NIGHTMESSENGER

NOVA's Quarterly Newsletter
 
Vol. 5, No. 2, Summer 2041

OPENING FIRE


       Welcome dueling fans! We at NOVA hope that you're doing well in and out of the arena. It seems that the heat has bakedmany brains down here, or perhaps it has something to do with the algae. Crazy days are here again! 
    Impact 1, a local convention, was a huge success. NOVA sponsored a Car Wars Tournament which had a respectable turnout. It will be featured in a later issue. NOVA is also working on a military vehicle guide. For those who have been asking about Ratner, ask no more! The Rat is back with a vengeance. God help those poor heathens who angered him!

 

NOVA WORKS

    We just keep flying along with more new items for duellists. In the near future we'll put out another catalog. DO I keep going or answer the question? All right. The 2038 NOVA Catalog is a compilation of items to date and is still available for those who are interested. We beat Uncle Al by several years.

    Now back to your regularly scheduled NOVA Works. This issue is a grab bag of useful items like the force pike and the license plate flipper.

Force Pike: $4,000, 8 lbs. (2 G.E.). This weapon has 10 charges that can be expended as follows:

1) Stun: being hit with the tip of the pike has the effect of a concussion grenade with a +2 on the effects roll. This function has a to-hit score of 7 and uses one charge.

2) Electropulse: this function fires a bolt of electricity that does 2D6 damage, 1/2 to vehicles. This pulse also has the same effects as an anti-power plant rocket. It has a to-hit score of 6 and uses 2 charges.

Fog Nitrous Oxide: Each tank is $1,000, weighs 25 lbs., and takes up one space. Opening a tank is a firing action. After triggering the nitro, acceleration goes up by 15 mph and top speed is increased by 65% for three seconds. The tank and a gallon of gasoline is used up. Otherwise it uses the normal nitrous oxide rules.

License Plate Flipper: $200, 10 lbs., 1/2 space. This little wonder will flip the license plate of a car to a different one. It uses a firing action to flip a plate. Confuse those donut dunkers with this little gem!

Turboprop/shaft Jet Engine: Increases the cost of the jet engine in question by 25% and takes up an additional space. Turboprop/shaft jet engines are used to drive propeller(s) or rotors of airplanes and helicopters. They mount a shaft with gears on it on the front of the engine. In turn it drives a shaft to the propeller or rotor. Because their operating range is more controlled than regular jet engines their MPG is tripled, without loss of power. They cannot mount afterburners. Power factors are 80% normal for purposes of calculating top speed.
 

THE WORLD "OUT THERE"

    Tim "The Weasel" Jacques has announced his 2041 Butt-Kicking Tour. In a crowded press room the Weasel briefed the audience on future plans for urban pacification and repopulation. Unlike past efforts handled by the National Guard, the new campaign will be handled by the newly reformed Merc's Inc.

     "Let it be known throughout Nebraska," exclaimed the Weasel, "we're going to kick ass and take names!"

    No Gun, master of martial arts, defeated the infamous Ninja Master. The event was televised on the regional level via Ninja TV. The duel lasted exactly five minutes and it was full of wacky, campy and truly unbelievable stunts. The winning blow happened when Ninja Master tried to use his electro-shock punch, only to get a nasty jab in the ribs by No Gun. The jab overloaded Ninja Master's power pack, causing it to explode. The explosion lit up the night sky.

    In Council Bluffs IMSA members have been growing more and more irate. Since Iowa struck down it's anti- weapons laws IMSA members have started to arm themselves. Secret informants have suggested that EDSEL might be trying to cash in on the situation by moving in expeditionary forces.
 

10 O'CLOCK NEWS

    May 23, 2041: At a press conference in New Omaha Joseph Ratner announced, "It's good to be back home. Darn, I can't leave without something going wrong. Is my business okay?". The reporters told him it was, which he was very relieved to hear. Ratner was escorted to a waiting taxi and went home.

    May 24, 2041: Joseph Ratner happily reported that his home had miraculously escaped damage from the mayhem that plagued the city the past few months.

