ASL First FireWednesday, January 28, 2004
The Newbie Manifesto
new·bie ('nü-bE, 'nyü-) noun BEGINNER, NOVICE;
I’m a partially-reformed newbie, quite comfortable with the Advanced Squad Leader system, but still fairly inexperienced in actual play of the game. ASL is a wonderful game of tactical warfare, but can be incredibly daunting to the new player. What I wanted to do here was provide an article listing the best means of learning ASL, based on what has worked for me and taking into account the resources currently available.
What is ASL? If you don’t know, see the ASL FAQ for a good background.
Okay, so you’ve managed to procure a copy of the Rulebook and Beyond Valor, or you’ve tried the new Starter Kit. Either way, you’re ready to take the plunge into the madness that is ASL. How do you get started? This article is to help with finding information, opponents and materials to allow you to learn to play ASL. This article doesn’t try to provide tactical help, or give you a how-to. Too many people have already put too much time into doing just that. This is here to help you find what’s already been done.
By far, the best way to learn ASL is to have someone already familiar with the game help you. The first section below should help you find out if someone is in the area, or tell you how to find an opponent if no one is near you. Other sections will focus on learning how to play the game (ie, the rules) and learning how to play the game (ie, tactical help). In addition, I'll give sources for finding scenarios to play. Welcome to ASL and enjoy!
1. Finding Help
The ASL Rulebook is a very large collection of rules, and is generally thought of as a reference more than a rulebook. Unlike most games, it's very difficult to start at the beginning of the rulebook and figure out how to play by reading straight through. Finding someone to teach you ASL directly is by far the easiest method of entry into this game. If you have someone local, so much the better. How do you find out whether there is someone? If there’s a game store nearby, you can ask there, but these days, fewer and fewer are carrying ASL or other Conflict Simulations, so that is probably less likely to help. You are better off trying the online forums, posting an introduction (including your location), and asking if anyone is around. Where are these online sources of information?
Multiman Publishing (MMP) - The makers of ASL. These guys are hobbyists, just like us. They have a contract with Hasbro (the owners of the copyrights for ASL) to produce ASL stuff. This site is one source for obtaining in-print ASL material. The website has a player directory which may provide a local contact. They also have a list of clubs. Both of these may be a little out of date, but are a good starting point.
The ASL Mailing List (ASLML) - Only a shadow of its former self, but still a terrific source for ASL help, information and rules interpretations. Post a rules question here and you may be amazed by the number of responses you get (most of which may agree with each other). While traffic may not be what it once was, the flame wars aren’t quite as bad either. Traffic is down in large part because of frequent server problems since late 2002, which has led to the development of several other new forums.
The ASL Forums - Relatively new (started in early 2003), but a pretty heavily trafficked site.
Warfare HQ - Also relatively new, with ASL information and articles, plus a forum on ASL.
ConsimWorld - "Conflict Simulation Gaming News and Discussion." Here, you can find discussion boards for almost any wargame (and many non-wargames), including boards for ASL in particular and MMP in general.
Virtual ASL (VASL) - VASL is a Java-based application that allows you to play ASL online. This a terrific resource for many reasons, but most importantly because it allows you to play without being bound by geography if you happen to live in an ASL-deficient area. The application has also been the basis of VASSAL, a more generic engine that allows you to play other games as well. Check out the server and you may find someone willing to teach you, or you can look in on a game and watch others play. The documentation and the website tell you about how to manage all of this, as well as etiquette for doing so.
2. Learning the Rules
ASL is a very complex game. Surprisingly, once you are familiar with the rules, it is actually very playable, but getting to that level of familiarity is what’s hard, especially if you have no prior experience and are staring at the rather large rulebook wondering how you’ll ever understand what this is about. What online resources are available to help you learn ASL? Well, obviously the sites listed above are a good place to start, especially VASL, but there are other options available to guide you in learning the system.
Eight Steps to ASL: A Programmed Instruction Approach - This is an article by longtime ASLer Jim Stahler that presents the rules in manageable bits, so that you only have to learn a few at a time, with scenario suggestions that allow you to apply the rules you’ve just learned.
Tuomoland - This is Tom Repetti’s website. The "Examples of Play" provided here are detailed move-by-move recaps of ASL scenarios, which are perfect for letting you see how the game flows as well as getting a feel for how the rules apply. Invaluable as a training aid. The site also contains Tom’s Spuddy awards from past years, which are collections of the funniest postings from the ASLML from its glory days. Obviously of limited value for learning ASL, but very funny reading at times.
