Stick a fork in them, the Worlds are done for this year. To be sure, they were interesting affairs. We'll cover our fun at the Dueling Worlds later in this issue.
    Anyone with a subscription to Pyramid should check out the new stuff from Uncle Al's, which is sure to be seen a lot more after this year's WDC. So, prepare yourself.
    The world of NOVA is never completely dull. Somehow, we always fund something new and exciting. Enjoy the rest of the issue.
 

Quad Cycles
Quad cycles are four-wheeled ATVs which became hugely popular in the last quarter of the 20th century. They resemble small cars, with the exception that the driver sits on top ofthem (as with a cycle).
 
 

Type	Cost	Weight	Max. Load	Spaces	Armor Cost/Weight
Light	$300	275 lbs	1,200 lbs	5	10/4
Medium	$375	325 lbs	1,650 lbs	6	11/5
Heavy	$500	375 lbs	1,950 lbs	8	12/6

    Quad-cycles have three armor locations (F, B, U)

Chassis & Suspension
Quad-cycles may not have their chassis modified to carry extra weight. The costs for suspension upgrades are as for cycles, except that a quad-cycle's four-wheeled chassis gives it a +1 HC bonus.

Power Plants
Quad-cycles use cycle/trike power plants and gas engines.

Tires
Quad-cycles use cycle tires of any sort at the usual cost and weight.

Accessories
Quad-cycles can use any type of motorcycle accessory (sidecars do not give a +1 HC bonus). However cycle windshells cost and weigh 50% more due to a quad-cycle's differences in body style. Windshells mounted on quad-cycles may carry up to 20 points of windshell armor (instead of 10). Quad-cycles may use any type of applicable car accessory except spoilers, turrets and sponsors.

Weaponry
Quad-cycles mount weaponry to the front or back, and are not subject to the 1/3 spaces per side rule.

Crew
A quad-cycle's driver only takes up one space; passengers take up no space.

Handling
Quad-cycles have a higher center of gravity than cars or cycles. Accordingly, they have a +1 on crash table rolls.
 

Adrian Shipley, long-time member of NOVA, moved to Columbus. Ohio in July. Why does it alwaysseem to beOhio? Now, he'll becloser to theRacing Worlds and Origins. He does plan to keep in touch with us, which doesn't rule out the possibility of future duels (I think this is because he wants to be able to take out Mike in a duel at least once).
    Before he left, we discussed the possibility of dueling by computer. This would entail the use of duplicate mapsheets and web-cameras. This is something we definitely plan to look into. We'll keep you posted.
    Godzilla has returned in the new Japanese movie Godzilla 2000. As the TV trailers for this movie said, "This isn't a Pocket Monster". The King of the Monsters is big, bad and ready to do enormous amounts of property damage. One thing this movie does right is ignore every other Godzilla movie except the 1955 and 1985 versions.
    The World Championships are now over and done with for another year. John Blaylock of SHAAG defeated Mike Garrity's attempt to defend the WDC title. Keith Scherer of CADC won the WRC title. We offer our congratulations to both duelists and hope they enjoy their year in the top spot (chuckle). Next year, they get to enjoy the fun of being target #1.
Defending champion Mike Garrity was well-prepared for his fight for the title with a heavily-armored car and some new gadgets from Uncle Al's. However, tire shots and old-fashioned flame clouds ended his run early on. There's always next year.
    NOVA is getting into its club championship season. Mike Garrity retired after winning the CDC title a fourth time last year. However, he came back in order to fill out NOVA's ranks for this year's battle. This time we had a new face in our August fellowship, one Andy Koehler. As in years past, we used non-car vehicles in order to liven things up.
    In July, Star Realm (NOVA's home for years) moved into a smaller location right next door to the old one. Bill Grush has promised us that he will have a game table available for us to use. Hopefully, we'll able to run our club championships there from now on.
    The Neo-ASPs have been strangely quiet in the New Omaha area. We infer that they and their leader (the Black Asp) are up to something, considering that NOVA led the fight (along with the Mongoose) to take down the Black Asp and his entire organization. Only time will tell.
    BLUR's annual Cannonball Run and Death-Race scared the wits out of most of the Nation's law-enforcement agencies again. The FBI and the Department of Transportation are known to be actively looking for ways to stop them. A non-traceable message from BLUR spokesman Jack Flash said "I don't think they're capable of that kind of speed".
 

