Kinetic Energy was born in 1994, the "dark ages" of ASL, when publisher Avalon Hill did not appear to have an interest in supporting the series any longer and ASL products seemed few and far between.  Kinetic Energy was one of a number of third party publishers who stepped forward to support the game.  Like fellow third party publisher Heat of Battle, it hailed originally from southern California, in the form of Southern California ASL Club members Mark Neukom and John Knowles.  Neukom had previously helped Gary Fortenberry with the ASL newsletter ASLUG, and now he had a vision of creating an even more impressive ASL publication, a magazine with a series of scenarios all sharing the same theme.  He called it Time on Target:  The Newsletter of ASL Esoterica.  The first issue celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge with a passel of Bulge-related scenarios.  The next issue, in which Mike Reed played an increasingly important role, focused on late war battles between the British and the Germans in April 1945, upping the ante of Kinetic Energy's already high physical quality by including a strip of very well done die-cut counters.  The third, and final, issue of Time on Target took the cake, with a small countersheet of German rare vehicles that became an instant collector's item.

What was most significant about Time on Target, its scenarios, and countersheets, was that no other third party publisher of the era--not Heat of Battle, not Critical Hit, not Multi-Man Publishing--could even approach the physical quality of Kinetic Energy's components.  Even ten years later the counters printed by Kinetic Energy hold up well against all other ASL-related counters, official and unofficial.  The Kinetic Energy team, which in addition to Neukom, Reed, and Knowles, also included Brian Abela, Chris Castellana, Sam Williams, Paul Works, Fritz Tichy and Bahadir Erimli, developed quite a reputation.  However, its reputation was two-fold.  Kinetic Energy became famous for the quality of its components, but it became infamous for its numerous and long SSRs, which sometimes were so long that they could not even be included on a scenario card but had to be printed in the magazine.  Often playing a Kinetic Energy scenario meant struggling with detailed rules and lengthy and complicated victory conditions.

Time on Target ended in 1996, but Kinetic Energy developed a new lease on life in conjunction with the yearly March Madness ASL tournament held in Kansas City, Kansas (near the stomping grounds of Mike Reed).  Kinetic Energy sponsored the 1997 tournament, not only offering $500 in prizes but releasing a special scenario pack as a bonus for people attending the tournament.  The following year, Kinetic Energy outdid itself, releasing a scenario pack, the March Madness '98 Scenario Pack, which eventually became the single most collectible ASL product in all of ASL, due to its small print run and unusual Axis Minor Allies countersheet.   In 1999, Kinetic Energy released a third scenario pack which featured--for the first time in ASL--full color scenario cards (even with color photograph on the scenario cards). 

However, the very quality of Kinetic Energy's components drew it unwelcome attention, because Kinetic Energy had been very closely duplicating the artwork, look and feel of official ASL scenario cards, counters, and rules pages.  The copyright wars that had begun in 1997 between Avalon Hill and Critical Hit now drew near, with Avalon Hill eventually sending Kinetic Energy a cease-and-desist letter.  These legal issues, in addition to business costs that outstripped revenues, were among the factors that caused a serious case of burnout in Kinetic Energy principals Reed and, especially, Neukom.  In the spring of 1999 Reed and Neukom suddenly announced the disbandment of Kinetic Energy, to the dismay of the ASL community.  The sudden dissolution left several projects unfinished, including a Korean War module (which was near completion, making it the "long, lost ASL module" similar to the Beatles' legendary "Get Back" album), causing not a few ASLers to wonder what products would have been possible had Kinetic Energy not called it quits.  Mike Reed stayed in the ASL world, playing and working on a Korean War project for MMP, but Mark Neukom dropped out of ASL entirely.  Apparently bitter, he was also not interested in letting any of his ASL creations be reprinted, either, despite offers from both MMP and Critical Hit.

In its short existence, Kinetic Energy managed to accrue quite a record.  It demonstrated that even a small third party publisher, if determined, could produce a product of unexcelled physical quality.  It has been missed.

Kinetic Energy goodies, "March Madness" ASL Tournaments, Kansas City, Kansas:

1997.  Attendees received the March Madness '97 Scenario Pack.
1998.  Pre-registrants were allowed to purchase personalized leader counters in U.S., German, British, and/or Axis Minor Allied (late war Romanian) colors (making this basically the only way that just anybody could get a personalized leader counter until 2006, when Critical Hit offered ASLers an opportunity to order some custom leader counters).  Attendees received the March Madness '98 Scenario Pack, including a die-cut countersheet with 1/2" and 5/8" counters with late war Romanian and Hungarian infantry, guns, and armor.  There were also two door prizes, a Dzerhezinsky Tractor Works mousepad donated by Critical Hit and a Kinetic-Energy donated set of black SS counters with German gray-blue borders (so they could be used in conjunction with German concealment counters).
1999.  Attendees received the March Madness '99 Scenario Pack.  They also received the British Rare Vehicles counters (and two scenarios).

