Two new series of ASL precision Battle Dice from Helen and Chris at Battleschool have arrived in limited quantities and they are better than I could have hoped for.
The Goodies and…
…The Baddies!
Operation Overlord Battle Dice Series:
This ten dice set represents the American and German divisions that faced off on the beaches and boccage of Normandy. All dice are available separately or discounted as a complete set.
Waffen SS Battle Dice Series:
This set of eight dice represents the 7 Waffen SS panzer divisions plus a white dice with the SS runes. All dice are available in pairs or discounted as a complete set.
Hell’s Highway Video #3 & #4:
#3 Hayes Wauford chronicles the Allied set-up and first three turns of action as he attempts to keep the highway at Mariaheide open.
#4 Derek (that’s me!) describes turn’s 4-6 in the first scenario of the Hell’s Highway Campaign Game.
#5 Hayes’ turn 4-6 recap
ASL Turrets:
We have received very limited quantities of both the German/Russian and the US/British turret countersheets.
German/Russian set containing all the turret counters for Beyond Valor OOB
American/British Set containing all of the turret counters for Yanks and For King and Country
In an effort to help the whole world look as fashionably savvy as the ASL community (and get as much attention from the ladies), each week we will be featuring a new t-shirt design from the creative workshop of Redheaded t-shirts. Tim Brieaddy has directed his entire staff (okay, that would be just Tim) to coming up with some fantastic new prints for the hobby. The link will take you directly to his webpage where you can browse other great ASL and historical t-shirts, patches, bumper stickers and coffee mugs. I am hoping that he generates enough sales from this program so he can one day buy his own M1 Carbine and give mine back to me.
T-Shirt of the Week:
Clicking on the t-shirt will take you to the order page on redheadedtshirts.com. Use coupon code ‘ritterkrieg’ for an additional $3 off your order. For other great ASL and historical t-shirts please check out Tim’s website for tons of cool stuff.
Weekly ASL Poll:
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April Spotlight and Special:
We have received a very limited supply of Kampfgruppe Scherer. Possibly the greatest release from LFT including summer and winter maps for the campaign games and scenarios depicting the battle of Cholm. This module is on sale for $90 (10% off) shipping included. Don’t forget to combine your order another product to be eligible for an additional 10% off (coupon code ‘10% off’) for all orders over $100.00.
*Severe asthma during the NC pollen season is making it impossible for me to be around sawdust. I will be back at it as soon as my lungs permit. Sorry for the delay.
Hayes and I are three turns into the first campaign scenario and there is a lot of action to report. Please check out our latest short video for the latest updates. Hayes is working on video AAR’s as well that will be posted here in future updates. Also, please subscribe to my YOUTUBE channel so you can get the latest ASL videos as they get published. I am hoping to one day break two digits in subscribers.
Starter Kit News:
-The Starter Kit section of RitterKrieg is now up and running with players, products, articles, and more. Please take a moment t check it out and don’t forget to send your name and location to dritter3@triad.rr.com if you wish to be included in the player directory.
-Starter Kit moves to the Pacific?!?
According to MMP, the next Starter Kit Action Pack will take place in the PTO and will include rules for concealment and Banzai charges. The US Army, USMC, Chinese, Japanese, and British will all be represented.
April Spotlight and Special:
We have received a very limited supply of Kampfgruppe Scherer. Possibly the greatest release from LFT including summer and winter maps for the campaign games and scenarios depicting the battle of Cholm. This module is on sale for $90 (10% off) shipping included. Don’t forget to combine your order another product to be eligible for an additional 10% off (coupon code ‘10% off’) for all orders over $100.00.
*Severe asthma during the NC pollen season is making it impossible for me to be around sawdust. I will be back at it as soon as my lungs permit. Sorry for the delay.
The new Precision Battle Dice from Battledice are in the mail and should be arriving any day now. That means that this is the last chance to get them at the pre-order price of 20% off. You can click on any of the images to bring you to the pre-order page.
