Just checking out my fave ASL podcast and lo and behold, the latest episode features SuperChas, the head honcho of ASL at MMP. Here's their new URL if you've been out of the loop:Well it looks like the fellows from 2HS have moved their site and contents from podbean. The new updated URL is:New episode posted last night. (And if you missed it, the LIVE episode from a week ago!)
Just saw this on the 2HS site. For episode 23 they are planning a live show with call-ins!Just checking out everyone's favourite ASL podcast. The boys have two new episodes since I was last there:I've finally gotten the podcasts downloaded and listened to up to episode 18 (playing now on my media player on my PC but more usually enjoyed on the way to work). I've got my wife's iPod/iTunes checking the 2 Half-Squads podcast but for some reason it didn't alert me 'til today. Anyways, the boys have put together an episode (just in time for the Memorial Day weekend for our American cousins) here:Just checking up on my favourite ASL Podcast by the 2 Half-Squads and they've been mighty busy.
Jeez, you don't make a post in a week and even the Prawn jumps on you. Besides whipping him in Twilight Struggle (again) I've been dabbling in other wargames this past week.The boys have put up Episode 13!
I'm currently listening to this episode while I type up some of my new eASLSK3... Gentlemen, I love the recurring ASL box joke. The intro is a hoot.
And oh yeah, finished up a game of S2 today with the Prawn -- get ready for more crazy action soon!
Rant Mode:
I've been brewing up a good rant in my head recently over the difficulty in getting the basic stuff required to simply play and enjoy ASL for newbies. Starter Kit #1 is still out of stock and so is the first full ASL module Beyond Valor. If this seems ludicrous to you you're not alone. (It seems to be a touchy subject over at Gamesquad's forums for example.) The obvious starting point in this whole argument is how MMP can hope to grow the hobby if the barrier to entry is this high...?
I think I got some of the answers from the Point2Point interview with Chas Argent. It's apparent that MMP is trying their best to come out with the best product possible and avoid the situation of issuing errata to hastily assembled and play-tested stuff. Given that the market is a niche one playtesters (and reliable ones at that) aren't lining up around the block with tons of time on their hands. It sounds to me like MMP is doing what they can to ensure the hobby is stable and not just pumping out stuff to "make money" -- I think we can all agree that ASL is not a massive moneymaker or something like that. In the interview Mr. Argent chatted about the sheer amount of work that simply goes into laying out the revamped modules, scenario sheets, and miscellany that goes into something like an Action Pack or Core Module. Art that no longer exists must somehow be reproduced and other difficult tasks seem daunting to a layman like me.
So....
I'm a little more willing to cut MMP some slack. (Who the hell am I to judge anyways?!) ASL is, to use a clichéd term, a labour of love. For example, Brian Youse and Perry Cocke, two of the principals at MMP still have day jobs! To those frustrated by this difficulty in getting product I say have a little bit more patience. In the meantime, do your part to get friends and others introduced to ASL with your own copy of ASLSKs and hopefully MMP will have this stuff out soon!
Postscript: FOR THE LOVE OF WHATEVER GOD YOU HOLD HOLY MMP, FIX THE MESSED UP SSL CERTIFICATE ON YOUR WEBSITE SO I DON'T FEEL DIRTY ORDERING STUFF FROM YOU FFS!!!
That is all.
UPDATE: MMP has fixed their SSL issue so we can all pre-order again! Now if only shipping to Canada didn't mysteriously go through frickin' Sweden first...
1. "Richfam"'s ASL Tutorials #1-3 - (And #4 here with graphics even!) As mentioned in my last post, Boardgamegeek user "richfam" (Jay Richardson) has created the obsolutely best introduction to ASL that I've seen. If not for his tutorials I doubt I would have ever picked up the Starter Kits or even understood how to begin playing. Mr. Richardson has used a very easygoing, narrative style, to explain and break down the reasons for the rules. After reading his tutorials you can easily visualize the action. For example, his explanation for residual fire left by defensive first fire totally makes the system comprehensible. The Starter Kits just give you the rules and not the whys and wherefores. If you've picked up the official ASL Rulebook or perused the Starter Kits you'll understand the difference between legalese and narrative rule writing style immediately.
