I am calling it quits for this blog.

To those who read what I write. Thank you for sticking with me even as my posts have gotten father and farther apart. I thought my life was going to get slower as I got older, but that just isn't the case. There are a bunch of reasons for ending my blog, but the biggest …

SASL Campaign. Mission- Cautious Advance. June ’41. 1.1

After the first two turns, I felt like I was in a good spot. My company was split into two groups. The first was to move on board and secure the first VPO location. The second was to move up the middle, take the multi-level building in the center of the map and turn right …

SASL Campaign. Mission- Cautious Advance. June 1941. 1.0

So let's get this thing rolling. I am starting my SASL (Solitaire Advanced Squad Leader) campaign. I have chosen to go with the Wehrmacht in June 1941 kicking off Operation Barbarossa. I am using the suggested Kompanie composition from the module and instead of a random pick for the first scenario, I have chosen to …

Time to get playing

A short note, kind of for myself to get my butt moving on some games. Since my Fields of Fire campaign practice game, things have gotten a bit busy for me and I have so much to play. In November, my mom was diagnosed with stage four kidney cancer, which had spread to her lungs …

Fields of Fire Vol 1. Normandy practice game end.

So a reader commented that he was interested in seeing if I could clear the first two rows. Like he thought perhaps I didn't realize that clearing them was part of the victory conditions. Damn. I forgot about that part. Now I've got more work to do. Thanks Granger44, at least one of us was …

Fields of Fire Vol 1. Normandy, practice game turns 5-6.

As I begin turn 5, I have an enemy command post in the second row, fourth column. I also have an enemy HMG team in second row, third column and two minefields in the first row, second and third columns. All four of these enemy pieces are stopping up my attack. Fortunately, I had designated …

Fields of Fire Vol. 1. Normandy Practice game turns 3 and 4

As I began turns 3 and 4, it was apparent I wasn't going up the middle anymore. the flanks were the only solution. I needed to out-maneuver the enemy HMG anyway, so my guys were going to go out to the edges of the map and hope for the best. I had forgotten a couple …

Fields of Fire Vol. 1. Normandy practice game turns 1-2

So, Fields of fire. A game that gets both high praise and scathing criticism. The high praise comes from it's great immersive gameplay, crushing decision making for the player, a feeling that someone got platoon level game play right, and of course good fun. The criticism stems from a rulebook that many find somewhat incomplete, …

J9 A Stiff Fight

Time to get back to ASL. Longtime friend Greg Schmittgens and I got together over live VASL to play J9 A Stiff Fight. A smallish firefight between my troops of the Emperor's best and Greg's Gurkhas. My Japanese are a mix of elite and first line troops supported by three Chi Ha tanks. Greg's Gurkhas …

D-Day at Omaha Beach 1.0

I've had D-Day at Omaha Beach for a while now, and have started it a couple of times. After playing the introductory scenario a few times it was time to go for the whole beach with the regular scenario "The First Waves". I'm sure most are familiar with DDOB but a little intro from me …

The Dark Sands Campaign: Turns 2 and 3

  Turn 2 and I was looking to clear up Sollum and Bardia.  I was definitely not going to get as far as the commonwealth did historically before 21 Panzer entered the scene.  Ultimately, my top goal was to push Jason's Italians out of Tobruk, but that was looking doubtful also.  I felt I had …

The Dark Sands. Campaign, Turn 1

  With ASL on hold, Jason Wert and I chose to dig into the desert with a trip to Egypt and Libya with Ted Raicer's The Dark Sands: War in North Africa, 1940-42, from GMT. Ok, so something here that I'm sure will seem a bit weird.  The battle for Berlin in 1945 is my …

The Hunters: Type VIIB U-48 Walter Stohl, Kapitanleutnant. Patrol Journal September, 1939-

  KptLt Patrol Journal.  Sept 1939. U-48 assigned it's initial patrol:  British Isles.  The journey out of port and into open water was uneventful as we made our way to find enemy targets off the English coast. Sept 17, 1939.  Contact is made.  A convoy of small freight vessels steaming north.  The crew skillfully moved …

Stepping away from ASL for a while.