Even in its first issue, TOT demonstrated that it would live up to its self-description of a magazine of "ASL Esoterica."  TOT #1 introduced the first of its infamous TOT SSRs, super-lengthy SSRs designed to introduce a maximum of realism into some aspect of ASL.  These SSRs would eventually include Bayonet Charges, AFV Supplemental Armor, SS Unit Replacement, German Marines, Hasty Roadblocks, and Tree Nurseries.  Similary, Chapter H vehicle notes introduced by Kinetic Energy stood a decent chance of being long and complicated.  For some, these ultra-detailed rules were just more than they cared for, above and beyond the already complex standard ASL rules.  For others, the added realism and novelty were just what the doctor ordered. 

Issues

Time on Target Issue #1.  Theme:  The Battle of the Bulge 50th Anniversary.  12 pages, 12 inserted scenarios on six sheets of cardstock, possible teaser scenario.  TOT #1, at this point still only a "newsletter," rather than a "magazine" (although what a newsletter!), is probably the least collectible of the three issues of TOT because it is the only one not to include any counters.  Its article content is limited, consisting of an introductory article, a brief article explaining the rationale behind the Bayonet Charge SSR, designers notes by Mark Neukom and John Knowles on the scenarios they designed, a detailed article on AFV supplemental armor in World War II, and two special SSRs, each taking up half a page of rules, one on bayonet charges and one on AFV supplemental armor.  The supplemental armor rule perfectly illustrates the KE philosophy.  It consists of 13 paragraphs of rules (not counting examples) to add quite minor effects to the basic ASL system.  Essentially the same effects could have been created in a brief scenario SSR by slightly raising an armor factor or two and possibly decreasing a movement factor.  Kinetic Energy special rules create the illusion of realism but at a sometimes serious cost in complexity. 
     The scenarios in TOT#1 all take place during the Battle of the Bulge.  Three are small in size, two are medium, and the rest are large--but large typically due to the number of vehicles as opposed to infantry units.  In all, it is a good range of sizes.  One scenario uses DASL boards, three scenarios use the Stoumont map from Kampfgruppe Peiper, and the rest use normal geomorphic mapboards.  Two scenarios are night scenarios (and a third uses freedom of movement restrictions and cloaking but is not technically a night scenario), while five use the heavy mist rules from Kampfgruppe Peiper.  Half the scenarios have OBA of some sort.  Few of the scenarios could be considered SSR light, but only one, TOT12 (Hill 490), is SSR dense.  Since TOT#1's publication, many of the scenarios have gotten quite a bit of playing.  Unfortunately, a number of them are imbalanced, including the most popular scenario in the pack, TOT7 (Tiger 222, which is a tight little tournament sized scenario), as well as TOT8 (Nightmare), and TOT11 (Bitter Reply).  A better bet is TOT5 (Retrograde out of Stoumont), one of the scenarios that uses the Stoumont map. 

Time on Target Issue #2.  Theme:  April 1945--At the Sharp End.  24 pages, 20 inserted scenarios on 10 sheets of cardstock, 32 die-cut counters, 2 pages of SSRs, railroad overlays, 2 pages Chapter H notes, possible teaser scenario.  The second issue of TOT, published a year after the first, concentrates on British-German actions (with a few lonely Hungarians thrown into the mix) in April 1945 in the waning weeks of the war.  The theme was inspired by John Russell's book, No Triumphant Procession, which focuses on the late-war fighting between the German 2nd Marine Division and British units from the VII and XII Corps.  The article content includes a paen to the use of rubber cement for overlays, designer's notes and playtest observations by Mike Reed, a review of No Triumphant Procession, a historical overview of the actions, designer's notes by Mark Neukoman, an interview with Don Petros, and a quantitative article on LATW hit probabilities. 
     The 20 scenarios have an excellent range of sizes, including 5 small ones, 8 medium-sized scenarios, and 7 largish actions.  One scenario uses DASL boards, two scenarios use the Stoumont map from Kampfgruppe Peiper (obviously Kinetic Energy's favorite map) and the rest use standard geomorphic maps.  Fully 11 of the 20 scenarios use OBA (many with the OP tank counters included with the magazine), while four scenarios are night scenarios.  Hungarians make guest appearances in two scenarios.  Many of the scenarios are fairly SSR dense.  TOT29 (Tiger Hunt) is also SSR dense, but this is because Tiger Hunt is a special 3-part scenario, each a small scenario that is 6 turns long.  Much of the SSRs deal with this unusual tripartite structure; aside from that, the rules aren't bad.
     TOT#2 has a number of misses and near misses, but also includes some very good actions in its mix.  These include TOT14 (Panzer-Teufel Strikes Back), TOT23 (This Close to the Sharp End), and TOT32 (Denouement).  Overall, it is a very nice package.

