Short AARs
I simply don’t have the time to put together a dog and pony show with PowerPoint on the latest ASL actions, but I should at least document the playings for posterity. I like the multi-media thing, but it can really be time consuming, and the farther I get from the playing, the less useful my memory is on details.
Saturday Jeff DeYoung and I played Parry and Riposte from a Kinetic Energy pack. I’ve wanted to play a few desert scenarios, since I’m deficient in desert combat. This scenario represents a typical engangement between Rommel’s Korps and the British (Indians in this case). The Germans sweep in with a number of assault guns, anti-tank rifles (towed) and artillery pieces (the 76LL Russian gun, also towed). The German player also gets three of a rare German vehicle (the theme of the Kinetic Energy pack that produced this scenario) – the 7.62 cm FK(r) auf gp. Selbstfahrlafette (Sd Kfz 6/3) “Diana”, pictured here. In ASL terms, it is a really strange vehicle. The rules consider it unarmored around the hull, but a turret hit yielded an AF of 1, but only against certain types of direct fire. Once during the scenario, Jeff managed to put a 37 mm shell into the hull with no effect.
The British player defends the victory area (a hillock) with a small collection of infantry dug in with foxholes and sangars, while two 40 mm AT guns threaten my vehicles. Starting on turn 5, he gets a random roll to determine the entry of three Grants and two Stuarts for support.
The desert is strange. Line of sight is practically unlimited, cover is non-existent, and 30+ hex shots are common. I learned a lot about using dust trails to obscure the bulk of my forces, running tanks and halftracks around to lay down some cover, while trying to keep the unarmored trucks out of effective range of the enemy. Overall, the scenario progressed well for me. The 76 mm artillery managed to bath one of his anti-tank guns in smoke, reducing its ability to hit me, while my own tanks made short work of his armored car screen. I was generally happy until about turn four.
By then, I was getting in that danger zone where halftracks could be destroyed by machine gun fire, and the unarmored trucks were growing more vulnerable. I started to unload my troops and work on a dispersed infantry advance on foot preceded by my two assault guns and the halftracks kicking up more dust cover. Jeff immediately went on a rate of fire tear with a 9-1 directed heavy machine gun. I think he fired around eight shots, and never seemed to roll lower than 5. When it was over, I had broken and dead Germans all over the place, with more than a couple of smoking halftracks. If that wasn’t enough, he revealed the other 40 mm AT gun in an isolated flanking position (a position I had discounted as too risky for him) and took out an assault gun with a flank shot, and then followed it up by blowing another halftrack that had not yet unloaded.
Piling on, Jeff rolled the improbable on turn 5 (less than 2) to get his armor support a turn sooner than I had expected. I was in the process of maneuvering my Dianas and AT guns to cover the approach path, but he got the tanks sooner than expected. He used this surprise to swarm my armor position and a furious gun battle ensued. When the smoke cleared, four of his five tanks were dead, but all three Dianas were destroyed and one artillery crew had broke and ran, leaving me with one functioning artillery piece left.
Victory was still theoretically possible after that. I caught the 40 mm AT gun in a ‘no fire’ situation (after he exhausted his intensive fire opportunity) and ran a halftrack with a crew and a demolition charge right up on top of him. I didn’t have the movement points to stop and unload properly, so I threw the charge from the moving halftrack (a first for me). The charge blew, breaking his crew, but destroying the halftrack in the backblast, killing all on board. At least the gun fell silent.
In the end, we ran out of time to finish the scenario. In theory, I could have still one the game, but I don’t think it would have happened. I had enough to sweep the British off of the hill, but I’d have to do it with next to zero new casualties. Once again, I came up short in a scenario.
At least Jeff sweated this one out. He told me he thought he would lose until he went on that insane rate of fire tear with the heavy machine gun. That’s the way things go for me though…
I can see the appeal of the desert. I would certainly like to do some more.
Prior to that, I played The Green House with Chris Garrett. This is a really interesting scenario from Schwerpunkt. Both the Japanese and American players have troops entering from all over the board, creating multiple engagements on the battlefield. The ultimate goal is for the Americans to maintain control over the company HQ (The Green House) isolated from the bulk of the American troops by a clearing. The Japanese player had a number of machine guns, mortars and a pillbox in position to command the clearing and prevent effective American reinforcement of the soon-to-be-overran HQ. To compensate, the Americans get some armor support later with canister (think of a main gun being used as a shotgun…oh yeah).
A lot happened in this scenario, but as the American player, it once again came down to me under-estimating the raw firepower the Japanese army can absorb and still fight. I had a nice firebase inflicting huge shots on the Japanese player in a bid to drive them back before I moved in to occupy his ground and work on the pillbox, but the huge shots weren’t working quickly enough on the Japanese. They don’t respond like European troops, and that cost me. By not being insanely aggressive and pushing hard, I ran out of time and the game was lost.
This is turning into a theme for me. When I started with ASL, I was far too aggressive. Now I seem to be too cautious. The key to victory is finding that middle ground.
Chris and I are started the Guadalcanal campaign from Operation: Watchtower next week. I’m taking the Japanese side, and I intend on filing more comprehensive reports of this action as it is likely to cover several months of playing. Night fighting in the jungle: should be a great time.
That is, unless you are actually IN the jungle fighting at night. Then I imagine it isn’t all that enjoyable.
Filed under: ASL
I’m fascinated by reading these reports. The rules of the game must be exhausting. I’m tempted to try it out, but know I would not have the time.
Have you won one yet by the way?
Next time I’m up maybe I could get a crash course.
Hey Mark, I recommend (and I’m guessing Todd would too) that you check out the ASL Starter Kit #1, which is a great and fast way to learn how to play ASL with infantry and support weapons. You’d definitely have the time
ASL rules are exhausting, but the trick is to only learn the relevant bits as you need them. So until you play a beach landing at night with paratroopers, you can skip those sections of the rules and still have a great time playing ASL. Stick to infantry for your first few games and add extras bit by bit.
The best way to learn how to play ASL is to sit down with someone who knows how to play, and play a learning game or two, get them to show you a few neat tricks. It’s no harder than chess if you do it this way.
I have the ASL Starter Kit, so anytime you want to give it a go, I’ll be more than happy to walk you through.
Nothing like passing on the obsession.
Paul,
Thanks for the info. No harder than chess? What do you have for a raging checkers player?
I’ll admit it does sound tempting!