tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71047477603583435182024-03-05T12:45:17.511-08:00Snake Eyes - ASL BlogA casual blog by a young, and relatively new player to Advanced Squad Leader, with AAR's, opinions on all things ASL, useful links to things you may need, and weekly random rule book posts of significance. Designed to offer assistance to newer players and to gain experience from game veterans, I hope that this is useful for everyone. All comments welcome whatever they may be. Thank you for visiting!
You can also find me as 'Brown Bear' on the Gamesquad Forum. Brown Bearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09804051981202213727noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104747760358343518.post-54008613118383261232013-01-09T13:36:00.002-08:002013-01-09T13:36:58.799-08:00ASL Tournaments-What's Hot or Not To Go To?I am planning on attending the Blackpool 'Heroes' tournament this year, as it is the nearest one to me (Edinburgh, UK) and am really looking forward to what scenarios come out whilst hopefully beating some folks! What tournaments have you guys went to so far, which ones did you enjoy the most, and why?Brown Bearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09804051981202213727noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104747760358343518.post-39006949864070720762013-01-09T13:06:00.001-08:002013-01-09T13:06:25.450-08:00Happy New Year!I hope you enjoyed the festive period!Now that it's over, I can once again turn my attention to this here blog!<br />
Thanks for the continued support!Brown Bearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09804051981202213727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104747760358343518.post-87684954730736470402012-12-30T14:36:00.000-08:002012-12-30T14:36:56.749-08:00Newly released Franc Tireur Scenario- AAR FT193 En Force now active!Franc Tireur Scenario AAR FT193 is now ready for viewing! Please follow the link to the right hand side of this post, or if that does not work, simply click <a href="http://snakeeyespro.blogspot.co.uk/p/blog-page.html" target="_blank">here</a> to take you to it. Enjoy, and as always feedback appreciated!<br />
Brown BearBrown Bearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09804051981202213727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104747760358343518.post-32173777842502615962012-12-29T04:34:00.001-08:002012-12-29T04:34:02.319-08:00AAR Posts! Difficulties following link?I have had feedback regarding AAR link to my latest report. From smartphones use the drop down menu to select 'Latest AAR (Scenario Title)' and that will take you there. From a PC / Laptop, at the right hand side of the home page, you will see a menu link titled again 'Latest AAR (Scenario Title)'. For older reports please visit the post archives. If there are any further issues, please let me know. Roll Low!<br />
Brown BearBrown Bearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09804051981202213727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104747760358343518.post-16261555864039935512012-12-27T06:43:00.001-08:002012-12-27T07:47:53.429-08:00New After Action Report! Please visit the Latest AAR section (to the right of this post) for the last scenario I played, J103 The Art of Dying!Brown Bearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09804051981202213727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104747760358343518.post-69065065391642629182012-12-26T18:53:00.002-08:002012-12-26T18:53:45.109-08:00New stuff for the blogThat's all my old Gamesquad contributions up here for viewing, it's all new stuff from now on in! Thanks again!Brown Bearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09804051981202213727noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104747760358343518.post-30901927218304478852012-12-26T18:45:00.001-08:002012-12-26T18:52:20.589-08:00AAR - Pavlov's House (Journal Reprint)Pavlov's House - the ASL Journal version, a 7 1/2 turn scenario, played on board 1. <br />
<br />
SSR's; Prior to Set Up, Buildings X4 and X7 are removed to make 'Lenin's
Square' (which leaves a large expanse of open ground!) and the germans
before set up must resolve 200+mm HE OBA vs Buildings U2+Q4 (nowhere
near the Russian set up area, this is due to historical facts as the
german gunners missed by a mile). Rubble is placed in hex Z6 (within
objective building), and AA7 (in objective building) is a 3 level
location (steeple / spire is not specified). Moist EC with no wind.<br />
<br />
Squads ; - Russian - 1 (6-2-8), 2 (4-4-7), 3 (2-3-7), 1 Crew, 8-1 + 9-1
SMC's, MMG, 2 LMG, 50mm Mortar, ATR, 11 (?), and a 45LL AT Gun.<br />
<br />
Germans - 9 (4-6-7), 9-2 + 9-1 SMC, MMG, 2 LMG and in addition 2 PzIVF2
(75L Gun+ROF 1+5 CoAx MG+3 Bow MG) plus an 8-1 Armour Leader<br />
<br />
Set Up; Russian - Within 3 hexes of X7 (Centralish hex of the 5 hex multihex objective building)<br />
Germans - Infantry - On or north of hexrow Q<br />
Vehicles - Enter north of Q along the west edge (normally on turn 1, but due to the balance I was awarded it was turn 2) .<br />
<br />
Game Outcome - Due to the fanatic nature of my Russian soldiers I was
able to hang on, even with both German tanks having a -2 Acq. on both my
4-4-7's, 6-2-8, both leaders, 1 LMG and MMG - I passed morale check
after morale check after morale check, and even when my squads did
break, I simply routed them to rear of the building in complete safety,
rallied them with my leaders within two rally phases, and put them back
to the fighting front. Also I kept moving squads up and down levels,
assault moving out of hexes, and advancing back in to minimise the
threat of all possible Defensive fire and to force the Germans to start
the Acq. process all over again. On the German Turn 2, he accidentaly
left his tank in bypass in the same hex as my gun, in what he thought
was a rather unlikely place to put it (HIP)! This lead to me firing,
missing, and a German 4-6-7 simply running up to my crew, CC them, and
kill them. Also, the German opponent got no less than 4 Snake Eyes! I
got..... 1 or 2, but they took out his 9-2 SMC, 2 (4-6-7's), who carried
the MMG and an LMG..and this was in my prep fire phase too, no FFMO /
FFNAM penalties needed! My opponent didn't even get into the building
and had 3 Good order squads left on board after Rally Phase, plus one
tanks MA disabled in his turn 5, whereas I had only lost the crew, 2
Half squads and a hero I created.<br />
<br />
Conclusion; I feel that my defensive tactics were sound, that I was
unlucky with the revealing of my AT Gun, but without a doubt I won 70%
due to the fanatacism, 30% due to poor (but unlucky) DR's and perhaps
also a lack of movement. After the conclusion of the scenario, we
concurred that the tanks were not there primarily to use as weapons but
as troop carriers - using armoured assualt to more safely manouver the
squads over the large open ground areas, that my gun was in a good place
(as it's location was unexpected and CA covered a whole hex line from
one side to the other) and lastly that heroes are called heroic because
they do something great even whilst getting obliterated (in this case by
a snake eyes tank MA! He was in the same hex as my 9-2 leader and via
random selection if the hero wasn't there then the leader would have
been killled, changing the scenario course entirely).<br />
<br />
Brown BearBrown Bearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09804051981202213727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104747760358343518.post-62741960293682185862012-12-26T18:43:00.000-08:002012-12-26T18:52:20.594-08:00AAR - FTC InThe Mouth of MadnessI recently played a three player game out of 'From The Cellar - Pack 4'
named 'In The Mouth Of Madness' (some of those Russian Civil War
scenarios really are excellent) with the red army setting up in the
objective building (fortified) with myself as the Bolsheviks (Russian
Counters), and the other player as the SSP (French Counters inc. French
Commissar!) .<br />
Set up - Red Army in the building and have three unposessed BIG! guns
(120, 120 and 150 or something like that) well to the east that RD has
to be made when possessed to dtermine covered arc, Bolsheviks set
up/enter on the south or/and a few hexes north of the building but may
enter south east, SSP set up/enter North or/and a few hexes south of the
building and may enter north east. All armies set up in secret. Get it?
Don't worry - it took all three of us a while and we were playing it
lol! So it ended up that on turn 1 the SSP and Bolsheviks literally
walked into each other whilst the Red Army set back and watched (instead
of going beserk for a change!). At game end the SSP player and I
agreed that to win against the Red Russians the two armies would have to
form a temporary unofficial alliance for a few turns to kick the Red
Russians Out. <br />
Conclusion - Due to the set up, I set up behind the SSP's main force,
whislt the Red Russian has LOS to the SSP but not me - The SSP were
decimated (thanks to my SAN of 5 too!) but there was no way to throw out
the Red Russians out (which is historically what happened) - great gameBrown Bearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09804051981202213727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104747760358343518.post-6135265231181898972012-12-26T18:42:00.000-08:002012-12-26T18:42:04.843-08:00To blaze or not to blaze...I played a scenario against an experienced player - A110
Shanghai in Flames (half of boards 20+1) and every building or near
enough, was ablaze by the scenario's end. The opponent quipped that
Blazes ruin scenarios, and did on that occasion he thought, however I
disagreed and counter argued that blazes often take away the 'control'
of the scenario (which some ASL gamers seem to be forever wanting more
of even at the expense of logic and historical facts) and instead offers
a far more realistic, spontaneous, challenging situation that soldiers
actually face in battle - it also ups the skill level and makes both
players work harder. I am not talking about scenarios where grain
catches fire and cuts the board in two, I mean more general situations
with tanks and buildings . Any thoughts?Brown Bearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09804051981202213727noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104747760358343518.post-39343400796935913662012-12-26T18:40:00.001-08:002012-12-26T18:52:20.591-08:00AAR - A80 Commando SchenkeI prefer to play shorter scenarios in general, and there are some great
ones to be has in the ASL manuals. I happened to come across Commando
Schenke, a 6 1/2 turn game in Manaul '95 Winter, and when I looked at
the squads in play I couldn't believe my eyes!<br />
<br />
Russians - 10 (4-4-7's), 3 (5-2-7's), 8-1 SMC, 1 MMG, 2 LMG's and 13 additional concealment counters<br />
Germans - 10 (4-6-7's), 9-1 SMC, 8-1 SMC, 7-0 SMC, HMG, MMG, 2 LMG's
PLUS 5 Non SS (8-3-8) assault engineers, 10-2 SMC, 2 F/Throwers and 4
DC. The additional squads may not set up with the first line squads.<br />
Even after looking at the mapboard,1, (pretty much bog standard city
map) considering the objective (control building 1X4 at any point or no
good order Russian MMC at game end) and observing SSR's (Multi Hex
Buildings are two storey, Moderate EC, Russians can fortify four
locations of the objective building) I still rubbed my hands in glee (by
the end of scenario though I was shaking my head in dismay!). The
Russians have to carry out a fighting retreat to the buliding, and with
Russians being Russian they break quickly, however it gave them an extra
2 MP to continue running back to the objective building where it was
fairly easy to rally them back with the Russian Commisar my opponent had
situated inside. At the game start I hammered away at his squads,
scoring a few KIA's with Flamethrowers and MG's, but at the start of
turn 3 I fell into the beginners pitfall - if they are shooting they
ain't moving! And after reading articles written about the same sceanrio
it isn't just beginners doing this - players get excited like me by the
firepower of the 8-3-8's and start trying to inflict casualties <i>instead of using their smoke to move everyone up the board to the objective</i>. Even after performing a very efficient flanking manouver (if I may so so my self <img alt="" border="0" class="inlineimg" src="http://forums.gamesquad.com/images/smilies2/laugh.gif" title="Laugh" />)
and surrounding the target location on all sides it was turn 5. Add in
the time it took to try to breach the wall , which invariably does take
time when the building is rammed with enemy MMC, it was a very hard
ask. I did however get in the building on Turn 6 (which normally would
have meant certain defeat however I was given the balance at Game Start)
and after pouring 4-4-7 and leaders in (most of my 8-3-8's were broken
due to the attempted breaches on the fortified locations and I decided
just to leave them and take my leaders into the building due to time
constraints) I predictably won almost all CC's but you can't win ' em
all, and I was stuck in melee at game end with the last 2 remaining
squads.<br />
I read a very good article on this scenario, and the author points out
that a level headed Russian player actually tends to have a higher
chance of winning, and I looked this up on ROAR which confirms this, as
well as the fact that it is one of the most popular scenarios. There are a lovely line of buildings and trees the
the east of the board that will allow you to flank nicely if done with
and get up close to the objective building quickly (the Russian's are
generally set up to far apart to cover one particular area of the play
area). So bascically - be clever with the use of your 8-3-8's.<br />
If anybody has played this scenario, I'd like to hear how theirs panned out as well.Brown Bearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09804051981202213727noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7104747760358343518.post-61876585711128165082012-12-26T18:31:00.004-08:002012-12-26T18:31:58.413-08:00In the beginning...That's the blog set up with only the finishing touches to be added - watch this space!Brown Bearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09804051981202213727noreply@blogger.com0