ASL First Fire

"I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out…"

Well, that's pretty much how it sounded when the first announcements were made that Consimworld was going to a subscription plan. The topic dominated the discussion boards for many days, and while a lot of the discussion has died down, we're now only a week away from the transition. Adding to the upheaval for ASL players was the announcement that ASL Forums moderator and founder Nat Mallet was going to have to step down from that position, leaving the future of the Forums uncertain, and possibly leading to a merger of the Forums into those provided at the Warfare HQ site.

I was going to comment on this a few days after the CSW announcement was made, but am glad I waited a bit before doing so. There was a great deal of furor at first, and predictions of the outcome ranged from "no big deal" to "the death of wargaming." The concerns are first that such a subscription service might drive away some of the more casual posters at CSW, thereby limiting the usefulness of the site as a repository of Consim information. Secondly, fewer new players are likely to join the site (and pay for the subscription) if they don't first have the opportunity to experience the community available there. There has been some talk that modifications to the subscription plan might be carried out to allow new players access to some of the boards to whet their appetites and also discussion of game companies footing the bill for that subscription. Indeed, John Kranz has just announced a delay in implementation of the subscription plan, presumably in order to continue exploring other options, but unless there are drastic changes, CSW will become more restricted in terms of access and some point in the near future. The ASL Forums transition seems a little uncertain as of this writing. I won't speculate on what motivations lie behind the plans. John Kranz has clearly put in a great deal of time and effort to keep Consimworld afloat, especially through what became a fairly tough transition to a new software package in the last year. It's his baby, and it'd be his right if he simply dismantled the entire thing. Likewise, I don't doubt Nat puts in a good deal of energy on the ASL Forums, although on a smaller scale. The question though is how these changes may impact ASL.

Restricting access to CSW isn't likely to have a significant direct impact on ASL. Until a couple of years ago, the major internet gathering place for ASL players was without question the ASL Mailing List. There were a few other forums available (including CSW) for those who didn't like the occasional tone of discussion on the list, but this was the major gathering site for ASLers in cyberspace. However, by late 2002, the server problems the list was experiencing (outages, duplicate postings being sent out, delays in messages appearing, etc.), combined with an increasing number of players who wanted to avoid the list altogether, caused many to begin looking elsewhere. CSW already had boards both for MMP and ASL itself, but traffic on those sites began to increase. In addition, other forums sprang up. The ASL Forum began in January of 2003, and the WarfareHQ site developed an ASL-specific forum later that year. There are at least a couple of Yahoo Groups dedicated to ASL as well. The net result is that there a number of sites available online to discuss matters related to ASL. CSW does not currently play a major role in this discussion. Occasional rules discussions and AARs may show up there, but this seems to be a small amount compared to the other sites. Severe restriction of access to CSW should not impact greatly on ASL's presence on the internet.

Where a change in CSW might have impact is on the ability to bring in new players. The mailing list and the ASL Forums are dedicated discussion sites for ASL players. CSW's advantage is that ASL players make up a small minority of those players who frequent that site. Having those players around allows them to become aware of new products like the Starter Kit, which might entice new players to finally give ASL a try and old players to think about trying it again. Based on comments at CSW, members of both groups have indeed given our beloved game a shot because of the Starter Kit. Would the kit have been as successful without CSW? It's hard to say. Going to CSW is like going to a large wargame convention. Not only can you become aware of different games that are out there, you can also find experienced players willing to tell you all about them.

Thus there's a "cross-pollenation" effect that CSW provides that can't be matched by any other Consim-dedicated site right now. Loss of this effect is probably more of a threat to companies like MMP than it is to specific games like ASL. MMP has diversified its product line in the last few years, offering (in addition to ASL) the Gamers line of games and now individual games such as Monty's Gamble: Market-Garden and the upcoming Shifting Sands. Discussion on the MMP company board at CSW is carried out by fans of all of MMP's games. Undoubtedly, dedicated ASLers have received exposure to the Gamers line through this board that they otherwise wouldn't have received (myself being one of them). Likewise, some of the dedicated Gamers players have indicated an interest in ASL once the Starter Kit was released. It's this crossover that MMP may lose if CSW doesn't thrive. ASL may not be directly affected, but anything that hurts MMP certainly doesn't help the system thrive in the future.

The ASL Forums merging with WarfareHQ wouldn't have a huge impact. Users of the Forums would likely make the transition without too much trouble. Speaking from the standpoint of personal preference, I just don't get into the WarfareHQ site as much. I don't know if it's the site itself, the usual posters there (a different group for the most part than on other ASL forums), or some combination of the two. If the merger happens, I'll probably make the transition too. If not, there is still the venerable ASLML to fall back on.

