Main Page Duelling Racing Q&A

Questions and Answers:

Last Updated 10 September, 2048

NOTE: Rulings in this document were used at the 2048 World Championship match, but may have been changed since then. For the current Official AADA Word on these matters, see the CWRQ.

These clarifications are presented to help players know what to expect when they arrive. Rulings are made directly from the text of SJG publications whenever possible. Wherever rules to cover the situation can not be found, a ruling is made that reflects the spirit of existing rules as closely as possible.

If a player beleives the referee to be in error at any time, the player will be allowed 5 minutes to locate the rule in question in print. After reading the rule, the referee's interpretation is final.

Scoring

Penalties

Design Rules

Rule Clarifications

Other

Where do I find the rule for ... ?

Page numbers refer to the Uncle Albert's Catalog from Hell or the Car Wars Compendium, 2nd edition, black cover printing. Some rules answers are quoted from Autoduel Quarterly and Pyramid magazine, as well.

Your question not answered? Email the Man In Black and your question will find its way to the proper authorities.

Scoring

What constitutes completing a jump?
Taking off from a designated jump ramp and landing on the opposite designated jump ramp, then regaining control of the vehicle. In some cases this may require slow jump speeds to avoid overshooting jump ramps for landing. Credit for the jump is awarded only after the player regains control of the vehicle.

When is a car declared a "Mobility Kill?"
When a player is no longer able to make his or her vehicle accelerate through the use of an electric power plant or gasoline engine. Note that in some cases mobility killed vehicles may continue to coast about the arena for some time.

When is a car declared a "Complete Kill?"
When the player's vehicle is no longer able to affect the outcome of the game. A mobile vehicle will never be declared a complete kill.

What happened to firepower kills?

As long as a car remains mobile, it still has the ability to attack and injure an opponent. Therefore, all mobile cars have some sort of "firepower." Rather than try to force some definition of firepower that would be full of holes and problems, this years match won't attempt to score firepower apart from a full kill.

How do I score a checkpoint?
A player scores for a checkpoint when any part of their vehicle counter touches any part of the checkpoint.

How do I score a target?
A player scores a target when they inflict one point or more of vehicular damage to the target. Note that this means burst effect, flechette guns, and most hand weapons will not score targets.

Penalties

Design Rules

May I tow a trailer behind my vehicle?

No. A trailer would count as a second vehicle, you're only allowed one. And for those of you that are extra-sneaky, No, you may not use ONLY a trailer and park it at the gate, either. (Nice try, though..)

What's the going rate for Gasoline?

$40/6Lbs per gallon, this price does not include the tank. Must be bought in full gallon increments.

If I have a Machine gun linked to a Mine Dropper, can I aim and fire the MG and use the link to place the MD on or off of automatic?

Mine droppers have two fire buttons: one to fire a single round, and one to place the MD on or off of automatic. You may link the MG to either button, or buy two links and link it to each one.

Do radio detonated mines require a radio detonator?

No. The mine dropper can send the signal. Note that there are NO rules whatsoever that directly say this or directly refute it, we decided to allow it based on some really old rules and "The Way It's Always Been."

Can I component armor a Nitrous Tank and/or a fire extinguisher separate from the Engine?

No. "... the nitrous tank and the fire extinguisher must be armored with the power plant/engine." (ADQ 6/2 page 44.)

Does component armor on a gas tank take up a _cargo_ space instead of a regular space?

This question is not explicitly covered in the rules. At the 2048 Duelling World Championship, it will be ruled like this: If the item being component armored is in regular space, then the CA must take up regular space. If the item being protected is in cargo space, then the CA may, but doesn't have to, take up cargo space. So, if the gas tank in question is mounted in cargo space, then the CA may use a cargo space, otherwise it must use regular space.

Can a driver _carry_ a PFE without taking up any vehicle spaces for the PFE?

"Hand weapons take up no ... space." (CWC2, page 46) Also, "any character ... may use a hand weapon any turn he or she does not fire a vehicle weapon," (CWC2, page 46) so the PFE may be used normally.

