Well it just seems like we got the last issue out yesterday. Wait, it was yesterday! The last issue was very late due to more problems than I can begin to discuss and I don't want to anyway.

Things are looking more hopeful for us getting articles and supplements published by SJG and Spacegamer. Look for the next issue of the Spacegamer for several articles by Tim Jacques and Norman McMullen. Happy Holidays to everyone from NOVA.

With the season coming to an end NOVA believes in showing off inventions that are beneficial to all duellists. With that in mind we present the following:

Snow Blades: Snow blades cost as much as the amount of front armor of the vehicle in question, plus an additional 5% and $200 for the hydraulics. The blade itself weighs as much as the front armor plus 50 lbs for the hydraulics. The blade had 3 points of metal DP. Pointed blades are available for an additional $50 and 50 lbs. Pointed blades have 4 points of metal DP.

A snow blade is a metal armored plate that sits in front of a vehicle. It acts like a shovel and scoops snow and ice hazards away from the front of the vehicle. Pointed blades have the snow pushed off to the sides; this causes a D2 hazard for vehicles running through the resulting mounds. For regular blades snow is pushed in front of the vehicle. For every three inches traveled the vehicle losses 5 mph until stopped. A counter the size of the plowing vehicle is then placed in front of it. A vehicle running through the pile will suffer a D5 hazard, loss 20 mph, and incur ram damage at half of the vehicle's unmodified speed. If the ramming vehicle had a ramplate the damage is at ? of the unmodified speed.

In a ram with a normal blade the damage taken goes first to the blade and then to the front armor of the vehicle. Pointed blades work the same way but the vehicle rammed is displaced according to the following chart:

1-2: Vehicle conforms to the right side of the blade-mounting vehicle.

3-4: Vehicle stays in front of the blade-mounting vehicle but takes 3D6 extra damage due to the point.

5-6: Vehicle conforms to the left side of the blade-mounting vehicle.

A vehicle can have a ramplate and a snowblade at the same time.

Napalm Bomb: To-hit 9, one shot, one space, 2 DP, $300 and 100 lbs. This bomb sends out flammable chemicals over a 3" radius, doing 3D6 damage at the point of impact and to everything in a ?" radius and 1D6 damage to everything for the remaining radius. If the bomb hits it target vehicle the vehicle is automatically on fire and so is everything else in a 2" radius. Everything else from 2" to 3" has a 1-in-6 chance of catching fire. Napalm will burn for ten seconds, creating a smoke cloud above it and doing 1 point of damage per turn to those things on fire.

IR Night/Day Scope: $2,500, 1 g.e. (added to weapons for encumbrance). One space and 15 lbs. if carried as cargo. The IR Night/Day Scope can use passive infrared at night which is built into the scope. Negates night penalties and reduces weather modifiers by one. Gives a +2 to hit with the handweapon it is being used with.

Sunburst: No damage, one space, one DP, 20 lbs., $500. 20 shots, WPS 1 lb., CPS $5. Total cost $600 and loaded weight 40 lbs. This device shoots out a flare that explodes 2" away from the vehicle and lasts for 3 turns. Each flare gives a -2 modifier to all heat seeking weapons and it also has a chance of fooling an IR system on a one of a six-sided die.

The Three Maniacs and a Grenade have not been quiet lately. The fact is that they ruined Halloween for some of our NOVA members. If we find the Maniacs they're dead. Obviously, their time in the New Omaha area is limited.

Don Jacques won the Survival Circuit this year. His brother Tim won this year's Club Championship. For more details see the special sections further on.

In the last issue the question of who was Death was asked. Well, we aren't quite sure ourselves. They are definitely like no other foe of the autoduellists. Death cleans up the riff-raft everywhere and really hasn't bugged the autoduellists until lately. In NOVA's opinion they are a vigilante organization with unknown agendas. It isn't known wether they steal from their victims or not. It could be they're paid hitmen or a specialized merc unit. At present all of this is speculation. Only the future will tell what Death really is. Look for an upcoming adventure called " A Date With Death" involving, of course, Death.

