Car hero, part 3a vehicle design and essential equipment

[Erkenfresh]

Part 3. Vehicle Design

 

 

Characters start the game with XXX dollars on which to buy equipment. The GM may allow a character to buy the Money perk to start with more cash but this may be unbalancing to the game. Part of the fun is salvaging some nice equipment to upgrade your car, but if you already have enough cash to buy everything you want, you’ll miss out! The following parts of the vehicle must be bought in order for it to run: the chassis, the engine, the suspension, and tires. The following options will make the car more combat-ready, fast, or otherwise better: weapons, defenses, movement enhancers, gadgets, and luxuries.

 

Chassis

 

 

There are X types of chassis available. The chassis defines the Size, STR, BOD, DEF, DEX, SPD, number of mountable weapons, handling, and DCV and also provides some other bonuses and penalties. When purchasing a chassis, pick a manufacturer, model, and year of the appropriate type. For example, if you get a Sportscar, you can define it as a 2010 Chevy Corvette. If you get a Motorcycle, it can’t be a Corvette (sorry!). This is just for flavor, so pick your favorite car of that type.

 

Motorcycle: Two-wheeled vehicles that are extremely fast but lightly armored. It’s much easier to hit the driver of a motorcycle than any other vehicle due to the lack of cockpit. Motorcycles also can’t carry much cargo beyond the rider’s personal belongings (including some guns) and are subject to falling over when shot from the side. On the plus side, motorcycles are cheaper, handle very well, and are able to perform the “slide under barriers” stunt. When buying an engine and wheels, cut their price in half.

 

Sportscar: Built for speed and handling, they were popular before the cataclysm for their style and performance. They still have their uses even today for fast transport, courier services, or for outmaneuvering opponents on the battlefield. They tend to be lightly armored but have high SPD and DEX.

 

Sedan: Extremely popular cars due to their reliability. They are slightly larger than sportscars, generally suited for four passengers with a roomy trunk for getting groceries. They are more armored and can carry more weapons than a sportscar but are generally slower and less maneuverable.

 

Truck: Meant for hauling cargo, pulling cars out of ditches, and towing broken down vehicles. Trucks are similar to sedans but even slower. Their advantage is their great towing capacity and high defenses.

 

Semi: One more step up from trucks, semis are meant to haul large quantities of cargo. They have extremely high defense to protect the cargo, but suffer from poor handling. Due to their mass, engines cost double for trucks. They also have 16 wheels instead of 4, quadrupling the cost of tires. On the plus side, it’s much harder to stop a semi by popping a single tire. Semis also have a base handling of 2.

 

The base characteristics of each are:

 

Size STR BOD DEF DEX SPD Wpn Hndl DCV Price

Motorcycle 1 25 11 3 21 4 1 3 -0 $5000

Sportscar 3 25 13 4 18 4 2 3 -1 $15000

Sedan 4 30 14 6 15 3 3 3 -2 $12000

Truck 4 35 14 6 13 3 3 3 -2 $12000

Semi 10 60 20 7* 10 3 3 2 -6 $30000

 

How do I fix this table? Grrrr....

 

*A semi gets +3 DEF when the cargo is hit by the attack

 

Engine

 

 

The engine makes the car go. You probably want to buy one. All engine models have the following limitations: OAF (standard tires; -1 ½), Only on Appropriate Terrain (-1/4), 1 Continuing Fuel Charge (easily-obtained fuel; lasts 6 hours; -0). If your chassis is a motorcycle, cut the cost of the engine by half. If your chassis is a semi, double the cost of the engine. The distance quoted for each motor is expressed in combat inches per Turn. You need to divide this by the car’s SPD to determine it’s movement per Phase. All engines have a “x4 Non-Combat multiplier” which allows you to drive the car faster outside of combat but drop to 0 OCV and ½ DCV. The Weenie Motor comes with the chassis.

 

Weenie Motor: 60” per Turn, top non-combat speed of 90 MPH, comes with the chassis

Entry level Motor: 70” per Turn, top non-combat speed of 105 MPH, $4000

Basic Motor: 80” per Turn, top non-combat speed of 120 MPH, $6000

Nice Motor: 90” per Turn, top non-combat speed of 135 MPH, $8000

Fast Motor: 100” per Turn, top non-combat speed of 150 MPH, $10000

Racing Motor: 110” per Turn, top non-combat speed of 165 MPH, $15000

Ultra Motor: 120” per Turn, top non-combat speed of 180 MPH, $20000

 

Suspension

 

 

Buying better suspension will increase the handling of the vehicle, allowing it to turn more rapidly in combat. Suspension may also allow the vehicle to drive over terrain it normally couldn’t go over. Standard suspension comes with the chassis. Offroad shocks may be combined with the other suspension packages.

 

Standard suspension: no bonus

Advanced suspension: +1 handling, $2500

Racing suspension: +2 handling, $5000

Elite suspension: +3 handling, $10000

Offroad shocks: car may drive over large rocks and shallow creeks without getting stuck, $3000

 

Tires

 

 

Your vehicle rolls on these. You need them if you want to go anywhere. Consult TUV page 41 for the list of tires available. Find the point cost and multiply by $250. For motorcycles, cut this price in half. For semis, quadruple this price. Tires are highly resistant to blunt attacks (try popping one with a baseball bat, good luck). Ignore the rule about being vulnerable to sharp attacks (all weapons will be sharp anyway so we’ll assume these tires are tougher than the ones in TUV).

 

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