John Kranz and Nat Mallet deserve a great deal of thanks for what they've done for the gaming community. Free access to sites like these are emblematic of what the internet can provide. Unfortunately, as has happened so often in the last decade since interest in the "Information Superhighway" first exploded, the egalitarian nature of the net has run up against the realities of life, namely that sites like these cost a great deal to maintain, both in money and time. Nobody knows for sure what it is costing John to run Consimworld, but estimates tossed around on the discussion boards run into the thousands of dollars. Even if one doesn't wish to try to get rich off the internet (not a likely proposition anyway), there comes a point where compensation for services is required just to maintain the status quo. I can't begrudge the change to a subscription service, and it's probably an inevitable transformation at this point. But I will be sad to see it happen. We are a niche hobby. Anything that hinders the exchange of information in this relatively small community will end up hurting the hobby in the long run. I am hopeful that a new plan will be found that will allow fairly unrestricted access to the forums, and maybe this delay in starting the pay per view service is an indication that something is in the offing.

I've just received Heat of Battle's newest product, Beyond the Beachhead (BtB), aka "Fighting the Bocage." While not quite as ambitious as their CG Onslaught to Orsha (OtO), this appears to be another excellent and high quality product from the mind of Chad Smith.

As the title implies, this "Battle Pack" depicts the fighting that took place inland of the invasion beaches during the first seven weeks following D-Day, as the Allies first came to grips with the infamous Normandy hedgerows. To illustrate this terrain, BtB includes two mapboards and two overlays containing Heat of Battle's new artwork for Bocage hexsides (which allows Bocage and hedges to exist on the same mapboard for the first time). The pack seems to have been well received so far, with several AARs already having been posted on the ASL Forums. I'll provide links to those reports with the scenario reviews below.

The package is "oversized" due to the overlays included. The outer cover is the same size and stock as that included with OtO and includes a few special rules on the inside cover. One of these covers vertices where bocage and hedges intersect, something not previously encountered in the ASL system. The major new rule covers "Light Bocage." This is pretty much identical to regular Bocage except that it is only a half-level obstacle, therefore not leaving blind hexes, and the movement rules for crossing the hexsides are modified slightly. One other rule clarifies the effects of SCW on Bocage hexsides (at least for the purposes of this scenario set), and admits that HoB's interpretation for this Battle Pack goes against a recent clarification issued by MMP. I take this to mean that the scenarios in BtB were designed and playtested prior to that official clarification, and thus this rule exists to avoid a possible unbalancing of the BtB scenarios. The inside of the back cover gives a LOS example illustrating the new Light Bocage rules.


The centerpiece of this package, of course, is the playing field provided therein. Two geomorphic mounted boards are included as are two approximately half-board sized overlays (one with a village, the other with a large hill mass). The four items show fairly standard ASL artwork (with the notable exception of the new bocage artwork) and as one would expect the terrain is heavy on hedgerows. Both overlays will work on either mapboard, giving a total of six configurations. The cover also claims that the overlays will work on other existing geomorphic boards as well (the hill overlay is used on board 4 in one scenario). The artwork is crisp and clearly printed (I'm not sure if this is computer generated or hand painted, but if done eStyle, it far surpasses the results seen in the Starter Kit). This now makes a total of four boards produced by HoB counting the unfortunately out of print High Ground package, and all are worthy additions to the system. As an extra bonus (mainly for pre-publication orders), unmounted (but laminated) copies of both mapboards were also included, a nice thing to have as MMP transitions to ASLSK-style boards in the future.

Eight scenarios are provided, all of course featuring the Germans versus either the Americans, British or Canadians. Two scenarios use two mapboards, but the remaining six are one board or less in size, befitting the hedgerow battles depicted.

Taking Tailleville (one board) - Canadian forces armed with flamethrowers and Sherman IIIs attempt to clear a village of German troops late on D-Day. The Germans get tunnels and Fortified Locations to aid in their defense. (AAR)

Merely Hanging On (one board) - A German counterattack tries to retake St. Mere Eglise on D-Day plus 1 from American paratroopers who receive tank support midway through the battle.

Kraut Corner (half board) - German paratroopers defend a strongpoint near Cloville against American troops featuring a flanking force and a Tankdozer. Both sides receive OBA support. (AAR)

Firestorm in St. Manvieu (one board) - Scottish troops attempt to capture a village defended by SS Panzergrenadiers three weeks after D-Day. Both sides receive OBA with the Brits also receiving a Creeping Barrage and three Crocodiles.

