I'm learning so much as a "new" ASL player that I want to get it all written up someplace in the hopes others won't have to learn what I'm learning the hard way! As with all things, there are as many ways to go about something as there are people. This blog represents my evolving views on ASL and how I've approached it.
I watched both videos back when they were fresh and followed the conversation here. I was hesitant because:
1 - I am VERY particular about my ASL collection. 2 - I have clipped counters with a toe-nail clipper for the past 15 years. In fact, the one I currently use is probably a decade old. 3 - I'm fast, and my counters look uniform. Also it's something I can do while watching TV or a movie.
I was worried that the C4 Counter Clipper would:
1 - Cut too much off my counters. 2 - Rip the paper rather than cutting it. 3 - Be too difficult to master.
In watching the videos and reading the stories from BGG I decided to just stay away...that was until my FLGS had some in stock and the owner who is an all around great guy gave it a recommendation after I pestered him about it one day.
I decided to take the plunge. I ended up buying:
1 - C4 Counter Cutter 2 - Cutting Board (not necessary for the C4 product) 3 - A set of off-brand exacto style blades and a handle
In all, it was around $40 worth of stuff. Compared to my 10 year old clippers...not off to a good start.
So I had For King & Country still sitting on my shelf unpunched. I decided that'd be a good one since I have backups with my West of Alamein in case I screw something up. Very low risk...you can see my confidence!
I have been a counter "puncher" rather than cutter since day one. I am now relieved of that burden. Quite frankly, if you take even one thing away it should be this...cut your counters off the sprues rather than tearing at them. That should be common sense, but apparently it took me far too long to "get." I'm an expert a punching even the toughest counters...I'm looking at you ASLSK Expansion Kit #1....
So I cut out the first sprue in about 5 minutes. Far faster than my previous record of 10 minutes. My fingertips weren't sore either which was a great plus!
I organized the counters and re-watched Joe's video along with Dave's video. I put 10 infantry counters in and started in on them. First stroke with the knife...clean cut. Equal sizes. No problems. I finished those first 10 counters in about 4 minutes. I spent a lot of time on each corner. So far...not faster than hand-clipping. I was also noticing a lot of what Joe said about the top counter getting a deeper cut than the bottom counters.
So...back to the drawing board here. I didn't want to progress too much farther down this road if it wasn't going to work, but I remembered people saying you get better at it as you go along so I just dove into the project.
Each group of 10 got progressively better. I also figured out how to use the knife to manipulate the counters in the jig so I could move more quickly through the corners. My best time was 2 minutes for 10 counters. That's better than I can do clipping.
I also got to the point where my corners were even.
Now...a caveat... This jig requires perfection. Some of the ASL counters are not truly square. I was kind of shocked, but there are some that are probably 1/16" off, and when it comes to trimming 1/10" off the corners...that's a big variation. So not ALL counters will get trimmed perfectly. That said, the consistency is far more scientific than most people just starting out with clipping using toe-nail clippers!!!!
So why endorse the product?
1 - I wasn't paid, and I don't have a "dog in the fight" about whether you use the C-4 Counter Clipper or not. 2 - I finished cutting, clipping, and organizing For King and Country in a day rather than a weekend. 3 - I'm VERY particular about the care of my games and the C-4 surpassed my expectations. My house is overrun with planos of every shape and size and my game-boxes typically only hold the spare parts (sprues, inserts, etc.) because I also buy custom storage for boards, and bits...regardless of game.
It can't be ALL good!!!
No...it's not.
1 - You will wear your blade down and I've not seen anywhere to buy just the replacement blades...so that is going to be pricey. 2 - Any little bit you cut that gets jammed into the jig can throw off your cuts, so you must be vigilant to keep the jig clean. 3 - If you don't angle the blade right (it takes practice) your cuts will not be consistent. 4 - This is not a 1 size fits all solution. What works for me may not work for everyone.
Overall though, I couldn't be more pleased with the C-4 Counter Cutter and I'm thrilled that I can now get through that backlog of unpunched counters. PTO...here I come!!
One of the most iconic components in the ASL library is the scenario card. It's nearly perfect in its design which is why so there are so many derivatives created to this day. The original design has a lot going for it after all.
1 - It's a visualization of both the map & counter setups. 2 - It's densely packed with information, but it's instantly recognizable in terms of the data layout. 3 - The card starts with the story of the scenario and ends with the aftermath. 4 - The turn record is right on the card. 5 - There are cues in the turn record to help remind you of reinforcements, and special rules.
All-in-all, a nearly perfect design!
So...what's wrong with it???
Really, my critique is only related to one thing...information layout and design.
Here's my redesigned card and I'll walk through each part of it:
HEADER: The header has been redesigned to allow for scenarios to be color coded based on a variety of information.
Perhaps black banner scenarios are legacy scenarios from out of print web-only releases like this scenario.
You could do a cross-fade of red & black to denote a Russian/German scenario or a Green & Grey to denote American vs Italian in the desert.
Third party publishers could be assigned their own branded color by MMP.
The logo on the top right would be the only place for a TPP to put their logo to ensure leafing through a booklet would quickly denote the origin of the scenario.
SCENARIO IMAGE: Why move it to the right?
We read from left to right. I don't want a grainy WWII picture to be the first thing I read! I want to see the background and know the location/date.
SCENARIO DESCRIPTION, VICTORY CONDITIONS, & SPECIAL RULES: These are the most text intensive, and arguably most important parts of the scenario card when taken together. The forces (clearly) being of equal importance, but they are graphically represented.
The current layout splits up these items so that the BALANCE can be listed at the top of the page. The BALANCE is not used in every case, so it shouldn't be given such prominent real-estate.
The Special Rules, on the other hand, are short-changed by being placed at the bottom of the scenario card where they end up getting split across two columns in some cases, which can lead to that "dangling SSR" getting forgotten!
We start with the flavor text as is the current amazingly well thought out location. Then we move into the victory conditions. Finally, players get the SSRs which gives them some context to keep in mind as they do their setup which comes next in the units!
Often times, players will look at those units and only after read through the SSRs which can be frustrating as you tweak your setup or realize you forgot a specific SSR. This change ensures that SSRs get their proper prominence!
