Roadwar 2000

If you ask someone to name a postapocalyptic role-playing game from the 1980s, nine times out of 10 the answer will be "Wasteland." While there's no denying that the Interplay RPG is a classic, standing in its long shadow is SSI's Roadwar 2000, another innovative adventure set in the ruins of American civilization.

After the apocalypse, road construction was no longer a top priority.

On the surface, Roadwar 2000's premise is similar to that of Wasteland. After a cataclysmic epidemic and subsequent sneak nuclear attack by those pesky Russkies, the United States has descended into anarchy. Cities are controlled by ruthless gangs, while the countryside is rife with cannibals and mutants. The remnants of the federal government are working on a cure for the epidemic and need to locate eight scientists hiding in secret labs scattered across the country.

While Wasteland followed the traditional RPG model, Roadwar 2000 combined elements of role-playing with tactical car combat and resource-management strategy. Instead of leading a party of six to eight characters, you assumed the role of a gang leader hired by the government to find the scientists. You had to assemble enough men and capture enough vehicles so you could take on the gangs controlling various cities where the labs were located.

In a realistic touch, you had to gather food and fuel to support your ever-expanding posse, which included several classes of specialists, including politicians (to help recruit members) and drill sergeants (to whip them into fighting form). Also, each city you visited and/or conquered had its own personality--the men's morale was raised when they let the bon temps roulez in New Orleans, but they tended to get drunk and wander off when visiting Napa's wine country.

Roadwar 2000's combat was settled on the streets, with cars ramming each other, Mad Max-style. But unlike in 1985's Autoduel, the combat was turn-based, which made the game seem like a primitive version of Fallout Tactics. Indeed, a Tactics-like game would be one approach for a Roadwar remake, with cars taking the place of humans.

Celebrity sightings decreased somewhat when Los Angeles was annihilated by nuclear hellfire.

However, a true Roadwar 2000 redux--let's call it Roadwar 2072--would embrace its strategic, tactical, and role-playing elements. The RPG element would be like Fallout, with the majority of the gang camping outside the various towns, while a smaller party would go into town to complete side quests in exchange for resources and recruits. When the time came to take on the local gang, combat would take place in a real-time strategy format. The result would look like Command & Conquer: Generals being fought by the cast of The Road Warrior--except this time around, you could be the Lord Humungous.

Soldiers of Anarchy showed that the postapocalyptic RTS is a genre rife with possibilities. Like the underappreciated Silverstyle game, Roadwar 2072 would reward victories by giving you more vehicles and weapons as well as more manpower and prestige. However, the strength of the gangs guarding each city would be commensurate with their size. The game could culminate in a battle royal for Manhattan, which could be guarded by a bloodthirsty horde right out of Escape From New York, or for Los Angeles, which could harbor a massive army of Bloods and Crips equipped with surplus military hardware. Such a remake of Roadwar 2000 would deliver exciting gameplay far into the future, or at least until the apocalypse comes.