Le Franc Tireur has also demonstrated how much ASL has benefited from the Internet.  Tactiques, for example, a French ASL magazine which lasted from 1991-1995, was essentially a publication for the French (and Belgians).  It had a very small readership in the rest of the world, but many people who played ASL had no idea that it even existed.  Le Franc Tireur, on the other hand, came of age in the Internet world.  As it matured, its international audience grew considerably, thanks in no small part to "word of mouth" communicated through the Internet.  The Internet, too, made it very easy to purchase the magazine.  Moreover, Le Franc Tireur changed to accommodate that international audience.  First, it started publishing the scenarios in English (while keeping the article content in French); later, it even put much of the article content in English.  Why?  Because its audience now included people from all over Europe, North America, and beyond.  And the Internet has made it possible for Le Franc Tireur to receive assistance from ASLers in Germany, the Netherlands, the United States, Canada, and other countries.  The Internet has made the ASL world much smaller, and Le Franc Tireur has been one of the beneficiaries.

Hopefully, Le Franc Tireur will continue to please ASLers around the world for many years to come.

After the fourth issue, Xavier Vitry took the lead role in editing Le Franc Tireur (though still helped by Closier and Jean Devaux), expanding its size and publishing the scenarios (though not the content) in English, for a wider audience. 

Le Franc Tireur has developed a reputation for interesting scenario subjects and concepts, such as an action taking place on a frozen lake near Leningrad, with combatants on skis and aerosleds--the scenario uses ocean overlays and snow drift counters to represent the lake.  It began as a French publication but now has attracted admirers from around the world.