In the last week of October and early November a huge blizzard hit the Midwest, dumping over four feet of snow on the New Omaha area. Conditions got worse as temperatures dropped below zero, causing water and power lines to break. This lasted for a few days before returning to normal. Some parts of New Omaha went without power and water for about a week. The Nebraska National Guard and Battle Army helped to dig out and deliver supplies where needed in the state. Everything is getting back to normal, just in time for the holidays.

Between Missouri and Nebraska there has been some big air duels covering a period of weeks. It is known that at least four air forces has been involved in the duels. Only one of these air forces, the Bloodhawks, have been identified. They haven't been seen since an airship dropped a huge bomb on southwest New Omaha. Luckily, the bomb was a dud; who knows what kind of damage it could have caused!

He's back and he's a terror. Last issue was probably the worse for errors. Did anyone catch them all?

1. The Omacon 9 Tournament brief should've been in "The World" section.

2. The first four items in the "Ten O'Clock News" should've been in "Milestones" instead. On the July 8 entry DJ Battle scored two ram kills, not van kills.

3. Psychobat flew through Battle Tower on September 4, not the 14th as in "Milestones".

4. On the July 28 entry the car should've been a modified XZ Lamborghini Countache.

5. We left out the miniature article.

These were the errors, did you find them all? Congratulations if you did; if you didn't never mind. Hope this issue is better, since I locked Murphy in a closet.

Some more firsts from NOVA.

The shortest NOVA Club Championship: the 2039 Club Championship was held in one arena instead of the usual three.

Club Championship speed record: 85 mph attained by Jay Chladek and Mike Hirtis just before they rammed each other.

Regional top speed record: 270 mph attained by Norman McMullen in the 2039 Midwest Regional in St. Louis, Missouri.

Reverse speed record: 90 mph in reverse by DJ Battle in the Sunset Arena on December 2, 2039.

July 8, 2039: The eighth round of the Survival Circuit was won by John Glade in the Division 10 cycle duel at the Carter Lake Arena.

July 9, 2039: Brian Mueller won the ninth round of the Survival Circuit, in which DJ Battle got two ram kills and set a new speed record of 170 mph at the Sunset Arena.

July 10, 2039: Dave Fletcher won the tenth round of the Survival Circuit over John Generic in the Division 60 Monster Truck duel at the Midwest Mud Arena.

July 11, 2039: John Generic won the Division 2 Indy Car raceduel over Dave Fletcher in the eleventh round of the Survival Circuit at the Aksarben Speedway.

July 12, 2039: Dave Fletcher won over John Generic in the final round of the Survival Circuit in an unlimited duel at the Aksarben Arena.

October 6, 2039: The Road Knight made it debut, starring Ron Knight on the Battle Television Network (BTN) and is currently discussing national syndication contracts to start early next year.

October 22, 2039: A new housing subdivision of Lincoln was destroyed by four unknown duellists. Four police cruisers were also destroyed. Most of the buildings were destroyed by weapons fire and fire. The duellists, now dubbed as the Wrecking Crew, are being sought out by the Lincoln Police. Over 2 million dollars in damage was committed by the Wrecking Crew.

October 28, 2039: Three alien war machines attacked and defeated a few NOVA members in the Boneyards. The duellist Deathjester was killed and Johnny Crusher was hospitalized. NOVA reports that all broadcasts dealing with the 101st Anniversary of the War of the Worlds broadcast was altered by the Three Maniacs and a Grenade.

October 30, 2039: A huge blizzard hits the Midwest, crippling all travel in Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and South Dakota. Over four feet of snow was dumped on the New Omaha area within a 48 hour period. The cities of Lincoln, New Omaha, KC-1, Des Moines, Pierre, and Springfield were completely closed down. Below zero temperatures hampered rescue and relief efforts for a week afterwards.

October 31, 2039: Happy Halloween.

November 1, 2039: South of New Omaha a large airduel took place. No news footage was taken nor was there any survivors from the kills of the unknown duellists.

November 3, 2039: A passenger airship passing near NOVA HQ dropped a very large bomb on a unknown business a few blocks away. The bomb was a dud, but it did destroy the business.

November 4, 2039: Through undisclosed sources NOVA announced that the Bloodhawks were responsible for yesterday's bombing. Three other air forces yet to be identified have also been involved in air duels over the past few weeks from KC-1 to New Omaha. Daimschel Tread Works reported that the Bloodhawks HQ in KC-1 had been destroyed by cruise missiles.