3. What to play
Okay, now you know the basics of how to play, and hopefully have found an opponent, whether local or online. What do you play? The obvious answer is to play the scenarios from whatever modules you own. However, there are scenarios available for free downloading as well, especially at the MMP website. Many of these are good introductory or teaching scenarios, meaning they have small unit density and allow you to focus on only part of the rules (ie, either infantry- or vehicle-only) at one time.
Multiman Publishing (downloads) - Several sets of scenarios are here for downloading. The most important for the new player are the ASL Classic scenarios. These are a series of scenarios reprinted in a magazine a few years ago which is now out of print. These include "T1 - Gavin Take" and "A – The Guards Counterattack", two of the most widely played scenarios. T1 especially is a commonly used teaching scenario and Guards is the subject of one of Repetti’s Examples of Play at the Tuomoland website. "T2 – The Puma Prowls" is commonly used as a teaching scenario for vehicles. Two newer scenarios are bonuses from the most recent MMP Journal (Journal #5), W1 and W2. These appear to be good teaching scenarios as well.
Also available here are the scenarios for Streets of Fire and Action Pack #1, two out of print modules. These are a bit more advanced, as is the Provence Pack, a nice set of scenarios which come complete with notes and tips on play. Feel free to download these, but there aren’t any real scenarios for beginners here.
Print Magazines - The best source beyond your core modules are the magazines published by Avalon Hill and MMP. The ASL Annual was produced (more-or-less) annually from 1989 through 1997. Unfortunately, these are now all out of print, although they can be found through such sources as eBay, for those willing to fork over a few bucks. These contain many fine scenarios, as well as some terrific articles. The earlier Annuals tended to emphasize historical articles, with a greater concentration on tactical tips in later issues. Hopefully with MMP's plans to release more issues of Out of the Attic, more of these scenarios and the best of the articles will be reprinted in the future.
The Journal is MMP's version of the Annual, and issue 5 has recently been released. These are generally of very good quality as well (although the best of these, Journal 2, is now out of print) and again offer many fine articles along with a large number of scenarios. These are all worth obtaining.
4. Tactics and Play Aids
Learning the rules is the hardest part of starting play in ASL. Once you’ve gotten a feel for the game, however, you’ll need to develop a sense of the tactics that are necessary to play this game. Obviously it’s not enough to learn what stacking is; you also need to learn why it’s usually inadvisable, and when it’s absolutely necessary. Participating in the various online forums is a good way to begin to pick up tips on how to play ASL, simply by following the discussions. The print magazines listed in the last section are a great resource, but must be bought or are no longer available. Fortunately there are a number of resources online, including some magazines.
Online Magazines – Several ASL players and clubs publish their own journals. These often feature information about the club and its members and are directed towards its members in terms of content. However, they often feature general ASL content as well, including tactical tips, product reviews, scenario analysis and after-action reports. Occasionally, they'll have articles explaining certain rules, which can be a big help.
View From the Trenches - This may be the best of the online magazines. Produced by U.K. ASLer Pete Phillips, there are more than 40 issues available for download. Most of these are useful and all make entertaining reading. The ASL scene from a British perspective, but lots here for any ASL player. You could clearcut a small forest for enough paper to print out all of these.
Hit the Beach! - Produced by the SoCal ASL Club. This is their club newsletter, but does contain some general ASL information. The website for the club also has a great many links to other ASL websites (under "ASL Resources").
Banzai!! - Produced by the Central Texas ASL Club. Similar in focus to the SoCal publication. The April Fools Day issues (Bonsai!! and Bonanzai!!) are worth checking out too.
Other Websites - Many ASL players have their own websites and have put a tremendous amount of work into making the game easier for all of us. Tom Repetti's site has been listed earlier, and is the best of the sites for learning the game. Here are a few more sites that are useful for the play of ASL.
Desperation Morale Central - Mark Pitcavage has created this site for the benefit of all of us. The downloadable play aids and "cheat sheets" are the highlight here, but be sure to check out the "ASL Museum" as well, which documents the levels of fanaticism ASL players can achieve in playing this game.
Dicetower.com - Sam Belcher's site, originally dedicated to Sam's dice towers, but also containing other useful information, including the most complete list available of "Perry Sez" rules clarifications. Perry Cocke is one of the members of MMP, and is the current "rules guru". This collection lists the various clarifications he has issued on the online forums, in addition to collecting the known rules errata and clarifications listed in the official publications.
Yankee ASL - The website for the Boston ASL Group. Several items of interest here, but particularly useful is the Chronology of War, a searchable database of every ASL scenario published, both official and "third-party" products, with an Excel spreadsheet that is downloadable.
5. Conclusion
ASL is a very complex game, but is an absolute blast to play, once a player is familiar with the game. Getting started is usually the most difficult hurdle to clear, and hopefully the resources listed here will help the new player past that obstacle. Roll low!
