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Unofficial ASL Products | |
| Break Contact | ||
| Scenario Packs | ||
| World of ASL Main Page | ||
| Producer Name: Break Contact |
| Country of Origin: Australia |
| Still Active?: Yes |
| Commentary: Break Contact
ibegan as the work of one man, and his first name is not Break.
Rather, it is Murray McCloskey, an Australian who began designing
individual scenarios for Multiman Publishing and Critical Hit, then, when
some odd whim struck him, decided to publish his own small scenario pack
of tournament-sized scenarios. After this first release, some other
Australians joined him to help produce a second such pack. Break Contact packs tend to feature small (sometimes very small) scenarios, often featuring Australian troops. |
| Title: Break Contact! Aussie Tournament Pack | |||||||||
| Publisher/Date: Break Contact (2006; revised edition 2007)) | Product Type: Scenario Pack | ||||||||
| Contents: 7 scenarios | |||||||||
| Country of Origin: Australia | |||||||||
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Commentary: Break Contact came onto the ASL scene like found money: unlooked for and unexpected, but appreciated. However, like found money, many may consider it hard to find. It is basically only available from one source, the Australian games e-tailer Warchest. It turns out that "Break Contact" is Straylian for "tournament sized scenarios," because that is what is in this small scenario pack (billed as an "Aussie Tournament Pack"): a baker's half dozen of smallish scenarios, all of which follow the exploits of various Australians in Crete, Syria, New Guinea and Bougainville. There is no doubting the size here; these scenarios hearken back to the style of the very first issue of Schwerpunkt: 8.5 squads vs. 5 squads, 11 squads vs. 7.5 squads, 8.5 squads vs. 6.5 squads, 6 squads vs. 1.5 squads, 9.5 squads vs. 7 squads, 9 squads vs. 6 squads, and the "monster" scenario featuring 15 squads vs. 8 squads, with a few odd vehicles thrown in here and there. The scenarios are reasonably attractive, although they have no photograph or drawing on them, as is customary. One interesting touch is that SSR's are color coded (so terrain notes have a green stripe next to them, artillery related SSRs have a blue stripe next to them, etc.). One of the scenarios is a night scenario, one scenarios has OBA and a Bombardment, one scenario has booby traps, one scenario lets one side voluntarily go beserk, and one scenario features bulldozers. Some of the scenarios are a little quirky. For example, one of them has an SSR that says hedges do not exist, but uses an orchard overlay to replace an orchard surrounded by a hedge--exactly the same effect either way, with the only likely result that the player will be confused and wonder if an open ground overlay was what was really intended. In 2007, Break Contact created a slightly revised version of the scenario pack. The new version has the same scenarios, but a completely new layout. The new layout--which includes original counter artwork--is superior to the original layout. In addition, some changes have been made to some of the scenarios. However, this 2nd edition was not produced for sale but only in very limited quantities for tournament prizes, etc.
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| Title: The Armoured Aussie Pack | |||||||
| Publisher/Date: Break Contact (2007) | Product Type: Scenario Pack | ||||||
| Contents: 7 scenarios | |||||||
| Country of Origin: Australia | |||||||
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Commentary: Break Contact's sophomore effort is quite similar to its first, containing 7 mostly tournament-sized scenarios, many of them featuring Australian troops. However, the scenarios cards contain a different (and much improved) layout, including original counter artwork. The title of the pack is a tad misleading, as only some of the scenarios have any AFVs at all. Like its predecessor, it contains a healthy helping of PTO scenarios (4 of 7), making Break Contact one of the few ASL publishers exhibiting a true commitment to the PTO. Three of the PTO scenarios are set in New Guinea and one on Bougainville. Other scenarios are set in Syria 1941, Italy 1943 and even South Korea 1950. Most of the scenarios are small in size; it is not unusual for both sides in a Break Contact scenario to have fewer than 10 squads per side. The big exception is BC12 (Itson), also the most unusual scenario in the pack. This Australian-Japanese scenario, set on Bougainville in 1945, uses an area slightly less than a half-board, but features 44 Japanese squads (yes, you read that correctly) attacking a fortified position defended by 16 elite Australian squads and 3 Matilda tanks. Those ASLers who dared tackle this mini-monster scenario at ASLOK 2007 enjoyed it. Another scenario that might draw the eyes of ASLers looking for something different is BC10 (Groff's Grief), set in Seoul, Korea, in 1950, in the wake of the Inchon landings. This DASL scenario features city fighting between USMC and North Korean forces (the latter using Russian counters). The USMC use 7-6-8 squads and are loaded with SW. If that weren't enough, they are accompanied by 2 Pershing tanks. The North Koreans get both Tank Hunter Heroes and Dare-Death Squads.
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