Now Showing: Godzilla 2000, Highlander: Endgame, Gladiator, Patriot, X-Men, Gone in 60 Seconds (remake) Space Cowboys.

December: How the Grinch stole Christmas (Jim Carrey), The Lord of the Rings, 2001: A Space Odyssey (re-release), Racer X

Prequels: Star Wars Episode II (the Clone Wars) and Episode III (Vader Rising)

Sequels: Batman 5, Alien 5, True Lies 2, Star Trek 10 (DS9?, Voyager?), Terminator 3, Highlander 4.

On Cubes: Galaxy Quest, End of Days, The World is Not Enough (James Bond film), The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Bicentennial Man.
 

Nuke-Con 2000, October 6-8, in Omaha, NE. NOVA will be running several Car Wars events here.

CyCon 2001: March or April 2001 in Ames, Iowa. Likely site of the Central Regional Championships

Origins 2001: July 5-8, 2001 in Columbus, Ohio. Possible site of the Racing Worlds.

Gen Con 2001: August 2-5, 2001 in Milwaukee, WI. Possible site of the Dueling WorMs. NOVA will also run 2051: A Godzilla Odyssey and the 2051 Tri-Racing Challenge there

Origins 2002: July 4-7, 2002 in Columbus, Ohio. Likely site of the World Racing Championships.

Gen-Con 2002: August 8-11, 2002 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Likely site of the World Dueling Championships.

This one marks the end of an era, as Gen Con ends its 20+ year run in Milwaukee and moves to its new location in Indianapolis, Indiana. Yet another example of assimilation by the Collective ...
 

July 4, 2050: Happy Independence Day to everyone!! PAGAN had some other ideas about independence today, as they released all the animals in the Henry Doorly Zoo. In the confusion, recovery efforts were not able to begin for two hours. Zookeepers and NOPD officers had their hands full capturing the animals and returning them to their enclosures. Police Commissioner Death Knight was not pleased, and has the NOPD out looking for PAGAN members.

July 5, 2050: Radius Motors test driver Marc Elliott again broke his own closed-course speed record with a top speed of 630 mph. He drove the Warp-10Z (jet-powered Indycar) at the Muskogee Racetrack. Afterwards, Marc commented "We had to beat the bowl one more time. The last run just wasn't good enough. I'd also like to take this opportunity to thank Radius for building such a fine vehicle". Marc's new record is 20 mph faster than the old one he set last month. It certainly makes one wonder what other tricks Radius Motors has got up their sleeves.

July 14, 2051: The NOPD caught several members of PAGAN as they planned an assault against Eppley Airport. Police Commissioner Death Knight was pleased with the results and predicted it was only a matter of time before the rest of PAGAN joined their associates in jail.

July 17, 2051: The Neo-ASPs attacked a supply convoy which was moving west on 1-80 towards Lincoln, Nebraska. The convoy's crew promptly mauled the attackers and the State Police later came along and cleaned up the mess.

July 26, 2051: Radius Motors unveiled their first airship design, the "Hyperblimp". They announced that time trials for the new design will take place in August.

August 10, 2051: Mike Garrity is the only racer to show up for the first round of the Tri-Racing Challenge at the Iowa City Speedway in Iowa City, Iowa. He ran a two-lap race against a track driver and won easily. Race officials awarded no points due to the low turnout. Things were better at Carter Lake Aqua-Arena in New Omaha, where seven racers showed up for the second round of the Challenge. Here, Mike Garrity won a close boat race.

August 11, 2051: John Blaylock of SHAAG won the third round of the Tri-Racing Challenge (a Division-30 helicopter race). However, Mike Garrity's win of the second round in the challenge won him the overall prize. The World Dueling Championships also began at the Octagon Arena in Colorado.

August 13, 2051: Mike Garrity was defeated by John Blaylock of SHAAG in the final round of the World Dueling Championship.

August 28, 2051: The Black Mamba (leader of the Nco ASPs) put out a $100,000 reward for anyone who kills the Mongoose and any other member of NOVA. The Mongoose answered this threat from an unknown location saying "Oh, I'm sooooo scared". Joe Ratner had a similar comment, but added "Anyone up for a good, old-fashioned snake hunt?"

September 1,2051: The Mongoose put a $500,000 reward on the head of the Black Mamba. In retaliation, the Black Mamba raised his bounty on the Mongoose to $1,000,000.
 

