MMP and 25+ years of stewardship of ASL

[BattleSchool]

I recently played on board 90 for the first time. I was surprised to see no buildings. First time, other than desert, that I remember seeing a map without any buildings.

Boards 73-75 have no buildings. I think we could use a few more, especially of the "fat" board variety.

 

[footsteps]

Boards 73-75 have no buildings. I think we could use a few more, especially of the "fat" board variety.

36, 37, 52, 58, 61, 78, 80-83, 88. I never thought to check for building-less boards before. A fascinating search.

 

[von Marwitz]

36, 37, 52, 58, 61, 78, 80-83, 88. I never thought to check for building-less boards before. A fascinating search.

Remarkably less than 10% of the existing boards. And all but two "post 50".

Apparently, the "need" for boards without buildings has been realized very late.

von Marwitz

 

[Robin Reeve]

Apparently, the "need" for boards without buildings has been realized very late.

I remember having pleaded for "wilderness" boards about twenty years ago – Mark Pitcavage also expressed that we needed such boards.
Note that 36 and 37 coincide with Code of Bushido: PTO saw a lot of action in non built areas (and the 26+ DTO boards go without saying that they are also uninhabited places). That was in 1992, so quite early in the history of ASL.
However, in Europe, when you stroll out of urban environments, you can easily find areas with no buildings (a board is about 400x1400 meters).
Sometimes, the urge to still put a building on a board can be silly: one of the most idiotic decision was to place a large stone building on the top of board 9 hill. I would guess that the designer had James Bond or other "When Eagles Dare" movies in mind...
So board 9 is mostly useless without some terrain modifications.

 

[dlazov]

But alas with VASL we can make any configuration of wilderness boards we like.

 

[von Marwitz]

But alas with VASL we can make any configuration of wilderness boards we like.

Maybe so.

But scenarios are not primarily designed aimed at VASL.

So that possibility has no practical consequence.

von Marwitz

 

[GeorgeBates]

But scenarios are not primarily designed aimed at VASL.

So that possibility has no practical consequence.

Cue VASL-based scenario designers in 3-2-1...

 

[von Marwitz]

Cue VASL-based scenario designers in 3-2-1...

... 45 minutes - 46 minutes - 47 minutes - 48 minutes...


Please read carefully:

Not VASL-based scenario designers.

But scenario designs primarily aimed at VASL.

Meaning using terrain which is not reflected by cardboard boards and overlays, i.e. eliminating all buildings from a given board, eliminating a certain level of hills, turning rivers into valleys. In other words, things that are very rarley SSR'ed for cardboard geo-boards because it simply sucks having to imagine a landscape which widely differs from the playing area which you see printed before you. Which is why they are highly unpopular and rare. And I am not talking about EC are Ground Snow and such things.

If there are scenario designs out there of this type, which are not published somewhere for use with cardboard components but directly designed for VASL use, in which "optics problems" can be circumvented, I am not aware of them. And should there be any, then their number and impact appears neglible to me.

von Marwitz

 

[GeorgeBates]

... 45 minutes - 46 minutes - 47 minutes - 48 minutes...


Please read carefully:

Not VASL-based scenario designers.

But scenario designs primarily aimed at VASL.

Meaning using terrain which is not reflected by cardboard boards and overlays, i.e. eliminating all buildings from a given board, eliminating a certain level of hills, turning rivers into valleys. In other words, things that are very rarley SSR'ed for cardboard geo-boards because it simply sucks having to imagine a landscape which widely differs from the playing area which you see printed before you. Which is why they are highly unpopular and rare. And I am not talking about EC are Ground Snow and such things.

If there are scenario designs out there of this type, which are not published somewhere for use with cardboard components but directly designed for VASL use, in which "optics problems" can be circumvented, I am not aware of them. And should there be any, then their number and impact appears neglible to me.

von Marwitz

Perhaps not, "designed for VASL," but rather, "designs more easily played on VASL than on cardboard."

 

[Mehl]

If only there was something that could be laid over those pesky buildings...

