Playtesters: Jim Gould (over and over), Aaron Allston, Norman Banduch, Jim Crouchet, Elton Fewell, Kelly Grimes, David Heiligmann, Jessica Irsei, Pat Mueller, Chris Smith, and Chris Swearingen.
An early version of this adventure was used in the TexCon: 1982 Car Wars tournament.
This is a Car Wars adventure for one to eight players, plus a referee. It plays best with three to six players. If you have fewer people, that's all right; you can even play with referee and one player.
You will need the Car Wars rules and road sections. Material from several supplementary sets (road sections from Expansion Set 1, cycles from Sunday Drivers, and truck rules and counters from Truck Stop) are also called for in this scenario - but if you don't have them yet, you can work around them. In particular, if you don't have Truck Stop, you can copy and/or cut out the truck counter on the back cover of this magazine. (In Truck Stop, trucks are two-piece counters with special movement rules... if you don't have those rules, use this one-piece counter and don't worry about it.)
On Thursday night, January 27, 2033, a team of six autoduellists left Lexington, Kentucky, bound for Memphis. They weren't rallying, or even salvage-hunting; they had been hired to deliver a valuable cargo... and to save a city. Th convoy was advised to take the shortest route: the Bluegrass Parkway to I-65, I-65 to Nashville, then down I-40 to Memphis. The encounters described, therefore, took place along that route.
The convoy pulled into Memphis an hour behind schedule, with the right side of the trailer badly shot up and minus one of the escorting vehicles. All six of the duellists survived to collect their fees... but, as they told the AADA reps and TV reporters after the run was over, it could have gone a lot differently...
This adventure recreates the events of that night.
This adventure is designed for six characters (which, of course, can be played by anywhere from one to six people). Each character should have advanced about three levels since he took up autoduelling - that is, he is, on the average, Level 1 in three different areas.
If you have more players, the convoy can include more duellists (but probably no more than eight), or some can control the NPC's that the party encounters. In any case, there should be no more than 40 skill levels (counting "0" as one level) in the convoy.
The players must provide escort vehicles (these are assumed to be their personal duelling vehicles). The combined value of the escort vehicles should not be over $80,000.
If characters from a continuing campaign are using vehicles whose current total value is less than $70,000, the referee should allow some ConTexCo expense account money toward improving their vehicles.
Combat will almost certainly be necessary at some point in the adventure. However, if you treat every situation as a combat situation, you will run out of time and ammunition very quickly. Planning, teamwork, and common sense will pay off. Cowardice and hot-headedness will be equally fatal.
A mutant bacteria has contaminated an algae farm in Memphis, rendering inedible a major source of Memphis' food supply. Memphis has enough food to last two days, about the time necessary to cultivate a new brew of algae. Your job is to deliver a tanker full of disease-resistant algae to Memphis before 9 a.m. tomorrow. For reasons having to do with company politics, the algaeculture company, ConTexCo, cannot supply its own personnel and escort vehicles. They will, of course, supply the tanker, fully equipped and with fully-powered fuel cells, but it has no marking identifying it as a ConTexCo vehicle. (You sense that they want no word of the Memphis foul-up to leak.)
Your team will be paid $100,000 upon the timely completion of your mission; you have 13 hours to travel just over 400 miles. If you bring the tanker in late, you will be docked $5,000 per full or partial hour. Bringing the rig in early will not earn a bonus, however; ConTexCo does not want to encourage reckless driving! If the tanker and cab arrive without significant damage (less than 10 points damage to any side of armor and no wheels gone), each survivor will receive a $3,000 bonus. It is also understood (as always on the open road) that anything you can pick up along the way is yours.
You probably should not consider pirating the truck. Its contents will decay in 24 hours if not removed, none of you know how to sell it, the trucking Brotherhood has very rigidly-enforced prohibitions against sale and/or use of hijacked rigs, and you strongly suspect that, like most valuable cargoes, it is booby-trapped. Though this will deter some bandits from attacking, you may expect that others will not know, will not care, or will shoot at you just to see the truck go up.
Your time will start at the truck stop outside Lexington, where a ConTexCo representative will meet you and hand you the keys and $1,000 for expenses. Your own vehicles begin in the truck stop parking lot. (The truck stop is a fortified "safe area." You and your vehicles are safe inside; you can buy food, drinks, and equipment, and mingle with a wide variety of people.)