    June 3, 2041: Psycho started his Humane Society Patrol. He killed over three hundred stray pets on the streets of New Omaha his first day. The Humane Society condemned Psycho for his use of his Psychedelic Leadfoot IV monster truck on his patrol. The Police reported several property damage incidents that were caused by him.

    June 4, 2041: Psycho's Pet Patrol continued with reports of hundreds of strays killed. A local restaurant announced a new dish, The Road Kill Surprise.

    June 7, 2041: Psycho's Pet Patrol has so far killed over 1,000 stray pets. The Humane Society warned New Omaha residents to keep all pets fenced in or locked up.

    June 11, 2041: Brian Faulkner is elected mayor of New Omaha.

    June 14, 2041: Psycho adds 500 more strays to his total.

    June 21, 2041: Psycho bags 200 more kills on his Pet Patrol.

    June 25, 2041: Two robots dropped into a downtown warehouse. The robots destroyed the warehouse and damaged a few other buildings and surrounding streets. Michael Shadow was on the scene when the robots were stopped. The reason for the attack and how the robots were stopped is unknown.

    June 26, 2041: Michael Shadow is named CEO of ARC in Council Bluffs. The robots involved in yesterday's attack were picked up by ARC. Mr. Shadow claimed that the attack was due to computer error.

    June 27, 2041: The Death Knight announced the hiring of Shadow Walker as security chief of Death Knight Industries new facility in New Omaha.

    June 28, 2041: Psycho's Pet Patrol adds another 400 strays to his kill sheet.

    July 5, 2041: Psycho ran over an additional two hundred strays on his patrol. The overall total is now 2,300.

    July 12, 2041: Psycho painted on an additional three hundred pet kills on his monster truck.

    July 13, 2041: The third showdown between Ninja Master (NM) and No Gun (NG) occurred in a tumultuous hand- to-hand battle that lasted 30 seconds. At the beginning both were frisked for weapons and in the process NM's bodyguard Bruno was killed for interference. In the arena fight NM seemed to take more damage than NG. In the end NM blew up when his electrocution device exploded from NG's quick jabs. NG survived unhurt in the explosion.

    July 19, 2041: Psycho managed only a meager fifty stray pets in his patrol, bringing his to-date total to 2,650.
 

CONVENTION CALENDAR

    August 8-11, 1991: GenCon '91 in Milwaukee. One of the largest gaming conventions in the country and this year's site of the World Racing Championship.

    GenCon/Origins '92: Together again with both World Championships. This time a surprise: NOVA vs. River City in a blood duel. Who will win? Come and see. Will RC make a counter-challenge or will they wimp out?
 

MOVIE RELEASES

    Not much in the way of Car Wars movies in the next six months.

July: Terminator II: Judgement Day.

Christmas '91: Robocop 3: The Apology.
 

THE WINNING FORMULA
Part II
By T.J. Gates

    So you've read the first part of my article. Now here is the icing on the cake, part II. This was brought on by a letter I wrote to Norman McMullen in which I compared Mike Montgomery's '36 and '38 vehicles. So I compared them all. I did not use the errata data because it changed some of the cars (adding SCs on the Paradox when it did not exist at the time).

2036 World Duelling Championship Vehicle Comparison

    BODY STYLE: Not very diversified with only six vehicles detailed; how much diversity can there be? Four luxuries, one mid-size, and a pickup (there's always one of those). No vehicle had a CA frame, but these were not available at the time, I think.

    CHASSIS: There was some diversity here, unlike the 2038 entries. Clive Hendrix used a heavy chassis on his lux so he could use a large power plant which is now not a valid excuse due to superconductors. All other vehicles used extra heavy chassis.

    POWER PLANT: All the vehicles detailed had standard plants of the day (i.e. no superconductors). No speeders here; all vehicles had accelerations of 5.

    SUSPENSION: Everyone used heavy suspension, as all duelling cars should, unless you're driving a subcompact.