TURN TRACK & FORCES: This is perfect. Always has been, and always will be. This is the most functionally relevant part of the scenario card and quite frankly...it's beautiful.
The only small tweak I made was to put the balance in with the force setup. I like the idea of splitting the balance so that each side has it's own line, but I've shown it here all smashed together at the bottom.
AFTERMATH: Again...brilliant thinking to bookend the scenario card with the historical outcome.
I have always loved these scenario cards. They are far preferable to the scenario setups found in other games. I am constantly thinking...boy if they'd only done it like ASL this wouldn't be such a PAIN!!!
I hope you've enjoyed this little exercise as much as I have. What are the things you'd do to improve upon the current scenario cards?
Taking a quick look through the newly released For King and Country - ASL module 5a, I noticed just how many of the first 10 scenarios feature gliders. Not many folks are familiar with gliders, so I thought I'd do a little article today on glider use in ASL. So strap in, listen for the hush of un-powered flight, and hope we miss that tree!
To whet your appetite for glider action:
The first thing you'll need to do is crack out Chapter E. Yes...that Chapter E. Specifically the E8 section which exclusively covers gliders.
The two glider types you'll be using are the British Horsa II with 29PP and the German DFS 230 at 14PP. I don't think it makes a difference in the scenarios in FKaC, but the DFS 230 cannot carry any 5/8" counters!
The first thing you're going to do is establish the wind direction even if there is no wind. Please refer to B25.64 for special rules on that topic.
During setup, if you're controlling gliders you'll want to establish which units are in which gliders on a note. Your units will remain off-board. Please note that your passengers cannot fire, move, or do anything to affect other units while on the glider. This makes good sense, but it's worth repeating. The important bit here is that passengers forfeit these actions until the AFPh of the Player Turn in which they land. They may not enter concealed. Another aspect of the Passenger status while on a glider is that there is no PTC and they are not subject to Pin/HOB results.
So how do they actually get on the ground?
AT THE START OF THE MPh OF THE PLAYER TURN IN WHICH THEY WILL LAND...
1 - Establish the Avenue of Approach
* Place the glider, facing the wind, in the intended landing hex. This will be to the hex side, so that the hex grain is defined. * The 5 hexes that precede the intended landing hex (to the glider's rear) are the avenue of approach.
This ends the MPh for the glider.
2 - Defensive First Fire
After the gliders are placed in the intended landing hex, the DEFENDER may attack them with Light AA fire as each attempts to land. a) Attacks are not resolved against passengers. b) Final IFT DR equal to the * Vehicle Kill Number means the glider is damaged and must take evasive action. Remember to mark it with a wound counter!
3 - Evasive Action
After a successful Light AA fire attack resulting in a wound counter, perform a random location DR which gets measured from the intended landing hex.
NOTE:Even if the glider was hit multiple times, it's only ever going to make ONE random location DR.
Now...once you've established the NEW intended landing hex, you're going to allow for light AA fire attacks against the glider again. If hit, you will again go through the Evasive Action procedure until it finally attempts to land in the last good intended landing hex.
NOTE: Gliders can only sustain 1 damage. On the 2nd, they are eliminated.
4 - Can we finally land this thing???
Landing in the intended landing hex is only completed once a Landing DR is completed.
Here's the scoop:
1 - Make Your Roll 2 - Evaluate the colored die:
a) Success = Modified colored die roll <= 1.
Colored Die Roll Modifications:
* -1 Per each consecutive hex along the avenue of approach that is clear of an obstacle for which the topmost height is >= one level higher than the base level of the intended landing hex.
EXAMPLE:Landing on level 0, the 5th hex away from the intended landing hex is a 2 story house. You don't get to count that. However, every clear hex between that house and the intended landing hex are open and at the same level as the base level of the intended landing hex. You're good to go with a -4 modification. Now, more realistically, you've got a small village and there are only 2 consecutive hexes and you're looking at a -2 penalty.
* +1 Per each full level above the base level of the intended landing hex of the highest obstacle that is within the Avenue of approach.
Going back to my initial example, you're looking at not only receiving a -4 based on that rule, but also further modifying it by +1 to bring the final modified colored die to -3.
Remember that you're counting not only the consecutive bonuses, but also evaluating the penalties. This becomes even further complicated because of evasive maneuvers!
So...back to our landing calculation.
3 - Assuming you succeed in getting <= 1 >= 4 means you've overshot the landing hex by a number of hexes equal to the colored die's value > 1. Roll a modified 3 on that colored die and 5 on the white die? You're going to count 2 hexes beyond your intended landing hex.
White Die <= 3 means you've undershot the landing hex by a number of hexes equal to the colored die's value > 1. Seem familiar? Roll a modified 3 on that colored die and a 2 on the white die? You're going to count 2 hexes back into your avenue of approach behind your intended landing hex.
Place the glider on this now modified hex.
Safe & Sound On The Ground?
In the immortal words of Lee Corso, "Not so fast my friend!" You must now make a final modified dr to determine if you've crashed. First flip the glider counter over to its green side.
Complete modified text is listed in E8.23 (I'm not going to just republish the rulebook here for this post.)
Essentially though:
+1 - Not landing in the final ILH (you only ignore this one if you managed to make your <= 1 DR with the modified colored die roll previously. You're also going to look at a number of other environmental conditions (night, vehicles in final landing hex, etc.).
NOTE:Each of the modifiers here are CUMULATIVE with the exception of wrecked gliders, vehicles, and previously landed gliders. Those specific conditions are only counted once each.
+2 - Landing in some kind of small tree stand (orchard, palms, walls, bocage, etc.)
+3 - Landing in dense terrain (forest, building, rubble, jungle, etc.) The curious one on this one is to remember to calculate blind hexes in your avenue of approach!!!
+4 - Landing in a swamp.
A few caveats to these that you're already thinking of I'm sure. For example, "You mean there's no penalty for landing in a burning hex or in water?"
In those cases...if you're landing on non-fordable/non-frozen water or in a blaze the glider is eliminated with all its contents. Here's a fun little one that can save your grits. If you land on a bridge that's going in the same direction as your avenue of approach...you land on the bridge. Thank your pilot for absolutely rocking!!! Your glider wrecking in this manner does not, however, affect anything in the hex already. It is just eliminated along with its contents.
