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Advanced Squad Leader spacial perspective

So many of us have seen hex grids for so long we no longer really see them but if we really look at a hex and the area inside, just what does this represent?

A basic hex in Advanced Squad Leader is 40 meters or roughly 131 feet.  To put this in perspective, let us use something all of us (nearly all of us) are familiar with:

The above picture instantly defines the space within the hex.  At first glance this may seem like more space then previously associated with an ASL hex.  As you can see there is plenty of room within the enclosed hex to move which is interesting because movement only really occurs when one hex is left and another is entered.  As such, perhaps this can explain a lot of the unexplained in relation to puzzling die rolls as deep within the unsimulated depths of ASL (and plenty of other tactical level games), troops aren't necessarily standing stone still until we "move" them to a new hex. 

Addendum:
Spacial representation of a Soviet 6-2-8 squad's effective fire range.

A confession, a thankyou and an apology...

Once upon a time in a galaxy far far, oops wrong intro.  Let me start over...Many years ago i saw a listing for an ASL poster and slept on it.  When i woke i couldn't remember if i had dreamed it or not.  When i saw that it was no longer for sale i didn't need to pinch myself, i was wide awake.  Fast forward to a couple days ago and low and behold not one but two listings for this phantom ad.  So the confession comes by way of two roads: the first is yes I cast a coin in the ring and two is i won, well not the first one.  I should do some explaining.  I mentioned there were two listings of this and im pretty sure i know why the lister did this.  Simply put, he was merciful.  (Here comes the thankyou part) He knew that a slew of drooling fingers would most likely weed out the cautious and so for the meek, he provided another opportunity and i thank him.  I initially thought i had it in the bag but no it slipped away, again.  How many years would it be until this resurfaced?  Five minutes.  I popped my knuckles did some deep knee bends and readied my trigger finger.  Bam, my finger presses the button of destiny...will it hold?  Here comes someone, trying, but time runs out and yours truly will have to wait no more.  I lock the safety switch on my finger and ponder the consequences.  What about those that missed out?  I know how they feel.  It sucks.  And so i am sorry.  But time is on their side and the law of averages suggests this thing will emerge from cold dead hands at some point.  In the meantime, do a little target practicing with those fingers and wait... your patience will pay off, trust me.  

Just for those of you who are wondering, it is my understanding that the wrenches and glass thingy are not included.

And to my better half who actually reads some of these posts from time to time, oh yes, this will be getting framed and hung on the wall with care, sorry (actually i'm not that sorry.)

JMK

ASL's Toddler Years

I began with Squad Leader then leap frogged all of the "gamette" confusion landing right on an ASL lilly pad. Why bother with all that intercession stuff when i can cut to the chase thought I.  

That was then and since then i've decided to take a look back and learn first hand how the whole ASL thing came to pass figuring the best way to do this was with Cross of Iron, the first of the "gamettes".  Now I'm not sure why four editions of this were printed but i was able to acquire the second edition for peanuts.  Regarding the first edition, the story goes that back in the day, Origins was the big wargame convention and Avalon Hill was in a mad scramble to get COI finished in time.  This happened well enough but at the expense of errors etc.  There are some other well deserved quibbles regarding the counter colors and the fact that the single board that was issued with COI did not match up to any of the original Squad Leader boards and never would (imagine the anger!)  Avalon Hill did include color/paper copies of the original SL map boards in COI (my copy still had these inside) but it seemed a moot point.  

So lets take a look inside the box.  The most interesting thing you will find in COI is the rule book.  Here are SL 2nd edition changes, new arty and armor rules, some new terrain types, a section on SS units and some other less than exciting but still needed additions.  One of the more interesting things was the coverage of snipers.  Those of you familiar with ASL know well enough that snipers have more in common with ghosts than snipers but this wasn't always the case.  In COI a sniper counter had 1-8-8 printed on it which represented a fire strength of one, range of 8 and morale of 8.  There was also a drm in the upper right of the counter that could range from -1 to -4.  Apparently these guys could fire at whatever they wanted which is probably why the original sniper rules were faded out.  These guys were simply too accurate and thus too deadly.  It seems a lot was left out when considering these guys and all that stuff was more than made up for in ASL not least of which was precluding a player from having so much control over a sniper.  In COI snipers cold be moved and fired at will and I can I can see how the game became a turkey shoot of  leaders.  Yes, historically speaking snipers were often effective but there was a balance struck between time spent waiting for opportune targets among other things and actually eliminating an opportune target.  Nonetheless, this at least for me is the interesting evolutionary path of what we now know as ASL.

