The opportunities of tournaments, events and gatherings

ActionBurk

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One of the most enjoyable aspects of attending one of these events was the chance to do something out of the ordinary, such as team play or blind games.

Do you look for something special when attending a tournament or gathering? Is there something you would like to see at one of these ASL get togethers?

We came up with all sorts of improbable distractions that thankfully never made it past the fantasy stage. My favorite was the ASL Regatta. It was supposed to be a race on ocean boards around or through an island teeming with all sorts of nasty surprises. You could use any amphibious craft you wanted, sail around the island or try a shortcut through the island. LOL, the island was to be well defended. It would have been a thing of beauty, too bad we were so lazy.

Nice to have GS back.
 

von Marwitz

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Well, novadays I usually play in the tournament. But in the early days of Grenadier, I was usually participating in some special events. There were team double blinds - awesome fun!! I still remember the cheers at our table after an enemy Panther stopped just next to a hidden HS of ours with a BAZ (the Panther did not see it). When the moderator/game master went over to the next room to announce its demise, we heard the anguished howling... There was a lot more fog of war in those games, which made them exceptional. In another one, both sides had the task to either "reinforce" or "take" the same village. Naturally, both sides were assuming to arrive from opposite directions. Then, deep in a large patch of forest at a fork of the only road, US ht's and other vehicles were rolling past just 2 hexes in front of the Germans who were intent on using that same road... Both sides were completely surprised. The chaos which ensued with all the German / US vehicles trying to get out of that mess, infantry with BAZ's /PFs unloading and going ahunting was palpable. Then there were events with Monster-scenario team-play on special large maps created for the purpose by Klaus Fischer (of HoB renown) in the times when "Onslaught on Orsha" came out. Tremendous fun. And I played "The Last Bid" once on such an occasion.

Eventually, those special unique events were no longer on offer, so I resorted to the normal tournament. I still keep fond memories of them, though.

von Marwitz
 

ActionBurk

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Well, novadays I usually play in the tournament. But in the early days of Grenadier, I was usually participating in some special events. There were team double blinds - awesome fun!! I still remember the cheers at our table after an enemy Panther stopped just next to a hidden HS of ours with a BAZ (the Panther did not see it). When the moderator/game master went over to the next room to announce its demise, we heard the anguished howling... There was a lot more fog of war in those games, which made them exceptional. In another one, both sides had the task to either "reinforce" or "take" the same village. Naturally, both sides were assuming to arrive from opposite directions. Then, deep in a large patch of forest at a fork of the only road, US ht's and other vehicles were rolling past just 2 hexes in front of the Germans who were intent on using that same road... Both sides were completely surprised. The chaos which ensued with all the German / US vehicles trying to get out of that mess, infantry with BAZ's /PFs unloading and going ahunting was palpable. Then there were events with Monster-scenario team-play on special large maps created for the purpose by Klaus Fischer (of HoB renown) in the times when "Onslaught on Orsha" came out. Tremendous fun. And I played "The Last Bid" once on such an occasion.

Eventually, those special unique events were no longer on offer, so I resorted to the normal tournament. I still keep fond memories of them, though.

von Marwitz
Sounds like a great time!!! I loved that stuff. I thought it really put fun into an event and the chance do something out of the ordinary made it special.
 

von Marwitz

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Sounds like a great time!!! I loved that stuff. I thought it really put fun into an event and the chance do something out of the ordinary made it special.
Ah, it really was!

Some other situations from those games that I remember:

We had some motorcyclist scouts. We sent them out, and some of them simply disappeared never to be heard of again... Now - feeling like heading down the same road they went with your vehicle column?

Imagine a Pz VIH overwatching some crossroads. All quiet, nothing to be heard except the birds singing innocently. Suddenly, the tank commander sees AP rounds impacting close to his tank. But the life of it, he can't spot where the rounds are coming from...
In fact, they came from a Russian lend-lease ht with a 57LL gun in Concealment Terrain far far away on some hill mass. But by the double blind rules, you do not have omniscience of the enemies units, sometimes just can't see them (or maybe only hear the sound of engines or the rough direction from which fire is incoming from). That is very unnerving if you command that tank and have the very strong feeling that if you sit tight, time will eventually run out for you.

Then I remember a friendly convoy of armor an mechanized infantry rolling down a road. After rounding a corner, they discover the road being clogged by refugees. By what?!
Yep. Refugees. Special counters having been made for them. The moderator informs us that we have two choices: We can continue on but be slowed down substantially due to the wagons & people clogging the road - time, of course, being at a premium. Or we could try to ruthlessly push through with the risk of causing casualties among the refugees which might not be well received. Our commander ordered to push through. After about 200 yards, our column was attacked by partisans with a few captured PFs along the forest road. Friggin' partisans! And of course, one or two PFs found their mark creating havoc and screwing up the advance until dismouting troops had cleared the flanks of the road.