November 11, 2039: Veterans Day. NOVA held its 2039 Club Championship at the Carter Lake Arena. Tim Jacques won after 29 seconds. Bubba Logan, last year's champion, ejected after a ram and flew over the Carter Lake Hydroarena. He was nearly hit by a stray shot from the Division 10 boat duel that was in progress. Bubba then fired his man-portable rocket launcher at the offending boat, causing it to sink. He also took out two other boats and effectively cut the competition in half.

November 12, 2039: Batman stopped over twenty mob members in a night-time raid.

November 13, 2039: Batman captures a few mob cars and ended over 10 mob members permanently.

November 14, 2039: The New Omaha Police Department announced that they are investigating the Batman incidents. Later that night Batman is credited with another mob battle.

November 17, 2039: Over 30 mob members were found at a warehouse by the New Omaha Police, the location was given by an anonymous tip. Several surviving mob members claimed it to be the work of the Batman.

November 18, 2039: Ambush single-handily stopped over 15 mob members at another warehouse. By the time police and reporters arrived his only comment was "I'm tired of Batbrains getting all the PR".

November 23, 2039: Happy Thanksgiving.

November 27, 2039: Ambush destroyed several mob cars along with over 30 mob members. Ambush's only comment was "Did I beat him to it?"

November 29, 2039: Batman delivered an information packet to a local reporter. The packet contained information on the New Omaha Mob.

December 1, 2039: Rumors surfaced about the local mob declaring war on the Batman and Ambush. These rumors have yet to be confirmed, but are quite possible given present conditions.

December 3, 2039: The New Omaha Police reported that most mob fronts have been vacated by the time they were raided. Some officials say that the mob is presently setting up new fronts or left for greener pastures. They credit Batman and Ambush for causing this.

December 25, 2039: Merry Christmas.

December 31, 2039: Happy New Year.

The duellists entering the event this year were Don Jacques (DJ), Tim Jacques (TJ), Jay Chladek (last year's champion), Don Viner (Viner), Mike Hirtis, and Norman McMullen. They had a photo shoot before the duel along with trading jokes and insults. With all cars checked by the officials the Championship was ready to begin.

Everybody entered the Carter Lake Arena, one to gate. This arena has four triangular jumps in the center. Upon entering Norman and Viner turned head-on towards one another (their gates were on the same wall). Jay and Mike did the same. Norman and Viner played chicken over a checkpoint with Norman leaving oil off to the side of it. While at the other end of the arena Mike accelerated out of the way of Jay. DJ went for the rings hung between the center jumps, leaving a trail of flaming oil behind him. Jay entered the passages between the jumps, also going for the rings. Both didn't succeed. TJ hung to the outer wall, scoring a checkpoint and target.

Mike rounded the jumps at 70 mph, while Jay kept with him. Norman and Viner trailed each other into a corner then turned slightly to avoid crashing into a wall. DJ cleared the jumps and started going towards Norman and Viner. Meanwhile TJ scored two more checkpoints. Mike scored a checkpoint and a target.

Jay cleared the jumps at 85 mph and took a tight bend to intercept Mike. They rammed at the combined speed of 170 mph, destroying most of Jay's car and heavily damaging the front of Mike's pickup. As Mike disengaged Norman angled in on Mike's front. Jay ejected from his car. The flames ignited the escaped gasoline. TJ closed in on Mike. Norman fired his hesh-filled BC at Mike's front, hitting the driver. TJ launched four rockets into Mike's left armor, doing minor damage against the metal armor. Viner turned to fire pass Norman to hit Mike with a blast cannon. Norman zipped past Mike and avoided his ram attempt. TJ came around Mike's left side and threw a FOJ grenade into the pickup bed. The resulting fire killed Mike's driver horribly. The kill points were divided four ways between TJ, Viner, Jay and Norman.

Viner and DJ went head-to-head over in a corner, each putting down a variety of flaming oil, junk and spikes. They traded shots with DJ setting off a patch of spikes under some junk. TJ scored his final checkpoint and the first jump. Norman scored a checkpoint. DJ and Viner scored a checkpoint each. By now ten seconds have gone by with only two duellists out of action. Jay in his hang glider went out of the arena towards the local airport.

