SPARK Info

We encourage everyone to keep in touch with each other through the spark_ml Yahoo! Group.

If you have any questions, feel free to email Eric O'Denius.

• President - Brian Strassman
• Webmaster - Michael Miller

• SPARK events follow the AADA Tournament Rules as put forth in the CWRQ and ODQ, with any changes noted on this page or posted specifically for each duel.
• Only standard car, cycle, and trike bodies are allowed. Racing bodies are not allowed.
• Gas engine vehicles are allowed to use Overdrive, as a balance for HTMs.
• Steelbelted tires give you +33% DP instead of +25%.
• You are allowed two crew, with 50 points each.
• Each crew member may wear any legal combination of personal armor and have a PFE. No other personal equipment is allowed.
• The confetti rule will only be used for collision damage. Weapons fire cannot confetti a vehicle.
• The Swerve maneuver will be performed as described in the SPARK movement reference. (First, slide sideways 1/4 car length. Then do a bend to the opposite side. The difficulty remains the same: the D of the bend + 1.)
• Fires started externally (for example, by weapons fire or arena hazards) will not burn internally unless the vehicle is breached. Fires started internally (fire damage that went internal, engine damage, engine criticals, and similar) burn externally and internally.
• Stickyfoam is considered a dropped liquid.
• Duels are fought until the results are obvious, 30 seconds have passed, or 6 hours have passed.
• Duel scoring is as follows:
  • +20 points for causing a mobility or completed kill
  • -20 points for becoming a mobility or completed kill
  • -20 points for being in a Mutual Death Ram
  • +1 for First Blood (the first to cause direct-fire damage)
  • +2 if all crew members are conscious at the end of the duel
  • +1 if some but not all crew members are conscious at the end of the duel
  • +1 if not a completed kill at the end of the duel
  • Other duel-specific points may be awarded as well. (Targets, checkpoints, and crossings are common ways to score these.)
• The following criteria will be used to break ties:
  • First vehicle not a mobility kill
  • First vehicle not a completed kill
  • Most duel-specific points, unless they replace kill points
  • Greatest percentage of conscious crew
  • The vehicle not involved in a Mutual Death Ram
  • The vehicle with First Blood

  If none of those break the tie, then the tie will stand.

• The Surrender rules (below) will not be used unless the duel involves continuing characters.
• In any case where something (like a ram, fall, or touching a counter) may have occurred but it is impossible to tell for sure, the defending player will roll 2D6. If they roll 7 or higher, they may choose the outcome. If the defender rolls less than 7, the opposing player chooses. If there is no opposing player, the worst result (chosen by the duelmaster, consensus of the non-involved players, the audience, or the President, in that order) for the defender is used.
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• All AADA-legal vehicle body types are allowed, as are all racing body types with the exception of the Funny Car and Dragster. Remember that racing bodies may not have any suspension modifications (this includes Active Suspension).
• All vehicles must have a CA Frame. (Racing bodies come with one.)
• No vehicle may mount more than two spaces of weaponry. Magazines count against this limit (whether or not they're part of the weapon) while Component Armor does not.
• All weaponry on a vehicle must be direct-fire. (No grenade launchers.)
• No dropped weapons or dropped weapon projectors (mine flingers, spike guns, oil/paint guns, smoke rockets, most dischargers, etc.)
• No external weapons pods.
• No temporary speed boosters (rocket boosters, nitrous oxide, or improved supercharger capacitors).
• No ramplates.
• No tire shots. (Shooting at the front of a trike hoping to hit the tire is not a tire shot.)
• Scoring is based only on completing laps. Specific scoring rules and thresholds are set based on the track, but are usually either "Complete [n] laps." for standard tracks or "Score [n] lap points." for tracks with more than one lap size.