 

[Old Noob]

Like a bomb carpet?

 

[Paul John]

Perhaps not, "designed for VASL," but rather, "designs more easily played on VASL than on cardboard."

Like TotR?

 

[DonWPetros]

I recently played on board 90 for the first time. I was surprised to see no buildings. First time, other than desert, that I remember seeing a map without any buildings.

Board 90 was designed without buildings intentionally and to give designers more East Front looking options. It's a 'lead up' board - not an 'object board' of which we have way too many already.

To that end, I've prepared a number of other open boards, especially for East Front designs - and hope to see them published.
Also prepared several overlays to go with these open boards (and other boards too), designed to drop in large grainfields, balkas, orchards, etc. to give designers lots of new options.

 

[CameramanDavid]

I have a 75 inch - thanks for the idea. Oh my.

If you have an internet enabled TV, all you need is a laptop (I use Windows, so it's "Windows-K") to share from the
laptop to the TV... (don't know how Mac does it...)

 

[Blaze]

Maybe so.

But scenarios are not primarily designed aimed at VASL.

So that possibility has no practical consequence.

von Marwitz

Every once in a while, you get a scenario with many map changing SSRs. Those seemed more frequent in the early days of ASL. "Say this Scenario looks cool man" Then you look at the SSR's and its ... *#%@!$@&#

All buildings are woods, all level 1 woods are marsh, all woods > level 1 are level 1 woods, all orchards are huts, all roads are gullies, all gullies are paved roads all walls are bocage, and all hedges are walls.

 

[von Marwitz]

Every once in a while, you get a scenario with many map changing SSRs. Those seemed more frequent in the early days of ASL. "Say this Scenario looks cool man" Then you look at the SSR's and its ... *#%@!$@&#

All buildings are woods, all level 1 woods are marsh, all woods > level 1 are level 1 woods, all orchards are huts, all roads are gullies, all gullies are paved roads all walls are bocage, and all hedges are walls.

Indeed. This is where VASL excels.

But exactly because of that "*#%@!$@&#", these never proliferated beyond "once in a while".

And I forsee that this will not change in the future. Even if pure scenarios packs (i.e. the "cheapest" and likely "most value" products from the perspective of the customer) are published, they are a "labor of love" with regard to monetary return for time invested. You may get maybe around 2 to 3 USD per scenario of a pack for printed matter before deducting the cost.

The questions now are:

How much would the customers be willing to pay for purely "electronic" products?

And how large (or rather small) is the customer base willing to pay for purely electronic products that focus on the possibilities of VASL but are rather "*#%@!$@&#" to play without?

The answer to the first question is, that - as of yet - most ASLers still prefer printed matter.

The answer the the second question is, that the customer base using VASL is a faction of the total customer base, and the those after "gimme 10 overlays & let level 2 hills be grain"-scenarios, in which VASL excels, are a faction of the faction.

von Marwitz

 

[kdalton]

Hi, folks. I've posted a new essay to the Desperation Morale blog at https://www.desperationmorale.com/2024/10/12/mmp-and-the-stewardship-of-asl-a-25-year-perspective/. It examines the past 25 years (and change) of MMP's stewardship of ASL, detailing some of its history and evaluating that stewardship. Some here might be interested in reading it. If you do read it, please be sure to leave a comment below the essay to give your opinions (on MMP's stewardship, on my description or conclusions, or anything else).

Also Mark, thanks for the great article. Very well-written and balanced.

 

[iseca]

Great article. One of these days we'll have 24"x32" (or some such) tablet screens to lay on a table and bring whatever board image(s) we want to play on.

 

[von Marwitz]

Great article. One of these days we'll have 24"x32" (or some such) tablet screens to lay on a table and bring whatever board image(s) we want to play on.

I believe that some few have already put this very idea into realization.

von Marwitz

 

[pensatl1962]

Great article. One of these days we'll have 24"x32" (or some such) tablet screens to lay on a table and bring whatever board image(s) we want to play on.

Luddite version: