How to play solo?

[Honza]

I included this post in another thread but the subject is interesting and would benefit from its own discussion.

The way I play solo games is to pit my omniscience vs itself. So that if as the defender I know that I am planning to bring on units in a certain area when playing the attacker, then I will specifically defend that area. That will force me as the attacker to look elsewhere to attack. The defender will only have a limited number of resources to cover the avenues of attack. As the defender I analyse all my favourite plans to attack and take measures to thwart them.
Once the defence has been set up - as the attacker I am left with a limited choice of where to attack. All the best routes have been covered and so I need to devise a plan to attack despite have blocked all my preferences.
It makes for a very balanced and tense game. The attacker now has real obstacles to his plans because as the defender I foresaw all the best plans. There is NO PRETENDING that I do not know in my solo games. I pitch my all knowingness against itself - the result is a very fine balance.

The only measures I take to mitigate my all knowingness is to disallow searching and recon by fire. That way HIP counters remain hidden and cannot be found except by entering the hex. Dummy counters can also be included by disallowing movement in their hex except in the advance phase. Thus dummies can be used to slow down enemy movement. That act as potential units which can only be removed by advancing into their hex. It gives dummy counters some potency.

 

[simonsimple]

That's great, I still tinker with a different approach each game depending on the types of equipment involved.

With your approach I would worry that it would create unsatisfying behaviors, like AFVs avoiding HIPed guns or panzerfausters.
What about things like mines and boresighting?

 

[Honza]

When it comes to mines I just place them onboard and consider them KNOWN by the enemy. You have to remember that I placed the mines knowing where the attacker wanted to attack. So they are usually in the most inconvenient place possible which is more than enough compensation for their being known.
Boresighting is a similar issue. I boresight the hexes where I really want to attack - thus inconveniencing the enemy the most.
I can see what you mean about the "unsatisfying behavior" of the enemy. But it is compensated by the tension created in the game.
I did try another alternative which is to withhold certain HIP units offboard and then placed them onboard as and when they see fit. This gives the defender an enormous advantage because they can place their HIP units wherever they want during the game. So I limit this tactic to just a few counters.

 

[PabloGS]

You bring some interesting points. Essentially what you are trying to do is find the "fixed point" at which the game converges. Of course an ASL scenario is so complex, and things like LOS are not known beforehand, that as you play along opportunities will appear that were not foresighted and each side can take advantage of them.

 

[kcole4001]

For solo play I pretty much only do Red Barricades CGs so far.
When mines are used, I place the counter on board (it's silly to hide them from myself!), but don't play the attacker any different than if mines were not in play.
In other words, I let the first moving unit to enter the mines stumble into them as if you didn't know there were any on board.

I treat all concealed stacks as if they were real units for both sides, and HIP units are sited in logical places but again treated as if there were no HIP units on board.
The unit density is such that all advances are pretty cautious, so there won't be any instances of running your 10-3 and 3 assault engineer squads adjacent through
open ground for the HIPsters to vaporize.

I do use searching when logical, but not directed at finding out some HIP units.

I find it also helps to set up the CG day on one day, and play another. That way you actually do forget where there might be dummies, where the MGs are, etc.
Then all hell breaks loose and the firing starts.

 

[Honza]

You bring some interesting points. Essentially what you are trying to do is find the "fixed point" at which the game converges. Of course an ASL scenario is so complex, and things like LOS are not known beforehand, that as you play along opportunities will appear that were not foresighted and each side can take advantage of them.

Exactly. Even though when playing solo you are omniscient and there is very little fog of war, there is actually more than enough variables to keep the game very unpredictable and exciting.

 

[xenovin]

you can give these rules a try: http://web.archive.org/web/19990222071557/http://fairfax2.laser.net:80/~huskers/web_asl/asl_solo.html

 

[Bartleby]

I have seen and do like those rules, xenovin, though I have not yet tried them. I am still customizing my Fog of War based on each scenario.

Have you tried them?

For the current scenario I have on my table, I have a number of single squads concealed, and a number of two-unit dummy stacks. They are the main defending force. My plan this time around is, anytime I look and lift a "?", either to shoot or roll for MC, I roll to see which stack is there. Essentially replace what is there with a random other stack (including the possibility of rolling for itself to stay).

This should work well because the stacks involved all have the same role, front line defenders. Some are dummies, some are 1st, some are Conscripts. When I play the attacker I will not know what I am attacking until I strip it of concealment.

One thing I am considering this time around is to re-roll what is there if I look but do not remove the "?". As an example: An enemy is across the road, so I look under two stacks beside each other and see one is a Conscript and one is a dummy. I decide not to shoot and put the "?" back. My intention for this scen is to then, since the "?" went back down, is to roll again for what is there when it needs to be lifted again. So if I decide to charge, next time I lift it there could be a two squad FG in two the two hexes.

In theory, should an enemy wait two or three turns to charge, I might lift up a "?" and see something different each turn. That is OK with me.

Anyway, that is what I am doing now.

Next I may try the rules xenovin posted.

 

[Bartleby]

I have to say, I do like the Boresighted rules in asl_solo page. Much better than what I had been trying.

 

[thedrake]

One aspect of solo play I like is using five large 5/8" couners for each Gun in an OOB---this allows each Gun to have 3 possible set up Locations. That way when I set them up I dont know which one is the real Gun.

 

[lluis61]

I find it also helps to set up the CG day on one day, and play another. That way you actually do forget where there might be dummies, where the MGs are, etc.
Then all hell breaks loose and the firing starts.

I use this very system, but not only with CGS but with normal scenarios. For mines, I deploy "on sight", but I use some units to cover them, so they're not "stop barriers" or "suicide alleys", but obstacles; and in other situations I try to use common sense, such as using TC in front of uncertain units, HIP or concealed.