During the next ten seconds Viner and DJ chased each other around the arena, scoring some hits. Viner made two jumps. DJ scored another checkpoint and jump. TJ scored two targets, a ring, three jumps, and the rest of the checkpoints. While trying to line the others in his sights, Viner managed to hit Norman's top armor during a jump.

Viner is finally pierced by DJ's fire and the power plant was destroyed. TJ joins in and knocks the driver unconscious with a SMG. TJ and DJ chased each other around the north part of the arena while Norman tried to get a bead on them. TJ fired his FOJ discharger when Norman passed behind him, causing Norman's underbody to catch fire. Finally TJ jumped with DJ and Norman not far behind. Norman fired, missed TJ, then fired again. DJ was hit in mid-jump in the underbody. Tim slowed after completing the jump and goes through some smoke and angle towards DJ. DJ turned towards TJ while TJ fired all ten front rockets into him. The rockets totally destroyed DJ. DJ's wreck crashed into TJ, destroying most of the van's front armor and pushing it backwards at 70 mph. Norman completes two more jumps and came back to get TJ. TJ goes out of a gate and wins the Club Championship.

The points: Tim Jacques - 51, Norman McMullen - 26, Don Viner - 6, Don Jacques - 4, Mike Hirtis - 2, and Jay Chladek - -8.

More highlights from the Survival Circuit held this last summer.

ROUND 9: Sunset Arena, New Omaha, Nebraska

The duellists entering this arena were: Dooley, Crusty Spray, DJ Battle, and Brian Mueller. This arena has banked corners with a raised roadway around the middle, having four corner ramps up to it and four tunnels through it. Sunset has two jumps facing each other, 45 feet apart and in the center of the arena. This round was Division 40 and everybody was ready.

As the duellists entered the arena DJ and Dooley veered toward each other while Crusty went after Brian. DJ slammed into Dooley with his jet-powered car, completely crushing Dooley and forced him into immediate hospitalization. DJ's car took minor damage from the ram.

Meanwhile Crusty had gone up onto the raised roadway while chasing after Brian. DJ quickly accelerated to over 100 mph as he joined them. After circling the upper half a few times each used dropped weapons to scare the others. Then DJ did a very hard turn to nail Crusty in the side. Crusty was knocked off the roadway and crashed, totally destroying his car. DJ's car vaulted into the lower area and rolled end over end until he crashed into a tunnel wall. DJ died instantly. Brian won this round by default.

ROUND 12: Aksarben Arena, New Omaha, Nebraska

This was the final round of the circuit with only two duellists making it: Dave Fletcher and John Generic. It was an unlimited duel with vehicles van size or smaller. Aksarben has several large permanent obstacles with three of them having tunnels. There is one obstacle that has a road over it. A TV tower and a jump rounds out this arena.

The duellists entered from opposite sides and went toward each other at 90 mph. Dave was using a jet-powered Blastfighter IV. They traded blast cannon rounds as they passed each other. Then they circled the TV tower for several turns. They broke off and fired again. John lost control and rolled into an obstacle, dying on impact. Dave became the winner for round 12.

Overall winners were Doug Akron, Crusty Spray, and John Generic.

The Three Maniacs were Doctor Darksun, Lightning Bug, and Professor Starshine. They joined forces in January. Each is a terrorist and a nut case supreme. Less than a month after getting together they consolidated the local gangs. These changes have spelled certain doom for the future of New Omaha. Doctor Darksun acted as the ringleader. The Lightning Bug is a rock-n-roll terrorist with delusions of dictatorship. Professor Starshine is a real unknown; no one knows what he's a professor of or why he's on an equal footing with the others.

NOVA, the police, and the National Guard had vowed to work together to stop them. So far its been almost even in terms of losses and victories, but indications of escalation where everywhere. The first attack by the Three was when NOVA was tricked into going into the Boneyards to rescue Doc. NOVA entered the area with buses (several 85 footers), and six helicopters. Duellists involved were Harry Kellman, Teri Harlan, DJ Battle, Recoilless Ranger, and Mr. RIP.

The NOVA force entered from the east and was set upon by the Three's henchmen in cars, trucks, and buses. The building in which Doc was being held was destroyed by the henchmen and then they proceeded to destroy any vehicle in their path. NOVA's helicopters bombed enemy vehicles, demolishing them quickly. Harry accidentally bombed the Exterminators garbage truck, not knowing until later that it was a mistake. As the battle was winding down NOVA found out that Doc had never been kidnaped and was in New Omaha wondering where everyone was!

