Level 1 Review: Car Wars

Saturday the 21st, I made it out to Tucson Ides of Gaming, a monthly gaming event hosted by SAGA.  The event focuses primarily on board games and card games.  I got the chance to play Car Wars.  I liked it so much, that I decided to write a review.  Now, I know Car Wars isn’t exactly an RPG (there a some RPG rules out there, though) and this site is primarily about RPGs, but I wanted to write about it.  And it’s my blog.  So, there.

Car WarsCar Wars is a game of vehicular combat.  Each player drives a car loaded out with armor and various weapons and equipment  in a no holds barred grudge match to the death.  It was originally published in 1980 by Steve Jackson Games.  Since then there have been a total of five editions.  Apparently, the game grew in complexity over the first four editions.  The fifth edition, the edition I played, reduced a lot of that complexity.  Which was probably for the best, because the edition I played seemed like just the right level of complexity to me.  The 5th edition is still in print and available here.  PDFs of various editions are available here.  There hasn’t been any new material published since late 2002.

You start out by choosing a car.  All the cars come pre-made (prior versions had vehicle creation rules, but the fifth edition never did).  Each car has various strengths and weaknesses.  Some had more armor, but fewer weapons.  Others had better weapons and better handling, but lightly armored. I ended up choosing a car with a few heavy rockets, decent armor, a ram plate, and some smoke screens.

Armor is divided among front, back, sides, top, and bottom.  Each car has a Handling Class (HC) which determines how often and how easily you can make difficult maneuvers.  There is a wide variety of weapons: rockets, machine guns, ram plates, flamethrowers, laser beams.  There is also fun equipment like smoke screens, oil slicks, and paint sprayers.

Each car was represented by a little card stock car.  But, you could use matchbox cars or micro-machines.  Movement is determined by your current speed and measured in inches.  There is a turning key that you use to measure your movement.  It also determines the cost to your HC for making manuevers.  A 30 degree turn costs you 1 HC whereas a 90 degree will cost you 5 HC.  Go below a certain threshold on your HC and you could lose control of your car where you could fish tail or roll it.

The rules are pretty straight forward and pretty easy to learn.  So, it is pretty friendly to new gamers, but you really need some well versed in the rules to teach it.  We actually had someone running the game for us as a sort of GM.  This isn’t really necessary, but it does help to have someone familiar with the rules and who can act as a referee.

I had a great time playing the game.  There are lots of fun little touches in the rules that lead to great moments in the game.  Like the random events that can happen when a daring maneuver goes bad.  Or how you determine the position of the cars after a collision (you pick the cars up and drop them).  You can blow off tires which cripples you HC.  You can roll down your window and shoot at the driver with your machine game.  (My driver met a gruesome death after rolling down the window, catching an incendiary bullet in the face, then catching fire.) The cars felt well balanced as no one seemed to have a clear advantage.

Car Wars also brought back warm memories of good car combat video games of yore.  Spy Hunter, Twisted Metal 2, and the old arcade game Demolition Derby come to mind.  I wonder if these games were influenced by Car Wars.

The game time is supposed to last around 45 minutes to an hour.  Our game clocked in at well over 3 hours.  I don’t think that is typical though.  We were all learning the rules.  And a couple of nasty hits early on knocked out a couple weapons on two of the cars, so there was a lot of cat and mouse. So, it did get a little tedious towards the end, but I think it was due to circumstances in the game that weren’t typical.

I recommend checking this game out if you can.  It’s too bad that it is not widely available and no new material is coming out for it.  Steve Jackson Games would do well to reissue all the 5th edition stuff in one streamlined package.  It may regain some popularity.   It is a well balanced game that runs smoothly.

There are rockets, flying shrapnel, frickin’ laser beams, and cars smashing into each other.  What else do you want from a game?

Mad Max

Photo from the game on Saturday


November 28, 2009 | Level 1 Gamer | 3 Comments »

Tales of Swords & Wizardry: The System

Ruined Tower of ZenopusRuined Tower of Zenopus (Art by Paul Fini)

My current gaming fix is a bi-weekly home brew campaign using the Swords & Wizardry system. On the Swords & Wizardry website, the system is described thusly:

Swords & Wizardry (TM) is a “retro-clone” of the original version of Gary Gygax’s fantasy roleplaying game, which was published in 1974. In other words, S&W is the “rules” of the original system, reconstructed and re-described . . .

Furthermore it is described as a game where

“light” rules create a framework instead of trying to cover every detail, every rule, and every situation.

