For example, RetroPak #7 (The Road to Berlin) began as OAF 9 (Hell's Fire at Meuncheberg[sic]), a scenario originally printed in the ancient ASL newsletter On All Fronts, then reprinted some years later by Critical Hit with some other OAF scenarios as "OAF Pack."  In Retro Pak I, the scenario reappears as The Road to Berlin.  The historical text is the same (although, ironically, its changes do not even include fixing the misspelled "Meuncheberg" from the original), and the order of battle is arbitrarily tweaked.  For example, a Soviet force of 9 4-5-8 squads and 3 6-2-8 squads is now a force of 8 4-5-8s, 2 6-2-8s, and 4 4-4-7s.  It originally had 1 .50 cal MG and 3 LMG; now it has 2 MMG and 3 LMG.  And so on and so forth.  The original scenario appeared to have favored the German (with a 2-8 ROAR report), but the Germans are strengthened in the new version, which raises questions about balance, although of course since the boards were arbitrarily changed, the new version will play differently.  No playtesters are listed, so it is not clear if any of these revised reprints were even fully playtested.

Five of the scenarios are East Front (i.e., Soviets vs. Germans), while two are Americans vs. Germans and one is USMC vs. Japanese.  Six of the scenarios are large in size, while two could be considered medium-sized.  There are no small scenarios in the pack.

The bottom line is that it is hard to recommend this scenario pack to anyone.  Veteran ASLers stand a good chance of already owning the original versions of these scenarios--scenarios that appeared as their designers intended, without maps, orders of battle, and SSRs arbitrarily changed.  And because the amount of playtesting on these "new" scenarios is unclear, it is hard to recommend this pack to new ASLers, either.  That pretty much leaves completist collectors only.

TAP2, following in its footsteps, adds a dozen new scenarios, but only one additional map, a long narrow map with a town on one end and orchards and fields in the middle and on the other end.  It is unremarkable and not particularly interesting.

Many of the scenarios use maps from Total Axis Pack I; thus, ownership of that previous pack is more or less REQUIRED.  Only 2 of the 12 scenarios use the included map.  Another 6 scenarios use the maps from TAP1.  The remaining scenarios use geomorphic maps, including TAP#21 (Last Message Home), which uses a DASL board (or rather, part of one!).

The scenarios are a real mix of nationalities and actions, including:  Finns vs. Soviets 1939 [2], Finns vs. Soviets 1944, Americans vs. Germans (1943 in Sicily, 1944 in Normandy, 1945 in Alsace), Germans vs. Soviets 1945, New Zealanders and Greeks vs. Germans (1941, in Greece),  Germans and Hungarians vs. Soviets 1945, Italians vs. Japanese 1943 [2], and Slovak partisans vs. Germans 1944.

The pack is heavily weighted towards large scenarios; only 1 is small and only 3 are medium-sized.  Four scenarios have OBA (including one NOBA); several have Finnish ski-capable troops.

Two of the scenarios immediately stand out for their exoticism and interest level; these are the two scenarios featuring Italian and Japanese troops fighting each other:  TAP#21 (Last Message Home) and TAP#22 (Last Outpost).  Both take place in Tientsin, China, in September 1943, following the armistice between the Allies and Italy.  The Italians had long had a battalion to keep order in this quasi-colony of theirs, and following the Italian surrender, the Japanese surrounded the Italian quarter and demanded their surrender.  The Italians offered this soon enough, but not before some skirmishes had occurred, and these fights provided scenario grist for designer David Lamb.  Not surprisingly, they are the only Italian vs. Japanese scenarios in the ASL milieu.

This is a pack that probably has good play value, but its cost value is lessened by the need to own TAP1.

The laziness of Critical Hit is amply demonstrated.  StalPack#1 (Ivan's Way), for example, contains the exact same historical description as the Valor of the 37th Guards scenario On Yeremenko's Orders.  Ivan's Way appears to be a rough approximation of that earlier scenario (which itself is an approximation from End Tide from Dzerhezinsky Tractor Works.  StalPak #2 (Yards Paid in Blood) does the same for Yards Measured in Blood from Valor of the 37th Guards.  And so on. 

One of the 10 scenarios is medium-sized, the rest are large.  StalPak#9 (Zholudev's 37th Guards) is the largest, with 23 German squads pitted against 36 Soviet squads and 13 AFVs.  The Germans have AFVs, too, bu the number is questionable.  In addition to 10 other tanks, the scenario card calls for 27 Pz IIIHs.  It's not often an entire armored regiment gets to see battle in ASL.  Of course, that is almost certainly errata.  The scenario is a clone of the DTW scenario To the Banks of the Volga, which calls for only 3 Pz IIIHs.  Clearly some mistake was made--and no proofreading caught the rather amazing error.  Apparently CH even has problems when cannibalizing its own scenarios.

This product is a transparent attempt at a fast buck, a throw-back to some of Critical Hit's shoddy products in the late 1990s.  Two thumbs down.

This time around, 10 scenarios are included.  Most of them are not Critical Hit originals, but rather obtained from other third party publishers (who published them in the mid-1990s) and originally reprinted by Critical Hit during the period 1996-1998.  Because most of these re-reprinted scenarios in RP2 have been renamed, their origins are not immediately obvious.  However, research reveals that most of the scenarios are from the European 1990s-era ASL newsletter ASL News (the rights to which Critical Hit later acquired) and were originally reprinted by Critical Hit in a compilation called Scroungin' ASL News.

Below is a list of the Retropak II scenarios and their provenance, along with how the scenarios were changed.  Note that essentially the only meaningful changes were minor OB variations (although Blade Force had a more serious set of OB changes).  Rules and victory conditions were reworded in most of the scenarios to make them more clear, but their meaning was not changed.  In summary, then, there are few significant changes from the originals.  This pack is essentially a reprint of reprints.

Though all of these scenarios are out of print, many of them are still relatively available.  Critical Hit scenario packs such as Rout Pack 1 and Scroungin' ASL News can be found without too much trouble (or expense) on the secondary market.   Not too much more difficult to obtain is the 1997 Special Edition issue of Critical Hit Magazine.  And Prussian Panic can be downloaded for free from the Web.  That basically leaves one scenario, Forward Defense, which is legitimately hard to find. 

Of the scenarios, only one, Victoria Cross, has gotten a fair amount of play over the years.  Most of the others have been languishing in obscurity, justly or unjustly.  The cosmetic changes and different names are not likely to make them any better or more enjoyable (or less so).  Veteran ASLers will probably already have a number of them in their possession; there is little need to purchase new versions.  That leaves relatively new ASL players as the possible target audience for this product.  The inexpensive price of Retropak II means that some older, not well known scenarios can be purchased cheaply. 