Martinville Ridge (one board) - German forces, with aid from a Bombardment and three tanks, attempt to dislodge American forces from a level 2 hill. (AAR)

Men Against Tanks (less than half board) - U.S. infantry forces try to clear a small playing area of German paratroopers defending with entrenchments, wire and two dug-in tanks. (AAR)

Blood on Hill 192 (two boards) - Two companies of American infantry (including Assault Engineers) with eight AFVs try to dislodge heavily dug-in German paratroopers from a large hill mass. The U.S. forces have two OBA modules (one pre-registered) but the Germans get tunnels and special Breaches in the bocage to aid their cause.

Steel Inferno (two boards) - German Panzergrenadiers attempt to hold a village from a British attack. Both sides have armor support, with the Germans receiving amored reinforcements late in the game. Both sides receive OBA with the British applying a pregame Bombardment.

A good looking set of scenarios. Check out the AAR links to get some first impressions from players who have already tried them out.

The only minor nitpick I can find is that there doesn't seem to be a listing on either the game package or the website showing what the ASL prerequisites are for playing this pack. Of course, the German, American and British/Canadian counters will be needed. The maps have slope hexsides, thus requiring ownership of at least one of the HASL modules featuring these rules. In addition, one scenario requires captured LMG counters for the Germans provided in the Pegasus Bridge module, although these can easily be substituted for. Also, two scenarios use Bombardment rules provided in a KGP RG note. Otherwise, I don't think there are any special requirements. Boards 4 and 11 are needed for one scenario each, and the only other boards used in these scenarios are the two provided in the package itself. Likewise, no other overlays are needed either.

Overall, a very nice Battle Pack, and early returns from the online community seem to be very positive. I look forward to playing these. Heat of Battle has set a high standard with recent products like Firefights! and especially OtO and this newest package seems to live up to that legacy. Nice job.

My apologies to any regular readers of this site. I never intended this to be a daily report on my views of the ASL world in the classic blogging sense. Rather, this is meant to be a repository of occasional product reviews and rules how-to segments, a way of conveying lessons learned from 5+ years of experience with ASL and 25+ years of consim gaming in general, and a method of giving back to the ASL community in general. The blog just seemed an interesting and unique (in the ASL online community) way of doing so, stimulated by my perusal of the extensive blogging community devoted to Major League Baseball. It's also given me a way of learning a bit more about HTML programming (purely as a hobby).

However, I did want the content to be updated more often than it has over the last two months. Real life interference has unfortunately made it hard to do so, but I plan to do a better job in the future. A couple of items should appear here in the next couple of days. Hopefully, I'll get around soon to creating a page gathering all of the "frequently forgotten rules" posts together, and will continue to add more such postings in the future. Despite the various problems, I think ASL is surviving just fine, with a great potential boost by the development of the Starter Kits, and I hope to keep this site contributing to the community for some time to come.

On Perusing the Chapter Dividers

12. An original To Hit DR of 12 with a Panzerfaust causes Casualty Reduction to the firer (C13.36)

13. A CC attack vs. a crewed vehicle with an original To Hit DR of 12 causes Casualty Reduction for the attacking unit (A11.621)

It's nice to sit down and read over the chapter dividers on occasion (they make good bathroom reading, if nothing else). They make nice light reading, and more importantly will often point out something obscure you've been overlooking for some time. The summaries on the Chapter B divider which list the effects of various original DR (Doubles, original 2, original 12, etc.) are particularly nice. Reading through these earlier brought these two rules to light. I can't for the life of me recall dealing with "boxcars" in either of these situations before, but certainly can't seem to recall being aware of these either.

Obviously, it's fairly easy to know when to look for these events. Rolling "boxcars" should always trigger a warning that something bad may have just happened to the person who rolled the dice when it happens. But these summaries certainly help clarify just what all of these potential events happen to be. They also help in pointing out when something happens beyond the obvious. For example, most infantry attacks which roll a 12 don't really have any effect on either the attacker or the target. However, if Ammunition Shortage (A19.131) is in effect, it causes Unit Replacement for the attacking unit.

Reading the rulebook periodically is important for learning and retaining the ASL Rules. However, these chapter dividers do a very good job of summarizing and collating some of the most pertinent rules issues, and reading over these on occasion will greatly benefit your ability to play the game.