New members introduce yourself here
- Thread starter Robin Reeve
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synicbast
ASLOK Junkie
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Looks like there was a cached avatar or a bug on the forums.
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There is an option in your user CP, I think, where you can decide if you want to see avatars or not...
Back to ASL
Hi,
I started years ago with the purple and black SL box and moved on to ASL. About 10 years ago, my local opponent moved away and I moved on to other games. No VASL then.
Just got back in touch with an old friend from almost 20 years ago and decided to jump back in and play PBEM with him using VASL.
Saw on CSW where someone mentioned this site and decided to check it out.
Jim
Hi,
I started years ago with the purple and black SL box and moved on to ASL. About 10 years ago, my local opponent moved away and I moved on to other games. No VASL then.
Just got back in touch with an old friend from almost 20 years ago and decided to jump back in and play PBEM with him using VASL.
Saw on CSW where someone mentioned this site and decided to check it out.
Jim
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Hi Jim,
Welcome around here.
I hope you'll have a good time and find the gaming ressources you need.
Welcome around here.
I hope you'll have a good time and find the gaming ressources you need.
Hugh Downing
Member
jimpyle welcome back to the dark side…
synicbast
ASLOK Junkie
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Not really new, just a return to active status
I love this game...a return of sorts
Thought seriously about tossing it all away a few years ago...burned out and general malaise of the soul. Then saw the sneak peeks of VOTG and the general blurbs. Reconsidered but wasn't getting much time playing. Caught up with VASL and played a few Red Barricades scenarios as a change (not a real fan of RB all that much CG wise, too attritional to my thinking and unsuited to my playing style) which were a real blast.
Real life intruded big time - overseas trip, change of house, change of job thus all my VASL impetus disappeared along with my internet connection and just when I was really getting back into playing again. Almost cancelled my preorders for VotG and DB in a fit of pique but managed to regain some form of sanity.
So when John Knowles dropped in to play some ASL for a week or so, it couldn't have been more perfect (I could have had leave admittedly) in that we were able to play 9 scenarios over 9 days including 4 days of not playing a single turn. I got to play a whole bunch of Journal 7 I'd not seen before, and John got to kick back and relax. Played some beauties as I posted in the AAR section, most of which I'm looking to play again, this time as the other side.
In the meantime I've also ordered and received some stuff that I've been after for a while or only heard about recently (I've not been paying attention to TPM products for some time). One of the reasons I've been looking at the TPM stuff is I find the geo-boards too abstracted these days and the constant road net/board edge parameters just seem too artificial for my liking ... perhaps over-familiarity with the geo-boards in general after all these years has left me jaded. Anyway I've been suborned by the likes of Hell's Bridgehead and Tigers to the Front plus some of the smaller non-CG scenario packs from CH so that should at least keep me occupied for a while as long as I can find some willing vict...er playing partners to work through them with me. Hopefully that should keep me going until VotG arrives but again there's no rush, I'm sure I'll be able to get some VoTg games on VASL once the initial frenzy settles down and the board is is released for VASL.
What I am after though are people's thoughts on Hell's Bridgehead, Bracchi Hills and Tigers to the Front. I'll probably take a quick shufti at Busting the Bocage this month and even push around some real pieces just to keep my eye in. I just wish I had the talent to do some Mapmaking so I could add in things like Action to Carentan and a few of the extra add-on HASL maps that are out there.
I'm also intrigued by the Firefight packs from HoB. I guess I should pick those up. Lots to go on with over the next few months and enough variety to suit me - still lots of fun stuff to work on rules wise catching up with the V2 rules (only recently got hold of my own copy)
P-J
I love this game...a return of sorts
Thought seriously about tossing it all away a few years ago...burned out and general malaise of the soul. Then saw the sneak peeks of VOTG and the general blurbs. Reconsidered but wasn't getting much time playing. Caught up with VASL and played a few Red Barricades scenarios as a change (not a real fan of RB all that much CG wise, too attritional to my thinking and unsuited to my playing style) which were a real blast.
Real life intruded big time - overseas trip, change of house, change of job thus all my VASL impetus disappeared along with my internet connection and just when I was really getting back into playing again. Almost cancelled my preorders for VotG and DB in a fit of pique but managed to regain some form of sanity.
So when John Knowles dropped in to play some ASL for a week or so, it couldn't have been more perfect (I could have had leave admittedly) in that we were able to play 9 scenarios over 9 days including 4 days of not playing a single turn. I got to play a whole bunch of Journal 7 I'd not seen before, and John got to kick back and relax. Played some beauties as I posted in the AAR section, most of which I'm looking to play again, this time as the other side.
In the meantime I've also ordered and received some stuff that I've been after for a while or only heard about recently (I've not been paying attention to TPM products for some time). One of the reasons I've been looking at the TPM stuff is I find the geo-boards too abstracted these days and the constant road net/board edge parameters just seem too artificial for my liking ... perhaps over-familiarity with the geo-boards in general after all these years has left me jaded. Anyway I've been suborned by the likes of Hell's Bridgehead and Tigers to the Front plus some of the smaller non-CG scenario packs from CH so that should at least keep me occupied for a while as long as I can find some willing vict...er playing partners to work through them with me. Hopefully that should keep me going until VotG arrives but again there's no rush, I'm sure I'll be able to get some VoTg games on VASL once the initial frenzy settles down and the board is is released for VASL.
What I am after though are people's thoughts on Hell's Bridgehead, Bracchi Hills and Tigers to the Front. I'll probably take a quick shufti at Busting the Bocage this month and even push around some real pieces just to keep my eye in. I just wish I had the talent to do some Mapmaking so I could add in things like Action to Carentan and a few of the extra add-on HASL maps that are out there.
I'm also intrigued by the Firefight packs from HoB. I guess I should pick those up. Lots to go on with over the next few months and enough variety to suit me - still lots of fun stuff to work on rules wise catching up with the V2 rules (only recently got hold of my own copy)
P-J
kawaiku
Member
Was directed here by a friend on another forum and figured I'd take a look see.
Canadian Dude
Malicious Maniac
Well then welcome To The Best Forum EVER!
Hope you enjoy your stay. We are all rather humble people :cheeky:
- The Canadian Dude
Hello,
I started with AH's Battle of the Bulge as a gift in 1968. Moved to Panzerblitz and whole bunch of SPI games. Thought SL was the bee's knees but soon after it's introduction my gaming buddies moved away and family life took over. I had the ASL rule book in 85 and 86 which I studied before going to bed but again too much real life intervened.I have a bit more time and am jumping into ASL. Fortunately I got several friends who play and have been playing since 85.
I started with AH's Battle of the Bulge as a gift in 1968. Moved to Panzerblitz and whole bunch of SPI games. Thought SL was the bee's knees but soon after it's introduction my gaming buddies moved away and family life took over. I had the ASL rule book in 85 and 86 which I studied before going to bed but again too much real life intervened.I have a bit more time and am jumping into ASL. Fortunately I got several friends who play and have been playing since 85.
echack
Member
I thought I'd introduce myself to everyone. I live in Houston, TX and work on the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle for Lockheed Martin, hence the avatar. I'm a senior staff systems engineer and am working on our spacecraft and subsystem requirements as well as functional modeling. I have a BA in astronomy and an MEE degree, both from Rice University.
I'm married to an anesthesiologist and we have a daughter just starting college. The three of us are gamers and play RPGs, video, and board games. In addition to board wargames, I play poker, mostly HoldEm and some mixed games. My gaming claim to fame is that I taught Steve Jackson (original) D&D in college. We also played lots of AH and SPI games together at Rice.
I played some SL back in college, and have the old ASL rules and Paratrooper. I am edging back into ASL via the SKs. At Owlcon this year, I played an ASLSK 1 game against Walter Eardley of the Houston Half Squads and had a blast. I think the scenario was from Operations - it had 2 groups of US paratroopers coming in at long edge corners of board Y and trying to exit from the opposite board edge center road. I had a small group of German garrison troops with MGs opposing them. It came down to the last die roll, where I pinned the only US leader that could exit, and won the game.
Anyway, I'm hoping to get some time on VASL to play some SK scenarios and to join the Houston Half Squads at their monthly game days.
I'm married to an anesthesiologist and we have a daughter just starting college. The three of us are gamers and play RPGs, video, and board games. In addition to board wargames, I play poker, mostly HoldEm and some mixed games. My gaming claim to fame is that I taught Steve Jackson (original) D&D in college. We also played lots of AH and SPI games together at Rice.
I played some SL back in college, and have the old ASL rules and Paratrooper. I am edging back into ASL via the SKs. At Owlcon this year, I played an ASLSK 1 game against Walter Eardley of the Houston Half Squads and had a blast. I think the scenario was from Operations - it had 2 groups of US paratroopers coming in at long edge corners of board Y and trying to exit from the opposite board edge center road. I had a small group of German garrison troops with MGs opposing them. It came down to the last die roll, where I pinned the only US leader that could exit, and won the game.
Anyway, I'm hoping to get some time on VASL to play some SK scenarios and to join the Houston Half Squads at their monthly game days.
ChrisBuehler
Member
Edmund,
Welcome! I look forward to meeting you at a Houston Half Squads game day.
Chris
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Welcome here, Alex.
I hope you will have a good time on this forum, and that its ressources will help you.
Cheers
Robin
Story of a newbie.
Greetings!
I was a big fan of "Ambush!" and played a lot in the mid to late '80s. I was always tempted by ASL (which was pretty new at that time), but the rulebook scared me away. I stopped playing board games for a while during college, etc. In the late '90s, I got interested again and decided to take another shot at learning ASL. I bought BV, Paratrooper and Yanks, but even with Jim Stahler's Programmed Instructions, I couldn't cram all those rules in my head, and was too shy to try to find an opponent that would be willing to teach me.
