Core Modules
From ASLWiki
The Core Modules
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Beyond Valor (BV)
Beyond Valor was released in 1985 as the first core module to the ASL game system. In addition to the complete countermix for Germany and Russia, the module included all necessary system counters, as well as partial orders of battle for the Finns and Partisans. The module is necessary for play of all other modules with the exception of Paratrooper. The 1st version was released in a standard "Bookcase Game" size box (the same size as that in which Squad Leader had been contained), and was the only game in the ASL line so released - future modules were released in slightly larger boxes.
Mapboard 1 from SL and mapboard 8 from GI were necessary to play four of the ten printed scenarios, which were sometimes criticized as lacklustre, centring on urban combat in keeping with the four new mapboards issued with the game.
2nd EDITION: BV2 provides additional counters for rules added in Chapter E (now included in ASLRB2), has the Finnish in a new colour-scheme, but most significantly now includes the HASL module RED BARRICADES (and all necessary maps, counters, scenarios and rules, in the form of Chapter O). RB is no longer available as a separate product.
3rd EDITION: BV3 was release in 2005. It includes additional scenarios (123-136) reprinted from the ASL Annuals and The General. RED BARRICADES was removed in the third printing. The module uses the new style boards (1-5, 8, 20-23).
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Paratrooper (Para)
This module was marketed as an inexpensive entry alternative to Beyond Valor, providing a small counterset of German and U.S. forces as well as system counters. The game also featured a Training Manual chapter for the rule book. Chapter K was written in conversational style and contained examples of play and a basic grounding in ASL rules for newcomers to the system. The chapter was written as a "basic training" story and included Days 1 to 6 (other days were released as part of other modules). Boards 1 to 4 from the original SL were still a necessity for play of all eight scenarios contained in the game, so either ownership of SL was required, or the boards had to be obtained separately. Ownership of the ASL Rulebook was also a requirement.
2nd EDITION: The second edition of Paratrooper no longer includes Chapter K (it is now included as part of ASLRB2) but does now include dice and Boards 2 and 4 (but not boards 1 and 3).
Yanks
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Released in 1987, Yanks included the complete US Army order of battle as found in North Africa, Italy and Northwest Europe. Chapter E provided rules for , weather, paradrops, gliders, fighter-bombers, and night combat, making the module a prerequisite for most subsequent modules.
Yanks rectified a long-standing deficit in the system by including DYO values for US forces; these had been excluded from the release of G.I.: Anvil of Victory. The Chapter E rules were billed as "optional" but were later included as standard in the second edition of the ASL Rulebook given their importance in later scenario and module releases.
The mapboards depicted open rural terrain, and the scenarios covered a variety of actions in Italy and Northwest Europe, focusing on combined arms (there are no armor only and two infantry only scenarios.)
2nd EDITION: Not yet available. Further, it is unlikely to be produced for some time, as considerable numbers of this module remain in stock, so a reprint is not required (the same goes for a number of other modules). However, since Chapter E is now included within ASLRB2, this module is no longer as much of a pre-requisite as it was formerly.
Partisan!
Partisan! focused on irregular forces from both western and eastern Europe. No new rules were included in this module, though one new board (32) and one redo of an older board (10, of the Rogue Series) were included.
In addition to irregular forces, infantry for the Axis Minors (Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria) were included in the module.
2nd EDITION: Not yet available.
West of Alamein (WOA)
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West of Alamein introduced the complete countermix for the British, and included boards, overlays and a rule chapter on desert warfare. A "North Africa gamette" had originally been intended for release as part of the Squad Leader series of games but the decision to convert the system to ASL was made after the release of G.I.: Anvil of Victory.
Unlike Crescendo of Doom, which had limited itself to vehicles of British manufacture only, the complete order of battle of British forces, including a sizeable number of American built AFV, were included in one box.
This module also introduced the concept of overlays to ASL (these had previously been seen in G.I. Anvil of Victory) and were used primarily to add variety to the flat desert boards. Overlays included sand, sand dunes, deirs, wadis, and a large overlay converting board 25 from a hill into the edge of an escarpment.
For King And Country (FKAC)
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For King and Country was released, chronologically, after Doomed Battalions and is a reissue of material originally found in West of Alamein. The British order of battle has been split with the new 2nd edition of West of Alamein, which will include only desert terrain and rules, with King and Country containing the order of battle for British/Commonwealth forces. Included in this module are rereleases of mapboard 1 from SL, board 7 from COD, and boards 8 and 12 from GI. The Chapter H pages for the British are included in this module, and 20 scenarios round out the contents. The decision by MMP not to reprint the earlier SL/COI/COD/GI games no doubt prompted the decision to reissue these boards, which would otherwise be available only through special order. In order to play all included scenarios, however, prerequisites include the rulebook and Beyond Valor as well as mapboards 2, 3 and 4 from SL, board 5 from COI, board 6 from COD, boards 13 and 14 from GI, board 9 from Doomed Battalions, board 10 from Partisan (also not being reprinted), and boards 11 and 33 from The Last Hurrah.
The Last Hurrah (LH)
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The Last Hurrah provided a partial countermix (infantry only) for the Allied Minor countries, including Poland, Norway, Belgium, Greece, the Netherlands and Yugoslavia. Vehicles and ordnance were released in a later module.
Prerequisites for the printed scenarios included with this module included the rulebook, Beyond Valor, and boards 2, 3 and 4 from SL. Also necessary for two of the scenarios (and not mentioned on the original packaging) was Yanks, or at the least, Chapter E which was included in that module.
