If I Were Steve Jackson...

... I sue every last one of you bastards.

And then, I'd revise Car Wars.

Yeah, I know there was a revision of Car Wars. It was, in my mind, too dumbed down, however. Packs of only two cars? Blah. I remember when you could get 200+ vehicles for $7, thankyouverymuch. So here's my useless thoughts on the matter.

• Take the old game.
• Keep rules for the majority of vehicles on wheels - cars, trucks, motorcycles, trikes, and trailers.
• Dump the aircraft (helicopters included) and watercraft (hovercraft included).
• Simplify hit resolution. Make to-hit modifiers lower but standardize things like accuracy modifiers for speed and size. For example, subcompacts might be -1 to hit regardless of their side, and pickups and vans might be +1. Similarly, you might have a straight -1 modifier for every 10 or 20 MPH the vehicle is travelling.
• Add range increments for weapons to diversify them. For example, a laser might have a very high range increment, while a vehicular shotgun would have a very low range increment.
• Clean up the engine rules and make gas and electrical engines largely the same in function, if not necessarily in design. Try and simplify the formulae for top speed, and make it so racing vehicles and normal vehicles aren't so bizarrely different.
• Reduce some of the overkill in the weapons. Some weapons, like Anti-Tank Guns, X-Ray Lasers, and Blast Cannons should be reduced in order to keep the effectiveness of things like metal armor good.
• Improve metal armor somewhat, so it isn't the flimsy shell it is in high divisions.
• Simplify the handling rules somewhat - only have handling control rolls when a vehicle hits HC 0, and again when it hits its negative HC.
• Simplify the collision rules. I know the new rules do this, and it's one of the few good ideas. Of course, there's such a thing as too much - a sideswipe should be a sideswipe.
• Increase the survivalbility of pedestrians. Perhaps double their base HP or the like, and have ped armor act like 1 or 2 points of metal.
• Remove chassis and suspension. Chassis was pointless in the old rules (there was rarely any reason not to get Extra Heavy) and suspension enhancements (and other handling-improving gear like spoilers) could be accessories, perhaps even improving different capabilties with different enhancements (the classic "grip" vs. "drift").
• Make three main starter books. The first would have the basic rules, arenas, and a book of premade (full sheet) vehicles ready for play). Maybe a light boxed set. Then there would be a vehicle design set, and another book of premade vehicles.
• The first book would keep gadgets light - things like ATAD, cargo safes, and other non-duelling items would be kept to a minimum. A later Uncle Al's catalog could bring some of those widgets back, or they could be included on a book for campaign or RP play.
• Collect the old Road Atlases into a worldbook(s) of sorts. You could cut the adventures and GURPS rules, and adapt old material to the new rules and update the world.

I've love to see Car Wars become a game worth supporting again. Unfortunately, it's unlikely that'll happen... I can dream, though.