• Scoring: 5 for first, 3 for second, 2 for third, 1 for anything else (the dreaded Pity Point). Tied scores are broken by the tiebreaker rules if possible; otherwise, circuit points will be divided evenly between the tied players. Each duelist's worst score will be dropped to determine their Circuit Score and the highest score wins. Circuit Score ties are broken by wins, then kills, then total duels.
• Mutual Death Ram Rule: If the result of the damage from a collision is mutual death (both vehicles become complete kills) and neither vehicle has a Ramplate on the facing involved in the collision, both vehicles are assigned a 20 point penalty. This also applies if a mutual death was inevitable but a vehicle is completely killed before the collision. (Cars in the air over Hammer Downs, for example.)
• Disqualification: you receive no kills, duel points, circuit points, money, or skill points for that duel. Your weapons are remote disabled by the officials (if they weren't already). You may not surrender, though you may escape the arena via the gates. Your vehicle is still fair game for being killed and (if you have not already surrendered) is still worth duel points. Legal vehicles are not subject to the mutual death ram penalty if they ram or are rammed by a disqualified vehicle. If the disqualified character(s) survive, they are suspended for the next duel in which they would be eligible.
• Rookie of the Year: To qualify for SPARK Rookie of the Year, a player must participate in at least five SPARK events in one season. They cannot have been in more than three SPARK events (excluding off-season events, but not Amateur Night events) prior to that year. A player who meets this criterion at the beginning of the year is considered a rookie for the entire year. In future Club Championships, the Rookie of the Year will seed above the Circuit players.
• Pity Points Champion: Every year one of us is recognized for their perserverence and commitment. The player with the most “Pity Points” (circuit point scores of 1) is gifted with a custom item from the SPARK Cafepress Store. Ties are broken by least wins, least kills, least seconds, least thirds, and total duels.

• It is breached. Kill points are given to the team or teams that fired on the breached side that phase. You must announce this surrender at the end of the phase in which you were breached. You only have the opportunity to surrender for a breach once per facing.
  • A facing with only plastic or composite armor is 'breached' when all of the plastic is destroyed.
  • A facing with only metal or no armor is 'breached' the first time damage goes internal.
  • A cycle's left, right, top, and underbody count as one facing that can be breached. If it has a Cycle Windshell, it is 'breached' when the windshell is destroyed. If it does not, it is 'breached' the first time damage goes internal from one of those four sides.
• A crew member is injured but not killed by an attack. Kill points are given to the team or teams that sent damage to the crew compartment this phase. You must announce this surrender at the end of the phase in which you were injured.
• It is on fire and the crew fears for their safety. Kill points are given to the team or teams that started the fire. You must announce this surrender after taking fire damage at the end of the turn.
• It becomes a mobility kill due to a destroyed power plant, gas tank, tires, or because of an Engine Critical. Kill points are given to the team or teams that caused the mobility kill. You must announce this surrender at the end of the phase the part was destroyed (PP/tank/tires) or the end of the phase when your engine problem becomes obvious (Critical).
• It becomes a mobility kill due to a crash table result. Kill points are given to the team or teams that inflicted handling penalties on you this turn. You announce this surrender at the end of the phase when the vehicle comes to a complete stop or the end of the first phase that you once again have control of your vehicle. (The rescue crew cannot save you from a roll or vault.)

In no event may you surrender or receive kill points for a self-inflicted action (like sideswiping a wall).

After a surrender, your car may not be intentionally rammed or fired upon. The event officials remote disable your weapons. To save your crew, they must leave the arena via a gate or bring the car to a full stop. (They are required to head towards a gate away from the action or decelerate at the vehicle's maximum safe deceleration speed until then.) If you stop, it takes five phases for the rescue helicopter and EMTs to remove you from the vehicle. If you surrender, are on fire, and are in danger of explosion or having your crew burned to death, the chopper drops a foam bomb on your car which instantly puts it out. (You will be charged for this service.)

If you have surrendered and you break your surrender by intentionally ramming an opponent, you are disqualified.

If you break a surrender by intentionally ramming or firing upon a surrendered vehicle that still contains its crew, you are disqualified.

Any duelist who engages in actions detrimental to autodueling (including but not limited to: excessive rules arguments, disrespecting the duelmaster or SPARK officers, or violation of the rules of the gaming venue) may be penalized by the duelmaster of the duel or by the President or highest-ranking available officer. Penalties assessed by anyone but the President shall be reviewed by the President. Penalties include but are not limited to: loss of duel points, disqualification from a duel, character or in-game monetary penalties, probation for one or more duels, suspension from upcoming duels, or expulsion from SPARK.

Unless mentioned otherwise, the SPARK website and its contents are copyright © 1997-2008 Michael Miller, All Rights Reserved.

Permission is hereby granted to download, store locally, and print files from the Downloads section of the website for your own use. Redistribution of these materials by any means is prohibited.

The material presented here is the original creation of the members of SPARK, intended for use with the Car Wars® system from Steve Jackson Games. This material is not official and is not endorsed by Steve Jackson Games. Car Wars® and Autoduel® are registered trademarks of Steve Jackson Games. All rights are reserved by Steve Jackson Games. This material is used here in accordance with the Steve Jackson Games online policy.

Any other trademarks used on this site are properties of their respective owners.