ASL rules, tips, and tactics
EDIT: The fine folks at Banzai! have fixed the issue. I hope you enjoy the article. I have a new scenario analysis article appearing in the current Banzai! You can download the news letter here. There seems to be an image missing from the Banzai! issue. I have added it below for people to use…
I have made some small changes to the site over the last week or so. First, I added a “Resources” page. It is available through the “Resources” link in the blue menu bar above. I also replaced the “Contact” page with a new plugin. The Original Plugin relied on Captcha to alleviate spam but it…
In this post, we will examine DB164 Try at Trentlehof. Jeffery D. Meyers designed this scenario, and it is available from the Dispatches from the Bunker folks. I cannot speak highly enough of the Dispatches products and I encourage you to check more of them out. In my opinion, DftB represents the best value in…
In past articles, I have discussed Infantry Target Type Critical Hits (CH), CHs when targeting Guns, and CHs when a Gun is in a Pillbox. In this article, I examine CHs when using Vehicular Target Type (VTT), resolving these attacks, and how CHs work when the original attack is an Unlikely Hit. I will also…
In part one and part two, we examined options for defending against Target Selection Limits (TSL), so-called “Sleaze Freeze”. We examined the various ways of using units in the “frozen” Location to defend against TSL. Ideally, these should be choices of last resort. In this article, we will examine options that don’t rely on the…
Read More “Defending Against Sleaze Freeze: Some Final Examples” »
First, this article is perhaps a little presumptuous of me. For starters, I am not sure I am anything more than merely average myself. Writing an article about what separates me from good to great players makes it seem as if I should have a clear path to improvement. It immediately begs the question “what’s…
Read More “Making it to the Top: What Separates the Good Players from the Merely Average” »
In my earlier article Stop and Go Traffic: A Synopsis, I examined Moving Vehicular Targets, Motion Status, To Hit Case J, and To Hit Case L. A recent discussion on the Advanced Squad Leader Discord brought up an edge case I had not considered and I wish to pass along here. Review the Applicable Rules…
This is the second in a series of articles on defending against “Sleaze Freeze”. If you haven’t seen the first, you can find it here: Defending Against “Sleaze Freeze”: A First Example. If you haven’t already, I encourage you to give it a read as we won’t be covering the same ground again. In this…
Read More “Defending Against “Sleaze Freeze” — Second Example” »
I got a chance to sit down with Dave and Martin and chat about ASL. The interview covers a lot of topics. Since making this, I have learned errata IS in the official eASLRB offered by MMP. As I say in the interview, I do not own it so I probably shouldn’t have been as…
One of the biggest shocks new players experience is the notorious “Sleaze Freeze”. This occurs when an enemy AFV ends its MPh in Bypass, usually in Motion, of some key defensive position. It is at this point the new player learns the joys of A7.212 and Target Selection Limits. In this article, we will examine…
Read More “Defending Against “Sleaze Freeze”: A First Example” »
In this post, we will once again use my ASL Tactical Maxims to examine a scenario. Here, we will take a look at HazMo 5 The Blood of Lambs. I have spoken previously about this pack available from Hazardous Movement Gaming or an ASL retailer near you. I examined this scenario in preparation for The…
Read More “Scenario Analysis: HazMo 5 — The Blood of Lambs” »
In this post, we are going to take an in-depth look at HazMo 4, Kids These Days, using my ASL Tactical Maxims. By applying these maxims, I hope to show how a player may systematically approach a scenario to set up a cogent defense and make an initial plan to defend the victory conditions. For…
Oh boy. If you have visited any on-line ASL community, there is little doubt you have seen question after question regarding prisoners. It is possibly the single-most confusing section of the rules. Questions such as: The list goes on for quite some length. To cover these topics, and more, I am going to use a…
Illuminating Rounds 56 featured my article What Do I Take to an ASL Tournament. Thanks Martin and Dave. The discussion on my article begins at 38:10. — jim
This situation comes from a game I recently played. In it, I am playing the Germans and I blundered my MPh, leaving myself open to destruction. Fortunately for me, my opponent left me an opening and I was able to mostly extricate myself from the position relatively intact. Below I examine the situation, mistakes I…
This is the first in what may become a series on tactical tips. In order for this to happen a couple of things need to be said right up front. There is ALWAYS more than one way to do things. Some ways are “more right” than others but even “wrong” decisions can work. On top…
I recently posted an article covering Guns as Targets. In it, I discussed situations where the gunshield modifies the outcome of an attack. In a recent discussion online, a question was asked I had not covered in my post. I will cover it here now and throw in a bonus example. Target Facing Normally in…
Read More “Missing Example: Guns as Targets (Bonus AFV in Bypass)” »
In this article I will examine the effects of Indirect Fire against AFVs. A reader suggested this topic to me because he struggles with the mechanics of these attacks. Personally, I think these attacks are not well understood and because of this, some players ignore these attacks to their detriment. Let’s have a look. First,…
I previously covered Guns as Targets here on my blog. A reader suggested I should add an example covering a Gun in a Pillbox. After looking at the rules, I agree it is a good topic for a short article. If you haven’t already, you may want to have a quick look at my Infantry…
Introduction This article is based on a suggestion from a reader. I admit I usually have to look up the rules in this section. Authoring this is also reacquainting me with the rules. Let’s begin. Discussion Section C11 covers all the rules discussed in this section. Right off we learn “hits” against a Gun represent…