Now...you've rolled your die, and applied your cumulative drms to it...
You need to roll less than a 7.
1 - 6 = Safe landing without crash. 7 = Damaged (Remember that if it was previously damaged...it is eliminated (along with all contents) 8 & above = eliminated (and all contents) and replaced by an unarmed truck wreck.
Nervous about those intended landing hex selections yet? You should be!
What about hexsides? Yep. You include them, BUT...only if the glider crossed the hexside with the noted terrain for the drm.
At this point you've glided in, taken a little AA fire, changed your landing site, and are now slamming into the ground. If you don't roll a 7 or lower modified what happens in the crash?
Simply put. You are kaput...your glider and everything inside are eliminated and it is replaced by that unarmed truck wreck.
Defenders...you still have another chance to put the hurt on that glider and it's occupants. During the DFPh the defender gets to fire on the glider with any units that have LOS to the landed glider AND are capable of final fire.
They will use the * Vehicle Line as though it were a stopped truck (see? That truck wreck makes a little more sense now right?) with a 0 size and a cs# of 7. Just remember that gliders don't burn and immobilization counts as damage so there's still time to take out the glider and its passengers.
Landed gliders provide no TEM, but are considered a +1 Hindrance even if damaged.
So now you're on the ground.
You've suffered all kinds of horrible damage and even faced DFPh. Can you FINALLY get out of the glider? Yes. Yes you can...during your AFPh.
What happens when you get out? Place your passengers in the same hex as the glider. Now that they're on board they finally get to use their own FP, Morale, & leadership ratings. In fact, if they're capable you can even advance these troops out of the hex. Elimination of the glider no longer affects these units either as you may have already suspected.
There is one pretty big exception...any vehicle/Gun does not come out until the subsequent MPh and is subject to loading/unloading rules. I recently saw a question about a HIP unit in the same hex as the final landing hex of a glider. Please note that when the infantry from the glider enter the same location as the HIP unit, they'll be exposed and in CC. In calculating the CC, please count the glider as Immobile, unarmed truck.
That's the majority of the rules you're going to need to get going with gliders. The only other rule I haven't mentioned or covered is Re-Entry (i.e. what happens if I evasive action off board?) This is covered in rule E8.5 and you're welcome to go take a read!
I hope I've provided a more narrative trip through the glider rules so you can take advantage of gliders in the newly re-released For King and Country - ASL module 5a.
I've been thinking a lot lately about scenario design in ASL and other historical wargames. One of the things I keep coming back to is the idea that sometimes history isn't always the most enjoyable part of the wargaming! In fact, sometimes it's just a real drag. I remember playing The Defense of Rorke's Drift shortly after it was released and just thinking...this is horrendous. The carnage is well portrayed and the overall gaming experience was just devastatingly depressing. Similarly, I've had that feeling when playing Flying Colors. Many of the scenarios in that game don't portray even matches and often put one side out of the weather gauge from the start and therefore...struggling from the start to just be respectable.
So, when it comes to ASL and the thousands of scenarios available to players I've often wondered what makes them engaging. I think the history in the scenarios is often taking a back seat to creating an engaging game. After all, when you're looking at a 7 or 8 turn game on 1 board for the better part of 4 or 5 hours...you better have something compelling to keep the players going!
It occurred to me that...why don't we see more "gamey" scenarios. Does it matter that it never happened? For example, what about a scenario in which the Germans have to break through a Russian encirclement. When they control certain houses they get an extra turn and they also get some reinforcements who were "captured" in that location?
What if there was a scenario about a river crossing in which none of the troops had weapons and only melee was allowed?
I think there's some merit to this idea of putting aside the "That would never happen" attitude that a lot of players bring to historical wargaming. There's certainly a time for historical "sim-gaming", but I think the fun trumps accuracy for me most of the time. After all, they are games and not history lessons in a box. Most of what happened in the real situation isn't going to re-occur after all. There are dice involved and "Manos: The Hands of Fate" are going to strangle you a little different each time.
To that end, I think it'd be kind of cool to see a rating system that takes this into account.
Perhaps something like this:
H - Rated H for historical simu-gaming players. Scenario is supported by historically accurate maps, OOB, TO&E, and primary source bibliographical materials.
SH - Rated SH for Semi-Historical. Scenario is supported by a real-life situation, the map may have the flavor, but not the exact (and to scale) representation of the battle. Historical OOB, TO&E and primary source bibliographical materials are still present.
P - Rated P for Plausible. Scenario is supported by a likely real-life situation. The map may have the flavor of a distinct region or battlefield condition, but without distinct historical landmarks. OOB, TO&E have the flavor of a historical encounter, though not exactly represented. No primary source bibliographical materials are needed.
WI - Rated WI for "What If." What If scenarios are there to explore some aspect of the game to see how the rules handle the situation. Perhaps there are novel counters, specific rules, or outside tracking used to support the What If. OOB, TO&E, and map are entirely dependent upon supporting the specific What If being portrayed.
F - Rated F for fictional. This is an entirely fictional scenario. Perhaps SSRs introduce aliens or some other artificial change to the historical nature of the game. OOB, TO&E, and map are entirely dependent upon supporting the specific fictional situation.
By categorizing the scenarios on a scale from purely historical to completely fictional (Modern MBT in WW2 anyone?) you get a sense of what you're going to encounter before you begin play. ASL is pretty cool in that there are a box-load of scenarios designed for tournament play which are plausible. They have a great mix of what's fun with what's likely rather than a strict adherence to historical simu-gaming like a HASL may portray.
Anyone have any thoughts on how to code scenarios for this kind of rating system?
Storage for ASL is a bear. A quick rundown of all the modules, boards, counters, boxes, scenarios and rules is hardly needed to begin thinking through this puzzle.
So, why write about this when it's already been written about before by countless others? Simply put...there are as many ways to "do it right" as there are ASL players. I am in the middle of rebuilding my storage and, therefore, my thoughts on the subject are timely.
Plain Ole' Planos...
The most popular trend of wargame storage has been the Plano. Since the first fisherman/wargamer renaissance man figured out those lure containers make great counter storage solutions because of their customize-able bins it's been the go-to choice. Variations have emerged such as RAACO and even home-made match-box solutions. All are fantastic...provided you have the space.