Due to our expanded coverage of the World Dueling Championship and our trip to Gen Con, Nuts & Bolts will not be covered in this issue. It will be back in the next issue of the NightMessenger.
 

"They call you stubborn when you fail, but persistent when you succeed"
    --Anonymous

"The great end of life is not knowledge but action"
    --Thomas H. Huxley

"Restlessness and discontent are the first necessities of progress"
    --Thomas A. Edison

"A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable but more useful than a life spent doing nothing"
    --George Bernard Shaw

"One's greatest foes are within."
    --Cervantes

"I'm not tailgating, I'm drafting"
    --seen on the back of a Snap-on Tools trailer

"Those who have the gold make the rules."
    -- 1st rule of Government

"Those who have the guns take the gold away from those who make the rules."
    --2nd rule of Government

"Those who beat their swords into plowshares end up plowing fields for those who don't."
    --Benjamin Franklin

"What is steel compared to the hand that wields it? What is the hand compared to the mind that guides it?"
    --The Riddle of Steel
 

Thumper/Beater: A car with too much stereo equipment. The bass can be felt from inside a house...

Photon Torpedo: A 2-liter bottle of soda

Quantum Torpedo: A 2-liter bottle of Jolt

Doomsday Device: A 2-liter bottle of Double Jolt

Joy Package: Dropped weapons concealed by another (spikes under junk, mines under smoke, etc).

Alphabet Ammo: Ammunition with an abbreviated name (HEAT, HESH, APFSDS, etc)

Police Magnet: A fast car with a bright red paint job.
 

"Hit Me with your Best Shot" and "Invincible" by Pat Benatar
 

Titan A.E.
In 3025, The alien Drej destroy Earth, leaving mankind to wander outer space. Fifteen years later, Cole Tucker and a band of rebels begin to search for an enormous spaceship called the Titan (the Titan was built by a team of scientists headed by Cole's father and was the main reason the Drej attacked Earth). This ship holds mankind's future, and the Drej are desperate to destroy it (along with the rest of mankind). The cast of voices includes Matt Damon, Bill Pullman, Drew Barrymore and Nathan Lane. This movie has a lot of plot twists as well as some of the most seamless CGI/animation ever seen. It is mainly meant for kids, but is still a good sci-fi film for adults.***

X-Men
The popular team of mutant super-heroes from Marvel Comics springs to life on the big screen. Magneto (lan McKellen) leads his band of evil mutants in a war against humanity because of humanity's bias against mutant kind. Professor Xavier (Patrick Stewart) and his X-Men are the only thing standing in Magneto's way. This film is full of popular characters from the comic series, such as Jean Grey (Fake Jensen), Cyclops (James Marsden), Rogue (Anna Paquin), Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), Storm (Halle Berry), Sabretooth (Tyler Mane), Mystique (Rebecca Romijn-Stamos) and Toad (Ray Parks). The story begins as Wolverine and Rogue meet in a rough-and-tumble bar hq northern Canada. Later on, they are attacked by Sabretooth as part of Magneto's plans (which is where the rest of the X-Men intervene. Overall, Rogue is younger than in the comic series (as are several of the other characters). This movie is a good cross between action/adventure and sci-fi, but don't take it too seriously.**

Godzilla 2000
Tall, green and gruesome is back, and he's badder than ever. This movie is the third installment in a new Godzilla series/timeline (beginning with the original movie in 1954 and continuing with Godzilla 1985). The film revolves around a government agency called CCI (Crisis Control Intelligence) discovering a 60-million year old meteorite on the ocean floor. This meteorite attracted their attention because it is composed of energy-rich minerals. The object is raised to the surface and surprises everyone by flying about under its own power. The meteorite is eventually discovered to be a hostile alien bent on taking over the world. Luckily, Godzilla comes to the rescue of Earth (some rescue! !) and defeats the alien in a grand-scale battle which rages in and around Tokyo. This movie goes a long way towards making up for the horrendous American-made Godzilla movie, and is worth seeing several times.***
    Side note: Godzilla 2000 is an offspring of the last Godzilla, who was killed in a battle with the Destroyer (Godzilla vs. The Destroyer; 1995). This Godzilla was seen hatching in Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla II (1993); he grew up through the movies Godzilla vs Space Godzilla and Godzilla vs Destroyer. Usually, the first movie in a Godzilla series revolves around the Big G himself. However, the release of the American Godzilla film caused G-2000 to be done as a two-monster film.
 