    TIRES: Contrary to the '38 champs, only one used anything as good as solid tires. Two of the contestants used PR radial tires and the other three used PR tires. Four of the six used front wheelguards with two using hubs also. Everyone had a guard or a hub on every corner.

    OCCUPANTS: Only one car had a gunner, and Montgomery had his patented driver/passenger combination.

    ARMOR: No metal, again due to the time frame, but some variation. A notable thing was the laser-reflective armor used by John Sullins and Clive Henrick, but no lasers were used except targeters. Two vehicles used fireproof armor. The average value of the armor was 185 points, with 268 as the highest (on the pickup), and 137 as the lowest.

    WEAPONS: Quite a few vulcans out there. Almost brings back the smell of crowded freeways filled with gasburners. Nostalgic. Half the competitors used vulcans. Half also had a dropped weapon although all of these were gases. 1/3 of the competitors used rocket weapons of some kind. 2/3 used turrets or rocket platforms. Only two duellists used extra magazines.

    ACCESSORIES: Everyone had a weapons link. Four the six used hi-res computers (i.e. time frame). Only one car had a spoiler. Two of the six used component armor (all 10 pointers).

    GENERAL NOTES: Half of the cars had HC 3; the others HC 2. The average cost of the cars was $24,488.17.

    Compare and contrast the information with the first article and you'll se a little different approach to winning. Everyone had weapons. Maybe their armor wasn't as heavy, but they packed a punch to drop anyone. I think these are real duel cars, unlike the championship vehicles of today.

DUEL TIL YA DROP!
 
DUEL SLANG

    The more you duel then this slang is for you. This issue is no exception to the rule. Here goes more for the road.

Knight: A car with metal armor.

Cycle Curse: Any car that rams and runs over any cycle at high speed to kill it.

Poppy Seeds: Explosive spikes; a huge, fiery explosion.

Pointer: A pointer is either a) a person that only goes after points in an arena or b) Mike Montgomery.

Trekie: A person who uses a vulcan machine gun.

Yahtzee: When six or more dice are rolled for damage from weapons or crashes. You sometimes wonder whether or not you're even playing Car Wars anymore.

Out-Staters: Slow drivers, usually slower than the speed limit. Of course, they're usually from out-of-state. Their minds are in the twilight zone big time.

The Psycho Solution: Any action so irrelevant it could be no other way. Named after Psycho himself.
 

COMBAT ROCK
    More music to duel by.

"Anarchy in the U.K." by the Sex Pistols (or is it Megadeth?).

 "Welcome to the Jungle" and "You Could Be Mine" by Guns and Roses.

 "Rock the Casbah" by The Clash, from the album Combat Rock (ha, ha).

 "Armed and Dangerous" by Anthrax.

 "Break on Through" by The Doors.

 "Aces Hi", "The Trooper", and "Stranger in a Strange Land" by Iron Maiden.

"Bat Out Of Hell" by Meatloaf.

 "Back in Black" by AC/DC.
 

THE SHOWROOM
Odds and Oddballs

    This issue we cover some of NOVA's oddball vehicles, and boy do we got some dandies. To start out with we have the Ogre Mk III by Michael Garrity. It was suppose to be in the last issue but we ran out of room. It's here now. Sorry, no nukes on board.

    To finish up The Showroom we have tow famous regional vehicles: the Wedge III and Wedge IV. This pair of trikes set regional speed records at St. Louis, Missouri at the Squid Arena (which is more than a little fishy). Tragically both trikes were destroyed and killed a quarter of the spectators. What a way to go!

    In tests the Ogre Mk III took direct hits from every type of weapon in the Car Wars arsenal and came through without taking internal damage. In some circumstances it's even capable of surviving a near miss from a nuclear weapon!

    I will not design another tank using Sheeley's rules, so I put my best efforts into this one. From now on I'm sticking to the tank rules in Dragon #117.

