So this is happening. As some of you may know, I am an avid ASL player. I am not the best player in the world but I have played many of the best (mostly losing but whose counting?). That’s me on the left. Based on the fact my hair is sticking up, I gather I am losing to Juan Santacruz. Given this was less than a month ago, I am sure I was as my notes in my play log reflect the loss. I do recall a lot of bad dice and a lot of frustration in my own play but it was something else that led me to write this blog.
As I walked around the room, I noticed the same error happening in game after game. Now being a regular tournament attendee I know better than kibbitz unasked but I filed this away. Returning home, I paid a little closer attention to various on-line ASL forums and I noticed the same questions were happening all over the place. Some of this was the same people asking the same question in multiple locations, but not all of it was. I have hung around ASL forums for more than a decade. I have been playing ASL for a long time and I have attended tournaments all over the world. What I noticed from all of this is recurring questions. some of which I have been answering for over a decade, even if I am not as authoritative as Perry Cocke or Klas Malmström.
In yet another post on what is a Moving Vehicular Target and the proper application of Target-based DRMs I suggested I should create a short article on the topic. With encouragement from a couple of friends, I did just that. Chris Doary of Sitrep posted an edited version on his blog for me. At the same time, Jackson Kwan posted two articles on his Hong Kong Wargamer blog. You can see the first here and the second here. I am forever grateful to those two for helping me get started and for providing me support. Without them, I don’t think I would have made the leap without their help.
I have deep understanding of ASL I would like to share with the ASL community. I will do my level best to bring accurate and valuable content in short digestible bites. The vast majority of the work I do here will be under three pages. It will focus on a single rule passage or a single section of the charts. I will provide as many examples as I can in the available space. I will also try to make sure they are also available as downloadable PDF files. The PDF’s may not be available right away as I need to sort that out still. I will also do my best to update these blog entries and PDF’s to correct any errors. As much as I hate it, errors can and will creep in. I will do my best to fix them as quickly as I can.
As I write this in September 2021, my plan is to release one article every two to four weeks. I will also put up the two articles I shared with Chris and Jackson so all my work is in one place. If you want to publish anything in your own works, contact me about including it and I will gladly let you publish it. If you ask in advance I will make sure you get the latest version. Alternatively, should you want an original product for your upcoming publication, let me know and we can likely work something out. I would like to also blog the articles here so I can keep up with any errors or feedback the article generates. Keeping all of my work in one place allows to do that. I hope you understand,
This site will evolve over the next couple of weeks. I am rushing this out now as I plan to release a new article 13 September. The astute ASL’er will note, that’s a Monday. Until next time. — jim
Yeah!! Congrats on getting this party started!!
great work ! Many years playing and still learning from your articles
Thanks for your kind words.
Just coming across your blog. I have been off and on trying to learn this wonderful game ASL. I’m probably more of a collector than player but would like to change that. I have heard your named mentioned numerous times in the ASL community and was happy to discover your work. Looking forward to learning from you. Thank you and keep up the good work.
Respectfully,
Lee Miller
Looking forward to reading your blog and learning! Thank you for taking time to share your thoughts on ASL.
You’re welcome Todd. I enjoy doing it for sure. — jim
Hi, I’m new to the ASL world. Thanks for creating this ASL blog. I’ll be sure to read every article once I get a hang of the rules. Take care.