Two classic Car Wars films have recently been released on tape. To mark this occasion, I thought we'd review them again.

Americathon
In 1998, America must raise money to pay off a loan made to American Indians. The President of the United States (John Ritter) does it through a telethon hosted by a character played by Harvey Korman. By this time, the oil is gone, so people go to work by bicycle. Other bits and pieces from the movie are that the President lives in Los Angeles and that people use automobiles as homes.
    As an alternate oil-shortage comedy, its a great film. It should not be taken seriously because it doesn't take itself seriously..:-). Something to look for is the role that rock star Meat Loaf plays as a stunt driver who takes on the last running automobile. It may have been a bomb in 1979, but now its a cult classic.***

The Hollywood Knights
It's 1965, and the Hollywood Knights car gang's favorite drive-in restaurant is closing down on Halloween Night. Even so, the gang is determined to have fun. Pranks and other stunts abound, such as leaving a group of new members in the middle of the Watts district with no clothes and a single car tire (the object is to get to a local radio station, make a request, then get back to the drive-in (all without being caught). The film features several notable Hollywood personalities, such as Tony Danza (Taxi), Michelle Pfeiffer (Batman Returns), Fran Drescher (The Nanny), Robert Wuhl and Stuart Pankin. This film is good is one is in the mood for laughs, but don't take it seriously.***
 

The Perfect Road Trip
Everything went blissfully smooth on the trip to and from the 'Con. There were no surprises or problems to slow us down. Even the Road Kill count was low, with the total being 3 squirrels, 1 possum, 1 dog and a single unidentifiable lump.
    Preregistration went very quickly, with only a few problems getting my GM info. Our hotel was 15 miles south of MECCA near the airport (which meant having to get up early every day so we could get to MECCA on time for our first events. By Saturday, our lack of sleep made for some interesting games.

2050 World Dueling Championship
The Worlds were well attended, with a total of 42 duelists in all three preliminary rounds. The rounds themselves were slow and painful affairs, due to Eric Freeman's insistence on movement being done phase-by-phase. There was also the matter of the heavy armor on all car designs (which were custom). An agreement on no tire shots was never made, and so several duelists got bitten by the cookie monster. Weapons of the WDC that managed to do the most damage were flame clouds and blast cannons. All others just bounced off the heavy composite armor that most duelists were carrying.
    A few arenas in the preliminary rounds went on for hours before the kills started to happen. This was also true in the final round to some extent. On Saturday night, two of the arenas went on for a full six hours. By this time, everyone was low on sleep and just wanted to know if they made the final round. The cumulative point system in use would have worked better with a longer time between rounds and without the pressure of the WDC. A simple elimination system would have worked better overall.
    The Compendium rules on fire and explosions were used for the third straight year in a row with predictable results. Duelists were not allowed to surrender or leave the arena, thus making it painful to lose (but of course "this is the Worlds"). Still, respect for one's fellow players would have been nice to see. Some players were just out-gunned and lost badly because of the no-surrender rule.
    The final round was more of the same. Eric Freeman was late by more than a half an hour, due to someone else doing the driving (lame excuse). There was also the 10-minute break after the tenth turn which miraculously lasted for 15 minutes. These compounded all the previous problems. Needless to say, the final round was slow and excruciatingly painful in its pace. The excitement had left the Worlds on the previous day.
    Overall, the Worlds were good (but could have been much better). We can only hope things get better next year.

A Monster Grows in Milwaukee
This event was originally scheduled for three sessions. The schedule for the WDC caused this to be scaled back to two. Of these two, only the Thursday session was well-attended. Biollante destroyed about half the city. The rest was leveled by G-force's missed volleys of rockets and missiles. This was not a good day for the defenders, although they did manage to kill the monster.
    Friday's session had no players in it, but several players did come to the WDC and ask about it. From this, we infer that there was interest in the game (even after the re-scheduling), Gen Con printed the revised schedule in the on-site schedule, but the printed tickets listed the original times. This caused no end of trouble for both of my events. Hopefully, next year Gen Con will get everything corrected and I won't have to fight the WDC's wacky schedule.