My Plano storage solution looked like this:
3x Administrative Counters 2x German/Finn 1x German SS 2x British 2x American 2x French 1x Allied Minor 1x Axis Minor 1x Italian 2x Chinese 2x Japanese
Yes...that's 20 whopping Planos. Now you've got to split up counters in such a way that they're relatively easy to find and grouped together in often strange configurations (All Tank Destroyers in 1 bin for example). Or Pz III counters in one bin. Well...there are about 8 or 9 variations on those Pz III tanks and you're digging through a pile of 25 counters to find the 2 of your variation!
Furthermore, you add in rulebooks, scenario books, dice cup/tower, notebook, dice, and pencil/pen and you've got a massive tub of ASL. In fact, I had 2 full to the brim tubs of ASL gear. Heavy too!
It got me thinking about moving the stuff to a new home, condensing it's storage footprint, and cataloging the counters in some way to make it all more manageable and less...well...like fishing.
Helloooo #1 Coin Envelopes!
#1 Coin Envelopes are 2.5" x 3" little manilla envelopes. They can hold about 15-20 1/2" counters or about 8 5/8" counters comfortably. They are pretty thin, and Avery 22806 labels (2" x 2") fit on them perfectly. Of note, they fit into baseball card storage corrugated storage boxes perfectly.
A guy that plays ASL near me showed off his system a few months back and the thought has been nagging at me ever since. There has to be a better way to deal with ASL! I had to get some priorities first and address those things up front.
I want my storage system to:
1 - Store my ASL stuff safely. 2 - Reduce the load, weight, and footprint of my ASL gear 3 - Make it easier to find counters for scenario set-up & play 4 - Not hurt the ease of access that Planos have for those 'in-play' moments when you ELR.... err ... Hero Create...yeah that's it!
So let me address each of these in order with the Coin Envelope System.
1 - Coin Envelopes are acid free which means the paper who bleed out the color on the things you store inside it. Since the envelopes will be touching front and back on the counters it's critical that they don't cause undo wear. My sweaty fingers will do that on their own over time!
Coin Envelopes fit perfectly into a baseball card storage box which means that you have a nice way to give a hard outer shell to the envelopes. Since a fully packed card storage box weighs next to nothing when filled with the ASL counters, dropping it won't mean counters all over the place like a dropped Plano will.
2 - The Germans have the largest OOB in the ASL world. I used just shy of 300 envelopes to catalog all of them which fit nicely into 2.5 baseball card boxes. The boxes are about 18" long and stack really well. In fact, I can slip both the German OOB and Russian OOB into an old laptop case and I've got all of BV ready to go where I go.
Weight wise, There are far more storage options for me than big rubbermaid bins. In fact, bags, backpacks, etc. all become reasonable travel options. The weight reduction alone is worth it. My German & Russians in Planos were 5 separate Planos. That was a lot of plastic and air to carry around everywhere. The other nice thing is that I can put out all the German & Russian OOB on a game table which is not possible with Planos because you'd have to stack them.
3 - You probably choked when you saw "just shy of 300 envelopes," but I catalog this way:
* 1 envelope per 15 1/2" counter * 1 envelope per Gun or Armor Type (slight variations share in some cases where 1 variant has no CMG and another does for example) * Every envelope has an Avery Label with the counter's image on it along with the unit designation (Pz VG, PaK 36, etc.) so when you're flipping through the boxes you can identify the ones you want quickly.
I separate Infantry by Squad, Half Squad, SMC by Troop/Leader Quality descending.
I separate Guns by type (AA, ART, RCL, INF, AT, etc.) by caliber ascending.
I separate Armor by family, variant, and caliber ascending.
I separate each of the sections with a notecard indicating what can be found in the section (example: Armor < 50)
It's a lot to get set up, but once you've got the cataloging down you know exactly how to put your hands on exactly the counters you need. Furthermore, you can lay out your potential ELR and HS envelopes prior the start of the game for just the units you know you'll need.
It makes cleanup a cinch since you're just putting things back into the baggies.
4 - I know I've said a lot about wanting to get away from the Plano. There isn't a better way I know of, however, for storing the administrative counters. They are easy to pick up and put away out of a Plano. So sue me! I like my Planos for a lot of things, but unit counter storage in ASL isn't one of them.
If a Plano is the right tool for the job...use it!
I know this is a lot of information all at once about storage solutions. It's dry and a bit...well...unhinged, but I assure you that it's worth being open to other methods for storing your ASL collection because as I said before...there are as many great ways to store them as there are ASL players. My hope is that this will give you some insight into the Coin Envelope method of storage and perhaps inspire you to change the way you archive and access all those wonderfully devilish counters that make up the cardboard battlefield.
[This was originally published in my blog on August 2nd, 2010 at Gamesquad.com, but I'm moving it here as I'm using the BGG system.]
So you've put together your ASL collection. You've read the rules. You've pushed some counters around and now you're ready to set up a game to try your hand at actually playing ASL. Congratulations, you've made it to the promised land. Even all infantry and SW scenarios offer a lot of fun. Each new skill and additional rule will add to your enjoyment, but now you've got to figure out the scenario card!
For this blog entry I'll be looking at The Guards Counterattack since it's such a well known scenario, is freely available from the MMP website ( http://www.multimanpublishing.com/Support/ASLASLSK/tabid/64/...) as a part of the Classic ASL Scenarios download, and it's likely the first scenario most new players will tackle.
The first thing to know about ASL Scenario Cards is that they're generally all the same layout. So once you've learned the layout for one you'll instantly recognize the others. This is good and bad of course because you may recognize a layout and gloss right over a hint or important detail.
The scenario title and identifier are at the top of the page to make things easy. The next thing you'll want to check out is the year and month which are always featured in ASL scenarios because they have effects on things like orchards and fields which may or may not provide a hindrance modifier depending on the time of year. The scenario descriptions are worthwhile to read in nearly every case because they give you the context of why the units that you're playing with were selected and in some cases how they might be used.
