*PLEASE NOTE* This supplemental information was written for Car Wars 1st – 4th Edition rules and game play. It is compatible with Car Wars 6th Edition by adding 35 years to the future history *End Note*
UPDATED – 7-5-2022 Added the map of Uni. Revised the text. Added the downloadable .pdf map of Uni
UPDATE 3-24-2023 – Revised the Uni, IA maps and added the Rumor section.
UPDATE 4-1-2023 – Added the link to Caraxes’ Keep the new rumored arena
Excerpts from the AADA Road Atlas and Survival Guide: Uni, IA (formerly known as Waterloo/Cedar Falls)
Uni is the largest city in northeastern Iowa. It is the result of the citizens who stayed after the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls fortified itself and downtown Waterloo was abandoned.
Waterloo and Cedar Falls were originally two separate cities whose borders eventually touched as the cities grew. Cedar Falls was the University town and home to the wealthier portion of the population. Waterloo’s population was more working class as the city’s economy was based on the food production and manufacturing jobs in the area.
Population:
12,000 in the fortified and protected zone. 25,000 in the O.Z. Population unknown on the East Side
Description:
When the Grain Blight hit in 2012, Waterloo’s economy took a nosedive as many of the food production facilities shut down. The manufacturing jobs were mainly agricultural and that portion of the economy took a hit as well. Waterloo faced a similar situation in the 1980’s when a major food producer went bankrupt. Many citizens left but the city eventually recovered. The food riots however took a far larger toll and the downtown was completely abandoned by 2015 (use City Blocks 2 for any duels in downtown Waterloo).
Cedar Falls, being a university town fared much better. However, the university began beefing up the defenses of their agri-business department in an effort to stave off raids by the rapidly forming gangs based out of Waterloo’s East Side.
The fortifications at the University were expanded and built upon until the entire campus was protected by a gated, well-defended wall. The remainder of the city is patrolled by campus security (always state of the art vehicles and weapons) some of the residential streets are open but protected by fortified bunkers and gates and neighborhood watch groups. Armed, guarded barricaded checkpoints are places on the main roads connecting to Waterloo and the surrounding countryside.
Today:
Uni is haven for those that can afford the taxes levied on citizens to pay for Campus Security and their gear. If you can’t afford to pay the tax you live outside the protection of Uni’s city limits or the Outer Zone as the area is known to the locals. The Outer Zone’s border with Uni is pretty well defined and generally (though not always) follows the old political boundary between the two cities. Residential streets are either completely barricaded or gated and generally follow a line that connects the checkpoints.
The O.Z. is the mainly residential sections of Waterloo that bordered Cedar Falls and everything west of the US218 / I-380 corridor. The downtown area of Old Waterloo is completely abandoned. Travel into the downtown area is NOT recommended in the daytime and actively discouraged after dark. Truckers still use US63 as the most direct route north to Rochester, MN. Trucks travel in convoys north of Uni. “It’s not the bike gangs, them we can handle. It’s what’s north ‘o town that scares us,” said a random trucker who refused to go on record.
After a brutal Darwinian process that has culled the weaker gangs, there are only two left and they are based on the East Side (pretty much everything east of the Cedar River). The gangs DO control the remaining bridges over the Cedar River in downtown Waterloo. The gangs do not prey on each other rather they engage in a friendly competition preying on convoys entering and leaving Uni. They also prey on the citizens and business that are outside the city fortifications. Uni’s security forces do not patrol outside their defined borders.
Travel:
The quickest route to get to Uni is US218 / I-380 north of US20, Unfortunately, you need to run through the ruins of downtown Waterloo to get there. Gang activity is very heavy along this corridor of 218.
US20 South of Town is safer but more expensive. Expect to pay tolls at the exits and vehicle permit fees at the border bunkers
US63 south of town is a good connection the State of Missouri but it is in sorry shape, expect lots of debris and potholes. North of the O.Z. it is still the quickest route to Rochester, MN. Lone vehicles are never seen or heard from again and Truckers refuse to run the route after dark. US63 N is actually in marginally better shape that US63 S.
Points of Interest:
The University of Northern Iowa is the third largest college in the state. The research facilities in their agri-business department are trying to cure the grain blight. They have also been very successful in making many different food types from soybeans, the state’s other main cash crop, which was not affected by the grain blight. The entire campus is a fortified enclosure
John Deere Manufacturing: The site of the famed tractor maker’s factory in downtown Waterloo did not survive the implosion of the farming economy. The factory just north and west of the US20 / US63 junction did survive and shifted the focus of its construction to soybean based agriculture. Tours of the factory and testing grounds are given on an appointment basis only.
Ruins of the 5 Sullivan Brothers Arena. Located within the fringes of the O.Z. side of the Cedar River. The 5 Sullivans is completely under gang control. The site is used for the gangs to “dispense justice” on unwary travelers who venture off US218.
Old Allen Hospital located well within the East Side. This “facility” is the subject of many rumors of organ harvesting, black market cloning, and other shady medical “research” The rumors persist in Uni though no one who has ever gone there has ever returned to the city alive.