Time on Target Issue #3.  Theme:  German Rare Vehicles.  28 pages, 13 inserted scenarios on cardstock, 64 die-cut counters, 8 color pages of Chapter 8 notes, scenario play aid, 4 page supplement, possible teaser scenario.  The most coveted of the TOT issues, TOT#3 includes a small countersheet with beautiful rare German AFVs on them, and a baker's dozen of scenarios with which to play them.  Article content includes an analysis of TOT45 (Dogs of War), an interview with Thomas Jentz (editor of two volumes of books on German AFVs), an article on a self-propelled demolition carrier in ASL, an article on vehicle-mounted artillery observers (featured in the previous issue), an article on a Marching Fire SSR, and designers' notes and playtesters' comments for the included scenarios.  The German rare vehicle counters and Chapter H notes allow Kinetic Energy full reign in their desire for ASL esoterica; almost every vehicle, it would seem, has a strange CA, obscure vehicle notes, special modifiers, or practically a chapter to themselves (in the case of the demolition carrier).
     The 13 scenarios represent a wider range of actions than previous TOT issues presented, largely because the theme of German rare vehicles allows possibilities from multiple fronts and time spans in the war.  There are about an equal mix of Germans vs. Soviets, Germans vs. British, and Germans vs. Americans, with a couple of oddball actions thrown in.   The size mix is good, too, with a variety of small, medium, and large scenarios.  Two of the scenarios use the LaGleize map from Kampfgruppe Peiper, while the remainder use standard geomorphic scenarios (no DASL).  Six of the 13 scenarios have OB; several have air support.  One scenario uses desert rules, another uses night rules.  Overall, they are pretty SSR dense, especially TOT35 (Death Knell at Kalach), TOT37 (Breaching Maloarkhangelsk), TOT44 (A Dish Best Served Cold), and TOT45 (The Dogs of War).
     That latter scenario, though, TOT45 (The Dogs of War), is one of the most famous scenarios in all of ASLdom, the only published three-player scenario to date where each side is fighting both other sides.  Most of the SSRs set up the three-player-turn nature of the scenario; the actual scenario itself is small, fast-moving and fun, making it a true classic.  None of the other scenarios aspire to that; many of the most playable ones are imbalanced.  However, several are worth trying, including TOT36 (Balkan Barbecue), TOT35 (Death Knell at Kalach), and TOT41 (Tiger at the Gates).  Overall, though, it is the counters and The Dogs of War that make this issue of TOT so desirable.
 

The scenarios range widely over World War II, including actions set in France 1940, Lithuania 1941, Libya 1942, Russia 1943, Russia 1944, Sicily 1943, India 1944, Normandy 1944 (2 scenarios), the Philippines 1944, Belgium 1944, and Burma 1945.  One scenario is large, while the remainder of small or medium size, although many scenarios have a large number of AFVs.  As is typical for KE, several of the scenarios are quite rules-intensive.  The most rules-intensive scenario is, however, rather interesting:  KE2 (The Dreadnought of Rasyeinyia), a 4-part scenario in which the Soviet OB consists of a single massive KV-2 tank (and 9-2 armor leader!).  The German OBs consist of a variety of small infantry, artillery, and AFV packets, each of which is tasked with taking out the "dreadnought."  The designers cheerfully admit that the scenario is heavily dependent on the dice--a critically bad roll or two and the Soviets are doomed--but the situation is interesting nonetheless and Kinetic Energy at least gets an "A" for imagination. 

A number of the scenarios are well-balanced and fun to play.  These include KE1 (Lion's Share), KE9 (Aces over Eights), and KE4 (Panzers to the Rescue).  ASLers should stay away from the very unbalanced KE10 (Angels at the Airfield) and KE12 (Sword Play).  KE10 was later reprinted (with revisions) in the March Madness '99 scenario pack, as was KE8.  Overall, the scenario pack is well worth getting.

The counters themselves include both 1/2" counters (primarily 5-3-7 squads and corresponding half squads, representing late war Romanian squads armed with large numbers of SMGs, and 4-3-6 squads and half-squads) and 5/8" counters (representing Hungarian and Romanian vehicles and ordnance).  The scenarios all feature late-war Axis Minors in a variety of circumstances, including Germans vs. Romanians, Romanians vs. Hungarians, and German vs. Bulgarian, to name a few.  Because the pack is so rare, none of the scenarios have any particular reputation for balance or imbalance.

Now that Armies of Oblivion is out, which introduces to the ASL system the vast majority of counters originally represented here, it will be interesting to see if more of these scenarios are played as "black market" copies using AOO counters instead of the original counters.

The two scenarios that came with the pack were BRV1c (Charge of the Bison), which actually featured not British but French in an action at Dien Bien Phu in 1954, and BRV2b, The Mines of February, a night/desert scenario taking place in Egypt in October 1942 between the British and Italians.

This product was produced in only very small numbers and was never generally made available.  Over the years following KE's demise, ex-KE figures such as Mike Reed would occasionally auction off a copy or two at ASL tournaments.  As a result, it is a true ASL collectible, and when copies of the product do become available, they usually sell upwards of $100.