gamesI ran Steve Jackson and David Ladyman's "Convoy" scenario for Car Wars this weekend. It turned out to be a nice break from the more competitive one-on-one games I was playing last summer. Because this was going more into a role-playing territory, we spent a lot less time haggling over rules interpretations and tweaking designs. This gave the games a much more casual feel.
I won't spoil the scenario for those that haven't played it, but it is a good one.
My player ended up killing a laser armed station wagon. He left his mechanic with the kill to salvage the laser while the rest of the convoy headed into town. This avoided a $5,000 penalty in the final payout, but the mechanic was spotted by a "Cyclones" cycle gang member as he was finishing up. In our next session we will play out the Pack Attack scenario and see if the lone van can make it back to town.
My player is calling me to set up the next game and emailing me his team's stats. (Always a good sign....) I'd like to have each scenario connect to another in a logical way... and have consistent consequences to the choices of the player. We plan on playing out the road trips from city to city, so I'll need to get some better maps of the the Memphis area and then come up with some patrons, encounters, etc. I think the AADA Road Atlas and Survival Guide will have most of what I need....
I really like the more-or-less low tech equipment of the pre-"Uncle Albert's" days. We are running with just Car Wars and Truck Stop right now. I want to emphasize the desperation of the common man, the danger outside of fortress towns, and the rarity of advanced equipment. The PC's are a rare breed... but even with the cash they picked up from completing their mission, there's only just so powerful that a PC vehicle can get. Civilization is only justbarely out of the "Chassis and Crossbow" era-- and cloning is still experimental and not widely available yet.
