Why I Love ASL: An Anecdote

[Sparafucil3]

If one wants to play checkers, play checkers. If you want a dice game play craps, Aces, ship-captain-crew, whatever! ASL is a game of tactics & strategy with dice added to enhance the randomness of events. I seriously doubt the dice have ruined a good game. If your looking for the reason a game had gone south on you, search for the answer in ever smaller concentric circles around your location. You're bound to arrive at a more reasonable answer sooner or later.

It's not the randomness as much as it is the vast swing of randomness. Some randomness is necessary. But IMO, if you hold to the adage that the dice EVEN out, then perhaps the MC's should run all the way to 15 on the IFT. After the NMC should come something like NMC +1 (i.e. a 7 morale troop would pass on a 7, Pin on an 8), NMC +2 (pass on an 8, Pin on a 9). With morale capped at 10, the IFT is no longer an all or nothing affair. Every DR gives both side a chance to roll a 12. The more dice thrown, the more predictable the curve becomes. -- jim

 

[Michael Dorosh]

Bad decisions that go 'right' despite the odds make for better stories afterwards

I remember those old Bob Medrow articles in the General that laid out how the numbers in SL/ASL work, basic percentages and likelihood of different things. Tourney players may actually keep that all in mind, my own play is more like living out the movie in my head. "Hey, this might be cool to try" rather than "this has a 67% chance of success, much better than the 52% chance if I did the other thing."

 

[Sparafucil3]

I seriously doubt the dice have ruined a good game. If your looking for the reason a game had gone south on you, search for the answer in ever smaller concentric circles around your location. You're bound to arrive at a more reasonable answer sooner or later.

Have you played this game? I played a game at Bitter Ender years ago. I forget the scenario but I recall I had the Russians and my opponent had the Germans. It was early war. He has a bunch of light tanks. I have a Russian 85 AA gun, a 45L, and a couple of ATR's. I have played this person before and have an idea how he is going to attack. At the end of Turn 1 MPh, he has no fewer than 8 tanks in my kill zone. I have ROF 2 85 AA gun (12), I have a ROF 3 45L AT Gun (12), I have three ATR's (12, 12, 11). In his AFPh, he Improbable CH's the one ATR which is left. In Rally, I roll 6,6,6,6 to remove all of my AT assets from the game. I think it's safe to say I played well. I took this scenario down to the last turn. I think it's also safe to say, had I had even marginal luck, I probably would have won that game. I have played enough to know when I have cost me the game. I have played enough to know when the dice have bailed me out (a game against JRV and the IJA AA gun of infinite ROF come to mind). I am pretty sure I can judge when the dice have cost me the game just as reasonably. -- jim

 

[pixelgeek]

"Hey, this might be cool to try"

So many of my games have turned on my thinking that phrase

 

[pixelgeek]

Have you played this game?

I have won several games in which I had no right to do so based simply on the dice deciding to roll my way.

 

[Actionjick]

So many of my games have turned on my thinking that phrase

Yes, true for me for sure. Was it cool though? What grabbed me about SL/ASL was all the cool possibilities. Why not try something if it intrigues you or seems like a crazy idea? When you've lost as much as I have, winning, while the goal, becomes secondary to just playing your best and enjoying the company. Even if he does kick your butt 75 to 80% of the time.
Trying cool stuff keeps both you and your superior opponent engaged and entertained.

 

[Eagle4ty]

In a conversation a few years back with with Bill Hayward & Bret Hildebran one of them (can't remember which one exactly anymore) gave me the best synopsis of the game I've heard. "25% of the game is the design, 25% is what I do in the game, 25% is what the opponent does in the game, and 25% is the luck of the die. If I correctly understand the design (VC, Terrain, Time limits, etc.), properly utilize my assets to their best ability, diminish his assets abilities to influence the game, and avoid the luck factor as much as possible, I figure the opponent's got less than a 50% chance of winning. Do the very best of what you've got and what you can influence and mitigate what you can't control" (All somewhat paraphrased, but you get the idea).

 

[Carln0130]

Truth be told, it's the kind of thing that turns me off to the game. Not to be a dick, but it's not like you controlled anything after making a (IMO) bad decision to enter in CC. You need able bodies to hold off the Finns and putting one in CC is not to your benefit. Then the dice bailed you out. Too often in ASL, bad decisions aren't punished. What's worse. sometimes, you get rewarded with a BH squad, Hero, SAN, dead enemy leader. IMO, things like this are too random. They do make for great stories. -- jim

I think Jim is drifting into one of his "Just a dice game" phases again ;-).

 

[Sparafucil3]

I think Jim is drifting into one of his "Just a dice game" phases again ;-).

I really never leave. I can recognize when I have played well. I can recognize when my opponent has played well. I can also recognize. In a fairly balanced scenario against an equally balanced opponent, the dice will likely be the decider if no one makes a real gaffe. -- jim

 

[waltu]

Well, actually, you would need to choose one of them, then roll a follow-up dr to see if the 2nd squad was affected by a sniper-- needing a 1 to Break or a 2 to Pin. But, A.2 being in effect...

Ah, good to know. It was my Finn squad's that were the victim's. After all is said and done, we had a great game here. Maybe we aren't grognards, but it was a fun game. This was (is) my first VASL game, so John has been gracious teaching me VASL. It wasn't my first game of Fighting Withdrawal, but its been a memorable one.

 

[Kijug]

Bad decisions that go 'right' despite the odds make for better stories afterwards

How else do beat better players? ? ...and what stories to tell!

 

[jcferrell]

How else do beat better players? ? ...and what stories to tell!

It was definitely not the only bad decision I made. And I think the better player is still going to win this time.