VASL with the 2 Halfsquads

Listen in while I help Jeff and Dave finally get virtual with their Squad Leading! It only took a pandemic.

http://www.the2halfsquads.com/2020/04/244-here-we-go-vasling.html

Korean War ASL with The 2 Halfsquads

Listen as I discuss with Dave Kleinschmidt, Dave T. and Chris W. our first impressions of the ASL Korean module "Forgotten War" on the lastest episode of Dave and Jeff's podcast. You can actually hear my eyes strain on the recording as I try to read the small font on a particular vehicular counter even with my reading glasses on!

Part 1
http://www.the2halfsquads.com/2020/02/episode-240-game-of-rising-sun.html
Part 2
http://www.the2halfsquads.com/2020/03/episode-241-konigsberg-and-korea.html

Red Factories

The 2 Half-Squads: Episode 214: Mad Hattten in Flames

In the latest episode of the 2 Half-Squads you can hear Dave tell the story about my completely botched defense in scenario WO20 Sealing Their Fate.  When a scenario SSR offers you the choice to deploy your entire starting force, you should probably consider deploying your entire starting force. Next time, Mr. Kleinschmidt, next time!

ASL Extra 25: Shklov's Labors Lost

Last July I had the pleasure to be a featured player on the 2 Half-Squads podcast.  Host Dave Kleinschmidt moderated a scenario of Advanced Squad Leader as I play against the exuberant Eric Ortega. My thanks go out to Dave and Eric for a great evening.  Follow the link to listen here: ASL Extra 25: Shklov's Labors Lost.

ASL Forgotten War

Honestly, I never thought I would see this published in my lifetime.  Here it is sitting on my appropriately snow covered doorstep.

Defiance on Hill 30

It's always a good sign when they come back for more!  This week we continue Nils education by fire with the newly reissued Yanks 2nd edition version of Defiance on Hill 30. Nils will take the attacking Germans this time to gain some maneuver experience. Nine turns to wander over hills and fields, remember when they gave you so much time to close with the enemy?

US Paratroopers in Normandy June 8, 1944

The Guards Counterattack

Today we celebrated a rite of passage by playing "The Guards Counterattack" with ASL newcomer Nils S.  It is always fun to introduce new players to the game. Welcome to the fold, Nils!

Red Barricades Campaign Game

Things have been quiet here on the blog as of late as I have been concentrating on a Red Barricades Campaign Game III.  Yes, the big one, played out on VASL with John H.  It has taken us the better part of a year to finally come to a conclusion with the Germans pushing the Russians off the map.  I made a simple video showing the daily situation from beginning to end.  Sorry guys, it's not very sophisticated...no sound or fancy graphics.  We are thinking of going Valor of the Guards next so I might record the game with the idea of doing a more complex video report.

PAASL February 2014

Saturday night was the latest PAASL meeting hosted by Dave Kleinschmidt.  Five brave souls faced another round of Winter 2014 as we made our way to the NW suburbs.  I matched up with Tom B. for J139 Light Aid Detached.  This is an interesting scenario featuring partisans attempting to hold off a mixed German column.  The partisans must buy time for a small British repair crew to hastily man a pair of vehicles in defense of their undermanned facility.  Also in attendance was newcomer Eric O. who matched wits with Mark W.  in a small scenario from Valor of the Guards.

ASL - Silence That Gun, I Think Not

The latest episode of the 2 Half Squads features Jeff H. discussing our game of Silence That Gun a few weeks ago at PAASL.  It was the first time we've been at the same meeting in 5 years.  It turned into quite a disaster for me as the USA this time.  To counter Jeff's able defense I went for a sweep into the woods on his right flank. I smashed through his conscript screen and made it safely into the woods.  All that was left was to clean up the two remaining conscript defenders and rush the building line where his gun was located.  Those guys would not go down, surviving both PBF and returning fire with FPF successfully on conscript morale 6.  After a turn of recovery I made it into LOS of the gun and prepared to pepper it with the 4 Bazookas.  I rolled "12" on every shot!  The guy that issued that box of BAZ is in trouble.  With one turn to go my only chance was to blast 'em with old fashioned IFT....and a miss.  Down to the wire. Thanks for the tense game, Jeff.
You can hear it all here at:
The Two Half Squads: Episode 86

ASLCN January 2013

This Saturday, January 12th, is the first meeting our our Advanced Squad Leader Chicago Northsiders group.  Contact me for additional information.

ASL Offboard Artillery Cards

More from the ASL accessory department.  Here is a selection of my personalized OBA battery access cards.  The back of each card features a standardized OBA design using VASL as my template.  The face of each card has a unique background picture typically based off a dramatic photo of an artillery piece in action for the black chit draws or a humorous picture for the red draws.  Whenever I run across a photo that is a good match for one of the decks I can just print out a new card and add it too my existing library.  Then an OBA draw deck can be custom built for each module from the available pool of cards. 

I use the same technique for construction of the OBA deck as I did with the Sniper Reminder cards.  Workplace ID lamination sheets are the perfect tool for building playing card sized game pieces.  They provide the uniformity and durability necessary for a working card deck of this size.

ASL Sniper Cards

As with many in the ASL community, I have spent a fair amount of my ASL time personalizing and accessorizing my ASL kit.  Featured here is my set of sniper activation number reminder cards.  Each nationality gets their own set of 3 double-sided cards numbered 2-7.    I find that it gives each nationality a bit of a distinctive flair to have their national flag on the gaming table while serving in a functional role. 

The construction of these cards was relatively simple.  I embellished the numbers onto the flag images in Word, printed and cut out to size.  Then I laminated them together using workplace ID lamination sheets, the perfect size for card shaped gaming enhancements. 