Your first choice: Do you take the keys and go, or do you spend some time mingling at the truck stop? Your team was recruited some 300 miles away, for ConTexCo's security reasons; you drove here in broad daylight this afternoon, along fairly decent roads, and had no problems. This truck stop is considered by people in your home area to be the "edge of civilization" and you know little about conditions between here and Memphis.
This is information that any experienced road driver would know. Since at least one of you will have the Trucker ability, you all know this now...
There is not really a lot of combat on the highways. Most of the crazies get killed quickly. However, anybody who uses weapons now is probably professional about it, and dangerous. It is bad manners to point a weapon at somebody to "cover" them. It doesn't always provoke a fight if the insulted party is (a) sensible, or (b) in a bad position, but it is dangerous.
It is good manners to get over to the far right if faster traffic comes up from behind. It is bad manners to tail somebody at less than a quarter-mile or so unless you're trying to pass and they won't let you.
The highway you will travel is mostly old interstate and tollways. It was good road once, but less so now. The southbound side will be two or three lanes; the northbound side is separated by a 50-foot, overgrown median. There are dense trees and lots of kudzu on both sides of the road most of the time. Often, you won't even see lights of oncoming traffic. You can't cross over except at exits. There are the usual underpasses and overpasses along the way. The shoulders are not very reliable. Any maneuver which involves driving on the shoulder adds +1 to the maneuver; any movement phase in which all wheels are off the road is a D1 hazard, even if no maneuver is attempted. Any maneuver in which all wheels are off the road at any time is +3.
You can make 200 miles on a power charge if you rarely go faster than 55 mph; you might be able to stretch that to 220 if you average about 50 mph or less. Subtract 20 miles of range for every 5 every 5 mph of speed you average over 55 mph. All truck stops along the way have power stations, of course. Two vehicles can be charged at once; a full charge takes ten minutes and costs $20 for a cycle, $50 for a car, or $100 for an oversized vehicle. Each time a laser fires, it subtracts two miles from that vehicle's range. Each time a heavy laser fires, subtract three miles from range.
Your rig is an almost-new Magnum Motors "Middy" cab towing a heavily armored liquid bulk tank. The cab/tank combination has HC 1 and 2.5 mph acceleration. When the rig is at or above 25 mph, it has 5 mph acceleration. It totally ignores spikes and debris, because of its solid tires. It does quadruple damage whenever it collides with anything, due to its great mass. When rammed by anything less than 11,000 lbs., its position does not change (though it takes damage). When ramming anything on wheels less than 11,000 lbs., it continues unchecked, taking normal damage but bouncing the other vehicle.
The cab has driver and gunner seats, each with hi-res computer; RL in turret; one extra RL magazine; one MG to right and left, and two linked MG's in front; two AP flechette grenades each on top, right, and left, and one each front and back; armor: F45, R45, L45, T35, U40, B30; and 10 solid tires with permanent 10-point wheelguards. By itself, the cab has HC 0 and 5 mph acceleration.
The tanker has 4 AP flechettes each on top and sides, one each front and back. It has 12 solid tires with permanent 10-point wheelguards; oil spray, spikedropper, and smokescreen to back; and one smokescreen to each side. All are controlled from the cab. There are three links: one links the three smokescreens; one, the three back weapons; one, all five. The tanker has a quick-release kingpin. Armor: F50, B50, FR50, BR50, FL50, BL50, FT50, BT50, FU50, BU50. (The 50th point of damage breaches the tank.)
The quick-release kingpin will immediately release the tanker from the cab. The trailer can be reattached afterwards in 30 minutes.
AP flechettes are designed to discourage pedestrians from climbing the truck. Treat them as grenades, but their plastic splinters affect only pedestrians and cyclists.
The following items first appeared in Truck Stop (tool kit and portable shop) or Sunday Drivers, and are reproduced here for the benefit of those who do not own those supplements.
