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Advanced Squad Leader
I started ASL the old way. SL to GI. I have the entire system up to and including KGP I. The entirety of it collects dust as this game system is simply too demanding. I would probably play again if someone at the Hill did something about the lack of Wall Advantage Rules as they apply to the DeLuxe boards. It's been 12 years since the deluxe came out, zippo, so far.
Time Scale: Two minutes per Game Turn
Map Scale: 40 meters per hex
Players: Two (also suitable for solitaire and team play)
Unit Scale: Five to ten men with individual leaders, guns and vehicles
The game is played on mapboards with an overhead view. Superimposed is a hex-grid which regulates movement and firing ranges. Combat is morale based and takes place over ranges determined by the firing unit with a line of sight to it's target. Blocking terrain is determined by placing a piece of string from the dot at the center of the firer's hex, to the dot at the center of the target's hex. If the string crosses any blocking terrain between the two, the shot has no effect.
The boards come with a wide variety of terrain and can be used to build a battleground imitating any encounter that took place during WWII. The counter mix includes virtually any vehicle or ordnance that saw action. Units representing squads and leaders with support weapons from any of the participants is also available. These are formed into the units which will compete. The scenario card supplies the roster and shows which boards and their configurement plus victory conditions. Unbelievably rich in detail, it is very rewarding if you have the right stuff (an iron ass and a legally trained mind).
ADVANCED SQUAD LEADER RULES 1985
Contained in a three ring binder which only has enough room for chapters A through D since I keep my cross referenced and highlighted (in orange, of course) rules in clear plastic. I have two more binders which are even bigger to hold the balance. Some clever trading allowed me to keep my errata coupons intact while still acquiring those updates.
You actually have to see these in the flesh to appreciate the thousands of man-hours that went into it. Virtually every vehicle, gun, and infantry weapon that saw action in WWII is represented and factored into the game.
The ASL orange slip-covered binder has 4 chapters each with its own divider
A. Infantry & Basic Game Rules
B. Terrain
C. Ordnance & Offboard Artillery
D. Vehicles
The Vehicle divider sets out the advanced sequence of play
- Rally
- Prep Fire
- Movement
- Defensive Fire
- Advancing Fire
- Rout
- Advance
- Close Combat
The basic structure of the turn sequence has not changed since the original SL.
The second binder contains Chapters E through H;
E. Miscellaneous
- Night
- Interrogation
- Weather
- Ski Troops
- Boats
- Swimming
- Air Support
- Gliders
- Paratroop Landings
- Ammo Vehicles
- Convoys
- Barrage
F. North Africa
G. Pacific Theater
H. Design Your Own. The H Divider has the German Vehicle and Ordnance Rarity Chart with all vehicles and Guns available arranged with monthly rarity. The others have their characteristics within their respective sections. The Nationalities represented include
- German
- Soviet
- U. S. of A.
- Commonwealth
- Italian
- Japanese
- Nationalist Chinese
- French
- Landing Craft by type
The "small" binder standing up in back has Chapters J through P
J. DeLuxe ASL
K. Squad Leader Training Manual
N. Armory-Lists counters. I get 8,497
O. Red Barricades-Rules for the Historical Module
P. Kampgruppe Peiper
Here are the secondary informational counters. I keep them in three Squad Leader boxes.
These are the primary info counters stored in a Purple Heart box. Also shown are the Vehicle Data cards for playing with miniatures.
Beyond Valor Module 1 1985
4 8" X 22" mapboards 20, 21, 22 ,23
1430 1\2" counters
966 5\8" counters
10 scenarios
4 six sided dice
PARATROOPER Module 2 1986
Supposedly an introductory module. Considering that you need Beyond Valor plus the rulebook and board 8 it works out to a large sum for a taste of ASL.
