- BGG rank
- BGG #3,843
- BGG rating
- 6.4
Car Wars
- 2–8 players
- 45 min
- Complexity 3.1/5
- 1981
- BGG rank
- BGG #6,506
- BGG rating
- 7.2
Car Wars Compendium
1989
Rules assistance for Car Wars Compendium
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–8 players
- 45 min
- 10+
- Complexity 3.3/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Car Wars Compendium
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Car Wars Compendium is a board game released in 1989 for 2–8 players, 45 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Steve Jackson (I) and Chad Irby and its main mechanics are Hexagon Grid.
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About the game
The complete rules in one volume. Now, all your Car Wars rules can be found in one book—The Car Wars Compendium. Included are the rules from Car Wars Deluxe Edition, Boat Wars, Dueltrack, and the Uncle Albert's Catalogs through 2039—as well as clarifications, improvements, and new rules from the pages of Autoduel Quarterly, streamlined for faster play. Design your own cars, cycles, trikes, vans, trucks, 18-wheel tractor-trailer rigs, boats, helicopters and hovercraft! The Car Wars Compendium is organized and indexed for easy reference, and includes 8 extra pages of charts and tables! Three versions of the Car Wars Compendium were published: Car Wars Compendium (first edition, 1989) Blue cover – Essentially combines the rules for cars, trucks and cycles from prior editions into the Third Edition of Car Wars Car Wars Compendium: Second Edition (1990) Blue cover – Revises the first edition with errata and adds race cars from Dueltrack; becoming the Fourth Edition of Car Wars Car Wars Compendium: Second Edition (fifth printing, 1996) Black cover – Adds more detailed errata, and almost all new artwork. Often referred to as CWC2.5 Part of the Car Wars Series.
Categories
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Steve Jackson Games
- Joc Internacional
Questions and answers
Car Wars Compendium supports 2–8 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Car Wars Compendium is 45 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Car Wars Compendium for ages 10 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Car Wars Compendium has a complexity rating of 3.3 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-weight game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Car Wars Compendium belongs to these categories: Racing, Science Fiction, and Book. Its main mechanics are Hexagon Grid. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Car Wars Compendium are: Steve Jackson (I) and Chad Irby. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Car Wars Compendium as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.