Red Barchetta

My uncle has a country place
That no one knows about
He says it used to be a farm
Before the Motor Law
And now on Sundays I elude the eyes
And hop the turbine freight
To far outside the wire where my
White-haired uncle waits.

If you know me, you'll know I'm a bit of a fan of Canadian rockers, Rush. If you don't know me ... well, you now know that I'm a bit of a fan of Canadian rockers, Rush. One of my favourite songs, and certainly one of my favourite driving songs, is 'Red Barchetta', from the 1980 album 'Moving Pictures'. The song itself is set in a vaguely dystopian future where cars, or at least cars as we know them, appear to be banned. The protagonist has had one preserved - the Red Barchetta of the title - and, once a week, takes it out for a drive. On one such expedition he encounters other vehicles, and a chase ensues.

The song itself was inspired by a short story by Richard S. Foster called 'A Nice Morning Drive'. In this the protagonist drives a MG, and the other vehicles are Maximum Safety Vehicles (MSVs), which are safety cars designed to withstand collisions at up to 50mph. In the world of the story, MSV drivers ram 'conventional' vehicles off the road for fun, and that's the fate awaiting the narrator if he fails to evade them.

You can read the story HERE.

And here's the song. Turn it up loud.

Anyway, I thought that I would take inspiration from both song and story to create a short scenario for Machinas.

Jump to the ground as the turbo slows

To cross the borderline

Run like the wind as excitement shivers

Up and down my spine

Down in his barn

My uncle preserved for me

An old machine

For fifty-odd years

To keep it as new

Has been his dearest dream.

The basis is the road chase from the rules. You will play the driver of the Red Barchetta. You are being pursued by two MSVs, and must evade or avoid them.

I strip away the old debris

That hides a shining car

A brilliant Red Barchetta

From a better vanished time.

The Red Barchetta is a sports car, so gets +1D6 on the Passing Table, but -1D6 on the Bashing table. It counts as Tuned Up, so gets +2 Bonus Dice at the start of the game. In addition you can choose two of the following:

Speedster, Big-Block Engine, Cool Driver, Gearhead, Deep Treads

Build your driver with 9 points, and you're ready to go.

Fire up the willing engine
Responding with a roar

Tires spitting gravel

I commit my weekly crime

The MSVs have no special abilities, and count as Sedans. Generate their driver stats using the Wasteland table.

Wind

In my hair

Shifting and drifting

Mechanical music

Adrenaline surge...

To play the game, set up the Red Barchetta in the lead, with the MSVs behind it. Use the road generation table to determine the nature of the next stretch at the start of each turn. The MSVs are run as non-player vehicles, of course. If they win a Passing attempt, they will simply pass on a 1-3 and Bash on a 4-6.

Well-oiled leather

Hot metal and oil

The scented country air

Sunlight on chrome

The blur of the landscape

Every nerve aware.

The game plays as a standard chase. However the roll to end the chase applies to both MSVs, not just one, and represents the Red Barchetta reaching the one-lane bridge. If using the optional rules for Shoulder Driving, the road is considered to be three lanes wide. Obviously there is no shooting.

Suddenly ahead of me

Across the mountainside

A gleaming alloy air-car

Shoots towards me two lanes wide

Oh, I spin around with shrieking tires

To run the deadly race

Go screaming through the valley

As another joins the chase.

If the roll to end the game is made, and the Red Barchetta is not the lead car, then play one more turn.

The MSVs win if the Red Barchetta is wrecked, or it is not the lead car at the end of the game.

The Red Barchetta wins if it is the only car still running, or the game ends and it is the lead car.

Any other result is a draw.

Ride like the wind

Straining the limits

Of machine and man

Laughing out loud with fear and hope

I've got a desperate plan

At the one-lane bridge

I leave the giants stranded

At the riverside

Race back to the farm

To dream with my uncle

At the fireside.

Coming Next - I play the scenario ...

Afterword - Rush tried to contact Richard S. Foster in order to let him know that his story was being used for a song, but his contact details were out of date. The story of how he found out about his contribution to the world of music, and how he met Rush lyricist and drummer Neil Peart can be found HERE.