Issues

	Issue #1.  Autumn 1996.  28 pages, including 4 scenarios.   Like the magazine Tactiques, which it clearly emulated, the first issue of Le Franc Tireur had a specific historical focus:  the different military clashes in French Indochina in 1940-41.  It also included an article on terrain types (such as sewers and rooftops) that might be used in urban guerilla warfare, as well as an article on different types of anti-tank ammunition.   All the content is in French, including scenarios.  However, (rough) translations of the scenarios from the early issues of Le Franc Tireur are available online from View From the Trenches. Of the four included scenarios, two (FT01, Le Temps des Humiliations, and FT02, Juste une Illusion) focused on the theme of the issue, while the other two were varied.  The two topical scenarios were later reprinted by MMP as official scenarios: J90 (The Time of Humiliations), which has been developing a nice reputation, and J70 (Just an Illusion).
	Issue #2.  Spring 1997.  28 pages, including 4 scenarios and a sheet of 78 color airplane counters (on cardstock).  The sophomore issue of Le Franc Tireur has a historical focus, including two articles, on the Balkans and Tito's partisans in Yugoslavia.  Other articles include an analysis of smoke in ASL, a look at American tank destroyers, and an analysis of the Heat of Battle module King of the Hill.  All the content is in French, including scenarios.  However, (rough) translations of the scenarios from the early issues of Le Franc Tireur are available online from View From the Trenches. The four scenarios include FT05 (Trappola), an Italian vs. partisan action, and FT06 (Macédoine Balkanique), which features Bulgarians and Soviets against Germans.  One of the scenarios, FT08 (L'ultime Traîtrise), was later reprinted as an official ASL Journal scenario, J76 (Ultimate Treachery), which has become a popular tournament scenario.
	Issue #3.  Summer 1998.  40 pages (featuring a color cover), including 4 scenarios.  The third issue of Le Franc Tireur had a historical theme focusing on the fighting between France and Italy in the French Alps in the spring of 1940.  In addition, it featured detailed reviews of the historical modules Baraque de Fraiture and Gembloux: The Feint, a teaching article on pillboxes and an article on using 1/72 scale miniatures with DASL. All the content is in French, including scenarios.  However, (rough) translations of the scenarios from the early issues of Le Franc Tireur are available online from View From the Trenches. The four scenarios included one 1940 French-Italian scenario, FT09 (Verrou Alpin), and three from other theaters.
NO IMAGE AVAILABLE	Issue #4.  Spring 1999.  36 pages, including 10 scenarios.  This issue of Le Franc Tireur was a little unusual, in that it is really a scenario pack in the guise of a magazine.  It features historical background and scenario analysis for Laurent Cunin's Provence Pack, which was published as a free downloadable scenario pack by MMP in 1999.  This is essentially the French version of the same materials.
	Issue #5.  2000.  46 pages, plus  5 color scenarios on cardstock (plus an additional "just for fun" scenario, about catching a lost dog), overlay.  With this issue, not only did Le Franc Tireur grow bigger, but it also made a major change:  publishing its scenarios (though not its article content) in English, to give them a wider international audience.   It was also with this issue that Xavier Vitry took over editorship duties from Laurent Closier, although Closier remained associated with the magazine.  The historical theme of this issue was a series of obscure conflicts between French and German troops in the French Alps in April 1945 (the battle of Authion).  The magazine is full of pictures, some in color, showing the actual terrain over which the battle was fought (one of the extremely few advantages of having a war take place in your country).  Other article content included numerous reviews of recent ASL related products, an article on Red Barricades Campaign Game IV, an overview of VASL, a short interview with Georges Tournemire, an article on mines in ASL, and facetious rules (in English) for dogs in ASL. The five scenarios--which surprisingly have received extremely few reports on ROAR--all focus on the battle for Authion.  Two are large in size, one is medium sized, one is small, and one is very small.  All are in English.
	Issue #6.  2001.  92 pages, plus 10 color scenarios on cardstock (plus an additional sheet with a reprint of an old scenaro and a "just for fun" scenario on a struggle for tea in the desert), play aid, overlay.  With this issue of Le Franc Tireur it is possible to track the exact moment its editorial staff began taking steroids, as this issue ballooned in size, approaching 100 pages in length.  The theme of this issue was the Spanish Civil War; accompanying articles include a look at AFVs in that conflict, an overview of Spanish Civil War wargames (including but not limited to ASL scenarios), and a historical overview.  It also includes photographs, including some in color, of some of the areas of fighting. Other article content (all in French) included a host of announcements and reviews of recent ASL-related products, an overview of an effort to translate the 2nd Edition ASL rules into French (which apparently was never completed), tournament reports, an overview of upcoming ASL products (some of which, like Ortona, still have yet to see publication, half a decade later), a lengthy and interesting guide to rafts and assault boats, an ASL crossword puzzle (for people who have WAY too much time on their hands), an ASL poem, an analysis of strength factors in ASL, an overview of JASL (Lars Thuring's attempt to create a virtual version of ASL with a computer player), and an interview with François Boudrenghien. All ten scenarios (in English) feature the Spanish Civil War; there is also a reprint of an old Spanish Civil War themed scenario that originally appeared in the French wargaming magazine Casus Belli.  Except for the reprint, all of the scenarios are in English.  Le Franc Tireur does a good job of representing all the different forces that fought in the conflict, even without adding any counters.  There is a good range of sizes, with an essentially equal mix of small, medium, and large scenarios.  Of the scenarios, several are quite interesting.  In one, FT19 (A Leches En Larache), the Nationalist player wins if he kills or captures the mayor of the town of Larache.  Another, FT21 (Hill of Death) uses the geomorphic mapboards included in the Heat of Battle module High Ground!.  FT22 (El Alcazar de Toledo), features an overlay of a massive stone building, El Alcazar.  FT24 (¿Cuàndo Te Vas?) is an interesting tin can battle between Italians and Republicans armed with Soviet tanks.   FT27 (East of Tortosa) features a contested river crossing.
	Issue #7.  Christmas 2002.  92 pages, plus 11 color scenarios on cardstock, sheet of 6 overlays (5 shellhole, 1 building cluster) and 6 unmounted counters (aerosleds in U.S. colors; some copies of the magazine, but possibly not all, came with another counter-strip featuring the aerosleds in Soviet colors).  The seventh issue of Le Franc Tireur was almost guaranteed to be popular because of this theme:  Barbarossa 1941.  Additionally, this issue was the first issue that many North American ASLers were able to get their hands on.  As a result, Le Franc Tireur scenarios (all in English) began to see more widespread play with this issue.  The issue features several articles (all articles in this issue are in French) related to the first year of the East Front., as well as the usual series of photographs of areas of action, including several in color.  Additionally, it contains the usual slew of reviews of recent ASL products, tournament reports, an article analyzing strength factors in ASL (continued from the previous issue), an article on winter weather, an overview (and English rules for) aerosleds, an AAR of an unusual game situation, an analysis of close combat in ASL (including Tom Repetti's CC flowchart), an article on Cavalry in ASL, a detailed Series Replay of the Schwerpunkt scenario SP81 (Betje Wolf Plein) between Jean Devaux and Xavier Vitry (with commentary by Laurent Closier), and an overview of ASL resources on the Internet. The scenarios include a good mix of sizes.  Almost half are medium-sized, with the balance split equally between small and large (the latter including the massive FT29, The Porechye Bridgehead).  A number of the scenarios feature very interesting situations; among them are FT30 (Death is their Trade), an SS vs. partisan cavalry action; FT36 (The Mongol Ride), a cavalry action featuring Steppe terrain; FT37 (Siberians are Coming), a Deep Snow/Extreme Winter scenario with Soviets on skis; and the extremely imaginative FT38 (Aerosleds to the Rescue), which takes place entirely on frozen Lake Onega and features Soviet troops zipping around the ice on aerosleds against Germans on skis.  Several of the scenarios are linkable into a mini-campaign (the rules are in French, but were translated into English in Le Franc Tireur #8). Two of the scenarios have important errata.  In FT32 (Lenin's Sons), it is hexrows D-Z which are playable.  In the same scenario, the German OB needs to have an additional LMG and DC.  In later printings of this issue, these errors were supposedly corrected.  In FT34 (Borodino Train Station), North is actually towards the BOTTOM of the map, NOT the top (!). Unfortunately, some of the scenarios seem somewhat unbalanced, notably FT33 (Flanking FTs) and FT35 (Last Push to Mozhaisk), and possibly FT31 (The Yelnya Bridge, although ROAR does not reflect this) and FT32 (Lenin's Sons).  One of the scenarios, FT29 (The Porecheye Bridgehead), was later reprinted as an official scenario in the ASL Journal (J93), where it has developed a distinct reputation as a dog.  More scenarios from the issue were reprinted in ASL Journal #7, including Borodino Train Station, The Yelnya Bridge, Flanking FTs (as Flanking Flamethrowers), and Lenin's Sons.  Of these, the latter two underwent changes to try to address balance problems.  Flanking Flamethrowers still seems to be unbalanced, but the MMP version of Lenin's Sons actually balances the scenario quite well and made it a quality scenario.