On NOVA's fourth anniversary New Omaha was attacked by rock-n-roll robots, cyclists, two helicopters, and a variety of cars. NOVA and the police entered downtown, opening fire on the robots. The robots went down like lead balloons. The cyclists, composed of the Vultures and Bloody Ghouls, made their appearance. The NOVA cars laid down heavy fire upon them, destroyed them as quick as possible. The cyclists slowed while two Plunge helicopters flew overhead, heading toward the bomb magnets known as City Hall and Police Headquarters.

Several cars entered the fray in BLUD colors. NOVA and the police were partially distracted by the newcomers, but the cycles soon went away as shots were traded between NOVA and BLUD. The BLUDs retreated, leaving NOVA victorious and the City Hall and Police HQ were once again bombed out of existence. The Plunges evaded their pursuers, leaving behind 20 robots, 22 cycles, and 14 cars.

For several months NOVA didn't hear from the Three until Halloween. They again reared their ugly collective head in late October. Their were rumors of aliens landing outside of New Omaha. Most of these rumors were ignored except for the news services. On the night of October 28 everything came together. As a report of three alien war machines was made in the Boneyards two NOVA members made an investigation. Johnny Crusher and Mr. RIP encountered three war machines. The machines opened fired with x-ray lasers, ripping apart the NOVA vehicles. Johnny was hospitalized and Mr. RIP was killed. The Maniacs tampered with the 101st anniversary broadcast of The War of the Worlds broadcast with hypnotic sounds, making many people hearing it believing it was real. As a result, water towers, silos and other tall structures that looked like alien war machines were shot at and damaged.

After the broadcast and the defeat the Maniacs taunted NOVA and the rest of New Omaha with things to come. A few days later NOVA received information that the Maniacs have taken over Offutt Air Force Base. If this was to be believed, the city was in big trouble.

All new and soon to be published in Spacegamer. Anyone wishing to contribute to Duel Slang may send them to NOVA.

French Air Force - microplanes or microplane crews.

Junk Surprise - junk or debris with mines or some other hazard hidden under it.

Firecrackers - rocket boosters or jump jets.

Pinball - hovercraft, because of their uncontrolability, or an uncontrolled hovercraft. Sometimes refers to hovercraft pilots.

Rotorhead - a duellist who likes helicopters.

Popcorn - pedestrians that are run over, so named because of the popping sound they make as they're crushed.

Hood Ornament - a cyclist who become one with the vehicle that killed him.

Bug Killers - anti-pedestrian weapons.

Mall Zombies - a duellist who drives around endlessly in a parking lot in search of a parking place.

Bugs - pedestrians in general.

Sheely Buster - anything that goes beyond the laws of physics, but is perfectly feasible in the game. Examples: doing a tight bend at 80 mph and not losing control. Taking a hairpin turn at over 200 mph without a problem. Sometimes called Rulebusters or Infinite Improbability Maneuvers.

Swiss Navy - boats or boat crews.

Bronze - local police.

Street Jockeys - cycle gangs.

Road Kill - any animal killed by a vehicle while trying to cross the street.

Fish - a torpedo.

It - anything undescribable or too weird to be comprehended. Example: a van with a tank gun or the sudden appearance of a tank on a quiet road.

Goody Two Shoes - a road samaritan.

John Generic or the Unknown Duellist - an unnamed character or starting character.

This issue has three of the vehicles used in 2039 Club Championship.

Grandslam Plus: Van, x-hvy. chassis, hvy. suspension, super power plant, 6 HD tires, driver, 10 linked HRs front, ITL front, REWP left and right each with one HR and one MR facing front, LGL for all rockets, SWC (ITL), FoD rear. Armor: F50, L30, R30, B30, T3, U3 with 2 fake wheelguards rear. Accel. 5, top speed 92.5, HC 2; 7,144 lbs., $23,814.