The game is organized and run by Paul Fini. He was a player in the my First. Game. Ever. which was a D&D 3.5 edition campaign chronicled in my previous post.  He is chronicling our game in his blog, The Warlock’s Home Brew, if you would like to read about the details of our adventure.  It’s an amusing tale full of bumbling adventurers, severed heads, carousing, crotch-goblins, and much more.  So, check out his blog for the full details.  This post is more about my impressions of the system and experience with the game.sw_small_cover_1

While we were playing in that 3.5 campaign, Paul told me about his interest in old school gaming and invited me to join a campaign he was organizing using Swords & Wizardry.  Now, at the time, I had little idea what old school gaming really was.  Since I’m new to gaming, old school gaming holds no nostalgic value for me.  Also, I quite like the 4th edition rule set with its compelling combats, powers, nifty character builder, and shiny, well organized rule books.  So, while I was eager to play in any game, dive deeper into the hobby and experience a new rule set, playing in a old-school, retro-clone felt a little like a step back to me.  It’s sort like if you just discovered playing video games on an Xbox 360.  Then, your friend invites you over to play some games on his Atari.  That was sort of my feeling about it.  Thankfully, that analogy does not hold out.

Well, the Xbox 360/Atari holds out in some respects.  Swords & Wizardry (and by extension OD&D) doesn’t have all the bells whistles of 4th edition or 3.5.  There are no skills.  There are no powers.  There aren’t any tactical combat rules such as flanking or attacks of opportunity.  Actually, there isn’t a whole lot of “game” there.  The description of it as a framework is quite apt since the light weight rules can conform to whatever experience you want to have.  This is actually quite appealing to a new gamer like me.  When you’re a new gamer, still getting the hang of role playing or figuring out which die to roll when, adding loads of rules and arcane minutiae really can get in the way of the experience.  I’m looking at you D&D 3.5 and 4th edition (although I feel the character builder alleviates some of that in 4th ed).

This has lead to a great experience at the gaming table.  There are six players including me.  Our game has grown into a irreverent, raunchy, mysterious, and slightly wacky adventure that’s been a blast to play.  My sides hurt from laughing so much each session.   Our DM Paul has done an excellent job of helping the game grow organically out of what all the players contribute to it.  He is running a campaign that is very much in the sandbox style of play which I think Swords & Wizardry is extremely well suited for.

While the open-ended, rules-light nature of the system works well for our group, I could imagine that it would not work well for everyone.  In the hands of a bad DM or even an average DM, the game could turn into a mess.  Because much what happens is up to DM “fiat” so to speak.  Also, without a dynamic group like mine, the game wouldn’t work real well either.  Both of these points are true for any system, but since there isn’t much of system to fall back on, I feel S&W would suffer more in those circumstances.

Combat in S&W is a different beast from the other editions I’ve played.  It’s short and very dangerous. Especially, since we’re still at level 1. Also, when we rolled up our characters, we took the rolls as they were. So, we’re certainly not an optimized fighting machine.  The danger and our sometimes crippling ineptitude is actually really fun.  It adds a lot to the atmosphere of the game.

Although, I do like tactical combat with a grid and minis.  And I like the epic fights that 3.5 and 4th edition can provide.  I don’t think S&W could provide that experience.  So, I miss that a little, but the experience that S&W provides doesn’t mesh well with big, epic fights anyway.

That said, I’m glad that we’re using Swords & Wizardry.  Our wacky, laid back, beer & pretzels (literally) game wouldn’t be the same under a different system.  Actually, I feel it might be a little worse off.

That’s all for now.  Since, this is currently my only regular game (a pregnant wife and a one year old only leave so much time for gaming), I’ll be writing more  Tales of Swords & Wizardry in the future.  If you’d like to check out Swords & Wizardry, the core rules PDF is free and available here.  Also while you’re there, check out the Book of Wizardry and Book of the Divine created by my DM Paul Fini.

November 24, 2009 | Level 1 Gamer | 4 Comments »

First. Game. Ever. The story of my first RPG experience.

Way, way back in June of the year 2009, I played Dungeons and Dragons for the first time.  This was my first experience with a pen and paper RPG.  (Actually, it’s not quite my first experience, but that’s a story for another time.) Since it was not very long ago, I thought it would be a good idea to write a post about it before the memory melts into the recesses of my brain.  Without further ado, here is my gamer origin story.  Although, don’t expect any radioactive spiders or super-soldier serum.  It’s not that exciting.

I’d been interested in RPG’s for a long time, specifically D&D, since it was the only one I was really aware of .  I’ve been a computer gamer since I was a wee lad and I’m into many other geeky things.  Also, my mom and dad played D&D for a while before I was born.  I even have my mom’s dice and set of minis that she painted.  So, D&D was in my blood and it seemed like it would be right up my alley.  I just never had the opportunity to play.