I am close to burning out.  Plus the situation around the world is getting to me.  I am finding it very difficult to get to ASL stuff.  I'm not playing well, and VASL continues to crap on me, and that is a bad combo.  This will be a lengthy ASL hiatus. I've got some other …

G20 Camp Nibeiwa

  Next up for Jeff Buser and I in the desert was G20 Camp Nebeiwa.  Another old General scenario which was an ASLUG scenario before that with a decided British tilt, this version is 4-2 Italian on ROAR.  Boards 28, 29 and half of boards 30 and 31 with some dier and hillock overlays.  It …

FT227 Damsels in Distress

  Mike loves to play Italians in ASL.  He enjoys the challenge of taking crappy troops and doing what it takes to win with them.  Ordering the Italian pack from LFT was a no brainer for him.  He picked out three scenarios for me to choose from and I landed on FT227 Damsels in Distress. …

Hatten in Flames CG1: 11 Jan, 1945

    Bud and I finally got day three of the Hatten in Flames CG done.  It took some doing.  During the fall, winter and spring months, it is difficult for us to get together to play.  Summertime is when we get most of our playing done.  We were unable to finish day three over …

2019 and 2020

A quick look at my 2019 and then forward to 2020. ASL for me in 2019 amounted to 30 games played if we include the 3 scenarios so far completed in Hatten, with 10 games won.  Yep, that is plenty pathetic, but then when you consider that I am terrible at ASL, it isn't too …

RPT52 Death Rattle

  VASL has heard my grievances and has thrown me a bone.  I don't expect it to last. My last game finished in 2019 was RPT52  Death Rattle with Joe Moro.  Eight British squads and two Comets (!) must clear 6.5 German squads from the multi-hex buildings between H and P on board S.  The …

A39 Showdown at Tug Argan Pass

  Have I mentioned that VASL hates me?  One day the program is going to stop and realize that it has punished me enough.  That I have done nothing to it to warrant the treatment I have received at it's hands over the last couple of years.  Yes, I know, we only remember the bad …

Skies Above the Reich. My first campaign: Pt 1

  I have had some solitaire games for a long while.  The first that I owned was a gift to me from my wife when we first got married.  Part of the Ambush! family, she bought Battle Hymn and it's expansion Leatherneck, these basically being Ambush! in the Pacific.  I played them a few times …

FB4 HKL259

  Patrick Palma picked up this game of FB4 with me as the next scenario in my Road to Berlin. I am playing the Allies, so got the Russians on the attack in Budapest.  This one requires my Russians to descend a hill while attacking some solid SS troops and a few low quality Gendarmes.  …

J162 African Brothers – Dicing 101

  My old friend Will Willow and I got paired up in another on-line tournament and we chose African Brothers for our game. J162 is set in Kenya, in 1940 and features a skirmish between the King's African Rifles  and elements of Africa Orientale Italiana.  Three boards, including one of the 'Fort' boards set the …

A61 Across the Wire

  Jeff Buser and I play on Sunday evenings.  Jeff is a better player than I am, but we get along good and he will play anything, anytime, anywhere.  We originally got together on-line playtesting some future French stuff for Steve Swann, then he picked up a couple of night scenarios with me.  After the …

J158 It Don’t Come Easy

  I will confess to you now........ I love Deluxe ASL.  I think the ASL community has a love / hate relationship with DASL.  They either love it or they hate it.  I don't think there is a lot of "it's OK" feelings out there. For you non ASL players out there, DASL was created …

BoF2 A Polish Requiem

  My next opponent in the CyberVASL tournament was Pablo Garcia and BoF2  A Polish Requiem was our choice.  I got the attacking German forces while Pablo defended with the Poles. BoF2 is six turns featuring early war action in Poland with a mostly first line German force with Panzer I, II and very early …

A brief update.

So, quite a bit has been happening since my last post.  I have finished up a number of ASL scenarios, cautiously played through the introductory scenario of D-Day at Omaha Beach, got in a game of Warriors of God, began reading the rules for Skies Above the Reich, was charged for my forthcoming copy of …

Hatten in Flames CG1: 9 & 10 Jan, 1945

      Like virtually everyone else who plays Advanced Squad Leader, I pre-ordered Hatten in Flames when the opportunity arose.  When I had it my grubby hands, I was astonished.  Two campaigns, a single beautiful map, and one double sided page of rules.  No new terrain and no new unit types.  Just down and …

AP34 Bocage Blockage and some other ponderings.

