eASLeague Official Rules Document

As we continue to prepare for the league, we have released the 2012 version of the eASLeague Official Rules Document.  The GameSquad post containing it is HERE.  We are asking that people review it and look for any holes we might have missed plugging (we're not perfect).  Spencer and I are both overwhelmed by the response to the tournament - 54 entries in 5 days!!!!

We're proud of what we've accomplished and put together so far.  We're excited to be able to host this event for all our friends in the ASL community.  We're grateful for the sponsors that have graciously agreed to help support this tournament with prizes and I particularly want to give a shout out to them:

Scott & Crystal Blanton at the Gamer's Armory
Chris & Helen Doary at BattleSchool
George Kellin at Lone Canuck Publishing

We have a couple more that we're working on bringing on-board as well and I'll post that information as it is available.

Most of all, we're grateful to you, the players, for your trust and enthusiasm.  We LOVE ASL.  We love playing it, we love talking about it, and we know you do too.  We hope our contribution to the proverbial "ASL table" meets with your approval and can be savored and enjoyed alongside the other wonderful offerings already out there.

More to come...

Josh Walles
eASLeague Director

Introducing the eASLeague

Well, we went ahead and did it.  The eASLeague is open for business with the proprietors being myself and Spencer Armstrong.  HERE is a link to the GameSquad thread.  The following is a reprint of the original post:

First, there was the CyberASL Open; now we're creating the eASLeague. Pretty soon, it we'll just have a cool symbol that you can make an electric guitar out of...maybe one that looks kind of like an ankh...have to check on that...I'm thinking something in purple...

Anyway, with all of the interest expressed in our "...resurrected" thread, we have decided that we will ACTUALLY have...A LEAGUE!!!...muah haaah haa!!! Excuse me, sorry...wrong voice.

So we are announcing, the eASLeague (or e-mail ASL League). As the name implies, this will be a League format as opposed to the Tournament one we thought about originally. We are in the final stages of developing the League rules document and it should be done next week, but I can hit the highlights here:

Registration is open to all and starts immediately. We didn't want to delay registration simply because the rules doc wasn't done and we wanted to start in Q2. Registration is to be an e-mail directed to both of the League Directors (LD's):

Primary LD: Josh Walles (countzeroasl at gmail dot com)
LD: Spencer Armstrong (ssa415 at gmail dot com)

We'll comfirm the e-mail back to you, and you're in. Prior to the start of a round, we'll send you an e-mail with your next pairing and contact information of your opponent. Play will commence on April 1, 2012. For the first year, we will likely have a single grouping. In later years, that may restructure and add something for ASLSK, but we'll worry about that down the line.

League rounds will be 3 months in duration with initial pairings determined by the LD's. That means for the year 2012, there will be 3 rounds. Scenario selection, play, and winner determination will be left almost entirely to the players as outlined in the rules doc. Normal years will consist of 4 rounds. Play should be completed prior to 3 days before the end of the round to give us time to do all administrative stuff required prior to the next round. For the most part, however, we don't want to interfere. It's like the famous signature line here on the forum "Shut up and play."

Obviously the default format is PBEM with the Honor System governing things (some clarifications and structure are in the rules doc, but things are largely left up to the players per the "we are all adults" comments in the other thread), but if needed F2F or Live VASL can be used to finish a game at the end of a round.

There will be a prize pool at the end of the year (also outlined in the rules doc). We already have some things lined up thanks to Chris Doary of BattleSchool fame and Scott and Crystal of The Gamer's Armory generously sponsoring us and are working on a few more surprises to be announced later.

The League is designed to be very low-key. What we really want is to get more people playing more ASL in a format that meets their needs. We want to give them an excuse to meet new opponents and get a wider breadth of experience. Most of all, we want everyone to have a good time playing ASL.

So while you're waiting for the rest of the details, give us an e-mail shout and register for the hottest ASL event since that one that was run by that guy a while back..you know? Come out and participate. We'd love to have you. In the meantime, roll low and may you pass all your PMC's.

Day 1 saw 24 registered.  Huge!  And there's still 25 days to go.  Rules doc is going through it's final revisions between Spencer and I after which, it will be released to the general populous.  We're already funneling in prize material.  Things are looking up.  We have seen a lot of excitement about this idea.  It seems to fill a need in our community.  Not a giant one, mind you, but a need nonetheless.  It's nice to be able to offer this as a way to contribute.  This is something I can do to make a difference to a few people.  I'm happy to do it.

We're excited to see how this all plays out.  Come join us for the ride, if you've a mind...  We'd love to see you on the field of battle.

Josh

I MUST be crazy...

