I had a couple of queries on Gleemax about my ASL SK review that indicated a belief that ASL was dead and out of print. I certainly understand where that belief comes from… but it’s not actually true. It just isn’t supported by Avalon Hill any more! ASL is currently published by Multiman Publishing (MMP), under license from Hasbro (who now own Avalon Hill and … Continue reading The current status of Advanced Squad Leader
Well, I’ve just bought and watched Stargate SG-1: The Ark of Truth. It’s cool. The Stargate SG-1 series did things with the concept that was (badly) explored in the original movie that have thrilled and astounded me, and then have taken it to realms that have made it one of my favourite TV shows of all time. I am surprised and astounded that I was … Continue reading Stargate: the Ark of Truth
Advanced Squad Leader wasn’t really published all that long ago, when you think about it. It was 1985 when it first hit the shelves, and was the successor to the astonishingly successful Squad Leader (1977), which had itself sold over 200,000 copies1. I doubt ASL has ever sold that many copies, but in terms on longevity it’s doing quite well. Although ASL might not quite … Continue reading Advanced Squad Leader Starter Kit #1 review
One of the games that launched to great acclaim at the end of 2006 was BattleLore, a 2-player wargame built around the Command & Colours system seen in games like Memoir ’44 and Command & Colors: Ancients. I have all three of these games, but whilst M44 has seen Randy and I play many, many games, Battlelore has been mostly unrepresented. It just doesn’t catch … Continue reading BattleLore as it should be…
It’s June 1941. The Germans are attacking Russia as part of Operation Barbarossa. 112 Russians, two Russian tanks and one gun must protect a small Lithuanian village from 122 Germans soldiers and six tanks… Continuing with my run of ASL Starter Kit scenarios played solo, I’ve reached the sixth scenario of SK#3. So, of the 22 scenarios included in the kits, I’ve now finished 20 … Continue reading ASL SK S25: Early Battles
.. One of the oddities about Advanced Squad Leader (ASL) is that if you want to play the game well, you need to spend more space storing the counters so that you can find them quickly than is taken up by the original boxes the game came in! See on the left-hand side of the photograph: ASL rules, then modules (maps, scenarios) and then counter … Continue reading Storing ASL
With the 4e D&D books at the printers, Wizards are finally giving us excerpts from the finished books. They start with one from the Monster Manual Cool! Continue reading Ooh… 4e previewy goodness!
It’s been overcast this weekend, so our solar-powered batteries haven’t had much of a chance to recharge (the generator is running as I type this). So, what have I been doing? * Reading. I’ve just picked up Katherine Kerr’s thirteenth Deverry book, which I finished reading this morning. This is a series I’ve been enjoying since my first year in University (back in 1990… I’m … Continue reading A Grey Weekend
I’ve just had a very entertaining evening spent playing games with Randy. Which games didwe play? War of the Ring – This game, published by Fantasy Flight Games, is pretty much the ultimate Lord of the Rings wargame, capturing the concept of the books extremely well. Although the game admits the possibility of varying from the books in some aspect (like the Free People winning … Continue reading Two-player boardgaming
One of the better card games I have is Citadels, currently published by Fantasy Flight Games. You’re trying to build a city of eight districts. Each turn, you draft one role (Assassin, Thief, Mage, King, Merchant, Bishop, Architect or Warlord) and then use the special ability of that role and (hopefully) build a district. It’s extremely entertaining and I strongly recommend it. Best with 5 players, … Continue reading Citadels
