VASL

The '70's and '80's saw a huge increase in the number of boardgamers, and thanks to companies like Avalon Hill, wargaming became a mainstream hobby in the US and Europe. Boardgames evolved into ever more complex wargames that dealt with nearly every conflict and war imaginable. From Robert E. Lee's famous offensive at Gettysburg to little-known actions on the Eastern Front in World War II, you could easily find a board-based wargame to cover most any period with a little searching at your local hobby store.

Hailed as one of true breakthroughs in boardgaming, Avalon Hill's Squad Leader system set a new standard when it was originally released for both playability and sheer entertainment value. The system covered much of World War II at the tactical level, and gained an impressive following. But as good as the system was, gamers tend to always want more, and Avalon Hill responded with a series of add-on products for the system. These products added much to the replay value of the original set, but they also added layers of complexity not envisioned at the time the core rules were written. A new system was designed with expandability in mind from the beginning. This system would eventually grow to cover every theater and ever major combatant involved in World War II. Thus Advanced Squad Leader was born. The Advanced Squad Leader system (ASL for short) quickly assimilated many of the original Squad Leader fans, and within a few years managed to become one of the most popular military boardgames of all time.

As the capabilities of computers have grown over the last twenty years, desktop PC's have slowly encroached on the territory once the sole domain of the board wargame. More and more boardgamers have been lured away from tabletop gaming to PC gaming. The reasons for this are many. As boardgames like ASL evolved, so did the level of complexity and the time necessary to learn them. Another issue that boardgamers always have to deal with is finding a suitable opponent. Let's face it, most boardgames really can't have a practical single player mode (although a few have tried). PC wargames fill this void nicely with a variety of different approaches to AI programming that can result in a formidable opponent in many battles. Computers have also taken away much of the number crunching and complex rules memorization and they can simplify many tasks, making gameplay much more enjoyable. Despite the high standards set by games like ASL, interest in boardgames has declined while PC games grow ever more popular.

Because ASL is a boardgame, players have always had to travel to a place where they can play face-to-face. This has led to the creation of many tournaments and annual events around the world where ASL players can meet, while others choose to join a local club and game on the weekends. But for many ASL fans, finding a suitable opponent within a convenient distance can be a huge challenge. Some players live in areas where very few ASL players are available, and arranging a match can be a challenge due to time constraints and the hassle of long distance travel.

Enter VASL. VASL is a computerized interface for playing ASL over the internet. Finally, a computerized version of ASL! Well, not quite. Although VASL is very feature rich, it isn't ASL. VASL isn't a game in and of itself and contains none of the rules from the ASL Rulebook. VASL does not replace the need to own the various game modules, but what it does do is allow you to play against a human opponent using your computer. This has opened up a whole new world of possibilities for ASL fans and is changing the face of the hobby.

VASL is the brainchild of software developer Rodney Kinney. Now before you run out and look for it, you should be aware that you can't get VASL at your local computer shop as the software is only available as a free download from the internet. That's right, you read that correctly: VASL is a free download from the official website.
Installation

VASL has undergone much evolution since its original debut several years ago. With a lot of feedback and support from ASL fans and the online community, Rodney has made vast improvements to the code, layout and overall interface. One of the most obvious changes is the way the software installs. VASL runs on the Java programming language, which means it is cross platform compatible with computers running on both Windows or Mac operating systems. Installation of the software has been mostly automated using the Java Web Start system.

Java is a free download from the Sun Microsystems homepage. Just click on the download button and the system does the rest. Once Java is successfully installed, simply return to the VASL homepage and click on the link to launch the latest version of the VASL engine. Java detects the VASL installation and does the rest for you. The only other thing left to do is to download the map boards and overlays, which are a separate download. You're now ready to play, It's that easy! If you wish, you may also download scenario files for nearly any ASL battle you can think of. These have all the forces and maps you need pre-arranged for you.

Installation of both Java and VASL was very smooth and I encountered no issues at all. The VASL homepage has a complete users guide and installation instructions to help get everything installed and set up properly.
Interface

Once it's installed, using VASL is a snap. Games can be set up in one of two ways. You can either pick from one of the many pre-made scenario set-up templates, which correspond to the printed scenario of the same name, or you can choose to pick your maps and units manually from the available list. Currently, all the maps and units from the official ASL modules are available for use in VASL, and nearly every third party ASL product has been included as well, so it is easily possible to recreate any ASL game using VASL.

The VASL interface is quite intuitive and easy to use, even for first time players. Most commands either have a button at the top of the screen or a menu of some sort to choose from. Unit counters and information markers are easily accessed through a menu interface. Once you find the piece you're looking for you simply drag it onto the screen. It will automatically snap into the appropriate hex, or onto the hex-line itself as desired. Counters can be set up in stacks and there is a convenient little window that pops up to allow you to view the contents of an entire stack when the mouse hovers over it. This is actually a significant improvement over the real thing as you never have to worry about someone bumbing the table and scattering the pieces. Every boardgamer has a horror story about a spilled drink or a clumsy opponent. Some of the big time developers should take note of the way things are implemented in VASL as they might learn a thing or two.

VASL includes a slew of commands to help you manipulate and keep track of counters while they are on-screen. By right clicking on a counter, you can bring up a clickable menu which allows you to flip counters over, mark them as CX, or copy them. There is also a handy command that allows you to mark counters as already moved, which is also a convenient improvement over using real game pieces.

