Confessions of a Groghead

[Staggerwing]

Is ALSSK1 out of print now?

[Ubercat]

As of a couple of months ago it was. I assume that it still is. NWS had at least one copy back then. They may still have it.

[Staggerwing]

Same with #2 it looks like. I just checked the MMP site and they have this as well- appears to be a bit of all three ASLSKs:

http://www.multimanpublishing.com/tabid/58/CategoryID/11/ProductID/85/Default.aspx


   

$36.00

ASL Starter Kit Expansion Pack #1

MMP is proud to present the 4th installment of it successful Advanced Squad Leader Starter Kit line, The Advanced Squad Leader Starter Kit Expansion Pack #1. The Expansion Pack has been designed with all level of Starter Kit player in mind including something for everyone.

The Expansion Pack includes three new boards; q, r, and s consisting of a small city board, a village/woods board, and a rural woods/hill board.

In addition, the Pack comes with 8 new scenarios set in locations such as Poland 1939, Finland 1942, Sicily 1943, France 1944, and Germany 1944. The Expansion Pack includes actions pitting the Poles against the Slovakian army, Russians advancing against Germans, Americans in their struggle against the Italians, and the Free French forces defending against a sudden German counterattack.

The Expansion Pack is completely standalone providing everything you need to play the game (except dice) including new counters and updated rules and charts addressing known errata!

This product is a must have for Advanced Squad Leader Starter Kit enthusiasts everywhere.

The Expansion Pack covers actions that allow any level of Starter Kit player from Starter Kit 1 to Starter Kit 3 with 2 Infantry only (Starter Kit 1) scenarios, 2 Infantry and Guns (Starter Kit 2) scenarios, and 4 scenarios with Tanks (Starter Kit 3) of which 2 have tanks on one side only.

Fight your way across the tactical battlefields of World War 2 using the men and equipment available historically. Only this time you can determine the outcome!

ASL Starter Kit Expansion Pack #1 contains:


3 8"x22" geomorphic mapboards (q,r,s - artwork available soon!)
1 sheet of 1/2" counters
1 sheet of 5/8" counters
Fully illustrated (in color) rulebook incorporating all known errata
New charts (QRDC, etc.)
8 new scenarios!

[Bison]

I ordered mine from NWS in March I think.

[TheCommandTent]

So do I need to get the ASL Starter Kit #1 (which is out of print) or can I go ahead and just get ASL Starter Kit Expansion Pack #1?

[Bison]

That I don't know, but I do know that if you look around at some of the board game sales site you can still find ASLSK1 still.

[Staggerwing]

The expansion kit seems to indicate that it's got the same setup as the earlier kits but I'm just not sure if they would include the tutorial style rule book that came with the first one. IIRC it broke the process down nicely with minimal 'fussiness'.

Actually, here is something from BoardgameGeek on the matter:

http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/843672/aslsk-ep1-sk1-type-scenario

Jay Richardson:

vectorvictor wrote:

Common advice for new players (like me) is to pick up EP1.

And that "common advice" is wrong. The Expansion Pack is for experienced ASLSK players, not beginners just trying to learn the system.

ASLSK #1 will probably be reprinted eventually, but until then ASLSK #3 would be a better choice for beginners than the Expansion Pack.

vectorvictor wrote:

I was hoping to start out with a simple infantry only (no MGs) type scenario that I'd imagine is in SK1. Unfortunately, a scenario like that doesn't come with EP1.

Here's what I would suggest: play S51 Enter the Young, but remove all of the SWs and ignore SSRs 2 and 3. Just play it with squads and leaders only.

The play balance is likely to be totally messed up, but that's not important when you are just trying to learn the system. In fact, if you play it enough times with just squads and leaders, you can probably figure out what changes to make to restore the play balance, and then you could post that here to benefit the other beginners who are stuck with the Expansion Pack.

[TheCommandTent]

^Thanks it looks like my hunt for ASLSK#1 continues.  I am definitely in the newbie category.  I've never even gazed up on the game in person.

That I don't know, but I do know that if you look around at some of the board game sales site you can still find ASLSK1 still.

I've looked and looked but no luck so far.

[Bison]

Personally I think it's a poor business decision on MMP part to stop printing up more of the ALS starter kit packs.

[TheCommandTent]

Personally I think it's a poor business decision on MMP part to stop printing up more of the ALS starter kit packs.

Agreed.  You can't get addicted to the hard stuff without a gateway drug.

[jomni]

I bought ASLSK #1 but really haven't played it to death.  It satisfied by ASL curiousity but I think the game just didn't suite me.

[GJK]

Each of the SK's are stand-alone products.  SK1 covers only infantry.  SK2 adds the rules for guns and includes a couple of infantry only scenarios along with scenarios that add guns.  SK3 does the same but then adds tanks to guns and infantry.  The best route to go is to get the Expansion Pack 1.  It includes the full SK rule book with all the recent errata an it also contains infantry only scenarios, those with guns and the rest have AFV's.  You can always pick up the other SK's for the maps, counters and scenarios as they become available again. 

[Ubercat]

I bought the first starter kit, used, and sold it after realizing what would be involved in getting into the system. I read the SK rules, which while only 12 pages, were rather dry and dense. The full rule book is over 70 pages I think, and probably about as compelling as a law book. I also didn't want to spend 100's of dollars on all the modules and found the components drab and ugly.

I still wanted my squad level WW2 battles itch scratched, so I picked up Lock and Load: Band of Heroes. http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/18460/lock-n-load-band-of-heroes

The designer obviously has experience with ASL. It's like he took what was wrong with ASL and fixed it. The terminology is similar, but the game is much easier to learn and get into. Rather than IGOUGO, it's impulse driven; so both players are constantly engaged rather than waiting around for their opponent to finish his turn.

The components are also gorgeous and pretty high quality. My only issues are some mind boggling quality control issues. My copy of LnL:BoH was packed in such a way that the counter sheets were on top of the folded map sections, which are smaller in height and width than the counters. As a consequence some counter sheets were bent, many counters were knocked out, and a few suffered very minor damage. I hope that the fellow who packed the box was on the first day of his new job, otherwise there's no excuse for overlooking something so obvious.

I've also bought several expansions. Swift and Bold, which adds British paratroopers, had counters printed backwards. You know how you can tell the difference between the front and back? The front is smooth and the back slightly wrinkled. The shaken, damaged, etc, side of the counter was on the front, and the full strength unit was on the back, wrinkly side! It's amazing that they didn't think to use a little oversight. What ever happened to a test print run?

Not one Step Back, the first Russian expansion, has some misprinted numbers on a few counters. I painted over them with my miniature paint and then protected the painted fixes with a thin coat of minwax polyshade. The counters are already glossy so you have to look really close to notice the layer of minwax!

I definitely recommend the LnL series, despite the minor quality control issues. I found a guy online to play the game on Vassal, and now we also play For the People http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/833/for-the-people as well.

[TheCommandTent]

I might have to look into the LnL series.  Thanks Ubercat!

[bayonetbrant]

I still wanted my squad level WW2 battles itch scratched, so I picked up Lock and Load: Band of Heroes. http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/18460/lock-n-load-band-of-heroes

Great game.  I reviewed it for "the other place" back in '05.  It was one of the first full reviews I ever wrote, and I took some heat for my quip about the French.

I've also bought several expansions. Swift and Bold, which adds British paratroopers, had counters printed backwards.

The backstory on the misprinted counters is actually a little amusing 5 years after the fact, but it doesn't really affect gameplay at all.  The counters just seem weird stacked 'upside down'.

I definitely recommend the LnL series, despite the minor quality control issues.

Plus, with the same rules you get many, many more theaters of war than you get with ASL. 
Day of Heroes covers Somalia ("Blackhawk Down")
Ring of Hills gives you the Falklands
Forgotten Heroes / ANZAC Attack goes to Vietnam
Heroes of the Gap is the squad-level equivalent of World at War (same backstory, too)
There's a free download intro scenario for the system that is a French Foreign Legion engagement in West Africa
There's also a pre-order Heroes of the Faith that will bring LnL to the Middle East