I like to, at this point, skip to the bottom of the scenario card and read off the Aftermath for the scenario. Again, sometimes there are some tactical tips or warnings. In this case there is no aftermath, but it's generally found at the bottom right corner of the scenario card.
This is also a good time to examine the Special Scenario Rules (SSRs) located in the bottom left corner of the card. These rules are often complex and lengthy for larger scenarios and can change how you approach a scenario just as easily as a victory condition or order of battle. In this case, the Environment Conditions are Moderate with no wind at the start. So smoke could potentially be a factor with the German 4-6-7 squads who can pop the smoke if the Russians try to soften them up before their assault (this is unlikely given the German's firepower advantage), but it can be used and therefore the EC is important in this scenario.
Next look at the board configuration which shows not only the direction the board should set up, but also the playable hexes if there are restrictions. In this case Rows A - P are playable. This is, as you look at your Map board 1, half the map.
The next part you'll want to look at is the Victory Conditions. Don't just glance at them either, your understanding of what you have to do in the allotted time is often the difference between success and failure. Consider that the official ASL scenarios have been playtested and many feel like they're on tight timelines for the attacker or require the defender to hold out a turn longer than they might think possible.
Here we've got:
The Russians win at game end if they Control 2 or more buildings initially occupied by the Germans than they lose of their own initially-held stone buildings to German control and/or have a favorable 3:1 (Russian to German) of unbroken squad-equivalents.
That's a mouthful, so let's break down the win conditions for the Russians: At the end of the game the Russians control 2 or more initially held German buildings than Germans control of the Russian initially held stone buildings. At the end of the game the Russians have a 3:1 (Russian to German) ratio of unbroken squad equivalents.
I have highlighted the terms you want to pay special attention to in these victory conditions. So let's break those down: At Game End - This means when the turn marker is finally advanced in to the END block on the turn record chart. The Russians Control - This means building control, not hex in a building control. So those Russians need the whole building in their possession. Remember that even a broken squad can block control of a building! Initially Held German Buildings - This has no other restriction than control of the buildings the include hex F5, K5, I7, M7, & M9. Any of those buildings will suffice for this victory condition. Initially Held Russian Stone Building - The Germans will only be counting the stone buildings the Russians initially controlled. Those little 1 hex wooden buildings don't count. 3:1 Russian to German Ratio & Squad Equivalent: So here's where you'll want to break out the rulebook and review what a squad equivalent is in cases of combat reductions or voluntary HS creation.
So....
Let's start with the first building control Victory Condition and look at what we know and what we can glean from it. We know that the Russians will be headed to any German Initially controlled building. So the Germans have to figure out how to control what they've got with intersecting CAs where possible. The Russians, have the advantage here in knowing that they really only have to protect the Stone buildings they initially control which is much simpler given their overwhelming initial force advantage.
The second Victory Condition about ratios should always perk your ears up about the mathematics of ASL. Let's look at what this will take to accomplish. The Germans start the game with 13 full squad equivalents regardless of how they exchange them. The Russians start the game with 21 full squad equivalents regardless of how they exchange them. This isn't quite a 2:1 ratio to start with. It's more like a 1.4:1 ratio, so the Russian player would essentially have to break or eliminate half the German full squad equivalents while sustaining no broken squads themselves at the end of the game. I don't know about you, but looking at the German's overwhelming firepower advantage I think that might be pretty tricky without some excellent DRs.
Once we've reviewed the Victory Conditions we can move on to the force distribution and look at it for clues about how the game may go.
This one is pretty simple to sum up: Russian numbers vs. German Firepower. The Germans may not have a lot of squads, but they do have a ton of SW firepower. I7 alone offers them 18fp - 2 when firing the whole stack. Now...get lucky with a 1 on your colored die and you're still firing 6fp - 2. That's pretty potent stuff given that the Russians are moving first.
So what can the Russians bring? Let's see...overwhelming human odds. Set up in a wavy pattern on the north edge of the board. Human Wave! Re-read the rules for human wave if you didn't check them out the first time because it's one of the fun things to give a try in this scenario and without even seeing
Finally, let's look at the SAN. It's 6 for both the Germans and the Russians so remember to not get too overly excited about those double 3s until you deal with any non-leader directed fire cowering that might occur. Be sure to review the sniper setup rules as well because as the Russian you're going to want to account for the fact that the Germans are more likely to try to hold onto those bigger buildings since they can stuff them with more firepower and still have easy covered "routing routes" for squads that break. Likewise, the Germans will need to account for the fact that the Russians are likely going to be aggressive. A SAN of 6 also means that you're going to see it roughly 14% of the time. So in a game with 50 rolls eligible for triggering the sniper you should see it 7 times. Of those 7 times 1 or 2 are bound to be a sniper activation.
So there you have it! A scenario card that's been reviewed and the process that I'm finding is handy. I'm sure there are some other tips about how to handle this part of playing a scenario and I'd love to hear them. Add a comment if you're finding these blog posts handy or interesting. And, of course if I've made a mistake just let me know so I can correct it!!!
I wanted to write a little article about how the 4th of July is represented within the ASL system in scenarios featuring American forces. That said, there were none. There are plenty featuring the Russians and Canadians for July 4th, but no American scenarios. So...I guess I'll have to go outside ASL for this little entry into The Rally Phase.
The one tale that comes to mind and sums up the sacrifice and endurance of American soldiers is the battle around the village of Sainteny north of St. Lo. That said, it is just to the southwest of Carentan.
Beginning on July 3rd, 1944 the US 7th Corps and 83rd & 90th Infantry Divisions face off against stern resistance from the German 7th Army. In particular the forces defending Sainteny are made up of the 6th German Parachute Regiment and the SS Pomegranates Division commanded by Götz von Berlichingen.
During the fighting on the 5th of July, American forces advanced 200 yards and took 7 prisoners while losing 1,500 troops. Unfortunately, this kind of slaughter might not make a great ASL scenario and could be a contributing factor to why this isn't taken up by the system so far, but it's worth mentioning.
Here is a photo taken after the fighting showing three dead German soldiers on a road just outside Sainteny.
The sacrifices of soldiers on all sides were considerable. While we honor our war dead in the US on Memorial Day, we would be remiss not to consider how our war dead have contributed to the liberation and freedom secured by their blood in foreign countries so that others may enjoy a similar freedom.
