Wargame Design: Redline- Car Combat Game in W.I.P.

Car Combat games have been on my mind a lot for the last year or so.  I attribute this mostly to the Delta Vector Blog and their chat group.  They started talking about them late last year, and their discussion really got me to start thinking about the genre.

My last Car Combat Game, Total CARnage, focused on using Dexterity based mechanics for a quick game that anyone could play.  There the vision was to eschew traditional wargaming mechanics and do everything with found materials.  Therefore, it used no dice, rulers or templates.
 

 
I enjoyed the design, but I couldn't stop thinking about Car Combat.  Total CARnage came about after playing a few games of Flick'Em Up.  However, my next game came about after playing and reposting battle reports for one of my favorite games; Aeronautica Imperialis.  I began to think about how aircraft games possessed many of the same traits you would want in a Car Combat game.
Here were some things I thought would be essential for a Car Combat game:

1. Manuever would be critical
2. Positioning would be a big aspect of the game
3. Ramming 
4. Going out of control and crashing
5. Fast game play

After looking at the old Car Wars, I was turned off by the more simulationists aspects of the game.  That was not the style of game I wanted to play.  I wanted something where the emphasis was on turning and burning and riddling enemy cars with machine gun bullets. 

I turned my attention away from Car Combat games, and instead started to look at other aircraft related games.  They all had a relatively similar basis, but captured the aspects of combat that were needed in Car Combat.  High speeds, maneuver, positioning, and firepower.  I looked at the following games:

• Aeronautica Imperialis
• X-wing
• Check Your 6
• Bag the Hun
• Wings of Glory
• and many, many others.....

Then, I started to put font to electronic page I decided that I wanted my game to accomplish the following things....

1. Maneuver and position would be the core of the game
1. Shooting would have limited range 
2. Shooting would be a limited resource
2. Speed in game play
3. Long movement distances (to represent speed)
4. Simple mechanics

The first draft of Redline was born from these considerations.  It is now at a stage where the core mechanics can be used and tested on the table.  There are still plenty of things to evaluate such as weapon balance, points for building vehicles, if the core mechanics even do what I set out to do, etc.  However, it is at a point where I think I can add it to the Work In Progress section of the blog.  Once the core rules have been balanced and worked out, I will move onto adding scenarios and campaign play to the main rules.  You do not need to wait for those parts to give it a try.  

Feel free to give it a test.  I have added a thread in the Messageboard so you can add your feedback and thoughts.  Enjoy!