I'm not putting down the "ASL-ese" of the official stuff, since an experienced player would find that much more useful, but being introduced to the game with the richfam Tutorials has been basically akin to having an expert player around to show me the ropes. Kudos to Mr. Richardson! Many on BGG eagerly await the final installment of the tutorials (#5) which will address Armoured Fighting Vehicles (AFVs) aka TANKS!!!
(In my last post I wondered why richfam wasn't hired by MMP but I understand now that he has been employed in some capacity by them in their periodicals -- way to go!)
2. An Introductory Guide to ASL - I found this .pdf file hosted on the "View from the Trenches" website (VFTT being the long running British ASL newsletter) though it is also on BGG. It's not the easiest thing to absorb in order to learn the game but it's "official" in that it was ostensibly written by MMP, the publishers of ASL itself. Unless you have mucho experience in wargaming and/or have had at least some exposure to the game I don't see total newbs as gaining much other than having a very short but somewhat comprehensive summary of the game as a whole. The best reason to check out this guide is the FREE print and play stuff incorporated into it. A little bit of printer ink, glue and elbow grease will get you a small functional introductory scenario to start. As for View from the Trenches itself, all of its issues from the very very beginning are available on their website and fearless newbs should check them out.
3. EIGHT STEPS TO ASL: A Programmed Instruction Approach By Jim Stahler - Found on the MMP website itself, the document/article appears follow the standard wargame-style learning convention of "programmed instruction". That means that you are slowly given short chunks of rules to absorb and learn in increasingly more complicated scenarios. Hopefully, by instructions' end you'll have the full ruleset (or at least most of it) under your belt. Now, to be honest, this method isn't best given that the Starter Kits have superceded it and that this eight-step approach requires the financial commitment of at least the official Rulebook (~US$65 versus the Starter Kits' ~US$20-35 each) and the first module Beyond Valor (~US$90). I've included the link here though because I find it interesting how learning the game in the past without an experienced player would have been tediously and almost impossibly obtuse for the total newbie.
4. The 2 Half-Squads Podcast - Podcasting has finally come to the world of ASL. Of particular note is the sixth episode where they do a more concentrated job of focusing on how total newbs can learn the game. However, the 2 Half-Squads always make an effort to explain things in their broadcasts. Spontaneous and entertaining, Jeff and Dave's podcast is an easy listen -- I've burned the first ten episodes to MP3 to listen to on the daily commute and have enjoyed them immensely. For newbies, Jeff and Dave do a good job making ASL fun. The only caveat I have is that the first two episodes (possible three) have some serious technical issues (ironed out by the later episodes).
5. The ASL Webdex - The Webdex is a great, albeit slightly dated, compilation of web resources for ASL. It certainly shares a bit of the roughness of some of the early hamhanded efforts of ASLers on the Internet in its presentation. However, there is a LOT of good stuff there that is sub-divided into areas corresponding to the ASL full Rulebook. For newbies there is a dedicated page here.
6. ASL Forums on Gamesquad.com - Of course, no list of links would be complete without the obligatory site for forum goers. It seems that Gamesquad.com has garnered the most traffic in terms of sheer numbers of people (players and designers) who frequent its pages. There are a couple of other forums (such as on BGG) that are useful but Gamesquad is the most familiar in its usage and conventions and thus the most newbie friendly. Check out the Starter Kit-dedicated forum for best support.
7. Daniel Savarese's ASLSK #1 Programmed Instruction - I discovered this site after I had bought and played SK1 with the richfam Tutorials (here is the whole of the Savarese document in .pdf format). It is an excellent resource that complements the Tutorials. I highly recommend it with all the resources from BGG above as you start the SKs.
Well, when I started this post I didn't think it would get so big so I'm splitting it up into two! The second post will deal with stuff for the "less" total newbie (does that make any sense?!) ...
As an ASL neophyte I found that simply skimming the stuff on ASL available on the web was a valuable experience. Sometimes I imagine learning ASL on my own pre-Internet or pre-BBS days and I cringe in horror -- no wonder there are so many posts by people who talk about buying ASL when it was first published but never actually playing it due to its practically insurmountable learning "cliff". All hail Al Gore's creation! Part Two up soon...
