ASLOK XXIX and the rest of the news

ASLOK XXIX is a done deal!

In the end, my attendance at ASLOK XXIX was going to be a very close run thing. With the ending of a relationship, the subsequent upheaval and stress and then the termination  of my existing residential lease, it was not looking good.

Thankfully, things turned out okay. Sure I might be living on ramen and instant coffee until the day of my departure so I can have some spending money for ASLOK, but I have paid for the plane fare, the hotel is booked and budgeted for, and I also have a new residence that I will be moving into over the next 14 days.

I'm treating this ASLOK as I should, a chance to recuperate mentally and spiritually after 6 months of chaos. Physically I'm still a bit of a wreck but having a 3 week holiday, most of which will be spent with good friends at ASLOK, will do wonders for my health.

I'm turning up in Cleveland at 10pm on October 1st, and will be ready to gun from the next morning/ afternoon, depending on whether I can get some shopping done (travelling to the US means I will be obtaining some items that are almost impossible to find in Australia anymore, such as US sized page protectors, perhaps some Duratool Raaco knockoffs, and some software/hardware for my PC) and how my discretionary funds are holding out.

My ASL shopping list for ASLOK is pretty much set:

• Decision at Elst (MMP)
• Special Ops 4 and 5 (MMP)
• ESG Dezign Paks that I am missing
• Lone Canuck Historical Modules
• Schwerpunkt 2011 onwards
• The Rat Charts from LFT
• The latest Friendly Fire (plus one for the Cleavinator)
• Battleschool Dice

 I may not be able to afford all of the above in one hit, but I will do my best.

November 2013 Paddo Bearz meeting

Trooped down to Sydney for the monthly Paddo Bearz meeting today, and yes I played some ASL face to face.

Jeremy Dibbens and I played a game of BB5/G35/ASL105 Going To Church with Jeremy taking the attacking Canadians and myself playing the point defence SS. I almost made the cardinal mistake of reading the VCs and leaving myself vulnerable to a loss after a single Prep Fire attack, but realised just in time.

Jeremy has good taste in ASL, he picked up  a full Raaco set, an LFT dice tower and Battleschool dice so his ASL gear is all shiny new and freshly punched. However he has not clipped the counters, although as he has been playing Ivan recently, he now knows the True Path of ASL Counter Righteousness.

Here's a picture of my still flawed final setup and tactical plan. The 238 stacked with the hero and 8-0 should have been on Level 2 in E4.

Pre-Game Setup and Plan.

Jeremy is still relatively new to ASL (I felt rather bad handling his shiny new counters - it just felt wrong) so he was up against it a little bit in that I had played this scenario before as both Germans and Canadians, plus I had an idea on how to prepare for the end game with blocking half-squads on stairwell locations.

Despite generating a second hero from the 238 in the belltower, Jeremy was still in a very strong position by turn 3. I feel he wasted time in crossing to the stone wall, particularly as he had managed to get Smoke into G3 on Turn 1 and I was hurriedly redeploying to get at least a 658 and 348 back to the church.

Sadly for Jeremy, he bum-rushed his 9-2 plus 458 into OG adjacent to a waiting 348, 6 down 2: DR: 1,2 = Final DR of 1:  2KIA. The good thing is that my end game was pretty well played, and Hjeremy took away some insights I hope, particularly with the Cleavinator kibitzing with our total approval.

I think I am at the point where I am more comfortable "teaching" ASL to someone who is not a complete novice, because both of us get to learn things. Next up for Jeremy, a delivery of US counters (my duplicate set of Yanks) and Chapter H, plus a few Schwerpunkt scenarios that will help him (and me) with understanding Shermans and US infantry capabilities - there is no way I would ever expect someone to grasp US infantry and Shermans from scenarios such as Kurhaus Clash or Among the (skulking) Ruins.

I also picked up my copy of Friendly Fire 8, so expect a few overviews of the scenarios to come...plus hopefully some PBeM/Live VASL updates - a lot of games on the boil or just starting to simmer now.

My latest project on Gamesquad

Themed VASL + Skype scenario series with a difference .

The theme is not so much Eastern Front, or indeed by publisher but is based on playing through
the designs of a single individual, in this case, Xavier Vitry of Le Franc Tireur.

The idea:

• Commit to one VASL + Skype session per weekend with an option of adding one PBeM log through the week but only if you are into PBeM. 
• Each player plays the same side throughout the series of 10 scenarios, in this case my opponent will be playing Germans. 
• All games count towards the ASL Ladder games and will be entered into ROAR.
• Using VASL 5.9.3 with VASSAL 3.1.20

The scenarios (with Balance if both players are evenly matched) :

1. J093 (LFT 29) The Porechye Bridgehead with Soviet Balance 
2. J102 (LFT 31) The Yelnya Bridge with Soviet Balance
3. J103 (LFT 32) Lenin's Sons
4. J104 (LFT 33) Flanking Flamethrowers with Soviet Balance
5. J105 (LFT 34) Borodino Train Station with Soviet Balance    
6. J115 (LFT 35) Last Push to Mozhaisk with German Balance
7. FTC5 153 Nailed to the Ground
8. FTC5 155 Once Upon A Time...In The East 
9. FTC6 165 Shopino Struggle with Soviet Balance
10. LFT 196 Spittelmarkt

Of these 10 scenarios, I have played all those published in the Journal except J093. I am currently about to start a game of FTC 196 as the Germans vs Blind Sniper.