For some reason, though, the conversion process was never applied to the original ATS scenarios themselves, or to the early ATS expansion packs set in North Africa.  In 2010, Critical Hit decided to go back to the well and convert those early ATS products to ASL.  The initial result is a series of one core product (this one, AK-EL) and five additional scenario packs (which contain nothing but additional scenarios).  It is not clear why Critical Hit decided to divide this project up into a half-dozen different projects, instead of combining them into one or two products.  Perhaps a financial calculation was involved, with the idea being that more units might be sold if composed of separate, cheaply priced packs rather than one or two more expensive products, or proportionately more profit per unit could be realized.  On the other hand, the release of six products at once (in nearly identical packaging) is fairly confusing, and it can be easy for potential purchasers to miss one or more of the products; it is also likely that on-line or real world retailers might not have all six in stock.  So Critical Hit may have been too clever for itself in this regard.  In any case, getting the whole kit and caboodle will currently set someone back $130, so this will be an expensive endeavor for gamers no matter how one slices it (in late August, Critical Hit suddenly announced another half-dozen AK packs would be imminently released, so one can essentially double the comments mentioned here). 

[2011 Update:  Quick on the heels of these six packs came a second set of packs arranged the same way:  a "core" module and five scenario packs.  See Afrika Korps-Battle of Gazala and associated packs for more details on the second half-dozen packs.]

The timing of the product's release is a bit off, as required ASL component West of Alamein has long been out of print, and its replacement has not yet been released.  Thus many newer ASL players will not have all of the requisite components.  This will presumably improve over time.

ATS's approach to the North African desert, now brought to ASL, was to abandon the desert-themed geomorphic mapboards introduced in West of Alamein and Hollow Legions and instead use a large 22" x 34" generic desert mapboard, which could be modified as needed through the use of overlays.  This was probably a wise decision, as the expansive nature of desert warfare means that most ASL desert scenarios used most of the desert geo-boards anyway, so there was not that much of a reason to have individual but nearly identical geomorphic mapboards.  The larger mapboard in this instance is actually more rather than less convenient.

The four dozen overlays represent a wide variety of desert terrain, though the features are all limited in size (though the map is 22" x 34", no overlay is larger than around 7" x 10" and most are considerably smaller.  As a result, there are no options for a ridge or gully that can span the map, for example.  Overlays include hillocks, railroads, wadis, villages, sand, deirs, scrub, crag, palm trees, buildings and forts, sand dunes, tracks, camps and dumps, anti-tank ditches, hills, and wire/minefields.  Purchasers should carefully check their overlays to make sure they are all correctly cut, as on some copies, some overlay cards are mis-cut.

An eight-page booklet is included with the product, of which four pages are rules, primarily to describe the overlays and their placement.  About a page of rules is dedicated to handling the old forts that appear in some scenarios. 

A small number of die-cut counters appear in the module as well.  In and of themselves, they are not very interesting.  A new Italian squad type is introduced, a 4-4-8/2-4-8 elite squad/half-squad designed to represent the Folgore parachutists who fought at El Alamein.  A small number of German squads (4-6-8, 4-6-7, and 4-4-7) are included that are intended to represent Afrika Korps troops; they are identical to regular German troops except that the 4-4-7 squads have underlined morale to indicate that they do not ELR further.  The other counters are 5/8" counters representing a variety of standard German vehicles and guns, and British vehicles and guns (though they are more yellow in color than ASL-standard British khaki). 

It is worth nothing that, while recent ASL-compatible modules with counters released by Critical Hit included enough counters (aside from info markers) to play any of the scenarios included, this is NOT the case here, and official counters will still be required to provide units needed for the scenarios.

The most noteworthy aspect of the counters is not in what is included but rather in how they are depicted.  At long last, Critical Hit abandoned its dysfunctional, difficult-to-understand system of gun/vehicular counter layout.  Years of customer complaints, along with sideways glances towards the far more attractive counters produced by rivals Heat of Battle and Bounding Fire Productions, apparently gave Critical Hit enough of a nudge to finally introduce readable counters.  "The choice to go with [these] counters," suggests the El Alamein rules booklet, "follows the long-standing precedent now extant with HoB and BFP counters, and communicated as a preference by gamers."  This goes a long way towards making Critical Hit counters actually usable, as many ASLers did not even bother using CH's 5/8" counters in their old layout and presentation style.

Critical Hit, however, has a way to go to be able to match a company like MMP or even a third party publisher like BFP in terms of counter quality.  Critical Hit still seems to use some poor counter dies (or employs a sloppy die-cutter; in any case, the nibs are strangely placed), and the registration of its die-cutting in El Alamein is visibly off from its guide marks, with the result that many of the counters have art that is not squarely centered and may even have values cut off. 

There are 10 scenarios in AK-EL; not surprisingly, Desert Rules are in effect for all of them.  Every scenario uses the included "Tobruk" map.   Perhaps not surprisingly, given that these are conversions of ATS scenarios, the scenarios in AK-EL tend towards the small.  Half of the AK-EL scenaros fall in the small scenario range, with the other half being medium or large.  One scenario uses OBA, two scenarios use Air Support, and three scenarios use Night Rules.  A number of the scenarios have extensive overlay placement.

Half of the scenarios feature straight British/Commonwealth vs. German action.  The other half feature British/Commonwealth vs. Italians, or vs. Germans and Italians together.   A couple of the scenarios don't look like any fun at all.  AK#1 (Charge to Aqqaqir Ridge), while featuring an admirable number of Q's in the title, depicts a "charge of the light brigade" situation with 17 British Grant and Sherman tanks being picked off by a shooting gallery of 9 AT guns and 88mm AA guns, as well as 2 AFVs.  To win, the British have to exit only a single vehicle.  Even less enchanting is AK#10 (Todt), which features 6 British fighter-bombers (only) vs. a small convoy of light-skinned German vehicles.  There has never been a fun scenario featuring an airplane only OB for a side, and this is unlikely to break the mold.

AK#2 (The Mark of the Lion) and AK#4 (January Breached) look only slightly more fun.  Both are tiny scenarios featuring six squads or less per side, victory conditions that involve getting into or getting enemy units out of a wadi, and use Night Rules.  They hardly seem worth brushing up on the Night Rules and Desert Rules for.

On a more positive note, AK#6 (Fraser's Black Line Dash) depicts a small British vs. German infantry action with an interesting SSRs (British units must past a TC to enter the map).  It could be a nice, quick scenario, if the German 81mm mortars (two of them) don't get too lucky.   AK#7 (Kidney Punch) features an interesting combined arms action with British, Italians, and Germans all represented, including everything from a British Hurricane buzzing around the battlefield, Italian flame-throwing tanks, and a variety of AFVs and support weapons.  With a variety of ways to amass VP, players are unlikely to know who is winning through most of the scenario.  AK#9 (Hunters of Afrika) pits elite British troops against elite Italian parachutists in a 3 1/2 turn scenario that will start with fast and furious action due to an unusual sequential scenario set-up mechanism that will end up with both sides almost on top of each other.

It should be noted that, as of a month or two after the release of the 6 AK products, there has been a fair amount of errata for them.  As of mid-August 2010, as far as AK-EL is concerned, AK#2, AK#6, and AK#8 have all had their original scenario cards replaced with a 1.1 version.  Presumably the earliest released copies had the original version; players whose copy of AK-EL do not have version 1.1 cards for these scenarios should contact Critical Hit.  Currently, combined errata for the series (though it is not clear if this is up-to-date) can be found here.

The Afrika Korps project is, overall, a welcome return to the desert for ASL.  It is not the most popular theater for players, and so has seriously been neglected by designers (the fact that ASL desert rules, boards and counters have been out of print for many years has definitely not helped).  AK may convince some ASL veterans to break out their Chapter F and give it another go.  Certainly the addition of a large map is convenient, as are the addition of many new overlays.  The new CH AFV counter art is also welcome (though CH still has a way to go to improve on its counter quality).  Less welcome is the division of the AK project into so many different separate products, which is not particularly consumer friendly.  As far as AK-EL is concerned, the scenarios included are not as nice a mix as they could be (there was just no reason to include AK#10, for example), and one hopes that they have been adequately playtested (the early errata does make one a bit nervous).

One additional point is perhaps worth making.  The release of so many scenarios at once, followed almost immediately by a second, equally large batch of scenarios (Critical Hit announced in late August 2010 the imminent release of another 6 packs of ATS-to-ASL desert conversions) raises questions as to whether all (or even most) of the converted scenarios received adequate playtesting and development, especially because CH's main team of playtesters and developers were not involved in the project.

Title:  Afrika Korps-Benghazi Handicap (AK002)

The scenarios in AK-BH all take place in March-April 1941, during the early stages of Rommel's first offensive, essentially between El Agheila and Tobruk.  They all use a large, non-geomorphic desert mapboard, usually populated with a number of overlays.

Most of the scenarios have a relatively small number of SSRs (though they all use Chapter F, of course).  There are no Night scenarios or scenarios with OBA.  One scenario uses Air Support.

Scenarios ported over to ASL from the ATS system, as all of these were, tend to be small in size, and that is definitely true for AK-BH.  In fact, all eight scenarios are small.  Most of them are so small, in fact, that it is debatable whether or not it is worth putting together a bunch of overlays and brushing up on Chapter F rules simply in order to play them.

For most ASLers, scenarios this size are so small as to not be very satisfying, although perhaps players could play several of them in a row in order to get a more rewarding total experience.  Moreover, the appeal for many of the players who do play desert scenarios (only a minority of the total ASL audience) is combined arms or armor heavy action, and these scenarios are pretty much lacking in those swirling tank battles. 

Overall, it has to be said that AK-EL is disappointing.

It should be noted that, as of a month or two after the release of the 6 AK products, there has been a fair amount of errata for them.  As of mid-August 2010, as far as AK-BH is concerned, AK#13, AK#14, and AK#17 have all had their original scenario cards replaced with a 1.1 version.  Presumably the earliest released copies had the original version; players whose copy of AK-BH do not have version 1.1 cards for these scenarios should contact Critical Hit.  Currently, combined errata for the series (though it is not clear if this is up-to-date) can be found here.

The scenarios in AK-BE all take place in Tunisia between December 1942 and May 1943, during the final months of the German and Italian presence in North Afrika.  In contrast to the two earlier products in the AK series, all the scenarios in AK-BE feature Americans.   The scenarios all use a large, non-geomorphic desert mapboard, usually populated with a number of overlays.

All of the AK-BE scenarios are converted versions of scenarios originally designed for the ATS system; as such, they tend to be smaller than the typical ASL scenario.  However, there is a good mix of scenarios in AK-BE, with an essentially equal division of small, medium, and large scenarios (though no very large ones).

The scenarios have few SSRs and few complex rules (other than Chapter F rules).  One scenario uses Air Support; two scenarios feature OBA.

Several of the scenarios look fairly interesting.  One is the somewhat awkwardly titled AK#20 (Deaf Forever to the Battle's Din), which features a struggle between American and German forces for a hill.  The Americans are well armed, with a .50 cal HMG and 3 MMGs (among other items), and get some decent armor support as reinforcements.  However, the Germans have an elite force, as well as more and better AFVs.  In addition, they are pals with a Stuka who will spend three turns over the battlefield.  There is errata in this scenario, as it says that the Germans may HIP one squad, but the Germans all enter from offboard (Critical Hit later confirmed that the Americans were meant instead).

AK#21 (Saving French Bacon) depicts an action in which an American infantry force (buttressed by two Grant tanks) must take a desert village and hold it despite some German reinforcements that include a Tiger tank.  AK#22 (Fruehlingswind) looks like a wild combined arms action featuring a German attack on an American-held village position.  Both sides have OBA.  The Americans also have a hero, some guns, and a variety of vehicles.  The Germans have a 10-2 leader, a 9-2 armor leader, and a nice armor force that includes a Tiger.  Victory conditions include CVP, building control, and hexes on an overlay.

Overall, the third AK product looks like a more enjoyable set of scenarios than the second one.

It should be noted that, as of a month or two after the release of the 6 AK products, there has been a fair amount of errata for them.  As of mid-August 2010, as far as AK-BE is concerned, AK#19 has had its original scenario cards replaced with a 1.1 version.  Presumably the earliest released copies had the original version; players whose copy of AK-BE do not have version 1.1 cards for this scenario should contact Critical Hit.  Currently, combined errata for the series (though it is not clear if this is up-to-date) can be found here.

The scenarios in AK-STA all take place between November 1942 and May 1943 in Tunisia; all of them feature the British/Commonwealth (making AK-STA essentially the counterpart to the third scenario pack, AK-Bitter Enders, the scenarios of which also take place in Tunisia but feature American troops).  The scenarios all use a large, non-geomorphic desert mapboard (included with AK-El Alamein), usually populated with a number of overlays.

All of the AK-STA scenarios are converted versions of scenarios originally designed for the ATS system; as such, they tend to be smaller than the typical ASL scenario.   Almost all of the ASK-STA scenarios are small in size by ASL standards, but thankfully they are not all too small (as was the case in AK-Benghazi Handicap).  However, a better mix of scenario sizes would give the scenario pack more play value; as it is, the pack has nothing to offer people who like medium-sized or large scenarios.

SSRs are typically few in number.  One scenario uses OBA; there are no scenarios that feature Night rules or Air Support. 

A couple of the scenarios seem interesting.  AK#32 (Blunted Blade) features a British force of 8 squads and 8 AFVs trying to take on a blocking force of 4 Italian squads with an HMG, two guns, 2 assault guns and a very nice platoon of German reinforcements (complete with a 9-2 leader and a hero).  Both sides get to use some less-used vehicles (including Semoventes, Crusaders, and AEC Is).  AK#33 (Jebel Achkel) is an all-infantry action featuring an Indian attack with 10 elite squads against a hill occupied by 8 German squads with some nasty MGs, an 88mm gun, and an 81mm mortar.  The British are not expected to take the whole hill, just control more Level 2 hill hexes than the Germans.

Overall, though, it is not the most exciting of the AK packs.

It should be noted that, as of a month or two after the release of the 6 AK products, there has been a fair amount of errata for them.  As of mid-August 2010, as far as AK-STA is concerned, AK#29 has had its original scenario cards replaced with a 1.1 version.  Presumably the earliest released copies had the original version; players whose copy of AK-BE do not have version 1.1 cards for this scenario should contact Critical Hit.  Currently, combined errata for the series (though it is not clear if this is up-to-date) can be found here.

The scenarios in AK-OT all take place between November 1942 and February 1943 in Morocco and Tunisia, the early months of Operation Torch.  The scenarios feature, in addition to the Germans and Italians, the Americans and the French.  Indeed, the French appear in all 8 of the scenarios, either in their Vichy variety (i.e., defending against the Americans) or in their new-found Free French status (i.e., fighting against the Axis).   The scenarios all use a large, non-geomorphic desert mapboard (included with AK-El Alamein), usually populated with a number of overlays.

All of the AK-OT scenarios are converted versions of scenarios originally designed for the ATS system; as such, they tend to be smaller than the typical ASL scenario.   However, in contrast to some of the other packs of the 6-part AK series, AK-OT does include some meatier scenarios.  Five of the scenarios are small in size, while three are large (none are really medium-sized).  Generally, the scenarios have few SSRs.  Three of the scenarios feature OBA; one scenario uses Air Support.  There are no Night scenarios.

Several scenarios are worth mentioning.  AK#35 (Toasted in Tunis) features a German attack on several hills (attacks on hills are a common feature in AK scenarios) occupied by American and French defenders.  The Americans and French are loaded for bear (the American OB includes a .50 cal HMG, 4 MMGs, 3 60mm MRs, 2 Bazookas and 2 37mm AT guns, while the French OB includes an HMG, 3 LMG, and 2 60mm MTRs.  The German attackers are actually considerably outnumbered in squads and leaders (in fact they only have two leaders, but what leaders!  A 10-2 and a 9-2, with a hero tagging along for good luck), but they are well armed, often elite, and have a bit of armored support, in the form of 11 AFVs.  Those AFVs include 2 OP tanks, each of which can bring down a module of OBA.  This looks like a very interesting meaty scenario.

Another one of the meaty scenarios features an American attack on a French-held airfield (represented by track overlays); the Americans have to prevent the French from being able to apply 24FP onto any airfield hex.  This scenario is only for artillery lovers; the Americans have two OBA modules (81mm and 120mm), while the French have a module of their on (105mm).  The American attackers include 23 squads (1st and 2nd line), with 2 heroes, 2 9-2 leaders, a .50 cal HMG and several other toys, as well as 4 AFVs.  The French defenders have 16 squads (Elite and 1st Line) well armed with support weapons (including 2 HMG) and with 4 Guns.

An interesting smaller scenario is the awfully titled AK#39 (Faid Fadeaway), which features a small German elite (in almost every possible way) combined armed force attacking a motley French-held set of buildings.  The French must make every one of their units count.

It should be noted that, as of a month or two after the release of the 6 AK products, there has been a fair amount of errata for them.  As of mid-August 2010, as far as AK-OT is concerned, AK#35, AK#36, AK#37, AK#39, AK#41 and AK#42 have all had their original scenario cards replaced with a 1.1 version.  Presumably the earliest released copies had the original version; players whose copy of AK-OT do not have version 1.1 cards for these scenarios should contact Critical Hit.  Currently, combined errata for the series (though it is not clear if this is up-to-date) can be found here.

The scenarios in AK-CA range in place and time from 1941-1943 and from Egypt to Tunisia.  Where the other five packs in the AK series all have a fairly concrete common theme to their scenarios, this is not the case for AK-CA, which seems to be more of a grab bag of scenarios than anything else.  The scenarios are not always even "combined arms," in the sense that most ASLers think of the term, i.e., as a mixture of infantry and armor, perhaps with artillery support or air power.  One scenario, for example, AK#49 (Codeword: Laxative), is an all-armor scenario--the exact opposite of combined arms.  Essentially, these scenarios seem "left over" from the other packs.

The scenarios feature Germans, Italians, French, British/Commonwealth, and Americans.  The scenarios all use a large, non-geomorphic desert mapboard (included with AK-El Alamein), usually populated with a number of overlays. 

All of the AK-CA scenarios are converted versions of scenarios originally designed for the ATS system; as such, they tend to be smaller than the typical ASL scenario.  Most of the scenarios are thus small, with a couple that are barely medium-sized and one that is large.  A couple of the scenarios are of the "why even bother" variety, including AK#49 (Codeword: Laxative), which pits 5 Italian AFVs against 5 British AFVs and AK#50 (Gunlayer Halm), which features 6 British AFVs ranged against 2 German AVs and 2 76mm AT guns. 

Typically, the scenarios have few SSRs.  Aside from the Desert rules themselves, they don't often use advanced ASL rules sections.  However, three scenarios do use OBA (though none use Night rules or Air Support).

The large scenario in AK-CA, AK#43 (Head On at Alam Halfa), features the famous German attack on Alam Halfa ridge during the battle of El Alamein.  The Germans, supported by 4 on-board guns and a module of 150mm OBA (!), attack with 14 elite squads (extremely well led, and with a hero, too) and 18 AFVs.  The British have 8 squads (also pretty well led), 8 SW, 8 Guns, and 6 AFVs.   The scenario is a full 10 turns long.

AK#44 ("Armor for Tunis!") features a combined Franco-American attack (10 elite French/American squads, accompanied by 4 AFVs) on an Italian held position (8 squads, a 9-2 leader, 7 SW, 2 Guns, and 2 AFV).  It looks very playable.

Overall, however, the scenario selection is not great and this pack is one of the more disappointing ones (along with AK-Benghazi Handicap) in the series.

It should be noted that, as of a month or two after the release of the 6 AK products, there has been a fair amount of errata for them.  Currently, combined errata for the series (though it is not clear if this is up-to-date) can be found here.

These packs were thrown together quickly, and it is not clear whether or not these scenarios, which are simply conversions of scenarios originally designed for the rival ATS game system, were fully playtested on their own terms.  Certainly the first batch of AK packs had more than its fair share of errata; these might as well.

Like its predecessor, AK-BoG contains a large generic map (in this case, two identical copies of the same map that comes with AK-EA), which can be modified by overlays, 14 of which are included.   For whatever reason, the overlays are not color-coordinated with the accompanying maps; most have a color that resembles that of the official geomorphic desert mapboards.  It is not clear why the game comes with two copies of the map, since none of the scenarios in AK Packs 7-12 use three of the maps, and players are told they need to purchase AK-EA in order to play the packs, so theoretically they would already have a copy of the map. 

The rulebook appears to be basically the same rulebook that appears in AK-EA, except that it also includes a reprinted article by Matt Romey that helps players learn desert terrain.  Because it is a rulebook created for a different product, it refers to some items, such as 1/2" counters, which are not actually present in the AK-BoG but which appeared in AK-EA.

The counters that come with AK-BoG are all 5/8" counters--4 half-sheets total representing two identical sets of 2 half-sheets.  The counters are all German, Italian, British and American vehicles and guns, plus one German aircraft counter.  The majority of the counters are duplicates of counters that already exist in ASL, but there are a few new vehicle types or variants.  Thankfully, the counters appear in the "new" CH AFV/Gun layout style, which replaced the virtually incomprehensible style they had used for years.  As a result, they are actually readable and usable.

AK-BoG comes with 9 scenarios.  Four of the scenarios use one map, or a portion of it, while the remaining 5 use two copies of the map placed next to each other to create a larger battlefield.  Because of the distances typically involved, all of the scenarios are long by normal ASL standards--the shortest scenarios are 8 turns long.  However, the scenarios are large in size, too.  AK-BoG has no small scenarios and only 2 medium-sized scenarios; the remaining 7 scenarios are large in size.  Many of them are vehicle heavy; 5 have an all-armor OB for one or both sides.  Air support is present in 2 of the scenarios, while OBA is present in every single scenario except one.  Indeed, in every case, one side has at least 2 modules of OBA and in several cases has 3.  This module is not for people who don't like OBA. 

As the title of the pack suggests, all of the scenarios take place during the Battle of Gazala in May-June 1942.  As a result, only the British/Commonwealth, Italians, and Germans are featured, except for one scenario, AK58 (The Fall of Point 186), which features the Free French. 

Obviously, for fans of the desert in PTO, the AK packs, warts and all, represent a bonanza of scenario actions that can greatly enhance their enjoyment of this neglected theater. 

The scenarios in this pack are all set on the Libyan-Egyptian border and take place between June 1940, when Italy declared war on Britain and France, and December 1940, when the "O'Connor Offensive" (Operation Compass) swept the Italians out of Egypt and eastern Libya.  This is thus a rare set of scenarios that focus on British-Italian actions, which is a welcome break from the usual fare.  One scenario uses two copies of the AK map; the remaining 7 are set on a single map, or a portion of one. 

The scenarios are a good mix of small, medium, and large-sized actions.  Half of the scenarios have OBA.  No scenarios have Air Support.  One scenario, AK61 (Let Us Prey), is a Night scenario.  In 3 of the scenarios, one or both sides have an all-armor OB.  Several of the scenarios have interesting situations, including AK66 (March to Fire), which depicts a British attack, supported by thick-armored Matildas, against an Italian defensive position.  Another interesting situation is that portrayed in AK67 (Pride Before Fall), depicting a British combined arms attempt to trap some retreating Italians against the coastal road along the Mediterranean Sea. 

The scenarios in this oddly-titled pack are set in December 1940-January 1941 as Operation Compass, the British/Commonwealth offensive, swept the Italians out of Egypt and back across Cyrenaica all the way to El Agheila.  In other words, this depicts the period in the western desert fighting just before the arrival of the Germans.

All of the scenarios use one AK map or a portion of one.  They are a fairly even mix of small, medium and large actions.  Half of them feature all-armor OBs for at least one side.  Three of the scenarios have OBA.  There are no scenarios that use the Night or Air Support rules.  Generally speaking, the scenarios in AK-RO have few SSRs.

Several of the scenarios depict interesting actions.  AK68 (Sidi Barrani) features a combined arms British attack on an Italian-held village.  AK70 (Ciao Time!) depicts a British attack on an Italian trench position.  Initially it is basically an infantry action, but armor arrives for both sides.   AK75 (Fox Killed in the Open) is the only Italian attack in the pack; it features a large Italian armored force trying to get past a smaller but better (and extremely well led) British armored force.  The Italians must both eliminate British AFVs as well as exit AFVs of their own. 

The scenarios in this pack take place from 1941 to 1942, from Egypt to Tunisia, and have no unifying theme other than the loose commonality of being set somewhere near the Mediterranean coast.  In essence, this is a grab bag of desert scenarios.  Nationalities featured include the British/Commonwealth, French (3 scenarios), Italians, and Germans.

One of the scenarios uses two copies of the AK map; the others use only one copy of the map or a portion of one.  One scenario is an all-armor scenario; the others feature combined arms.  The scenarios are a good mix of small, medium, and large in size, though none are very large.  One scenario, AK77 (Chance Encounter), the one all-armor scenario, is tiny--it features three German armored cars vs. three British armored cars.   Three of the scenarios feature OBA; no scenarios employ Air Support or Night rules.  Typically, the SSRs are straightforward and few in number.  One of the scenarios, AK79 (Before the Ghibli Comes) is a re-working of a geomorphic mapboard scenario originally designed by Philippe Leonard for ASL News.  Another, AK81 (Bedja Blockade), is a re-do of a scenario originally designed by Steve Swann that appeared in Critical Hit Magazine.

One interesting scenario in the pack is AK80 (Desert Citadel), which features an Italian combined arms attack (including 13 AFVs) against the Free French; this action depicts part of the famous battle for Bir Hacheim in May 1942.   AK81 (Bedja Blockade) is another French-Italian action.  Set in Tunisia in late 1942, it features an Italian infantry attack, supported by tanks and armored cards, against a French force (just lately a Vichy force) of infantry and light guns.  However, it depicts the French primarily as if they had British weapons, which they did not (they had French weapons, of course). 