Well, one of the interesting side effects of participating in a mostly fan-based community such as the ASL community is that there are, by nature, more opportunities to contribute.  People playtest new scenarios, edit articles and rules submissions, work on layout, write code, and so on.  The game owes almost as much to these volunteers as to the big funders like Mr. Schilling.

For a while now, I have been pondering how I could include myself in this effort.  I used to playtest for MMP and was even credited in AP5 and possibly AP6 (not sure).  I attended tournaments and helped when I could.  Here in Texas, though, as I have said, there's really nothing and no one close.  Out of necessity, to play, I have turned to PBEM.  And now we come to the crux of the issue.

There was, at one point, a tournament run by Chris van Wyk from South Africa where the default format was PBEM.  It was a tournament for "the rest of us".  Quite suddenly, however, he dropped off the map.  I have tried contacting him to no avail.  This absence leaves a hole for those that want the competitiveness of tournament play, but can't afford to get to a tournament or can't make their schedules fit.  Enter naive me.

I am going to try to resurrect this tournament as my way of giving something back to a community that has provided me with hours of enjoyment and many wonderful friends.  My primary PBEM opponent, Spencer Armstrong has even agreed to help.  We're still in the beginning steps of the process.   Look for more information on GameSquad and here in the coming weeks.

For those of you who PBEM, we welcome you.  This tournament is for you.  Roll low, and have fun.

Josh

ASL by baby steps

Time for a new post.

So here in Lubbock, TX, as I have posted before, there are no ready opponents.  Attempts to interest other members of the community have struck a thick wall almost exactly the size of the ASL rulebook.  No one wants a challenge anymore.  No one wants complexity.  Don't get me wrong.  There's a place for games like Catan, and Pandemic (which I LOVE) and Munchkin and others.  My gaming "bride", my "old woman" if you will, the one I'll always come home to at night, will ALWAYS be ASL, though.

With that in mind, I have embarked on a "new" method of play since all previous attempts at setting aside amounts of time required to play VASL or finding a F2F opponent have failed.  In fact, saying that they have failed miserably is actually insulting to those that fail miserably.  There's no word in the English language for the amount of suck those efforts have attracted...

So I have begun to play via email using VASL logfiles.  I come to this method desperate for my fix.  The monkey has grafted itself on to my poor back and I am helpless against its power.  It has been my hope to find an answer.  I am not and have not been disappointed.

I have been able to average almost a log a day.  It takes between 10 and 20 minutes to put one together.  I can do this after I put the kids to bed and before I get incredibly tired.  All told, I am pushing 4-6 logs out a week right now.  Play is in chunks I can wrap my head around.  I have time to investigate rules as I need them.  I can think about tactics and strategy.  Most importantly, however, is the fact that I am PLAYING again.

I've even posted for a second opponent over at the GS forums.  I should easily be able to keep up two games and in doing so, will get a wider view of playing style.  Something else to sharpen the pencil...

On top of that, the opponent I have is one that is worth knowing as a friend outside of ASL.  Not that I am particularly surprised.  Most of my best friends have come from some form of gaming, whether RPG's as a young adult and college student, to ASL in my adult life.  I love hanging around people that game.  There is an almost inherent acceptance in us, for we are almost always outcasts.  We know what it is to be misunderstood - we play a game with a manual that rivals most computer language technical specifications in complexity for pity's sake.  Who DOES that?!?  But we look at it and don't even flinch.  That's a special breed and the people that do that are often the most generous around.  Hopefully, the second one turns out just as well as the first.



In short, the monkey has his banana, and all is right with the world...

Josh

My inglorious return...

Today, I made my return to the world of ASL in typical fashion...by playing a scenario and having my strategy explode in a spray of blood and body parts to a counterpoint of flaming wrecks. The impersonal nature of VASL + Skype did not do much to dull the sting. My opponent, Spencer Armstrong, a true gentleman, was as nice as can be as he mocked my feeble attempts to get to the Victory Objective while laying waste to my critical assets.

We had previously decided to do some PBEM, but due to his impending move back to the land of promise, we had put it off, and put it off. Since I had today free, we decided to play it today live and pick another for my first foray into PBEM. The scenario we had chosen was one of Pete Shelling's ShellShocked scenarios that are freely available from the ASLOK website (here), Backs to the Saare. This scenario has the US devil squads (6-6-6) with some assault engineers backed up by some M36GMC's, some M4A3's, and an M4A1. They get tubes, footballs, and a torch. Opposing them are the Germans, with 1st and 2nd line squads some decent leaders, AT/AA assets and some dummies with a tube. There are some Pillboxes and tradable trenches (for wire, and roadblocks for fortified bldg locations, but most importantly, on turn 4, the cavalry arrives in the form of a PzKfw VG, a PzKfw IVJ and a couple of StuG IIIG's. The goal for the US is to take either 21Z2 or 20Z3 by game end.

