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Car Wars Adventure Gamebooks #1
Battle Road
Based on the Car Wars boardgame from Steve Jackson Games. Cover art by Larry Elmore.
The reader's decisions and chance will determine whether an autoduellist of the year 2036 gains fame and fortune or meet his end.
The reader's decisions and chance will determine whether an autoduellist of the year 2036 gains fame and fortune or meet his end.
168 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 1986
25 people want to read
About the author
Steve Jackson
199 books69 followersAmerican game designer, often confused with the British game designer of the same name.
Author of games/systems such as GURPS, Illuminati, CarWars, and Munchkins.
See also:
Steve Jackson, co-creator of the Fighting Fantasy series (NB the US game designer also wrote 3 titles in this series)
Steve Jackson, author of works on crime
Steve Jackson, Scottish thriller writer
Author of games/systems such as GURPS, Illuminati, CarWars, and Munchkins.
See also:
Steve Jackson, co-creator of the Fighting Fantasy series (NB the US game designer also wrote 3 titles in this series)
Steve Jackson, author of works on crime
Steve Jackson, Scottish thriller writer
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
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December 6, 2021Background story is boring but events and encounters during the adventure are more interesting.
There truly seems to be ways to complete this adventure using bit different options/routes which is nice (and refreshing comparing to some Fighting Fantasy adventure gamebooks where the "true way" is the only way). But of course, there still is the optimal way to win with very low risk, if you do certain things. I also like real possibilites to change your car (even it may not be wise).
At first the combat system looks nice and it tries to include some realism. But eventually it is just dice rolling (and table checking now and then), which could go on and on and on for many rounds and usually there are multiple opponents. That is bit boring and labour intensive. Also in some cases it is not clear what is the combat situation (what weapons, e.g. front/sides/back, can be used). But combats are quite high risk events, so you may want to avoid them for that reason alone. Good thing is that you don't need to fight much (or at all !) if you do smart choices.
Difficulty level is medium. If you avoid unneccessary combat and stay otherwise out of trouble, pay attention to road reports, use common sense and be kind to people you should be able to explore a lot of options with each game. End-game difficulty is higher (trial and error), few final choices must be done without any clues and wrong choices will lead immediately defeat.
There truly seems to be ways to complete this adventure using bit different options/routes which is nice (and refreshing comparing to some Fighting Fantasy adventure gamebooks where the "true way" is the only way). But of course, there still is the optimal way to win with very low risk, if you do certain things. I also like real possibilites to change your car (even it may not be wise).
At first the combat system looks nice and it tries to include some realism. But eventually it is just dice rolling (and table checking now and then), which could go on and on and on for many rounds and usually there are multiple opponents. That is bit boring and labour intensive. Also in some cases it is not clear what is the combat situation (what weapons, e.g. front/sides/back, can be used). But combats are quite high risk events, so you may want to avoid them for that reason alone. Good thing is that you don't need to fight much (or at all !) if you do smart choices.
Difficulty level is medium. If you avoid unneccessary combat and stay otherwise out of trouble, pay attention to road reports, use common sense and be kind to people you should be able to explore a lot of options with each game. End-game difficulty is higher (trial and error), few final choices must be done without any clues and wrong choices will lead immediately defeat.
July 29, 2022
Goodness, I wish I still had this from my middle school years.
September 9, 2025
A fantastic quick solo car wars adventure to get your fix for a game when you don't have time. The books have gotten pricey, but we'll worth it for the Car Wars enthusiast and a must have.
August 30, 2020
In the days before computers, a good solo-adventure was an important thing for young geeks without lots of real-world friends. Gamebooks like this went a bit beyond the children's "choose your own adventure" stage to include character stats, die rolls, and combat scenarios, within an adventure designed for a known fantasy world.
In this case, the adventure is set in the world of "Car Wars," a somewhat dark future in which armed and armored motor vehicles fight for dominance on the highways of a shattered USA. The adventure is a typical rescue of the damsel in distress, although she's somewhat less helpless than the classic princess, and can be of some use to you in escaping. It seems that the President of Louisiana has been kidnapped by a powerful baron in Oklahoma, who intends to marry the President's daughter and thereby become heir-apparent to the Republic of Louisiana. You must travel north from Austin, the Capital of the Republic of Texas, to free her, encountering various bandit gangs, helpful truckers, and extreme weather conditions along the way.
This was the first scenario Steve Jackson (inventor of the "Car Wars" franchise) wrote as a gamebook, and it has some flaws. The first is that it's almost impossible to win. I tried four times this week in preparing this review, and finally had to cheat wildly just to see what the happy ending looked like (mind you, that's in spite of the fact that I've played it dozens of times in over 25 years). The second is that there's a bit too much to keep track of - the time running out as you drive north, how many times you've recharged your power plant since you left, various passwords and names you have to know to figure out where to go, etc. You can add to this record-keeping with the optional "ammunition" rules, which I did when I was a kid, but frankly now I'd want a computer to keep track of ammo for me. It's a good adventure, though, and will hold the interest of people who like this sort of thing.
In this case, the adventure is set in the world of "Car Wars," a somewhat dark future in which armed and armored motor vehicles fight for dominance on the highways of a shattered USA. The adventure is a typical rescue of the damsel in distress, although she's somewhat less helpless than the classic princess, and can be of some use to you in escaping. It seems that the President of Louisiana has been kidnapped by a powerful baron in Oklahoma, who intends to marry the President's daughter and thereby become heir-apparent to the Republic of Louisiana. You must travel north from Austin, the Capital of the Republic of Texas, to free her, encountering various bandit gangs, helpful truckers, and extreme weather conditions along the way.
This was the first scenario Steve Jackson (inventor of the "Car Wars" franchise) wrote as a gamebook, and it has some flaws. The first is that it's almost impossible to win. I tried four times this week in preparing this review, and finally had to cheat wildly just to see what the happy ending looked like (mind you, that's in spite of the fact that I've played it dozens of times in over 25 years). The second is that there's a bit too much to keep track of - the time running out as you drive north, how many times you've recharged your power plant since you left, various passwords and names you have to know to figure out where to go, etc. You can add to this record-keeping with the optional "ammunition" rules, which I did when I was a kid, but frankly now I'd want a computer to keep track of ammo for me. It's a good adventure, though, and will hold the interest of people who like this sort of thing.
December 7, 2012
Of all of the Car Wars adventure books that I have read I like this one the most because it seems to give the most options (as far as purchasing new equipment and vehicles) when compared to some of the other books in the series. The mission is definitely a challenge to complete.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews