So what's the best game of ASL you played in 2018 (and why) ? And what's the best new scenario you played in 2018 ?

Jacometti

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Time for reflections at the end of the year......

First question is for the gaming experience....so that may a scenario you had played before or an average scenario that turned epic due to your opponent's sense of humour, excellent play or dumb mistakes.....with dice playing their devious part as always.

The second is purely on a scenario you had not played before.....can be same as first one of course.

I will put my own answers later, will need to think about it for a bit.
 

Doug Kirk

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I only played 24 scenarios this year, well below my average; still had a few memorable games. Probably my best effort was against Rich Spilky in the Chicago tourney. We played ITR14 Between Rockets and a Hard Place. I surprised Rich with a bid for Russian, while he bid German and he was visibly perplexed why I had not as well. I set up strong in the Russian right side factory with the ART piece, HMG, and both tanks. The left factory was only held by a token force who quickly fell back. The rockets kept the Germans from shifting forces across the middle of the board to threaten the right side once the left factory was cleared. I held on in the right factory for a solid win. Rich is a good player and is always well prepared. I was quite happy to have a set up and plan and be able to execute it.

As for best scenario, not sure I could pick just one, since a couple of the candidates I have only played once and in a couple of those games the outcome was not in doubt for one reason or another. But here are the ones I liked (with many FrF and DtF scenarios still to be played yet in 2019).

FrF100 Deutsch Lesson against Randy Shurtz. Good tight game with me attacking at the Brits. I thought Randy had me stuffed, but on the last turn all the dice went my way and none went in favor of the Germans so I got enough VPs across the line. This one should always play pretty tight I think.

DtF4 Death to Fascism vs Wes Vaughn. I gacked this one on the set up. I was just a bit too far forward, I thought I could recover, but it was not to be. Nonetheless, it started well for me. Wes set as the Russian planning for the turn 1 human wave. His first shot of the game from the mortar set off my sniper who promptly killed the Russian leader assigned to human wave duty. After that nothing went my way. Wes drove a tank right into my ART piece hex. I missed the shots with gun, missed PFs, then missed the CC. I killed nothing with the ART piece. That coupled with my poor set up sealed my fate as I had too many tanks in my backfield too soon. I need to give this one another try.

Same for FrF98 Amerikanskaya Suka, need to give it another shot. I had the Russians against Paul Works. Paul’s German set up was a little too spread out. I quickly took the forward stone building on board 71 while keeping a small reserve in the back building. Paul counterattacked on board 71 towards the building I just took and he didn’t try to threaten the 71Y7 building in the Russian backfield. I was able to hold on to my early gains for the win. Lots of options in this scenario, lots of replayability. I would like to give it a try as the German.

Love to hear some of the Albany crowd chime in here on what scenarios they liked best from the most recent tourney.
 
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Aaron Cleavin

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Really hard questions

I played probably about 150 Scenarios this year (21 ASLOK, 3 JunoBear, 5 CanCon, 5 VASL Top League, 8 Deathwish APAC League, 7 Bearz (Monthly meetings), 6 Jackson Keddell, 2 Peter Palmer, 3 John Knowles, 9 Magnus, 1 Scott Holst, 4 Will Fleming, 70 Chad Cummins (Ongoing Series stretching to about 500 games now over 10 years), others I forget 4-5 games)

The best gaming experience is really hard to pick out of 150 or so games, but I have found a winner RPT141 Volunteers Became Scarce a wildly fun Scenario, but even better was the privilege of playing Al Kirkpatrick, I was in hysterics the whole game, Al was just so much fun to play. I did win but Al had a 57L ATG straight from the jaws of heck, killed 2-3 tanks and about 3 squads (One in CC).

The Best Scenario: Collectively to DTF and Hatten, if I had to pick one from each, DTF4 Death to Facism, and HT4 Lehr Launches first might stand out (Won DTF4 twice and lost HT4 Twice)
 

asloser

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For me it is hard to pick as well...after a slow 7-8 years I was again playing at a regular pace in 2018 and started also looking at the design part of the hobby again. On top of that I finally made it to ASLOK, and the whole experience was one great thing.

Probably the best experience was the game of DTF-4 against Nadir Elfarra, great guy I had known online for years, and finally being able to play with him resulting a great super fun playing of an awesome design.

But as total, 2018 was an ASL resurrection for me andI enjoyed every second of it.
 