Blastfighter IIJ: Sedan w/CA frame, x-hvy. chassis, hvy. suspension, large power plant w/PC, 4 solid tires, driver, BC w/extra magazine front (all loads hesh), OJ rear linked to BC, 2 bumper triggers, SWC. Sloped metal/plastic armor: F18/50, L0/55, R0/55, B0/55, T0/10, U0/15 with 4 10-point wheelguards. Accel. 5, top speed 92.5, HC 2; 6,120 lbs., $22,644.

Cannon Ranger '39: Luxury, x-hvy. chassis, hvy. suspension, large power plant w/SC, 4 SBPR tires, driver, BC w/extra magazine front (all loads hesh), FOJ rear, HD shocks, SWC, blow-through concealment for FOJ, fake MRs and TL rear, 3 linked ODs (one left, right, and rear), 10 points of component armor each for driver, power plant, and FOJ. Sloped armor: F81, L35, R35, B30, T12, U12 with 4 10-point wheelguards. Accel. 5, top speed 90, HC 2; 6,600 lbs., $24,635.

Psycho. Who is he? What is he?! One thing is known for sure about the most colorful character in NOVA. He's insane with a capital "I".

I recently had the chance to meet Psycho in person and found out some information about how he became what he is today. Psycho also gave me the chance to visit his oddly outfitted apartment in downtown New Omaha. After a brief tour, we sat down for a lunch of gunpowder pizza and hydropump milkshakes.

Banzai: So, where and when were you born?

Psycho: I was born in New Omaha approximately two years ago.

Banzai: Two years ago? Didn't you have a life before that?

Psycho: Well, of course I had a life before that. But I didn't become Psycho until two years ago. I don't have much memory of who I was before then.

Banzai: What memories do you have of your life before Psycho?

Psycho: The only concrete memory I do have was of the last day of my former life. I was driving home from work when I came upon a traffic accident where a cattle truck had overturned. One thing lead to another and a brutal battle ensued which involved people from BLUD and EDSEL. I was killed in that fight and my clone was activated. Unfortunately the clone experienced damage and as a result I have no memory of who I was. Eventually I started a new life and became an autoduellist.

Banzai: Is that when you became Psycho?

Psycho: Nope, I became Psycho during a combat in the Dumbarton Slalom Arena. As the result of a ram by an opponent, my vehicle was knocked into a safety area and out of the competition. At that point I proceeded to have fun wreaking havoc on the medical and garage areas. It was quite fun watching people get impaled by 30 mm autocannon shells. The blasting of body parts and exploding of oxygen tanks greatly improved the drab-looking walls of the arena's hospital. I narrowly escaped capture and became a wanted man.

Banzai: How did you escape capture?

Psycho: It wasn't easy. I spent a few days hiding out and eating road-killed animals. I tried to join groups such as BLUD, ARF, and even the Boy Scout Commandoes, but nobody would accept me because of my colorful past. Eventually I joined the National Guard. That's when I learned who to drive a tank.

Banzai: What kind of job did you have in the Guard?

Psycho: My job was to be a last resort combat weapon. If a mission was deemed impossible to be performed by conventional means, I would be sent in with a specially modified tank to do as much damage as possible. In that role I had a lot of fun seeing how much damage I could do to a building before it would topple and how long a body would live after its head was blown off. I've even taken pictures. You want to see them?

Banzai: Uh, no, that's quite alright. Did you eventually return to autoduelling?

Psycho: But of course! I wasn't going to sit around in an army barracks waiting for a mission when there was havoc to wreck on the duelling circuit. I handled my reentry into professional autoduelling with style. I even commissioned the construction of a duel vehicle that matched my colorful personality.

Banzai: And of course that vehicle was known as...

Psycho: ...the Psychedelic Leadfoot. It's a monster car powered by a jet engine.

Banzai: How did you come up with the idea for the jet engine?

Psycho: It took a while. I wanted a monster vehicle that could compete in regular arenas, but I didn't want to sacrifice engine power or armor. The jet engine was the most logical choice because it has a high thrust-to-weight ration, gives good acceleration and is very light weight.

Banzai: Didn't cost or gas mileage ever enter into the picture?

Pyscho: Not really. A modest sized jet engine that can move a monster car like the Leadfoot with ease costs less than the smallest monster truck plant available. As for gas, jets are notorious for sucking fuel, but since most arena fights don't last more than thirty seconds anyway, I didn't have to store much.

