Ideas for Starter Kits?

[Actionjick]

In the day of few boards, and mounted ones at that, the WoA deferred to overlays to probably cut costs/weight-of-the package. As has been verified by many on this forum there is a natural tendency for aversion to the use of overlays in the first place and the lack of any aesthetic terrain features as a second was probably a turn off for many players. The engagements in the desert/arid areas were fairly interesting but I do believe the rules were unnecessarily overburdened with too much chrome/bling to be wholeheartedly accepted by a significant number of players as normal fare in their games. Many designers found they could easily adapt ETO geo boards as terrain applicable to desert/arid engagements (Tunisia/Tobruk-area) with just a few terrain modification SSRs with little difficulty and therefore the "desert" scenarios have not really gone by the wayside, but have been modified as to lose their "desert" look [EX: Hart Attack]. The more recent appeal for desert scenarios using the 4 desert boards in particular may well be because of the ease of using overlays on VASL. As always JMHO.

Nice observations. I had been considering the extensive use of overlays as a contributing factor to the DTO's lack of appeal. An interesting thought. I wonder if it was that significant?

 

[Stewart]

Not really a great metric to use. After FKAC replaced WOA, the desert module was entwined with the Italians, who have not proven to be the most popular of nationalities.

The only metric we have....Has it been reprinted? Since the Brits were Ripped from the DTO...that goes to show the Interest in it.

 

[owenedwards]

The actual best metric we have is recent recorded plays, because that measures better current interest and serves as proof or disproof of the very clever hypothesis above.

 

[Michael Dorosh]

Reprinting means little either. YANKS had to wait 30 years for a reprint. There's no way anyone will believe that was because it was unpopular....

 

[sswann]

For me it was the featureless desert boards that turned me off.
That and my aversion to any scenario with more than 3 overlays.

 

[Perry]

Reprinting means little either. YANKS had to wait 30 years for a reprint. There's no way anyone will believe that was because it was unpopular....

YANKS was out of print for closer to 10 years than 30 years.

 

[von Marwitz]

YANKS was out of print for closer to 10 years than 30 years.

But it felt like 30 years...
It surely feels better knowing that MMP is nowadays getting the lead out quicker than things happened in the old AH days.

von Marwitz

 

[Michael Dorosh]

You can reprint while stuff is still in print, too, technically, though IIRC the Yanks print run was ginormous and outlasted all the other original AH modules.

 

[62nd Army]

Gentlemen

Overlays of course have arrived in SK, I think they are a very useful feature for the ASL/ASLSK system.
It seems a little goes along way for most players, so designers need to think long and hard about using "to many" in a scenario.

I certainly hope more overlays are on the way for SK, as they can used to freshen up some of the early boards in the system.

Thanks
Joe

 

[owenedwards]

I think a very limited number of overlays would be a good inclusion - but as Joe say, "a little goes a long way". If after hypothetical SK5&EP3, there were a total of 3-5 overlays (inc RW1), that'd be enough - with design rules limited to one per scenario, etc. What sorts of overlays might be most useful? A funny challenge there is the limited terrain palette and the need to avoid funny combinations of terrain otherwise avoided in SK.

A Hill or two seem the most basic addition, particularly helpful for maps y and z. Beyond that, simplified "special terrain" seems best to me, to spice up scenarios with quirky objectives/obstacles - a small multi-storey building (drawing on DaE) or rowhouses, a stream, etc.

 

[Eagle4ty]

I think a very limited number of overlays would be a good inclusion - but as Joe say, "a little goes a long way". If after hypothetical SK5&EP3, there were a total of 3-5 overlays (inc RW1), that'd be enough - with design rules limited to one per scenario, etc. What sorts of overlays might be most useful? A funny challenge there is the limited terrain palette and the need to avoid funny combinations of terrain otherwise avoided in SK.

A Hill or two seem the most basic addition, particularly helpful for maps y and z. Beyond that, simplified "special terrain" seems best to me, to spice up scenarios with quirky objectives/obstacles - a small multi-storey building (drawing on DaE) or rowhouses, a stream, etc.

To the best of my knowledge there is no such thing as a Multi-Story building in ASLSK (at least not in the standard ASLSK 1-4 and EP 1 & 2). There are multi-hex buildings but I haven't been able to find a multi-story complex yet. Did DaE introduce a multi-story complex to ASLSK?

 

[trailrunner]

Did DaE introduce a multi-story complex to ASLSK?

Sort of. There is a steeple on the DaE map.

 

[Matt Book]

How about SK's for OBA, Night, Water-Seaborne Assaults/Evac's, Caves?

I still think you should issue new SK scenarios with full ASL compatibility denoting the difference on the scenario card.