Starter Kit:
One of the greatest things for me is seeing how many people are buying the Starter Kits. Every sale represents someone new entering the world of ASL. One of three fates awaits each of these new SK players. 1. Some will stop playing. 2. Some will continue to play as ASL SK is a great game in it’s own right. 3. Some will take the plunge into full ASL. I think that this website can be a tool for all three groups. Perhaps if I provide some ASLSK specific resources, I can help move some from group 1 into group 2 and eventually help transition some in group 2 to group 3. So going forward, I will be adding a section to the page for Starter Kit specific resources. I hope it will help the Starter Kit community. If you have links, articles, or stories, questions that you wish to share, please post them to the site. Please look for the page in the coming weeks.
Hayes Wauford and I will be starting the Hell’s Highway CG from Lone Canuck Publishing. I will be posting short videos before and after the scenarios as an After Action Report. I will be playing as Pz. Brigade 107 and Hayes will be playing as the British/US 101st.
From what I understand, the campaign game plays out as follows:
Two strong German armored units composed of Panthers, Flak halftracks and assault engineers smash into the Dutch town of Mariaheide between Veghel and Uden from opposite ends cutting off the 30 Corps’ advance toward Arnhem. The US 101st Airborne from the South and British armored units (including Fireflies) from the north try to re-open Hell’s Highway by wresting control back from the bad guys while typhoons (counters come with the pack) hunt German armor from above in this multiple scenario campaign game.
All three starter kits and the Starter Kit Campaign Game ‘Decision at Elst’ are in stock for the first time ever and all 4 are at a reduced price with free shipping. Buy the Starter Kit Complete Bundle and save over 20%.
Scenario pack ‘Ost Front 3’ from Lone Canuck Publishing is ready to ship.
Also available is the ‘Ost Front’ trilogy for only $32. That’s more than 20% off with free shipping.
10% Coupon has returned on orders over a $100. Okay truth be told, free shipping on $12 orders is killing me so I want to offer you an incentive to make it attractive to buy multiple items at once. Simply use coupon code ‘10% off’ at checkout.
AAR: ‘Where the Iron Crosses Grow’ Team Tournament:
Thursday evening and the Steiners and Stranskys began to roll into the Kuban in search of iron and glory. We had a total of 15 players divided into 4 teams (huh?). Men bled and steel burned for 4 days as some of the friendliest ASL’ers in the hobby laughed, ate, drank, and rolled lots of twos and twelves bringing the decibel level to a thundering pitch. The Blue team took the team championship with a +4 rating lead by undefeated Hayes Wauford. Special thanks to Ken Knott for allotting so many points to his opponents. My delicate truce with Ken lasted until dinner Saturday night when some of the nastiest and funniest jabs to date started to flow again. I think everyone was relieved that we were back at it as the tension was at times too much to take for the spectators waiting for the shoe to drop.
Dave Stephens’ Finns beating up on my valiant Russian liberators (albeit of Finnish lands).
Peter Ortega learning the nuances of Bocage in BFP’s ‘Kraut Corner’
Left to right – Tim Brieaddy, Jamie Cribs (counting to five (lucky he didn’t have to count to eleven or this photo would be X rated)), and Big Al Slatzman
Ken Knott and Hayes Wauford. Both with perfect records.
Peter Ortega and Al Griffa.
Al Griffa and Mike Johnston.
Skobi, our tournament mascot taking another nap.
Fried pickle care of Little Vito’s, deposited on my board. Very funny guys.
Ken Knott showing a brave face as he stares down 24 SS squads in BFP PIF the ‘Ceramic Factory’.
Somebody (me) apparently hasn’t learned not to stack. One gets a little cocky after generating 3 heroes.
Hayes Wauford with LCP’s Panzer Aces #2.
Ken Knott With LCP’s Schwere Panzer Jager Abt. 653 prize scenario pack. Ken was unanimously voted MVP by all of his opponents. “We never could have won those games had we not been playing Ken”.
Ost Front 3 from Lone Canuck Publishing is in the mail from the great white north. I will be shipping as soon as they arrive. Jonesing for something new? At $10.80 with free shipping, this is your inexpensive ASL fix. Also available is the Ost Front Trilogy at a special discounted rate.