The Wilds, formerly George Wyth State Park. The gangs avoid it. Sightings of strange creatures have been reported by travelers on US218. Rumors of campers disappearing from campsites abound. Supposedly, when the food riots hit, the local zoo transported the entire population to the park and released them. Campus Security warns “Do NOT stop for ANY reason along this corridor of US218”.
The Abandoned Crossroads Mall complex. Ad hoc dueling goes on here both inside and outside the facility. This is widely recognized as a neutral zone between the O.Z. residents and the gangs. Unless you’re making a delivery here, truckers are urged to avoid it. Non-locals are warned to give it a wide berth.
Gang Activity:
Heavy near the ruins of downtown Waterloo by the Cedar River. Moderate to severe on the I-380/US218 corridor between US20 and The Wilds. Incursions into the O.Z. are not unheard of. Gang activity is non-existent within the fortified borders of Uni.
Dueling Facilities:
The Dome Dueling Arena located on the grounds of the university. This used to be the football field where the UNI Panthers played until the demise of college sports in 2014. It was converted to a full-fledged dueling arena in 2040 after the legalization of Autodueling in the state of Iowa in 2038.
The Dome Dueling Arena is part of the L’Outrance Circuit. It has a prestige modifier of .5
The Waterloo Greyhound Dueltrack used to be a greyhound racing facility until it went bankrupt in 1993 and finally closed for good in 1996. It was purchased by the Meskwaki Nation and sat vacant and unused, until 2038 when the reconvened Iowa Legislature legalized autodueling. The Meskwaki Nation had it operational for amateur events within six months. Other gambling; Vegas style, slots, OTB, Sports, are available at this facility. The Meskwaki Nation is VERY adamant about protecting the safety of its clientele.
Other Facilities:
One Hospital located within fortified city complete with Gold Cross facilities. One functioning Hospital located in the O.Z. no Gold Cross but it can handle most mundane emergencies. There is an abandoned hospital on Waterloo’s East Side rumors of strange goings on at the hospital have never been confirmed due to the gang activity.
There is one fortified Truck Stop 2 miles west of the I-380 US20 junction. The mechanics at this facility are not the best.
There is another fortified Truck Stop at the Junction of US20 and US63. Their rates for recharge, repairs, and anything else 2X the rates of the one further east. 3X if you look like a gullible tourist. If you can prove you are hauling for John Deere, you will get a %50 discount on your bill.
The garages and repair facilities in the O.Z. are substandard. Facilities within the fortified city are better but charge 50% more to non-locals.
There are rumors of a Truck Stop on US63 North. Truckers who have supposedly been there say they have the best chili around but don’t recommend stopping there.
Organizations:
The Flaming Skulls and the C.R.U.D. are two cycle gangs based out of the East side. They are surprisingly well-funded for cycle gangs. Rumors that these two gangs are connected to strange goings on at the abandoned hospital have never been proven.
The AADA has a branch office in downtown Uni. Other than the storefront office, there is no official AADA organization within the city.
Campus Security is the nominal police force. They are well armed, well trained, and well funded. They only patrol within the fortified borders and never venture into the O.Z. Only the fact that the O.Z. has nothing of value keeps them free from continual attacks by the Skulls and CRUD.
Vulcan Transport is Brotherhood certified transport and courier service. They have the contract for transporting vital research out of the university and other items of value past the cycle gangs. VT is a highly successful business and has never lost a shipment. The corporation is currently sponsoring two up-and-coming drivers on the pro-dueling circuit.
Rumors:
The Wilds are avoided by the locals and mysterious disappearances have occurred in the overgrown state park and the former residential neighborhoods long left abandoned.
Rumors of Self-driving cars along the North US63 corridor are spread by truckers and dismissed just as quickly by the locals. Though looks of sheer terror are evident on the faces of cycle gang members when questioned. about the reliability of the rumors.
Everything from Centaurs to Dragons, Werewolves to Vampires have been reported by those who have ventured into the Wilds and survived to return. The Ghost Plumbers TV Show sent a pre-production crew to investigate and the crew was never heard from again.
Allen Hospital, abandoned since 2017 in the aftermath of the food riots and gang uprising is reported to be completely lit up at night and movement is detected in some windows.
March 24, 2073 – Overhead drones flown by Campus Security discovered THIS
It appears to be an Arena, an arena built out of mounded dirt. The Arena is located in the Wilds just down the street from the abandoned Allen Hospital. Campus Security confirms this was NOT there yesterday. It seems to be 350′ square. How it was built and why it is there are unknown at this time.
Maps designed by Alien Graphics. Dragon’s Keep Arena suggested by Michael Owen @carcombat on Twitter.
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*PLEASE NOTE* This supplemental information was written for Car Wars 1st – 4th Edition rules and game play. It is compatible with Car Wars 6th Edition by adding 35 years to the future history.
Vulcan Stev's Database 