Tri-Racing Challenge
Because of the changes in the schedule of the WDC, the Tri-racing schedule went from three days to two cramped days. Predictably, this didn't help attendance much. There's always next year, though. The first round only had one player, the third round had seven players and the third/final round had only three players. 1st round: Division-10 trikes, Iowa City speedway, Iowa City, Iowa
    Mike Garrity was the only racer to show up. He ran a two-lap race against a track driver. In the second lap, he shot through his opponent's back armor and wrecked his power plant. This action gave him the win. Due to a lack of participation by other drivers, no points were scored.

2nd round: Division-20 boats, Carter Lake Aqua-Arena, New Omaha, Nebraska
This was the first boat race I'd ever ran and the first for all players as well. All boats started at 0 mph, with Mike Garrity at the pole. Mike and John Dermody just out-accelerated everybody else at the start. There were some close calls as the players jockeyed for position across the starting buoys.
    A line formed down the length of the track, led by Mike Garrity, John Dermody, Hugh Swindoll, Don Jacques, John Blaylock and Ken Royer. Around the first corner, Blaylock rammed into Don Jacques end-to-end. The impact cause Jacques to undergo a major swamping; he also took on water because of it. John Blaylock was in turn rammed by Ken Royer with the same results. Messrs Blaylock and Jacques continued to ram each other, with Don finally sinking because of destroyed back armor. By this time, Blaylock's front armor was also gone. He was sinking fast, and he tried to turn inside the course buoys in order to make a short-cut (but didn't make it).
    Garrity and John Dermody were making laps quickly. Royer and Swindoll brought up the rear nearly ne full lap back. With Garrity crossing the start line for the third time, Royer went outside the course, then turned back in and rammed Garrity. Meanwhile, Dermody came over the start line and failed a control roll. This flipped his boat end over end down the front straightaway. So ended the second round.

3rd round: Division-30 helicopters, Skyfire Aero-Arena, Akron, Ohio.
Only three racers showed up for the last part of the challenge. They were John Blaylock, Mike Garrity and Don Jacques. All three chose custom designs for the round. The race began near the southernmnost TV tower at a speed of 100 mph; each racer chose a starting altitude between 8" and 12" game scale. Don Jacques got pole position, John Blaylock was in the middle and Mike Garrity was on the outside. Don and Mike started at a height of 12" and John started at 11".
    During the first lap, all three racers accelerated to around a maximum speed of 190 mph. At times, they were stacked right over the top of each other's helicopters. Don took the lead by pushing his plant well over the limit to 227.5 mph. John and Mike also pushed their plants to keep up. About halfway through the second lap, Don failed a control roll which resulted in his helicopter going into a diving veer and losing its rotors. Don crashed off the northern end of the course, but managed to walk away with only minor injuries.
    Mike continued to chase John around the course. As John rounded the starting TV tower, he hit Mike with a shot from his MG. The shot caused only one point of damage, but was enough to force Mike to make a control roll (which he failed). Mike's chopper went into a diving veer and he, too lost his rotors. Mike crashed off the southern end of the course. John won the round, but Mike's first-place finish in the second round gave him enough points to win the event overall.
 

1st round: Division-10 trikes
1st place: Mike Garrity, (no points awarded, 2 laps)

2nd round: Division-20 boats
1st place: Mike Garrity (3 laps, 16 points)
2nd place: Ken Royer (3 laps, 15 points)
3rd place: John Dermody (3 laps, 14 points)
4th place: Hugh Swindoll (1/2 lap, 11 points)
5th place: John Blaylock (1/4 lap, 6 points)
6th place: Don Jacques (1/4 lap, 5 points)

3rd round: Division-30 helicopters
1st place: John Blaylock (4 laps, 18 points)
2nd place: Mike Garrity (1.95 laps, 11 points)
3rd place: Don Jacques (1.5 laps, 10 points)

1st place: Mike Garrity (27 points, 3 rounds)
2nd place: John Blaylock (24 points, 2 rounds)
3rd place: Don Jacques (15 points, 2 rounds)
4th place: Ken Royer (15 points, 1 round)
5th place: John Dermody (14 points, 1 round)
6th place: Hugh Swindoll (11 points, 1 round)
 

Crash Koala 7C (John Blaylock): one-man helicopter, small helicopter power plant, pilot, MG (L), SWC, 2 maneuver foils, Armor: F26, B27, R22, L22, T20, U20. Acceleration: 5, HC: 3 (4 at 60 mph+), Top Speed: 192.5 mph (pushed to 222.5 mph), 4,432 lbs, $29,992.