Six Days in Spring...

This coming Friday morning will see the arrival of the newly refurbished computer. Eight months of exile in tablet hell will come to an end with a vengeance. All caused, not by a power surge as I had thought and dreaded due to the cost of replacing the Solid State Drive, the graphics card and power supply, but by a single failure in a $5 SATA cable connected to the OS drive. So much of my exile was avoidable if I had any kind of computer clue. But then the cable failure was probably caused by me opening the case the last time anyway.

The good news is indeed good, no data loss.

So what is my ASL schedule going to look like? Well, as I only work Mon-Thurs, I intend to get back on the horse that is VASL as soon as possible. I intend not to focus only on pre-arranged games as I was wont to do, but from now on I will have a short list of on call scenarios with associated defensive setups for those times when an ad-hoc game is called for.

I'm hoping to at least start one live VASL game most Thursday evenings Australian time,  as that will mesh well with the North American and Asia Pacific community. The three day weekend also means I will be able to play some of the GB/Euro ASL active players as waking up at 6am to play equates to a 2 hour sleeping for me.

All in all, I am looking at hopefully playing three completed games on average per weekend, and that will still give me the two days per month I need for attending the war games clubs for miniatures. I do know that I am seriously looking forward to being able to post screen grabs and photos on this blog rather than the walls of text I have been restricted to.

Steve Linton from Canberra very kindly sent me two scenario packs from the Break Contact series. Now PTO is very much an acquired taste of mine, if only recently, so the opportunity to look at some new scenarios was always welcome. There are some big scenarios in the two packs I have, but thankfully the new multi-monitor set up makes these doable now. A notable design in the latest pack features the LFT I beach landing board so it will almost certainly make the playlist. I just have to find some one also keen on doing seaborne assaults and evacuations.

All in all, lots to look forward to and lots still to do. 

An appreciation of the French way of ASL part 2

Volume 7 of Le Franc Tireur was the harbinger of the LFT new wave, the first issue to get more than minimal exposure outside the EC. Reaching back into my memory, 2003 was really a lean year for TPP: CH were only just starting to come out of their self induced dormant period; Heat of Battle were not doing much; and of the scenario producers, only Schwerpunkt was being its usual productive annual self, with George Kellnand Paul Kenny just starting or not raising their heads much above the horizon of ASL consciousness at that stage.

But returning to LFT #7; an entire issue devoted to the East Front, with a Borodino theme for 5 scenarios, all 5 of which saw subsequent wider exposure in the opages of Journal 7 and 8. It's these scenarios that I'm going to have a brief look at, purely because I really enjoyed them when I first played them and I reckon it's actually worth looking at the differences between the two iterations.

The scenarios are: 

• The Yelnya Bridge (FT31, J102)

•  Lenin's Sons (FT32, J103)

•  Flanking Flamethrowers (FT33, J104)

•  Borodino Train Station (FT34, J105)

•  Last push to Mozhaisk (FT35, J115)

Before we go any further, note that there are three Borodino SSRs that apply to all five FT scenarios :

1. All Buildings are wooden (except for FT34 Borodino Train Station)
2. German 838/338, 548/238s and Soviet 628/328 are Assault Engineers
3. Vehicular crews may not voluntarily abandon their vehicles.

Pretty much standard type SSRs and dutifully included as required by MMP

Let's look at the differences in each scenario:

•  The Yelnya Bridge: MMP did some minor mods of the SSRs, using non SS illos for the SS OB and therefore needing to specify SS capability in the SSRs. Actual OB changes were made to the Soviet Ob, with MMP dropping 1 447 squad but adding a 426  instead, plus adding an ATR. For the Germans, MMP added a 548 and an lmg. That's pretty much it.

• Lenin's Sons: As above, MMp just tided up the SSR wording, and added a single lmg to the post errata German OB  (NB LFT 1st ed errata: add 1 lmg and one DC to the German OB so they have two of each). The only real major change is MMP increased the game length to 6.5 turns and raised the German CVP cap from ≤14 to ≤16 or less. [NB: LFT errata: Map : instead of only hexrows D-U are playable, read hexrows D-Z]

• Flanking FTs: SSRs tidied and clarified as before. German OB changes are fairly major: upgrade 4 x 457 to 468, add a 247 hs, upgrade 1 x 8-0 ldr to 8-1 and the armour enters on Turn 1 as opposed to turn 2. Soviet OB change drops one of the Turn 4 Soviet 628s

•  Borodino Train Station: (The Compass Rose is incorrect in the FT version, North should be at the bottom). SSRs tidied but no other changes at all.