  

Its also interesting to see wind direction counters in COI.  Another almost laughable development was the gun and armor stats which consisted of a page to a page and a half each for the Germans and Russians. Compare this to the pages and pages of gun and armor stats for nearly every nationality that is included in ASL and it's like seeing a baby being spoon fed then seeing that same child all grown up and standing before the buffet at Golden Corral.  My how things have changed, but its fascinating to see the development take place first hand in actual physical "gamettes" which as it turned out was ASL's kindergarten years.  I'm actually kind of sorry i missed those days, but at least i'm able to return to them.  Some of you might be well served to do the same if only because it effectively demonstrates one of the most (if not thee most) impressive developments in wargame history without which there might not have been what we now know as the inevitable end result, the Advanced Squad Leader system.  

Jason

Companion guide to Hexes and Soldiers Episode 40

They say not to judge a book by its cover but lets face it, first impressions can mean a heck of a lot.  Whether we like it or not, wargame box art can make or break a game and yet so often we take these images for granted.  Yes the goodies inside the box are the end to the means but if the means look like lil johnny's coloring book then i worry greatly about the end.

Thus, episode 40.  I never meant for this show to be so long and yet it could have easily been even longer.  So many covers, so little time.  I had wanted to do a tribute to wargame box art for some time and well i finally did it.  

We've come a long way from the early days of Single Palate Image aka SPI's color of the week but the fact of the matter is the art that graces the boxes of these things is, to use a word that has nearly become devoid of all meaning, art.    

That's not to say all is good in the world of conflict rendering.  There are some real clunkers out there and it makes me wonder, who was it that had the final say on Monty's Gamble?  I know, i wouldn't step forward either.

So if i can't judge a book by its cover, i'll just judge a cover by its book, err, you get the point.

Here are just a couple designs from the timeless to the innovative:

To Avalanche Press or Not To Avalanche Press?

Where once my wargaming years were long, they are now longer.  In all that time, i purposely avoided any off ramp with the sign Avalanche Press.  Don't get me wrong, their title "Eastern Front" has caused a raised eyebrow more than once but at the end of the day it was "out of sight out of mind".  Something didn't seem right about those Panzer Grenadier games.  Maybe their were too many of them to be a good thing, maybe i was too easily persuaded by other's opinions which were more often than not, less than good.  Of late, i find my eyebrow raising again.  More on that in a second.  Of all the titles i own, only one deals directly with the battle of Monte Cassino and is perhaps the only one worth owning.  Thunder at Cassino is an area movement game which is one of a series that Avalon Hill put out and its a dandy.  I thought i could (or might have to) live without anything else.  Then i began noticing Cassino '44, what appears to be the only other game worth looking into on the subject.  I've "noticed" this thing off an on for a while now but never fully committed.  Yes its from Avalanche Press and yes you may have heard negative things about it but there are also some good things.  The map is truly a work of art and more than faithfully replicates the terrain.   Then there is the Panzer Grenadier system itself.  The platoon level game system has its share of fans but it also has its share of "haters."  Personally, i've been on the fence.
  
So i thought, maybe this should be my first official AP/PG game.  Or worse, maybe this will be my AP/PG gateway game?  Doubtful, but what helped turn that maybe into an OK can be attributed to a couple of things besides a map that would make any cartographophile salivate.  These games can go for a "pretty penny" as they say and its disheartening when you consider not all of us have an adequate amount of disposable income to throw around on cardboard.  That said, i was fortunate to find or should i say, "steal" a copy at a heck of a price.  Finally, perhaps the other factor which helped me decide was from a certain individual who wrote a thorough review of the game (thanks simguy).  So, after much hemming and hawing, the game is on its way to what feels like its rightful home and I eagerly await my foray into a whole new system that addresses what is for me, one of the most interesting battles of WWII.
Wish me luck, and thanks for reading.





Official site:
http://www.avalanchepress.com/gameCassino.php
BGG site:
https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/34276/panzer-grenadier-cassino-44-gateway-rome
The review that pushed me over the edge:
https://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/641256/cassino-44-one-best-yet

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