The awesome Le Franc Tireur Deluxe Pack #1 with it’s fantastic artwork and great scenarios breathes life back into Deluxe Advanced Squad Leader (the same life that we take away from it with this horrible video). Tim and I decided to try our hand at one of the PTO scenarios pitting Americans against Japanese. I set up as the Japanese without reading the special rules converting the bamboo and jungle into coconut groves. Tim did read the rules and informed me after I set up but I decided for the sake of keeping the ball rolling to leave my set-up as it was and see how it played out.
With a late Christmas present of a chess clock from Charlotte ASL player Jeff Jordan, SPASL (Speed ASL) has entered the 21st century. You can see all the action of this clock is use in the above video replay of FT200.
Desperation Morale has finally caught up on all (?) of the newest ASL products including our very own OBA Access Cards (less than 20 sets remaining for sale). For the most part, I think it was very flattering and accurate (although he did refer to the cards as being printed on card stock and not pvc.
I want to say a special thanks to everyone who frequents this site. Today we had our 50,000th visit and it makes me very happy to know that you are enjoying the site. If there is something that you think could make this site better, please drop me a line or leave a comment.
Keith sent me this photo of his ‘Dupont Class’ table in action. Sporting labeled A75 and A78 RAACO inserts, Rat Chart, and his custom ASL Tower (manufacturer unknown).
it has been almost a week since our last post and I was hoping to have another video ready for you. Tim and I will hopefully have the scenario finished by Post #40. Here at the Wartable I am starting to cross the t’s and dot the i’s in preparation for the big weekend tournament coming up at the beginning of April. For Christmas (we always exchange gifts late), Jeff Jordan got me a chess clock for Tim and my continuing experiments with SPASL (Speed ASL). I hope to have a video up soon with this great gift governing a game of ours.
Sniper/ELR cards:
Well the easy ones are done. With the help of Andy Hershey and all of you that voted on FB and this website, the final (?) artwork is done for the Germans, SS, Black SS, Russian, and British. Now we are slogging through the mud trying to scrape together some photos of the other nationalities. I never would have guessed how hard it would be to find quality authentic photographs of snipers. Not just the more obscure nationalities, even the Americans are eluding me. If you would like to be part of this project, please contact me at dritter3@triad.rr.com. Here are some teasers from the upcoming set…
New Battle Dice:
Chris at Battleschool has announced the upcoming release of some of the coolest dice to date. Not only are the American and German armies of Normandy represented, but also 7 of the most notorious and fanatic Panzer Divisions in the German Arsenal. All dice are on sale and may be pre-ordered in individual pairs or in larger sets to get an even bigger pre-order discount. ETA: April 2016. As always, shipping is always free.
Disclaimer: Although the Germans, British, Japanese, Russians, and others were guilty of the deliberate murder of tens of millions of innocent civilians during the second world war, the dice in this series are part of a game and in no way condones racism or cruelty in any way nor are here to satisfy a sick fetish that somebody wants you to believe is rampant in this hobby.
I have fired up the workshop and have began 3 dice towers (Brazilian Cherry) and 3 Ammo/Map Cases. One map case is sold but the other two will be posted for sale along with the dice towers as soon as they are complete. The Argent Class table will be started in the next few weeks.
Sale:
Look around the site. A ton of merchandise has been further discounted so grab them before the price changes or they are sold out. Many items are the last available (especially from Heat of Battle).
Events:
‘Where the Iron Crosses Grow’ is 3 weeks away and has grown bigger than I was planning. We are now expecting 17 attendees and need a volunteer to spoon with Ken Knott. If this continues, we may need to look for a bigger venue next year. I will interview players on video so you can put faces to the names. There are rumors that we will have a surprise famous guest from the ASL world at the event (don’t ask me who it is because I haven’t finished making up the rumor yet). If you can, stop in for a day or the whole weekend for beer, prizes, and lots of cardboard death.
The Bitter Ender is just over a month away. Early (discounted) registration ends on the 19th of March. Contact Doug Sheppard for information.
Almost Sold Out:
I am down to my last 2 copies of German turrets. I just placed another order but it may be months before they arrive.
March Special: Free Pair of Nationality Battledice with purchase of $200.00 or more. Simply e-mail me with the pair of dice that you would like and I will include them with your order. Spend $400 and pick 2 sets, etc. Choose between the Japanese, Chinese, Italian, French, Finns, USMC, German (Arnheim), British, 9th/10th SS, Polish, or precision 12mm or 14mm backgammon dice in your choice of colors. Sorry, not applicable to pre-orders.