I saw in quite a few ADQs that Steelbelting was upped to adding 33.3% to the DPs of a tire, however in both the Compendium and the Guide from Hell it lists as the old 25%. Which is it?

25%, UACfH was printed more recently, and so takes precedence over ADQ.

Does personal equipment count against the weight of the vehicle?

Yes. Alternate Encumberance Rules will be in use, and according to them, "The amount of weight you carry counts against your vehicle's chassis limit." (CWC2, page 65)

Do Targeting Lasers or IRTLs require electric power or a laser battery?

No. Only lasers that cause damage require electric power or a battery. (This is a change from Pyramid #4, which wrongly contradicted several earlier rulings.)

Can a single weapon timer be attached to more than one weapon?

Must be a new question, there aren't any good rule references for this one. So, at the 2048 Duelling Worlds, it will be ruled this way: A Weapon Timer may activate one weapon or one set of linked weapons.

Can a sloped Luxury mount 6 spaces worth of weaponry out one side?

No. "Sloping reduces the space available for internal components by 10%" (UACfH, p.156) so a sloped luxury only has 17 internal spaces. "No more than 1/3 of the spaces in a vehicle may be devoted to weapons that fire from any one side." (CWC2, p.73) Since a sloped luxury only has 17 internal spaces, it can only mount 5 spaces worth of weaponry out any one side. Also, "A luxury car [with] sloped armor has its internal spaces reduced to 17. Is this the number that must be divided by three ...? ... Yes." (ADQ 8/1, p.29)

Can a compact car mount both a back RL and a right-back corner MD?

No. Corner mounted weapons count against the 1/3 space limit for both sides. (ADQ 5/2, p.48) So the compact you mention would have 4 spaces mounted out the back, which exceeds its limit of 3.

Can Overdrive be linked to other items?

Yes. Non weapon items may be linked at the usual cost of $50. (ADQ 3/2, p.43)

Can polished (laser reflective) metal armor be distinguished from regular metal armor during walk-around descriptions?

No. The nature of armor (metal or plastic) in only revealed when damaged. (ADQ 6/3, p.9) Also, "if [your armor] takes damage from a laser, you must reveareveal whether it is laser reflective." (ADQ 6/3, p.9) No information about armor type at all is revealed during walk-arounds except for sloping.

Rule Clarifications

If a non-fireproof wheelguard or armored wheel hub catches fire, but the vehicular armor on the adjacent side is metal, will the fire spread?

No. The rules consider wheelguards and armored wheel hubs to be part of the wheel for all damage allocation purposes, so the rule for spreading tire fires applies.

Are flaming oil dischargers volitile?

If flaming oil dischargers are not specificly listed as volitile in either UACfH or CWC2, then no.

Can an volitile weapon that is out of ammunition cause a vehicle to explode?

Past ADQs have ruled that a volitile weapon with a "tank" of ammunition will still cause and explosion, but those with "rounds" of ammunition will not. They've left it up to the ref to decide which is which. Here's how I'll rule it at the 2048 WC: Rockets, incindiary spikes, incindiary MGs, Flaming Oil Guns, and napalm mines will not. Flamethrowers, flame cloud ejectors, and flaming oil jets will.

In what situations, including radio detonations, will mines do underbody damage?

If mines are detonated by pressure triggers or proximity fuses, only the vehicle responsible for the detonation takes underbody damage. If mines are detonated remotely, any vehicle that would have set off pressure triggers that phase if the mines had been equipped with them will take underbody damage.

From what arcs of fire do armored wheel hubs and wheel guards protect?

Wheelguards will protect from the front, back, and outside side. Armored Wheel Hubs protect from the outside side only.

When does deceleration due to spinouts and rolls occur?

Beginning of the turn.

If I do 10 points of damage to a gas engine with a flamethrower, which fire rolls must be made at the end of the turn: Fire modifier, Volitile equipment hit by volitile weapons, or Gas engine damaged?

First roll for the gas engine damage, then roll for the fire modifier. A gas engine's volatility is treated differently than other equipment in the rules, so the middle roll doesn't apply.

A PFE is fired at the end of a turn. What firing action is used, the turn that you just finished, or the turn after you fire it?

