Bounding Fire Production’s Magnus Opus of the PTO featuring 47 scenarios, 4 countersheets, 3 maboards and so much more.
Crucible of Steel
The Greatest tank and aircraft battle in the history of mankind is represented in this giant pack. 32 scenarios depicting combined arms actions across the wheat fields and towns leading the path to hell that was Kursk. This monster pack includes
We are happy to announce that our shipment from Denmark has finally arrived safe and sound. The premiere choice is counter storage is now available through our website.
This allows you to have up to 512 separate locations per Handybox to store your counters.
I have all of my official and TPP ASL counters easily stored in 4 Handyboxes. but I have my counters micro-sorted. It is possible to fit your counters in 2 Handyboxes with ease. I used my Brother Label Maker to label all of the compartments so I can easily find the counter I am looking for. Because the trays come out on the Assorter box, I can lay the ones I need beside the game board without a lot of clutter or constantly pulling out a big Plano box to get the commonly used counters.
Starter Kit Bonus Pack #1
A small pack containing one board (P) and 4 scenarios.
I just heard from Sam Tyson of Bounding Fire Productions and Crucible of Steel and Blood and Jungle should be shipping this week. Unfortunately, they will come off of the special pre-order price as soon as they arrive here as my pre-order quantity will be locked in. So this is your last chance to get big savings.
Lone Canuck Publishing
There was a mistake in communication and we have still not received the new scenario pack from our friends in Canada but George assures me that it is in transit and should be here any moment. My sincerest apologies to those of you that have already purchased it from me and are patiently waiting for it to arrive.
March Madness 2017
Often I have looked around the convention room and thought quietly to myself, these are possibly the most refined minds in the art of strategy and tactics on the planet. I wonder what would happen if these masters of cardboard were put to the test in the real world of combat. Barking orders and studying maps. Well MM2017 pack has a what if scenario with it’s own map depicting an attack on an ASL convention center by elite SS squads. The defenders of the hotel consist of Partisans and a whole lot of dummies. I can’t wait to play this one. It would be neat to see a scenario with matching maps from all the major tournaments.
Heat of Battle Restock – Steve from HOB just sent me a large order to replenish my dwindling stock. Included are some near OOP packs that he was kind enough to send me his last copies. The items marked in bold font are of the final few copies in existence. Get yours before they are gone forever.
For the second year in a row, Phil Palmer took first place at the Bitter Ender ASL Tournament beating Ken Mioduski in an all-Maryland final. Ed Fritz Jr., Mika Harviala, and Tom Kearney all won mini titles and Ed Fritz Sr. deservedly took home the Tim Brieaddy Sportsmanship Award.
Some of my all time favorite experiences in ASL have been among the hedgerows of Normandy. After all you have the Big Red One, 5 separate SS Panzer divisions, Panzer Lehr, US and British Airborne, 29th Infantry, etc. Although a little intimidated at first, I found that the bocage rules are actually quite simple and when used to their full potential, they hold many tricks and advantages to both the attacker and the defender. In this video I will try to cover some of the rules and nuances of bocage in order of phase that will help you breakout of the Norman countryside or push the invaders back into the sea.
AAR for ‘Where the Iron Crosses Grow Team Tournament 2017’
The Somme, Stalingrad, Okinawa, Kernersville. These place names bring fear to the bravest of warriors. This year we had another 16 of the finest and nicest ASL players converge in the heart of the Triad NC to face off in four days of bloodshed and burning steel.
New to the group were Jeremy Busby, Mike Rickman and John Dober. John has been a long time friend from ASLOK but this was my first time meeting Jeremy and Mike. I cannot stress with more sincerity that all three were a perfect fit for the fun friendly spirit that this tourney tries to convey. I look forward to seeing them again next year or sooner.