The scenarios in this pack have no real unifying theme, other than they are all set after Operation Battleaxe in 1941.  Nationalities featured include British/Commonwealth, Italians, and Germans.  All of the scenarios are set on one AK map, or a portion of one.   Half of the scenarios are large in size, with the remainder divided between medium and small.  Air Support is present in one scenario;  the Night rules are present in two.  OBA appears in two scenarios.  One of the scenarios features an all-armor OB for one size.  The British are on the attack in most of the scenarios.

Several of the scenarios feature special rules to represent prominent people on the battlefield.  Overall, though, the scenarios are SSR-light.  Several of the scenarios look interesting.  One is AK85 (The Pastor's Punch), which depicts part of the action at Hellfire Pass in June 1941, when a British attack against commanding German anti-tank defenses ended in defeat.  This scenario pits 18.5 elite British squads, accompanied by 10 AFVs, in an attack against 10.5 elite German squads, assisted by 4 AFVs and 5 guns, including 2 of the dreaded 88mm Flak guns.  AK91 (Ed Duda Knights) is an interesting small Night action, featuring a New Zealand infantry attack against an Italian Bersaglieri position. 

AK-EGS has the loose theme that its scenarios are set in Tunisia in 1942-1943, with one odd exception--a reworking of a previously designed scenario by Rick Troha set in Sicily.  That's stretching quite a bit; perhaps it was just thrown in so that the AK series could reach a total 100 scenarios.  Nationalities included are the British/Commonwealth, Americans, Italians, and Germans. 

All of the scenarios take place on a single AK map, or a portion of one.   They are overwhelmingly small in size; the only one of any real size is the misplaced Sicily scenario, AK95 (The Gauntlet).  Four of the scenarios have all-armor OBs for at least one side.  Two scenarios use OBA; one scenario uses the Night rules.   Some of the scenarios are just too small to be any fun.  AK94 (Lancers Alone), for example, features 5 British tanks and an armor leader against two German guns and a leader (who won't have much to do except be a cheerleader for the crews).  To win, the British simply have to exit an AFV.  It is hard to see how it is worth setting up the 7 overlays required to play this small and rather pointless scenario.

A more interesting scenario is AK92 (First Clash), a meeting engagement between British and German troops.  Both sides enter from off-board on trucks and must contend for building and hill control VP.  The British have a largely elite force, reasonably well led, with excellent support weapons (3 HMG, 2 LMG, 1 51mm MTR) and OBA.  They are accompanied by a carrier and two armored cars.  The Germans are also elite, including 7 8-3-8 squads and 2 5-4-8 squads, but that short range might be a liability.  They have excellent leadership (10-3, 9-1, 8-1, and a hero), and good support weapons (1 MMG, 4 LMG, 1 ATR, 3 DC).  They get three Pz IVF2s as reinforcements (with an armor leader) as well as a truck carrying a 20mm AA gun.

BoBN is a port of an ATS release, Drop Zone Normandy, which is why the main map in the product is labeled DZN.  Less clear is why the same map is labeled NP on the scenario cards.  The other, "bonus" map is described as the Brécourt Manor map, but the map itself has no label and it is labeled BoB1 on the scenario cards. 

The bulk of BoBN consists of 8 scenarios, purportedly new, designed by Ray Tapio.  All of them use the Drop Zone Normandy/NP map, which is not a historical map but has generic "Normandy-style" terrain on it.  In addition, there are two "bonus" BoBN scenarios to go with the "bonus" Brécourt Manor map.  The "bonus" Brécourt Manor map appeared originally in a Band of Brothers associated ATS module (So Full of Fire), published in 2007; it was thrown as a "bonus" into a tiny ASL mini-module, Hürtgen Surprise, in 2008.  Now, in 2011, the map is being re-bonused as part of BoBN, with two scenarios, BoBII #1 (So Full of Fire) and BoBII #2 (Brécourt Mop Up), both of which are also re-bonuses from Hürtgen Surprise, apparently slightly tweaked.  The other two "free bonus" scenarios are Bonus 1 (Man and Machine) and Bonus 2 (Those Normandy Nights).  It is not exactly clear why Man and Machine is being described as a "bonus scenario;" it looks like a normal BoBN scenario, even using that map.  The second scenario, though is a reprint of a DASL scenario that originally appeared in Critical Hit Magazine.  Often with Critical Hit, nothing is easy to describe.

For discussion of the Manor map and scenarios, see the link above.

The BoBN map is a 16 hex by 26 hex map featuring generic "Normandy-style" terrain, with hedges, orchards and scattered buildings predominating.  A few slopes are scattered around the map as well.  The woods hexes are primarily "stamped" terrain--several pre-created woods images used over and over again, recognizable by their distinct features.  The shellhole hexes are also stamps, with the identical "spread" of shellholes appearing time after time.

Unusually for Critical Hit, the map is printed on a glossy paper stock, something Critical Hit has not done in many years.  This gives the map a brighter tone than its more muted matte maps have, but adds glare.  Many ASL players do not like glossy maps because of the glare issue and a perceived fragility (though this map seems sturdy enough).  It is folded as a tri-fold, which means that when folded it is longer than a typical wargame map and requires a long envelope for storage.  On the whole, it is a fairly unremarkable map, with no distinctive or interesting terrain.  Three scenarios utilize the whole map; the other six use a portion of it.

The countersheet (in typical Critical Hit style, there are two duplicates of a single countersheet) consists overwhelmingly of counters that area already in the system.  There are two 1/2" counters introducing the M5A1 utility hand cart, typically used by airborne and other troops to help haul items such as ammo or a .50 cal MG.  However, no scenario utilizes them and there are not any included rules for them, so they are essentially useless fluff.  In short, there was no actual need to include any counters in this product.

Of the 9 BobN scenarios, 8 are small in size (the "bonus" scenario, Man and Machine, squeaks in at medium).  In fact, one could say that the scenarios are basically tiny in size; the average attacking force in these 9 scenarios has only 8.5 squads.  That's a size that will be too small for many ASL players.  Despite their small size, three of the scenarios have OBA.  All of them use Bocage rules.  The scenarios have few SSRs, allowing players to get in and start playing easily.

The scenarios in general are SMC heavy, at least for the Americans.  BoBN#1 (On to La Barquette), for example, features 8.5 attacking American squads.  They are accompanied by 3 leaders (including a 10-3 leader!) and two heroes.  The defending Germans, by the way, start with only 6 squads (they get two more as reinforcements).  They certainly have their work cut out for them, as the American heroes stacked with the 10-3 leader together can provide a -5 DRM to any fire.  BoBN#2 (Strayer Forward) features 8.5 attacking American squads, coupled with 3 leaders (including a 9-2) and a hero.    BoBN#3 (On to Pouppeville), with 8.5 attacking American squads, also has 3 leaders (including another 10-3) and a hero.  And so on; the other scenarios all have tons of American leaders, featuring at least one -2 or better leader and at least one hero.  The combination of extreme good leadership and very small OBs means that the scenarios are inherently dicey--one good attack DR and a defender can be decimated.  The Germans will pretty much have to avoid stacking altogether, in order to reduce the risk of a devastating lucky shot.  In one scenario, BoBN#7 (Tense Moments), the Americans have 7 squads, a 10-2 leader, a 9-2 leader, a 7-0 leader, and a hero; they ALSO have100mm OBA.  The German defenders have 8 squads, including 4 2nd line squads and 3 conscript squads, led by a 9-1, an 8-0, and a 6+1. 

As some purchasers quickly noticed, BoBN seems to have had insufficient proofreading.  In BoBN6 (Sink's Orders), for example, the German balance references American Exit VP, but the scenario victory conditions require the Americans to control hill hexes, not exit VP.  An SSR says that German reinforcements enter on a turn based on a dr; however, the OB instructions say they enter on Turn 3.  Both German and Americans have "optional" reinforcements, but this is never explained. 

Overall, BoBN is something of a disappointing product.  The map is generic, not historical; some of the included scenarios are re-treads; and the remaining scenarios are all basically tiny scenarios with large numbers of powerful American leaders and heroes.  This product may appeal to Normandy and airborne enthusiasts (though there are no air drop scenarios), and may also appeal to those ASLers who like their scenarios all bite-sized, but Critical Hit has done better.

None of the six scenarios are original; they are all reprints or variations of some little-played 1940 scenarios that originally appeared in Critical Hit Magazine Volume 6, Number 2.  Some have been changed to allow for new CH geomorphic maps (see below).

The small countersheet that appears in this pack (in duplicate) is gratuitous and random, featuring mainly a selection of British MMCs and SMCs.  It is totally unnecessary. 

The one item in the pack that is both new and noteworthy is a new geomorphic mapboard, dubbed CH2 (CH1 appeared in the 2nd edition of Gembloux: The Feint, released at the same time.  Of the scenarios in A Few Rare Men, CH130 (No Quarter at Queniau) and CH133 (Group Iron) use CH2, while CH128 (A Few Rare Men) and CH129 (St. Homme Skirmish), use CH1.  Naturally, the product packaging does not mention that Gembloux II is required to play 33% of the scenarios in the pack.  It is not clear that any of the scenarios were re-playtested with the new maps. 

The map CH2 is a somewhat odd hills/farmland combination.  The grain artwork is bizarrely "gloopy," making the fields look more like jigsaw puzzle pieces than actual farm fields.  The woods terrain is virtually all "stamped" computer graphics--the re-using of a single woods graphic over and over again, which makes the woods look weirdly identical.  Overall, it is not an inspired piece of artwork.  Moreover, given the past history and current trends of Critical Hit, one has to wonder how much use can be gotten out of this mapboard just to begin with.  Critical Hit has had a poor history of supporting its previously released geomorphic mapboards (i.e., by subsequently designing more scenarios that utilize them), while currently, Critical Hit prints very few geomorphic map scenarios, instead heavily concentrating on historical map scenarios.  As a result, this board might well end up gathering dust on the shelf.  As a result, its presence is not as exciting as it might otherwise have been.

Unfortunately, the geomorphic board is one of a bundle of geoboards designed and produced by Critical Hit in late 2011 and all of them suffer from problems.  Some of them are not cut correctly (see image below).  However, with all of them, their hexgrid was made slightly tinier than it should have been, with the result that the hexgrid cannot line up correctly against the hexgrids of official maps.  This is a significant problem that should have been caught and corrected and largely negates whatever value the map might have brought to the product.

This product is probably more of a product for completists than for anybody else.  It's a hastily thrown together patchwork product.

The main reason that it is different is that it excises the Jerusalem historical map and campaign game from the original Genesis '48.  In its place, Genesis II includes a geomorphic map, additional scenarios, additional counters, and more vehicle notes.  Much of this new material, moreover, is not related to the 1948 conflict but to later Arab-Israeli Wars.  As a result, though it reprints the geomorphic map scenarios from Genesis '48, it really is a very different product from its predecessor.  Allegedly, the Jerusalem materials will later be published on their own, and other products will be published that will take advantage of and expand the post-48 weapons and counters.

Genesis II is by no means a stand-alone product, despite the many counters.  The product packaging informs prospective purchasers that ownership of Beyond Valor, West of Alamein, Hollow Legions, and Croix de Guerre are required to play Genesis II.  This is not really accurate.  Although players do need those modules, in part because the various forces in Genesis '48 somewhat rely on the Soviet, British, Italian, and French counter-mixes, they need components (mainly maps) of more modules in order to play all the scenarios.  The maps required in the scenarios include:  6, 8, 9 (6 scenarios), 11 (2 scenarios), 12, 13, 15 (3 scenarios), 16 (2 scenarios), 18 (2 scenarios), 20, 23, 24, 25, 26 (2 scenarios), 27 (2 scenarios), 28 (3 scenarios), 29 (2 scenarios), 31, 33, 35 (2 scenarios), 38, 39 (2 scenarios), 40 (2 scenarios), 43, 45, 46. 

The geomorphic map (one of several geomorphic mapboards Critical Hit released in 2011), KB1, depicts a kibbutz (the map name suggests there will be a series of kibbutz maps, which is fairly unlikely), essentially replacing a kibbutz overlay from Genesis '48.  Designers might be able to use the map to represent other community-living situations, such as prisoner of war camps or certain state farms.  The map artwork is not remarkable, with "stamped" woods terrain (i.e., the same one or two woods graphics showing up in hex after hex) and "gloopy" fields that have somewhat amoeba-like graphics. 

Unfortunately, the geomorphic map was one of a number of geoboards designed and printed by Critical Hit in late 2011 that suffered from problems.  Some of the boards were not cut to the correct size, while seemingly all of the boards suffered from a slightly undersized hexgrid, which means that the boards typically will not properly line up against official mapboards.  This was a problem that should have been detected and prevented.  It certainly detracts from any value the geoboard might otherwise have brought to the product.

Four scenarios utilize the KB1 map:  GII1 (Sons of Galilee), GII4 (Buying Time), GII5 (Triple Play), and GII20 (Molotov Inferno).