The turn you just finished. A PFE is fired at the END of a turn, not between turns.

Will burst damage that affects vehicles affect more than one side if several sides are in arc and have LOS to the explosion?

No. The target vehicle can choose which side is effected among the sides with LOS.

Does HESH ammunition have a burst effect?

Yes. The burst or area effect is a feature of the weapon, not the ammunition type. Some special rounds like AP and APFSDS ammunition do shed their burst effect, and these ammo types say so in their descriptions.

Do incendiary ammunitions have a burst effect?

No. "Do Incendiary RL rounds have a burst effect? ... No."(ADQ6/1)

Will the damage from a proximity fused direct-fire weapon damage the target's tires if the underbody is hit?

Yes. The damage from a proximity fused weapon affects "all targets," (UACFH) which includes tires as long as they are within the bursto radius and have line of sight to the blast.

What happens during a 1/2 move to a car that is rolling or spinning out?

The car moves 1/2" in the direction of travel, but does not rotate or roll. A car that is skidding during a 1/2 move will skid normally, and complete the skid with it's next movement if necessary.

For collision purposes, how big is a car? The size of the counter, or is some allowance made to show that compacts are smaller than luxes?

A collision will be ruled whenever vehicle counters come in contact. No allowance will be made for size differences in vehicles that use the same counter size.

If I hit a 10 DP tree at 80 mph, and do 40 points of damage, the tree is obliterated and I take 10 points of damage. That's easy enough- but what happens if I have a Ram Plate?

You will take the full damage rolled, as modified by the ram plate, or the unmodified DP (or confetti value) of the tree, whichever is less. In this case, 10 points of damage to you.

If I component-armor a single-shot rocket, then shoot the rocket, is the component armor still there?

No good references for this one either.. So, for the 2048 Duelling Worlds, here goes: No other weapon loses its component armor when fired, and single shot rockets are no different. Yes, the component armor is still there.

Does a fishtail result count as your next maneuver, or can a car turn immediately after fishtailing?

"A vehicle may move normally after it fishtails." (CWC2, p.13)

If I am on fire and have a gas engine, but still have intact component armor around that engine (it hasn't burned through yet), do I still suffer the increased chance of explosion?

"If a vehicle with a component armored gas engine catches fire, does the vehicle have the normal chance to explode? ... Yes. (ADQ 6/3, page 48)

If I start with Standard tires and deliberately do two controlled one inch skids (which pops all four tires but loses none of the wheels, so I'm not immobile), are opponents still allowed to aim weapons fire at my tires (now 0 DP)? For that matter... would I still take damage from running over spikes?

This is not addressed at all in printed rules. At the 2048 Duelling Worlds it will be ruled this way: If a tire is lost because it is destroyed and the last point of damage was done by a skid, debris, spkies, or obstacle (CWC2, p.8) The wheel may be targeted normally, and a single point of damage inflicted by mines or enemy gunfire (CWC2, p.8) will destroy the wheel, sending the victim immediately to HS -6 again and lowering the HC permanently by one more, for a total of -3. The wheel will not take damage from spikes, though the remaining three tires would.

If I have a tire fire, but my vehicle has fireproof armor, but my front armor is breached, does the fire spread to the interior of my car?

No. "If a vehicle's tire catches on fire, but the vehicle has FP armor on the side where the tire is mounted, the car will not catch on fire."(CWC2, p.43) So, if the burning tire is left side and your left side armor is intact, the fire will not spread. Breeches on the front, back, underbody, top, or right are irrelevent in this case.

If I shoot at an opponent's tire several times, then he turns so that tire is facing away from me, so I switch to shooting at his nearest side, do I keep the sustained fire bonus? On a similar note, if I shoot at his left side several times, then am forced to switch to shooting at his right side, do I keep the sustained fire bonus?

You will keep the sustained fire bonus when switching to a less specific target from a more specific target, but not the other way around. For example, you may fire at a tire, then the vehicle in general, and keep the sustained fire bonus, but not vice versa. If the vehicle turns, your target (the vehicle in general) does not change, so you retain the sustained fire bonus. (Unless, of course, you target a particular side, which is more specific.)

