Review | ASL Starter Kit #1 | MMP | The Players' Aid

[okgamer]

It was fun playing ASL Starter kit with Alexander. He picked it up amazingly quickly we only rewound a few times. I grew up playing full ASL, but after a move I never found another opponent. That all happened last century. I sold off my ASL stuff after a few years. Then on a whim I picked up the starter kit ten-fifteen years ago. I managed to play a few times, but it had been a few years since I played. One issue I had teaching, was accidently teaching you full ASL. MMP did an amazing job in distilling down ASL to the ASL Starter Kit. Part of the distilling process is removing rules and remembering which rules don't apply to the starter kit can be tricky. The rules are dense, and the phases are a bit tricky, but for me, that is the appeal, and after a few games it seems to make sense, and encourage behavior that models the combat tactics depicted as much as a game can do that. All I know is that I have a certain mood when playing certain games, some combination of mental satisfaction, pleasure, and good stress that brings an unconscious smile to my face ASL is one of them. Dibs on Decision at Elst. :)

[brandondega]

I love ASL, I have all of the modules(both starter kit and the full version) and play them all the time with my fiancee. I was waiting for you guys to do a review of the system. All that being said, I can totally understand why many people don't get further into it. I'm sure many, if not most, play "Retaking Vierville" and never pick it up again. Thanks for giving my favorite war game system a college try and keep up the great content!

[MonkeyCat_Iain]

That was like watching David Carradine walk across the rice paper in Kung Fu. Well done Grasshopper, you managed that without unleashing a horde of enraged ASL players on yourself. 😅

[davidwhitehouse]

I enjoyed your take on ASLSK. I played a lot of ASL when I was younger, transitioning from Squad Leader. As I got older I sold it all off. On a whim I bought some starter kits and started to play again. It was ok, I was managing to get through it and remembered more than expected. However, I played a bit of Old School Tactical and it dawned on me I could play a tactical system similar to what I knew without the complexity. Moved to OST and haven’t looked back!

[dalerobinson]

Complex games pose a challenge the buyer/enthusiast doesn't usually consider: He has to learn all the rules AND find someone else who is willing to learn all the rules, too! That is a greater challenge than mastering the game oneself.

[exeterjedi]

I'm an ASL player, but yes, this is hardcore. It's based on a simple system of phases in 1977, but the amount of stuff being hung on that sequence of play is now so huge it does tend to creak like an old bridge. And fair play for giving this a go - it definitely isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea.

[joevano]

The ASL and ASLSK community is very welcoming. We realize that the system can be very daunting to learn. There are always people willing to teach how to play the game, especially using VASL [Virtual ASL] using VASSAL. On the 400+ page rule book: there is a lot there but you only need to learn 10% of the rules that are used most of the time. The rest are special rules that you generally access when your scenario requires them. We all reference the Rulebook in those situations.

[ASLAcademy]

If people want to learn more about ASL (and SK) I have over 200 instructional videos on my channel. The Starter Kit system is amazingly approachable. Learning the entire SK system I believe is only 36 pages, which is significantly shorter than most hex and counter games out there. Learning just the infantry rules is only about 8 pages. EIGHT! Since when has 8 pages become too much for wargamers? 😂 The only downside is that the rulebook is poorly organized as they converted the legalese rules of full ASL into more narrative rules. It doesn't work well with a tactical, phase based system like ASL.

[georgehiotis]

Alexander looked like a fine how a fine wine connaisseur that just had his first glass of moonshine, but he delivered a clear and level headed summary of the ASL system.

[henryrodriguez]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I concur with you 100%, though I did not keep any of my ASL stuff. The rules were too impenetrable. Combat Commander is my go-to for this scale of tactical WWII game.

[WARdROBEPlaysWWII]

I think it’s great for you try it because it’s such a long lasting game that impacts the designs of many games. If anything, even if this is your only experience, you’ve now seen what it’s about.

[chriswestra]

I pulled this off my shelf of shame over Christmas break and ended up playing 5 of the 6 scenarios against myself 😂, like 16 hours worth of solo play. I was surprised how much fun I had! Totally not for everyone. I got Beyond Valor and the full rule book in the mail yesterday. That said, if I want to play something tactical with another person I’d totally bring out CC:E, which also tells an amazing story with every play.

[fsmoura]

0:24 LOL ASL! he's already rubbing his eyes, pinching the bridge of the nose, looking like a train wreck, bags under the eyes, before even starting the video! lmao

[robertmoffitt]

Great to see some time given to the grandaddy of tactical war games. This game (SL) came out like FORTY SEVEN YEARS ago! There aren't many games (war games) that can make a claim like that. Great vid Alexander! 🍻

[chinapoliticsfromtheprovin]

Thanks very much for this video and the commentary.

When Squad Leader and then Advanced Squad Leader appeared many years ago, they were huge steps forward in wargaming and at the tactical level in particular. Now, after the many variations and derivations, returning to ASL in the Starter Kit mode is a collision of nostalgia and newness--"newness" in the sense that there's so many other options out there now which emphasize other aspects of small-unit engagement. ASL/ASLSK is about bringing firepower to bear (something that's especially evident in the modules that follow when artillery and tanks come into play); 'Band of Brothers" is somewhat lighter fare that's meant to be thematic rather than emblematic; 'Combat Commander' strikes me as managing chaos; 'Last Hundred Yards' about fire-and-movement both, in a way ASL, despite its efforts, never really was or is; and 'Fields of Fire' focuses on communication and coordination, the management of squads amidst uncertainty. I can well understand why players who adore Combat Commander's gameplay would find ASLSK off-putting, in part because of the complexity and the demands made on the player to react to the battlefield instead of the cards being held.

Your reaction and your insights were, as ever, fascinating. I'd be very interested to see you and Grant play a game in the new format, and see Grant's reaction to a very different sort of lifting that ASLSK imposes on the player. I wonder how interested he is in ASL/ASLSK.

[ThymeKeeper]

One could say learning ASL is a game all on its own and your satisfaction with that part of it will help define your experience with the game as a whole. It requires a certain mindset, not necessarily greater concentration or intelligence. Some people will be wired for it and some will not. I haven't been entirely successful with it yet, but I still find it appealing. I have seen people who play massive super-detailed operational games who don't like ASL, and vice versa. There are so many options of games and systems and ways to play and types of games to play, it's important to find what works for you and cut yourself some slack when learning and playing the things that don't work as well for you. Or don't bother. Not everyone is bound to like every single good game. That doesn't make the games or the people less good :).

[BrianMarcus-nzcs]

Excellent, Alex, I sort of knew this was coming, definitely sticking to up front, don't care if it's daddy's favourite, playable easy to set up n have another go boyo 😮😎🌱⚡👍

[VonChoker]

Ohhh My Godddd, I never thought this would happen

[GPlewright]

I’m really amused to see you review this. It does seem to be the very deep end of tactical wargames. I enjoy a variety of wargames and I’m also curious to experience this one day. I really love Combat Commander and I’ve also learned Last Hundred Yards and Panzer/MBT. I’d probably not bother to go further than Starter Kit #1.

[tacticaljackie]

Asl is the complex grandparent of all tactical games. I am glad you have started a stream on these . I agree the complexity is there. I still need to decide do i take the plunge, the time and can i solitaire!!!