Banzai: Isn't having a jet engine in an arena just a little bit dangerous?

Psycho: Well, jet fuel does have an annoying tendency to explode. And a well-placed round can play havoc on turbine blades. However, I always wear my asbestos undies and use the trusty EZ ejection seat. It saved my life more than once. The jet does have a plus going for it, though. Not too many people will shot at a potential bomb if it is sitting right next to them. Of course, if the vehicle does explode it makes for a pretty explosion that almost always gets on the 6 o'clock news. The crowds love it.

Banzai: The Psychadelic Leadfoot also paved the way for your present career, did it not?

Psycho: Yes, the vehicle started my career as the "try anything once" stunt man! My first stunt was a monster car jump over thirty cars in the Civic Arena. The stunt went perfectly and I wound up totaling eleven cars in the pit and parking areas. The thirty cars I jumped over remained untouched. I became a nationwide celebrity overnight.

Banzai: Has the stunt business been a good line of work to pursue?

Psycho: Oh yes, absolutely. Since I never repeat a stunt exactly as before, I have to add a new twist to it. For instance as soon as my sponsor approves the funding I plan to jump over another 30 cars. However, the cars, the take off ramp, and the landing ramp will be placed on three airships. It ought to be quite a sight.

Banzai: Sounds like it may even top your tank stunt.

Psycho: Oh yes, most definitely. The tank stunt will always be my favorite.

Banzai: How did you come up with the idea for the tank stunt?

Psycho: I was sitting around one day and thinking about Zeno's Paradox. Zeno asked the question of what would happen if an irresistible force hit an immoveable object. So I formulated my own equation. What would happen if a 50 ton tank was dropped from an airship and hit the top of a skyscraper? The answer is that the skyscraper (The Woodmen Tower) became a pile of rubble and the tank was completely buried under several tons of rubble. I waited inside that tank for almost 12 hours while crews dug out a hole big enough for me to crawl through.

Banzai: What can we expect from Psycho in the near future?

Psycho: Well, at present, more of the same senseless violence I am famous for. I do intend to get a pilot's license so I can work on a new project. I'm not saying what it is but it has four wheels and flies.

Not many people play Car Wars with miniatures, and that's sad. They miss out on customized miniatures in whatever color(s) they want. Miniatures add a new dimension to the game, especially with a 3-D arena or city to drive around in. Granted, you do have to care for them so they don't get all banged up or chipped.

Miniatures help you answer those difficult questions that crop up. You can tell if your car is streamlined or has sloped armor, whether there is externally-mounted weapons, or if your side weapons could hit your opponent's front. Miniatures have all of these things. The miniatures may be glued or taped to existing counters or blank counters and come in everything from cycles to 18-wheelers.

There's no rule saying you have to stick to the same scale as standard Car Wars. You can go up to the scale of Matchbox (which is two-and-a-half times normal scale). Fortunately, Matchbox has a line of Chassis and Crossbow-type vehicles called "Road Blasters". This line features cars, trucks, and even a bulldozer armed and armored to the teeth. The armor and weapons can be snapped on or off when needed, and most vehicles may be armed with the weapons and accessories from other vehicles in the line. The Road Blasters would work perfectly for those Chassis and Crossbow adventures. There's an article on upscaling Car Wars in ADQ 2-3 for those of you interested in doing such.

There is even a guy in ADQ 7-3 who can modify Micro Machines into Car Wars vehicles. Micro Machines presently has a line called "Road Warriors" with standard ground warriors (cars, vans, etc.) and tank-like armor/weapons that snap on over them. These are good ideas, and they're in Car Wars scale. The regular Micro Machines are a tad longer than Car Wars scale (1/180).

Which ever way you go for your miniatures you must have someplace to keep and transport them safely. Boxes with foam padding work best. They can be purchased at hobby shops. Presently most Car Wars-scaled miniatures are no longer in production. They were originally made by Grenadier, then Citadel came out with a line for Battlecars (a rival game that wasn't too popular), and finally Dark Horse came out with a line called Auto Assault. All three have their good and bad points.

