Yankee ASL Nor’Easter Pack II

For King and Country In Stock and ready to ship to you Today!

Sword and Fire: Manila – Pre-Order

For King and Country – Status: Shipping with extra copies in stock ready for a happy home.

We have now shipped all of our pre-orders so you should already have it or the postman should be rounding the corner in your neighborhood as we speak. We have a few more copies at discounted pricing if you still haven’t gotten yours.

Sweedish Volunteer Pre-order

Status: Delayed 🙁

MMP could not give me a time for the counter sheet reprint that is holding them up so we wait patiently but you can still pre-order here!

RAACO Status: Arrived 🙂

We have gotten our shipment in from across the pond and after filling backorders we still have 8 Handyboxes left so grab ’em before they’re all gone.

Hatten In Flames Review:

First a disclaimer, I am not a CG kind of guy. My brain doesn’t work well with the planning and purchasing part of it. I envy those that are able to process this kind of information but that just isn’t me. I have tried playing Red Barricades, Tarawa, Kampgruppe Peiper, etc. but it usually all falls apart between the first two scenarios. Then I discovered the CG’s of Lone Canuck Publishing. No more trying to manage 6 companies of infantry and three modules of OBA all at once. George managed to bring CG’s down to a moderate size scenario’s scale, commonly one company and a platoon of tanks or so per side. Well this became my portal to test the waters again. Then MMP released Andrew Rogers’ Hatten In Flames. I fell in love with it at once. I am now playing my third and fourth campaign games and I would like to share my thoughts.

Although this is a CG, I feel that Andrew made a lot of design decisions to streamline the rules so that it was not overly complex. Examples of this include an almost flat map with almost all buildings being ground floor only. Fixed SAN and ELR at 3 and 3 for both sides with automatic correction at the end of a scenario. Limit of purchases of a unit to once per Campaign Game (so just cross the unit off the purchase roster once you have bought it). No depletion rolls so everyone starts at full strength. No Night, No Cellars, No Air Support, No beach landing in the snow with bicycles dropping by parachute.

SSR for Hatten are very manageable with most being exclusions (Bore Sighting, Kindling, etc). that are already commonplace in most scenarios but Ground Snow is in effect although this doesn’t do much other than prohibit road rate.

The Battlefield is absolutely stunning. There is something about a winter map that actually makes me want to put on a sweater. The town comprises a T shaped cluster of stone buildings that include a few churches and a synagogue. A raised railway extends the length of the map and there is a lot of open flanking areas to each side, dotted with orchards, each potentially hiding a Bazooka team , MG nest, or M18 Tank Destroyer. Note that the red dots were added by me for VC explanation purposes and are not on the original map.

The OOB has a lot to choose from for both sides. The Germans have some truly fantastic units including Assault Engineers, 548 squads galore, 3 x 9-2 leaders, Flame Hetzers, Panthers, PzJgIV(L)’s, Mortar Halftracks, etc. Don’t forget that it is 1945 and each German has a pocket full of Panzerfausts with a range of 3. The Americans begin with crappy squads that over time battle harden between scenarios into an elite force. 32 tanks and tank destroyers, more mortars than you can count and some devastating artillery.

The Objective of the CG is for the German to finish the 5 campaign dates dominating 6 of the 9 victory areas (see red dots on map above). So a quick look at the map tells us that it is impossible to win without slugging it through the town center and tidying up at least one of the flanks. This gives the Americans a huge advantage in the late game for a counterattack along one of the sides. With poor cover for the defending Germans the Americans can bring down 150 OBA, a dozen mortar tubes and double digit Shermans to make this quaint countryside resemble the Somme.

The Strategy that I have used for the Germans (I have only played the German side so far) has been to purchase heavy on the Battalion I companies getting in early on the 9-2 Leadership and oodles of 548 squads. I like the PzJGIV’s too as their armor sits at a 14. I try to grab the Synagogue, Eglise St. Michel, and the crossroads for the scenario win with a group in reserve offboard that can take the cemetery if I fail in one of the other three objectives. I don’t want to grab the cemetery to early as I may need it later for a scenario win and it has minor tactical importance at first. I am not big on pushing towards the train station as there is a lot of open ground to cover and once in, there are limited rout options available to get out if I need to. As the American player, I think it is imperative to not set up too far forward on the first day. You are very brittle with a 6 morale and you will be up against 24 FP stacks at every turn. The German will also have many halftracks that can BU and skoot in behind you to cut off rout paths. Defend in depth, give up territory to conserve your force and slow him down with artillery and HIP units (once he finds one, he will think they are everywhere). Remember you only have to prevent the Germans from dominating 4 areas to win.