Yet another one in one of those team-double blinds: A platoon of friendly infantry and a tank guard a crossroads. A friendly truck drives up from behind - blank faces at the crossroads looking at each other. Where's that coming from?! The truck pulls up, and its crew asks the 8-1 in charge whether he knows where to find 123th Armored to which he has to deliver his load of APCR. We look at our OoB sheets - no 123th Armored listed anywhere. But that player in charge of the crossroads knew the ways: The 8-1 "ordered" the truck in VERY clear terms to round the next hill NOW and to unload his APCR RIGHT there (where some TDs were holding a defenisve position). The truck's crew shrugs and does so. Effect: APCR number increased by 3 for those TDs for the duration of the scenario. Great idea and reaction by the player of that 8-1.

von Marwitz
 

ActionBurk

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Ah, it really was!

Some other situations from those games that I remember:

We had some motorcyclist scouts. We sent them out, and some of them simply disappeared never to be heard of again... Now - feeling like heading down the same road they went with your vehicle column?

Imagine a Pz VIH overwatching some crossroads. All quiet, nothing to be heard except the birds singing innocently. Suddenly, the tank commander sees AP rounds impacting close to his tank. But the life of it, he can't spot where the rounds are coming from...
In fact, they came from a Russian lend-lease ht with a 57LL gun in Concealment Terrain far far away on some hill mass. But by the double blind rules, you do not have omniscience of the enemies units, sometimes just can't see them (or maybe only hear the sound of engines or the rough direction from which fire is incoming from). That is very unnerving if you command that tank and have the very strong feeling that if you sit tight, time will eventually run out for you.

Then I remember a friendly convoy of armor an mechanized infantry rolling down a road. After rounding a corner, they discover the road being clogged by refugees. By what?!
Yep. Refugees. Special counters having been made for them. The moderator informs us that we have two choices: We can continue on but be slowed down substantially due to the wagons & people clogging the road - time, of course, being at a premium. Or we could try to ruthlessly push through with the risk of causing casualties among the refugees which might not be well received. Our commander ordered to push through. After about 200 yards, our column was attacked by partisans with a few captured PFs along the forest road. Friggin' partisans! And of course, one or two PFs found their mark creating havoc and screwing up the advance until dismouting troops had cleared the flanks of the road.

Yet another one in one of those team-double blinds: A platoon of friendly infantry and a tank guard a crossroads. A friendly truck drives up from behind - blank faces at the crossroads looking at each other. Where's that coming from?! The truck pulls up, and its crew asks the 8-1 in charge whether he knows where to find 123th Armored to which he has to deliver his load of APCR. We look at our OoB sheets - no 123th Armored listed anywhere. But that player in charge of the crossroads knew the ways: The 8-1 "ordered" the truck in VERY clear terms to round the next hill NOW and to unload his APCR RIGHT there (where some TDs were holding a defenisve position). The truck's crew shrugs and does so. Effect: APCR number increased by 3 for those TDs for the duration of the scenario. Great idea and reaction by the player of that 8-1.

von Marwitz
Good stuff! I don't know why such thing's aren't more popular. Can blind games be done on VASL?
 

bprobst

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Good stuff! I don't know why such thing's aren't more popular. Can blind games be done on VASL?
No, unfortunately. You need a "referee mode", someone who can see all units of both sides. VASL doesn't allow that.

Well, I guess you could sort of do it in a PBEM mode -- each player has his own game setup, and sends his moves to the referee, who has his own "master" map layout which he updates appropriately, and then sends information back to the players. It would be very slow and a major PITA, though.

A couple of my friends and I, who don't live particularly close to each other, get together every now and then for a weekend and will often spend a couple of days playing a home-brew blind game. Always lots of fun. Blind ASL is really quite a different game to regular ASL -- it just happens to use the same mechanics to resolve movement and combat, but the feel of it is something else altogether. And that's not counting the "creative" referee who can add things you won't ordinarily experience -- like von Marwitz's "refugees" example above.
 

wrongway149

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Kurt Martin and his Rout Report crew used to do a tournament with such events in between regular games - 'The ASL Winter Olympics":

Ice hockey (of course- they were in Detroit!) used an ocean overlay and five heroes per side, where you had to get the DC into the opponent's cave, while he was shooting at/CCing your heroes.

Or the biathlon - ski to a certain hex, shoot at goons (Who are actually shooting back).

I think I would enjoy this more now than I did back then.
 

ActionBurk

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Kurt Martin and his Rout Report crew used to do a tournament with such events in between regular games - 'The ASL Winter Olympics":

Ice hockey (of course- they were in Detroit!) used an ocean overlay and five heroes per side, where you had to get the DC into the opponent's cave, while he was shooting at/CCing your heroes.

Or the biathlon - ski to a certain hex, shoot at goons (Who are actually shooting back).

I think I would enjoy this more now than I did back then.
They were a fun loving crew!!!
 
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