I’m very sorry to have learnt that John Hill, the designer of the seminal game Squad Leader, has died after a heart attack. I came to Squad Leader late, and was introduced to its successor, Advanced Squad Leader first, but there’s no doubt it’s been a game that I’ve very much enjoyed playing. By a strange chance of fate, I’ve been playing a solo game … Continue reading John Hill, designer of Squad Leader, passes
Most of the Starter Kit scenarios that Michael and I have been playing are quite short, although the later SK3 scenarios with tanks are taking us longer to resolve. However, this scenario, the second-last scenario in Starter Kit #3, took us a much longer time to play through: almost 5 hours in total, split between two Friday afternoons. (I recorded the location of all the … Continue reading Advanced Squad Leader report: S26 Last Ally, Last Victory
I’ve fallen behind quite significantly in my ASL reports and in my ASL play, as both Michael and I have been busy and unable to set aside afternoons for two-player gaming as frequently. I’ve also been just a little distracted by the release of D&D 5E! Michael and I played this game back on July 7th, 2014. Michael took charge of the Russian forces; meanwhile, … Continue reading ASL Session Report: S25 Early Battles
It’s been a few weeks since Michael and I have been able to get together to continue our playing of Advanced Squad Leader Starter Kit scenarios, but we were finally able to play S24 on Friday. The scenario is set in Krupki, Byelorussia on 28th June 1944. At this stage, the German invasion of Russia, started three years ago, had failed, and the Soviets were … Continue reading Advanced Squad Leader report: S24 Sherman Marches West
World War 2 is a well-covered topic in the realm of wargaming. There have been a lot of games produced about it. However, each game approaches the subject in a different way, providing different insights and allowing you to attempt new solutions to old problems. The Dark Valley covers the Barbarossa campaign of Hitler in 1942: the invasion of Russia, and beyond, to Russia’s counterattack … Continue reading Entering the Dark Valley – Ted Racier’s new wargame
I am far from the world’s best player of Advanced Squad Leader. My record with Michael is about 50-50, with a slight advantage on Michael’s side, I believe. Although I am quick to pick up and remember rules, little points such as “don’t attack the Machine-Gun nest from the open street” occasionally elude me. In this scenario, the fourth of the Starter Kit #3 scenarios, … Continue reading Advanced Squad Leader report: S23 Monty’s Gamble
On the 3rd of April, 1367, the forces of Henry of Trastámara were lined up outside the walls of Nájera, awaiting the arrival of an enemy force. Henry had been fighting in a civil war with his brother, Peter of Castile (or Pedro the Cruel), for some time beforehand, and Peter had finally gained the aid of foreigners: Edward, later known as the Black Prince, … Continue reading Men of Iron: Battle of Nájera report
My Advanced Squad Leader games have recently been put on pause as Michael and I have had slightly differing schedules during the last couple of weeks. In the meantime, I finally managed to play Glen, who had rather liked the look of the game when he saw Michael and me playing it. So, ever the sucker for introducing newcomers to the game, I set up … Continue reading Advanced Squad Leader: S1 Retaking Vierville
Well, here we are. The second of Hoplite’s scenarios and it’s the most famous battle of Antiquity. Of course, the reason that it is so famous is because we still run a race named after the battle place, thanks to the inventions of the Greeks and Robert Browning. Ask anyone what actually happened at Marathon and you probably will get the answer “the Greeks won”, … Continue reading Hoplite: Marathon – Attica, Greece – September 490 BCE
The latest game in Richard Berg’s and Mark Herman’s Great Battles of History series – the fifteenth title, in fact – is Hoplite, which takes a look at battles in the era of the Greek city-states before the rise of Alexander the Great. As the title says, it was the era of the Hoplites – spear and shield-carrying soldiers, often arranged into great phalanxes, bristling … Continue reading Hoplite: Ephesus (Ionia, Asia Minor – 498 BC)