Tucson RPG GuildIt is actually pretty difficult to get into the hobby if you are completely new to it and know no one who plays.  I’ve walked into game stores out of curiosity, but I barely knew what I was looking at let alone knew how to get into a game and actually play.  Thankfully, here in Tucson, we have a very active Meetup group called Tucson RPG Guild sponsored by SAGA, the Southern Arizona Gamers Association. I’m going to go off a little bit of a tangent here, but this is important to the story.  If not for the existence of the Tucson RPG Guild and SAGA, I wouldn’t be a gamer right now.  It brought me into the hobby.  From what I’ve read, tabletop RPGs are waning as a hobby.  The peak of the hobby was two decades ago.  Sales are down, etc.   With that in mind, I believe organizations like SAGA and meetup groups like Tucson RPG are vital to the future of the hobby.  I have more to say on this subject, but I’ll leave that for another post.

On to the story: Finally, in June, I had a free Saturday that happened to fall on one of the monthly Tucson RPG meetups.  My wife and daughter were out of town, and I had no other commitments.  I’d done a little research before hand.  I knew there was a new version of D&D called 4th edition and that the last edition was 3.5.  I came in wanting to play 4th edition because it was the shiny new thing.  Alas, when I arrived at the meetup, the 4th edition table was full.  Luckily, that week, there was someone running a 3.5 game and there was room at the table.  A young woman named Erin and her boyfriend, Nick were at the table.  Erin was the DM.  They had pregenerated 10th level characters.  With Nick’s advice, I chose the human rogue, because he was the least complicated mechanically.  A third player, Paul, joined us and chose a cleric. Nick played human ranger and also played a warrior to round out the party.

Once acquainted, we started to play.  I was bewildered at first.  The character sheet was a mystery to me.  I didn’t know what a D20 was.  The first call to roll initiative was met with a blank stare from me. Everyone was helpful and I picked up things pretty quickly.  The session started with all the PCs magically transported to a clearing after being bitten by a magical golden snake.  We introduced ourselves and set out to try to discover where we were and why we were there.  After finding various strange clues (dead bodies with plants growing out of them, giant glowing foot prints) and overcoming a few obstacles, we made it to another clearing.  The DM got out a battle mat.   A fairly long, but fun combat ensued between us and several magical wild animals.  We used quarters for our PCs and little pipe cleaner figures for the monsters. Despite my confusion and flailing about, I had a great time and managed to be fairly effective in combat.  At the end of the session, we all exchanged information and agreed to continue on the game as a home game.

Several things about this first session really clicked with me and drew me into the hobby.  First, I really liked combat.  I’ve always been a avid computer gamer.  In fact, my favorite computer of all time is X-COM, a tactical, turn-based game that features combat quite similar to D&D 3.5 combat.  So, combat really scratched that gaming itch for me.  Second, it’s a social hobby.  Most of my hobbies are solitary and it’s not always easy for me to make new friends.  So, it’s a great way to be more social and meet new people.  Third, I immediately recognized the creative outlet that D&D can provide.  I have an active imagination and like to plot out stories in my head.  I just don’t have the ability and/or the discipline to write them out.  The framework of D&D (and RPGs in general) for creating and telling stories really seems like it can be a creative outlet for me.

We continued to meet throughout the summer to continue the campaign.  Somewhere along the way, role playing really started to click for me.  My character started to crystallize in mind and I began to make decisions based on what the character would do instead of what makes the most sense from a meta-gaming standpoint.   Meanwhile, I ravenously browsed the internet to learn more about D&D and RPGs in general.   I attended another meetup and got to play 4th edition finally.  While I really enjoyed the 3.5 campaign I was in, I found I preferred 4th edition as a system.

After quite a few scheduling conflicts, the campaign ended with a satisfying conclusion in August.  Nick and Erin moved to Chicago.  I’m now playing Paul’s home brew campaign using the Swords and Wizardy system. He is chronicling it on his blog, The Warlock’s Home Brew and I’ll be writing about that soon.

This campaign was a great introduction to the hobby for me.  I’m actually glad I ended up at that table during that meetup.  I got play in and finish a D&D campaign.  I got to play 3.5 which, while it’s not my preferred system, I’m glad to now have experience with the system so I have the frame of reference.  And, of course, I was introduced to a great hobby which I hope to enjoy for many years to come.

November 10, 2009 | Level 1 Gamer | 6 Comments »

I survived Wil Wheaton’s Dungeon Delve of Doom

Three weeks ago at Rincon ’09, I had the opportunity to play in Wil Wheaton’s Dwarven Dungeon Delve of Doom benefiting Child’s Play, a charity that provides games, toys, and other items for sick kid’s in children’s hospitals around the world. I had a great time and wanted to share the experience.  I hoped to get this post out earlier, but real life often gets in the way.