It's all too easy to be cynical about the word freedom or about the politics that swirl around modern use of the word. It is not hard, however, to take a moment and silently thank those who gave their lives in the effort to secure freedom for others.
I'm going to take a break for a moment from my typical posting style and provide a little editorial just to see how well it's received. I've seen, on every discussion board and mailing list that discusses ASL, or wargaming in general, some form of topic about the realism shortcomings in ASL.
It's time to put this conversation to bed.
There is one hard and fast rule about ASL: Know the rulebook.
Section A.2 ERRORS has this great little footnote in it:
Quote:
To the unscrupulous, these mechanics for handling errors might be viewed as a license to steal. We do not mean to insinuate that cheating is ac-ceptable behavior; rather, that backing up a game to accommodate a forgotten rule/unit is a drag on play. In essence, the player's knowledge of the system and methodical application of its benefits as opportunities present themselves becomes an added skill factor better reflecting the abilities of an experienced battlefield commander. Ultimately, the only protection against a cheater is not to play him.
This is the first, and most important, rule of ASL because it reinforces that this is going to be a game and not a simulation.
Do I allow my opponent to go back and correct something? OF COURSE! Do I appreciate being given the same level of respect and sportsmanship? OF COURSE! That said, would I begrudge someone who would not offer that kind of mercy? NEVER!
Why focus on this particular passage as the keystone of my argument?
Games can enforce arbitrary execution of rules and sequence in a way that simulations cannot. Imagine an astronaut training for spaceflight (quickly, since that's about to end!) and forgetting a key step in the pre-launch sequence. The solution would not just be...well move on!
ASL is a game at its heart and it's a game through which players can re-create land battles of WW2 regardless of theater of war. Players are given a construct within which to execute this re-creation. Players are crafty, however, and a rulebook even as large as ASL's rulebook could never describe the universe in such a way that battles could be both re-created and simulated. Players are crafty.
In ASL, we call this player "crafty-ness" sleaze. It is accepted, loved/hated, and above all else...legal.
The most frequently executed, and widely known sleaze is skulking. The sequence of events (construct), called phases, allows defenders to retreat their squads out of the line of sight (and thus danger of fire combat) during the movement phase. The movement phase precedes the Defensive Fire Phase and the attacker is then unable to shoot at units who are perhaps defending key positions. A few phases later and you've got the Advance Phase which allows those retreated squads to advance, without consequence of fire attack, back into their original defensive positions to await the oncoming attacker during the next turn.
Simple in execution. Legal by the rules. Sleaze. Widely practiced and accepted.
In this case alone, you're looking at a number of factors that take ASL away from simulation and into game.
Combat Occurring in Phases. Precise control over a potentially large geographic area in the absence (often) of direct leadership. Exploitation of the rules by players for their advantage. Inability for squads to recognize defensive stance opportunities.
So...why is everyone okay with this?
The rules.
Could skulking be justified or explained away through some "real world" practice? Perhaps. The problem is that this doesn't work for everything.
Consider this:
A squad is hidden in a building. An enemy squad advances into the building and discovers the squad. What should happen next?
The hidden squad should get the opportunity to obliterate the enemy that was just surprised by them. The enemy should be bounced out of the building. The enemy and squad should remain in the house together and fight hand-to-hand.
If you picked you are correct. Why? Because the rules say so.
There are plenty of other incidents where you can see this kind of "game logic" as I call it in ASL. The whole point of the construct to play a game like ASL is not to create realism, but rather to create tension. Watch more than a handful of ASL games and you'll likely be perplexed about who is winning and losing. Pieces aren't leaving the board with great frequency due to destruction. The overall "kill" rate in ASL is pretty low to be honest. The tension is achieved, instead, through the race against time and the structure of victory conditions for that particular scenario.
Above All Else, Know Then ASLRB.
With every playing of ASL, I find myself looking up new and interesting combinations of rules, concepts, and tactics. Situations come up that I've never seen before, or seem to contradict common sense. It's in these moments that I reach for the rulebook and am instantly reminded that this is a game and not a simulation where common sense would likely take precedent.
ASL isn't the perfection of Squad Leader. It isn't the holy grail of tactical WWII games. It's not the ultimate boardgame experience for history nuts with a penchant for WWII. It's a great game that has lasting appeal because it creates the impression of conflict through a unique system that focuses on tension between opposing forces.
There's no perfect game out there, but when you can point to ASL and show how people from all over the world are coming together in regular tournaments that have lasted for decades, you start to get the picture about what really makes ASL so special: The players.
I was luck enough to get in a game of ASL on Saturday with a local gamer. I wanted to try out a scenario featuring some Americans and we settled on a scenario from Paratrooper - ASL Module 2 called Lost Opportunities.
In the scenario, a small American Airborne force must hold off a significant German assault on a town. The Germans have a superior number of troops and bring some very light armor with them. The Germans are tasked with controlling any 4 buildings on the board where the Americans have set up.
The modest forces provided to the Americans have some definite advantages:
- Spraying Fire - 10 Concealment Markers - HIP for 1 squad + leader - 7-4-7 Elite Airborne vs. 1st line Germans - Self Rally - A 3 factor for smoke placement making shots harder to take for those German attackers.
The Germans have time on their side (8 turns) and relatively easy access to 3 buildings. There are, for example, 2 buildings at the edge of woods from which the Germans can advance.
So what's the hitch for the Germans? If at any time, there are only 9 unbroken German squads, the Americans win. So, simply marching into a well placed American defense is suicide and the German player is punished. This ultimately slows the Germans down and makes them have to pay a bit more attention to the American dummy stacks that are sure to be placed.
So... let's kick this off!
SETUP - Losing Before You Begin
I managed to lose this game in the setup...and here's how:
1 - I set up far too conservatively. As mentioned, there is nice cover which can be taken away from the Germans right at the start of the game. There are essentially 3 avenues of approach. I covered 0/3.
2 - I used concealment markers to conceal units that would gain concealment in turn 1 during my setup and neglected to create enough dummy stacks.
3 - I put my gun in a useless position. It was toward a location where nobody was going to advance and I didn't take advantage of my free HIP for it. Likewise, it's under 60mm which meant I could have set it up in a building to boot!