	Issue #8. 2004.  92 pages, plus 10 color scenarios on cardstock.  The eighth issue of Le Franc Tireur is the first issue in which much of the article content, as well as the scenarios, are in English, to appeal more to ASL's international audience.  This issue takes its readers to the battlefields of Normandy.  Related articles include a look at French vehicles in German service in France (in English), a battlefield tour of Mortain (in English), and an overview of interesting recent books on the Normandy campaign (in English; it also suggests a slew of Normandy related ASL scenarios). In addition, there are many reviews of recent ASL products (in French), glimpses of future ASL products (in French and English; interestingly, none of them have yet seen print), tournament reports (in English and French), an ASL crossword puzzle (in English, but French style), a diagram for a hamster-driven dice tower, an interview with Yves Tielemans, the third part of an analytic series on ASL strength factors (in English; the first two parts were in French), an English translation of the Borodino mini-campaign rules from Le Franc Tireur #7, an interesting Series Reply of OA16 (Surrender or Die!), a detailed example of Overruns, and a lengthy after action report of an Operation Veritable Campaign Game. In short, Le Franc Tireur #8 is overflowing with interesting ASL content, the majority of which is in English. The scenarios in this issue are almost all tournament sized; there is 1 large scenario, 5 medium-sized scenarios, and 4 small scenarios.  Nine of the scenarios are Normandy actions, while there is one ringer, a Norwegian-German 1940 action (FT48, On the Swedish Border).  Of the Normandy scenarios, one features American troops and a second features the French; the others are all British/Canadian vs. German actions.  One of the scenarios, FT44 (The Liberation of May), uses DASL boards, while another, FT41 (Greyhound at Bay), uses the historical map from Pegasus Bridge.  Given the size and interesting nature of these scenarios, it is surprising that they have not received more play.
	Issue #9. 2006.  80 pages, plus 10 color scenarios on glossy paper and a sheet with 2 overlays. The 9th issue of Le Franc Tireur came out nearly a year late, due largely to the foreign posting of Xavier Vitry and the illness (and, alas, eventual death) of Jean Devaux.  Le Franc Tireur #9 continues the practice established in the previous issue of including much of the article content, as well as the scenario cards, in English, rather than French, to make it more accessible to an international audience.  The many different product reviews are still in French, but most of the gameplay articles are in English.  Two of the major articles are actually continuations of articles begun in the previous issue, so readers who do not have #8 may be somewhat left out. The scenarios in Le Franc Tireur #9 were for some reason printed not on cardstock but on glossy paper.  As a result, they are flimsy (this may be particularly important to American consumers because they are printed on the standard European paper size, which is longer than the standard American size, which means that Le Franc Tireur scenarios might stick out).  Hopefully future issues will go back to cardstock scenarios, as they are much preferable.  Le Franc Tireur #9 also includes two very attractive hill overlays (see picture, below).  Each issue of Le Franc Tireur is centered around a common theme; the theme for issue #9 is Yugoslavia (one of three different ways the country's name is spelled in the magazine!).  Three of the scenarios can be combined for a mini-campaign.  Actions featured include Italians. vs. Yugoslav Army (with Yugoslav Air Support!), Croatian puppet troops vs. Yugoslav partisans, Germans/Cossacks vs. Yugoslav partisans, Germans vs. Yugoslav partisans, Waffen SS. vs. Yugoslav partisans, British/American special forces vs. Germans, and Germans/Croatian puppet troops vs. Yugoslav partisans. Le Franc Tireur #9 was one of several ASL products released around the same time that included Yugoslav partisan scenarios (the others included Fanatic Enterprises' Balkan Wafare and MMP's ASL Journal #7).  Of these scenarios, those in Le Franc Tireur #9 are the most accurate, especially regarding partisan weaponry.  Although not perfect, many of the Le Franc Tireur scenarios reflect the fact that partisan weaponry had no Soviet support weapons until late 1944, but instead were primarily armed with Italian and British support weapons.  However, the representation of the 7th SS "Prinz Eugen" Division seems very generous for a unit that really wasn't elite. The scenarios in Le Franc Tireur #9 are about evenly divided between large scenarios and tournament-sized scenarios.  Several look particularly interesting, including FT59 (War the Italian Way), FT62 (New Model Army), and FT67 (Knin Pocket).  One of the scenarios, FT68 (Red Lightning), uses Board y from the ASL Starter Kit 1. Due to printing problems, the following ERRATA is CRUCIAL to play some of the scenarios: FT 61 SSR 4 : All 5-4-8 / 2-3-8 are Cossacks. They have an underlined Morale [A 19.132 is NA] and are treated as Russians for Heat of Battle/Leader creation/deployment only. They do not possess Infantry Smoke Grenades nor Panzerfausts and use German MGs with no penalty. To form a multilocation firegroup with Cossack units and non Cossack units, a Leader must be present in each location of this FG. FT 63 Partisan OB: Rearguard Elements of the 7th Proletarian Division [ELR : 5] set up on / East of hexrow F {SAN : 4} German OB : 7th SS Gebirgs Div. Prinz Eugen, II/1 8th Kompanie [ELR: 5] enter on / after turn 1 by the West Edge {SAN : 2} FT 66 German OB : Marine Troops of the Solta Garrison [ELR: 3 - See also SSR 4] set up anywhere on board 46 {SAN: 3} Allied OB: Unit B 2671st Special Reconnaissance Battalion [ELR: 3] set up on board 18 on / South of hexrow 7 {SAN: 2}
	Issue #10. 2007.  80 pages, plus 10 color scenarios on cardstock and a sheet of 140 die-cut 1/2" counters. Le Franc Tireur returned in 2007 with an issue that may be physically its most impressive yet.  This was a pleasing return to form after LFT#9 which was not only much delayed but suffered from a number of physical problems.  LFT#10, however, is an extremely attractive product with high production values. The majority of the content of LFT is now in English, to reach an international audience (although most of the product reviews are still in French).  The quality of the English is higher in LFT10 than in LFT9.  Also better is the overall physical quality of the magazine.  LFT10 is in full color, and much better quality than the DTP look of its predecessor.  The graphics are crisp and colorful.  Each issue of LFT focuses on a single historical theme, and the theme for LFT10 is the Spanish "Blue" Division in World War II.  The German 250th Infantry Division was actually composed of volunteers from Spain who came to help the Nazis invade the Soviet Union.  It engaged in hard fighting on the Eastern Front until it was withdrawn (although some elements of it remained behind and fought on until the end of the war).  The "Blue" Division has always been an object of fascination for wargamers, some of whom tend to romanticize the unit and apologize for or explain away its cooperation with the Nazis.  LFT10 tends to fall into this category, even lapsing into fulsome romantic praise ("they were loyal to their ideals to the end, representing in this way the last knights of modern times").  This might be somewhat disturbing or offensive to readers less enamored of the "Blue" Division. Several articles in the magazine describe the unit and its various battles, and offer possibilities for further reading.  All 10 scenarios also focus on this unit; therefore LFT10 has a very strong East Front focus.  The soldiers of the "Blue" Division are represented more or less as supermen in these scenarios; they are always elite, their ELR is always 4 or 5 (even in Berlin in late April 1945), and they always have a -2 drm to the Leader Creation Table and a -1 DRM to the Heat of Battle Table. A countersheet (LFT's first ever) of "Blue" Division counters is provided, and it is extremely well-done and attractive.  In addition to various "Blue" Division SMC and MMC, the countersheet also features counters representing unarmed German paratroopers and informational markers for SW First Fire and Opportunity Fire.  This was a very impressive effort and one hopes that future issues of LFT will contain more of these attractive counters.  It should be noted, however, that the die-cutting on the counters is very deep, which means that the counters have a very strong tendency to fall off the counter-tree.  Unless they intend to punch out the counters right away, purchasers (especially collectors) should immediately put the countersheet in a baggie so that no counters fall off and get lost. The physical quality of the scenario cards is very high.  About half of the 10 scenarios are small or medium in size; the rest are large.  Three scenarios have OBA and one has Air Support.   There are no night scenarios.  The Soviets are on the attack 6 times while the Germans (i.e. Spanish) are on the attack 4 times.  Overall, the mix of the scenarios looks good and many of the scenarios seem interesting. In addition to the "Blue" Division material and the usual product reviews, LFT10 features a look at Soviet ski battalions, the Human Wave rules, a "interview" with an American ASL player, and an AAR from Grenadier 2006, among other odds and ends.  One nice article by Jean Pascal Paoli gives non-Americans some insight on what is involved to travel to and participate in the world's largest ASL tournament, ASLOK, in Cleveland, Ohio.  It provides lots of useful advice and information.  Another nice article is a translation and reprint (with high production quality) of "Gates of the Reich," a geomorphic map CG originally published (in French) in Vae Victis.  Many ASLers might want to have a go at that campaign. Overall, LFT10 may be the best issue of LFT10 yet.  Time will tell if the scenarios are good, but there is no doubt that the production quality of this issue is the best LFT has accomplished.