A standard box of mechanic's tools; a character is assumed to have this when rolling on the Repair Table, given in "Creating a New Character" elsewhere in this issue. Includes all normal hand tools, plus spare light bulbs, fuses, sheets of armor plastic, welding epoxy, miniature torch, etc. Costs $600 and takes up one space; weighs 40 lbs. and counts as a pedestrian's full load if carried. If a tool kit is part of a vehicle's cargo and takes damage, it has 2 DP. The first hit damages the case; the second hit breaks the case, ruins most of the contents, and scatters the rest. Get a new kit.
Everything a full-scale garage would have, except the overhead lift and the soft-drink machines - in miniaturized form. Includes a variety of jacks, heavy-duty cutting torch, thermite, plastic fabrication equipment, lubricants, battery parts and fluids, electronic testing gear, fire axe, and several drop-lights and beams that will run off any vehicle power plant. Weighs 300 lbs. (four cases of 75 lbs. each). Each case takes up one space and has 2 DP. The first point of damage mars the case; the second destroys the contents. If a mechanic is trying to use a portable shop with (for instance) only two cases left, there is a 50% chance that he won't be able to find what he wants, and the shop will do him no good. Each of the four cases costs $1,000.
These are permanent, or retractable armor flaps which help guard wheels. Normal wheelguards for any vehicle cost $10, weigh 4 lbs. per point of armor, and can have 10 points of armor per guard. Any shot directed at a wheel will be taken by a guard on a roll of 1-4 on one die until it is blown away. Retractable wheelguards are as above, except add $250 and 50 lbs. per wheel, and 1 space taken up per wheelguard. Retractable guards are useless but invisible while retracted. They are activated before segment 1 of any turn, and fall "in place" on segment 1 of the next turn. They can be retracted after segment 10 of any turn. Wheelguards subtract 1 from the HC of any vehicle shorter than 20 feet when they are in place. (If they are blown away, they are not in place.)
$500, 10 lbs., two grenades if carried. This is a one-shot disposable rocket launcher. Base to-hit number is 8, it does two dice damage with a one-inch one-die burst radius; there is no sustained fire bonus.
$200, 10 lbs., one grenade. Base to-hit number is 8; it does one die damage with a one-inch burst radius.
$1,500, 65 lbs., five grenades. This is a tripod-mounted, high-tech, rapid-fire weapon. Base to-hit number is 7, it does two dice damage, and has 2 DP. It holds three shots at $35 per shot. A spare clip costs $50 (plus ammo), weighs 55 lbs. when fully loaded, counts as two grenades, and takes two seconds to reload.
$1,000, 65 lbs., five grenades. Base to-hit number is 7, it does two dice damage, and has 2 DP. It holds 20 shots at $25 per shot. A spare clip costs $50 (plus ammo), weighs 55 lbs. when fully loaded, counts as two grenades, and takes two seconds to reload.
$500, no weight, no cost to carry. Adds +1 with all hand-held or tripod-mounted ballistic weapons, but may only be mounted on one weapon.
The following information should only be read by the referee. He may tell the players about it, a little at a time, as their characters go through the adventure. The referee should not just read each encounter aloud as it is reached; he should play the part of the non-player characters. Likewise, players should not be told exactly what they are facing. They may see that they are about to pass a turreted pickup; they can't tell what weapon is in the turret or what skills the driver may have.
When your players have a choice of routes, they must tell you their decision. The original drivers took the southern route. If your team takes the northern road, you can devise new encounters... or use the ones given here, regardless of the route take. (Alternate encounter locations are given in parentheses, next to the original locations.) Similarly, the referee should feel free to modify, add to, or delete any of the encounters given. Trees felled by the storm, a meeting with the notorious Cyclones, detailed truck stop encounters, or a driver's license check by legitimate state troopers... all are possible. The route can be changed, too; maybe the Hatchie River bridge is more or less intact.
We hope to expand the notes on this particular stretch of highway within the year. Let us know what you like and don't like, and what you want to see added.
The quick-release kingpin on the trailer does not work; ConTexCo doesn't want the convoy to abandon their cargo! It can be noticed by anyone with Mechanic ability who spends 15 minutes checking out the trailer. It can be fixed by a Mechanic 2 or 3 with any tools, or by a Mechanic 1 with shop tools. (A truck stop mechanic will do it in the same amount of time, for $150 now, or $50 tomorrow.)