Khill

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I would have to first say I have been blessed to play about forty FtF ASL scenarios this year vs close to 20 different opponents and although I am hard pressed to recall each individual game they have all been enjoyable. Lots of Great ASL and lots of Great opponents

scenarios that I have played over and over was J141 Riding With the King because I have played it three time and won each playing. I played it twice this year as both sides and won vs same opponent so that one stands out in my mind

scenario not played before that was super fun and memorable for me has to be YASL10 Dropping Topside vs Dean Deller at Tussle in the Tundra (Manchester, NH) this summer. That is one Crazy A$$ scenario representing the desperate struggle for Corregidor. My IJA lost but it is a fun, intense scenario vs a great opponent
 

Jacometti

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I think my most memorable game of the year was DTF-2 Blitzkrieg! against my worthy and expressive friend and opponent Sean Deller, at Albany. Sean was brave enough to take me on in a scenario Chris and I designed and made the game a nailbiter.....the fact I lost in the final CCPh after a full day of wild ASL says it all. Just a complete joy ride.

The best new scenario I played in 2018 was FrF 98 Amerikanskaya Suka, which I thoroughly enjoyed playing against Vic Rosso at Albany. Well done Mattias, a real brain exploder.
 
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I have played 31 games this year (my first year in ASL) and every game has been great fun. If I have to choose one, I really enjoyed ITR 9 Asia’s Stalingrad. I lost playing the Japanese, but it was a really tense scenario to the end.
 

bprobst

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I completed 25 scenarios this year (plus another couple still in progress). I didn't rate any of them as "Must Play" on ROAR but three were "Highly Recommended" -- ESG119 "Mac Wants the Flamethrower", 159 "White Tigers" and CH6 "Armored Probe". I had played "White Tigers" before, in its original Annual incarnation. Although I have come to the conclusion that it's still sadly very pro-Gurkha (the only reason I didn't rate it as "Must Play") it is still just such a ball of PTO fun that it can't be passed up. "Mac" is an extremely interesting situation -- an initially strong encircled US force, lots more Americans coming in as reinforcements, and a good sized German force that must set up dispersed so that it can threaten the Americans at every point but not overwhelm them at any point. As an ESG scenario it probably doesn't have as much exposure as it deserves. "Armored Probe" is a classic that many will be familiar with, from the very first issue of Critical Hit (before we knew better and Tapio seemed genuinely interested in providing ASL goodness). Historically a bit questionable (the Americans are Elite only because the scenario would be an utter failure if they were the 1st or even 2nd-line troops that they should be) but an excellent demonstration of both the strengths and weaknesses of each side in a Dense Jungle environment.

In terms of "gaming experience" perhaps the most "typical ASL goofiness" came from my game of J193 "Raff's Rules" which featured the interesting combined spectacle of Americans shrugging off multiple critical hits from an 88 and yet getting their attack torn to pieces by the German sniper. It wasn't pretty but boy were we laughing a lot.

Not quite so funny was my game of SP97 "Twilight of the Reich" at Cancon in January which featured perhaps the most spectacular series of terrible DR in my ASL career occurring simultaneously with an equal-but-opposite series of great DR from my opponent. My poor Russians were reduced to nothing but burning wrecks and shreds of (cardboard) human tissue in only three turns. Brr.
 

Gunner Scott

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Well, the scenario I had alot of fun playing and was new to me is LC's Able Forward. A mid size scenario around 10 turns long with bothsides having a ton of toys to play with. Cant beat a good ss vs Brit scenario that is for sure. Honorable mentions too ELC 1 You say Potato, I say Putot-en-bessin another very fun and excellent scenario with the ss vs brits and lastly DftB Deep Strike, an oldie but new to me since I never played it. Italians and Germans vs a French pursuit in Tunesia.

Scott
 

Aaron Cleavin

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If you crack addicts were encouraging your dealers to prepare another round of DTF scenarios, congrats! You've encouraged us.

Still hope to hear from many more players....
DC's though are probably in some cases too cheap (IMO).
 

esprcorn

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Well, the scenario I had alot of fun playing and was new to me is LC's Able Forward. A mid size scenario around 10 turns long with bothsides having a ton of toys to play with. Cant beat a good ss vs Brit scenario that is for sure. Honorable mentions too ELC 1 You say Potato, I say Putot-en-bessin another very fun and excellent scenario with the ss vs brits and lastly DftB Deep Strike, an oldie but new to me since I never played it. Italians and Germans vs a French pursuit in Tunesia.

Scott
Can you elaborate on ELC1? I'm struggling to find this in the Scenario Archive.
 

buser333

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I can second that ELC1 was a lot of fun, though a bit challenging for the Germans. The second and third scenarios in the pack are rather dicey due to their heavy reliance on OBA. The fourth (and last) scenario is a somewhat unique scenario with a pseudo-paradrop and I would say was fun to play as well.
 

