Overview

Battlecars is a vehicular combat game set in a post-apocalyptic world dominated by aggressive, warring gangs. Published by Games Workshop in 1983, players arm customizable vehicles (cars, bikes, trucks, and tanks) with weapons and equipment, then race across a grid-based board attempting to destroy opponents through firepower, ramming, and tactical maneuvering. Each vehicle has a unique play mat tracking armor, weapons, speed, and internal damage.

Components

• Grid-based game board (35mm squares) representing roads and terrain
• Vehicle play mats for Cars (6 variants), Bikes (2), Trucks (2), and Tank (1)
• Speed dial (Speedo) for each vehicle tracking current speed
• Dice: D8 for damage resolution, D6 for various rolls
• Weapon tokens and passive weapon markers (Oil, Mine, Spikes, Smoke)
• Pedestrian counters for dismounted drivers
• Armor and internal damage tracking on play mats

Setup

Each player chooses a vehicle and takes the corresponding play mat. Vehicles are placed on the board with enough room to maneuver away from enemies without being destroyed on the first turn. Vehicles may not start inside buildings. Each vehicle comes pre-armed with weapons as shown on its play mat.

Turn Structure

Each game turn follows this sequence for each player:

1. Acceleration/Deceleration Phase: Adjust speed within limits shown on play mat. Rates vary by vehicle type and terrain (road vs. grass).
2. Movement and Firing Phase: Move and fire in any order, but all movement must be completed once started. Each horizontal or vertical intersection counts as 1 movement point.
3. Damage Resolution: Apply any damage from combat.

Actions

• Movement: Move the full amount shown on the speed dial. A vehicle comes to a dead stop after a crash or ram. Engine and tyre damage reduce maximum speed as shown on the Speedo.
• Firing: Fire any weapon once per turn. Machine Guns can fire in addition to a Weapon Pod. A Gunnery Computer allows one additional weapon to fire. Cross off each fired weapon on the play mat.
• Ramming (Head On): Roll 3 dice plus both vehicles’ speed. Both vehicles take full damage. Speed drops to 0.
• Ramming (Side Ram): Roll 3 dice plus rammer’s speed. Rammed vehicle takes full damage; rammer takes half (rounded down).
• Ramming (Shunt Ram): Roll 3 dice minus rammed vehicle’s speed. Rammed vehicle takes full damage; rammer takes half (rounded down).
• Cornering: If travelling above the speed threshold shown on the play mat, roll for skid when making turns. Thresholds vary by vehicle type.
• Passive Weapons: Any number of passive weapons may be dropped in a single turn. Two passive weapon tokens cannot occupy the same square. Types include Oil (permanent; forces straight-line movement and skid roll), Mine (removed after hit; 2D damage to front internal), Spikes (permanent; 1D damage to each wheel), and Smoke (permanent; blocks line of sight and firing).
• Pedestrians: When leaving a vehicle, the driver becomes a pedestrian with 3 health points, a limited-use weapon, and can be run over.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

The last vehicle (or driver) still operational wins. A player is eliminated when their driver is killed. Vehicles are destroyed when critical internal components (engine, fuel tank, driver) are fully damaged.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Damage Resolution: All damage uses the D8. Distance reduces the die roll (e.g., a target 3 squares away requires a roll higher than 3 to hit). Damage first hits armor on the targeted side, then internal components are rolled for randomly.
• Armor Zones: Front, middle, and rear armor zones are determined by facing. Front/rear sides can be damaged from the front/back or side; the defending player decides which zone is hit.
• Tank Special Rules: Tanks have no skidding, no cornering modifiers, and no wheel damage modifiers. Rammers take full damage when hitting a tank; the tank takes no damage from side or shunt rams and half damage from head-on collisions.
• Turret/Weapon Pod Explosions: If a turret or weapon pod is hit while ammunition remains, roll dice; on certain results, the ammunition explodes causing additional internal damage.
• Fire Extinguisher: An active fire extinguisher prevents flame weapons from causing explosions.
• Speed Dial (Speedo): Engine and tyre damage progressively reduce maximum speed and eliminate reverse gears, as shown by the crossed-off speed positions on the dial.

Player Reference

Vehicle Type	Accel/Decel (Road)	Accel/Decel (Grass)	Notes
Car	3	2	Standard vehicle
Bike	4-5	3-4	Higher top speed, fragile
Truck	2	1	Driver cannot leave vehicle
Tank	1	1	No skidding, immune to side/shunt rams

Ram Type	Damage Roll	Rammer Damage	Rammed Damage
Head On	3D + both speeds	Full	Full
Side Ram	3D + rammer speed	Half (rounded down)	Full
Shunt Ram	3D - rammed speed	Half (rounded down)	Full