PIF: After months of waiting and weeks of delays, it is finally here. Thanks to everyone that pre-ordered for your unending patience. By the time you are reading this, your copy will be in the mail along with your free set of Polish Battle Dice. I still have a few sets of the Battledice left in stock so I will extend the pre-order promo until the dice are gone. You can order here.
ASLJOURNAL 11is a 60-page magazine for Advanced Squad Leader and features ten articles, the latest Q&A/errata, twenty-five ASL scenarios (including one Deluxe, one Operation Veritable, one Festung Budapest, and two Valor Of The Guards scenarios), and three Squad Bleeder scenarios (and their associated purchase charts), all printed on cardstock.
The Squad Bleeder scenarios also require the following boards: 3, 6, 16-18, 20, and 45.
ASL JOURNAL 11 is not a complete game; ownership of the Advanced Squad Leader Game System is required for play.
The raffle winner for the month of February is… Wade Semiless. Wade will be receiving a free one of a kind collector’s edition coffee mug featuring the US 105mm Howitzer courtesy of Tim Brieaddy at Red Headed Tshirts.
Speaking of winners, here is a photo of Carl Ise rocking February’s raffle prize.
Sniper Cards:
The Sniper/ELR Cards are picking up steam. They may even be available before the projected release date of ASLOK XXXI but I need your help with two things.
I need photos of Snipers from the following nationalities: French, US, USMC, Italian, Polish, Chinese, Japanese, Hungarian, Other Axis Minors, Other Allied Minors, Finnish, Partisan. Please send photos to dritter3@triad.rr.com.
I need to know which photos you think are best for the cards. I will be polling every week (or so) to find out what your favorite picks are from each nationality.
Sorry, there are no polls available at the moment.
We are less than a month away from the largest and longest running ASL tournament in the whole city of Kernersville. Because of overwhelming demand, we have opened the registration up to another team. That makes 15 of the worlds friendliest players all at one event. As you are reading this, Tim Brieaddy is putting the finishing touches on the artwork for the t-shirts and I am putting together a prize list. Registration is closed for the team tourney but you may still be put on the reserve list and/or can pop in for games between Friday and Sunday. Registration for the tournament is free (we are getting Mexico to pay for it).
Players confirmed.
Derek Ritter
Ulrich Ritter
Tim Brieaddy
Dylan Ritter
Ray Woloszyn
Ken Knott
Jeff Jordan
Hayes Wauford
Jamie Cribbs
Al Griffa
Dave Stephens
Peter Ortega
Mika Harviala
Kevin Conley
Doug Sheppard*
Scott Bricker*
*Pending
I would like to make mention of the best T-shirt Shop in the world (maybe not the universe, but definitely the world). It is a great website to visit for great ASL and WW2 themed t-shirts, longsleeved t-shirts, cups, and morale patches. Look around and if you don’t see what you like, contact Tim and he will be glad to give you a quote for some custom work. He even has a section devoted to the greatest game in the universe.
Hong Kong Wargamer has a new post on his fantastic website. Thanks Jackson!
Order of Arrival (approximate):
Battle Dice – arrived
Complete Lone Canuck line – arrived
Winter Offensive Pack 2016 – arrived
Heat of Battle – arrived
Tanks 101 Video – released
March Madness – arrived
Poland In flames – arrived
Journal 11 – arrived
Friendly Fire – arrived
Le Franc Tireur – This week
Yanks – March/April
Dice Towers – March
Ammo/Map crates – March
Sniper/ELR Cards – late Summer/early Fall
ASL Korea – in time for the 32nd anniversary celebrations of Kim Jong Un, lead singer for Twisted Sister’s release of ‘We’re not gonna take it!’
In our recent poll, we asked you what teaching video you would most like to see. Tanks101 was the clear winner with 41% of the vote so here it is. Please keep in mind that this is 101…just the basic concepts for the absolute beginner. I hope to make more soon which will include much more information including overruns, close combat, Smoke, and tactics. After watching this video, you may find it useful to watch the video of Tim and I playing scenario T2 ‘The Pumas Prowl’ which is a good AFV only scenario. You can download the PDF of scenario T2 and others for free at MMP’s website by clicking on Support -> ASL/SK -> ASL Official Downloads ->Scenarios from ASL Classic.
