How long have you been playing ASL/SL?

[cujo8-1]

I picked up SL way back in 1981, but could never find regular opponents. I think I played it maybe four or five times. Bought all the add on modules except for GI.

In 1990, I got involved in a wargaming club and was drawn into ASL. Got my butt handed to me on a regular basis.

In 1993, I left for an assignment in Izmir, Turkey. I brought the games I had (up to Croix De Guerre)and played one face-to-face game over there trying to get a regular opponent and one PBM game against one of my stateside friends.

Didn't play again for over ten years. Then, out of the blue, the guy I used to play here at home called me last August to start playing again and I have been playing every Thursday night and every other Saturday on average. Making up for lost time.

We have a small, but active club dubbed the 'Boxcar Brigade' here in Oklahoma City. It consists of eight regulars.

Just waiting on the Version 2 rulebook and AoO to round out my collection.

 

[Chris Milne]

I started out mistaking the *Vehicle line on the IFT for the FP line. Games were very bloody indeed!

After a few solo games, I picked up the 89 Annual, and was astounded to discover that the IFT wasn't incremental

 

[CPRad]

I started out mistaking the *Vehicle line on the IFT for the FP line. Games were very bloody indeed!

I still do this occasionally in the heat of battle .. : -(

 

[Doughboy]

The fav has to be Cross of Iron.

I also my original favorite, I found the other followup modules to be be well icing on the cake. Perhaps its because one of my all time favorite flicks "The Cross of Iron" inspired me to repeated plays throughout my college years instead of studying my engineering text. Been playing the SL/ASL system ever since it came out back in 1977, its been a long haul. Once AH put out ASL I thought it was a Godsend as be that time the COD and GI rules were contradicting too many points to remember. My pleasant surpise was the huge compendium of vehicle and ordanance notes that came with it. This saved me a heap of time from consulting those monsterous Jane's books on vehicles and weapons systems. Though the fire mechanics are quite different abeit for more lethal, the fundamental SL system was left unchanged which I applauded. This only leads me to one final question: Where is that Sgt Steiner smc? :cheeky:

 

[karl]

Hi

Less then one year for me.

Started playing war games at university in the early 90s. Started to buy random games form large army operations, down to the Ambush series of 1 on 1 combat.

Most played game would be GDW Operation Market Garden Decent into Hell, a great double blind game. Found SL on the shelf along with ASL and BV 1. Being a poor university student I only had enough money for to buy SL as it was half the price of the combined ASL set.

Played this solo for years and picked up the other modules along the way.

After a regular job I started to get into ASL. Again solo until this year, found VASL, other FTF players in New Zealand.

Bank looking sad at times as I rush to pick up OOP modules to get a complete set.

Still losing 80 percent of my games, can’t seem to win vs. the US 747 squads. New ways to play learnt from each game.

Cheers

Karl

 

[CPRad]

Still losing 80 percent of my games, can’t seem to win vs. the US 747 squads. New ways to play learnt from each game.

Cheers
Karl

Doh!!! so I should have taken the Americans ehhhh!!

 

[KGPanzerschrecK]

i started playing the SL series in 1981, so i guess thats like 23 years, crap im getting old, lol.

ive never played ASL, not by choice, but because of a tight budget. :dead: i have always wanted to get into it, maybe someday...

 

[Mark Warren]

Hey KGPanzerschrecK,

There was never a better time than now to try ASL. The new ASL Starter Kit only costs $24 and is a great way to start an addiction

 

[KGPanzerschrecK]

wow, thats cheap. when the system first came out i remember the rulebook itself cost over 100 dollars, and the modules cost 50 or 60 bucks each. i just assumed it still cost that much. i will definately check it out, thanks man.

 

[Mark Warren]

Well the Rulebook and BV will still set you back a pretty penny (When they are reprinted, both are still out of print atm ). The rulebook should be with us again very soon though I believe (currently at the printers) and BV not too long after hopefully.

But the ASLSK is a good way to get back in to the hobby or to start out from. It comes with a 12 page rulebook that is the "meat and potato's" of the ASL infantry rules with some of the complication taken out (i.e concealment). MMP are currently working on ASLSK#2, which will introduce the Ordnance rules.

