Average Dave

Advanced Squad Leader, published by MMP, is often referred to as not a game but a way of life or a lifestyle game - dramatic and also a bit of a put down in terms of a definition for a game. I think when people think of games they think they should be fun, elicit a social experience, not take things too seriously and most of all don’t want it to be an effort.

I often see people ask on forums about whether they should jump into Squad Leader, ASL, Combat Commander, Memoir ‘44 or the upcoming Tide of Iron and invariably the answer is to avoid ASL. The odd grognard will occassionally mention some fleeting argument for why ASL deserves a look-in; but for the most part the newbie will be suitably scared off and will retreat back into their hiding place, usually with a copy of Memoir ‘44 or Lock ‘n’ Load in their hand. I’m certainly not suggesting you avoid the others in favour of ASL - each of them has their strengths and I’m looking forward to picking up Tide of Iron, but still…

Here’s why ASL is the game for you:

It’s a thing of beauty. The rule book is something you’ll cherish, hand down to your grandkids and talk endlessly with other ASL romantics about how best to preserve, present and protect it. Bind it (spiral or book bound)? Page Protectors? Scan and reprint? (Transfer to PDA?) The list is endless and you’ve not even begun to read it yet!

It doesn’t read like any instructions you’ve proabably come across and it’s not for the feint of heart. It’s certainly comprehensive. Hundreds of pages, examples, exceptions and acronyms, across 3 binders make up my rules (I have the complete system) - I can tell you about Archer tanks and T32s, one man tankettes and 81mm mortars. If it played a somewhat significant part in the war, ASL has a counter for it.

You can take one page or even one column (sometimes even one paragraph) of those rules, re-read them several times and already you’ve probably learned something new or that you’d forgotten before. You’ll curse the way they’re written to start with, but later on when you’re hunting for that all important rule, the rules are structured in such a way to be the most helpful at that point.

The investment: When you invest time and a serious amount of money (assuming you get at least the Rule Book and the first module Beyond Valour, you’re already down £100 or so and you’re just scratching the surface of the official stuff out there), you expect a return. To warrant the outlay you naturally spend more time trying to get to grips with it, effort I generally won’t make for games in similar complexity. For me this was going out of my way to meet strangers (and invite them to my house too) to play, and routinely beat me, in scenarios of their choice. I still find today that I generally have no preference for a scenario to play. I’m not good enough to be able to look at a scenario card to picture how it will play out, but no other game would make me leave my comfort zone like ASL does and did back then.

I’ve made more friends in ASL than almost any other walk of life. When you think about friends outside of work, family and old school acquaintances where else will you meet someone who you can share a beer with on a cold day in Blackpool, or a vitual cup of tea across a VASL battlefield! I regularly see posts on forums saying things like “Hey, I’m driving past Berlin anyone around for a game?” - and suddenly there are virtual invites to stop over, have dinner, marry their eldest daughter…

ASL rewards dedication, you play, you learn, you study, you can analyse - you will get better. Not only that, but you have to think about the situation. A good understanding of the rules help, but it’s more tactical than rules based.

For about 4 years I was into the chess scene, playing for a club (at an average level, nothing more than once winning a very minor tournament - mainly because I happened to fall right at the top end of the rating bracket for that particular event). The thing I loved about chess was the ability to study an opening and go into a game with a real advantage. That’s not relevant to ASL - I can’t go away and become a “routing master” (although God knows I’ve had enough practice!) but it does feel good knowing that I can be rewarded for the study and investment.

I recently played in a tournament game (don’t read more into that than there was - ASL tournaments are just an excuse for guys to get together to play the game, rarely more than 10% of the attendees take it seriously and even the winners are generally there to have a good time). I was playing a scenario where the tactical situation meant I had to keep two Tiger tanks from being taken out by two Achilles tanks positioned at the front of the battle, but needing them up front to help with a push towards some ‘victory condition’ buildings. Do I hold back, or smoke the Achilles, rush them with panzerfaust toting half-squads, skulk around them, head towards them head on and hope my front armour will save me? The “rules knowledge” isnt going to save my Tigers, my tactics have to. (Incidentally, the tigers tried to skulk around after the half squad rush, but my wiley opponent braved the HS rush to save the shots for the Tigers, and destroyed them both in return for losing one tank. I lost the game a little later!) Of course better understanding of the rules makes you a better player, but a tactically astute player can and will beat better ASL “rules lawyers”.

The starter kits are doing a great job! Contrary to what I worried about - leaving the game for a few years doesn’t hurt as much as it might have done. I left the game for 5 years whilst the kids were younger and came back to it through the starter kits. Within a scenario or two I was back to my old level of incompetance and still loving every minute of it! There are 3 starter kits available now, one starts off with the basics, two adds Guns and three adds Vehicles. Each one is able to stand on its own, but there’s really no excuse not to get one of these if you’re somewhat interested. They’re less than £20 and generally available on ebay (click for a quick search) or at your local game store.

It’s not that hard! I know, 200 pages of rules, 10,000 counters, yada yada.. I recently played a scenario called “An Arm and a Leg”, simulating the German hold against a US attack. The germans are holding a hill with 3 and a half squads, plus a mortar, against 4 US squads. It has around 4 turns and will play in about 90 minutes. I could teach anyone how to play this scenario over VASL, with about a 10 minute walkthrough of some rules handling the rest when it came to it. Feel free to take me up on the challenge - get in touch and we’ll do it!

At the tournament in Blackpool a poker game broke out and some of the best players I’d come across that weekend had problems with main and side pots. For experienced poker players it’s second nature - the same for complex situations in ASL. It’s not mentally tough, it’s just knowing what the rules allow in that given situation.

The support network: Forums and 3rd parties (Heat of Battle, Schwerpunkt, etc) support the game with a level of enthusiasm unmatched for any game I’ve come across. Campaigns, scenarios, magazines are all producing material at a level of professionalism that is hard to beat. The legality of what they do is sometimes questioned - but it certainly provides a valuable service to the community, hungry for anything ASL.

Tertiary interests: You know that gardeners like to read gardening books, poker players will watch poker on tv - it’s about extending your enjoyment of a hobby outside of the physical activity that the hobby can offer. For ASL away from the rule book there’s the storage systems! Sort counters, clip them, arrange them. They don’t organise themselves you know! Read After Action Reports from other players, read the Journals or the old Annuals, or just immerse yourself in purusing scenario cards.

Where else will you find a game that players can dump ammo to make guns easier to manhandle, at the same time as scaling cliffs, watching berserk leaders charge across open ground, whilst tanks, fighter bombers, assault boats and bridge laying support vehicles rumble along in the background?

Of course you don’t get that in most games, but what you will get is a fine tuned engine, capable of running any scenario as smoothly as if the game was made exactly for that theatre, situation and combatants.

What I’m saying is don’t write off the game because of what you’ve heard, what you fear, or what you suspect it’s like. Underneath that hard exterior is a big soft game just waiting to be loved!

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