We have received limited quantities of ‘The Best of March Madness Vol. 1’. Dave from Kansas City ASL tells me that he probably won’t have any more to sell me after these are sold out. The pack retails for $20.00 and contains 15 of their greatest scenarios.
Friendly Fire: We just got in an order from Sweden and now all scenario packs including #6 with the ASL Geo Mapboard is in stock. I am offering the entire set at more than 10% off with free shipping or you can pick up individual packs with free shipping as well.
LOW INVENTORY WARNING: Crucible of Steel is going the way of ‘Blood and Jungle’ and ‘Into the Factory’. This one of a kind gem is almost sold out and out-of print. If you can get your hands on one before they all disappear from everywhere except for extortion-bay, I grab it now. Although I am already sold out, BFP still has a few copies.
Up until now, Ritter Krieg has only been accepting orders through Paypal. We are now able to process credit cards over the phone. If you would like to place an order using your credit card, you may phone in the order between 8:00am – 10pm EST seven days a week by calling me (Derek) at 336-462-4035.
Order of Arrival (approximate):
Battle Dice – arrived
Complete Lone Canuck line – arrived
Winter Offensive Pack 2016 – arrived
Heat of Battle – arrived
Tanks 101 Video – released
March Madness – arrived
Poland In flames – this week ?
Journal 11 – next week
Friendly Fire – end of the month
Le Franc Tireur – March
Yanks – March
Dice Towers – April
Sniper/ELR Cards – late Summer/early Fall
Korea – in time for the 40th anniversary celebrations of Kim Jong Un Decathlon win at the Montreal Summer Olympics.
The entire Heat of Battle collection (still available) is now in stock. Steve sent me some of his last pieces to make up this order. The prices are set by HOB so the best I can do is offer free shipping instead of the usual 10% off. Enjoy them while they last. These are fantastic TPP from the original producers of titles like Blood Reef Tarawa and God Save the King (A Bridge Too Far). Titles include:
Titles with a ‘*’ are the last available (sold out and OOP through HOB)
Tim and I have made a video replay of scenario T2 ‘The Pumas Prowl’. Short on time, we invented (at least I think we invented) SPASL (Speed ASL). We each get 7 minutes to complete our turn. The whole video plays out in just over an hour but we bet you can’t get through the first ten minutes without posting your kits on ebay. Whoever spots the most rules mistakes that we made will be announced on our next blog and will win eternal fame and immortality on this site. The Tanks 101 video is still in the works and will be posted as soon as it is finished.
I need your help to tell me how this site can better serve you. Please leave a comment with what you would like to see more (or less) of. Your input is greatly appreciated.
Teaching ASL: I have been thinking about helping new players learn the game by moderating some matches on VASL. I will not be giving strategy advice (until perhaps the game is over), just helping with the rules and procedures. All participants will have to be on Skype. Please shoot me an e-mail or post a message here if you would like to be one of the players or would like to be an observer. Unfortunately, I am not familiar with SK rules but perhaps there is someone who is that would like to moderate some SK scenarios.
I have been hinting at something big in the world of dice towers that is coming your way before too long. Tim Brieaddy and I have the first sample finished and it will be on display at the ‘Where the Iron Crosses Grow’ team ASL tournament is about five weeks from now. I will post photos right here shortly after it’s unveiling in April.
Here are some photos of a recent dice tower in different stages of construction. The final photo is pre-stain.
Order of Arrival (approximate):
Battle Dice – arrived
Complete Lone Canuck line – arrived
Winter Offensive Pack 2016 – arrived
Heat of Battle – arrived
Poland In flames – this week ?
Tanks 101 Video – this week
Journal 11 – next week
Friendly Fire – end of the month
Le Franc Tireur – March
Yanks – March
Dice Towers – April
Sniper/ELR Cards – late Summer/early Fall
Korea – in time for the 45th anniversary celebrations of Kim Jong Un landing on the moon.