Balance as of the time of this writing is 10-8 or ROAR in favor of the Germans so it does appear to be quite even.

An Alsatian Hellscape: The Battle of Hatten-Rittershoffen — The Military Historian (squarespace.com)

Contest #95

It is the American Rally Phase of the final Player Turn of the game. Under normal circumstances, any decent human being would concede as the American Player and go grab a beer downstairs to drown his sorrows. But these are not normal times. These are the finals of ASLOK 2094, Being run by the great grandchildren of Brett and Wild Bill. In order to win, the American player must control Building N4. To add insult to injury, the designer of the scenario, Pete Shelling’s great grand-daughter made the SSR that all US MMC that wish to Move must Move as a stack if they start the MPh in the same Location. What should the American do to ensure the greatest (yet slim) chance of victory? Note that the US 10-3 is wounded. Building N4 is currently German controlled

Contest #94 Solution:

Okay, so this puzzle is a little more nuanced.

Building J4: I give up any hopes of capturing building J4 as the 4-4-7 would have to fail 3 Morale Checks to make the building capturable as he sits on a stairwell (yes, you had to do some research for this contest and pull out board 1). Routing upstairs including by voluntary Break would deny control to the Americans.

Building L6: G4 squad drops the HMG, moves to H4-I5-J5(Bypass)-K6. Advances into L6 during the APh.

Building M5: Move Sherman M6 (1), sM in hex K4 (2), L5(3), L4(10), K4 Bypasss (12). If Sherman was destroyed by CCRF then 2-3-7 to hex J3 (this will prohibit the Italian Squad from firing into L5 as he will either be marked Final Fire for shooting at the 2-3-7 or will not be allowed to fire at L5 because there is a closer enemy unit. Now pick up the 3-3-7 as riders in D5, move D6, E7, F7, G7, H6, I6, J6, K6, L5, M6, Stop in M6, disembark, and Advance into M5 for the win in the APh.

In The Pipeline:

MMP:

The long awaited re-release of Hollow Legions is expected in 2021 along with the new Winter Offensive. I still don’t have details on either but I will get them up as soon as I know a little more.

Le Franc Tireur:

Something huge which I can neither confirm nor the deny the existence of.

Lone Canuck Publishing

The Steel Works – Coming February, 2021.

Black Friday Sale:

For Black Friday, We are offering 10-36% off and free shipping on an incredible selection including pre-orders. This sale is for a very limited time so jump on these great saving before it expires or we run out of inventory.

MMP Core Modules 20% Off

ASL Rulebook, Beyond Valor, Armies of Oblivion, Croix De Guerre, Red Factories, Forgotten War: Korea, Deluxe ASL Redux, Hatten In Flames. Plus most everything else from MMP on sale as well.

BattleDice Precision Dice from Battleschool 20% off

Use coupon code ‘BFS2020’. Be the life of the party and attract all the women with these unique and useful precision dice. Don’t forget to pick up a dice case (also 20% off) with your order to protect and display your investment.

Le Franc Tireur – Up to 36% Off most products

The absolute finest in TPP for the ASL aficionado. Never got around to visiting Paris? Well, here is the next best thing.

Bounding Fire Productions – Free Battle Dice

Well this one is a little complicated. I am not allowed putting BFP items on sale but I am allowed doing a free promotional give-away so…. with each module from BFP that you purchase, I will throw in one pair of precision dice from Battleschool. Simply put the in-stock dice that you desire in the comments or give me a shout by phone or by text at 336-462-4035.

Lone Canuck Publishing 20% Off

Do not forget to add in the new Quick Six III packet to your order. Also, Konigsberg is an incredible historical module and it comes with a free opponent as a bonus…ME! I have been looking to play this one on VASL so look me up. USE Coupon Code ‘BFS2020’

NEW: Quick 6 III

Quick 6 III – New from Lone Canuck Publising, 6 new small scenarios that can be played in a couple of hours. This is the third installment in the Quick 6 series.