Another of the Rogue Boards was re-released, again with updated artwork to ASL standards, as well as a new board. The third mapboard in the game was a new offering. Some unique matchups were included in the scenarios, including Polish cavalry vs. German armoured cars and tanks, Yugoslavian cavalry vs. German motorcycles, and Polish cavalry vs. Russian armoured cars.
The module was reviewed in Volume 2, Number 15 of Wargamer (Sep-Oct 1989); Ted Bleck considered the game to be up to the usual high standards as far as components went (beautiful mounted mapboards as well as accurately printed and cut counters, easy to read and easy to separate from the "trees") but expressed disappointment at the focus of the module. No vehicles or ordnance were included (restricting play of the Allied Minors to just infantry/cavalry actions). The scenarios included were deemed to be "small by ASL standards" but fun and well balanced.
2nd EDITION: Board 3 has now been added.
Hollow Legions (HL)
Italian counters, 2 boards (30, 31), 8 scenarios. WoA is a prerequisite if you want to play the desert scenarios included. Boards 4, 7 and 12 are recommended.
2nd EDITION: It has been announced that the next printing of Hollow Legions will include all the desert specific boards, counters, rules, overlays and other materials, bringing DTO back to ASL after a long absence.
Code of Bushido (CoB)
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Code of Bushido was another departure for the ASL system, taking players for the first time to the Pacific Theatre of Operations (PTO).
The entire order of battle for the Japanese Army was included (along with the applicable Chapter H pages providing DYO values and special vehicle notes describing any special in-game characteristics for each vehicle and ordnance type, as well as a brief history of each). The first half of Chapter G was also included, introducing many special rules for the Japanese, as well as Pacific Theatre terrain. Four new boards were provided, representing mainly jungle terrain though using standard mapboard symbology from previous maps. Special rules converted woods to jungle, buildings to huts, etc. An extensive set of terrain overlays were also provided, much like the desert overlays in the West of Alamein module. Prerequisites for this game included the rulebook, Beyond Valor, Yanks, and West of Alamein as well as board 2 from SL. The US forces in the scenarios provided were representative of US Army units and thus no special counters or rules were needed, though the majority of scenarios dealt with Japanese troops fighting Russian, British, and Philippine partisan troops with only two situations involving American forces.
2nd EDITION: Not yet available. CoB and GH! are most likely to be updated next.
Gung Ho! (GH)
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This module completes the PTO rules for ASL with the second half of Chapter G, as well as 5 countersheets providing Order of Battle for China (both Communist and Nationalist, the US Marine Corps, and early war US Army/Phillipine Army troops.
Rules sections cover amphibious landings and vehicles (including landing craft, beaches, naval artillery), as well as cave and tunnel complexes.
2nd EDITION: Not yet available. CoB and GH! are most likely to be updated next.
Croix de Guerre (CdG)
French (Pre-surrender, Vichy and Free) counters, 2 boards (40-41), 8 scenarios, overlays. WoA is a prerequisite. Boards 2 and 4 are recommended.
2nd EDITION: Not yet available.
Doomed Battalions (DB)
Allied Minors (Poles, Dutch, Belgian, Greek, etc.) Vehicle and Ordnance counters, 3 boards (9, 44-45), 8 scenarios, overlays, new Chapter B terrain types, and Chapter A errata. HL and LH are prerequisites (some boards from other modules needed for some scenarios). Boards 2-3 are recommended.
2nd EDITION: A little bit confusing. What is called "DB2" is not *actually* a 2nd Edition module. What happened is that DB was the last ASL product produced by TAHGC before they closed their doors, and was only printed in small numbers, and thus became hard to find very quickly. MMP determined to make it available again ASAP, and thus published it anew under Hasbro's label. However, the rules pages included within *either* edition of DB are intended for *1st Edition* ASLRB (as ASLRB2 had not yet been published when DB2 was published).
3rd EDITION: The third edition of Doomed Battalions will contain all the components of the previous edition as well as all the components of "The Last Hurrah!" This will unify all the Allied Minor material in one "Super Allied Minor Module of the Doomed Battalions!" It will also contain larger font for the Chapter H notes, like the other 2nd Edition Modules. More scenarios may be included.
Armies of Oblivion (AOO)
Expands the earlier coverage of the Axis Minors by providing their vehicles and ordnance (along with the applicable Chapter H pages providing DYO values and special vehicle notes describing any special in-game characteristics for each vehicle and ordnance type, as well as a brief history of each). Also included are reprinted counters from the out-of-print Partisan module and 4 new boards, as well as terrain overlays. The project had long been in development; the 1993b edition of the ASL Annual referred to this project as March to Oblivion and projected a late 1994 release date.
Board 48 Rural Terrain Board 49 Suburb Terrain Board 50 Forested Hill Terrain Board 51 City Terrain
Of all the SL and ASL games, gametes and modules, Armies of Oblivion had perhaps the longest and most dubious history. An article in the Sept-Oct 2004 issue of View From the Trenches (a long running third party publication for ASL begun in the UK in March 1995 and still in bi-monthly publication) listed the progress of this module.
Armies Of Oblivion was released in January, 2006.
Hakkaa Päälle
Scheduled as the last core module, this product is still in the planning stage and is anticipated to include the entire order of battle for Finland, complete Chapter H notes for Finnish armor and ordnance, as well as board 52.