The radio antenna is out. The cab's long-distance radio is only as good as a regular CB unless a new $50 antenna is purchased. It can be noticed by any Mechanic who spends 15 minutes checking out the cab. (15 minutes is enough time for a complete once-over of each vehicle. Longer searches aren't required.)
Every 50 miles: a) calculate time elapsed by adding Driving Time (see chart below) to time taken for stops b) figure current time and road conditions c) have convoy set speed for next 50 miles d) figure road wear at that speed, and apply it.
(For each speed in the left column, the time required to drive 50 miles is listed in the right column.)
30 mph .................... 100 minutes 35 mph ..................... 86 minutes 40 mph ..................... 75 minutes 45 mph ..................... 67 minutes 50 mph ..................... 60 minutes 55 mph ..................... 55 minutes 60 mph ..................... 50 minutes 65 mph ..................... 46 minutes 70 mph ..................... 43 minutes 75 mph ..................... 40 minutes 80 mph ..................... 38 minutes 85 mph ..................... 35 minutes 90 mph ..................... 33 minutes 95 mph ..................... 32 minutes 100 mph .................... 30 minutes
Each stop for a power charge will take at least ten minutes (the time it takes to charge one vehicle). Two vehicles can be charged at once. Of course, a stop may take longer if the drivers want to mingle, pick up rumors, etc.
If the team wants to stop along the road to investigate a stopped vehicle or something similar, this will take at least ten minutes. In this time, any loose equipment can be picked up and tossed into one of the team's cars. It also takes ten minutes to change a damaged tire. Other salvage will require a die roll for success, as described in Truck Stop, and will take longer.
For each driving speed, the number of dice rolled to figure road wear is listed on the Road Wear Table. Roll that many dice for each vehicle. Each 6 rolled indicates 1 point of damage on each tire on that vehicle. Thus, at 60 mph, on a clear day and a good road, a Shogun100 rolls four dice. If two 6's are rolled, both of the cycle's tires take 2 points damage during that 50-mile stretch from incidental road wear and hazards. (The roads are not well-maintained!) At 35 mph on a bad road, during a light rain, a vehicle would roll two dice (-1 for 35 mph, +2 for the bad road, and +1 for the decreased visibility, which makes it harder to avoid debris.) Do not roll negative numbers of dice.
Number of Dice Number of Dice Speed Rolled Speed Rolled 15 -5 60 4 20 -4 65 5 25 -3 70 6 30 -2 75 7 35 -1 80 8 40 0 85 9 45 1 90 10 50 2 95 11 55 3 100 12
Road Quality. These numbers assume a fairly decent road. For mid-quality roads, add one die. For bad roads, add two dice. (All roads in Convoy are good roads, except the Alamo-Union City stretch, which is bad {+2 dice}.)
Visibility. These numbers assume good visibility. For moderate visibility (drizzle, dusk, etc.), add one die. For limited visibility (night, rain, etc.), add two dice. For poor visibility (downpour, fog, etc.), add three dice.
Driver Skill. Subtract one die if the driver has the appropriate skill for his vehicle (Driver, Trucker, or Cyclist) at Level 2 or better.
If the characters take the keys and leave, start the adventure. It is 8 p.m.
If they indicate that they want to stay and mingle, give them rumors according to the following timetable, both here and at other truck stops. If you have the Truck Stop map, show it to the players to provide "color" - they should not start any fights here, though!
LE = Lexington EL = Elisabethtown BD = Beaver Dam BG = Bowling Green ED = Eddyville NA = Nashville JA = Jackson UC = Union City WF = West Fulton
Abbreviations indicate at which stop(s) the rumor can be picked up; numbers tell how many minutes of time asking around for rumors (game time) must be spent before the particular rumor is heard. Parenthesized locations are alternate rumor locations if you choose to run the encounters at their alternate locations.
LE 10: Phony hitchhikers have been working the Lexington-Memphis runs. They're usually female. They try to flag down a ride, and then their friends open up from cover.
LE 20: Some of the bandits in the area have prices on their heads.
LE 25: A bad storm is coming in from the south.
LE 30: A new cycle gang has gotten organized - real organized - and has started working the area around Memphis. Everybody dresses in pink; they're called the Cyclones.
LE 40: I heard a friend say that someone told him somebody was running the barrier scam again. You know, set up a roadblock, charge a fee to pass.