    Otherwise known as the MacMasher the Ogre Mk III is also called "The Tank From Hell" and "Sheeley's Nightmare" (after an obscure 20th Century game designer). It is the front-runner in the Army's competition to determine the successor to the MacArthur Heavy Tank. The Ogre has nearly twice the armor weight of the MacArthur and it's nuclear engine gives it unlimited range without the liability of external fuel tanks. The tank's main weapon is a magnetic cannon which is the most advanced weapon available. The use of this weapon frees the crew from worrying about ammo explosions in combat.

    The Ogre Mk III has one of the most powerful back-up weapon systems known today. The package consists of two heavy autocannons and four gauss guns mounted in the hull, plus two 15-shot model VFRPs and a heavy x-ray laser mounted in secondary turret on the main turret. All things considered, the Ogre Mk III is a formidable war machine.

Ogre Mk III: 200 space hull tank, nuclear tank engine, driver, three gunners, 2 heavy autocannons linked front w/one extra magazine each (all ammo is sabot), 4 gauss guns with one magazine each located on each at RF, RB, LF, LB. The guns on the right and left sides are smart linked. 3 cyberlinks (one to linked autocannons, one each to linked gauss guns), 3 IR laser rangefinders (one to each cyberlink), IR w/thermograph, radar detector linked to military radar jammer, radio jammer, military radio, IFF, surge protector, NBC/IR shielding with 12 extra air bottles, amphibious modifications, galley, crew accommodations, hedgerow cutter, 42 charges of reactive armor (6 each F, B, RF, RB, LF, LB, TF), 4 20-point spaced plastic armor tread skirts. Hull armor sloping 40%. Laminate metal/plastic armor: F150/200 (20%), sides 100/150 (10%) each, B75/100, TF 75/100, TB - turret top, UF 50/75, UB 50/75. 117,786 lbs., $3,870,650.

50 space turret. Long-barreled magnetic cannon with weapon/auto stabilization and 3 extra magazines, 2 VFRPs w/military IRTL, LGL, and one extra magazine each, all rockets are AP - located one right and left. Universal turreted military quality HXL, gunner, neurolink targeting system (to cannon), 2 computer gunners w/2 software packages each, atomic battery, 30 charges of reactive armor (6 each F, L, R, B, T). Turret armor sloping 40%. Laminate metal/plastic armor: F150/200 (20%), L & R 100/150 (10%) each, B75/100, T75/100. 81,295 lbs., $1,444,500.

this jet are figured using the standard weapon load, which is 4 Phoenix-9 air-to-air missiles.
 
Wedge III: Medium Trike, 250 ci gas engine w/5 gallon economy gas tank, 2 bottles of NO2, VPT, 3 PRR tires, cyclist, spoiler, airdam*. Armor: F20, L20, R20, B20, T5, U8. Accel. 20/30 w/nitrous, top speed 155/232.5 w/nitrous, HC 3/4 @ 60+; 2,078 lbs., $14,226.

Wedge IV: Medium Trike, 300 ci gas engine w/5 gallon economy gas tank, VPT, 2 bottles of NO2, 3 HD tires, cyclist, spoiler, airdam*. Armor: F25, L15, R15, B20, T4, U5. Accel. 20/30 w/nitrous, top speed 187.5/280 w/nitrous, HC 2/3 @ 60+; 2,034 lbs., $14,368.

* Ironically enough neither Wedge was officially checked anytime during the regional.
 

GAMING IN EUROPE
What's New on the Old Continent?

    Hello faithful readers of the Nightmessenger! My name is Stephane "Alias" Gallay. I live in Geneva, Switzerland and I'd like to brief you a bit on the gaming business on this side of the Atlantic Ocean. In case you ever wonder what the hell I'm doing in these pages let me explain. Tim Jacques, Norman McMullen, and myself have been exchanging letters for some time now. Norman asked me to write a little something about the European gaming field. So here it comes...

    Well, to start with, and for those who don't know, Europe is the little piece of land between the Soviet Union and the Atlantic Ocean. This article won't take into account the British field - first because I don't know what is really happening there, second Great Britain is almost a world onto itself and third Phil Radley would do this far better. You'd also understand that my knowledge is somewhat limited by the fact that Europe is perhaps a small piece of land, but it's a very compounded one; nearly 30 countries over here...