 

[KGPanzerschrecK]

will look for them, thanks.

 

[Sgt. Oddball]

I played SL for a good ten years. I decided to begin my investment in ASL 5 years ago, although my little brother had been teaching me with the occasional game for the last 7 years.

 

[Johnny Canuck]

23 years--thanks Phil W. for playing every day in high school!
thank you, Jeff S. for all those wins in the 90's[are you still playing, loverofleather?]
thanks, Mark, for the current streak of fun and exciting ftf[come home safe, OK]

Alan

Yikes! I've been playing this about a year now, and he's my current opponent in the ladder (as of Aug '04).

 

[Robin Reeve]

Been wargaming since 1980.
SL since 1982, ASL since 1986.
As Switzerland was quite a "wargaming desert", I mostly played solo, until 1991, where I had some ftf at Paris against Théophile Monnier (Tactiques mag main editor), as I spent a year pursuing my studies near the French capital.
Since then, I still play a lot alone, but have found some players near my place - main problem being the fact I usually work during week-ends, my day free being wednesday...
I recently have introduced two young guys to ASL, with ASLSK.
One ordered and bought the thing!
The fact that a French translation of the Rules, Tables and Scenarios has been offered online on a French site at the time the ASLSK came out helped quite a lot newbies to join the hobby, this frenchspeaking side of the Pond... :thumup:

 

[Doughboy]

The fact that a French translation of the Rules, Tables and Scenarios has been offered online on a French site at the time the ASLSK came out helped quite a lot newbies to join the hobby, this frenchspeaking side of the Pond... :thumup:

Good God!, that's certainly a monumental task by itself. Imagine all that work and not getting paid for it. Certainly most impressed by these dedicated ASLers out there putting in that kind of effort! I figure most of the ASLsers globally must have to put up with the original English version otherwise :cheeky:

 

[UXB]

Wow 25 years playing SL/ASL. I must really be an old fart. Damn.

I remember my first game of SL with my friend Scott, we were Seniors in
in high school. I was amazed by the game and went out and bought it.

 

[Doughboy]

I also remember first playing Squad Leader in High School back in the late 70s as a break between games of PanzerGruppe Guderian, Kharkov and Jutland. I have to admit PanzerGruppe Guderian never plays the same each time as the Soviets never know about the quality of units until committed. I suppose what kept my interest with SL through ASL was the incredible flexibility of the system to game every small unit contingency during the war in addition to the ruleset being standardized ever since ASL. Later in life I met some closet ASLers who were also Graphic artists. These guys use to put in 15 hour days at the graphic studios over projects and for breaks they use to go to one of the spare drafting tables in which a scenario was setup, to try to get in a turn. Must be nice mixing work with play especially when one of the biggest addicts is the guy who owns the graphics shop.:cheeky:

 

[Fritz]

First played SL in '79, bought CoI and CoD but couldn't find any opponents until '98 when I happened to discover a stack of modules in a new acquaintence's closet. He'd been in the same boat as me, and after about four or five months of re-learning Sl we made the jump to ASL.

 

[Robin Reeve]

Good God!, that's certainly a monumental task by itself. Imagine all that work and not getting paid for it. Certainly most impressed by these dedicated ASLers out there putting in that kind of effort!

It was a collective work, with a re-reading system.
It was organized by the cote1664 forum, and with the authorization of MMP.
The finalizing task was led by the very dedicated forum administrators : a beautiful job!

If you want to download the documents (if you need French stuff), go to
http://www.cote1664.net/spip/article.php3?id_article=74
And you can also find an ASLSK sequence of play (in French of course) : http://www.cote1664.net/spip/article.php3?id_article=76

 

[CPRad]

The fact that a French translation of the Rules, Tables and Scenarios has been offered online on a French site at the time the ASLSK came out helped quite a lot newbies to join the hobby, this frenchspeaking side of the Pond... :thumup:

Hey thats cool .... since I have such a time understanding some of the "English" version rules I'll give the French version a try : -).