	Issue #11, 2008.  80 pages, plus 10 color scenarios on glossy cardstock and an ASLSK-style 8" x 22" geomorphic mapboard (LFT1) (see bottom of section for pictures).  Also includes an SASL campaign game. One of the first ASL releases of 2008 was the 11th iteration of the ASL magazine Le Franc Tireur, this time with the theme of "France 1940."  The content of the magazine and scenarios is all in English, except for a couple of short product reviews.  The magazine is in full color and generally of high production value, made possible for a reasonable price by being printed in Cambodia. Much of the article content is centered on the France 1940 theme of the issue, including historical articles on French light mechanized cavalry units and the Franco-Italian fighting in the Alps in 1940, as well as a comparison of French and German infantry tactics in 1940.  There is also a short article (but alas, no counters) on the 75-ton French tank, the FCM 2C, and a lengthy comparison of the town of Stonne in 1940 with its modern counterpart, coupled with an AAR of a Stonne 1940 campaign game.  It is quite interesting. One major feature of the magazine is an SASL Campaign game featuring the 1st Ranger Battalion at Anzio in January 1944.  SASL fans will definitely want to pick up this detailed and intriguing item. Other articles include an inerview with German ASLer Christian Koppmeyer, a variety of product reviews and several tournament AARs, rules articles on gun duels and platoon movement, and more. The "extra" that comes with Le Franc Tireur #11 is a full-color, un-mounted (ASLSK style) 9" x 22" geomorphic mapboard.  It is a specialized map that will only be used occasionally, but scenario designers will appreciate its usefulness.  The (beautifully drawn) map is mostly water, except for a thin strip of land and a thin beach.  It is perfect for a number of beach landing situations, and the beauty of it is that it does not require the frustrating assembling of a variety of beach and ocean overlays--just plop down the map and away you go.  One scenario in LFT#11 uses this map, but since LFT#12 is going to focus on the Pacific, there will be more use for it.  One can only hope that other designers and publishers will also make use of this resource.  The one irritating thing about the map is that it is about 5mm too wide, showing portions of the "0" hexrow that should not be there.  Players will have to slightly overlap their maps, or somehow cut off this 5mm.  Some players will not like this at all, and it is to be hoped that future maps by LFT will be standard sized. Of the 10 scenarios in LFT#11, 9 feature the "France 1940" theme.  Although the Italians make a guest appearance, the British, Dutch, Belgians and Poles do not, so most scenarios are French vs. German.  The French attack in 3 scenarios, defend in 6.  The 10th scenario is the one that uses the included geomorphic map; it takes place in Indochina in 1940 and features a small Japanese beach landing which is probably perfect for learning the landing rules. The scenarios tend towards the large, with fewer tournament-sized scenarios than in issues past.  Three scenarios are small or medium-sized, with the remaining scenarios being large or fairly large.  The SSR burden is generally light.  One scenario is a Seaborne Assault, another is a river crossing with boats.  Several scenarios have OBA.  Strangely, given the theme, no Stukas or other air support appears.  The biggest scenario is FT90 ("Sans Esprit De Recul"), an 8-turn German assault on a town.  The Germans get 25 squads (including a few motorcycle riders), OBA, 13 AFVs and 8 trucks.  The defending French have 29 squad-equivalents (mostly elite, some cavalry), a 10-3 leader, 2 25mm AT guns, and some fortifications (there is errata on the scenario card--a blank counter on the French OB is supposed to be 2 x HMG).  Overall it looks like an interesting scenario mix. LFT11 continues the high production values established in the previous issue and is a product worth getting.
	Issue #12, 2010.  80 pages, plus 10 color scenarios on glossy cardstock and an ASLSK-style 8" x 22" geomorphic mapboard (LFT2) (see bottom of section for pictures).  Also includes two SASL missions (FT1 and FT2). After many years, LFT returns to the Eastern Hemisphere with LFT12 and its Asia/PTO focus.  Though early issues of LFT featured some scenarios set in the East, the subject matter has been almost entirely neglected by LFT since then (with the exception of one scenario in LFT11.  The return is certainly welcome. Though edited by a Frenchman and printed in Cambodia, the magazine content is in English.  Its focus is on the PTO theme of the issue, and PTO-related articles include a historical article on Japanese island defenses, a historical article on the TO&E of a Chinese infantry battalion (although based on a not-always-accurate pamphlet by George Nafziger), a chronology of the Sino-Japanese War and Chinese Civil War, an AAR of HS16 (Sim's Ridge), a basic overview of Japanese and PTO terrain rules (including some illustrated examples, though they include at least one mistake [knee mortars produce dispersed WP]), an overview of seaborne assaults/evacuations, a Series Reply of A79 (Mike Red, a seaborne assault scenario),  a list of published seaborne assault/evacuation scenarios/CGs, and an AAR of the Gavatu-Tanambogo Campaign Game.  Other content includes an overview of the Hexdraw map-creation computer program (it could have been longer and more detailed), an AAR of a few product reviews and tournament reports, and a "10 questions" style interview with Swedish ASLer Klas Malmström.  Some of the content is quite good--especially the Seaborne Assault series replay--but some of it was not up to par.  This included the AAR of the ESG scenario "Destroy All Monsters," which unfortunately was not very well written or organized.  The "goodie" in the magazine this issue is a geomorphic mapboard.  Or perhaps one should say quasi-geomorphic map, because (like the map in LFT11), it is a specialized map rather than a "standard" geomorphic map.  This map, LFT2, depicts a massive 5-level hill that is not fully contained by the mapboard--the hill goes all the way to the map edge on three sides.  This means that it is really only compatible with other boards on one side (though it is possible to link maps to the other side by "pretending" that level 5 of LFT2 is level 0 of the other board).  This, combined with the fact that LFT2 only presents one side of the hill (not allowing any rear slope defenses nor much summit fighting), means that the board is a very specialized board that will only see limited use. Unfortunately, the map was misprinted and is not quite the right size, rendering it unusable in any scenarios that combine LFT2 with another board.  The problem was spotted and corrected, but not before many copies were sent out.  Essentially, if one buys a new copy directly from LFT as of February 2010 or later, the copy will come with the corrected version of the map (some people have complained that the corrected version has colors that were too lightly printed, making it difficult to see hex center dots in grain field hexes).  However, if buying from a retailer or a secondhand copy, be warned that it may be a copy with a flawed map.  For purchasers of the early, flawed version, LFT has announced it will include copies of the map in a future product.  For people interested in creating their own homemade "fixes," one ASLer noted that the map was 7mm too long and scanning the map and reducing the length by 98.76% should probably make it compatible. Update 2010:  LFT also included the fixed version of board LFT2 in their From the Cellar Pack 5. One scenario, FT138 (Meeting Up at Matan) uses board LFT2 by itself.  Another scenario, FT142 (Cut, Slash and Mow Down) uses LFT2 and another board. Probably the most interesting thing about the 10 included scenarios in LFT12 is that, though the scenarios are set in Asia, few of them are set in PTO (i.e., jungly) terrain.  Of the 10 scenarios, 7 are set in China (including 3 scenarios set during the Chinese Civil War in the late 1940s).  This focus on the Chinese is a welcome addition to the ASL oeuvre.  Two of the scenarios, FT136 (Shanghai By Sea) and FT145 (Bears of Kinmen) use map LFT1 from Le Franc Tireur #11.   One scenario, FT139 (Ride of the 200th), uses maps HOB-I and HOB-II from Heat of Battle's High Ground! pack. Six of the 10 scenarios are small- to medium-sized, while the remaining four (including all of the Chinese Civil War scenarios) are large.  Two scenarios are Seaborne Assaults; two scenarios have OBA.  No scenarios use Night rules or Air Support. As is often the case with Chinese actions, source material is scarce (leading many scenario designers to design scenarios on the same action) and often inaccurate.  FT139 (Ride of the 200th), for example, depicts the Chinese counterattack at Kunlun Pass in late 1939, a local Chinese victory.  The scenario centers on an attack of a unit it calls the "200th Armored Division," ostensibly under the "38th Army."  However, the Chinese never had an armored division.  The 200th Division was organized as a Soviet-style mechanized division; however, considerably before Kunlun, its tanks were taken away (to be put under the control of its actual parent formation, 5th Army), leaving the 200th as a motorized division (though sometimes it would have tanks attached).   The regiment designations in the scenario are also totally fictitious (Chinese regiments were numbered after their divisional number x 3, counting downwards:  the 200th Division thus had the 600th, 599th and 598th regiments).  However, leaving such historical considerations aside, a number of the scenarios depict interesting situations, perhaps the most interesting of which is FT145 (Bears of Kinmen), a scenario depicting a Chinese communist attempt to take the island of Kinmen in the Taiwan straight in the closing phases of the Chinese Civil War.  This scenario depicts 24 5-2-7 and 4-4-7 squads, well armed, conducting a Seaborne Assault against 19 Chinese squads (5-3-7, 4-4-7, 3-3-7) and a couple of Stuarts.  In addition to the scenarios, LFT12 also features 2 SASL missions, both designed by Hans Mielants, which will be well received by the mission-starved SASL lovers out there.  FT1 (Hit Them Hard) depicts a Chinese attack on Japanese positions in Shanghai in 1937; FT2 (Against Ill Advice) is a Japanese seaborne assault against the British in Malaya in 1942.