My initial thinking was that if I were defending, I would probably reinforce the wooden building in 21Z2 heavier due to the TEM difference. I briefly thought that attacking up the middle would keep him guessing for a couple of turns while I felt out the defense, but if I were him, I would have the excellent fire lane of 20Y1 - 21Y1 set up so that no matter which way the attacker turned, I'd have a back shot with a decent chance of totalling my target. Experience bears this out in spades (more later). Based on that, I tried to do a force wedge on the board 20 side and attack what I believed would be the more lightly defended stone building. I should have tried the middle somehow.

The scene below shows the situation at the beginning of Turn 2 (after some maneuvering). I drove pretty well, not allowing my infantry and armor to spread out and become isolated by firelanes or HIP guys. I lost smoke rounds on basically everything, but made effective use of smoke mortars and smoke grenades to go forward. Then, I had the unfortunate luck of losing a M36GMC to a sniper of all things. Recall. That set the tone for things to come...

This is where things started to break down. I had some issues driving to the victory building and getting across that street. The momentum got held up through turn 3 and I couldn't afford to lose it. Below is the scene mid-way through Turn 4. Ready to cross the street finally. Unfortunately, this is about a turn too late and the German has way too many troops in 20Z3

Below is the scene at the beginning of American Turn 5. German tanks are closing in and the Americans are still not across the $@#&ing street.

Below we have the German Turn 5. I tried running a tank around to flank and attack the lower Pz IVH. I was concerned that if I left the tanks to the south unopposed, I'd get flanked and having tanks running around unopposed in my back field was NOT something I wanted to deal with. Not the worst plan ever, but it left me with a flaming wreck to show for it. See also the other M36GMC in the middle of the board flamed in turn 4.

Below is American Turn 6 in which the Americans finally grow a pair and go for the endgame. One tank, who can't really go anywhere where he would be effective, so I have him putting smoke down still.

I get a whole bunch of assets into the street where somehow they survive two firelanes at which time the germans brought down some HE from one of the Guns (can't remember which) and it took care of that stack, hard. The last shot here is the final image of the game where the American's trying to finger their way into the victory building evaporate into a fine red mist. At that point, there was no possible way I had either the time or the resources to take the building. So I ceded victory.

Final thoughts:

1.) OT M36GMC's should have been kept in the backfield and used once the other tanks were brought out.
2.) Should have pushed harder with the infantry. There was plenty of leadership to rally and they come back on 8's.
3.) As mentioned before, I probably should have split his forces by going up the middle instead of allowing him to reinforce bd. 20 from the south.
4.) Flamethrowers IGNORE TEM. An FT can take care of those pesky fortified building locations with ease.

I'm sure that there are more, but those are some really big ones.

To quote Spencer: "Play ASL to (in this order), have fun, learn/teach something, win - 2 out of 3 is good enough."

In summary, I'm not in any danger of winning a GROFAZ title or mini wood any time soon. I am in the market to have a lot of fun in this game again, though. I'm still finding great guys to meet and play. It just doesn't get any better than that.

The Count

Random ASL-ery

Interesting times a-happening:

1.) My daughter, Meagan, has decided at the precocious age of 9 (she'll be 10 in December), that I "need to teach her to play ASL, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE!!!!" I've started running her through Chapter K slowly. To my surprise and delight, if I go slow enough, she's actually picking it up. Who knows, I might develop a "for real" ASL opponent here local that wants to play often...and I get to bond with my daughter at the same time. LOTS of up-side.

2.) Having made yet another "ASL friend" in Spencer Armstrong, I've got a VASL game lined up for over Thanksgiving Break. 4-Day weekend = 3 days for family + 1 day for ASL. Everybody wins! Additionally, I'm going to have him walk me through a PBEM game. I figure with the small timeframe that it takes to build a log file (or portion thereof) and the small amount of time I actually seem to be able to put towards ASL on a regular basis, that it would be a match made in heaven (until circumstances change). Good times.