The VASL interface also helps to make some of the more advanced ASL rules a bit easier to implement. One example of this is the way the game implements concealed markers and hidden units. In the real game, players have to use counters with a big "?" on them to denote a concealed unit. It can be troublesome if one of the concealed markers accidentally gets knocked off, thus blowing an ambush. You never have to worry about that in VASL as marking a unit as concealed is as easy as right clicking on it and selecting "concealed." This prohibits an opponent from accidentally examining your concealed units. HIP (hidden units) are equally well done. HIP unit's are marked in a similar fashion to concealed units, however, the game actually makes these invisible to the opponent. Your own HIP units turn semi-transparent for ease of identification. Very cool.
Features & Player Aids

VASL is equipped with a ton of player aids to help make gaming as smooth and as enjoyable as possible. Although VASL does not contain the ASL rules (you will still need to own those to play), it does have many of the more useful charts available. The firepower charts (IFT), ordnance, and offboard artillery information are easily accessible through a simple menu. These can come in handy if you don't have your own charts near at hand or just don't feel like flipping through them.

Rolling the dice is a major part of the ASL experience and there are nearly as many quirks and styles to doing this as there are ASL players. VASL gives the player two choices in order to make this smooth and painless. VASL has a built in system that can roll either a single die or both dice at the same time. The results are displayed on-screen for both players to see. Some players have expressed a degree of concern over just how statistically random the die roll mechanism (simply referred to as the dicebot) really is. Arguments vary, and the issue has been thoroughly debated on numerous ASL support forums. To address this concern, VASL also has access to the WebDice system. This system rolls the dice on a dedicated server, then reports the results back to both players via the VASL interface within a few seconds. Both methods seem to work well.

VASL contains a built-in utility to capture a screenshot. This can be a very useful feature when documenting your battles for AARs or just to help keep track of larger games.

Judging line-of-sight can be a tricky affair within the bounds of the ASL system and is usually done with a piece of string. This would obviously be impractical to do on a computer screen, but VASL does a great job of handling this task too. The system has a built in LOS checker that can be used to drag from one point to another. In some ways, this is superior to doing it manually, although some players may feel a bit nostalgic about doing it the old fashioned way. Nevertheless, it is a very handy feature to have on tap if you need it.

One of the coolest features of VASL is the ability to customize the maps in ways not possible even on the real mapboards themselves. For example, you can choose to turn dirt road to paved and vice-versa, flood streams or make them dry, flatten hills, and change buildings. Numerous overlays can be used to add even further replay value to the existing maps. Weather changes are also possible. In winter scenarios, you can set the map to reflect snowy conditions.

Since VASL is essentially a multiplayer utility, a decent set of communications tools is essential. There are several ways within the system to do this. When logged in to the VASL server, players can post messages on a very basic message system for other players to see. This can be handy when you need to make an announcement of some type. During actual gameplay, players communicate with each other via a chat-like interface at the top of the screen. You can post messages this way just like an instant messenger system. The game also displays messages for both players on this screen as well as messages from the server. There are options within the VASL preferences which allow players to change the color and font settings as they desire.

Although VASL is capable of connecting two computers directly (with one PC acting as a host), it is more common for players to play live via the VASL server. This is run as a free service to players. Connecting to the VASL server is as easy as a single click of the mouse and requires no additional software or complicated set up. You simply type in a screen name of your choice and click the connect button. That's all there is to it. You will then be greeted with a screen showing all the other players which are logged on and playing at the moment. This is similar to a chat room in many respects. Here you can carry on discussions or find an opponent if you don't already have one. Once you're ready, you can create a private room for your own game and your opponent can join you. If your game is a team affair, that's no problem as multiple people can join in a single game. This is a particularly useful feature as it allows new ASL players to log in and observe ongoing games being run by more experienced players. This can even be used to set up scheduled events where skilled players host games to demonstrate complicated rules or tactics.

One of VASL's most powerful features is its ability to save a game like any PC-based wargame. This feature more than any other is changing the face of ASL gaming. Using this method, players are able to play ASL as a PBEM (play by e-mail) game. While the ASL rules weren't really written with PBEM in mind, gamers have adapted to the opportunities VASL offers and a thriving PBEM ASL community has sprung up. Players that might never have been tempted to try ASL, or had given up because of the difficulty in finding a nearby opponent, are now being attracted to the system in significant numbers. VASL is a perfect example of how computers and the internet are combining to offer wargamers more choices than ever before.
Even More Wargaming Goodness

So you're a boardgamer, but you're not an ASL player. Well, you're not out of the picture just yet. Rodney Kinney has also developed a system known as VASSAL. VASSAL is closely related to VASL as they share much of the same code. In fact, VASL itself is a "module" that runs on the VASSAL system. Wargamers have developed modules very similar to VASL for other boardgames and many of them are quite good. There are currently complete modules for Squad Leader, Lock 'n Load, Panzer Leader/Panzerblitz, Third Reich, Great Campaigns of the American Civil War and many more. More modules are under development and new ones are being added to the growing list all the time.

The VASSAL engine is built with expandability and customization in mind. VASSAL, like VASL, is also a free download and is supported by the online community. With that in mind, gamers have the ability to create their own wargame modules from scratch. The VASSAL community is quite active and whole new wargames are possible for a motivated author. There are several forums and support groups online to assist players in creating their own custom graphics, customizing the various game features, and enhancing existing modules. One such group is the VASL Map Cabal, which does custom art and mapboards for the VASL module.

If you're a boardgamer, chances are your wargame has already been converted for use with VASSAL. If not, all the tools are available online for you to do it yourself.

All isn't perfect in the world of VASL/VASSAL. The system has had a lengthy development period and it wasn't always as feature rich and stable as it is now. On rare occasions the server can go down for brief periods, and this can be inconvenient. Players do, however, have the option to connect directly to each other and avoid this problem. The LOS checker, while useful, isn't available in all maps. On very large maps, such as the ASL campaign games or historical modules, the LOS feature is not available. VASL can also be a bit of a memory hog when using larger maps, but I had no problem with it whatsoever on my machine.