Genesis II comes with a ton of counters, even if one does not consider the duplicate set that Critical Hit typically throws into its products now (printing two sets of identical counters is cheaper than printing fewer numbers of more different countersheets).  Genesis '48, released in 2001, used the standard Critical Hit vehicle and gun artwork of that time, which was, to say the least, atrocious.  Critical Hit felt that it had to develop that alternative counter artwork in order to avoid copyright actions by MMP over a duplicate "look and feel."  Unfortunately, little thought was put into clarity or user friendliness, with the result that the new artwork--which Critical Hit used for years--was almost incomprehensible.  Players typically always had to keep a cheat sheet at their side, especially because they would only occasionally use Critical Hit counters.  Moreover, in 2001, even Critical Hit's MMC counters were atrocious, typically portraying three identical figures in a way that made the counters seem static and ugly (Avalon Hill tried that with GI: Anvil of Victory and quickly gave it up).  With Genesis '48, the counters were also on a thick cardboard and were not that well die-cut.

Genesis II, in contrast, utilizes the newer style of counter artwork that Critical Hit developed in the late 2000s, after seeing some of its third party competitors utilize the same strategy.  This new artwork, for guns and vehicles, utilizes a layout very similar to that of "official" ASL counters, so they are in fact understandable and playable, but eliminates any confusion with official counters primarily by including a large CH in the corner of each counter.  The SMC/MMC counter artwork is also new, and again represents an improvement over the 2001 era.  There are other improvements as well.  In Genesis '48, for example, the Israelis, rather perversely used the same color counter as the Germans.  In Genesis II, they get their own color, a sort of olive (. 

However, regardless of the color, what is on the counters is substantially the same.   As a result, like its predecessor, Genesis II has Israelis with a huge number of new squad types.  The Israeli OOB includes 7-4-8s, 6-4-8s, 6-3-8s, 5-5-8s, 4-5-7s, 4-4-7s, 4-3-6s, and 4-2-7s.  Moreover, the Israelis are still generously endowed with special abilities, including a limited free deployment capability, 20% initial deployment limit, free recombination, tank hunter heroes (though thankfully the rules for them are slimmed down from Genesis '48), increased broken side morale, no cowering for Elite/1st Line squads, extra powers during Night scenarios, and more.  This is consistent with the noticeably Israeli-centric nature of the product.

The counter-mix includes more AFVs/Guns that appeared in Genesis '48, including a sprinkling of 1967-era AFVs and guns.  Other counters, however, were scrapped, because those vehicles/guns did not actually see combat.   In addition, changes were made to the values of some of the counters that appeared in Genesis '48.   Were all these changes adequately proofread?  The rulebook makes one wonder, because it explicitly warns players that changes were made in many of the counters and that "in the event of any variance between the die-cut counters and the vehicle and ordnance listings, the data on the counters takes precedence."  Some of the counters seem to be more for marketing purposes than anything else.  The rulebook states that "The intent of Genesis II was to provide a teaser batch of rules and counters from [the '67/'73 wars] in hopes that players will want to come back for more."

The scenarios, 22 in whole, consist mostly of the previously released scenarios from Genesis '48 (and an issue of Critical Hit magazine designed to accompany that product), plus a handful of new scenarios designed by Ray Tapio.  No playtesters are listed for these scenarios.  Some of the previously released scenarios appear in updated versions, to correct rules or balance issues in the original.   Of the scenarios, 13 focus on the 1948 conflict, 1 takes place in 1950 and represents a border skirmish, 4 scenarios take place in the 1956 war, 3 scenarios are set in the 1967 war, and 1 scenario is set along the Bar-Lev line in 1973.  The 1956 scenarios stretch the time frame that ASL was designed to represent, and the 1967 and 1973 scenarios go well past that demarcation line.  ASL was not designed to simulate conflicts from the 1960s and 1970s.

Half of the scenarios are large in size; 7 are medium-sized and 4 are small.  Almost half (10) of the scenarios employ OBA.  Four scenarios use the Air Support rules (one scenario, GII11 [Ben-Jabo!], has an all-air OB for one side, yuck), while 3 scenarios use the Night rules.  Nine scenarios use substantial Desert Terrain, while a couple more use elements of it (such as vineyards).

At present, Genesis II, along with its predecessor Genesis '48, represent the only way for ASL players to simulate the Arab-Israeli conflicts.  With the better counters, Genesis II is probably a step up from the original (except for fans of campaign games and historical maps).  As a result, people interested in the 1948 Arab-Israeli war will probably want to obtain this product.  For others, it may be a bit too esoteric. 

There is one final issue.  The price of Genesis II, listed at $149.95, is grotesquely overpriced.  It is priced about three times as high as it should be.  This is a module that is basically a partial reprint, with no historical maps, yet the price tag makes it, as of its printing, the highest price ASL item in ASL history.  No player should pay $150 for this module.  It isn't worth it.

The names of many of the scenarios were arbitrarily changed, making it difficult to determine the actual origins of these scenarios.  See below for scenario origins and changes.  It is worth pointing out that the editor of the ASL compendium doesn't get paid to do this shit.  Much else about the scenarios were changed as well, including wholesale replacement of maps. 

It is not clear that these new versions were playtested, though they would clearly need to have been, given the use of totally different maps.

The counters in the pack are gratuitous and were not even created for this product; they are leftover counters from a recent Critical Hit historical module. 

Two "new" geomorphic maps are included.  One, CH3, is actually a redrawn version of the very first third party geomorphic board, published in the ASL News newsletter.  The artwork is a significant improvement over the original, to be sure.  The other map, CH4, is apparently new; it is a river board with a parallel railroad track.  One or both of these boards are used in most of the Bulge Pak 2 scenarios.  Unfortunately, these boards are part of a number of geomorphic boards designed by Critical Hit in late 2011 and printed at the same time.  Some of the boards are printed at slightly different sizes, which cause line-up problems, but in addition to this, all of these boards seem to suffer from the fact that the map/hexgrid are printed very slightly too small, so that if you line up one hex directly against a hex from another board, the next hex will be imperceptibly "off," the second hex down will be visibly off, and each further hex will be more and more off-kilter compared to the right-sized board.  The small size also makes the map artwork extend beyond the hexgrid.   It is hard to see how Critical Hit could not have noticed this.  See images below for illustration of this problem.

Overall, this is a disappointing product.  It is even more disappointing when one considers its price--it lists at $69.95!  That basically means that one is paying more than twice the cost of an Action Pack for two miscut mapboards and a passel of scenario reprints.  It is grossly overpriced.