3.) Yet another guy that is tops is Chris Doary, the proprietor of ASL BattleSchool. This is one of the crispest, most well put-together blogs for ASL I have seen yet. He also runs a raffle every month for blog subscribers. This month, some poor schmuck in Lubbock, TX won (me). Take includes 4 precision BattleSchool custom dice and a $20 gift certificate to the site's store, KitShop. I find it incredible that the members of our community can do things like this. I have been in others where although the people were great, they were not nearly this generous. So many (like Chris) contribute blood, sweat, tears, time and no small amount of money to this hobby to keep it alive. Not everyone can be a Curt Schilling, but the smaller contributions to the community, like BattleSchool, are both humbling and appreciated. They make ME want to continue contributing and to contribute more.

Hopefully, this doesn't sound sappy, because it's not how it's meant. I just am continually grateful to have met the people I have and found this hobby/community. For all our quirks, we really have some of the nicest people I've met yet.

Doing work, For King and Country

On Tuesday, my wife called me at work saying that my long awaited package finally came.  After waiting almost 2 years for my 2009 birthday present, For King and Country (the British OB to the ASL System) had arrived.  I wanted to rush home right then.

Today, I have finally finished taking care of all the pieces.  They have all been plano-ized, the boards are in sleeves and put away, the scenarios and pages are all in page protectors (I needed another scenario binder, because these put my old one over the limit.  My Second rules binder is at the limit too.  Not sure what I'm going to do when Rising Sun comes out with Chapter G and a whole bunch of Chapter H pages...

I can't wait to mix it up as the British here soon...

Ian Daglish

A sad day for the ASL community...

WWII historian, published author, and eminent scenario designer Ian Daglish was killed in a plane crash. Chas Argent reported it on the GameSquad Forums (here is the thread). My prayers go out to his family and friends in this time of grieving. He will be sorely missed by our little community.

At Last...

Got the opportunity to play Rob again while I was in Spokane on vacation. We played an infantry scenario from Bounding Fire's Blood and Jungle. I really need to find a way to play more regularly, because playing with Rob was like coming home. I'm not sure why I allowed myself to stop playing, but I will be working out a way with the missus to play at least once a month starting as soon as possible. Part of this will be figuring out how to deal with the kids during that time (who, while I love them, make concentrating difficult at best).

I will not post an AAR for the scenario (for those who have read my past blogs here - Rob slaughtered me...again), however, I will say this: For those of you thinking about making the leap to ASL from ASLSK. Don't think. Do it. For those of you who have stopped playing for whatever reason, find a way to come back. I have made some of the best friends imaginable through gaming and ASL is no exception. I can't wait until I have the opportunity to make a new one. Perhaps I'll even find a way to make it to the Texas Team Tournament in the near future. Whatever the venue, I'll be ready with my rules and dice for my next adventure.

Rant: Cramping my style

For those of you that have left the simplicity of bachelorhood behind, have you ever noticed how having young kids/pets cramps your ASL-style?

Before you get the wrong idea, let me first say that I LOVE my kids. As much as I don't want him to know, I even like my cat, Rambo. However, working 60 hours a week every week does not leave much time for ASL. When I get the energy I want to get out the counters and play, but a couple of hours of ASL does not allow me to play a full game (I'm not speed racer when it comes to this game).

My 9 year old daughter has learned to leave my stuff alone. My 6 year old son, however, still looks with his hands. As for the cat, do a search on the Gamesquad forum for "FOBA" (or Feline OBA) - enough said.

The next response is usually "go with VASL". This is a hard one for me. VASL is a wonderful program (I say that as both an end user and as a programmer - though not in Java). The community should be forever grateful to Herr Kinney for his creation and CountermanCX for his ongoing contributions, not to mention all the map trolls and extension elves quietly and diligently adding their two cents. The fact of the matter is, I use a netbook for most of my computing. Screen size is an issue. I have, however, also done VASL with both one and two monitor setups. 2 monitors is tolerable. I don't happen to have two monitors at home.

Another problem with VASL is that I spend much of my day on a computer anyway. Often, I have a hard time generating the desire to get back on even to play this awesome game. This doesn't seem fair to my opponents to me so I am extremely hesitant to even begin a game. Case in point: my last attempt ended as a miserable failure. I had a very patient and understanding opponent. I am almost certain he bears no ill will that life was stepping in the way, but I feel guilty all the same. We did not even finish a single game.

Perhaps the more important and less concrete reason is that there is some aesthetic attraction for me to pushing cardboard stacks around a hard board (and occasionally tipping them over). There is also something about actually looking your opponent in the eye. I suppose I have been spoiled by living in Spokane and having a friend like Mr. Wolkey living so close. Here in Lubbock, I have not found nor been able to make a regular opponent.

It makes me wonder if any of my other "readers" suffer in silence. Speak up! Tell your stories. I'd love to hear them as well.

And so this doesn't end on a negative...Play often and roll low!!! Happy ASL-ing.

Josh