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I thought this might be an interesting new topic and section for us all.Have you played a scenario lately, or ever, that you thought was particularly fun or gave you a different perspective on how you play ASL?
Maybe its just a simple low density bocage scenario or something that let you exploit HIP to the max?
Or even something you think would be an easy transition for starter kit players to moving on to full rules.I have an old favorite from my “Top Ten” list I wrote about in an article for the old SOCALASL
newsletter . J2, Battlin' Buckeyes. The main reason I recommend this scenario is that even though
its record shows it a bit unbalanced at 71-46 pro Japanese its a blast to play.I have played this 4 or 5 times and have won and lost on either side. Its the most European flavored of PTO with the armor match ups being quite close. Usually US armor will dominate any Japanese AFVs,this is quite a different experience because of this.The Japanese player is on the attack and has plenty of units and toys available.He also has multiple strategies to implement what with the 6 afvs.
The US player , even though on the defense has 4 afvs which enter on turn 2 to counter attack / slow down the onslaught.All the US afvs are OT, so this will teach you to deal with the 4 SAN and mortar on the Jap anese side.This is probably more suited to intermediate and more experienced players but fun for anyone wanting to mix it up with US-Japanese combined arms.
Give Battlin ' Buckeyes a shot,you wont regret it and most likely learn a bit
EV
Well one that was a blast to play was U23 Rehearsal for Crete. Played it at WCM with Rob Feinstein and we had a blast. A couple mis-setups for me, but I still had a blast playing. Watching Rob's paratroopers jumping and running around looking for guns was great. Great way to learn paradrops and stukas.
Dunno exactly, but I know it was one of my two or three games I played that day at WCM. Hardest part was just getting used to the stukas and getting everything ready for the airborne drops
We played “Rehearsal for Crete” at Brandon's just before we started the Ortona playtest. It's probably too big for a Game Day; mostly because of the paradrop. If you had a British set-up done in advance, and were comfortable with paradrop and air support rules it might be managable in 9 hours or so. IIRC it took us about a month to play (including set-up) at about 3 hours per weekly session.
I recently played SP 145-The Reluctant Tiger, against Casta at the last game day at the Realm. This scenario is well constructed
and even after the early loss of my Tiger was still very playable.At 6.5 turns its a good tourney game and offers enough choices to
both players to give it credible replay ability.I have written a detailed AAR on this forum that should explain more. Considering all the fuss
in the scenario prologue and SSR re the Tiger,I was very satisfied at how it played WITHOUT the Tiger!.ev
It's been entirely too quiet in here. In the last few months I have played two scenarios I feel are worth playing:
First is J129 Mountain Hunters, from Journal 9.This is played on boars 2a and features a Romanian attack
on Soviet defenders.The scenario has multiple choice VC, which I like,and has interesting strategic options for both players, I would take either side in this one.Second up is also from Journal 9, J 141, Riding With the King. RWtK is a city fight that is a real nail biter. Russian hordes attack on boards 53 and 56 looking to wrest control of buildings and gain VP.The are quite up to the task
with lend lease and heavy Soviet armor p[ounding German infantry with armor reinforcements. I have played it twice as the defender and both sides have their work cut out for them. Meticulous planning will be rewarded and mistake punished. I have a 1 and 1 record and would take either side.EV
I like “Mountain Hunters” also. I've played it three times (twice as the Romanians, once as the Russians) and I'd take either side.
Another scenario I've recently played and enjoyed is Schwerepunkt's “Last Full Measure”. Late war Marines assaulting a ridge against some pretty tough Japanese. Short and fun, lots of action.
A couple of weeks back I played Brave Little Emchas with Bill Yuen. This was my fourth or fifth playing and it reminded me
how much fun Emchas is.First off, it is deluxe ASL, this is already a huge bonus in my eyes,.The forces, SS and Russian Guards are evenly matched at 8 squads each with 2 Panthers an ISU 152 ,3 lend-lease Shermans and 75mm German Pak added to the mix. The game is played on three deluxe city boards, with two victory conditions to choose from. The VC, combined with the fact that the Russian player moves first mean that the game flow is decided by the Russian. To win, the Russian must have a superior force [ measured in squad equivalent ratio in building a j 2 and / or control all more board B stone buildings than do the SS.All this combines to give a game that offers interesting tactical choices and a surprising fluidity for what is a small city action with low unit density.Also, at just 6 turns Brave Litttle Emchas offers up an almost perfect tournament scenario with good replay potential. In my last playing [ With Bill Yuen] it came down to a single CC DR, it doesnt get much better than that.
So if you're looking for a nailbiter with plenty of action, but fast playing I suggest J 65, Brave Little Emchas” I look forward to playing this again and will gladly take either side.