First, an overview: Wil Wheaton came up with this idea to run dungeon delves (short dungeon crawls that last around 2 to 3 hours) for charity.  He ran the first two delves at Rincon ’09, one on Friday and Sunday.  Five people participated in each delve.  It was a $50 donation to play.  Players had to show up at the registration desk when the con opened to sign up for the Delve.

Dungeon Master Wil Wheaton

Dungeon Master Wil Wheaton

When I first read Wil’s announcement on his blog, I thought, “I’d love to do this.”  My first hurdle was what my friends and I call the WAF (Wife Acceptance Factor).  Now, up until this point, my wife has been accepting of this new Dungeons & Dragons hobby of mine.  Actually, besides some good-natured ribbing, she has been very supportive.  But, I was worried I was pushing the limit because I was already planning on spending much of the weekend at the con while she was at home, pregnant and watching our 18 month old daughter.  So, I didn’t know what to expect when I told her I wanted to spend $50 to play Dungeons & Dragons with the guy who played Wesley Crusher on Star Trek.  When I told her what I wanted to do, her response: “Oh my gosh!  I used to have the biggest crush on him!”  She didn’t have a problem with it.

My second hurdle was to actually get into the delve.  I knew I had to get there early to get a slot.  To complicate things, I had a 11 am dentist appointment to finish up a root canal.    The procedure ended earlier than I thought and after a quick (but, carefully eaten) lunch, I got to the con a little after 1pm to try to secure a spot.  I was the ninth person in line and got into the Sunday delve.  It’s funny because if not for that root canal I probably wouldn’t have gotten there early enough to get into the delve.  I’m chalking it up to some cosmic karmic balance thing.

On to the delve.  I get to the table a little early.  A couple of players are already there and Wil is setting things up.  First, I had to pick my character from the pregenerated characters.  Every character was a Dwarf.  This the first of several good tips  for running a delve that I picked up from this experience.  Since this was a dungeon delve at a convention, the time constraint, combat heavy orientation, and players unfamiliar with each other can make role play difficult.  Since every character is a dwarf, it opened up some easy RP opportunities.  I chose a warlock because that was the class I was most familiar with of the ones remaining and named him Darbin Darkboot.

I also perused our generous gift bag.  From Wizards of the Coast we received the Player’s Handbook 2 and Monster Manual 2 (neither of which I had) as well as the mini we used.  From Gamestation dot Net, we received a set of dice, the D6 was engraved with “W2D2 Rincon ’09″ to commemorate the event.  Wil had also gotten a set of crayons for each of us because the numbers on the dice weren’t colored in.  From what I’m told, in the old days, you old-timers had to color in your own dice with crayons.  I’m also told you tied onions to your belts, as it was style of time.  I was already excited to just be in the delve and contribute to a great charity.  The nice gifts were more than I expected.

Then, we dove into the game.  We were all members of the Swackhammer clan.  We found ourselves at the Adventure Hook inn.  The problem: We had drank our way through all the ale.  So, we needed to raid a dungeon in order to free up the supply.  (Or something like that. My memory fails me a little on this point.)  This was the second good tip I picked up for a delve.  Using a simple and fun adventure hook like dwarves questing to get more beer opens up RP possibilities.  There were several funny jokes and character moments that came out of it.

The first encounter was a tense, close quarters battle with some skeletons and ghouls.  I had some trouble getting away from monsters to fire off eldritch blasts.  The second encounter involved some  zombies who dispensed cold damage which prompted one of the players to comment, “If we kill these zombies and take them back to the pub we could have cold ale all the time!” +2 to his next attack.  The third encounter was the finale.   It took place in a large room with brazier traps.  The Big Bad was an evil necromancer brought to life by Wil’s  appropriately evil cackling whenever the necromancer spoke.   There were even a few references to Jim Darkmagic in there.   The necromancer was protected by a huge zombie hulk.  My warlock dealt a devastating blow with a fire damage daily power.  You see the effects of that blast here:

Wil describes a devastating blow against the zombie hulk.

In the end, the Swackhammer clan defeated the necromancer and got back to what dwarves do best: drinking.

All in all, it was a great time and Wil really hit on a great idea with this charity delve thing. I am sure he will continue to do at future cons if possible.  Mr. Wheaton is every bit the cool, gracious, and funny geek that he comes across as in his blog and podcasts.  He’s a helluva DM as well.

This really was the perfect end to my first ever gaming convention.

Bonus
Here are the stats for the magical item Wil Wheaton was wearing:
Keyboard Cat Moon Shirt

November 4, 2009 | Level 1 Gamer | 14 Comments »