The teams were drafted by captains who were awarded the honor for no other reason than being the first to arrive. Hayes Wauford got first pick followed by Kevin Conley, followed by myself. We tried to pick players to our teams that we have regular opportunity to play so that we could play new people on the opposing teams. Scoring is calculated with a +1 for a win and a -1 for a loss. The team with the highest + is the champion. The two players with the highest individual + play in a championship game. Team ‘Ken’s Mom’ took an early lead and never looked back holding on for the win with a +9. John finished with a 4-0 record and I finished with a 5-0 record so we faced each other on Sunday for the individual championship game. Here are the team names, players and final +/- standings.
Conscripts: -3. Hayes Wauford (-2), Mike Rickman (-1), Mika Harvalla (0). Sandy O’Neil (0).
Col. Klink: -6. Kevin Conley (-1), Dave Stephens (-1), Ken Knott (-3), Jeremy Busby (-1).
Ken’s Mom: +9. Derek Ritter (+6), John Dober (+3), Tim Brieddy (+2), Ray Woloszyn (0), Jeff Jordan (-2).
The wood shop is up and running again after almost a year of down time. The first item out is a variant of the PzVG with improvements including a lighter weight and slightly smaller footprint. The wood is solid African Padauk with charcoal or black micro suede surface. There is space for 12 x Raaco A75/A78 trays so you can have informationals handy while you play. I am making 6 pieces total in this run. Shipping to the ConUs is included in the price.
‘Where the Iron Crosses Grow’ team tournament is only a week away. This year we will be doing Gold on Black t-shirts. They will be available at the special price of $10 at the tournament or $15 to shipped to you (2X $18). Order by clicking on size.
I have created the Group ‘Advanced Squad Leader Starter Kit’ on Facebook for those of you that want your own arena to post and ask questions in a strictly SK forum. It is an open group so you don’t have to join to read the posts, but we would be happy if you did. Please copy and paste the link below or click on the image below.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1923357254560397/
Making Labels for my counter storage containers:
Below is a short video on the process I use to label my counters. The label maker in the video is a Brother PT-2730. You can use other label makers but I suggest that you get one that can be edited on your pc so you can insert nifty images.
Battledice- Some of the common questions I frequently receive in regards to the Battle Dice (please note that the answers are based on observations of my own experience as a user of the BattleSchool dice):
Q – Are BattleSchool Dice truly precision Dice?
A – Yes and No. While no dice including backgammon dice are infinitely precise, the Battledice are much more precise than the stock dice that are supplied with the core ASL modules for two reasons. 1. The Battledice blanks are produced at he same factory and to the same specs as backgammon dice. 2. The pips in non precision dice are drilled out without being filled in with equally dense material. Because of this, the ‘one’ surface will be heavier than the ‘six’ surface as the six surface has 6 times more material removed from it. If true precision is your desire, please check out the backgammon dice that we carry as well.
Q – Why are they so expensive?
A – This is a matter of perspective. Although it seems like $10 a die is an exorbitant amount to pay for a little square piece of plastic, in comparison to backgammon dice, they are very reasonably priced. True backgammon dice run from $20 to $35 a pair. The Battleschool dice, which are backgammon dice to begin with, then custom made in small batches with great WW2 themes, are around the $20 mark for a pair.
Q – Are they necessary to play the game?
A – No. While none of the dice are truly needed to play, they do heighten the enjoyment for myself and others. If I had to pick one set that was the most useful I would say the Dust Devils, hands down.
Q – Why do people collect them?
A – I can only speak for myself but I will say this this; When someone asks me if I need Polish dice to play a Polish scenario, I say ‘no, but then again I don’t need a new action pack filled with 8 more scenarios to add to the 5,400 scenarios that I have yet to play either, but no one gives you grief about that, do they?’. The dice make me happy, so I buy them. It’s really that simple for me.
Where the Iron Crosses Grow team tournament less than a month away now. We although players always have a choice on scenario selection, this year we will also have some themed rounds that are completely voluntary. Also, Saturday night, we will be having a viewing of the Estonian movie ‘1944’. I already had a chance to see this movie and imho, it was fantastic. I am really looking forward to getting everyone’s opinion on it.