France, Belgium, Switzerland and other French-speaking countries:

    Without bragging, I'd say that France is the spearhead of "Eurogaming". At least, it's the most active country in the whole continent. France is home to many game editors, most of which are in young game companies and edit very original games.

    Most famous American and English games have been translated in French: D&D, and AD&D (of course), Call of Cthulhu, Middle-Earth RPG, Paranoia, Star Wars, Runequest, Stormbringer, Hawkmoon (the French translations of the two previous games was so good that Chaosium used it as templates for the new editions of the original English game...), Junta, Battletech, and, last but not least, Car Wars...

    Original French games include Reve de Dragon (Dragon Dream), an original fantasy universe in which characters dream their lives, live their dreams, and sometimes dream their dreams and live their lives. Animode is a fantasy world where metal doesn't exist, violence is shunned and humans and animals live together through symbiotic links.

    On the more violent side and from the same creator In Nomine Satanis let the players incarnate demons. The alter- ego of this game, Magna Veritas, lets them play angels. The two games are sold in one two-sided box and all this action takes place in our modern world. The whole stuff is very caricatural and ironistic (even a bit cynical), not to mention a lot of fun to read.

    The most important gaming companies are Jeux Descartes, which makes most of the translations. It owns more than fifty game shops all around the continent. There's even one in Quebec and New York City, and publishes Casus Belli, perhaps the best European gaming magazine. It was first published in 1981. Other editors are Oriflam (Stormbringer, Runequest), Ludodelire (Reve de Dragon and many board games), and Siroz (Animonde, In Nomine Satanis/Magna Veritas and Car Wars). French magazines include Casus Belli, Quest, Chroniques d'Outre-Monde (Outerworld Chronicles), Plasma and Role Magazine.

Spain:

    Although quite slow to start, Spain has become in a few years a "gaming power" in Europe. Actually, two or three major companies are battling for the Spanish market. Among them is Disenos Orbitalies. It has been known to publish many translations like Battletech and a three volume edition of Traveller.

    The other "big one" is Joc International. It published Middle-Earth RPG, Call of Cthulhu, and recently Car Wars. Joc International also publishes what is for the moment the only Spanish RPG: Aquilare, which takes place during the Holy Inquistion in Spain. There are for the moment three Spanish gaming magazines: Troll, published by Disenos Orbitales, Lieder, and Playrol.

Germany:

    This must be the third biggest gaming market in Europe, but in Germany most of the games are translations of American or English titles. Like in the other countries we find there are the "classics": AD&S, Call of Cthulhu, Middle-Earth RPG, etc... One of the few German games is Die Schwarze Auge (The Black Eye), which found an international audience and has been translated into French and English.

Other Countries:

    Well, we don't have very much else, but for some news from friends and pen pals. Italy seems to be bustling with gaming activity, but next to nothing is known about what they play, how, when, etc... Eastern Europe is slowly opening itself to the outer world, so the games are getting in, but we don't know much about that either.

    There SHOULD be some players in Holland, but again, there's some sort of blackout. What we know, though, is that there are some activities in Scandinavia through a friend from Finland. As she says, "the country is perhaps too quiet for roleplaying, but it's getting better by the years". Oh, by the way, Scandinavia seems to be home to the most Elf-fans ever. A Finnish RPG called Rapier is uniquely based around Elves and characters win experience points for "Elfin" behavior".

In Conclusion:

    Europe is alive with gaming. A bit late, though, but alive anyway. In my opinion most of the European games have indeed something to bring to the USA: self-irony. Gaming is taken itself too seriously these last few years. Laughing about it is a welcome change.
 

MURPHY'S CORNER

    Yes, he returns to cause more trouble. This time the p's and q's went for the z's and a's, and boy what a jumble. In other words the game balance went alley oops.

    This happened with the NM 4-4 NOVA Works items intercooler and rifle-turret attachment. Stephen Gallay, one of our new correspondents from Switzerland, made a point of game balance on said items. I agreed to it. In minor ways the items destroyed the game balance. Revised versions of them are presented here.