Fast forward to 2007 - I still can't get this game out of my head so I decided to give the system another try (third time's the charm, right?). I've had ASL Starter Kits 1 & 2 for a while, and I somehow managed to convince my wife to play a few scenarios with me. We've played about 7 ASLSK games, and are pretty comfortable with the starter kit rules. I'm learning the ordnance, guns rules from ASLSK#2 now, and having a blast! I'm still hesitant to delve into the ASLRB, but I've definitely built up some confidence now that I'm learning and playing with the starter kit rules.
This is a fantastic game, but I'm always amazed to find other people who have mastered the rulebook. I think part of my problem is that I hate the idea of playing the game "wrong" by neglecting a rule, but I'm starting to accept the fact that rules errors are just part of the game.
Anyway, this forum is clearly a great tool for a newbie like me. Looking forward to feeding my new addiction, and hopefully taking the plunge into ASL in the near future!
-Bryant
Greetings!
I was a big fan of "Ambush!" and played a lot in the mid to late '80s. I was always tempted by ASL (which was pretty new at that time), but the rulebook scared me away. I stopped playing board games for a while during college, etc. In the late '90s, I got interested again and decided to take another shot at learning ASL. I bought BV, Paratrooper and Yanks, but even with Jim Stahler's Programmed Instructions, I couldn't cram all those rules in my head, and was too shy to try to find an opponent that would be willing to teach me.
Fast forward to 2007 - I still can't get this game out of my head so I decided to give the system another try (third time's the charm, right?). I've had ASL Starter Kits 1 & 2 for a while, and I somehow managed to convince my wife to play a few scenarios with me. We've played about 7 ASLSK games, and are pretty comfortable with the starter kit rules. I'm learning the ordnance, guns rules from ASLSK#2 now, and having a blast! I'm still hesitant to delve into the ASLRB, but I've definitely built up some confidence now that I'm learning and playing with the starter kit rules.
This is a fantastic game, but I'm always amazed to find other people who have mastered the rulebook. I think part of my problem is that I hate the idea of playing the game "wrong" by neglecting a rule, but I'm starting to accept the fact that rules errors are just part of the game.
Anyway, this forum is clearly a great tool for a newbie like me. Looking forward to feeding my new addiction, and hopefully taking the plunge into ASL in the near future!
-Bryant
alanp
Philosopher of ASL
Welcome, Bryant (and wife!)--
There are often requests for SK opponents in the Opponents Wanted section.
You're right about mistakes being made. The perfect (rules-wise) game of ASL has yet to be played. You will find the quickest way to learn is by playing. Playing against an experienced person is quicker still. When you're ready, find a FtF opponent outside your family and you'll be amazed how quickly 80-90% of the rules sink in and become old friends. Please ask any questions you have in the Rules section--there are no stupid questions.
Have you tried VASL? DL this program and you can watch others play, virtually, and learn more, too. And make friends--that's half the fun of this great game.
There are often requests for SK opponents in the Opponents Wanted section.
You're right about mistakes being made. The perfect (rules-wise) game of ASL has yet to be played. You will find the quickest way to learn is by playing. Playing against an experienced person is quicker still. When you're ready, find a FtF opponent outside your family and you'll be amazed how quickly 80-90% of the rules sink in and become old friends. Please ask any questions you have in the Rules section--there are no stupid questions.
Have you tried VASL? DL this program and you can watch others play, virtually, and learn more, too. And make friends--that's half the fun of this great game.
Welcome B, as a bit of a newbie myself, I would say, find a ftf opponent on these forums. Best way to learn is play. Not sure where in Cali you are, but, there seems to be a fairly large and active community there. Good luck and have fun.
Dan_Ryan
Recruit
Greetings all. New to ASL, old wargaming hand. Two friends had tried talking me into ASL before but I never would do it (not much of a tactical gamer honestly) and then I got the starter kits, pushed them around, and figured this is doable.
So I got in touch with Central Texas ASL; a better group of guys for a newbie would be hard to find as they were all very welcoming and have a good size membership; played a SK2 scenario (Baking Bread) and am now gearing up for the jump into the deep end of the pool.
Trying to get the hang of the layout for these forums as well and now on the lookout for Code of Bushido.
So I got in touch with Central Texas ASL; a better group of guys for a newbie would be hard to find as they were all very welcoming and have a good size membership; played a SK2 scenario (Baking Bread) and am now gearing up for the jump into the deep end of the pool.
Trying to get the hang of the layout for these forums as well and now on the lookout for Code of Bushido.
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Welcome, Dan!
I hope you'll find some of the ressources you need and have fun too around here.
I hope you'll find some of the ressources you need and have fun too around here.
Count_Zero
Senior Member
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I just wanted to introduce myself here, officially. I recently moved to Spokane, WA and hooked up with a local ASL club run by Robert Wolkey. He agreed to help me learn the game after about 2 years of owning the rulebook and BV/Yanks. The wife has been very supportive and tolerant of my new obsession. Bob has been great and patient and I am looking forward to getting to know the community.
Josh Walles
Josh Walles
Chas Argent
Play to the end.
You're a lucky man, Josh - Rob is an excellent player.