BFP is reprinting their two greatest modules ever! The Magnus Opus’ of the Pacific and Kursk. Revamped in this second edition with grey core counters and all known errata, these two giant modules have a combined 79 scenarios and the equivalent of 16 mapboards. We have them at the special pre-order price of $110 each. As a special bonus, we will be giving away a free limited edition PTO and Kursk t-shirt with each pre-order. And as always, shipping is free.
Blood and Jungle sends players into the Pacific Theater of Operations, fighting through jungles, swamps, kunai and other treacherous terrain. For all of you who have been longing for some great, new PTO ASL action, Blood and Jungle was made for you! And if you’ve put off playing PTO, now is your chance to dive in headfirst and experience some of the best we’ve produced to date.
The size of this product is unprecedented by any other module, magazine, or scenario pack. This has been under development for over 8 years, and the scenarios – yes, all 47 of them – have been thoroughly playtested. There is a wide variety of actions from all over the PTO including the wood-covered hills and plains of China, the jungles and villages of Burma, Borneo and the Philippines, the bloody beaches of Tarawa.and many other locations throughout southeast Asia and the Pacific.
Blood and Jungle includes the following:
47 Action-Packed Scenarios.
4 full sheets of counters, depicting more units, weapons, vehicles, and planes that are depicted in the scenarios.
The first ever double-wide 16″x22″ geomorphic mapboard. This map represents a large urban area, made up of buildings and huts. (BFP DW-1) This is actually printed in two 8″x22″ sections on heavy card stock.
One 8″x22″ geomorphic mapboard, printed on heavy card stock, depicting a port village on a river. (BFP G)
Huge magazine with articles on tactics, histories, units, countries, tank hunters, etc.
Rules pages describing new terrain counters, vehicle listings/notes, and special units.
A divider card with new unit capabilities and terrain counter notes.
BFP 4: Crucible of Steel is a another huge package that will thrust players into the battles of Kursk. This is meat and potatoes ASL, so there is plenty of action in Crucible of Steel for everybody!
The size of this product is on the same scale as Blood and Jungle. This was under development for years, and all 32 of the scenarios were very thoroughly playtested.
Crucible of Steel includes the following:
32 Action-Packed Scenarios
2 full sheets of counters, depicting more units, weapons, vehicles, and planes that are depicted in the scenarios
3 double-wide 16″x22″ geomorphic mapboards. These maps represent the “tank-country” and villages of Kursk, and are printed in two 8″x22″ sections on heavy card stock (BFP DW-2, DW-3, DW-4)
3 8″x22″ geomorphic mapboards, also printed on heavy card stock (BFP L, M, N)
Huge magazine with articles on the project, slopes, fortifications, and dug-in tanks
Rules pages describing new terrain counters, vehicle listings/notes, and special units
We just received 6 copies of Le Franc Tireur #12 focusing on the PTO. Xavier tells me that these are all but sold out so this may your last chance to get a copy before they are gone forever.
I would like to make a shout out to Craig Houliston. I ran out of stock on Journal 12 and he has waited patiently for over a week for me to ship him his order. I created a $10 coupon as an apology and this was his response:
No worries, Derek, really. I wasn’t upset. I was just wondering what was up. I figured you might have sold out or something. Thanks for being gracious with the coupon code, though it really isn’t necessary. In fact, would you please do this instead? How about we call it “good” with the shipping update and you pay the $10 forward down the road to someone else that needs a helping hand, or is maybe just a little short.
Your heart will let you know when the time is right.
Festung Budapest is showing SOLD-OUT on MMP’s site but we have a limited few copies left over. Get yours now before they are gone forever – and don’t forget that this purchase qualifies you for a free t-shirt too. Also, don’t forget your Festung Budapest series precision BattleDice (I only have one set left).
So you like to play with fire? Jump into the factories with your demo charges and flame throwers in the newest release from the good folks at Bounding Fire Productions. Here is a short video showing the contents of the package.
KG Scherer: The Shield of Cholm is en route from France in very limited quantities. Xavier tells me that these are the last units available as he is piecing together the individual components to scrape together a few copies before it is OOS and OOP. I am not putting them on pre-order, I am selling them on back-order. If interested you may purchase a copy now but it won’t ship for at least a week.
