Sunday, August 27, 2017

Axles and Alloys Demolition Derby test run

For Recruits convention, I'm running (again) Axles and Alloys.  This time, instead of a race, the scenario is a demolition derby.  To play test the game, Bill, Ken, Jeff and I picked out three cars and set them up.

I also created three new cars:  Rhino, Bombardier and The Griswald.  They were an experiment in vehicles geared for ramming more than firing.

Bombardier

The Griswald

Rhino

The Rules

At the start of the race, the vehicles were lined up rear bumper to rear bumper.  The first turn, the vehicles were required to accelerate at top speed from the center and couldn't fire any weapons (including droppers).  They were, however, allowed to bump each other.  

The Race

The demolition derby course
Starting positions
Things didn't go smoothly for the light vehicles during the first turn.  A couple of cars decided to play the part of pinballs and were unceremoniously damaged enough to explode their fuel tanks.  

The start, left side
The start, right side

Destroyed light buggies!
After the initial chaos that is so much a part of this game, things settled down a bit.  The following pics will give you a feel for how the game turned out.






Conclusion

By the time we called the game, there were five to the initial 12 vehicles still in play.  Some of these were very close to decimation and were literally rolling death traps for their drivers.  

Other than changing where terrain was located on the course, everyone felt that the rest of the rules put in place the first turn were adequate for a demolition derby and would work well at the convention. Alas, with only four players each playing three cars from the same color, 'team play' was inevitable.   I made a note to remind the convention players that even though there were cars obviously from the same factions, there weren't 'teams'.  There could be temporary alliances, but ultimately there's only one winner in a demolition derby.

Thanks for reading and I'd like to thank my play testers!

Friday, May 19, 2017

F1 Brazil

Race two of the current season was located in beautiful São Paulo, Brazil at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace.  Team Force India (Ken) joined the racers.  Ferrari #1 (Jon Mark), Ferrari #2 (Terry), Williams (Bill), Sauber (Tim) and McLaren (me) were all present for the race in the hopes of improving their overall season standings.

Brazil

The Race

A field of 18 cars lined up for the race.  McLaren won the pole, with the rest of the field filing in behind.  Brazil is a slightly larger track than Kansas City, so the crowd was expecting an exciting race.

Overall, McLaren started with the pole and maintained the lead virtually throughout the entire race.  Sauber, Ferrari and Williams all threatened the lead at various points in the race, but McLaren held firm.  Force India managed to blow the engines of two of their cars (seriously, do they even know how to race?!), making their 2017 initial foray somewhat anemic.

The leaders have taken off...
First lap, first turn
A sea of red...
...followed by the rest of the pack.

Force India's first blown engine...
The hairpin

Tight race for the lead!

McLaren carried the day.
By the end of the race, two Force India, one Williams and two Ferrari #2 cars were DNF.

Race results:
1. McLaren (47)
2. McLaren (42)
3. Ferrari #1 (41)
4. Williams (40)
5. Sauber (39)
6. Sauber (38)
7. McLaren (37)
8. Williams (36)
9. Force India (35)
10. Ferrari #2 (34)
11. Ferrari #1 (33)
12. Sauber (32)
13. Ferrari #1 (31)

Overall season points:
1. McLaren    244
2. Sauber        227
3. Ferrari #1   179
4. Williams    143
5. Ferrari #2   142
6. Force India 35

We had a great time.  Next race:  The Chinese Grand Prix at Shanghai International Circuit!

Sunday, April 23, 2017

It's March...time for some F1 Racing!

The Teams

Jon Mark (Ferrari #1), Terry (Ferrari #2), Bill (Williams), Tim (Sauber) and me (McLaren).  We each had three cars in the race.

Prelims

We played Ken's wonderful home brew rules, Going the Distance (GtD).  I have some modular track I acquired a while back and started converting and adding to it for use with these rules (that's why some of the track pieces are different shades).  This was a random track set-up, so I jokingly said it was the new race course in Kansas City.  The stars are where cars take a pip of tire damage if they move into that space.  Three laps and Bob's your uncle.