1 8" X 22" mounted mapboards 24
390 1\2" counters
88 5\8" counters
8 scenarios
ASL Chapter K; Training Manual
YANKS Module 3
4 8" X 22" mounted mapboards 16, 17, 18, 19
520 1\2" counters
528 5\8" counters
8 scenarios
ASL Chapter E
PARTISAN Module 4 1987
2 8" X 22" mounted mapboards 10, 32
260 1\2" counters
8 scenarios
West of aLamein Module 5 1988
5 8" X 22" mounted mapboards 25, 26, 27, 28, 29
560 1\2" counters
704 5\8" counters
8 scenarios
1 pad of terrain overlays
1 7" X 22" Escarpment Overlay
ASL Chapter F
THE LAST HURRAH Module 6 1988
2 8" X 22" mounted mapboards 11, 33
260 1\2" counters
8 scenarios
HOLLOW LEGIONS Module 7 1989
2 8" X 22" mounted mapboards 30, 31
380 1\2" counters
272 5\8" counters
8 scenarios
CODE of BUSHIDO Module 8 1990
4 8" X 22" mounted mapboards 34, 35, 36, 37
420 1\2" counters
240 5\8" counters
8 scenarios
1 pad of terrain overlays
ASL chapter G (sections 1-10)
GUNG HO! Module 9 1991
2 8" X 22" mounted mapboards 38, 39
680 1\2" counters
328 5\8" counters
8 scenarios
1 pad of terrain overlays
ASL chapter G (sections 11-18)
Croix de Guerre Module 10 1992
2 8" X 22" mounted mapboards 40, 41
350 1\2" counters
288 5\8" counters
8 scenarios
8 revised rulebook pages
1 Chapter N Divider
1 sheet of terrain overlays
STREETS of FIRE DeLuxe ASL module 1 1985
4 11" X 26" mounted mapboards of cityscape with expansive 2.2" hexes a, b, c, d
10 scenarios
36 AFV Playing Aid Cards
HEDGEROW HELL DeLuxe ASL module 2 1985
4 11" X 26" mounted mapboards of bocage with expansive 2.2" hexes e, f, g, h
117 1\2" AFV card counters
8 scenarios
24 AFV Playing Aid Cards
RED BARRICADES ASL Historical Module 1 1989
This historical board was derived from aerial surveillance photographs and is a quite close representation of the terrain that was fought over.
2 23" X 31" unmounted mapboards which join
390 1\2" counters
88 5\8" counters
7 scenarios
1 Chapter O
1 sheet of terrain overlays
Kampfgruppe Peiper I ASL Historical Module 2 1993
With the scales involved only a samll area of the actual battlefield around Stoumont, Belgium could actually be represented
2 23" X 31" unmounted mapboards which join
260 1\2" counters
176 5\8" counters
4 scenarios
8 revised rulebook pages
1 Chapter P
1 sheet of terrain overlays
Boards 1 through 8 plus 12 - 15 came with SL - GI.
Board 9 was never issued as part of any module.
I have a double set of all the boards from 1 to 41. One for playing and one for LOS, you know. Also boards 1 through 4 unmounted for some reason.
I also have the British AFV player-aid cards.
Where would you be without scenarios? This is an International Harvestor Bulletin binder. It is large, heavy-duty and stuffed to the gills. Probably at least 300 scenarios. All of the scenarios from The General, the Annuals, modules, a few from In Contact and possibly other sources which do not come to mind immediately.
I, for one, hated the boxes in which the ASL was packaged. They are over oversized, ignorant shelf hoggers. My ASL has been repackes as follows;
The German vehicles are packed in Panzer Blitz and Leader boxes. Then rest are in a Squad Leader and a Beyond Valor (the only decent sized ASL box.)
The Japanese were dimunutive enough to stash in a VITP and two Banzai boxes.
The Italians got a pair of customized blanks.
The Soviets managed a Streets of Fire and a Red Barricades box. The Communist Chinese use Soviet units.
I would have preferred a Pattons Best box for the US vehicles, oh well.