Q13 – One Last Attempt –Dom Bütgenbach, Belgium, 22 December 1944: Game Length: 5½ Turns; Board q;  Americans: 5½ Squads, 2x Leaders, 2x Machineguns, 3x 60mm mortars, & Bazooka; vs. Germans: 6x SS-Squads, 3x Leaders, 2x Machineguns, & JdgPz IV/70; Estimated Playing Time: 2 hours 21 minutesQ14 – True to Form– The Factory, Carroceto, Italy, 25 January 1944: Game Length: 5½ Turns; Board 71; Germans: 8x Squads, 4x Leaders, 2x Machineguns, FT, 2x DC, & 2x StuG 75/34(i); vs. British: 5x Squads, 2x Leaders, 3x Machineguns, & PIAT;  Estimated Playing Time 2 hours 38 minutesQ15 – Mantes Meet Up – Mantes-Gassicourt, France, 27 August 1944: Game Length: 6 Turns; Board 10z; Americans: 11x Squads, 4x Leaders, 6x Machineguns, 2x Bazooka, & 3x M5A1; vs. Germans: 11x Squads, 3x Leaders, 4x Machineguns, & 2x StuG IIIG; Estimated Playing Time: 3 hours 26 minutesQ16 – Defence of St. Oedenrode– St. Oedenrode, Holland, 17 September 1944: Game Length: 6 Turns; Board 59; Americans: 5x Squads, 2x Leaders, 3x Machineguns, 60mm Mortar, & Bazooka; vs. Germans: 10x Squads, 3x Leaders, & 3x Machineguns; Estimated Playing Time: 2 hours 31 minutesQ17 – Absorbing the Thrust– Furnes, France, 28 May 1940: Game Length: 5½ Turns; Board 10z; French: 8x Squads, 3x Leaders, Machinegun, & 3x H35; vs. Germans: 6x Squads, Gun Crew 2x Leaders, Machinegun, 50mm Mortar, ATR, & 2x 3.7cm Anti-Tank Gun; Estimated Playing Time: 2 hours 50 minutesQ18 – Seize the Crossroads – Briqueville, France, 29 June 1944: Game Length: 5½ Turns; Board 17; Germans: 5x Squads, Gun Crew, 2x Leaders, 2x Machineguns, 75mm Infantry Gun, & Fortifications;  vs. Americans: 12x Squads, HS, 3x Leaders, 2x Machineguns, 2x 60mm Mortars, 3x Bazookas, FT, & 3x DC; Estimated Playing Time: 2 hours 32 minutes.

Each scenario is played on half a map board with a handful of counters per each side; these scenarios are fast, with a limited amount of SSR, to ensure minimum set up time and maximum game time.

Contest #94

Sicily, 1943. Last player Turn of the game, it is the US MPh. In order to win, the American player must control 4 multi-hex stone buildings. N4 and L6 are both Italian controlled. What can the US player do to ensure his best chance of victory?

Contest #93 Solution:

The solution to this one is actually quite simple. I deliberately tried to complicate the matter and deceive by displaying the sM, WP, and S numbers on the back of the counters as well as throwing in nonsense about the wind and the date. The answer is, start in platoon movement for 1 MP and even if one tank is destroyed by the ATG, the second tank can scoot out of sight on the second MP and proceed to exit the board without ever getting back into LOS of the Hun. We had 2 correct entries; Mika Harviala and Rick N. Since there are only two of you, I will award the prize to both of you instead of drawing one name. I seem to remember a third correct entry but cannot find it so if you answered this contest with the correct solution as well, please contact me for your prize.

Youtube Subscriptions:

Please subscribe to my YouTube page so that you get instant notifications whenever I post a new video.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxP7FRezldq7budM0rV7tiA

Rising Sun

MMP has announced the pre-order of Rising Sun. This will put the full OOB of the Japanese, Chinese and USMC into your hands and onto you table. This reprint will also include the map and scenarios for HELL’S CORNER that originally appeared in Operations Special Edition #3.

Rising Sun is Advanced Squad Leader’s long-awaited return to the jungles, islands, and atolls of the southwest Pacific. Multi-Man Publishing has combined the original ASL modules Code of Bushido and Gung Ho! into one monster package. Rising Sun includes the entire Japanese, Chinese, and United States Marine Corps orders of battle; a 2nd edition of Chapter G, which covers the unique rules needed to play ASL in the Pacific Theater of Operations and incorporates all the current errata; and an updated Chapter H for the Japanese and Chinese vehicles and ordnance and for landing craft. Also included are 32 updated scenarios, combining the original Code of Bushido and Gung Ho! scenarios with 16 out-of-print PTO scenarios that originally appeared in the pages of the GENERAL, the ASL Annual, and the ASL Journal. From the ASL Annual ’93b comes the Gavutu-Tanambogo campaign game (Sand and Blood), a new 17˝×22˝ Gavutu-Tanambogo map, and Chapter Z pages. Scenario errata have been incorporated, and new errata have been issued for the older scenarios to reflect the balancing changes made to the updated scenarios. The package is rounded out by seven 8˝×22˝ geomorphic mapboards (boards 34-39 and 47) and dozens of overlays, all updated to match the latest style of boards.

