ASL Training Sessions - Future Plans

by Russ Gifford

What's Next

ASL 101: My plans right now call for:

The ASL 201 series is likely a long time coming -though I MIGHT try to sneak session ? into the series as soon as I finish Series 101 above, since almost EVERY letter asks about it. 

Second AFV disc

*     means 'in production now or soon (one week to two months).
**   means the next step in the project (one month to six months, and
*** means when pigs fly someday, up to or over a year from now.

Beyond these items:

There is a part of me that wants to make this more helpful: Go back and increase the interactivity of the quizzes, giving you buttons to click, etc. I know this will make the training a better LEARNING experience.

I likely won't do this unless MMP wanted to contract with me to make these a really quality training program. (I might eventually do it on one session, to prove I KNOW what a good training session is, but beyond that, it would only distract me from getting newer items out.)

I also want to go back over all these, and break each session into sub sessions with buttons by each of the 'What we are learning today' items on the third page Goals menu, to let people jump ahead to specifically what they want to learn about. The AFV one is an example - jump to the Crew Survival part, or to the Demo Charge Placement. I think all that would be worth doing - once I have this second piece done. Then place an overall index on page three of the disc.    

That I might do, and then the resulting  'final disc' has the initial menu and the sub menu, and you have a series of interactive examples for the major sub-systems of the basic game.

I want to have a resource for new gamers. It is about learning the game, and I think I am better served letting the old sessions stand as they are until I get these newer pieces done.

Points about Tactics:

I'd LIKE to do what I did in my first ASL training efforts, shot on video tape back in 1992? After I did all the sub sessions, I did a half turn replay of "Guards Counterattack" just to see all the pieces in play and in use.

Of course, the problem is, that half turn took almost two hours of video.

But this would show the tactical USE of the items I've been showing you separately in these trainings.

Again, it goes back to my teaching methods: These pieces are NOT showing tactics!

I can't - each one would be hours by themselves! I do wacky things in these to push the learning. The Fire Lanes modules really show you how NOT to try to cross the street!

Which brings us to the point about rules and tactics, and why I am not eager to do lots of tank stuff.

Remember, I play Advanced SQUAD Leader. I am NOT a master tanker. So don't expect much from me on playing tanks well. I can explain the rules, but tactically, I am not great at using tanks in tank battles. Why? Because I want to play Squad games, not Tank games.

Truth is, as the 'grizzled old veteran' I quoted in one of my ASL articles in The General years ago stated, "You add one Tank to the scenario and the whole focus of the scenario changes. It become about that tank."

I agree - you cannot let that tank have its way, or you will lose that scenario. (Fourth round loss in Chicago tourney, G6, when the TD moved WAY out of town away from squads and proceeded to fire at my 9-2/HMG/Crew until he rubbled the building with a critical hit. I played it out, but you could read the big red letters flashing over the board: Game over!)

My point is, the tactical efforts become avoiding the tank, or killing the tank.  I am ok with that - it is still about the squads, and we learn tanks in the streets are not a good idea!

And if you have two or more tanks, not so much fun for the squads. They become the hunted, not the hunters. And two or three on each side?  Then it becomes Advanced Panzer Leader, where the troops really are secondary to the scenario. And no where is this more accurate than the desert games. Troops are only there to man the AT Guns, and to scatter when the tanks get too close.

That said, ASL in the desert or in the steppes with three of the more open countryside boards, shows that the Advanced Squad Leader easily transforms into one of the best TANK games ever made.  'Advanced Panzer Leader' if you will.

Except that isn't the game I want to play. Just me, I know.

My point is, as I don't play those types of battles much, I can show you the rules, and suggest some tactics, but you, not I will develop the game winning tactics of the tank battle - and developing the Tank Overrun rules into a bite-sized session bores me.

Here - I'll share a basic 'Russ Rule' for infantry facing tanks: stay out of the open ground!!!

Or in the immortal words of Monty Python - "Run Away! Run Away FASTER!!!"

     ---Russ
 

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