ASL is a pretty complicated game. Well, ASL is actually a very complicated game. Learning it is time intensive, as is playing it. The rulebook is full of legalese which leads to sleaze and cheese. Overall, between two good players, an extremely realistic simulation of a WWII engagement can be recreated. Given the barriers to entry, as well as the cost, ASL occupies a pretty niche target space. That being said the people who do play are pretty hardcore. A while back (2000?) the maker of ASL, Avalon Hill went under. So for a while there was a dearth of material and players wondered if the game would die out. There were some 3rd party products being put out, by Critical Hit, Schwerpunkt, and Heat of Battle, but many in the hobby wondered if this would merely halt the onrushing tidal wave of obsolescence that was threatening to wash away the cardboard board-game industry.
In the end, Curt Schilling stepped in a bought the rights to ASL from Hasbro (which had acquired Avalon Hill for the rights to the game Civilization among others), but saw no future in ASL. At the same time this was happening, I started to revive my flagging interest, and purchased the remainder of the outstanding modules. These modules depicted Orders of Battle(OOB) and one could simulate virtually any action in WWII, from the steppes of Russia, to the jungles of Southeast Asia, to the bocage in Normandy. And simulate it pretty realistically in fact.
The big unknown in life and war is information. The greater the information asymmetries between 2 combatants, the greater edge the more informed side has over the other. While this edge can be exploited tactically, as the Germans were wont to do in the Eastern and Western Front, if one does not do this strategically, one is bound to lose. ASL accurately simulates the fog of war, as units can be commanded to do basic things with ease, but any sort of complex action can be failed and the enemy can also interfere in the interim. Unlike today’s shoot’em up video-games, in which every combatant is an uber-soldier, ASL realistically displayed the differences in qualities between soldiers of different nations.
These differences were displayed in subtle factors, but all in all they allowed each country to have a “flavour” that allowed one to play it relatively consistently over many battles. Americans were prone to break under pressure but were also easier to rally. The Japanese were able to go beserk and ignore casualties. The British were unlikely to break under pressure. The Russians had hordes of troops. And the Germans had few troops and leaders, but they tended to be high quality, especially in the early stages of the war.
So while the game was intricate and rich in detail, I really had no one to play against. I lived in a small town, and the odds of finding someone who would be interested in the game were quite low. When I moved to Toronto, my odds increased. Ironically, I was working out at the gym, when I spotted the person who would teach me the game. He was wearing an ASL t-shirt, which is how I made the connection. We played sporadically over a couple of years, as he had small children, and I was studying for my CFA charter. We had a blast playing. Intuitively I knew the correct strategies, but his assistance with navigating the rules helped me to put theory into practice. And he was a fair opponent, which made it all the more enjoyable. I also started playing against another player, who is one of Toronto’s big poker players (in term of reputation, he has his own podcast). He is also a fan of fantasy baseball, which is something I am slowly working my way back into. All of these 3 games revolve around statisitics and probabilities.
So, segueway into 2005. Another friend that I began playing ASL with had shown me this computer game, that I was not intially interested in, Combat Mission. Facing a dearth of opponents, I checked out the website, downloaded the demo, and played. I was hooked! The computer was actually relatively decent, and the ability to play against humans was definitely enticing. I managed to get a few opponents on-line and it was a blast. I haven’t actually played in almost 8 months, but I look forward to playing again once school winds down. My favorite scenario was a late ‘44 scenario. I was playing online against an opponent from Montreal who was amazing to play against. Good player and timely in getting turns back to me. I commanded a rag tag force of SS troopers defending some random Austrian village. I am situated inside the village, which has a paved boulevard and a couple of small houses on the outskirts. My opponent starts on the other side a hill. I had an 88mm AT gun a 75mm AT gun, about 10 squads, a Panzerschreck squad, a Panther and a Mark IV. The Russian player had some guards units, 1 or 2 ISII’s, 5 or 6 t-34/85’s and random infantry support units. I left a Mark IV in LOS early and he holed it with a T34. I picked off 2 T34/85’s with my 88, which was sitting on the other side of a bridge, but he nailed that pretty quick (I think he had some half-tracks too). My 75 seals off a street after holing a couple of T34’s, but he has 4-5 T34’s against my lone panther, which is sitting in the middle of a wide boulevard. He rushed 2 T34’s and and ISII at me. I hole a T34, then my infantry fausts one, and I manage to immobilize the ISII which the crew promptly abandon. While my entire force is decimated, except for the panther and a squad of infantry I have placed in a building overlooking the boulevard. While my Panther is engaging the frontal assault he has run the other T34 down the side, and it’s about to come up on my Panther from behind. In an amazing finish, my squad gets off a lucky hit with the faust, and my opponent resigns. It was an amazing game!
My other favorite scenario is a rearguard action during operation Bagration (Russian Summer Offensive 1944). You have a stack of Panthers (7 or 8 ) and a platoon of Mark IV’s (4) and some rag tag infantry. I attempted a rearguard action with the Mark IV’s fleeing to the rear and some of my Panther hanging back. My opponent was good, and just bum-rushed me with around 40 T34/85’s. Not sure if he had any ISII’s but I’m sure he had some SU85’s as well. We start trading 2 for 1’s, which is bad for me as I need to get around 3.5 to 1 to survive. He plays really well and I manage to get down to 5 tanks with about 15 of his left. I played poorly with the MKIV’s, as they are better for pure ambush situations. Although the MkIVcan penetrate the T34/85’s at a distance, any return fire is an almost automatic kill, whereas the Panthers are more likely to get bounces with their sloped armour. Even the addition of the elite ace Ernst Barkmann is unable to prevent my defeat. Although I was able to pull out tactical victories, my strategic misuse of my armour cost me the game.
I highly recommend this game to those who can’t get their fill of ASL! Multiman Publishing is in the process of putting out starter sets to get new players interested. Overall the reviews look good, and I can’t wait to find some spare time to bust out the cardboard and break out a game of ASL!
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