Speedbug II (Mike Garrity): one-man helicopter, small helicopter power plant, pilot, MG (F), SWC, Armor: F10, B20, R10, L10, T5, U7. Acceleration: 10, HC: 3, Top Speed: 195 mph (pushed to 225 mph), 4,436 lbs, $27,992.

Eggbeater 102 (Don Jacques): one-man helicopter, small helicopter power plant, pilot, 2 maneuver foils, improved tail assembly, Armor: F18, B18, R18, L18, T18, U18. Acceleration: 10, HC: 3 (4 at 60 mph +), Top SPeed: 187.5 mph (pushed to 227.5 mph), HC: 3 (4 at 60 mph+), 4,734 lbs, $29,628.
 

Vehicles from the World Dueling Championship

2050 Wendigo: Compact, x-hvy chassis, hvy suspension, medium power plant w/SCs, 4 PR snow tires, driver, VMG (F), SD w/ explosive spikes B, weapon link (VMG/SD), Sloped Composite Armor: F12/10, B10/10, RI 0/10, L10/10, T0/2, U0/8. Acceleration: 5, HC: 3, Top Speed: 92.5 mph, 4,435 lbs, $9,667. Off-road version: change tires and suspension to OR. Remove 3 pts plastic armor, add HrSwc, $13,764.
    A version: add incendiary ammo to VMG and SD, remove 2 points plastic armor, $9,988.

Blitz III-E: Compact, x-hvy chassis, hvy suspension, medium power plant w/SCs, 4 PR snow tires, driver, RR w/HEAT ammo or HESH ammo F, SD w/incendiary or explosive ammo B, SWC, weapon link (RR/SD), Sloped Composite Armor: F12/15, B10/15, R10/15, L10/15, T0/3, U0/4. Acceleration: 5, HC: 3, Top Speed: 92.5 mph, 4,437 lbs, $9,735.
    F version: replace RR w/RL (loaded with incendiary rockets), add 7 points plastic armor, $9,410.
    I version: remove all weapons, add VFRP (F), $9,610.
    J version: remove RR and SD. Add MG w/incendiary ammo (F) and MD w/napalm mines (B), add 4 points plastic armor, $9,517.

BlastFighter-31A: Sedan w/CA frame, x-hvy chassis, hvy suspension, large power plant w/PCs, 4 solid tires, driver, BC w/extra magazine F (all ammo is HESH), 2 SDs (1 R, 1 L) w/catalytic spikes, HrSwc, 2 weapon links (BC/SDs), Composite Armor: F18/25, B10/20, R10/20, L10/20, T0/4, U0/10. Acceleration: 5, HC: 3, Top Speed: 92.5 mph, 6,116 lbs, $29,392.
    This design was used by David Nelson. Its original sloped armor was removed due to a ruling by the duelmaster.

Road Lord: Luxury w/CA frame, x-hvy chassis, hvy suspension, large power plant w/SCs, 4 PR radial tires, driver, 3 RLs w/5 shots explosive & 5 shots AP linked F, OJ w/pyrophoric oil B, SD w/1 extra magazine R (all spikes are catalytic), Swc, weapon link (OJ/SD), 2 SfD w/bumper triggers (1 R, 1 L), 4 fake wheel hubs, 4 fake wheelguards, 10 pts CA on driver, 10 pts CA on power plant, Composite Armor: F20/50, B0/60, R0/50, L0/50, T0/9, U0/9. Acceleration: 5, HC: 4, Top Speed: 90 mph, 6,593 lbs, $29,926.
    This design was Mike Garrity's vehicle in the final round of the WDC.
 

Shockwave: one-man helicopter, small helicopter power plant, pilot, MG (F), SWC, Armor: F25, B25, R25, L25, T20, U23. Acceleration: 5, HC: 3, Top Speed: 185 mph, 3,000 lbs, $29,288.

