The hard-working Research and Development Team at Uncle Albert's Auto Stop and Gunnery Shop are proud to present three new products just in time for the 2051 Dueling Season!
High Torque Motors
Does your gas-burning neighbor have you suffering from Acceleration Envy? Sure, his car is loud, expensive, and smells like a biker bar, but it's fast, right? Fear no more, Uncle Al feels your pain!
Our crack team of engineers has been working overtime to find a way to bring you that same rush of acceleration your neighbors smog-belching machine has, but at a fraction of the cost! Thanks to their success, your efficient electric machine can now keep pace with most of the fossil fuel fanatics.
Or, if you're a real speed junkie, try our heavy-duty version instead. It's a little more expensive, but provides a lot more performance when coupled with your already extra-powerful motor. No longer will you be left at the stoplight choking on exhaust fumes; instead you can stick right with Joe Dino Burner all the way to his maximum, then engage your normal motors and leave him behind!
High Torque Motors (HTM). $100/wheel, no weight; no space. Compatible only with Electric car or cycle power plants. Limited compatibility with OD, not compatible with HD Transmission. When engaged, the acceleration of the vehicle is increased by 5, and top speed is reduced by 1/4. Engaging or disengaging is a firing action. While HTMs are engaged, the power plant consumes power units at 1.5x the normal rate. If an ISC is triggered while HTMs are engaged, apply the ISC bonus after the HTM bonus. Also, because of the extra stress on the engine from combining these systems, the PP loses 1/2 of its DP due to ISC damage instead of 1/3. A vehicle may mount both HTM and OD, but may never engage both at the same time. Attempting to engage OD or HTM while the other is engaged will trigger safety interlocks that disengage both systems.
Heavy-duty High Torque Motors (HDHTM). $200/wheel, no weight, no space. May not be combined with HTM. When engaged, base acceleration is DOUBLED, and top speed is reduced by 1/3. While HTMs are engaged, the power plant consumes power units at 2x the normal rate. Identical to HTM in all other respects.)
Metal Airfoils (Improved!)
That metal exterior is the only fire protection your composite-armored machine ever needed—until your expensive plastic spoiler burned away and left you spinning off the road. Until now the expense and weight of a metal version was prohibitive, but Uncle Albert has come through for you again!
Our armor specialists have put together a new blend of metal alloys with an advanced shaping process that gives you the fire protection and durability of metal in your spoilers and airdams, but at a greatly reduced cost and weight. Now metal and composite-armored vehicles can enjoy the handling improvements of an Uncle Albert spoiler or airdam while retaining the full durability and fire resistance that you've come to expect from that thick metal skin!
Metal Spoiler or Airdam. Cost = cost for 10 points of Metal armor; Weight = Weight of 2 points of metal armor; no space. Operation is identical to that of its plastic counterpart, with these exceptions:
- The metal spoiler or airdam becomes ineffective when over half of the original metal armor on the equipped side is destroyed.
- The metal spoiler or airdam is inherently fireproof
- If a vehicle uses composite armor, the spoiler or airdam must match the outer layer armor type.
Cycle Wheel Hubs
Tired of outfitting your cycle with those heavy armored hubcaps that were designed for cars? Uncle Albert would never forget that special group of you who prefer to use fewer than four wheels!
Our special cycle products division has something just for you: A new armored hub that protects just as well as the heavier car version, but is specially designed for your smaller, lighter wheels. Now you can outfit the best tire protection money can buy . . . and still have some weight left over to armor the rest of you!
Cycle Wheel Hubs (CWH). $10/2lbs per point, maximum of 20lbs per hub. Must match the vehicle's armor type. Mounted instead of Armored Wheel Hubs on any wheel that may use a cycle wheelguard. Protects on a roll of 1-4 on one die, just like an AWH. One CWH protects against damage from one side only. A second CWH must be purchased to protect the other side.
Design Credits
Robert Deis, Mike Fal, Eric Freeman, Rob Hagmaier, Rick Cross
Playtest Credits
The members of Rocky Mountain Autoduel Association, Southern California Autoduellist Brotherhood, Duelling Debate discussion forum.
Article publication date: April 27, 2001
Copyright © 2001 by Steve Jackson Games. All rights reserved. Pyramid subscribers are permitted to read this article online, or download it and print out a single hardcopy for personal use. Copying this text to any other online system or BBS, or making more than one hardcopy, is strictly prohibited. So please don't. And if you encounter copies of this article elsewhere on the web, please report it to webmaster@sjgames.com.