Grenadier models are rare, being the original Car Wars miniatures. They were blockish and sometimes were not in scale (especially the 18-wheelers). Citadel had a nice line that featured Countaches, Porches, Lotuses, Austin Martins, and Jaguars in addition to regular cars but they never had set packaging. You never know what you might get. An example: one package may have a Jaguar and a cycle, another a robot and a pickup (for some unexplained reason robots were included). The also did have very detailed 18-wheelers which were the best I've ever seen. Dark Horse had some different ideas on packaging. They had both damaged and undamaged together to make sure you have matching sets. There's no 18-wheelers in the Dark Horse miniature line.

Specialty vehicles such as tanks, airplanes, helicopters, hovercraft, and boats can be found among the three mentioned companies. Micro Armor has airplanes (including jets), hovercraft (cargo size only), tanks, helicopters, and some boats. The Paranoia miniatures by Grenadier has two robot figures which are great for a tank and a transport hovercraft. They're in packages #605 Bot Busters and #610 Transbot. The Ogre miniatures by Martian Metal have heavy tanks that are great. They are sought after by diehard Ogre players and are out of production. Good luck finding them. Also in the Ogre line are the GEVs, making for good small hovercraft, but again they are as rare as jellyfish teeth.

The Battletech line by Ral Partha has a few miniatures that make good hovercraft. The Pegasus hovertank minus the rocket pack is an example. I'm sure there's a few I missed, but this covers all the miniatures I use for Car Wars.

Recently people have been advertising Car Wars miniatures in the ADQ classifieds. If you really want a set of Car Wars miniatures don't give up looking for similar sized ones or even up-scaling your game.

If you have metal miniatures spray paint them with flat white before beginning with a good base coat. It makes it easier to see where you haven't painted. Remember you can paint them anyway you desire. Good luck on hunting down miniatures.

NOVA is currently play testing the future supplement Aeroduel. By the end of January all results will be sent back to Austin. We are also currently getting uniforms ready by this spring. As soon as they're finished we'll have photos of them in a future issue. Special patches are planned. We're sure to look very sharp at any convention we attend, especially with the right accessories. I believe this will make us the only chapter to have uniforms. There are a few chapters with T-shirts and/or caps out there, though.

NOVA members are currently working on a few adventures (one on Death) and a few articles. For those looking to add jet and rocket engines to their vehicles we're completing an article called "In Thrust We Trust". It's sure to blow the competition away.

NOVA and the Ground Zero RADS may be hosting next year's Midwest Regional at Omacon 9.5 on March 3. Already in the works is a pizza party and Car Wars Forum after this Regional is completed. Anyone interested should contact NOVA for upcoming information packets.

You're probably wondering what will be coming up next year in the Nightmessenger. You'll see more details on the New Omaha duelling scene, local heros (The Weasel, Cobra Kurtz, and others), convoy adventures and thoughts on the state of Car Wars. Wouldn't it be nice for someone to take the World Championship away from Texas. Any takers?

Presently, the Midwest is blanketed by an arctic air mass with temperatures at or below zero. The smart duellist is only going out when he has to. Quite a few cars and other vehicles just won't start in this bitter cold. A few inches of snow have made it look like Christmas, but looks can be deceiving. Happy Holidays to everyone from the people of NOVA.

Drive and Fly Offensively!

Norman McMullen, President

Don Jacques, Secretary

Re-editing of Nightmessenger Vol. 3, No 4 completed on 05/31/97 by Donald Jacques.

Editors: Norman McMullen, Don Jacques, and Tim Jacques.

NOVA Works: Snow Blade by Cliff Christiansen, Napalm Bomb by Norman McMullen, IR Night/Day Scope by Don Viner, and Sunburst by Tim Jacques.

In the Arena: Norman McMullen.

On the Road: Norman McMullen.

Local Hero: Jay Chladek.

The Showroom: Grandslam Plus by Tim Jacques, Blastfighter IIJ by Norman McMullen, and Cannon Ranger '39 by Don Jacques.

Metal Duellist: Norman McMullen

Duel Slang: Norman McMullen, Jay Chladek, John Schuncke, and Tim Jacques

Everything else by Norman McMullen.

Typesetting: Tim Jacques

Originally printed as a SpeedScript 3.2 document on a Commodore 64 with an Epyx extender cartridge. The issue was reentered as a WordPerfect 5.1 document, turned into a HTML document by KEYview 5.1, and edited again in Netscape Navigator Gold 3.0.

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