simple yet extremely fun play, but to reminisce about the good old days when you could get a fun wargame for about five bucks. With the 'pocket box' edition of Ogre out of print for around eight years or so, it's time to re-introduce people to the classic.
The premise of the game is simple. It is a hundred years in the future, and the world has once again developed into two major political blocs. This time, the war has turned hot. However, technology has advanced considerably. There are troops who wear powered armor capable of withstanding almost anything short of a small nuke, ground-effect vehicles (GEVs) that zip around the battlefields at speeds approaching 100 mph, and tanks that shoot tac nukes. The undisputed king of the battlefield, however, is the cybernetically-controlled mega-tank, the Ogre. Ogres come in various types, from the MBT-sized Mk I to the fifty-meter long Mk VI. They are massive (average about 30 meters long or so) computer-controlled tanks bristling with guns and missiles. Not at all nice playmates.
In the game, one player is the commander of an area command post (CP) and its defensive force of armor and infantry units. The other player is the attacking force, which consists of only one unit, and Ogre. Believe me, it's fair.
The original game was lots of fun, as I've said, though somewhat limited by the lack of much terrain (the map was a rocky field full of nuke craters), but the companion game, GEV, added terrain, more units, and many more possibilities for scenarios. If you ever find used copies of theses games, or know someone who has them, I highly recommend playing it. It is an uncomplicated, fast, and varied game of ground warfare.
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