4 - I created a rigid wall of defense, without first considering what buildings were going to be easy to retake before control of 4 buildings could be reached.
Here's a picture of the initial setup:
TURN 1 - German Assault Begins!
Here's a picture from the start of the game:
Well I made some huge miscalculations... Switching between ASLSK and ASL is not always easy. For example, the whole ruleset covering HIP for guns & concealment gain/loss were largely ignored by me. I used my 10 concealment markers to cover up stacks that would have already gained concealment on turn one. Likewise, this meant that I only had 1 dummy stack sitting out there and it wasn't long before some well done probing by the Germans revealed it...but more on that later!
The German setup was a giant wall of troops basically set up to exploit the cover provided on the flanks that I left open. In the center the Germans put the majority of the armor with smoke rounds in order to help cover their advance and block any long range gun fire. A single Marder was placed on the east edge to take advantage of armored bypass and sneak into the battle on one of the flanks.
As soon as I saw the German setup I was aware that I had lost the game due to poor set up. That's how quickly and how important good set up can be in ASL. Now...that said, one of the greatest things about ASL is that it can be punishing to watch poor dice rolls fritter away your best laid plans. Things were not a total loss and I was ready to see how to adjust.
The Germans moved into the eastern tree line just outside of an objective building within the first MPh. Smoke was placed in the dead center of board 1 blocking any chance I had from my stronghold buildings in the center of Map 1 to exert any useful firepower against the onrushing Germans.
To achieve this incredible advance and take advantage of my overly conservative setup the Germans were forced to CX, which should have bought me time, but I squandered the following turn and the adverse effects of having the entire enemy force CX'd and stayed relatively in the same position.
I initially put a squad into the building on 1D2 and decided when I saw the advance that I should try to dash into the building and use their firepower to make a decent firegroup. During the dash...my squad was cut to shreds and broke. During the route phase they moved where they had originally intended and I thought I'd be okay in another turn or so. I, however, failed the DM MC for those units. In the subsequent German turn, these troops wouldn't be looked at and I missed an opportunity to self-rally!
In addition to this advance I underestimated the power of the stack in A4. I had some clean shots from E4 that could have made a difference in breaking up a fire group, but never took the shot. This brings me back to my main problem...
Here's a little close up of this situation:
TAKE THE SHOT.
There are optimal shots. There are sub-optimal shots. Until you know what's best...shoot! I always end up waiting too long and by then everything has moved and I've not taken a shot and no longer have valid shots. Total newbie move. Take the shot.
Here's how things looked at the end of Turn 1:
As you can see, the Germans are uncontested for 2 buildings on the east (right side) of the map. Despite being CX, they can get halfway there in the next turn. My lone dummy stack on the west edge in IIRC 1C7 won't stand much longer, but it at least kept the Germans at bay.
In hindsight, that building in 1C7 isn't a bad one to just give up. You're never going to defend it, and almost everything on the west (left) side of the map is going to have a shot into that building. So, it's not like it's going to become a staging area. The smart German player is just going to gain control of it and back out. There's a lot of open ground to cover, so there's no reason why you wouldn't want to make getting more on the western flank harder to get at!
American Turn 1:
I just goofed around. I tried to move that squad and it got cut down. I made some insignificant adjustments in forces well behind the line and took a lot of failed shots at the Germans. Rolling 8, 9, & 10 never helps and when you are setting yourself up to take MANY shots...those are killer.
Remember... TAKE THE SHOT and CREATE YOUR OWN LUCK!
So by creating your own luck, I mean playing the odds. The more shots you take the more likely you are to get some good rolls. You can't rely on just getting one killer shot lined up regardless of how good it is because there's just too much that can go wrong.
In my case, I had a lot of great rolls that were with low FP groups that were not leader directed natural doubles (3,3 x 2, & 4,4 x 1, and 2x2 x 1) Those were great shots that ultimately had little effect because of the cowering firepower reduction.
Snipers each triggered once and were largely ineffective. Just a few pins rather than anything dramatic.
You'll remember that little squad mess on A4... Well the Germans managed to create a Hero & Battle Harden!
German Turn 2 -
The Germans won. Yeah... 2 MPh and it was over. That's how poor setup makes the difference in this scenario. If you look on ROAR you're going to see that this is won slightly more by the Germans, but it's not a runaway conclusion that the American Paras can't make things happen.
Some notable actions from Turn 2...
I had some nice shots with my mortar team and managed to drive units back. My Bazooka shots all pinged off of the weak german armor unfortunately. This allowed the armor to move up, get in some nice licks on my "alamo" building. Meanwhile, I sat on my shots again and let some half squads tie up my units. Take the shot!
I did manage to have some success on the western edge of the map in terms of actually getting a German squad to disrupt! That was something I haven't done before and my opponent and I quickly read up on the rules. This is a point I want to make about this though. ASL's rulebook now comes with a great index and that makes things incredibly fast just to look up.
That said the initial, uncontested, rush of German forces into TEM advantageous locations swamped me and it only took 2 of the 8 turns for the American paratroopers to hang their heads in shame as they retreated cursing my name all the way. My opponent, Jamey, is as kind and gracious a winner as there is in the ASL community. He was willing to do a quick post mortem with me and we talked through a few of the things that were mentioned in this article.
Here's what things looked like just before the Germans grabbed their 3rd & 4th buildings.
Here are the d6 lessons I learned from this scenario:
TAKE THE SHOT! Be aggressive in your defense so the attacker has to pay for every hex they try to advance. There's no reason to give up terrain if you don't absolutely have to after all! Deploy to half-squads to ensure that you can create some firegroups without having to refocus full squads. Use you freebie HIP squad + leader + SW to make sure you can get into a position to try to knock out at least 1 AFV. Bore Sight. Firelanes. Concealment. American Squads can: Self Rally, Spray Fire, & has a smoke factor of 3...use those to your advantage!!!
It was a lot of fun, as always, and I think I learned a lot from this scenario. I hope that you can glean a bit from this article about the lessons I picked up along the way! Until next time...roll low.