      I normally post a nice AAR of my games after playing them, complete with pictures and whiny commentary.  For a recent ASL scenario I played however, I won't be making much fuss about it. The reason is simple:  AP34 Bocage Blockage went well enough, hell I almost pulled out a win.  Steve …

TAC9 Lezongar Stronghold

  At the same time we were playing TAC7, Pierce and I were having a go at TAC9.  We always have 2 games going at once. It's strange how luck runs in streaks.  There are a number of players out there who don't rely on luck as much as some.  In our ASL community we …

TAC7 Trap in Carpiquet

  Pierce Mason seemingly had my number.  Six games of TAC scenarios, six losses including an extremely frustrating armor clash in TAC8.  ASL was still treating me badly on the luck side, and while this scenario started off with a bang for me it would frustrate me to no end as Pierce seemed to always …

BFP-27 Chapei Chockblock

  Well, Jeff Sewell handed me ass-whoopin number two out of two in the early stages of playing the Blood and Jungle scenarios.  Until I get my act together, I expect that to continue for two reasons: The biggest reason.  Jeff is a far better player than I am. Second, I seem to have a …

Festung Budapest CGIII: City of Eternal Heroes. To the End

      Mike and I got started on day 3 of our Festung Budapest CG and things weren't looking terrible for my Russians.  I had won the first two days, and felt I was in an OK position.  I hadn't suffered much damage and learned my lesson about field phones, but I couldn't help …

My Texas Team Tournament, 2019

  I made the trip alone this year.  Bud was to go with me, but a death in the family the week before made it impossible for him to attend.  Naturally my condolences to him and his family.  Many people asked about him and all offered their sympathy. The 9 hour trip down went smoothly, …

My last three months. A summary

  Well, it's been three months since I last confess...…….er…….submitted a blog post.  Things got sideways for me.  Very busy, a stint in the hospital, a kid graduating college, end of the season at work and things just piled up.  Fortunately, I was able to keep up  with my squad leader games, so a lot …

BFP-26 Armored Samurai

  I consider myself an average player.....very average.  I have my good games and my bad games, just like anyone else.  Then I have one every once in a while that makes me wonder just what I have actually learned over the last 20'ish years playing ASL.  After having Jeff Sewell answer my call to …

BoF11 Second Thoughts

  Well, I have been AWOL from my blog for the entire month of February.  Bunch of stuff going on.  Work stuff, home stuff, random stuff.  But now I've got to get back to it, four reports, plus another one imminent...…… they're starting to pile up. My old Squad Leader online buddy Jason Wert is …

BFP-72 Police Action

  My next opponent in the CYBERvasl tournament was Martin Kristensen.  We chose BFP-72 from the Blood and Jungle pack by Bounding Fire Productions.  B&J is a very popular scenario set featuring scenarios set in the Pacific theatre. This scenario is an all infantry affair, taking place on two half boards.  I must say, this …

WO16 Wildcat Strike.

  After putting out the call for an opponent for a PTO scenario, Ken Dunn answered and said he would be up for a game.  We chose WO16  Wildcat Strike from one of the Winter Offensive packs.  This is an American - Japanese affair with some nice toys, played on two half boards.  6.5 turns, …

Festung Budapest. CGIII City of Eternal Heroes. 3 Feb, 1945

  Mike and I sat down to slug it out in the streets of Budapest for day 2 of our CG.  As recounted in my last blog entry on this CG, I had made fairly solid progress in the north (the Russian right) against some less than eager Hungarian troops, and while they put up …

TAC 6 Counterattack at Villers-Bocage

  Let me start by saying I just must have missed something, because I didn't get this scenario. It looks great on paper.  British, Germans, Normandy.  Hedgerows, elite infantry, Cromwells, Tigers and a Firefly.  Sweet, right? It was my turn to attack, and so my German infantry and armor of Schwere SS Panzer-Abteilung 101 were …

Looking towards 2019

Looking around at the blogs I follow, there are a lot of them remembering 2018.  I have some memories of gaming last year, but I have decided to look into what is coming up for me in the next 365 days.  I have never been a guy who has kept track of stuff very well …

Festung Budapest. CGIII City of Eternal Heroes: 2 Feb, 1945

    After a preliminary scenario to get the feel of Festung Budapest, and for Mike to get the ASL feel back, we embarked upon Campaign Game III: City of Eternal Heroes. The Russian juggernaut in 1945 rolled into Buda and Pest to finish the Hungarian and German forces holding the city.  Our campaign takes …

J106 Marders Not Martyrs

  My next opponent in the CyberVasl tournament was Tom Arnold.  We chose J106 Marders not Martyrs.  Tom asked if we could exchange files over Skype which was new to me.  I use Skype for live play and also when I was in a World of Tanks clan to platoon in-game.  It worked out pretty …

A59 Death at Carentan

  The next round of VASLeague matched me up with Jonathan Kapleau of New Jersey.  We chose A59 Death at Carentan for our game, I got the Germans in this attack / counterattack scenario. A59 is one of those scenarios that you have either played or have had on your list to play and just …

J62 Lee’s Charge

  Jason Wert and I moved to the second scenario of my 'Road to Berlin' trip which is listed on this blog.  J62 Lee's Charge is a small scenario on half board 19 set in Belgium, January 3, 1945.  I am playing the allies in this series so got the Americans.  This one is as …

Festung Budapest CG III and Valor of the Guards CG IV. I like BIG ASL.