    Intercooler: This item increases a turbocharger's power factor addition to 50%. A normal turbocharger's power addition is 25%, the combination of turbo/intercooler addition is 50%. Hope this clarifies things.

    Rifle-Turret Attachment: Any handweapon mounted in the turret attachment will take 15 minutes to remove and rearm for use. This is due to all the sighting gear, servos, mountings, hatches, etc, around the handweapon when in the attachment. It takes another 15 minutes to remount the handweapon.

    Optional equipment: a quick mount system costs $250 and allows for the handweapon to be dismounted or remounted in three turns without tools. The quick mount system is a set of spring-loaded hatches, sights, etc, that at the press of a button on the outside of the turret to allow quick dismounting of the handweapon.
 

LOCAL HERO
Aces Hi
by TJ Gates

    The duellist known as Aces Hi was born in Michigan on an unknown date before the turn of the century. He is currently on his second clone after utilizing the first to counter the aging effects of living thirty-one years and then losing it during a surprise BLUD attack in January, 2040. His second clone is now finally cured of numerous problems due to mental trauma and another BLUD attack (this time on the Gold Cross therapy center where he was staying at).

    In 2028 Aces Hi joined the then infant-sized AADA, becoming an ace soon thereafter. He normally duelled in a Vigilante, but in 2033 decided that no mass-produced stock vehicle was suited to his needs. So, following the great American tradition, he built a better vehicle that became Hudson's basis for their Hammer model. After numerous wins on the L'Outrance circuit, Aces Hi had the money to open up a small factory for custom cars and trucks.

    His factory is located a secret area in the unforgiving Upper Peninsula of Michigan. One of the first things that made the Aces Hi Manufacturing Company (formally AIR DAM: Aces hI Research and Development Auto Manufacturing) special was the fact that anyone could own a custom car, a one of a kind. Aces Hi simply cut engineering costs to a minimum by sponsoring students through college and then employing them until they worked off their college expenses. This trade off was considered more that fair.

    Currently the production of the AMHC is about fifteen cars per day. The company has a permanent staff of eighteen engineers, five secretaries, one hundred mechanics, and fifteen test drivers. Other employees are unknown, but suspected.

    The man that made all this happen still duels locally and abroad, and recently relocated to New Omaha and brought his family (including his son Aces Lo) along with him and joined NOVA. This was after the 2040 BLUD attack.

    The reasons for the BLUD attack are unknown; are there any sane reasons for a BLUD attack? Aces Hi was killed while enabling his employees evacuate the factory. His death was hard to deal with because his clone had a few minor physical problems. He was unable to duel at all for the rest of 2040 and made himself unavailable for interviews for that time. Another BLUD attack further complicated things.

    Now Aces Hi is back on the road and he's looking for revenge. Most BLUD members now shy away from the man if they live, mostly due to the fact that he never travels light and he always inflicts heavy damage on any foe. Aces Hi is at least 50 years old (chronologically) and is a resident of Coronado, California and New Omaha, Nebraska. He also spends some time in Michigan. He is currently a Gunner +3, Driver +3, Handgunner +2, Mechanic +3, Cyclist +1, and Paramedic. He is training to be tank driver so his company can begin to market tanks. No vehicle may the factory without Aces Hi's personal seal. His skills are not fully given here, as he holds numerous engineering and related skills.
 

RETURN FIRE
The Hunt Continues

    The big news lately is the Great ASP Hunt started by the Mongoose, whoever that person may be. Of course, through our correspondence we've received quite a few duellists, including the creator of ASP himself; Craig Sheeley. He reported that the Black ASP spends more than $5,000 on breakfast and laughed at the Mongoose's bounty. The Mongoose replied, "that's $50,000 for your crummy head, you nob".