This reprint of Rising Sun will also include the map and five scenarios for the Hell’s Corner HASL which originally appeared in Operations Special Edition #3.

Rising Sun is not a complete game; ownership of the Advanced Squad Leader game system is required to play the scenarios herein.

Rising Sun contains:

-Chapter G; Chapter H for Japanese, Chinese, and Landing Craft; and Chapter Z (Gavutu-Tanambogo Campaign Game)

-1,300 ½” counters and 592 5/8” counters (1,892 total)

-boards 34-39, 47, Gavutu-Tanambogo HASL map, Hell’s Corner HASL map

-overlays 1-5, B1-B5, Be1-7, Ef1-3, G1-5, M1-5, O1-5, OC1-4, OG1-5, P1-5, RP1-5, Wd1-5, X6, X11, X25-X29

-37 ASL scenarios:

Smertniki
Shanghai In Flames
On The Kokoda Trail
The Drive For Taierzhuang
Shoestring Ridge
A Stiff Fight
Bungle In The Jungle
Ramsey’s Charge
The Eastern Gate
Grabbing Gavutu
Hazardous Occupation
Tanambogo Nightmare
Red Star, Red Sun
Take Two
The Bushmasters
Munda Mash
Cibik’s Ridge
Totsugeki!
The Rock
Orange At Walawbum
Today We Attack
Smith & Weston
KP 167
Broken Bamboo
Jungle Citadel
OP Hill
Sea Of Tranquility
Last Of Their Strength
Hell Or High Water
White Tigers
Bloody Red Beach
Battlin’ Buckeyes
First Matanikau
Bailey’s Demise
Samurai Sunset
Whaling Good Time
The Sand Spit

ASL Player Rating System

Sam Tyson and Doug Rimmer have been working on this great tool to keep up with AREA ratings.

http://asl-ratings.org/?fbclid=IwAR03SzCLkyg63ezI0HNwc1VDC-ewDJ11cp10S_C2diebos6ToCZHOgfbcQ0

On Deck

MMP – With this week’s announcement of Rising Sun being placed on pre-order, that makes 3 the number of core modules on deck from MMP. For King and Country should be out before Christmas followed by a completely revamped Hollow Legions, bringing the Italians and the Desert arena back into ASL . I expect these two modules to re-kindle the DTO, one of the most underplayed and most enjoyable venues that the game offers (IMHO). Although Hollow Legions is not yet available for pre-order, this may be your last chance to get For King and Country at the incredible low pre-order price of $90, shipping included (US only) from us. MMP is also working on the long awaited eRule Book, eChapter H, as well as an updated Pocket Rulebook.

BFP – High Ground 3 – Sam Tyson has informed me that BFP is currently working on HG3 which will include many (10?) Korean scenarios. Projected release date late 2021.

Le Franc Tireur – Rat Chart v.3 with laminated IFT and TH charts back in stock in very limited quantities.

Lone Canuck Publishing – Quick Six 3 (November, 2020), The Steelworks (January, 2021).

Contest #92

April 1945. Russian SAN=0. ESB Not Allowed. In this contest, you are the German player trying to prevent a Russian victory. It is the Russian MPh and the T-34/85 has already spent 9 MP’s. The Russian wins if they exit the AFV off road A5-A6. What should the German player do to ensure the best chance for victory? Show your work and rough odds (rounded) for victory. Only correct answers will be entered in drawing for prize of $10 coupon to ritterkrieg store.

Jim McLeod’s Essential ASOP

Borrowed from George Kelln’s LCP page, here is a non-overwhelming Advanced Sequence of Play that we should all keep handy.

http://www.lonecanuckpublishing.ca/ESSENTIAL%20ADVANCED%20SEQUENCE%20OF%20PLAY.pdf

Rat Pocket Charts v.3 – Shipping

The Rat Charts Have Arrived and are shipping now. Here is a What’s In The Box…

ASL Starter Kit Expansion Pack #2 – Shipping

Lone Canuck Publishing – Blitzkrieg in the West – The Central Campaign.