I’m a partially-reformed newbie, quite comfortable with the Advanced Squad Leader system, but still fairly inexperienced in actual play of the game. ASL is a wonderful game of tactical warfare, but can be incredibly daunting to the new player. What I wanted to do here was provide an article listing the best means of learning ASL, based on what has worked for me and taking into account the resources currently available.
What is ASL? If you don’t know, see the ASL FAQ for a good background.
Okay, so you’ve managed to procure a copy of the Rulebook and Beyond Valor, or you’ve tried the new Starter Kit. Either way, you’re ready to take the plunge into the madness that is ASL. How do you get started? This article is to help with finding information, opponents and materials to allow you to learn to play ASL. This article doesn’t try to provide tactical help, or give you a how-to. Too many people have already put too much time into doing just that. This is here to help you find what’s already been done.
By far, the best way to learn ASL is to have someone already familiar with the game help you. The first section below should help you find out if someone is in the area, or tell you how to find an opponent if no one is near you. Other sections will focus on learning how to play the game (ie, the rules) and learning how to play the game (ie, tactical help). In addition, I'll give sources for finding scenarios to play. Welcome to ASL and enjoy!
1. Finding Help
The ASL Rulebook is a very large collection of rules, and is generally thought of as a reference more than a rulebook. Unlike most games, it's very difficult to start at the beginning of the rulebook and figure out how to play by reading straight through. Finding someone to teach you ASL directly is by far the easiest method of entry into this game. If you have someone local, so much the better. How do you find out whether there is someone? If there’s a game store nearby, you can ask there, but these days, fewer and fewer are carrying ASL or other Conflict Simulations, so that is probably less likely to help. You are better off trying the online forums, posting an introduction (including your location), and asking if anyone is around. Where are these online sources of information?
Multiman Publishing (MMP) - The makers of ASL. These guys are hobbyists, just like us. They have a contract with Hasbro (the owners of the copyrights for ASL) to produce ASL stuff. This site is one source for obtaining in-print ASL material. The website has a player directory which may provide a local contact. They also have a list of clubs. Both of these may be a little out of date, but are a good starting point.
The ASL Mailing List (ASLML) - Only a shadow of its former self, but still a terrific source for ASL help, information and rules interpretations. Post a rules question here and you may be amazed by the number of responses you get (most of which may agree with each other). While traffic may not be what it once was, the flame wars aren’t quite as bad either. Traffic is down in large part because of frequent server problems since late 2002, which has led to the development of several other new forums.
The ASL Forums - Relatively new (started in early 2003), but a pretty heavily trafficked site.
Warfare HQ - Also relatively new, with ASL information and articles, plus a forum on ASL.
ConsimWorld - "Conflict Simulation Gaming News and Discussion." Here, you can find discussion boards for almost any wargame (and many non-wargames), including boards for ASL in particular and MMP in general.
Virtual ASL (VASL) - VASL is a Java-based application that allows you to play ASL online. This a terrific resource for many reasons, but most importantly because it allows you to play without being bound by geography if you happen to live in an ASL-deficient area. The application has also been the basis of VASSAL, a more generic engine that allows you to play other games as well. Check out the server and you may find someone willing to teach you, or you can look in on a game and watch others play. The documentation and the website tell you about how to manage all of this, as well as etiquette for doing so.
2. Learning the Rules
ASL is a very complex game. Surprisingly, once you are familiar with the rules, it is actually very playable, but getting to that level of familiarity is what’s hard, especially if you have no prior experience and are staring at the rather large rulebook wondering how you’ll ever understand what this is about. What online resources are available to help you learn ASL? Well, obviously the sites listed above are a good place to start, especially VASL, but there are other options available to guide you in learning the system.
Eight Steps to ASL: A Programmed Instruction Approach - This is an article by longtime ASLer Jim Stahler that presents the rules in manageable bits, so that you only have to learn a few at a time, with scenario suggestions that allow you to apply the rules you’ve just learned.
Tuomoland - This is Tom Repetti’s website. The "Examples of Play" provided here are detailed move-by-move recaps of ASL scenarios, which are perfect for letting you see how the game flows as well as getting a feel for how the rules apply. Invaluable as a training aid. The site also contains Tom’s Spuddy awards from past years, which are collections of the funniest postings from the ASLML from its glory days. Obviously of limited value for learning ASL, but very funny reading at times.
3. What to play
Okay, now you know the basics of how to play, and hopefully have found an opponent, whether local or online. What do you play? The obvious answer is to play the scenarios from whatever modules you own. However, there are scenarios available for free downloading as well, especially at the MMP website. Many of these are good introductory or teaching scenarios, meaning they have small unit density and allow you to focus on only part of the rules (ie, either infantry- or vehicle-only) at one time.
