Well I've been thinking about this for a while. I've decided to blog my experiences learning and playing AH/MMP's Advanced Squad Leader both as a record and as a tool for others who are in the same boat.
Here are some guidelines I'm setting for myself:
1. I must blog every scenario I play (starting now!). That means at bare minimum a mention in the blog and a general idea of what happened and what the results were. Best case scenario? A full turn-by-turn AAR with nice photos and/or VASL map pics. I'll probably end up in the middle though -- but that's ok.
2. I will take my time and assume that my audience is similar to me in that I want to learn this amazingly complex and intricate system while having fun and constantly improving. I'll try not to lose the perspective of the new ASL player. Fun uber alles.
3. I will scour the Internet and share resources I find that help newbies to the world of ASL. That includes website URLs with discussion of their relevance to the ASL newbie, product commentaries from a newb's perspective, and anything else I feel will be of benefit.
4. Some posts may focus on nothing but rules and discussions of them. Some posts may be about scenarios. Some posts may be about wargaming in general. Some posts may be about my related interests in other gaming domains like consoles and PC gaming. But in every post I must write about ASL in some way, shape or form.
5. I will not go on extended time offs while I'm learning this game! Nobody wants to find and read a great blog and watch its slow descent into mediocrity and eventual sad demise. That being said, as in #4 above, no posts that say nothing about ASL, i.e. like non-sequitor rants about foot powder.
6. I want to expand the hobby and be a good ambassador for ASL. That means getting out there and playing ASL face to face (f2f) and on VASL rather than soloing everything. My initial assessment of the game system makes me want to evangelize its merits! This blog must be part of that.
7. I will leverage the amazing power of the Internet. I will link like crazy. I will use pictures and words. We are all very visual learners. And it's a hell of a lot more entertaining.
8. If anyone ever reads this thing and comments or emails -- I will acknowledge them! See #7. The Internet is interactive! I want to help others learn this crazy thing called Advanced Squad Leader.
9. Humour never killed anyone. I'd like to think I'm a funny guy in real life and I hope that shows in this blog. ASL can be serious but mostly ASL is fun. If you can't laugh at yourself picture a bunch of grown men pushing cardboard chits around and chucking dice into "towers". That's YOU!
10. I will add to this silly ten point mission statement and evolve and change and grow and learn and have fun.
That's it for the first post of Triple Point Blank Fire. Hope it works out!
7 comments:
Good luck on your blog. I have tried to do the same (http://countzeroscorner.blogspot.com) and it's been an interesting experience. Hopefully we'll see a lot of good contributions from you in the ASL community. I look forward with anticipation. New players are what make this game great.
Good luck on your journey. ASL is daunting but definitely worth the effort. When I was first starting all those years ago I found it a good practice not to try to learn all the little tactical rules, but to have a general idea that a certain rule existed, so that I could dig it out in what seemed an appropriate situation. For example, when starting, you really don't need to know how to dash, do bypass movement, or lay firelanes ... but it is a good idea to have those concepts in the back of your mind, so you can look them up when a situation arises in the game when you feel such a tactic might prove useful.
Josh,
I've been perusing the stuff out there on the Internet and came across your blog. The blog definitely played a part in getting me to get off my butt and do something similar!
Goldenboat,
Hehe, thanks for the advice. I've actually decided to enjoy the journey and not blast away to get to the "destination" -- if there even were such a thing...
I'm starting slow with the ASLSKs (I have all three) and working through the scenarios and savouring them before moving to the next. One benefit of this is letting my collecting and purchasing of full ASL stuff catch-up!
The Starter Kits really are a quality way to learn the system. If I'd had them twenty years ago I might never have stopped playing them. My VERY FIRST ASL game was a scenario of Fighting Retreat from BV where a unit went berserk and charged into close combat with an enemy trapped in a burning building -- oy, that was a lot of special cases to swallow when you're just trying to figure out how to move and shoot. But it was worth every minute.
goldenboat: "I found it a good practice not to try to learn all the little tactical rules, but to have a general idea that a certain rule existed, so that I could dig it out in what seemed an appropriate situation. For example, when starting, you really don't need to know how to dash, do bypass movement, or lay firelanes ... but it is a good idea to have those concepts in the back of your mind, so you can look them up when a situation arises in the game when you feel such a tactic might prove useful."
...And that is really what seperates the good players from the bad in this game. While it takes time, learning what you CAN do in the game is relatively easy. Learning WHEN you should do something, is MUCH more difficult.
I hear losing is a great way to learn too! =)
Thanks for your comments guys!
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