The scenarios included in From the Cellar are scenarios that were originally created for Le Franc Tireur but did not make it into the magazine.  As a result, the subjects of many of the scenarios are the same as the topics for the themed issues of Le Franc Tireur:  Barbarossa 1941 (4), France 1940 (2), Normandy 1944 (2), Poland 1939 (1), and the French Alps 1945 (1).  Two of the scenaros involve Italian troops and one has Finnish troops.  One features the unusual situation of a Soviet airdrop.  The pack also includes the rules to link three of the scenarios (FT47-49) together for a mini-campaign, the Lingèvres Campaign, in which the losing side in each scenario gets additional forces for the next. 

Five of the scenarios are large (but most of those are borderline medium-large), while three are medium and two are small.  Overall, it is a good mix.  One scenario is a night scenario.  There are no complicated SSRs.  Scenario FT58 (Dream is Over) has a serious piece of errata: the U.S. half squads should actually be full squads!

As has been customary for recent Franc-Tireur productions, the scenario cards are extremely attractive, printed in full color on cardstock using VASL artwork for counters and maps.

Because Le Franc Tireur always concentrates on a particular theme, the FtC2 scenarios are varied, but most are on themes related to past or future issues of the magazine.  Subject areas include France 1940 (1 scenario), East Front (2 scenarios), Balkans (2 scenarios), Normandy (3 scenarios), Italy (1 scenario), and Austria 1945 (1 scenario). 

Most of the scenarios are small or medium in size.  However, one of them, FT73 (The Adriatic Pirates) is considerably more meaty.  Featuring a partisan counterattack against an SS/Croatian invasion force on a partisan-held Adriatic island, the scenario pits 50 (!) partisan squads against 16 elite and first line Croatian squads and 20 SS squads (which enter via assault rafts).  Another meaty scenario, FT76 (White Suns), has 24 German squads and two King Tiger tanks attacking a defending force of 19 American squads, some OBA, and a handful of Shermans.  A third large scenario will appeal to fans of the Italians in ASL.  FT77 (Surprised Buffalo) pits 28 Italian elite and first line squads (well led and well armed with German weapons) against 11 2nd line American squads (from the African-American 92nd Infantry Division) and 4 Italian partisan squads.  Both sides also receive OBA.

A number of other scenarios also feature interesting situations.  FT69 (Durs A Cuire) features a combined arms French force trying to get past a German blocking force in distressingly open terrain.  FT70 (Ride Across the Caucasus) uses the difficult terrain of Board 47 in a way no other scenario has tried before.  Most scenarios using this board feature and assault across the width of the board; this scenario, however, sandwiches a 10-squad strong Soviet force in between a Slovakian force and a German force, each attacking along a narrow side of the board towards the Soviets in the middle!

Fans of the Heat of Battle High Ground! geomorphic boards will be pleased by FT72 (Catcher Caught), which uses HOB boards I and II in a valley configuration. 

Overall, the scenario mix, both in terms of subject and size, is quite good.  The scenarios themselves are printed in full color on glossy hardstock using "official" artwork.

The origins of the project date back several years.  Holst, who developed a fascination for the Waffen SS, had long lobbied for the black-colored Waffen SS counters that appeared in A Bridge Too Far to be reprinted.  Eventually, he decided he would unilaterally reprint them on his own, without permission, and embarked on an "SS project" that would combine the bootleg black SS countersheets with scenarios of his own design featuring SS soldiers in action.  In 2007, Holst had the ABTF countersheets printed, and sold a number of sets of the counters to attendees at ASLOK 2007.  The countersheets were pure counterfeit reproductions of the countersheets that appeared in A Bridge Too Far.   By early 2008, his "Back in Black" SS project had grown to mammoth (planned) proportions, including 10 scenarios, 7 countersheets (the counterfeit ABTF repros, plus two extra countersheets, much of which would be taken up by "rare" vehicles used by the SS), 10-12 pages of vehicle notes, and more.   However, the mercurial Holst abandoned the original countersheet project, possibly for legal reasons, and announced in April 2008 that he had allegedly destroyed the counters and was abandoning the notion of publishing his own scenario pack, but would instead submit the scenarios to some third party publisher.

Only two days later, Holst made a subsequent announcement that he had come to an arrangement with French third party publisher Le Franc Tireur to publish his SS scenarios.  In the end, LFT published 7 of his scenarios, plus 3 more of their own design, and printed a small countersheet that included some of the "rare" vehicles, as well as other odds and ends (see below), but did not duplicate any of the counters from the original ABTF.  "Back in Black" thus became, more or less, From the Cellar Pack 3, an SS-themed scenario pack.  As such it joins the 8 or so other previously published Waffen SS themed scenario packs, as well as the 10+ historical modules that feature the Waffen SS as one of the main combatants.  In other words, it enters an already crowded field.

Only 8 of the 10 scenarios are "original."  Two of them--FT104 (Flying the Flag of Poland) and FT105 (Smashing into Vlasotince)--were first published by Critical Hit as The Walking Dead (EP92) and A Vicious Melee (TAP7).  According to lFT editor Xavier Vitry, who was unfairly placed in the embarrassing position of having to explain and apologize for this fact, the scenarios that Holst submitted to LFT included a number of scenarios that had previously been published elsewhere or had been submitted elsewhere.  Holst allegedly told LFT that they could publish them regardless.  LFT refused and tried to identify and remove previously published scenarios from the scenario mix (substituting original scenarios of their own design to fill the gaps), but two snuck through despite their good faith efforts.  Why Holst decided to submit scenarios which had already been published remains a mystery, but it must have been a great irritation for LFT.

The scenarios are printed in full-color on "standard" glossy LFT scenario cards (A4 sized, not North American sized).  The printing is crisp and colorful (although the Axis Minor color is rendered too close to that of the U.S.) and the scenario cards are very attractive--far more so than "official" scenario cards published by MMP.  However, because of the white on black printing for the SS units on the scenario cards, some of the vehicle designations are a bit hard to read.  The scenario cards feature the divisional insignia for the different SS units depicted in the scenarios, a perhaps unfortunate decision since several of those insignia are now common neo-Nazi symbols.

The 10 included scenarios represent a wide range of actions across Europe and across the years of World War II.  As such, they represent a good mix of scenario situations and combatants (with the proviso, of course, that the SS always appear!).  Situations include France 1940, Soviet Union 1941, Yugoslavia 1943, France 1944, Poland 1944 (2 scenarios, one vs. Soviets and one vs. the partisans of the Polish Home Army), Yugoslavia 1944 (vs. Bulgarians), Hungary 1944, Belgium (Bulge) 1945, and Vienna 1945.

A number of the scenarios have interesting features.  Two of the scenarios make alternate use of HASL maps. FT99 (The Doomed "Tirailleurs"), a nicely tournament-sized scenario pitting early war SS against Senegalese troops fighting for France, uses part of the map from Pegasus Bridge (and is a more interesting scenario than most of those that actually come with the Pegasus Bridge module).  The terrain on the map, full of hedges and walls, creates interesting tactical puzzles for the SS, whose armored cars are key to victory.

FT107 (Race at Longchamps) uses part of the LaGleize map from Kampfgruppe Peiper to depict an SS attack on American positions elsewhere in the Bulge.  FT100 (Hajra!), named after a Hungarian battlecry, pits SS and Hungarian attackers (including cavalry) against entrenched Soviet defenders in an early East Front action that uses maps that actually make it seem as if it really were set on the East Front.  A third scenario, FT106 (Counterattack Along the Danube), makes use of ASL Starter Kit maps (maps w and z).  This scenario is a large and intense "heavy metal" urban warfare clash set in Budapest in December 1944; it depicts a seesaw action between Hungarian and SS troops against well armed Soviets.  Fans of large city fighting scenarios will flock to it.