Kansas City Road Course

The Race

Team Ferrari #1 won the pole and the rest of the field assumed their positions.  Out of the gate, Ferrari (both teams) got off to a cracking good start, with McLaren and Sauber tailing closely behind.  

Calamity ensued right off, as Williams miscalculated and rammed the back end of a Sauber car, starting a chain reaction of bad right at the race's opening moments.

Utter chaos 
Meanwhile, Ferrari made a great showing of holding the lead over Sauber and McLaren, but it cost the leader from Ferrari #1 heavily.  His tires were almost nubs by the time he pulled into the pit.

Ferrari dominance
The delay cost him the lead, as Ferrari #2 pushed to the fore, with McLaren and Sauber gaining.


Ferrari #2 limped around the final tight turn of lap 2, but the car was spent.  Terry gave it his all, but his car was a jiggling mess of loose parts, bald tires and wishful thinking.  Team McLaren passed him on the turn, with Sauber closely trailing.



Meanwhile, in the rear of the pack, Team Williams finally was getting straight and chugging along.  While not a deciding factor, Williams proved the race was still important.


The start of lap three featured a total blocking of all available lanes by Ferrari and McLaren.  This allowed Sauber to catch up and stay within passing distance of the leader.



Lap three.  Back stretch.  McLaren held the lead, but Sauber was knocking on the door.  A poor turn by McLaren sent him out wide of the curve and low on power.  Sauber took advantage of the mistake and streaked past for the eventual win!

Race results:
1. Sauber (47)
2. McLaren (42)
3. McLaren (41)
4. Ferrari #1 (40)
5. Ferrari #2 (39)
6. Sauber (38)
7. Ferrari #2 (37)
8. Williams (36)
9. McLaren (35)
10. Ferrari #1 (34)
11. Sauber (33)
12. Ferrari #2 (32)
13. Williams (31)

At the end of the race, points standings were thus:

McLaren  118
Sauber      118
Ferrari #2 108
Ferrari #1   74
Williams    67

It was a great race and everyone had a blast.  Perhaps we'll play more for this 'season', but perhaps not.  With a modular track, the possibilities are wide open!

Monday, March 20, 2017

Shoot 'em up!

"Bring your Nerf gun."  That was pretty much the only thing I said in the invite to the game.  Nevertheless, the gang was ready; packing more "heat" than anyone outside of pre-pubescent youngsters should...

The Plot

The sleepy border town of Deadrock was set to wake up.  The Mexicans, who had been in the town since it was named Roca Muerta, had had enough.  The Texians that had swaggered in treated their Mexican counterparts like offal.  They boasted about Texas independence and how much better they were than Mexicans, Mexico and basically anything or anyone that wasn't Texian.  Enough was enough.  
Today, as the sun broke over the horizon, it was time to give Deadrock its true name and drive out the Texian squatters!

The Players

Jon Mark and Bill played the Texians (three apiece).  Terry, Tim and I played the Mexicans (two each).  It was last team standing.  Simple enough!

Did I make the shot?
Terry, wearing the SHL +2 Poncho of Warmth.



"Wild" Bill shootin' up the joint!
Jon Mark, bringing the heat!
Tim with his fancy ammo.


The Game

Using Ken's wonderfully simple rules that combine movement elements from the Song Of... family, easily understood and remembered modifiers and a special "shooting element" using Nerf guns, we began.

The two forces began on opposite long sides of the board.  They soon came into contact with one another and the Nerf "lead" started to fly.  

Let's go thataway...
Texians moving up

Wrapping around the left flank.
An Irish Texian?!
The Mexicans (and an injun) advance
Peek-a-boo...
...I see you!

Carnage.


The blood flowed heavily.
Extra powder in that bullet!

Ol' Doc died on the stoop of his practice.

Things were touch and go for quite a while, with neither side gaining an appreciable advantage.  Finally, it came down to Nerf accuracy.  Unfortunately for the Texians, either the powder in their bullets was of an inferior grade or they were just lousy shots.  By the end of the night, a single Texian scampered away...the lone survivor of a short, but bloody, gunfight.

I ran so far away...

As the sun set on Roca Muerta, the tequila freely flowed...

A fun night of hearty entertainment!