6 Scenarios linked to form a campaign.

RAACO handyboxes:

Our last shipment of handyboxes sold out before arriving stateside. We have another order on the way and should be here this week. Thanks for your patience and remember that you can mix and match your inserts in any way that you wish.

ASL Line of Sight Trick:

This trick has absolutely changed my game. My LOS guessing has improved at least five fold since using this method and I wanted to share it with you. Once you get the hang of it, you can do the calculation in less than ten seconds and make an almost always correct LOS call.

Contest #90 Solution:

In order to control building R6, all British units must be eliminated, not just broken so something must be done to prevent someone from routing upstairs. Note that in the video there is mention of the German’s needing to break or pin the British leader in order for him to not rout upstairs with a broken MMC and keep control of the building. I am not sure if this is incorrect as the leader may share the fate of the MMC and be eliminated for failure to rout even though he is not broken.

PFPh:

None

MPh:

PzIII: Does nothing. It’s sole purpose is to prevent the British from routing to R4.

9-2, 338, DC in R8: R7, R6(Level 0), R6(Level 1), Set DC for Breech, R6(Level 0).

338, DC in Q7: R6, Set DC for Breech.

338, FT in P8: Q8, R7, R6.

127 in O9: CX, Bypass P8, Q8, R7, R6, R6(Level 1)

DFPh:

None

AFPh:

Demolition charges go off creating breeches on a 10 or less (NMC needed on the 30+3) also attacking the British with a 12+3.

Flamethrower attacks through the Level 0 breech with a 24 Flat.

2 HS and 9-2 attack with a 6+1.

RTPh:

If the breech was created upstairs, any Broken British are eliminated for failure to rout because of the vehicle crew.

APh:

9-2 and the 3 x 338 advance into CC against any unbroken British and hope for the best.

The ASL 2nd edition Rulebook is back in stock. It has been updated with all of the errata.

Pocket Rat Charts V3 Update:

There was an issue in the printing process and Xavier, unwilling to compromise on quality, decided to destroy the entire shipment and reprint them. This is expected to put delivery back about 2 weeks. My apologies but I promise it will be worth the wait. Here are some more photos of what to expect:

Contest #90

The prize for Contest #90 is a set of stack guards in a custom ammo box from your choice of nationalities. N.B. if the winner lives outside of the USA, the prize will will a $20 gift certificate instead of the super cool ammo box.

Situation:

October, 1944. It is the RPh of the last (German) Player Turn of the game. The Germans need to control rowhouse building R3 for the win. What actions should the German player take to have the greatest chance for victory. The same person is ineligible to win two contests in a row but please try to solve the puzzle anyway. Please send your entry to dritter3@triad.rr.com with the subject line ‘contest #90’. One winner will be selected from the correct entries.

N.B. – The PzIII is in the R4 building hex (not in bypass). The Germans are Assault Engineers. SAN and ELR for both sides is 2 and 3. No Quarter is in effect for both sides. The counter in R5 that is partially obscured by the image of the PzIII is a PIAT.

Contest #89 Winner:

After reviewing thousands of entries (actually only about a half dozen), the closest to what I think would give the German player his best chance of winning is the solution from Joe Arthur. Congratulations Joe. Here is his entry:

PFPh: None

MPh:

K6 AM to K7

R9 to Q9-Q8-Q7-P6

APh:

P6 to O7 (to prevent 4-4-7 from joining melee in turn 7)

K7 to L7 (to prevent 4-4-7 from joining melee in turn 7)

CC:

Kill 237 on a or 7 or less (two chances). Prisoners re-arm to give 4 VP in the required buildings.

ASL Zoomed Out (and back in):