             It's no secret to the people I play regularly that if I can choose, I would rather play big ASL. By which I mean big, meaty scenarios, lots of units and lots of stuff going on, perhaps not completable in a single day.  These kind of games have a different feel …

BRV 6 Opera of Death

  Berlin.  I don't know what it is about this part of the WWII conflict that mesmerizes me.  I love reading about it, writing about it, and gaming it.  For whatever reason, the history of the battle for this city at the end of the war compels me to pay attention to it. Adam Lunney …

J178 Old Friends

  After our game of ASL 87 Good Night Sweet Prince , Rick Carter and I set up J178 Old Friends to see if I would have better luck.  Luck had nothing to do with it. J178 pits a German force of first and second line infantry, two Panthers, a MKIV, StuG and an AA halftrack …

FB 2 The Devil’s Free to Have a Try

  Mike and I are gearing up to play Festung Budapest CG III and needed a warm up.  Mike hadn't played ASL in a while (a long while) and needed to knock off the rust.  Usually a rusty Mike is not a bad thing for me.  Rusty Mike is still a far better Squad Leader …

TAC4 I Remember

  Boy, did I screw the pooch on this one. Continuing our trek through all of the TAC scenarios, the next one on the list for Pierce and I was TAC 4  "I Remember".  This is a fairly large scenario.  Four boards including the river boards (7 & 8)  and ten turns.  It was my …

J166 Maximum Aggression

  As part of the CyberVASL tournament, I was matched up with none other than the TD himself, Sergio Puente.  I chose J166 Maximum Aggression as one of my scenarios to pick from and Sergio liked the looks of it, so I got the Japanese and away we went. Set in Malaya in 1941, this …

Ici, c’est la France! and Washington’s War

         Mike and I were making our way through his game collection, playing all the stuff he hadn't been able to play.  From sailing ships to late 50's conflicts, we finished them up with Ici c'est la France! and Washington's War.   Ici c'est la France! After the fantastic Dien Bien Phu …

VotG 14 Pavlov’s House

  So, Pierce Mason and I are currently playing the TAC scenarios in order by pbem,  it was inevitable that he and I would be matched up in the VASLeague tournament that is put on annually by Enrico Catanzaro.  Difference here being that we have to play live over VASL.  Not a problem We chose …

Texas Team Tournament 2018

  Bud Garding and I headed south to our 18th straight Texas Team Tournament.  It is a fairly long trip, but it is always worth the drive to get in some ASL, eat some great food, see our old friends and make some new ones.  Most years I play some games against people I have …

TAC 3 Uneasy Withdrawal.

  Pierce and I made a serious mistake with TAC 2, affecting the scenario in such a way that we would only be able to fix it by starting over.  We elected to move on. TAC 3 is an eight turn scrap between my mix of elite and first line Japanese and Pierce's group of …

J19 Merzenhauzen Zoo

  Got a game up on VASL pbem with Tom Lavan of Colorado.  He was looking for someone to play J19 Merzenhauzen Zoo.  He told me that he had found an opponent but was interested in getting another game of it playing the other side.  That would give me the German in this nice, meaty …

Festung Budapest 1 Uncles and Pups

  I needed an opponent to get started on my "Road to Berlin" trip through ETO scenarios taking place on or after January 1, 1945.  The list is long, and I have no doubt I will keel over from old age long before I finish it, but hey, gonna give it a shot and have …

ASL 204 Human Bullets

Well, after a 20 year wait.  Mike and I finally sat down to a scenario of ASL from an official MMP Korea module. When I say 20 years, let me elaborate a bit.  Three years after Mike introduced me to ASL we went to our second tournament: March Madness '99. March Madness nowadays is run …

Dien Bien Phu: The Final Gamble. Rubber match, scenario A

  Mike and I got together to play the full Dien Bien Phu: The Final Gamble scenario.  Our first two games were Scenario B, which basically cuts the first two strongpoints:  Gabrielle and Beatrice, out of the game and cutting 6 turns.  We took on Scenario A, with the Vietminh starting on the outer edge …

Dien Bien Phu: The Final Gamble. Playing #2- Part 2

  When Mike and I resumed our game, I had moved past most of the outer strongpoints and was approaching the main encampment.  Mike had deftly abandoned each outer strongpoint before I could encircle them, saving his Legionnaires for further fighting later on.  I was right on, or just ahead of the pace I needed …

Opening my gaming horizons.

