Today in ASL I ... (Day to day ASL doings)

Philippe D.

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With regard to 3D-printed inserts, in fact you breaking in open doors. 3D-printed inserts are the next logical step that allow further optimization both in regard to counter density while following my 'visually' oriented storage (i.e. the counters being placed laterally and not vertically).
One of the advantages of 3D printing is that you can tailor the insert size to your needs. I like to have a single compartment for each vehicle or gun model, so right now my inserts for 5/8" counters are just 2/3 of the height of a Raaco insert - so I can stack 3 in an Assorter. With a lid, I can store a stack of 6 easily in an insert, which is sufficient for almost all counters. (Another option would be to use the original module boxes as containers; I haven't looked into it so far but since MMP has standardized their box sizes, and made them sturdy enough, it could probably be done)

The inserts come out a bit more expensive than the Raaco ones, but not by that much if you don't factor in the cost of the printer - and you can hunt for cheap filament.

As for the tweezer thing... I'm a suction tool man myself. Well, actually, I mostly play VASL, but I like to pretend it's just temporary.

That leaves the matter of labels... I could see putting labels on the lids, but I'd have to use pictures of counters for that.

But frankly, for an obsessive guy like you, tweaking an insert design would probably be a pleasure all by ifself :)
 

Sparafucil3

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Actually the only printer I have at home is black-and-white (and a laser printer, so I'm not 100% sure it would like labels). Not sure how the printers at work would deal with labels, so I haven't tried.
I have a laser printer. I use it for labels on these sheets all the time. Feed them one at a time through the manual sheet feeder and you should be OK. If I were going to do it, I would be vehicle name, note number, and applicable vehicle note letters for where each vehicle goes. I know printing the vehicle itself would be nicer, but the information route could save you a look up if you did it correctly. -- jim
 

The Purist

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Wrapped up 15 Sep (but 3rd scenario) in VotG IV with Mr Honus this afternoon and for once my infantry was not mangled (and the scenario only lasted 6 turns). I lost a mere 10.5 SE and an 8-1 to the German 7 SE, a 75* Inf, 81* Mor and StuG IIIG.

That bad news was that I started the third scenario with 52-53 squads versus about 75-ish SE on the German side. We both had the usual supporting guns and tanks playing second fiddle. Needless to say I could not hope to hold the length of a convoluted frontline so a good portion of the front was held by air. Mr Honus found the weak spot and pushed across the map from the area of the Univermag Dept Store to the river, splitting the front. He also badly damaged my southern wing, which accounted for most of my losses. It was only in the north where I held my ground and even gained a few buildings back. In fact, a dug-in KV-1 and two 628s took four fire missions from German 100mm OBA and were still in place by the game end.

What will the 16th bring? Who knows. But the ratio of SE between the two sides have never been closer (67-ish to 45-ish).
 
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von Marwitz

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One of the advantages of 3D printing is that you can tailor the insert size to your needs. I like to have a single compartment for each vehicle or gun model, so right now my inserts for 5/8" counters are just 2/3 of the height of a Raaco insert - so I can stack 3 in an Assorter. With a lid, I can store a stack of 6 easily in an insert, which is sufficient for almost all counters. (Another option would be to use the original module boxes as containers; I haven't looked into it so far but since MMP has standardized their box sizes, and made them sturdy enough, it could probably be done)
The height of a 3D-printed insert would be indeed one of the most important issues to think about. I agree to the height of 6 for vehicles and guns. That is the height I stack these in my current RAACO storage, filling up the gun/vehicle types of which there are less than 6 in a Core Module with those of my old kit or from some HASLs (as this will almost completely prevent lateral shifting/mixing of counters if all stacks have the same height). For often needed types that might require more than 6 of a type, like a T-43 M43 or a Pz IVH, I take two stacks of 6. If you have single counter type compartments, then this precaution is not even necessary (though it still looks nicer to have a single height of stacks...).

The advantage of 3 tiers of inserts is that you can house more different types of vehicles in a single Assorter. The drawback is that you have to do more shifting of inserts to get to the counters you need. That is no small drawback.

Maybe one would consider a mix of 2 tiers and 3 tiers of 3D-printed counters, i.e. 2 tiers for Infantry/SW/Fuctions counters with stacks of 10 or 12 each, 3 tiers for Gun/Vehicle counters with stacks of 6 each. Probably, this would be the best approach.

Still, the 3D-printed inserts I'd use would be designed to fit a RAACO Assorter. The Assorters and Handy Boxes are much sturdier than the Core Module cardboard boxes and can be easier handled/carried while on travel.


The inserts come out a bit more expensive than the Raaco ones, but not by that much if you don't factor in the cost of the printer - and you can hunt for cheap filament.
One can hunt for good prices for RAACO equipment as well. Currently with regard to prices, 3D-printing is not able to compete. And the material quality of a RAACO insert exceeds that of a 3D-printed one - at least this is true for the ones I have seen so far. Finally, it takes a lot of time to 3D-print some 200+inserts which would probably be required to replace the RAACO A75s and A78s. But it is only a matter of time that prices for 3D-printers, filament, etc. will drop and quality improve.


As for the tweezer thing... I'm a suction tool man myself. Well, actually, I mostly play VASL, but I like to pretend it's just temporary.
Personal preference, of course. I find that tweezers are better at handling stacks. In any case, the 'optimal' 3D-printed insert should serve both the tweezer- and suction-approach.

That leaves the matter of labels... I could see putting labels on the lids, but I'd have to use pictures of counters for that.
Actually I believe that for 3D-printed inserts, labels are superfluous if they are designed for lateral counter storage. As there will be no counter-shifting possible by design, the side by which you identify the counter will always be on top and be correctly aligned. For some Function counters of which front & back are different / that have multiple fuctions, you could use two compartments with one showing the 'up' side, the other the 'down' side of the counter. In other words, you can look at the counters directly if you open the lid in perfect alignment anyway without labels - at least for the top tier.