I recently played Slam Dance, from the old Rout Report with Jim Aikens,it is a deluxe ASL meeting engagement consisting of Brit paratroops and a mixed a German force mixing it upon two deluxe city boards.The action starts right away as the two forces vie for CVP and VP based on capturing buildings on their opponents half of the map
.
Slam dance is a very dynamic scenario with a chess-like feel combined with good old fashioned hack and slash ASL . I have to say this was the most exciting and tension filled scenario I have played this year. Slam Dance leans towards the Brits according to ROAR stats , but the balance provisions probably fix any concerns .If you are lookig for an uncluttered ,fast playing scenario I suggest you dig up a copy of Slam Dance and fasten your seatbelt!
I plan to write up an AAR in this forum before too long. ENJOY!EV
P.S. Please , if you have played a scenario , campaign game or whatever ASL gem , don't hesitate to add it to this subforum listing.we would all enjoy
reading your recommendations!Thanks for sharing Ev!
Looking forward to the AAR of Slam Dance.
What part of the SoCal world are you from?Hi Brian,
I am in Los Angeles.I met you and your wife at Emerald Knights [ briefly ]
and look forward to seeing you there at the next meeting. I hope you are finding
Los Angeles to be somewhat navigable,haha..Eric Visnowski
I just played Cradle to Grave [ Journal 10 ] with Mike Soffa, with Mike's American / French partisan force winning the scenario in a very close game.
Cradle to Grave is a somewhat complex scenario that requires planning on both sides but with an eye towards flexibility. The German attacker has to play
aggressively but not recklessly,chasing down partisan units while trying to get his force to the victory locations intact.The Allied force has to play a
game of retreat until reinforcements arrive behind the Germans lines.This is when things get interesting as the Germans find themselves between two
groups of Allied forces.There are choices that will have to be made.I have heard some grumbling about Cradle to Grave on some of the online forums ,but our game was well balanced [ I lost by one building hex ] and quite
interesting and fun.If you are looking for a meaty combined arms scenario give Cradle to grave a try.Just make sure you have the time as there is a lot going
on here and it will take time to execute your plans.EV
I recently played two scenarios I am going to recommended. Both have been around quite a while and differ dramatically.
The first is HS 21 Hervorst Hell, from the Operation Veritable HS. HS 21 involves 15 British first line squads with armor support,including two Crocodiles assaulting a mixed force of German defenders ,first and second line, holing up on board 49.The Germans also have one rocket oba module and 81 mm oba mortar plus a pair of 150mm artillery pieces. Add in wire, AT ditches and you have quite a fortress in the making.The Brits have a formidable force but are saddled with the task of crossing relatively open board 4.The Brits have to make a dispersed attack
as the potential of the OBA can wreak havoc on their formations. On arrival of their start line, hopefully intact, they then must fight their way through stone buildings to the victory locations [ yet more stone buildings] The German cannot defend everything and must decide where to
make his stand.Hervorst Hell is analogous to a chess game and demands meticulous planning and a modicum of luck on both sides. Neither player can be lax
in this unforgiving scenario. If you enjoy a real challenge I give very good marks to this one. The ROAR data show this to be fairly balanced.I will add the other scenario in a separate post. Please give this classic scenario a try and tell us if you agree with the recommendation
EV
The second recommendation is oldie but goodie A 112, ” The Gift of Time ” . Gift is classic desert ASL [DTO] with armor , OBA HIP AT weaponry with Stuka's and the high possibility of rain thrown in. I played this with Chip Wertenberger and what a roller coaster ride it was!
This was by far one of the most tension filled games I have played in quite a while.Gift is played on 4 desert boards ,two in length and 2 in breadth
with wadi and hillock overlays. The Germans are on the attack here with 8 or so squads and plenty of AFVs including several Italian assault gunsto press home the attack. The defending Brits lay await in the wadis and on and behind the hillocks with 3 AFVs and 2 US HT TDs plus a 57mmAT gun and reinforcing Lee's.Its balls to the wall all the way. The attacking Axis force has no time to waste and has to take whatever lumps he needs to take and press forward
full speed ahead. They cannot consider letting the infantry walk it out because if they do they will never exit, or possibly even engage the enemy.
The Brit defender has to tough it out as long as possible and wait until he has a target rich environment for the 57mm which can shred any Axis AFV in play.In our game my DRs didn't do so well and Chip took the win. However it was still close and I think that neither one of us felt confident of a win til
the last move. The Axis player has to watch the clock in this very closely as timing is everything in this scenario.Gift of Time is very tense and with the fun of making 40 and 50 hex shots and the pure terror of being exposed to them offers a truly different
ASL experience. Put away any fears or concerns of playing DTO and just enjoy yourself. It will be a liberating experience too.I give this one a ten out of ten for excitement .ROAR shows a good balance on this gem and I cant wait to plahy DTO again!
Enjoy! ,EV
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