The Nationalist Chinese received a customized blank. The color scheme is supposed to represent Ciommunist units with German equipment.
The French got an Acquire box with a thick paint job. A few British units overflowed into here.
The British have so many bizzar units the they barely fit into these two Raids and a Cassino box.
These are a couple of Axis Minors so I put them in a couple of SL Minors boxes.
The editor of the General(Rex A. Martin) convinced the powers that be to publish a magazine devoted to ASL exclusively. The Annual followed with scenarios, replays, variations, errata, a series of reference notes on the forces of the sides involved which belong in any military reference library. The volume of material contributed spoke well of the devotion (fanaticism?) of the players of ASL.
ASL ANNUAL
For Squad Leader Enthusiasts
'89
Incremental Infantry Fire Table introduced. A reprint of John Hill's The Evolution of Small Arms Tactics included. 117 "official" scenarios listed chronologically. A Nation of Workers reference notes for the Americans in ASL.Man and Superman reference notes for the Soviets in ASL. Updating Squad Leader scenarios for ASL begins. This will be taken up in earnest in The General.
'90
146 "official" scenarios listed chronologically. 1 page of errata in extremely small type. Eight Million Bayonets reference notes for the Italians in ASL.
'91
Red Barricades replay.1 page of errata in extremely small type. 177 "official" scenarios listed chronologically. ASL data for the Maus. The Forgotten Legions reference notes for the Axis Minors in ASL.
'92
205 "official" scenarios listed chronologically. 1 page of errata in extremely small type. Soldiers of the Sun Japanese in ASL. Doomed Battalions Allied minors in ASL
'93a
1 page of errata in extremely small type.
'93b
240 "official" scenarios listed chronologically. 1 page of errata in extremely small type. First to Fight reference notes for the Marines in ASL. Warriors of the North the Canadians in ASL.
'95 winter
A mere 6 pages of Q/A and errata in extremely small type. 280 "official" scenarios listed chronologically. DeLuxe overlays which are too small included with the mailing cover. Airborne Samurai reference note for Japanese paratroopers in ASL.
'96
8 pages of Q/A and errata in extremely small type (even one of my questions is published here). As an additional bonus the errata for KGP II is here. ASL Action Pack #1 with boards 42 and 43 advertised. 306 "official" scenarios listed chronologically
Since I've retired from the ranks KGP II historical module, a solitaire module and who knows how many Action Packs have been published.
There are also numerous independant publications and groups of players developing historical scenarios on their own.
I've done 3 issues of a ragzine devoted to ASL
The first issue (1.0) is only in printed form with graphics. (Where is that damn scanner?)
FIREGROUP WEASLe 1.0 It is solely about DeLuxe WA Rules in BCG. They're becoming fairly dated.
FIREGROUP WEASLe 1.1 A diaribe.
FIREGROUP WEASLe 2.1 A redirection which takes it to the scrapheap.
What went wrong?
One theory is that wargames just got too complex. The earliest Avalon Hill and SPI games were simple; a gaming novice picking up STALINGRAD in 1964 could have taught himself to play it, perhaps with a little difficulty, since even that was far more complex than mass-market offerings like MONOPOLY. But a novice picking up WAR IN EUROPE in 1980, or ADVANCED SQUAD LEADER in 1985 would be completely at a loss. SQUAD LEADER is perhaps the ideal illustration of the trend; the original John Hill game was simple enough to be accessible, and sold in excess of 200,000 copies, making it the best-selling wargame of all time. Over time, Avalon Hill published expansion upon expansion, turning it into a game of rococo complexity, culminating with the release of ADVANCED SQUAD LEADER, a game so complex than one could teach college-level courses in its play, so convoluted that its developer, Don Greenwood, felt compelled to include such minutiae as the Kindling Availability Table and the Sewer Emergence Chart. It is hard to believe that even the most macho of 'I-know-the-rules-so-I'm-better-than-you-you-poor-pathetic twit' complexity enthusiasts play this thing much.