    Another of Craig's comments was that turbofan jet engines are not needed because all the jet engines in Aeroduel are turbofans. He also claims all jets in the USAF today are turbofans. Boy, is he wrong on both counts. One: the jet engines in Aeroduel are more like late '50s or early '60s designs, which are turbojets. They use fuel to no end, and are very noisy, underpowered, and have a characteristic black exhaust. Turbofan jet engines were not introduced until the early 1970's. I cannot accept his statement in any form.

    Count two: turbofans and the USAF. There are plenty of planes in the USAF that have turbofans, but there's some that still have turbojets. Examples are F-4s, A-7s, T-37s, and some C-135s. Craig needs to check his facts before making such a general statement. Besides, Aeroduel covers the world's aviation technology, both civilian and military, and shouldn't be limited to one air force.

On to the ASP Hunters...

    Matt Tackett of GEARS, Illinois: I Received the ASP Hunt postcard and thought it looked very professional. I haven't seen any ASPs but I did spot a garden snake. I also tortured a COBRA action figure about ASP but he kept quiet. Oh well...

    I think I shot an ASP. No, I know I shot an ASP. I was out patrolling in my truck and there was this car in front of me. Since I had to get back to HQ to deliver a crate of high explosive grenades I hailed him and requested permission to pass. He responded by laying mines in front of me. I hit a few and then responded with my turreted twin laser. It took three hits to breach his back armor. He must've had a rear mounted power plant because his car lit up when I fired a shot into his breached side. His car decelerated to a stop and I went over to check it out. I could see that the driver was out cold so I opened the door and pulled him out. I radioed the North Aurora Police and they arrived in a few minutes and took him into custody. He died in-route to the jail from burns he sustained in the car fire so we couldn't get any information out of him. My tires had to be replaced and, if not for steel-belting, I would've lost two or three of them. I got the grenades to HQ and everything else turned out all right in the end.
 
    John M. Hurtt of GODS, Florida: The Great ASP Hunt. I told my club members about the offered bounties but they said they're too busy planning a raid on a warehouse/security depot in Los Disneys. Soooo, I decided to tell a splinter group of the Greater Orlando Duellist Society (who call themselves "Corrine Autoduelling Institute of Lackeys", CADILAC) about the hunt. Well, Dave "The Rave" seemed very enthusiastic about the whole thing and rushed off to tell his club. Two days later he arrived back at our headquarters with a bag full of asps (the kind with no limbs and a poisonous set of fangs) and demanded to know where he could collect the bounty. Needless to say, he was VERY disappointed when I clarified to him what kind of ASPs were required to collect the bounty. Fortunately, my body armor took Dave's gunshots and I managed to leap out of the door before he could fire again. Well, it's not my fault he spent two days in the swamps east of Orlando... Maybe it's just as well. I honestly believe we don't have any ASP enclaves down here. But if you have evidence to the contrary please let us know!

    Well that wraps up the mail. Remember to watch the roads. TJ Gates, one of our newest members, has come up with another changing weapons table similar to the one in Vehicle Guide 2. Enjoy!

 

3 MG to AC +$2,750
2 MG to GG +$7,500
MG to LL +$1,500
L to 2 MG w/HD ammo -$4,000
HDSS to 2 MML +$1,000
DSP to MR -$60
MFR to FG +$450 and one free space
FCE to ID +$150
FOJ to 2 APP rockets -$175
RL to HDSS -$450
RR to MLS +$3,650
HDPS to HDOJ -$300
HDFT to 3 SL +$500
FT to HDSS +$150
SG to RL +$200
FT to 2 MG w/HD ammo +$3,250
L to 2 HDSS -$6,200 and needs two spaces
SMD to 2 HR -$850
FCGS to 2 SD -$200
XL to HDFT -$13,500
GG to 2 LL -$4,500
LDSP to MD +$650
FT to L +$7,250
 
NOVA PROJECTS
 
Our latest projects are:

    A military vehicle guide that covers aircraft, tanks, and boats of the world's armed forces.

    A guide to New Omaha. This is a close-up view of New Omaha including some of it's celebrities.

    Diorama. A Car Wars setting done in 1/25 scale models. All the details haven't been ironed out yet.