LE 45: West Fulton is on its high-horse again about truckers tearing up the roads.
LE 55: A couple of guys bought it in a semi around Eddyville last week. From the tracks, they just blew a tire and lost control.
EL 5: That storm is really bad.
EL 15: The Cyclones are all in red, and there's over 100 of them.
EL 25: A couple of goons just trashed each other about ten miles down I-65 - one of them's going up in a big ol' fire.
BG(BD) 5: What's the country coming to? A trucker can't make an honest living any more, what with low fees and toll booths every ten miles up and down the highway. (When pressed, he can't provide any specific info, but he's sure they're there.)
BG(BD) (if asked): Yeah, I heard something about some new gang. Haven't seen anything of them yet. What'd you say they're called?
NA(ED) 10: I hear these Cyclones are as bad as the Crusaders, up north. They'll blow you away for sure, if you just look cross-eyed at them.
NA(ED) 15: Somebody lost 15 cases of cigarettes between here and Jackson. Just blew out the back of their pickup. Can you imagine how much those would bring in Chicago?
NA(ED) 30: Rain is causing a lot of problems beyond Jackson.
NA(ED) 35: Those West Fulton cops are making a killing tonight. They got the whole city behind them.
JA 5: The road is definitely out, about 30 miles down, over the Hatchie River. (This news can also be picked up if anyone uses a working long-distance radio around Jackson.)
JA 15: Haven't seen the Cyclones in over two weeks.
JA (if asked): The Union City road is not so good. Do you have enough cash for West Fulton? (He doesn't know how much cash it will take.)
WF/UC 10: Haven't seen the Cyclones in over a week, I'm glad. I hear they blew away one civilian because he threw a beer can out of his car.
WF/UC 15: The road over the Hatchie River between Jackson and Memphis, is out.
TIME MILEAGE NOTES ON TRAVEL AND STOPS Time: 8 p.m............... 0 _________________________________________________________ driving time: _________________________________________________________ time stopped: _________________________________________________________ Time: .................... 50 _________________________________________________________ driving time: _________________________________________________________ time stopped: _________________________________________________________ Time: ....................100 _________________________________________________________ driving time: _________________________________________________________ time stopped: _________________________________________________________ Time: ....................150 _________________________________________________________ driving time: _________________________________________________________ time stopped: _________________________________________________________ Time: ....................200 _________________________________________________________ driving time: _________________________________________________________ time stopped: _________________________________________________________ Time: ....................250 _________________________________________________________ driving time: _________________________________________________________ time stopped: _________________________________________________________ Time: ....................300 _________________________________________________________ driving time: _________________________________________________________ time stopped: _________________________________________________________ Time: ....................350 _________________________________________________________ driving time: _________________________________________________________ time stopped: _________________________________________________________ Time: ....................400 _________________________________________________________ driving time: _________________________________________________________ time stopped: _________________________________________________________ Time: ....................450 _________________________________________________________ driving time: _________________________________________________________ time stopped: _________________________________________________________ Time: ....................500 _________________________________________________________ driving time: _________________________________________________________ time stopped: _________________________________________________________
Weather Forecast: From 8 p.m. until dawn, it is dark and overcast. Figure dawn at the beginning of the 50-mile stretch in which 6 a.m. will occur. There is drizzle during the 50-mile stretch in which 7:30 a.m. occurs. There is heavy rain during the next 50-mile stretch.
To-Hit Modifiers:
-3 for nighttime, heavy rain
-2 for light rain
-1 for drizzle or dusk/dawn
I-64, I-65, the Bluegrass Parkway, and the Western Kentucky Parkway are three-lane highways; all other roads are two-lane. (A two-lane road uses a three-lane road section with the third lane blocked off.)
I lone cycle 20 miles past LE II-III duel results 10 miles past EL IV Green Grabber 15 miles past BG(BD) V beer cans 40 miles past BG(BD) VI road block 20 miles past NA(10 miles past ED) VII paint and mines 80 miles past NA(30 miles past ED) VIII road out 30 miles past JA(toward Memphis) IX West Fulton 10 miles before WF; ie., 55 miles past ED or 45 past Alamo X Ambush 120 miles past UC
A lone cyclist comes up from behind at about 80 mph. He is in the left lane. The cycle is
fire-engine red. (He does not wave or answer hails. He does not attack. If attacked,
he will run for it. Driver has SMG, three grenades, and $140.)
Skill: Cyclist level 1. Reflex roll: 4 (+1 to HC). Vehicle: Stock Shogun 100.
A large burning car is on the side of the road. It was apparently taken out by MG
and FT fire. (Fire extinguishers saved the car; the fire is from dry grass around it.
The driver and gunner are both dead. Loose salvage includes $518 cash, two grenades, a
heavy pistol, and an SMG. The car is fully driveable if the destroyed wheel is replaced with the spare.)
Vehicle: Stock Piranha, with a spare tire instead of the HR, and fire extinguisher. See diagram for damage.
A large orange car is on the side of the road. It has been driven into a tree. (The driver had
damaged tires after her fight with the Piranha, hit debris, lost a tire, went off the road, and
finished off her power plant against the tree. She is looking over her car. When she sees the
convoy, she will hide behind her car {if the convoy is travelling at least 60 mph} or get in
it {if the convoy is travelling slower}.)
If she is treated well - not alarmed or threatened, but offered help in an intelligent fashion - she will
ride with the convoy.
If she is attacked or badly scared, she will fight.
If neither, she will decline help, but not fire the first shot.
(Sandra Patek has an SMG, two grenades, $52 in cash, and jewelry wourth approximately $320.)
Skills: Driver 1, Gunner 2. Reflex roll: 3.
Vehicle: Stock Hotshot with computer, damaged as per diagram.
A green luxury car comes up from behind at about 85 mph. He hails the convoy on the radio.
He is the "Green Grabber." (Use lots of CB lingo. He is chatty and friendly. He says he is out
of Louisville, heading for Alamo to pick up a paying passenger. He will ask that the convoy pull
right and let him by; he will go peacefully and vanish from sight. If the party has a long-distance
radio and tries to chat, he will keep talking long enough to mention that the West Fulton police are
bandits, and that there is a "toll booth" up ahead, but the group manning it are "good
old boys." If Sandra hears this, she will laugh and say that is no problem.)
"Grabber" - Skills: Driver 3, Gunner 0. Reflex roll: 4 (+2 to HC).
"Quiet George" - Skill: Gunner 2.
Vehicle: see diagram. (Modified Piranha)
They have eight grenades, $212 cash, $500 more if car is searched for an extra ten minutes,
$5700 in factory cigarettes {takes two spaces: 95 cartons at $60 per carton}.)
(While passing under a bridge, there is a 2 in 6 chance for each vehicle that it will hear a clatter on its roof. There will definitely be a clatter on the tanker. Teenagers are dropping empty beer cans on passing cars. The kids are unarmed, have nothing of value, and will run away if the convoy stops or fires on them. Nuisance encounter only.)
There is a barricade across the road. Two miles before it, the convoy is hailed on the CB
and told to stop and pay toll. (See diagram.) The toll is $100 per vehicle.
If Sandra is with the group, she will get on the CB and say, "Hi Arnie. These guys did me a
favor. Let them through, OK?" Arnie will reply, "Sure, sweetheart. You all right? What happened?"
If you let Sandra out at the barricade, everything will be fine. Arnie and his boys will even
sell you ammunition, if you ask, at regular cost, or pay cash at 80% of regular cost for any
loose equipment you want to get rid of. If Sandra is not with the convoy, the party can get through
peacefully by paying. (Negotiation is possible here.) All vehicles must stop at the barricade. They will see about 15 men.
The men will remove mines from the road in front and haul away the log after payment is made.
They will not double-cross the convoy.
If the party tries to fight their way through, treat the log as a 10-point barrier. It takes
10 points of damage to break it. The log takes 1 point of damage for each 5 mph the vehicle is moving. The truck
does quadruple damage, but sustains only normal damage. (1 point of damage per 5 mph is also sustained by a ramming
vehicle, up to the point at which the log breaks.) This is a big log; damage is taken to front armor.
(18 pedestrians are adjacent to the road in a trench [-2 to hit them], nine on each side.