Possibly the greatest release from LFT including summer and winter maps for the campaign games and scenarios depicting the battle of Cholm.
I want to take a moment to thank the ASL community. You see, about three years ago I began a project to create some OBA cards. I invested some money that I didn’t really have into producing 500 sets of the cards. I didn’t know if they would be a flop or people would consider them useful and collectible. Well tonight I sold the last set. For anyone that has ever produced anything for this wonderful hobby, you know that it is a labor of love. Thanks to all of you.
Into The Rubble II – Now shipping to pre-orders. The good folks at BFP have started shipping to pre-orders and I am supposed to receive my stock this week so I am sending out the pre-order invoices now.
ITR: Into the Rubble
Into The Rubble offers players the opportunity to do cardboard battle in cities and railroad yards. The scenarios range from 1938 to 1945 with a variety of forces including American, Chinese, German/SS, Hungarian, Japanese, Nationalist Spanish, Republican Spanish, Romanian and Russian.
Into The Rubble 2 builds on BFP’s initial offering, adding 12 new and exciting scenarios in addition to the 8 which came in the original pack, in addition to new boards, overlays and counters. Everything from the original ITR is here, all known errata has been incorporated, and some of the original scenarios have been adjusted for play balance.
Into the Rubble 2 includes the following:
20 action-packed scenarios in full-color print
140 Full color, die cut 1/2″ counters
88 Full color, die cut 5/8″ counters
Two 8″x22″ geomorphic mapboards (BFP A and B) printed on heavy card stock, depicting city and railroad yard terrain. BFP B contains an errata update from the original ITR board
One 16″x22″ geomorphic double-wide mapboard (BFP DW-7) printed on heavy card stock, depicting dense city terrain
One 8″x12″ rubbled city overlay (BFP RC-1), 1 large factory overlay, 1 sheet of debris overlays, and 1 sheet of rubble/rubbled building overlays
Rules pages describing new terrain, including Railroad Factories, and new unit types.
The Rubbled City overlay (RC-1) fits on other official ASL (MMP) city boards: 1, 20, 21, 22, 45, 49, and 51.
OBA Cards – I have 5 sets left. These cards will almost certainly never be reprinted. If you want a set, this may be your last chance to buy them before they are gone forever.
Free t-shirts. Don’t forget to claim your free t-shirts. I am getting orders that hit the $150 mark and no free t-shirt added!?!
Episode #172 from The Two Half Squads:
Where the Iron Crosses Grow Team Tournament…
3rd Annual ‘Where the Iron Crosses Grow’ Team Tournament:
The Third Annual ‘Where the Iron Crosses Grow’ ASL Team Tournament will be held April 6th-9th, 2017. World renowned as being the best and oldest ASL Team Tournament in the entire Kernersville, NC Area.
Spirit Of The Event: This event is held for fun. If you are the type of player that never looks up from the table to make eye contact with your opponent, doesn’t make small talk or tell stories, will only play scenarios that you have mastered, or get’s offended by jokes about Ken’s mom, then you might not have a good time being here and we probably won’t have a good time having you here. Sorry to be so blunt but we take our lack of seriousness very seriously.
Format: Team Tournament. Each team is made up of 1 Veteran, 1 intermediate, and 1 Novice player. Each player plays round-robin games against the other players in their class gaining points for their team.
Location: 918 Maxine St. Kernersville, NC. 27284.
When: Saturday April 6th – 9th, 2017 (Carnage begins Thursday night but official tournament begins Saturday morning).
Cost: Free (but bring money for for Pizza. Also bring singles for Ken’s mom).
Accomodations: Ray Woloszyn and I may both have room for travelers to stay with us at our homes (Ray lives in the neighborhood next to mine) unless you are really creepy.
Scenario list: None. Play something that you would like to play not what I would like you to play. All scenarios choices are upon mutual agreement of the players.
Prizes: Too many to mention. Plus some participation awards so everyone feels like a winner.
Limited Space and Availability: There are 16 spots total for this event so register early as it always books up very early.