2018 ASL Open AAR

Gunner Scott

Forum Guru
Joined
Jan 27, 2003
Messages
13,737
Reaction score
2,669
Location
Chicago, IL
Country
llUnited States
Hi all-

Well another ASL Open in the can with 6 scenarios completed over a three day period. As usual, the ASL Open fielded quite the rogues gallery of players with a couple of Canadians and one Norwegian guy in attendance. As a side note, this AAR is coming completely from memorie, so do not be offended if I could not remember your name lol.

BFP35 Mai Phu
The first round picks were kind of brutal due to some being way to large to really finish in any reasonable amount of time plus the choices for this round included Tropic Lightening along with Tigers and Flames, both ok scenarios but have been on the list in prior ASL Open gatherings. Also on in the same round were TX Rush Hour and SP's Meet me at the Station, both had balance issues so they were auto deletes in the scenario choice determination process. So that left only Mai Phu, another tired old scenario but not one where one would not stay up all night playing. In our game I drew the French and did the standard set up, two HIP HS in the back, infantry screen up front and foxholes surrounding Building U P2 which is the alamo building to defend for the end game. The scenario went the full length with my French winning due to my opponent not having enough time to find the last HIP squad. I hate to win scenarios like that but this is not home play. Basically a tired old scenario that really is not much fun to play anymore. 1-0

ITR Rockets and a Hard Place
Next scenario up for the 2nd round was Between Rockets and a Hard Place, Once more the choices were not very palatable for this round, a crappy pete shelling special, Mormal Forest, which had almost and identical Infantry OB and I thought was not very exciting, SP's Statue of Liberty Attacks which I thought was very tough on the Americans and another TX dog of a scenario called Hit and Run. So once more another round with not many good choices to choose from. With Rockets, I really blew the set up in this one forgetting to rubble the 2nd level building as per the standard set up procedure for this one and missing a the buried text in the SSR's that Mines may not be exchanged for AT mines. This scenario went the full seven turns, even with my Russians handicapped by no mines and the 9-1 German led fire base in the 2nd level building which I should have rubbled. My Rockets landed on both my units and Daves units at the wooden factory building. This ended up helping Dave more then me as I crushed my own guys with rockets. The Game was fun but grindy with Dave getting the required VPs over the finish line to win. 1-1

St Louis A Rising Tide
The 3rd round was perhaps the worst round for scenario choices, SP's Tater Pass was not an attractive choice due to the problem of having to try and take pillboxes way in the back of the playing area, SP's retaking Kharkov at first glance looks interesting but essentially the Russians get crush everytime, not much maneuver in this one, just hammer your opponent with shock and awe. BFP's Kazina Klash just looked boring and probably would turn out to be a dicefest. WO 18 The replacements was way pro Italian, so that one was another strike from the list, Dave really must like those Texas scenarios but many of them are just way too unbalanced to take a chance to play and Corperal Punishment was no different. So that left us going off the main list to pick A Rising Tide a Japanese vs Brit scenario from the St Louis Burma pack. Not a bad scenario, but once more I gacked reading the multiple set ups for the Japanese. My opponent with his Japanese troops went straight for the village VC and thus I had to scramble to try and hold what buildings I had and try to retake those that the japs had taken already. This is a fairly large scenario and I felt I was starting to get tired towards game end so I through in the towel and went to sleep. 1-2

SP Khibzovs Khabosh
Another round with very few palatable choices. My opponent and I decided on SP's Khabosh, a Russian vs German scenario where the Russians are trying to block the Germans from exiting guys off map. The other choices in this round were not very good, we had Deathshead debut where the SS had to try and take out russians on a snow covered hill and a few buildings within 4 turns, so that was not one I wanted to play, SP's Mauled at Merdorp was heavily pro french (Dave sure does have lot of French scenarios on the list this year). Another crappy Pete Shelling special and Alligator Tanks a bug hunt for pillboxes. So I drew the Russians and my opponent the Germans. I came in strong and as with most SP scenarios, this one is heavily scripted IE the Russians need to take out the Jg panzers, reach the exit area and attrition the Germans to victory. My opponent managed to get 30 VP's off map, but could not get the rest off due to me breaking a couple of squads to block the closes exit points for him. You can exit between a certain area but he could not, he was only able to get close to the initial exit points. Gotta love winning by doing unrealistic stuff. 2-2

SP Defending Jandrain
Yes another French scenario, I should have just lugged my French counters to the ASL Open lol. Another terrible bunch of choices for this round, we had to choose from SP's the Outpost line (germans get arty they win, germans dont get arty they lose), OBS Walk the Walk, not really interested in a HASL scenario where I have to read a couple of pages of special SSR's. TX Middle of Nowhere, another goofy TX scenario that many people skipped over. BFP Coke Hill, I thought about playing this one, but felt it was just way too pro japanese. So we settled on Defending Jandrain, which was......wait for it....another French scenario. I got lucky drew the French and proceeded to set up my guys on 2nd level with my armor in HD positions to hinder my opponents attack. The scenario went I think about 5 turns before my opponent decided his poor German troops could not take the required buildings. Very tough on the Germans and perhaps really unbalanced. 3-2

BFP's Melee Near the Coast
Another tired old scenario in the mix with me drawing the Chinese vs Jeff Deyoungs Japanese. This was the last scenario for the open and we both wanted to play something that did not have armor or artillery. So we decided on this one. My Chinese gave Jeff a good drubbing but I just could not hold onto the needed buildings to pull of a win. Good scenario, but hopefully one I wont ever have to play again. 3-3

So another ASL Open is completed, hopefully the next ASL Open will have a scenario list with better choices.

Scott
 

Ray Woloszyn

"Fire and Movement"
Joined
Aug 20, 2003
Messages
4,080
Reaction score
1,215
Location
Kernersville, NC
First name
Ray
Country
llUnited States
Too many scenarios requiring alamo defenses or were bug hunts on the list. But we did have fun and do appreciate Daves efforts.
Most of the scenarios you played were unknown to me so if this were the case, I can understand your critic as those are not my favorite scenarios either.
 

Gunner Scott

Forum Guru
Joined
Jan 27, 2003
Messages
13,737
Reaction score
2,669
Location
Chicago, IL
Country
llUnited States
I miss the old ASL annual where all the scenarios were fun and balanced. You did not have to replaytest everything back in the day to make sure someone's design was good, it usually was. I miss the great scenario designers like Rex Martin, Bob Macnamara, Don Greenwood, Eddie Zeman Darrell Anderson and more of their ilk.

Ah well, these are the new days where everything is generic and halfassed.

Scott

Most of the scenarios you played were unknown to me so if this were the case, I can understand your critic as those are not my favorite scenarios either.
 

davegin

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 19, 2010
Messages
380
Reaction score
645
Location
North Olmsted, Ohio
Country
llUnited States
I miss the old ASL annual where all the scenarios were fun and balanced. You did not have to replaytest everything back in the day to make sure someone's design was good, it usually was. I miss the great scenario designers like Rex Martin, Bob Macnamara, Don Greenwood, Eddie Zeman Darrell Anderson and more of their ilk.

Ah well, these are the new days where everything is generic and halfassed.

Scott
You're just bitchin' and name droppin' Scott....most of those you mentioned were heavily involved in the game's formation, rules, maps, etc., but very few scenarios.
 

Michael R

Minor Hero
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Feb 4, 2003
Messages
4,622
Reaction score
4,162
Location
La Belle Province
First name
Michael
Country
llCanada
Can anyone name a scenario designed by Macnamara? I can’t remember one.
 

jrv

Forum Guru
Joined
May 25, 2005
Messages
21,998
Reaction score
6,206
Location
Teutoburger Wald
Country
llIceland
Can anyone name a scenario designed by Macnamara? I can’t remember one.
Credited as co-designer on "Today We Attack" [69], "KP 167" [70], "Jungle Citadel" [71], & "Bloody Red Beach" [74].

edit: there are a couple more too from Rising Sun.

JR
 

Perry

Forum Guru
Joined
Feb 4, 2003
Messages
1,810
Reaction score
2,762
Location
Baltimore, MD
Country
llUnited States
Can anyone name a scenario designed by Macnamara? I can’t remember one.
And more from West of Alamein. Mac's fingers were in most scenarios back then, but he was not a prolific scenario designer.
 
Top