This is an overview of the high points with a few examples of section D9 in the rulebook which covers "VEHICLES AS COVER." One of the things that vehicles offer in ASL that might not be as obvious at first is a protected method for the transport of infantry. In this regard, they provide some additional armor coverage, but with that comes some additional rules coverage.
The first thing to remember about AFVs is that their inherent crew can be BU/CE. This status only applies to the inherent crew though which means that any Riders are going to be vulnerable regardless of crew state. Also remember that elevation counts for riders who may be subject to attacks from a multi-story building that would not affect them from ground level.
The second big thing to remember is that while most attacks against AFVs resolve the attacks against the vehicle and riders separately, any attack that destroys (but not burns) a vehicle triggers a roll for Survival. I'm generally not keen on trying to apply real world logic to wargames, except when there appears to be an intentional nod to such a comparison. In this case, it makes sense because explosive destruction would cause enough instantaneous trauma that escape would be rare whereas burning may provide riders an opportunity to escape.
One of the other things to keep in mind about AFV/wrecks is that they can act as cover as well. In most cases, all the infantry in the same location with a wreck are granted a +1 TEM. This rule applies to abandoned enemy vehicles as well as occupied friendly ones as well. This could provide you with some necessary rolling cover when attacking across open terrain provided that the AFV is not unarmored. I'll talk about this further when I cover Armored Assault. Every modifier helps and particularly at long range while avoiding the dreaded FFNMO.
That said, there are some exceptions to this seemingly free +1 TEM. So before you race your infantry into that "free" +1 TEM, keep these in mind:
Le Wreck...It is Le Burning! - Makes sense if you've ever grilled out that you'd likely not want to huddle close to such a hot piece o' cover.
Down in the Ditches - If the wreck is entrenched, dug-in, or at a different level than the infantry in its depression hex.
Rolling AFVs gather no TEM - If the AFV is stopped (or turned into a wreck), but was in motion or moved during the current Player Turn's MPh. During the ALL SUBSEQUENT phases it will provide that +1 TEM, but not as it rolls to a stop in front of your infantry.
The Tin Can Exception - If an unarmored AFV is not a wreck it does not provide the TEM modifier.
Nothing Else Around - This TEM is ONLY applicable if there is no other TEM, but it is cumulative with SMOKE/Hindrances that affect ranged attacks against the hex.
The AFV To Your Left - If Infantry or Cavalry are in the same hex as a vehicle when it is eliminated are not affected by that elimination. Please, however, keep in mind exception: &/or in this case as it would most likely apply.
So when you combine this rule, and exceptions, with infantry movement you can perform a move called the Armored Assault. Essentially, any infantry that begins its MPh beneath an AFV are eligible to move with it and maintain the +1 TEM. Please keep in mind that this does not apply to unarmored AFVs! Also keep in mind that when doing this your infantry and AFV cannot move farther than the infantry even if the infantry fail to take advantage of their full movement allowance.
For example, A stack of two 4-4-7 Russian squads begins under a T-34 and declares they will Double Time. The T-34 cannot move farther than the double-timed 4-4-7 Russian squads normally could. This applies even if the squads don't move to the fullest extent of their MF allowance allowing the T-34 to end its movement in a different hex than the infantry squads.
So what benefits do the infantry get for making this kind of move?
The infantry making the armored assault is not subject to FFMO. They are, however, still subject to FFNAM (unless otherwise declared). In the case of FFNAM, remember that the modifiers will cancel each other out. So FFNAM is -1 for the attacker's DR while the AFV provides the +1 TEM modifier making it a straight roll.
How does the motion state affect the +1 TEM?
Great question! Please note that exception states that AFV which stops or is eliminated, but was in motion, provides its benefit during ALL SUBSEQUENT phases. So, during that upcoming DFPh, you can still expect the +1 TEM for an AFV which has also stopped in the same hex as the accompanying infantry. If it continues on and ends it's MPh in another hex, then it does not contribute it's +1 TEM during the DFPh.
Wrecks from which your infantry is not receiving a TEM bonus also have special rules with regards to ranged attacks. Wrecks provide a Hindrance modifier of +1 for ranged attacks which pass through it. There are a few caveats, as always, that you need to be mindful of as you determine what constitutes a hindrance:
Only Through - The hindrance is only calculated when the shot passes through the wreck, but not into or out of the wreck's location.
Same Level Only - The hindrance only counts for firing through the wreck's hex on a same-level shot. Please note that this means Wrecks/AFVs which are dug in or in an entrenchment won't count either.
Just Once! - The hindrance does not increment with additional wrecks in the same location. The hindrance is always +1.
Bypass my @ss - A wreck/AFV in bypass does not affect hindrance calculation unless the LOS passes through the hexside of the bypass.
Burning, Burning, Hunk a Love - If the wreck is burning which would cause a +2 hindrance rather than a +1.
Slow Rollers - Again, if the AFV/Wreck was in motion or moved during the current player turn's MPh it doesn't count as a hindrance for that phase. It will, however, count in ALL SUBSEQUENT phases.
One of the other interesting things about this particular hindrance calculation is that if your concealed AFV would affect the result of an attack the owning player MUST show that it is not a dummy stack. This is an opportunity to try to reveal dummy stacks. Remember that you don't have to actually have a chance of hitting for the owner to be forced to reveal the AFV(s) in the intervening hex(es).
I am not going to get into the rules which cover armored cupolas because they are a great example of something you can virtually ignore until you need it. The rules are short, make sense, and are easily found in the rulebook.
At the end of the game the Russians control 2 or more initially held German buildings than Germans control of the Russian initially held stone buildings.
At the end of the game the Russians have a 3:1 (Russian to German) ratio of unbroken squad equivalents.
Initially Held German Buildings - This has no other restriction than control of the buildings the include hex F5, K5, I7, M7, & M9. Any of those buildings will suffice for this victory condition.
Initially Held Russian Stone Building - The Germans will only be counting the stone buildings the Russians initially controlled. Those little 1 hex wooden buildings don't count.
3:1 Russian to German Ratio & Squad Equivalent: So here's where you'll want to break out the rulebook and review what a squad equivalent is in cases of combat reductions or voluntary HS creation.
American Squads can: Self Rally, Spray Fire, & has a smoke factor of 3...use those to your advantage!!!