Back around 1991 or so, my brother Dylan and I were playing a lot of ASL as well as other great games such as 3rd Reich, Russian Front, World in Flames, etc. Dylan was much more of a strategic kind of guy, enjoying production and planning over the course of game years. I on the other hand loved tactical games. I wanted to get the feel of the individual men and tanks (and all the sound effects that go with that). So we compromised and came up with a hybrid game that was played strategically on the 3rd Reich map, using the system found in Hitler’s War (Avalon Hill) to keep track of the contents of the Army Groups off map. Each Army group ended up being represented by about a company’s worth of ASL counters. It it was the most incredible and novel idea to ever hit wargaming, or so we thought. It actually ended up being horribly tedious with the zoomed in scenarios being beyond boring. So the idea stayed forgotten and tucked away in the back of my head until I saw an ad in Le Franc Tireur 14 by a company called Advancing Fire for a game called Brevity Assault. The system zooms in and out to fight it out in the Desert of Egypt. Is it possible that this is the final frontier for ASL? There are already more scenarios than could ever be played in a lifetime and every major encounter has been represented. This got me thinking about a game that has been sitting on my shelf for a few years now called ‘Operation Dauntless’ by GMT. Although I have never actually played it and struggled to learn the rules, I realized that it has all the makings for a great hybrid game mixing a slightly larger tactical system and ASL. The hexesides are 425 yards across which is just about 10 ASL hexes. The designer notes are incredibly thorough down to the exact composition of each company by men,leaders, mg’s, guns, and vehicles. The terrain is mostly bocage, villages, and open fields and best of all, there are excellent stand alone rules governing O.D. that allow you to pick and choose which battles you wish to resolve using the Operation Dauntless combat system and which battles you wish to fight in ASL. The artwork on the map is from actual photos of the battlefield not generic bocage drawings so it is easy to represent the maps with some reasonable historically accuracy. The units are British vs. Pz.Lehr and 12thSS. Firefly’s, Panthers, Tigers, Artillery, Typhoons, etc. There is also another game in the system called Red Winter. The maps I am making are hexagonal and connect to whichever adjacent hexes you need for the scenario. So I am looking for a crew to brainstorm this including a project manager (as I have little time and even less skills) and have some fun. This is just for fun and NOT for profit. Whatever mechanics we come up with I plan to post as a free download for everyone’s enjoyment, Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could get some of those GMT players to try out ASL for the first time. Drop me a line if you are interested in this. dritter3@triad.rr.com

Rat Pocket Charts v3

The 4th rendition (v1, v2, v2+, v3) of Le Franc Tireur’s Rat Pocket Charts are must have ASL accessory and is at the printer and days away from landing at our doorstep. The new charts have tons of additional information, updated charts, and 16 new pages. They are available in three different formats with no laminated pages, IFT/IIFT laminated, and IFT/IIFT/To Hit/To Kill laminated. This version has incorporated Forgotten War and LFT14 Italian info into the contents. We should be shipping to you in June.

Starter Kit Expansion Pack #2

In a break from tradition, this is the first ASLSK product to be released that has dependencies on previous SK releases. It comes with 2 boards, a full counter sheet and 8 scenarios. Expected release date has not been announced yet.

Contest #89

Okay, so maybe it’s not our 89th contest. Let me count… One. This is our first contest. I am naming it #89 so we know which post it first appeared in. To enter, send an email to dritter519@gmail.com with the title Contest #89 and the correct (or most correct) answer based on rules and probabilities. One correct entry will be chosen randomly for a most excellent prize. This was taken from a game I recently played and lost as the German player.

Situation: The Germans must have 4VP worth of infantry in buildings (M7, K7, K10) at Game End. It is the German Turn 6 PFPh. How should the German player proceed to ensure the greatest chance of success? The units in M7 are in melee (the cat must have knocked the counter off).

Paradrops – Video

Here is a little video to continue the series. Like always, if I screwed up a rule or two, sent me a note.

The 2 Half-Squads interview with…me

I recently had the honor of being interviewed by Dave and Jeff for their wonderfully entertaining ASL podcast. We talked about everything and anything hobby related for about an hour. I had such a great time and hope to do it again sometime in the future.

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-4dsav-d676bc?utm_campaign=w_share_ep&utm_medium=dlink&utm_source=w_share

Hi everyone. I hope that you and your loved ones are healthy, safe, and with as little disruption as possible in these uncertain times. Perhaps this is a good time to break out Solitaire ASL (new scenarios in Kampfgruppe Scherer Player’s Guide and Onslaught to Orsha), or play some VASL, or set-up a thoughtful defenses of a large scenario. In any event I am thankful that we have have such a wonderful hobby that allows our minds to stay active and engaged with ourselves and our friends even while we may be stuck at home. Now is a great time to submit some ASL fiction for me to post here for everyone to enjoy. On my end, I just celebrated my 50th birthday. Amy made me a chocolate cake and for my birthday she bought me a Gopro for my ASL videos. So, I have set a personal goal of no longer having the poorest quality videos on the internet. Included below is my first video with my new camera. I have decided to do a ‘how to’ on glider landings. This will hopefully motivate some of you to try it for the first time. There are some really fun scenarios out there included in FKaC and Kreta that involve Gliders. I hope you enjoy.