Multiman Publishing (downloads) - Several sets of scenarios are here for downloading. The most important for the new player are the ASL Classic scenarios. These are a series of scenarios reprinted in a magazine a few years ago which is now out of print. These include "T1 - Gavin Take" and "A – The Guards Counterattack", two of the most widely played scenarios. T1 especially is a commonly used teaching scenario and Guards is the subject of one of Repetti’s Examples of Play at the Tuomoland website. "T2 – The Puma Prowls" is commonly used as a teaching scenario for vehicles. Two newer scenarios are bonuses from the most recent MMP Journal (Journal #5), W1 and W2. These appear to be good teaching scenarios as well.
Also available here are the scenarios for Streets of Fire and Action Pack #1, two out of print modules. These are a bit more advanced, as is the Provence Pack, a nice set of scenarios which come complete with notes and tips on play. Feel free to download these, but there aren’t any real scenarios for beginners here.
Print Magazines - The best source beyond your core modules are the magazines published by Avalon Hill and MMP. The ASL Annual was produced (more-or-less) annually from 1989 through 1997. Unfortunately, these are now all out of print, although they can be found through such sources as eBay, for those willing to fork over a few bucks. These contain many fine scenarios, as well as some terrific articles. The earlier Annuals tended to emphasize historical articles, with a greater concentration on tactical tips in later issues. Hopefully with MMP's plans to release more issues of Out of the Attic, more of these scenarios and the best of the articles will be reprinted in the future.
The Journal is MMP's version of the Annual, and issue 5 has recently been released. These are generally of very good quality as well (although the best of these, Journal 2, is now out of print) and again offer many fine articles along with a large number of scenarios. These are all worth obtaining.
4. Tactics and Play Aids
Learning the rules is the hardest part of starting play in ASL. Once you’ve gotten a feel for the game, however, you’ll need to develop a sense of the tactics that are necessary to play this game. Obviously it’s not enough to learn what stacking is; you also need to learn why it’s usually inadvisable, and when it’s absolutely necessary. Participating in the various online forums is a good way to begin to pick up tips on how to play ASL, simply by following the discussions. The print magazines listed in the last section are a great resource, but must be bought or are no longer available. Fortunately there are a number of resources online, including some magazines.
Online Magazines – Several ASL players and clubs publish their own journals. These often feature information about the club and its members and are directed towards its members in terms of content. However, they often feature general ASL content as well, including tactical tips, product reviews, scenario analysis and after-action reports. Occasionally, they'll have articles explaining certain rules, which can be a big help.
View From the Trenches - This may be the best of the online magazines. Produced by U.K. ASLer Pete Phillips, there are more than 40 issues available for download. Most of these are useful and all make entertaining reading. The ASL scene from a British perspective, but lots here for any ASL player. You could clearcut a small forest for enough paper to print out all of these.
Hit the Beach! - Produced by the SoCal ASL Club. This is their club newsletter, but does contain some general ASL information. The website for the club also has a great many links to other ASL websites (under "ASL Resources").
Banzai!! - Produced by the Central Texas ASL Club. Similar in focus to the SoCal publication. The April Fools Day issues (Bonsai!! and Bonanzai!!) are worth checking out too.
Other Websites - Many ASL players have their own websites and have put a tremendous amount of work into making the game easier for all of us. Tom Repetti's site has been listed earlier, and is the best of the sites for learning the game. Here are a few more sites that are useful for the play of ASL.
Desperation Morale Central - Mark Pitcavage has created this site for the benefit of all of us. The downloadable play aids and "cheat sheets" are the highlight here, but be sure to check out the "ASL Museum" as well, which documents the levels of fanaticism ASL players can achieve in playing this game.
Dicetower.com - Sam Belcher's site, originally dedicated to Sam's dice towers, but also containing other useful information, including the most complete list available of "Perry Sez" rules clarifications. Perry Cocke is one of the members of MMP, and is the current "rules guru". This collection lists the various clarifications he has issued on the online forums, in addition to collecting the known rules errata and clarifications listed in the official publications.
Yankee ASL - The website for the Boston ASL Group. Several items of interest here, but particularly useful is the Chronology of War, a searchable database of every ASL scenario published, both official and "third-party" products, with an Excel spreadsheet that is downloadable.
5. Conclusion
ASL is a very complex game, but is an absolute blast to play, once a player is familiar with the game. Getting started is usually the most difficult hurdle to clear, and hopefully the resources listed here will help the new player past that obstacle. Roll low!