What is the hazard modifier for Oil+Ice?

+D4. When a vehicle is on several slicks, only the worst penalty applies. This is expected to be an official rules change very soon.

Is the 1" blast radius of a mine measured from the center of a mine or the edge of the counter?

"Each tire within 1" of any edge of the mine counter takes 1d damage." (CWC2, p.44)

If a flamethrower hit me last turn, but nothing hit me this turn, do I still have a chance of catching fire?

"Burn Duration is the number of turns after the initial hit the Fire Modifier is in effect." (CWC2, p.43) So, you must roll for fire a total of four times from a single flamethrower (FM 4, BD 3) hit. Once in the turn you are initially hit, and then once in each of the following three turns.

Is acceleration allowed in any phase, or only phase 1?

"At the beginning of each phase, any vehicle that has not accelerated or decelerated during the previous phases of the turn may change speeds. A vehicle may only change speeds once per turn." (CWC2, p.7)

Does the targeting penalty for maneuvering in the same phase apply to gunners as well as to drivers?

Yes. "Does a gunner take targeting penalties from the car's maneuvering? ... Yes." (ADQ 10/3)

Is weapons fire allowed at the beginning of a phase (before movement) or only at the end?

Only at the end. "Combat may occur during any phase, after movement." (CWC2, p.38)

Does 'losing a tire,' as in from skidding, have the same effect as 'losing a wheel,' as in from enemy fire?

No. "Any vehicle that loses all of its wheels in one position ... has its HS reduced by 3 ... if only the tire is lost, HC only drops by 2." (CWC2, p.8) Also, "any vehicle that loses wheels [not tires] on two corners goes directly to Crash Table 1. It can no longer steer, accelerate, or brake." (CWC2, p.8) Though with it's HC permanently reduced by 4 (2 for each lost tire) it won't be driving around very well.

If a car going 40mph attempts to decelerate by 40mph and loses control, does it skid?

This one's not too clear, but it'll be ruled this way to be consistant with the way other maneuvers are handled with skids: The skid from the crash table result will be applied before the deceleration. After the skid is complete, the deceleration will take affect.

Other

Who gets seeded to what, and how can I get seeded?

AADA Regional Champions reported by Steve Jackson Games will be seeded into the final round. The Current AADA World Champion will be seeded to the final round. Any player may choose to give up their seed and play in earlier rounds, but if they are eliminated in the earlier round they are out of the tournament, and may not reclaim their seeded position. We HIGHLY reccomend letting the Duelling Tournament organizers know you are coming ahead of time if you expect a seeded position or we may not be able to award you your seed.

Regional Championship results must be reported to Stave Jackson Games by 31 July, 2048.

Will you be using miniatures? What size? Can I bring my own?

Yes. The racing events and the some duelling qualifier boards finals will be played in MicroMachine(TM) scale. Other duelling qualifier boards and finals will be played in Matchbox(TM) scale. You may bring your own miniatures provided they meet the following requirements:

Miniatures must be mounted on rectangular bases of the proper size. (1.5"x.75" MM or 3"x1.5" MB)
Miniatures must not exceed the size of the rectangular bases.
Miniatures should be somewhat representative of the actual vehicle design. (We're not asking for perfection, here, just don't use a 10-wheeler miniature to represent a compact or an indy car miniature to represent a lux, ok?)

Where do I find the rule for .... ?

... whatever?
Check the index in ADQ 10/4 first, most of the tournament rules have appeared in ADQ at one point in time or another, and that index will show what issue to check. Many issues of ADQ are on line in the ADQ Archive. If you still can't find it, email the Man In Black and an operative will try to locate it for you.
Walk around Car descriptions?
ADQ6/3.

Questions and Answers:

Last Updated 10 September, 2048

NOTE: Rulings in this document were used at the 2048 World Championship match, but may have been changed since then. For the current Official AADA Word on these matters, see the CWRQ.

Scoring

What constitutes completing a jump?

When is a car declared a "Mobility Kill?"

When is a car declared a "Complete Kill?"