FT102 (The Bulge), a smallish SS vs. American action (ironically, set not during the Battle of the Buldge but in Normandy), could be a popular tournament scenario if it proves balanced.  FT105 (Smashing into Vlasotince) allows the Bulgarian player to choose part of his OB from several options. 

Two of the scenarios feature partisans, always a welcome event (partisans are quite under-covered in ASL) but in both scenarios the partisan forces are peculiarly (and ahistorically) depicted.  FT101 (Fire and Ice) arms 1943 Yugoslav communist partisans with Soviet and Axis Minor weapons, of which they had none (their arms at that point were more Italian than anything else).  FT104 (Flying the Flag of Poland) features fighting in the Warsaw suburb of Wola at the beginning of the Warsaw Uprising.  The second time Scott Holst has designed a scenario on this action--a natural choice for scenario designers, as the Poles had two captured Panther tanks--it features some unusual choices.  The Polish Home Army is represented with Axis minor forces (4-4-7s and 3-4-7s) loaded with support weapons (and artillery pieces!) rather than as the relatively poorly armed partisan force it actually was (although it does accurately give them a PIAT). 

That scenario also depicts the Dirlewanger Brigade as a more effective fighting force than this 2nd rate unit with no discipline actually was.  Another scenario, FT108 (The Damned Die Hard) also does this same overestimating of the SS and underestimating of its opponents to a certain degree.  However, in general, the scenarios do not try to depict the SS as supermen but rather show the varying qualities of different units and of the SS at different times in the war.

In terms of size, the scenarios tend towards heavier stuff.  Six of the 10 scenarios are large, with the remaining 4 split between small and large.  Few of the scenarios are SSR heavy (Scott Holst has little patience with complicated SSRs), and few of  the scenarios use "advanced" rules sections.  No scenarios use Night rules or Air Support and only two scenarios have OBA.

Oddly, the scenarios are all subjected to two additional SSRs which are not printed on any scenario card, but instead announced on the inside of the product cover:  1) Kindling is not allowed and 2) Vehicular Crews may not voluntarily their vehicles.  Players should take note, as they are otherwise likely to forget that these SSRs even exist.  Because these SSRs are not applied on a case by case basis, but rather enforced across the board regardless of applicability, they should be judged as "grudge SSRs" that are put there because the designers are unhappy with those aspects of the ASL rules.

Overall, the scenarios look promising (Holst is an experienced scenario designer with a number of good scenarios to his name), even if their theme is a little tired. 

In addition to the scenarios, of course, the product also comes with a small die-cut countersheet that features 40 1/2" counters and 48 5/8" counters.  The printer's die-cutting job cut too deeply, with the result that many of the countersheets are too well die-cut and the counters fall too easily off the counter tree.  This forced LFT to put the countersheet in its own envelope within the product.  This will aggravate collectors, who value pristine countersheets, but probably not bother those players who would have punched out the counters on their own anyway.

As with previous LFT counters, the counters here are well done, duplicating "official" ASL counter artwork styles.  Only a few of the counters are truly "new" to the system; these are counters representing various French, Italian, and Soviet AFVs pressed into German service.  The countersheet provides 32 such vehicles in "black SS" colors, as well as 8 (French) vehicles in standard German blue colors.  The remaining counters are basically chrome, although the 3 single Panzerfaust counters and the 8 burning wreck counters will be useful to some.  Also included are 8 blue and 6 black colored TCA counters (for those ASLers who cannot abide white TCA counters, presumably), and 23 "named" black SS SMC counters (for those ASLers who had to have names on their black SS SMC counters). 

The counters are accompanied by a double-sided page of vehicle notes (actually, a bit more than a page, as there is overflow printed on the inside cover of the product) that provide historical background to the vehicles included on the countersheet (not really done in ASL format).

Those ASLers who are fixated on the Waffen SS probably have already rushed to buy this product.  For others, there may be more of a decision involved.  The physical quality of this product is quite high, and the scenarios look interesting (though of course only time will tell for sure).  However, given the poor 2008 dollar to Euro exchange rate, American buyers are faced with a price (including shipping) of over $45, even assuming they purchase it within the U.S.  That admittedly is a lot for a scenario pack, even a good one.  Each individual will no doubt have to decide how much of a "lure" this product is to them personally.

There have been one or two Russian Civil War scenarios published in the past, but this is the first in-depth examination of the subject in ASL.  As such, the first question that comes to mind is whether or not ASL is even a suitable game system for this subject.  ASL was designed to simulate World War II era squad level combat.  The tactics of World War II were a direct result of the experiences of World War I.  During that earlier conflict, the combatants tried a variet of techniques to overcome the "stalemate of the trenches."  Some were brute force, such as massive employment of artillery.  Some techniques involved technological innovation, such as the development of tanks.  And many of the techniques involved tactical innovations of various sorts, infantry and artillery alike.  Some of these innovations turned out to be tactical dead ends, but for the larger, more sophisticated armies (German, British, French, American), some of the tactical methods evolved to become modern (20th century) small unit tactics. 

The question is, then, can ASL be used to simulate armies from an era before those more sophisticated tactics had evolved?  Could it do it at all?  Could it do it only with special SSRs?  How can a squad-level game deal with combatants where the squad was not even a true unit of tactical maneuver?  For the Germans, British, French and Americans, combat in the late 1910s and early 1920s probably could be handled with ASL rules, though it might be a bit of a stretch.  For other countries, it took more time for those tactical innovations to be implemented, especially in countries with less money for training, and a poorly educated non-commissioned officers corps.  For Russia, the situation was worse, as the country became racked by rebellion and civil war just at the time western countries were developing the new tactics.  In this chaotic situation, numbers and bravery were employed more often than sophisticated tactics.  It is thus definitely a stretch to give either Bolsheviks or White Russians the ability to use squads (as opposed to, say, platoons) much in the way of tactical maneuver capabilities.  For the two scenarios set in 1908 and 1911, there is no resemblance between the way those combatants actually fought and the way they would fight using ASL rules.    For the other scenarios, even those involving Western troops, players must realize that the control and flexibility they have with their forces is something their historical counterparts did not possess to the same degree.

Leaving the not-unimportant issue of historical tactical usage aside, the product does seem to be well-researched, with particular thought given to weapons usage.  Happily, the designer decided to take a relatively minimalist approach in introducing the conflict, so there are only a few pages of rules that depict the conflict and its combatants.  Players will not need to absorb or remember a whole host of rules.  The one drawback is that there is a lot of "nationality-switching."  In other words, the White Russians use Axis Minor counters, but are treated as Russians.  The Red Russians use Italian counters, while the Koreans use German counters (but are treated as Chinese).  This sort of thing is done from time to time (see different designers' attempts to simulate the Spanish Civil War) and is not exactly beloved by players, though it is understandable why it is done (so that entire new countersets do not have to be produced).  Nevertheless, it can be a pain to deal with sometimes.

Certainly, there is no shortage of combatants.  Among the stars and guest stars of the pack are the White Russians, Mongolian partisans, Red Russians, Bolshevik Partisans, Social Revolutionary Party troops, the famous Czech Legion, the good old U.S. Army, the Chinese, the British, the Japanese, the Hungarians, and the Red Koreans (lots of crazy people named Kim, no doubt).  All of this provides a great deal of color and chrome to the scenarios and provides the whole pack with a certain exotic air (an air increased still further with items like "Ice Sangars").  It is definitely different from playing the umpty-jillionth Germans vs. Soviets scenario.