Binchois

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Hard to say exactly. I played a couple dozen this year - more solo than not - and usually have fun with even a lopsided dog. Probably the "worst" (but still pretty darn enjoyable) was AP61 "Desobry Defiant." The scenario itself seems excellent - a Gary Fortenberry slosh through the mud and mist. But I played the attacking German and was, in this action, utterly hapless versus an always-smart (and always fun) opponent. Truth is, I never could figure out a sensible approach to his defense, bowing out just after the midway point. I doubt I conceivably could have exited the required VC, let alone kept the village clear of Americans.

On the other hand, I very much enjoyed a run through of ASL 96, "Crux of Calais" (followed by a viewing of the movie Dunkirk), as well as BFP-121, "Old Friends," and HG-11, "Skill in Khilki" (two playings). But possibly my favorite this year was the one most recently played: "Checking Out" from the Winter Offensive pack #9. This was my first ever DASL scenario and - damn! - that was good fun! This one's about as basic as it gets. Only one AFV with lots of infantry manning MGs and just simple SSR. But it's a crash course in DASL Wall Advantage rules and tactics, particularly as they apply around and about paved roads and stone buildings.

The scenario depicts 1944 action within Aachen, the first German city to surrender to the Allies. The SS begin the game amassed entirely within a fortified hotel in the SE corner of the map. To win, they must secure 6 of the 11 multi-hex buildings possessed by the U.S. at start.

Dawn LV is in effect, meaning that all shots are taken with a +1. Considering the board is almost entirely stone, "good" shots were those merely up 2. Smoke and Dash played a big part (for both sides eventually), and my Germans made a strong push north, quickly trapping a U.S. MMG-er on the second level of iM2 for the game's first big accomplishment.

A complimentary slide towards the center went slower, but one lucky squad (high morale was a big advantage) did manage to catch the Sherman, scoring an ATMM kill with the Street Fighting ambush to boot. Americans in the iK2 rowhouse, however, would make it hard to take Victory Building #2.

In the South, the game saw a considerable back-and-forth within and around building jH2. Both armies entered from opposite sides, and both would need to counterattack after reciprocally devastating CC Phases. Over four turns, the building saw the bloodiest fighting of the game, despite not even being a Victory location. Befitting its strategic value, at least five squads were killed inside, two-and-a-half lost by the Germans who ultimately ended up in control - gaining a promoted 8-0 leader and two heroes along the way!

A third German hero appeared en route to iI4, and the game seemed in hand once the iK2 rowhouse finally fell. But throughout the battle, the U.S. had maintained two squads with an MMG in building jK4. And along with his 9-2, these seriously hampered the German's last-turn push for buildings #5 and #6. By turn's end, the SS had barely managed their #6, having to advance a lone squad out of iE2 (still held by a wounded U.S. leader on 1st Level) to claim iD2 instead. Meanwhile, the U.S. MMG-er had been broken and together with the 9-2, they fled into building E5 (joining another broken squad with their trusty Bazooka) - a strategic rout if ever there was one! These men were America's final hope...

The final U.S. turn opened as required, with the 9-2 rallying both his DMed HS and the Bazooka boys. Their chosen path to victory? Taking iD2 back in CC. Orchards and the Dawn LV made the charge surprisingly easy. But the game was sealed when some skilled German marksmen managed a PTC from iG3: 6FP +4. Unbelievably this pinned the entire group in C3 (their feet literally just inside the door!) on the opposite side of a rowhouse wall from the enemy SS. There could not - would not - be a final advance. We would never get to make those tight-knuckled, all-or-nothing Hand-to-hand CC dice rolls. :( Germans win. :p

The moral of the story? Get yourself on to the MMP website and preorder those "new" DASL Redux packs, damn it!! :mad:


Checking Out.jpg

Happy New Year Everyone!!!
 
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waltermcwilliam

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Tom Kearney and I have been working our way through the Poland In Flames scenarios this year and they have been a blast and most all of them have come down to the next to the last or last turn so they've been competitive and seem well balanced. I would say the best of the bunch was BFP 122 At Sword Point. Came down to a 1 point victory for Tom but it was a nail-biter from the beginning. Tom brought his engineer reinforcements on in an effort to flank my position, which I had anticipated and my poles actually stood the test and gave better than what they got. I jumped in a swooped up a bunch of prisoners. Because I was on the edge of FLR I decided to eliminate them. They would have counted double and I would have won.

Craziest BFP117 Silent Bayonets, I had this scenario well in hand until just after the midway point when a big sniper took out a leader, and I boxcared the LLMC, then failed three NMC all on the same flank. Which Tom then rolled up for the win a turn or so later.
 
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