What happened to firepower kills?

How do I score a checkpoint?

How do I score a target?

Penalties

What is this "No Dropped Weapon Zone" thing?

What is the penalty if half of an HDFOJ counter is laid in a No Drop Zone?

Are smoke, paint, and sand subject to the No Drop penalty?

Design Rules

May I tow a trailer behind my vehicle?

What's the going rate for Gasoline?

If I have a Machine gun linked to a Mine Dropper, can I aim and fire the MG and use the link to place the MD on or off of automatic?

Do radio detonated mines require a radio detonator?

Can I component armor a Nitrous Tank and/or a fire extinguisher separate from the Engine?

Does component armor on a gas tank take up a _cargo_ space instead of a regular space?

Can a driver _carry_ a PFE without taking up any vehicle spaces for the PFE?

I saw in quite a few ADQs that Steelbelting was upped to adding 33.3% to the DPs of a tire, however in both the Compendium and the Guide from Hell it lists as the old 25%. Which is it?

Does personal equipment count against the weight of the vehicle?

Do Targeting Lasers or IRTLs require electric power or a laser battery?

Can a single weapon timer be attached to more than one weapon?

Can a sloped Luxury mount 6 spaces worth of weaponry out one side?

Can a compact car mount both a back RL and a right-back corner MD?

Can Overdrive be linked to other items?

Can polished (laser reflective) metal armor be distinguished from regular metal armor during walk-around descriptions?

Rule Clarifications

If a non-fireproof wheelguard or armored wheel hub catches fire, but the vehicular armor on the adjacent side is metal, will the fire spread?

Are flaming oil dischargers volitile?

Can an volitile weapon that is out of ammunition cause a vehicle to explode?

In what situations, including radio detonations, will mines do underbody damage?

From what arcs of fire do armored wheel hubs and wheel guards protect?

When does deceleration due to spinouts and rolls occur?

If I do 10 points of damage to a gas engine with a flamethrower, which fire rolls must be made at the end of the turn: Fire modifier, Volitile equipment hit by volitile weapons, or Gas engine damaged?

A PFE is fired at the end of a turn. What firing action is used, the turn that you just finished, or the turn after you fire it?

Will burst damage that affects vehicles affect more than one side if several sides are in arc and have LOS to the explosion?

Does HESH ammunition have a burst effect?

Do incendiary ammunitions have a burst effect?

Will the damage from a proximity fused direct-fire weapon damage the target's tires if the underbody is hit?

What happens during a 1/2 move to a car that is rolling or spinning out?

For collision purposes, how big is a car? The size of the counter, or is some allowance made to show that compacts are smaller than luxes?

If I hit a 10 DP tree at 80 mph, and do 40 points of damage, the tree is obliterated and I take 10 points of damage. That's easy enough- but what happens if I have a Ram Plate?

If I component-armor a single-shot rocket, then shoot the rocket, is the component armor still there?

Does a fishtail result count as your next maneuver, or can a car turn immediately after fishtailing?

If I am on fire and have a gas engine, but still have intact component armor around that engine (it hasn't burned through yet), do I still suffer the increased chance of explosion?

If I have a tire fire, but my vehicle has fireproof armor, but my front armor is breached, does the fire spread to the interior of my car?

What is the hazard modifier for Oil+Ice?

Is the 1" blast radius of a mine measured from the center of a mine or the edge of the counter?

If a flamethrower hit me last turn, but nothing hit me this turn, do I still have a chance of catching fire?

Is acceleration allowed in any phase, or only phase 1?

Does the targeting penalty for maneuvering in the same phase apply to gunners as well as to drivers?

Is weapons fire allowed at the beginning of a phase (before movement) or only at the end?

Does 'losing a tire,' as in from skidding, have the same effect as 'losing a wheel,' as in from enemy fire?

If a car going 40mph attempts to decelerate by 40mph and loses control, does it skid?

Other

Who gets seeded to what, and how can I get seeded?

Will you be using miniatures? What size? Can I bring my own?

Where do I find the rule for .... ?

... whatever?

Walk around Car descriptions?