Each weapon abbreviation indicates one pedestrian. MG is a tripod-mounted M60, RR is a tripod-mounted
recoilless. L is a LAW, VL is a VLAW. Each pedestrian also has one grenade. Remember stationary and
braced "to-hit" bonuses.)All ped's have body armor, 6 with SMG's, 3 with MG's, 2 with RR's, 4 with LAW's, and 3 with VL's
A lone cyclist comes from behind at about 80 mph. He is in the left lane. The cycle is white or pale green.
He waves, and speeds on past. (He will discuss upcoming road conditions: "Nothing eventful, pretty boring.")
When he is at least 5 inches ahead of the lead convoy vehicle, paint sprays blossom from both sides of the
road right behind him, totally blocking the road. The near edges of the sprays are ahead of the lead vehicle
by 1" less than the vehicle's speed. If the convoy is travelling at 55 mph, place two sprays, crosswise and
totally blocking the road, with 4.5" between the front of the vehicle and the near edge of the sprays.
(See diagram.) Begin a combat turn immediately, with the paint sprays being the first action of the turn.
Do not allow speed changes until the end of the turn. Remove the Shogun 200 counter, as it is no longer
visible through the paint at night. It turns off its lights immediately, and exits off the shoulder, to
the right. The lead vehicle will break through the paint on its last movement phase in this turn. As it
breaks through, it sees, foggily, another double dose of spray erupt, with 4.5" of road between the first
and second sprays. The turn is ending; allow drivers to set speeds for the next turn.
(There are six mines, starting 2.5" from the far edge of the second sprays, alternating lanes, and occurring
every inch. Just beyond them is a red reflector on a small stand, about the size and height of a cycle's
taillight. The first sprays are triggered by a small electric eye that the Shogun passes.)
If the cycle has been shot down, the lead convoy vehicle will trigger the paint, avoiding it himself,
but painting the rest of the convoy. Begin a combat turn immediately. The second sprays are on a delayed trigger, one second (turn)
after the first sprays.
If the team wants to wreck the paint-spray systems, this can easily be done with hand-weapon or vehicle-weapon fire
in a minimum ten-minute stop. If they want to appropriate them, each paint-spray gadget weighs 30 lbs.,
including stand, and is as good as new (a paint spray would cost $400 at a garage). Each unit had only
one charge in it. Each unit takes up two cargo spaces. The paint sprays were powered by a small cycle power
plant, but the team will have to follow power cables some 200 feet into the bushes to learn this.
However, the strippers will not put up any fight, but will run immediately if the convoy stops, no matter what the convoy
drivers do to their gear.
(The cyclist and his two henchmen [skill: Gunner 0, SMG each] will not appear unless they think all survivors
have left. They will not try to stop the convoy from taking the paint spray system. They will strip any
wreckage left behind.)
Skills: Cyclist 3, Gunner 0. Reflex roll: 4 (+2 to HC). Vehicle: Stock Shogun 200, with body armor.
30 miles along the road from Jackson to Memphis the road has indeed been washed out. (The bridge over the Hatchie River has finally collapsed.) Turn back.
This encounter takes place only if the convoy chooses a route that takes them to West Fulton.
If they do, then 10 miles before they get to West Fulton, they will see flashing lights behind them
- and, very shortly, more in front, pacing them a quarter mile (88") in either direction. The West
Fulton police will get on the CB, demanding that the party stop and be checked for contraband.
If the party stops, they will be relieved of a $200 toll per vehicle (in cash or goods), plus (if they
have them) the cigarettes. Note: If the party specified that they were hiding the cigarettes when they
got them, the police won't find them.
If the party fights, the police will fight until one is disabled; the other will try to flee. (As police
fight, you hear them making calls for help over the CB.) If the police are beaten, the party should turn
around and go some other direction. If they ignore the West Fulton Police Department lettering on the
sides of the cars and go into town after a firefight with the local police, they are in trouble. They can
turn around right up until they reach West Fulton. Then it's too late, except to choose whether to surrender
(and be beaten up and have all belongings and vehicles confiscated), or to die fighting. Figure the ambush
at the city limits to be five times the strength of the roadblock in Encounter 6, if it must be fought out.
Front vehicle - Driver's skills: Driver 1, Gunner 0. Reflex roll: 4 (+1 to HC). Gunner's skills: Driver 1, Gunner 2.
Reflex roll: 2. Vehicle: Police Cruiser. (Contains six grenades, two SMG's, heavy pistol, $420.)