    Midwest Encounter Guide 3. A possibility later this year or early next year. We'll just have to wait and see on how many vehicles we have available.
 

WHAT'S NEW?

    It's a question we all ask at one time or another. Every once in a while the answer is good.

    Over the last year there hasn't been much really new out of SJG. But after receiving the catalog it looks good. Some things are reissues of old items we know and love.

    Car War Miniatures: These have become a very popular item since they were discontinued abut six years ago. Murphy at work again.

    Lately, SJG has gotten interested in 3-D duelling. But a lot of use just like having a custom painted miniature representing their hot duelling machine. With those two things coming together they should be a hot seller. The miniatures are from RAFM instead of the old Martian Miniatures.

    Showing your colors: AADA and Illuminati pins. These are still available in all colors. Perfect for those Car Wars costumes/jumpsuits. Note that NOVA uniforms use both pins. Anyone interested in making a uniform or car warrior's costume contact us.

    Just plain looney: Deluxe Toon. For slightly askew duellists or gamers this game allows you to go completely looney. It's back better than ever. This is part of the infamous Car Toons game which someday I'll sit down and write up all the rules for.

    Helping out again: Car Wars Reference Screen. Number three in the reference screens for Car Wars. It's to be expected ever since the Compendium was released. Buy it at your own risk, because you'll never know how long it will stay up-to-date. The last one lasted for two years. The screen has all those little facts you need during a duel. If you don't have one already then get one.

    In the funny papers: Car Warriors. This is a comic book mini-series of Car Wars by Epic Comics. Offensive driving is highlighted along with the gritty dirty world of autoduelling. Some of the action takes place here in the Midwest.

    The Complete Al?: Of course, we can't forget the Uncle Al's Compendium. Everything Uncle Al has printed since ADQ 1-1 will be in it along with some new things.

    Well, that's it for new and old things. Keep you eyes peeled for them.
 

CLOSING FIRE

    Time marches on, thus ending another issue of the Nightmessenger. We hope that you like our work. Your comments, ideas, and submissions to the fanzine would be most helpful. Remember this is your fanzine and it can't get better unless you speak out. We just love letters!
 
    If you haven't read Car Warriors yet please do. It's extremely well drawn and written, giving a good "visual feeling" of Autoduel America.

Until next time drive offensively!
 

Norman McMullen, President of NOVA
 

Tim Jacques, Vice-President

 

CREDITS

Re-editing of Nightmessenger Vol 5, No 2 completed on 06/21/97 by Donald Jacques.

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

NOVA Works: Force Pike by Michael Garrity, License Plate Flipper by Shea Montgomery, Fog Nitrous Oxide by TJ Gates, and Turboprop/shaft Jet Engine by Norman McMullen
 
Gaming in Europe: Stephane Gallay.

The Winning Formula II: TJ Gates.

Local Hero: TJ Gates.

The Showroom: Ogre Mk III by Michael Garrity, Wedge III & IV by Norman McMullen.

Combat Rock: TJ Gates.

Duel Slang: Norman McMullen and Shea Montgomery.

All other sections done by Norman McMullen and Tim Jacques.

Typesetting: Don Jacques

    Nightmessenger is published quarterly by the New Omaha Vehicular Association, 701 S. 22 Street #73, Omaha, NE 68102. All material is copyright September 1991 by Nightmessenger. All rights reserved.

    Car Wars, Dueltrack, Boat Wars, Car Warriors, Crash City, Truck Stop, Convoy, Uncle Albert's, 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 by 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 stories published in the Nightmessenger, or any other unauthorized publication of fiction using the Car Wars background, without the express written permission of Steve Jackson Games Incorporated is strictly prohibited.

Annual subscription is four issues at $4, or $1 an issue.
 

Originally printed as a SpeedScript 3.2 document on a Commodore 64 with an Epyx extender cartridge. The issue was reentered as a WordPerfect 6.1 document, turned into a HTML document by KEYview 5.1, and edited again in Netscape Composer.
 

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