RAACO Counter Storage System

We have placed our order from Europe and the Raaco boxes should be arriving within the next 2 weeks. I am taking orders now. Each handybox comes with a carrying case, four trays with flat lids, 64 dividers with 320-512 separate compartments (depending on which inserts you choose). Please include the breakdown of dividers in the comments section of the order or feel free to call or e-mail me.

Battledice

We finally received our large restock from Helen and Chris at Battleschool. Among the long awaited titles that are now back on the shelves are Soviet 30th Anniversary, British For King and Country, US Army, US Airborne, and the backgammon Dice.

March Madness 2020

The newest March Madness is here with 8 brand new state of the art scenarios. Be sure to collect all of the available packs in the series with this bundle at a very special price.

China – India – Burma

Honestly I just forgot to restock this item. Critically acclaimed scenarios and articles on the forgotten theater is available again in very limited quantities.

Video: Gliders at Maleme

So much to discuss.  First and foremost, Onslaught to Orsha and Croix de Guerre have arrived and are now shipping out to you.  I cannot tell you how much I appreciate your unending patience.  Click on any of the products and there will be a what’s in the box video for you to watch.

Stack Guards:

Move over sliced bread,.. Tired of having your concealed stacks knocked over by accident? These little guards will make accidental enemy recon a thing of the past. Available in Black, White, Brown, Blue, and Green. The price is $24 for the first kit and $20 for each additional kit. I will refund $4 fr each kit after the first.

I am not crazy about the name ‘Stack Guards’. Submit a name for this product and if I use the name (and you submitted it first in the case of multiple people using the same name), I will send you a free kit.

Croix De Guerre:

After an eternity of waiting, CDG arrived today and has started shipping your pre-orders. Click the link for a ‘What’s in the Box’ and discounted ordering info.

Onlsaught to Orsha:

We have received our order and OtO is on it’s way to you. Click the link for a ‘What’s in the Box’ and a list of components.

Deluxe ASL:

It’s alive again! I forgot how much fun this is. I am offering a package deal on all things Deluxe with huge savings.

March Madness 2019:

Winter Offensive 11 – 2020

Fight For Seoul – What’s In The Box

Dice storage cases

Our dice storage cases are back in stock. No better way to protect your precision dice. Intimidate your opponents while impressing the ladies with this fine piece of luggage. Made from genuine plastic and foam so don’t settle for imitation.

Croix De Guerre

Croix de Guerre is hot off the presses and MMP is currently shipping to pre-orders.  We should be getting ours out to you within a couple of weeks.  In this module, the French get a much needed face-lift with all new counters (9 sheets).  Also included are many new and old scenarios, maps, and the campaign game covering Rommel crossing the Meuse at Dinant in 1940.  We are keeping the price 20% off until we get all the pre-orders out so if you missed your chance, jump on it before it goes back up.

Winter Offensive Bonus Pack 11 (2020)

The new Winter Offensive bonus pack will be in our hands shortly. We are selling this at exactly our cost ($15 + $4 (Box, Paypal fees, Shipping) of $19.00 as all proceeds go to charity.

Konigsberg – The Bear’s Revenge

Lone Canuck Publishing has released it’s biggest project to date.  This is the 7th campaign game frm LCP and the first two map product.  It has 6 scenarios including a very small one (I played it in less than an hour) and a huge one (think ‘The Last Bid’).  The map is an urban inferno.  Rubble, gutted buildings, gutted factories, wide city boulevards at every turn.  I managed to play a good sized scenario at Winter Offensive against Dave Reenstra which ended with me trying to rubble a building with a DC for the victory.  Although I couldn’t pull off the ‘W’, it was by far the most fun I had all weekend.  Now Tim and I are setting up the 15 turn monster. 

Interview with Dan Dolan, creator of Dinant Historical Module.

This interview is an hour and a half long. The sound quality improves over time. The first two minutes can be skipped over as I am trying to contact and improve the audio. I will try to edit this and replace it. If there is a volunteer that would like to do it for me I’d be very appreciative.

https://recordings.tapeacall.com/t/TcWbKhoSw7zs

ASL Fiction

A shot disturbs the eerie silence of a deserted city street, punctuated by the frantic footfalls of men seeking cover. One of Kruger’s last veteran nco’s lies motionless in the street. The remnants of the dead man’s squad are nowhere to be seen—scattered in nearby houses and gutters—all thoughts the advance abandoned with the stunned demise or their leader…the compulsion for revenge obviously overcome by their instinct for self-preservation. Off to the right, Kruger’s own men have located the source of the lethal shot and are laying down a steady stream of fire on the church steeple directly ahead. The absence of responding fire suggests that the lone Russian marksman has beat a hasty retreat of been victimized by the withering fire of the German retort. Kruger has seen enough. He is to occupy the church and set up a regimental observation post at once. His orders leave no leeway for delays by a single sniper. He gives the signal to rush the building. Obedient their training, his men, veterans of France, the Balkans, and 18 months of fighting in Russia, spring to their feet. Seconds later the sharp, staccato retort of a Russian machinegun concludes the assertiveness of death itself that this time Kruger was wrong… (back of original Squad Leader box).