• Last Push to Mozhaisk: The only real change si a subtle one, decreasing the German CVP cap from 24 to 23.

Balance: (ROAR stats as of 21/11/2011) 

• The Yelnya Bridge: [FT31] German 17 vs Russian 19 [J102] German 38 Russian 29
• Lenin's Sons:   [FT32] German 5 vs Russian 11 [J103] German 57 vs Russian 69
• Flanking FTs:  [FT33] German 4 vs Russian 10 [J104] German 37 vs Russian 21    
• Borodino Train Station: [FT34] German 5 vs Russian 0 [J105] German 61 vs Russian 33    
• Last Push to Mozhaisk: [FT35] German 4 vs Russian 9 [J115] German 23 vs Russian 35

My thoughts, I've played all but Mozhaisk, but I'd play them all again. Brodino needs the most help and I'd disallow Boresighting based on the historical blurb or drop the AFV entry to turn 2 as a default with the balance being to incorporate both. Flanking Fts I think needs the German Armour also to enter on Turn 2 and add back the dropped 628. Yelnya, the Germans should lose 1 lmg and that's about it. Mozhaisk could probably do with increasing the German CVP up to around 26 or 27.

Jorunal 7 was a very good set of scenarios as far as I was concerned, quite a few don't like these five scenarios but as a linked set and theme, I like them. Plus they are really excellent fast play scenarios that only need a little tweaking, don't use a huge amount of outlandish SSRs and still force both sides to think slightly oustide the box and use all the various national characteristics. (okay so I'm biased and still reckon you can use a HW in Borodino successfully on turn 1).

Pete.
 
Currently listening to: Betty Blue soundtrack

An appreciation of the French way of ASL part 1

I'll be the first to admit that I'm a (somewhat pretentious) francophile. I've spent some time living there, including a year in Paris doing the whole dissolute writer thing on the left bank, and until relatively recently I was planning to retire to a small village in the Loire where I have some investment property. Hell, I even support Les Bleus when they aren't in a position to KO the All Blacks froma World Cup.

I first came across ASL à la mode française through working on some of the Tactiques translations for Coastal Fortress and through Vae Victis. I would have liked to have obtained ASL News and Tactiques in their heydays, but unfortunately by the time I was aware of them, they were gone and in the case of ASL News, their legacy has been sadly traduced by Critical Hit.

Thankfully Le Franc Tireur has raised the banner of French ASL proudly once more and it's notable that for many ASLers, LFT is one of the must buy TPPs. Not a bad effort given the expense outside the EC in obtaining LFT products, although for those of us in Australasia and the far East, it's been hugely convenient to have a distribution point located in Cambodia especially as the AUD has been strong vis à vis the Euro.

I'm gradually building up my collection of Le Franc Tireur products (those I am missing are from the earlier days, but as French language editions are just as accessible for me as a francophone, the demand from the wider ASL community is not as fierce), with the two main goals being LFT N° 8 Normandy and From The Cellar N° 3.

In the next piece, brief thoughts on a particular subset of scenarios from LFT.

Pete.

Currently listening to: Piaf: 30ème anniversaire

Feeding the addiction

There are times when you just have to go "Stuff it!" and spend money on ASL crack. I just saw that Operation Chariot is now OOP (but I have my copy), so I have made damn sure that I don't miss out on Cholm. in case it goes OOP as it may well do, given the more familiar subject matter in terms of Eastern Front as opposed to one off large scale commando raid.

Of course this probably wouldn't have had the same sort of impact if I hadn't also snuck under the pre-order wire for a copy of Crucible of Steel from Bounding Fire. I effectively bought this without any knoweldge of the actual contents other than the subject matter was Kursk, it had a monstrous scenario called "Flying Turrets" and there were multiple sheets of counters, both new and improved reprints from previous BFP modules. Imagine my thoughts when I actually bothered to look at the product info and saw there were 6 freaking mapboards (three of which are double sized) and 32 scenarios.

I didn't even blink at the price either, which shows either I'm addicted (yes) or am still blasé about paying half as much for Crucible as I did for BV in 1986.

I have just realised that I've bought all these very nice examnples of ASL eye candy from BFP starting with Into The Rubble and I'm actually yet to play a single freaking scenario from any of them, whereas Le Franc Tireur have managed to get a few playings out of me inthe last few years , admittedly via the Journal exposure.

I wonder if I could make it a theme to complete 100 BFP scenarios by the end of 2012?

Update: Kampfgruppe Scherer: Cholm and From the Cellar 6 are now ordered, the Cleavinator is ordering Friendly Fire 7 on my behalf and I've pre-ordered Action Pack 8 for us both as well.