So there is a
Car Wars Bundle up now, no doubt drumming up interest in the upcoming new edition of
Car Wars.
The core of this bundle of holding is the
Car Wars Compendium from 1998, a collection of rules & supplements from the 80's, reprinted when SJG produced a new boxed set. So if you're nostalgic for 80's-90's gaming, or curious about this chapter of gaming history, this is a relatively cheap way to scratch that itch.
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Now, personal anecdote time: Back around '98-'99, I picked up the
Deluxe Edition box:
Which contained the compendium, counters, maps, etc. that are in the 'starter collection' of this bundle; plus, as the box says, a
Bonus Supplement worth at least $10.00! (that's in 1998 USD). And this is the supplement I got:
That's right!
Car Wars Tanks, rules for adding tanks, artillery, electronic warefare and nuclear weapons to your game of
Car Wars!
Now I think most of us on this forum have at least heard of, if not experienced firsthand, the phenomenon of supplement bloat, but this has to be one of the most hilarious examples. The steps that led up to the release of this supplement were all perfectly reasonable:
Car Wars originally was just about cars, there were no rules for other vehicles. But the game was popular and people wanted more diverse vehicle choices, so rules for motorcycles, trucks, boats, aircraft and pedestrians were released. And eventually, having exhausted other possibilities, SJG released what I like to call the
non plus ultra of
Car Wars. Because once the tac-nuke armed tanks show up, your game of machinegun-toting armoured hot rods is over.