The physical quality of the product is high.  The counters are extremely well-done, though the die-cutting was a it too deep (see comments in FtC3 for more details).  Some of the counters are directly related to the pack itself, providing SW and other counters used in the scenarios, while others are just additions to the ASL system itself, such as nationality-specific Crew Exposed counters.  The scenario cards are extremely attractive, printed in color on glossy cardstock (copying official artwork); they are, however, European-sized rather than standard American letter-size, as most scenarios are. 

The scenarios are heavily unbalanced in favor of large scenarios.  There are 6 small or medium-sized scenarios in the pack; the remaining 14 are large.   However, many of these scenarios may play a bit faster than scenarios of their size typically do, because of the general lack of AFVs to slow the scenarios down.  Two scenarios use Night rules, while one scenario utilizes OBA.  Not surprisingly, there is no Air Support; also not surprisingly, Cavalry is fairly common.  In general, the scenarios are SSR heavy, though most (though not all) are straightforward. 

The two non-Civil War scenarios both feature Manchurian troops battling against Mongolian militia.  Of the Civil War scenarios, the Red Army appears in 12 actions and Bolshevik partisans in 7.  White Russians appear in 7 scenarios, and Mongolian partisans in 2.  Of the "interlopers," the Czech Legion appears in 2, the British in 1, the Hungarians in 1, the U.S. in 4, and the Japanese in 2.  The U.S. forces are represented by 5-4-6 and 5-3-6 squads, which seems a tad unfair, as these were regular army units like the 31st Regiment (a unit that in "normal" ASL is represented by elite 6-6-7 squads).

One of the scenarios, FT126 (Kabuki Theater), uses the La Gleize map from Kampfgruppe Peiper.  Another scenario, FT127 (In the Mouth of Madness), uses map BFP-A (and relevant rules) from the Into the Rubble pack from Bounding Fire Productions.  One scenario, FT130 (Mongolian BBQ), uses map HOB-I from Heat of Battle's High Ground!, while another scenario, FT132 (Visions of Grandeur) uses map HOB-II from the same product.  The last scenario in the pack, FT134 (Freebooter Relish), breaks some new ASL cartographic ground by using board 7, but declaring that the river hexes constitute a valley.  It's a bit surprising this hasn't been used more often.

One common theme that runs through the pack is the use of partially choosable Orders of Battle, which is a feature that has proven popular among ASL players.  This feature appears in 15 of the 20 scenarios.  Typically, such a scenario includes a standard OB for a side, and then provides  additional forces (which could include squads, leaders, or other items) that are chosen by the player from among 2-3 possibilities.  For example, in scenario FT118 (Exit Plans), the Czech Legion player is given a fixed OB of 15 squads and assorted other unit, but is also provided with his choice of one of two force augmentations: Group 1 (2 x 4-5-8 squads, 9-2 leader, DC) or Group 2 (4 x 4-5-7 squads, 9-1 leader, LMG).  In some cases, the choices are not even "units," but can include things like battle hardening, fanatic status, stealthy status, or more.  These options give players more choices, add spice to battle situations that might otherwise be a tad vanilla, provide for increased replayability, and in general heighten the play value of the scenarios. 

One scenario in particular is worth noting, FT127 (In the Mouth of Madness), which is a 3-player scenario featuring Bolshevik Partisans, the Social Revolutionary Party, and the Red Army in an internecine clash for control of the city of Glaskov in Siberia in April 1920.  This is the first published 3-player scenario since the scenario Dogs of War in Kinetic Energy's Time on Target #3 back in 1996 (2009 is a banner year for 3-player scenarios, as another will be released at ASLOK 2009 by Schwerpunkt in their Rally Point #4 pack).  It is a beefier scenario than Dogs of War and will take longer to play.  This is the scenario mentioned above that uses the Into the Rubble map, so unfortunately ownership of that product is required to play this scenario.

Though there are perhaps too many large scenarios in this product, nevertheless many of them look quite interesting and fun to play.  Though the subject matter is esoteric and may not appeal to everybody, From the Cellar 4 is actually a pretty intriguing product.

FtC5 does contain some non-scenario material.  One item is board LFT2, a fixed version of the geomorphic mapboard that originally appeared in Le Franc Tireur #12, where it was printed slightly oversized; see that issue for more discussion.  Two scenarios in FtC5 use this board; one, FT154 (First Defeat), also uses another LFT map, board LFT1, which appeared in Le Franc Tireur #11 (and which was also slightly misprinted, but never fixed).  The other is FT158 (Close Combat Teams), which also uses ASLSK board v (scenario FT159 [Tangled at Tsangkou] also uses board v).

In addition, FtC5 contains a 12-page booklet that basically has two articles with designers notes about the genesis of three of the scenarios in the pack.

Actions in the pack take place in a variety of settings (some of them rather exotic), including China 1935 (Guomindang vs. Communists), Mongolia 1936 (Mongolians vs. Japanese/Manchurians),  France 1940 (French vs. Germans [4 scenarios], Soviet Union 1941 (Soviets vs. Italians, Soviets vs. Germans [Spanish]) and 1943 (Soviets vs. Waffen SS),  New Guinea 1942 (Australians vs. Japanese), Finland 1944 (Soviets vs. Germans), France 1944 (Canadians vs. Waffen SS), China 1945 (Guomindang vs. Communists), and Manchuria 1945 (Soviets vs. Japanese).  As can be seen, a number of these are off the well-trod and beaten paths of ASL, and thus provide some freshness and novelty, while there are still enough actions on "tried and true" ASL subjects to satisfy the more conventional and hidebound ASLers.

The scenarios represent a well-balanced mix of small, medium, and larger actions; players can get anything from small and fast playing scenarios to more meaty actions that can take a whole day to play.

One scenario, FT147 (Flight of the Intruders), uses Steppe Terrain and desert boards.  Two scenarios use Night rules, while three scenarios have OBA.  Interestingly, 4 of the scenarios feature Cavalry and 2 scenarios feature Motorcycles. 

The scenarios include a number of interesting actions, as well as some less so.  FT146 (Bridge of Life) is an example of the latter; while it might be considered when players don't have much time, it is simple and doesn't have much replay value.  FT153 (Nailed to the Ground) is also not very attractive; taking place on less than half a board, it pits 15 Soviet squads of indifferent quality against 4.5 German squads and some minefields.  With scenarios like this, in which one side has so few forces to set against the other, the smaller side is particularly vulnerable to an unlucky combat result or sniper attack.  The German player must roll dice and hope for survival. 

On the other hand, there are a number of scenarios that look quite interesting.  FT147 (Flight of the Intruders) has a lot going for it on novelty value alone.  It represents one of the border clashes the Japanese had in the mid to late 1930s between their forces in Manchuria, as well as their puppet troops, with Soviet forces, or Soviet puppet forces.  This action, which uses desert boards and Steppe Terrain (as well as ground snow), depicts an attack by Japanese troops and their Manchurian ("Manchukuoan") puppet troops against troops from the Soviet puppet government of Mongolia.  The Manchurians are represented by 1st line Axis Minors on horseback; the Mongolians by Soviet counters (but treated as partisans).  Though the victory conditions are somewhat too complicated, the situation is still an interesting one.

