DASL - yes or no?

[bludengutz]

Having had a brief look at the two DASL modules last night, and hopefully will be playing a scenario on them in the near future, I would like to gauge what other people think of the whole DASL idea. I have read Prof Pitmans brief resume of them on his website, so I know what he thinks about them (!) but would now like to hear from someone else.

Have you played these modules? What are the best - and worst - things about using the HUGE hexes? I know that some people love them, and others don't, but reasons why would be good. Bottom line, are these two products worth getting?

 

[Robin Reeve]

Streets of Fire has very good scenarios.
I do like Deluxe ASL and I am not pleased it didn't catch.
HH is less interesting, as its boards are covered by hedges and you cannot adapt them to non-bocage rural areas very easily... But if you like bocage, it can be fun too.

 

[MissionDirector]

I love DASL, HH is great and I have two sets so I can play larger bocage games. I'd love two copies of SoF so I could do the same, haven't seen one for sale in a while though.

I don't use miniatures, however I do appreciate the extra space when using counters ;-)

I have also experimented with blowing up copies of geo maps to DASL size, and the results are promising. Crowded scenarios get a new lease of life with large hexes.

 

[Edvard]

I have played one SoF scenario on the original boards, and I didn't like it. The hexes are so large that it's hard to "see" obvious LOSs and opportunities to fire or move that are easy to see on normal sized boards. Perhaps it's just because I'm used to the normal sized hexes, I don't know. I personally think RB hexes are the best size, a happy medium between normal stack-unfriendly size and ridiculously large.

Apart from that, I think the SoF scenarios look good, and also the HH ones. I played that same SoF game on VASL, and it went a lot better than in ftf.

As far as using miniatures is concerned, I'm not into it. I don't want to hurt anybody's feelings, but it seems a bit on the childish side to me. Sort of like an extension of playing on the carpet with toy tanks... Like the sort of thing some unmarried 60 year old who lives with his mother and enjoys hanging around outside school playgrounds would do...

There I go again...

E.

 

[MissionDirector]

Like the sort of thing some unmarried 60 year old who lives with his mother and enjoys hanging around outside school playgrounds would do...

!!!! Steady on old chap!

 

[Nikon53]

SOF scenarios are among the best collection of any module and HH scenarios are pretty good. Use of miniatures just never caught on, so looking at it now it would be more convenient if the hex size were not so huge.

 

[Blackcloud6]

I've only played one of the HH scenarios so my experience is very limited. But I'm with Edvard on this one. The big hexes are hard to get used to and there is a mental leap one needs to make to play DASL. Also, maneuver is very limited on these maps and there are best suited for fights in restricted terrain such as the bocage and city fights.

The only advantage I see for DASL boards is in being able to spread out the counter, especially the information counters.

 

[Edvard]

where's my grubby macintosh gone?

!!!! Steady on old chap!

Don't tell them you caught me thumbing through the mothercare catalogue while my Mum was brewing the tea last night will you!

 

[Darrell Andersen]

I enjoy DASL. Clearly it excels in limited manuever terrain but the advantages of the larger hexes are tremendous.

I am not a big fan of different "rules sets" for DASL, HtH being allowed and WA being claimed over specific hexsides,etc.

In fact, I just recieved copies of HH and SoF from Alex Key this week...my old DASL boards are pretty beat up and I wanted new.

 

[M.Koch]

I´m not a regular DASL player...but from time to time i (we) play a DASL scenario. Depending on the situation of the scenario it can be fun to play and there are out enough to play...Last one played was a scenario from Pete Shelling for the J7 playtest...very good one:smoke:

MK

 

[JG53_Jaguar]

I just got SoF unmounted DASL maps from MMP and I'm going to mount them today. I'm looking forward playing SoF scenarios - using counters, I heard they are pretty good.

 

['Ol Fezziwig]

Definately a big, enthusiastic YES! I don't see as big a deal with the 'maneuver issue' as others do; it's strictly a relative thing. DASL scenarios do not purport to be sweeping examples of maneuver warfare, they attempt to show bitter, close range combat over a limited area. In this, it excels. However, there are scenarios where maneuver is a key element of the scenario; The Good Shepherd comes to mind as one, as does The Mailed Fist. Neither could be mistaken in any way for a desert scenario or one on the steppes, but neither are they straight-ahead slugfests.
Ultimately, the success or failure of the DASL medium devolves upon the scenarios designed for it; I, for one, think the majority of them are highly enjoyable.

 

[Darrell Andersen]

"Ultimately, the success or failure of the DASL medium devolves upon the scenarios designed for it"

Bingo...well said.

 

[Chas Argent]

DASL: YES. Love it.
​

 

[Pitman]

DASL would be great if the hexes were normal size and the boards were normal size and there were no strange H-t-H fighting or wall advantage hexside options.

 

[Wik]

Another vote for DASL here. :thumup:

Now what's the progress on that DASL Action Pack someone mentioned a while ago? :cheeky:

- Chad

/ Can't wait for RBF4 :bounce:

 

[sswann]

I like DASL just as much as ASL and HASL.
My "only" complaint on DASL is the limited to Very Limited board selection. With more mapboards for DASL, I am sure that it would have caught on better.

 

[Whizbang1963]

More DASL!

We need more DASL..there are only 9 boards out and that is part of the problem. I think more scenarios would be designed if there were more boards to do them on...

 

['Ol Fezziwig]

DASL would be great if the hexes were normal size and the boards were normal size and there were no strange H-t-H fighting or wall advantage hexside options.

:nuts:

Actually, DASL would perhaps gain a second lease on life if it were revived as a H(istorical)DASL. Take, for example, the Central Railway Station portion of the eagerly anticipated Valour of the Guards map. The CRS could easily be depicted by a pair of Deluxe maps for use with the Campaign Game highlighting the CRS struggle. Such usage would be in line with 'stacking displays' such as that provided in the recent CH! Berlin module (for the Reichstag) to help reduce the 'tipsy stack syndrone' for those of us with kielbasa fingers (or caffeine shakes, or DTs or what-have-you...)

This would also reduce those so inclined from having to blowup their maps. Obviously, the limitations in area that can be feasibly represented may well limit applicability of usage of DASL-size maps, but it shouldn't be overlooked out of hand.

 

[sswann]

DASL would be great if the hexes were normal size and the boards were normal size and there were no strange H-t-H fighting or wall advantage hexside options.

WE call that ASL.