Are You Going to Play a Korean War Scenario at ASLOK 2019?

Evan Sherry

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Hi ASLers,

MMP released The Forgotten War about two years ago. If you have not played a Korean War scenario, its about time you did.

Korea definitely has a different feel than World War Two. The North Koreans and the Communist Chinese both have their unique idiosyncrasies that will challenge even veteran ASL players. I have now played 20 KW scenarios. Not only have I played these 20, but I have actually playtested them. That means I have now played a LOT of iterations of KW scenarios.

At first, I did not like playing KW scenarios even though I designed many of them. It was so unlike the WWII style scenarios I was accustomed to and required me to get way out of my ASL routine and comfort zone. I had to not only learn a bunch of new rules, I had to learn new tactics, even for the Americans and UN Forces that one would think play similarly to the Allied Forces in WWII. The simple answer to that is yes and no.

The Communist Chinese rules, as expected, were the most difficult to learn. Then the hard part was learning and developing tactics to use in a given scenario. The best advice I can give an ASLer used to WWII is to stop caring. You are going to sustain lots of CHICOM casualties when you try to win a KW scenario. Expect it, stop crying about it and drive on with your mission no matter how much cardboard blood must be sacrificed in the process.

Now a bunch of you are at ASLOK or on your way there. You will spend more concentrated ASL time in one week than you probably will at any other time during a gaming year. While you are in your room, read over the KW rules and plan to play at least one KW scenario while you are at ASLOK. The KPA are easiest to learn, but the Communist Chinese are so interesting, I suggest you try playing one featuring them. Rally Point #17: Special Study II of the Korean War has a CPVA player Aid Card that will greatly assist you while you learn how to use the CPVA.

So, now that you are at ASLOK, let us bystanders know what KW scenarios you play and how they turn out. The main thing to remember in KW is that it is not unusual for both players to feel they are losing while playing KW. If you feel that way during the game, keep going - the results may surprise you.
 

Michael R

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I brought my Korea counters and a couple of scenarios, plus Scott Blanton will be bringing RP17 for me. I have played two scenarios already, but not Chicom and not steep slopes yet.
 

David Goldman

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Hi ASLers,

MMP released The Forgotten War about two years ago. If you have not played a Korean War scenario, its about time you did.


Evan,

I am very pleased to state that several of the RPT Korea scenarios will be featured in the upcoming ASL OPEN next March. Your comments about getting out of the ASL comfort zone are right on the mark. Learning how to work with command and control especially for fire attacks makes my lazy ASL mind think in new ways.
 

footsteps

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Just completed a playtest of a Korean War scenario. I don't know who will publish it, if it passes muster.
 

Khill

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stop caring. You are going to sustain lots of CHICOM casualties when you try to win a KW scenario. Expect it, stop crying about it and drive on with your mission no matter how much cardboard blood must be sacrificed in the process.
LOL: Mao would approve of this message
 

Gunner Scott

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Played Meatchappahs with Knives with my buddy Rich and it is an excellent scenario. Alot of stuff to wrap your mind around with the chinamen but once you play those little guys a few times, then the rules start to sink in.
 

Gordon

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Never played a single Korea scenario, not sure if I ever will. Bought FW but in the closet unpunished.
I dunno, relegating a game to the closet seems like punishment to me. Is it solitary confinement?
 

william.stoppel

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I agree. I punched it finally and put the rules and Chapter H in the book but have no plan to play any KWASL. I didn’t for get it I just don’t care about it
 

jrv

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Played "Hard ROK" [203] as the South Koreans. Although ROAR has it favoring the KPA, I think that the RoKA is just harder to play. I lost as the RoKA, but I came withing millimeters of winning. The KPA 9-2 and HMG went on a last-turn tear to shred my defense, and even then I had a fairly good chance of a win. I needed either a BAZ hit & kill or a CC kill to prevent the last KPA tank from VBM-sleaze-freezing my HMG but got neither. I don't find the KPA much different from the Soviets they modeled their army after, but the early war RoKA are pretty interesting. As the RoKA player I had to use every trick I could conjure.

JR
 

Gunner Scott

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Played ASL215 Red Devils today vs Randy via VASL and even though my little chinamen got shredded, I managed to get just enough guys near the 150 gun tanks to destroy two and my sniper took out two. The game went to turn 5 with my Chinese winning. Super fun scenario but I would recommend making the 150 gun AFV's immune to sniper attack.
 

Pitman

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I was at ASLOK for eight full days and never saw a single Korea scenario being played. I did hear that Bret unlawfully snuck at least one into a PTO mini, so apparently at least some Korea got played. But I never saw it.
 

Mike205

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Hi Evan,

Although I have only played one KW scenario so far, I really think your promotion of this branch of ASK is great and much needed!! I'm excited about this new addition to the ASL family and to also see which directions the new rules might take us regarding other early post 45 conflicts. Thanks for your efforts, not only here but in the two scenario packs as well.
 

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I played two Korea scenarios on Saturday. One with Andy Hershey and one with Kieth Spurlock. The one with Kieth came down to the last DR, with the known malingerer Sgt Spurlock (his late brother Derek had Spurlock counters made) using and early Korea bazooka (+2 drm on the colored die, a 6 or more on the TK DR is an auto-dud) to hit and kill the last AFV I needed to win. It was quite comical after a whole 6 turns of calling the counter a known malingerer. In the second, Andy showed me the power of massed Chinese troops, resulting in 5 CC's on the first turn. I lost four of these, and the last locked up a key position for two more turns. It was very educational. Unfortunately for Andy, two Meat-choppers and lots of ROF is pretty powerful on drive-by shootings. I was able to restore the line and counter attack for the win. -- jim
 

Gunner Scott

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Hi-

Honestly, if your not giving FW a go your really missing out on a very unique experience. Granted the NKPA do not feel like NKPA due to them being modeled so closely too the russians, but the Chinese are a different story. The CPVA are very unique and are actually fun to play, but then again I am a slut when comes to playing the more esoteric side of ASL.

Dave Goldman and I did finish our ASL215 Red Devils scenario. This was a rare ftf gathering with Dave whom is usually very busy. So it was a very nice time getting together and throwing some dice. Dave ended up with the Americans and of course I ended up with the screaming Red Zulus from China. Daves set up was relatively conservative to possibly avoid being overrun by my hordes of CPVA dudes. My plan as the CPVA was to come on map with my Grenadiers doing the board edge creep along boards 15 and 44. My Recon guys Attempted also to do the board edge creep along board 19.

As the game progressed lots of American Firepower was being thrown at the hapless hordes. The Chinese do have an HMG and MMG, but I kept them back waiting for a couple of CPVA squads to dig foxholes on board 2 but after three turns and a bunch of 11's, I gave up on that and just creeped my kill stack forward, Dave was too busy anyway cutting down my advancing infantry.

Dave did limber one Arty AFV that gave me two VP points so as to get it away from my creeping Recon units. He also Fired his 155's a couple of times which also gave me points. I would be remiss in saying that this game was seriously fun and back and forth each turn, every time I felt I was gaining the upper hand, Dave would slap me down with a snake eyes roll. But by turn 6 I had managed to gain 9VP's and with about 7 CPVA squads left, I was closing in on a couple of 155's to try and kill them. So with that Dave decided to call it a game.

Key things we did here was the Sniper does not effect the 155's, thats just sleazy to win a game like that. The Chinese MUST never stack in this scenario, the firelanes vs IPM can devastate the Chinese attack. There are probably other things to consider but I cant recall them right off the bat. All in all a great scenario with the following recommendations: Give the Americans the balance and make the 155's immune to sniper attacks.

Scott
 
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