Talking with Tom Kearney at Winter Offensive, he described how much fun it would be to hear recounting of scenarios told by the participants on the ground (or on the cardboard) in the style of the  words on the back of the original Squad Leader box.  It got me thinking about writing a short story as witnessed by one of my surviving leaders after the completion of the scenario.  And then I realized that I have no writing skills whatsoever.  So I am forwarding the challenge to you.  If you think that this is a good idea and would like to participate, I will accept submissions and print and store them right here on this website for everyone’s enjoyment.  Please include a preface of the scenario played, the opponent played, and the outcome.  It would be exponentially more interesting if we could get both players to write their own perspective of the same scenario played.

Winter Offensive 2020

Just back from Bowie, MD where record crowds (over 200 I believe) gathered for MMP’s annual get together. So many old friends and new faces. Here is a rundown of my extended weekend:

Ray Woloszyn and I arrived Thursday afternoon where I jumped right into ‘One eyed Jaques’ from the new W.O.11 pack against my good friend Dan Stanhagen. I was the German player and Dan played the French. Those 1/2″ 37* French guns are a real pain. I think I take them for granted because of the size of the counter. Really fun scenario where the French keep guessing the German intentions to achieve victory.

Friday morning saw my second game which was against Sam Tyson. We played Feast Day (W.O.34) from W.O.11. I played as the British against Sam’s Germans. In this one, the British have to take a bunch of real estate in a city fight.

Friday afternoon I got to play David Goldberg (Chicago ASL Open) in ‘Ultimate Treachery’. David’s Japanese attacked my French garrison in late ’45. This is a wonderful scenario if ever you get a chance to play it.

Saturday morning I played Keith Spurlock in a Rally point scenario. I didn’t write down which one but my German’s were needing to take two small buildings and exit some points with 2 x PzII’s and 2 x PzIII’s. Like most RP and Schwerepunkt scenarios, you prep fire, you lose. Move at all costs. Do not stop for anything. Keith is a great player and an instant old friend. We chatted as much as we played and I can’t wait to see him again at ‘Where the Iron Crosses Grow’ in March.

My Fifth game, on Saturday afternoon was KBR2 from the new Konigsberg pack was a tiny scenario. Jim Thompson and I finished it in a about an hour but ohhhhhhh what an hour it was. 3 German squads with the help of some fortifications have to hold off what seems like the entire Russian army. As I moved the winning 4-5-8 squad toward the finish line for the big W (all of his squads had fired and could not FF because of a closer KEU, I heard a ‘click’. I had stumbled into a well placed German minefield which blew my leader along with his movement bonus onto the carpet next to the table. Well played Jim.

My last game was against Dave Reenstra in KBR5 – Artillery Economy Building. I had so much fun playing the previous Konigsberg scenario that I wanted to play another one. This one was much meatier and into the city instead of the suburbs. Again the German’s had seemingly little to stop Russian ISU 152’s, FT’s, 9-2 leadership, 6-2-8 AE’s, but once again those darn fortifications slowed and killed me just enough for victory to slip from my grasp. It ended up coming down to a hail mary DC placed at the base level of one building hex hoping it would rubble and have falling rubble into another hex that I needed to clear.

Sunday morning we decided to head back to NC after breakfast. I was lucky enough to sit with Dan Dolan and we had an incredible discussion about Dinant. Not just the CG that is included in Croix de Guerre but also his stories of when he visited the famous site of Rommel’s crossing when he was researching for the game.

And now I am home and dreaming of Where the Iron Crosses Grow, Bitter Ender, ASLOK, and then W.O. again. I hope to see you all there.

On Deck

Winter Offensive 11 (2020) – End of January

ASL Deluxe Redux – End of January

Fight For Seoul (Restock) – Beginning of February

Croix De Guerre – Middle of February

Onslaught to Orsha – Middle/End of February