Russian Austin-Putilkov halftrack captured by the Poles - 1920
Scaling the seawall at Inchon
Whenever I start playing with a new system, I start to wonder about where the system's limits are. Sometimes, with Panzer Leader, for example, I didn't have to look very far. Arab-Israeli Wars was just coming out when I bought my copy of Panzer Leader. ASL is a system that has never really explored its limits. Sure, there has been some playing in the margins with Critical Hit releasing modules for the Spanish Civil War and the first Arab-Israeli war, but nothing that really tests how far the system can go. So, what are the limits? Here are my thoughts. Going back in time, the main limit appears to be doctrinal. In World War I and before, most nations' doctrine was based on mass and formations, as opposed to small unit maneuver. To use an obvious example, Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg was lines of infantry who marched in lockstep towards the enemy and charged when they were close enough. Later in the century, warfare among the industrialized nations focused on massed fire from trenches and other prepared positions which led to the trenchlines of World War I. Neither of these models lends itself to good ASL scenarios.
After World War I, however, things change. As tactics change from prepared positions to maneuver, opportunities open up for good ASL scenarios. The radical changes to European boundaries after the war, and the resulting border skirmishes, lead to a variety of different scenario opportunities. In particular, the Russian Civil War, the Polish-Soviet War of 1919-1921, the Soviet-Japanese border wars, and the Spanish Civil War are worth looking into. [Now I want to do a scenario pack based on Pancho Villa. . . . ]
Going into the future, doctrine remains relatively constant, but technology becomes the limiting factor. With the rise of rocket propelled munitions, ranges extend far beyond the one or two ASL boards most scenarios use - even for many infantry carried munitions. Helicopters also muddy the waters, as they provide machine guns and small calibre artillery that can essentially teleport around the battlefield. That still gives some 20 years with plenty of conflicts to explore; the collapse of the British and French colonial empires, Korea and the Chinese Civil War probably being the largest areas of interest.
There are certainly some battles outside these time limits that would make good scenarios. In particular, some modern day insurgent battles would probably fit the system quite well. To use a modern example, an "Iraq Pack" featuring scenarios between the Iraqi Army, ISIS and the Kurds would probably have plenty of material. In fact, insurgent actions in general might still work in the ASL system, as the insurgents generally don't have larger ordinance and airpower, and they generally don't engage government forces that have that kind of support available.
Even with these limits, there is about thirty solid years of military history to explore with conflicts all over the globe. It's a testament to the robustness of the ASL system that it can handle conflicts ranging from Poland in 1919 to Inchon in 1950. that's enough scenarios [and counters] to last several lifetimes.
[Photo credits: (1) Public domain (2)Naval Historical Center via Wikipedia
When people were working on a "Modern ASL", I often commented that concentrating on developed-country militiaries was a mistake - too many new rules. African wars of the late 20th-early 21st would be fine in ASL. Rwandan Patriotic Front troops fight their way into Kigali, hoping to rescue Tutsi civilians from the cathedral before the Interahamwe death squads can do their work. The Sierra Leone Revolutionary United Front makes its big push into Freetown behind a barrage of RPGs used as indirect-fire rocket artillery. Hissene Habre's "technicals" - Toyota pickups with120L RCL MAs - shoot up Muhammar Quadaffi's T60s in the northern Chad desert. Cubans and South Africans test who is the cream of the Cold War auxiliaries in Angola. Plenty of material for some fine scenarios.
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Ken Katz
7/20/2014 02:42:31 pm
Three requirements for the ASL system to be applicable:
1. The squad is the basic element of fire and maneuver.
2. The types of weapons are broadly comparable to World War II weapons in general characteristics and operation (i. e. rifles, machine guns, artillery, tanks).
3. The opposing sides openly bear arms (i. e. this excludes many insurgencies, covert actions, etc.).
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Steve Nicewarner has been a wargamer for over 35 years starting with the original Starship Troopers. Over the years, he has played just about everything from Star Fleet Battles to World in Flames to his current love, Advanced Squad Leader.