FT150 (Storm over Champagne) is nice because it uses three boards that collectively depict an entire village surrounded by farmland on all sides.  In this Franco-German scenario, both sides must exit units off the opposite side of the map; thus while attempting to exit they must prevent the other side from doing the same thing, which poses an interesting tactical puzzle.  If both sides fail to exit a minimum number of VP, then victory will go to the side with the most CVP.  The two sides are basically equal in force; the French have 13 squads, a gun, and 5 tanks; the Germans have 11 squads, two guns, and 7 tanks.  Because of the VC and the large map area, there are several different strategies possible and the scenario has some replayability.  Because of the fairly large number of vehicles, the large map area, and limited anti-tank capabilities for both sides, a number of playings of this scenario may see both players exit their required minimum VP amounts, mostly or totally through vehicles, turning the struggle into a tussle for CVP. 

One tournament-sized scenario that went down the the last DR in this writer's first playing of it was FT152 (Avanti!), a 1941 East Front action depicting an Italian attack (with some German help) and a Soviet fighting retreat.  The action takes place on Board 16, which is nothing but open ground, grain, and three buildings.  To win, the Italians must control all the buildings and also have more CVP than the Soviets (but only Italian units, not German units, can gain control of a building).  The Soviets are forced to set up away from all three buildings, in a narrow area consisting mostly of wheatfield.  They must both hold back the Italians while at the same time getting units into the key buildings to defend them.  The Soviet force initially is of quite poor quality, but they get a platoon of reinforcements, as well as two armored cars, which can make all the difference.  The armored cars can park behind a key wall and get wall advantage, too.  The Axis have only MGs and a German ATR as anti-tank capability.  The scenario is somewhat dicey, as both sides must cross open ground or sit in 0 TEM hexes, but poses challenges for both sides.

FT154 (First Defeat) uses the two LFT mapboards, one a narrow beach strip and the other a steep and large hill, to depict the New Guinea coastline at Milne Bay, where a small, ill-fated Japanese force landed in an abortive attempt to take the Australian airfields there.  Several sharp clashes occurred along the coast during this campaign, but ASL geoboards could not easily do them justice.  However, the LFT boards manage to do a much better job.  In this Night scenario, 13 Japanese squads, 2 guns, and two tanks (with headlights!) attack an Australian force of 14 squads, well led and well armed. 

FT155 (One Upon a Time...in the East) is a sort of "classic" East Front action.  Set on three full boards (mostly open) covered with snow, this scenario depicts a meeting engagement (relatively rare in ASL scenarios) between Waffen SS forces (one group of 6 squads and 2 armored cars, another group of 8 squads and 3 tanks) and Soviet cavalry (one group of 8 squads, another group of 8 squads and two tanks, with two more tanks arriving a tad later).  Both sides get CVP as well as VP for buildings (on one board); the Soviets also get exit VP.  Meanwhile, fans of the Far Eastern front can play FT158 (Close Combat Teams), which uses board LFT2 and ASLSK board v to create a Manchurian hillside position for the Japanese defenders (who get 15 squads, 2 guns, as well as mines, trenches, foxholes, and pillboxes).  The attacking Soviets have 19 squads (including an FT and 2 DCs) and 10 AFVs, plus some OBA.  To win, they have to exit 33 VP.

The "Big Momma" scenario in FtC5 is FT159 (Tangled at Tsangkou), a large (3 map) 10-turn scenario depicting a major Chinese Nationalist (Guomindang/Kuomintang) vs. Chinese Communist clash in north China just a few months after the end of World War II.  In this scenario, the Nationalists have 38 squads, with a variety of SW and some OBA, as well as two armored cars.  The defending Communists have 24 squads (partisans), 3 guns, and two taczankas.  The Nationalists must clear a railroad that runs across the map, while the Communists must somehow hang on to a bit of it.

Overall, the pack has a lot of interesting and varied actions, with scenarios suited to fit a variety of tastes.  Assuming they have been thoroughly playtested, some of these might prove popular.  It's definitely worth a look at this pack.

As can be seen from the above list, a number of the actions are fairly esoteric and will appeal to those ASLers who are particularly interested in the unusual and forgotten aspects of World War Il.   The scenarios tend towards the smallish; all of them are either small in size or on the smallish side of medium.  All of them are easily tournament compatible (except, perhaps, the all armor scenario, FT160 [Close Encounter of the Bad Kind]).  They ought to play quickly, too, as none of them utilize Night rules, OBA, or Air Support.   In general, SSRs are short and sweet; so too are the turns (the scenarios are all 4-6 turns in length).  The pack thus provides a number of options for players who just want to whip out some counters and get going with a short scenario.

Physically, of course, FTC6 is up to LFT's usual high standards, with attractive full-color scenario cards.

Several of the scenarios are interesting.  FT166 (Heroes at Leros) is set on the underused board 9; in it a decent-sized force of elite and first line British troops must traverse the fairly bald hill to take a stone building from a smaller force of elite German paratroopers.  It could be bloody.   FT167 (Wasp Sting) features another British assault on a German position, this time in France, but with the benefit of a couple of fire-spitting toys, the eponymous Wasps.  Should it prove balanced, FT165 (Shopino Struggle) could prove a popular scenario as a playable combined-arms East Front action at Kursk, pitting the Waffen SS (including a Tiger) against a Soviet force of infantry and T-34s.  With just four turns and relatively open terrain, it will be fast, furious and quite possibly bloody.

The only PTO scenario in the mix is FT164 (Guts Are Not Enough), a Burma 1942 scenario featuring not the Japanese, but their minor allies, the Burmese Independence Army, which participated as an adjunct during the Japanese invasion of Burma.  The British have fewer, but better forces; they also have two carriers.  Unfortunately, the scenario is not very fun to play for the Burmese, who will move very little and in all likelihood spend most of their time trying to keep concealed.

Also exotic is FT163 (Price of Persia), featuring some of the desultory actions that occurred as the British and Soviets occupied Iran in 1941 to secure it from the Axis.  Historically, this scenario is a bit of a stretch, as the intensity of the (brief and not bloody) action is exaggerated in order to make it scenario-worthy.  Nevertheless, it is one of few scenarios out there that pit the British against Axis minor allies (as the Iranians are represented here).

Perhaps the most exotic scenario is FT162 (French Civil War in Gabon), which pits Gaullist Free French Foreign Legion troops against Senegalese Vichy French troops in French Equatorial Africa in late 1940.  If the forces themselves were not exotic enough, the scenario uses the rarely used airstrip half of Board 38 and also invokes PTO rules.  The elite Free French must capture a half-dozen huts while staying under a fairly strict CVP.  The scenario was played a number of times at ASLOK 2011 and though there were a couple of Free French wins, the general consensus was that the Vichy French have a huge advantage.  The Free French must cross a great deal of open ground, with nothing to help them do it, against some nasty weapons; moreover, they have an extremely low CVP cap (only 10 CVP). 

One scenario, FT162 (Assault on District Rovno), players may shy away from, as it pits Soviet NKVD troops against anti-Soviet Lithuanian partisans, with the result that both sides use counters of the same color.  It is not clear why the designer did not simply use Chinese counters for the partisans (as such can be done without too much effort), but in any case, players still have the option to do this on their own, if they want to play the scenario--doing so will certainly ease play.

The smallish nature of this pack will turn off some ASLers who may like meatier fare, and the exotic nature of a number of the scenarios will turn off others (though attracting some).  However, none of the scenarios are painfully small, while many of the situations presented are interesting, so it is definitely worth taking a look at.