AAR: DASL3 Storming The Factory

Advanced Squad Leader VASL
Deluxe ASL 3: Storming The Factory
Germany: Michael R.
Russia: John H.

For this weeks round we picked the deluxe board scenario Storming The Factory.  This one pits a force of 20 German SS squads against a factory of 22 Russians during the advance on Rostov in July 1942.  Notably missing are the ususal toys we associate with factory assaults: flamethrowers, fanatics and fortified locations.  Instead the Germans get a randomly arriving set of PzIVF2's and the Russians get Molotov capability to counter this armored threat.  The Germans get ten turns to take the factory, but must use this generous amount of time wisely to reduce the Russians to a variable, but ultimately low, number of squads. 

Initial Setup

Setup requires each side to start rather densely packed in their respective starting areas.  My plan was to use the extra time afforded by the scenario to attempt a double envelopment of the factory to prevent a Russian fighting withdrawal.  My armor force came on randomly at the very first opportunity which required me to take the Russians down to 3 squads (not squad equivalents).   

German Envelopment On Both Flanks

The tanks were able to take advantage of their quick arrival and helped the right flank forces quickly threaten the east sector of the map.  The left flank advanced methodically up to the west and south approaches to the factory.  The critical phase occurred at two points around turn 4.  On the left flank I pushed one PzIV into the factory followed by its supporting infantry force.  They survived all attempts to dislodge them and would dominate the factory interior for the rest of the game.  The other decisive factor was a series of berzerker Russian squads on the right flank that charged the maneuvering armor, abandoning their heavy machine gun and unhinging their defensive line.  They did manange to flame one of the Panzers with a Molotov but at the expense of an exposed right flank. 

Factory Encircled

From that point the fate of the factory was sealed.  The balance of the game was spent reducing the encircled Russian defenders until they finally surrendered.  This scenario, like many of the early deluxe board designs, features size without sophistication.  It does provide a good primer on basic urban block fighting with large maneuver elements, but is not a scenaro that will be revisited often. 

AAR: ASL 95: Descent Into Hell

Advanced Squad Leader VASL
ASL 95: Descent Into Hell
Germany: Michael R.
New Zealand: John H.

For my weekly VASL game with John H. I picked ASL 95: Descent Into Hell with the latest MMP revisons.  John H. and I have been playing ASL on and off for nearly 16 years.  John still resides in Michigan and VASL has allowed us to keep up our long running matchups in ASL despite several relocations for both of us over the years.  Descent Into Hell features German glider assault troops storming New Zealand positions at Maleme Airfield on Crete in May, 1941.  To win the German must eliminate a light AA battery and secure both ends of the strategic Tavronitis Bridge in 8.5 turns.  I took the Germans and planned to have the first wave of gliders hit fairly close to the airfield around which the AA guns were emplaced. 

Initial German Landing - Maleme Airfield

Dust is in effect for the first three turns, so this allowed a closer glider landing than would normally be possible.  Gliders are vulnerable to fire on the turn they land, so the dust provided just the cover neccessary to get the squads off intact.  The landing worked quite well, bringing me down close to two of the AA guns.  Within three turns, this pair of guns was eliminated, but the dust had settled down and I had to contend with approaching the third gun over open ground opposed by the defenders in the airfield buildings.

Turn 3: Two Guns Down, One To Go

On turn 4 the second wave of glider troops landed around the bridge, one group on a hill overlooking the eastern bridge defenses and another in the middle of the dry river bed itself.  This landing went off perfectly and these forces were able to secure both ends of the bridge within 4 turns.

Turn 4:
 Bridge Assault Force Landing

I was able to divert some of the bridge force toward the airfield battle, but they would arrive too late to help.  The remaining troops at the airfield inched their way toward better positions to eliminate the last AA gun.  However, the doughty Kiwis rolled a fanatic and a hero which really slowed down the advance.  The final blow was a wind change that prevented me from throwing smoke up wind toward the airfield defenses.  There was a last turn of hope as the 9-2 leader who had raced from the bridge sector battle hardened to a 10-2, but he was just too far to save the day.  The last gun remained just out of reach across all that open ground and runway.  The Germans were forced to call off the assault. 

Turn 9: Final Dispositions

This was another close game, coming down to the last turn as so many ASL games do.  The glider rules are not overly complicated and add an interesting new dimension to any ASL scenario.  I highly recommend that you try this section of Chapter E.

Leading the Tin Men

Last night was the April meeting of the PAASL group in Palatine.  I was matched up with John P. for scenario SV5 Lions and Tin Men from the Swedish Volunteers pack.  This kit features a set of white and light blue counters to represent the small number of Swedes who fought in the Winter War and the continuing conflicts in the region.  In the interests of time we picked a smaller scenario (4.5 turns) featuring a German attack to breakout through the valley on board 24 defended by a mixed bag of Swedes and other Allied Minors.  We randomly picked sides and I drew the German force.  The Germans start with a basic infantry force that is reinforced by 2 of 3 randomly selected groups, one of which features a PzIB and a squad on a bicycle!  To make a short story even shorter, some really unfortunate die rolling combined with John P.'s expertly handled defense resulted in a Swedish win.  My tin men's morale finally collapsed when the Swedish ATR immobilized my PzIB just short of the board edge.
The highlight of the evening, however, occured when the attending members were all recruited by Dave K. to participate in a short audio sketch that will be featured on the 2 Half Squads!  The NDA requires me to remain silent on the experience until it is actually released to the public.

PAASL Meeting

The next meeting of the Palatine Area Advanced Squad Leader group is Friday, April 15.  These were the first group of gamers I met upon arriving in Chicago's Northwest suburbs and they are a fun and active group.  The host, Dave K., is also one of the 2 Half Squads, (http://www.the2halfsquads.com/), an entertaining and informative podcast on all things Advanced Squad Leader.  I plan to be there!