But frankly, for an obsessive guy like you, tweaking an insert design would probably be a pleasure all by ifself :)
Don't be mistaken. It is nice to have but not exactly nice to develop.

I shunned the commitment to switch from my original storage from the days when I picked up ASL to RAACO for many years despite all of its deficiencies because I was painfully aware of the work it was going to be. And needless to say I underestimated the amount of work it finally turned out to be - albeit the decision demobilize my original kit and punch a new one from 2nd editions of core modules along with clipping these did massively increase the necessary effort.

Once I had made the decision for a transition, though, I took the 'once and for all' approach. This, however, would have to be done based on a very well developed plan & system to keep it as 'stable' as possible ever after. So my approach is rather based on laziness rather than enthusiasm to deal with counter storage. For the same reason, I generally do not include any HASLs in my kit with the exception of some counters that see frequent use outside of that HASL as has been the case with some blue SS-counters for example. But as newer HASLs tend to become ever more specialized and can draw on a wider variety of existing counters within the 'core system', this case has become ever rarer so it is hardly an issue any more.

So a fundamental transition to 3D-printed counters will not happen before a new, big Core Module will be released which does not merely replace an earlier edition. And such new Core Modules will with decreasing probability be found within the WW2 timeframe, which I am interested in most for ASL purposes.

The latest really 'new' one has been 'Forgotten War', i.e. post WW2, the next one I might see to be coming could be the Spanish Civil War in many years to come and which would be pre WW2.

Because 'FW' is not part of the WW2 time frame as a Core Module, I will not fully integrate it with the other Core Modules but keep it separate. For example post WW2 US units will be stored separately from the rest of the US OoB. The same is true for the rest of the FW stuff and I will treat any future non-WW2 time frame Core Modules the same way.

von Marwitz
 

The Purist

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Just wrapped up a game of "Yankee Pride" (SP204) against Fabio Ma. from Italy for the Ersatz League.

With victory all but in reach a German 548 managed to edge its way back onto board 41 from the hilltop town despite rifle and tank fire, giving Fabio a turn 6 German win. I have to talk to my proud Yanks about remembering to bring along their smoke grenades and to load their SM8s.

An AAR will be posted in a day or so.
 

Gordon

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I've been workin' on the RailRoad....

View attachment 17529
I will say, no disrespect intended, that I think there needs to be better justification for the tunnel. It seems too easy to have instead gone around the hill as it stands. Unless of course this is based on some IRL situation and the reason for the tunnel isn't in the ASL map toolkit. I'm also not sure the wide jog in the left spur line from the bd46 row L 'mainline' makes sense, unless there's something that's supposed to be in the single open ground hex between the two lines. And why does the line double back around on itself like that? Is it a terminus like the "Tennis Racket" in Stalingrad? I'll stop now.
 

Tuomo

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Yep, I'm just showing examples of what's in the LFT RR Toolkit that is now in Steve's hot little hands. Wasn't showing EVERYTHING, of course ;-) but did want to show off some goodies. And yeah, those RR Tunnel entrances need a bit of work. This first version is mainly to get something to Steve so he can work directly with VASL.

So far, it's a pretty good set of options. All implemented via Big Al's VASL Overlay extension, so you can drag-and-drop them onto the board:
17551

And of course there's a PDF of them too, for printing in hardcopy.

So if somebody's got a RR scenario in mind but hasn't been able to flesh it out due to the limited RR overlays available to date, ping Steve Swann and see if you can get on the train ;-)
 

Gordon

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Yep, I'm just showing examples of what's in the LFT RR Toolkit that is now in Steve's hot little hands. Wasn't showing EVERYTHING, of course ;-) but did want to show off some goodies. And yeah, those RR Tunnel entrances need a bit of work. This first version is mainly to get something to Steve so he can work directly with VASL.

So far, it's a pretty good set of options. All implemented via Big Al's VASL Overlay extension, so you can drag-and-drop them onto the board:
View attachment 17551

And of course there's a PDF of them too, for printing in hardcopy.

So if somebody's got a RR scenario in mind but hasn't been able to flesh it out due to the limited RR overlays available to date, ping Steve Swann and see if you can get on the train ;-)
Awesome then, cry havoc and let slip the trains of war!
 

von Marwitz

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I will say, no disrespect intended, that I think there needs to be better justification for the tunnel.
I think this is supposed to be a 'proof of concept' rather than a board configuration that you will ever see in a scenario.

von Marwitz
 

von Marwitz

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I've been workin' on the RailRoad....

View attachment 17529
I love it! :love:
Very nice to see that some of the ideas I proposed to @sswann with regard to the RR overlays seem to have been taken up.

As for the 'station-kits':
My proposal would be for the platform-artwork to be lengthened to extend two hexes at minimum. A platform shorter than 40 m simply isn't realistic. An 80m platform would still be very short even if considering a small rural station. Probably 2 to 3 hexes should be a good compromise gameswise. Or two pieces of 'station-kits' that can be combined to form a longer platform. Terrain-wise, I'd probably define hexes with platforms as an EmRR to keep it simple i.e. limit extra rules to a minimum.

von Marwitz
 

Brad M-V

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MMP should make their own virtual gaming platform. They could set it up with their own lobby and have downloadable mods for it, everything purchased as a plugin with stats for wins/losses, looking for game section, saved games in progress, etc. This would be the right time to start working on something like that IMO. Charge a monthly fee to be on the server too...
 
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