My experience with wargames started a long time ago.  In my early teens, I started gaming with Dungeons and Dragons, and while I had a great time with it, it was another TSR game that got me on the path I'm on now.  I bought Dawn Patrol.  World War I aircraft have always fascinated me …

J103- Lenin’s Sons. My personal disaster.

  So I entered the VASLeague tournament on Gamesquad.  I had played in it before but it had been a few years.  My initial opponent was Jay Dragonetti of Virginia.  It took me a bit to get with him for this game, first it took us a few days to choose a game, then on …

Dien Bien Phu: The Final Gamble. Playing #2 – Part 1

  After surrounding my French Legionnaires in our first playing, ending with my surrender, Mike and I flipped the game around and it was my turn to attack with the Vietminh.  In both games, we have played scenario B which starts the Vietminh closer to the main fortifications, essentially removing the need for the capture …

Dien Bien Phu: The Final Gamble Pt.2

  Mike and I got together over the last two game nights and finished up our first playing of Dien Bien Phu: The Final Gamble by Legion Wargames.  We were ready to start the last rain turn, 21-23 April.  After this it was monsoon time for the remainder of the game.  Then things get difficult …

Three ASL Things.

    First thing. What I hope to get out of this blog is to possibly fix some of the little nagging things I do when I play Squad Leader that continue to cost me.  I'm not obsessed with winning, (I would definitely like to win more though) but I would like to at least …

Dien Bien Phu: The Final Gamble. Pt 1

  With Victory Game's Vietnam: 1965-75 put on the back burner for a bit, Mike and I have turned our attention to a different earlier conflict in Vietnam:  Dien Bien Phu.  Any of us who like history know the story of General Giap's Vietminh manhandling artillery into the mountains surrounding the valley in which the …

My second try at a blog

So I left ASL for a while.  My computer had issues, I was getting my butt kicked regularly by Mike (much better at games than I) and I just wasn't feeling it.  After my last trip to Texas for the Tournament in Round Rock in June, I was getting amped up to play Squad Leader …

TAC 1 Dropping off at Maleme?

  Well, I love ASL because of all the cool stuff you can re-create.  Armored clashes, infantry scuffles, the entire battle of Stalingrad, crossing rivers on boats, gliders and ...........  Paradrops. Pierce Mason is a man on a mission.  He's got like 500 games all going on at the same time and wants to play …

Berlin: Red Vengeance 1 Tactical Doctrine

  I have owned Berlin: Red Vengeance almost as long as I have been playing ASL.  After collecting all the needed core modules and such, B:RV was the first non official ASL product I ever bought. One of my first PBEM (not VASL) games was B:RV 2  Run For Your Lives against Xavier Vitry many …

Vietnam 1965-1975 Reboot

Mike and I have decided to suspend our playing of Victory Games' Vietnam 1965-1975.  The reasons are pretty basic. When playing the campaign, this game can take upwards of 120 hours to complete, so you better not gack the beginning.  Looking at where we were and what had transpired so far, we determined that Mike's …

J179 Resignation Supermen

  Jim Thompson and I played J179 Resignation Supermen over VASL PBEM.  It was short, fast and brutal to my German troopers. Set on board 51, this is 6 turns in 1945.  The end of the war is nigh and a mixed bag of Germans are trying to occupy three of four factories or making …

VotG 9 Eviction Notice.

  Picked up a game with Carlos via Gamesquad.  He wanted to play a Valor of the Guards scenario and chose Eviction Notice.  I had played one other VotG scenario before:  Siberian Shockwave, so I had some experience with it.  But hey, it's just more Red Barricades right? Eviction Notice is a smallish scenario set …

ASL 87 Good Night Sweet Prince

  Thumbing through my scenarios looking for one to play via PBEM on VASL (only recently figured out what happened to my computer and VASL from before) I stopped on 87 Good Night Sweet Prince.  I have never played one of the two(?) scenarios with the Nimbus motorcycles.  After asking for an opponent at Game …

Vietnam 1965-1975: part 2, Summer 1965

After our first evening with Vietnam 1965-1975 by Victory Games, we were able to get down to the actions on board during our second night.  Both of us have been reading all the guides and after action reports we can get our hands on.  This campaign generally takes over 120 hours if it is played …