Wedge I-F: Light trike (reversed), It chassis, hvy suspension, super trike power plant, 3 PR racing slick cycle tires, driver, MML (R), spoiler & airdam, Armor: F10, B10, R10, L10, T2, U8, Acceleration: 15, HC: 4 (5 at 60 mph+), 1,200 lbs, $9,699
 

Over the years, we've done so much dueling and design work that our home duels have become battles of the titans. With nearly-invulnerable vehicles going at it, victory most often goes to whoever outlasts the others. Bearing this in mind, we have gone to using non-standard dueling realms. Examples are aqua-duelling and aero-duelling (anything but cars). Accordingly, we view the Dueling Worlds as something of a boring prospect. "Been there, done that" just dosn't begin to explain it.
    Even in racing events, we have used just about everything out there. Yet to be done on a large scale are boat races, and events with aqua-bikes, hovercraft, grasshoppers, microplanes and airplanes. Before you ask, we don't consider jet fighters to be really viable racing vehicles.
    This leaves NOVA looking for something beyond the ordinary, something to challenge our abilities as players and designers. We need the challenge and so do other players.

Signs that you need a new car
1) Your paint job consists of rust and paint
2) Friends refer to your car as a "bug killer" because of the toxic cloud spewing from the muffler
3) Hard to start all year around
4) It looks like the loser of last week's demolition derby on TNN
5) It loses a quart of oil every week
6) Your car is older than your teenagers
7) You're afraid to take the car in for repairs because the repairs will cost more than the car is worth
8) One or more doors won't open because of accident damage
9) You want a Viper GTS or the new Corvette more than your present car (who wouldn't)
10) Your car is beaten by a turtle in a race
11) The present loan on the car has just been paid off
12) You have enough money in the bank to afford a new one
13) Your car has over 100,000 miles on it
14) Your car spends more time in the repair shop than you spend driving it
15) You and your mechanic are on a first-name basis
 

In our next issue, we'll cover the results of our club dueling championship. Who will end up in the top spot? Will we have some new faces in our lineup.'? Stay tuned for the answers in the next issue.

"DRIVE OFFENSIVELY"
 
 

Norman McMullen	Michael Garrity
NOVA President	NOVA Secretary

 

NOVA Works
    Quad Cycles: Michael Garrity

The 10 O'clock News: Norman McMullen

Quotes: Norman McMullen & Michael Garrity

Cube Logs: Norman McMullen

Convention Reports: Norman McMullen

The Showroom: Road Lord: Michael Garrity All other vehicles: Norman McMullen

The NOVA Files: Norman McMullen

All other sections: Norman McMullen

Typesetting & Page Layout: Michael Garrity

Editor: Michael Garrity
 

Murphy's Corner
    Over the years, the NightMessenger has tried to maintain a high level of accuracy. However, errors have crept in from time to time. To wit: In Cube Logs: Gone in 60 Seconds. Angelina Jolie's character is named Sway, as in sway bar or swaying in a breeze.The new Jackie Chan film is Shanghai Noon, not Shanghai Man as we originally reported

In the Showroom, we left out the Warp 10Z-1. The stab are as follows:

Warp 10Z-1: Streamlined indy car, x-hvy chassis, magnetic suspension, 7-space HP jet engine w/afterburner & 20-gallon dueling tank, 4 PR racing slicks, driver, high-speed handling package, HD shocks, HD brakes, spoiler & airdam, Armor: FI0. BI0, RI0, L!0, T8, UI0. Acceleration: 40, HC: 9 ( 10 at 60 mph+), Top Speed: 960 mph, 4,700lbs, $524,826.
 

The Nightmessenger is published quarterly by the New Omaha Vehicular Association, 2524 Madison St, Bellevue, NE 68005. All material is copyright 2000 by the New Omaha Vehicular Association. All rights reserved. Car Wars, Dueltrack, Boat Wars, Car Warriors, Crash City, Truck Stop, Convoy, Uncle Albert's Catalog From Hell, Autoduel and AADA are registered trademarks of Steve Jackson Games Incorporated, or are used under license. The above trademarks, and the characters and situations of the Car Wars background are the exclusive property of Steve Jackson Games Incorporated and are used in Nightmessenger under permission. Reproduction of any material published in the Nightmessenger without the express written permission of the publisher is prohibited. Any reproduction of Car Wars articles published in the Nightmessenger, or any unauthorized publication of fiction using the Car Wars background without the express written permission of Steve Jackson Games is strictly prohibited. Subscription rates (for 4 issues) are: Regularly attending club members: $4.00, U.S.subscribers: $6.00, International subscribers: $12.00.

Back to Nightmessenger Page

Back to Front Page