Rear vehicle - Driver's skills: Driver 2, Gunner 0. Reflex roll: 5 (+2 to HC). Gunner's skills: Cycle 1,
Gunner 1. Reflex roll: 3. Vehicle: Police Cruiser. (Contains two SMG's, eight grenades, $56.)
(This is the only encounter that has to be fought out. If the party survives, you may assume that they
have gotten to their destination safely.)
The convoy approaches an entrance ramp on their right. Three vehicles, with lights off, enter the freeway from
the ramp, matching speeds with the convoy and firing at the tanker. The cars are about 1" apart, but don't run
them in single file; damage to the first car could destroy the entire ambush. There is a concrete embankment
separating the freeway from the entrance ramp; the lead ambusher will be seen as soon as his line of sight is
no longer blocked by the embankment. (He will also start firing at that point.) Use a merging-lane road section
(from Car Wars Expansion I) or place a straight section slantwise underneath the section on which the convoy is
travelling to simulate the entrance ramp. The ramp is only one lane wide; use the center lane for this, with the
outside lanes as shoulder and the white borders as the concrete embankment. Once you have announced the ambush and have
started setting it up, don't allow any immediate change in the convoy's driving order; this encounter takes
them by surprise.
(All surviving ambushers will flee if the tanker is breached or two of their vehicles are disabled.)
First Car: Driver's Skills: Driver 1, Gunner 1. Reflex roll: 3. Gunner's skills: Driver 0, Gunner 1. Reflex roll 1. (Contains two grenades, heavy pistol, $18.) Station Wagon, 6,070 lbs. X-hvy Chassis, Improved Suspension, Acceleration: 5 mph. Handling Class 1. Cost $23,550. Extras: Two targeting computers, turret. Armor: F30,B30,L30,R10,U20,T40. 4-10 pt Wheelguards. 4 Solid tires. Super PP. Laser in Turret. RL left side.
Second Car: Driver's Skills: Driver 2, Gunner 0. Reflex roll: 6 (+2 to HC). (Contains shotgun & $450.) Pickup, 7,621 lbs. X-hvy Chassis, Heavy Suspension, Acceleration: 5 mph. Handling Class 1. Cost $18, 352. Extras: Targeting computer, turret; 179 lbs cargo capacity. Armor: F60,B60,L70,R20,U20,T36. 4-10 pt Wheelguards. 6 Solid tires. Super PP. RR in Turret. MD on right side.
Third Car: Driver's Skills: Driver 2, Gunner 1. Reflex roll: 3 (+1 to HC). Gunner's skills: Gunner 3. Reflex roll 1.
(Contains SMG, light pistol, & $45.)Van, 7,190 lbs. X-hvy Chassis, Heavy Suspension, Acceleration: 5 mph. Handling Class 2.
Cost $23,750. Extras: 2 Targeting computers; three links: each pair of left RL's link, and all four linked.
Armor: F25,B25,L25,R10,U20,T25. 6 Solid tires. Super PP. 2 RL's Front. 2 RL's Right side. 4 RL's Left side.
Five miles down the highway, you reach the outskirts of Memphis. Exiting onto Lamar Avenue, you recognize the low brown building the ConTexCo rep had described to you. Around back, an unmarked van is waiting. A middle-aged woman climbs out, followed by a young man in overalls.
He quickly checks the rig out for damage and tampering, while the woman chats with your truckers. She too, is part of the Brotherhood, and is interested in any noteworthy events of the trip.
She directs you to a decent truck stop, where you know you can rest up, collect a little extra by selling your story to the news services, and possibly find a job that will take you back north again.
Then, after conferring briefly with her mechanic, the woman pulls out a roll of bills from her belt-pouch and counts out your pay ($100,000 minus $5,000/hour past 9 a.m.) and your bonus, if you deserve one ($3,000/person if the rig isn't too damaged.) Her mechanic is in the van, on the radio, as she pulls out the money; the look in her eye and the fact that the mech is currently in direct contact with ConTexCo suggests that it wouldn't be a good idea to roll her for the rest of the cash.
After cautioning you to stay mute about ConTexCo's part in the convoy, she thanks you once more, climbs in the rig, and drives off, followed by the van. You've had a long night - food and sleep would probably be in order.