Like every issue, Schwerpunkt #14 is a shortish magazine combined with a dozen scenarios of no particular theme.  This issue's contents are essentially a long article on the French Army by Brook White, and players and designers notes for all of the scenarios.

However, as with Playboy, nobody buys Schwerpunkt for the articles.  They buy it for the scenarios (unlike Playboy).  Volume 14 continues a trend exhibited in the past several issues:  the scenarios tend towards the large in size.  In this issue, half of the scenarios are large in size, with the other half divided between small and medium-sized.  One scenario, SP157 (Edge of Extinction) does hearken back to the early days of Schwerpunkt, when small to very small scenarios were common (however, with its AFV-related VC and small size, it looks like it could be very dicey).

Scenario situations include Americans vs. Germans (Luxembourg 1944, Germany 1945), French vs. Germans (France 1940), Soviets vs. Germans (USSR 1943, 1944 [3]), Canadians vs. Germans (Sicily 1943), British vs. Japanese (Burma 1942),  Poles vs. Russians(Poland 1939), Americans vs. Japanese (Philippines 1942, 1945).  Every scenario except the PTO scenarios include AFVs; 7 have overlays.  As is typical with Schwerpunkt scenarios, SSRs are very light.  None of the scenarios have OBA, Night, or Air Support.  One scenario, SP157 (Edge of Extinction), uses an ASLSK board (w).

Several scenarios look more interesting than the rest.  SP158 (The Fond Dagot Drag-Out; yes, Schwerpunkt also continues its tradition of bad scenario titles), is an interesting early war French-German combined arms action.  SP162 (The Buddha's Belly) is a nice largish early war PTO scenario.  SP163 (First to Fastov) is a playable East Front armor action that will probably prove popular.  SP164 (Tanks But No Tanks; see previous comment on scenario titles) has the novelty value of Soviets fighting Poles; in early playings it has been one of the most popular scenarios.  SP166 (Blue Jacket Attack) is a quick-playing tournament-sized PTO scenario. 

Although the size mix of the scenarios could have been a bit more varied, overall, this is a very solid issue of Schwerpunkt.

Given these milestones, it is perhaps timely to take a (brief) look at Schwerpunkt and where it stands today.   Schwerpunkt occupies a somewhat unusual place in the ASL third party pantheon.  It has been around a long time, and is well known to ASL cognoscenti (especially because each issue of Schwerpunkt is debuted at the ASLOK ASL convention in October each year).  However, it is not that well known to more newish ASLers, primarily due to a distinct lack of marketing (the Schwerpunkt Web site is bare-bones and does not even have its own domain name; it does not accept on-line methods of payment; and does not have a strong presence with on-line retailers).  As a result, many novice ASLers will encounter other third party products before they come across Schwerpunkt. 

Moreover, though Schwerpunkt is well known to veterans, sometimes it seems that it is a bit too well known.  Perhaps because Schwerpunkt has been coming out each year so regularly (and always in the same format), some ASLers seem to take it for granted.  Many ASLers, too, have dated impressions of Schwerpunkt scenarios; one still sees comments about Schwerpunkt scenarios being small, even though the trend for some time has been towards larger scenarios (though see below).  Though Schwerpunkt scenarios still enjoy a high reputation, an increasing number of ASLers seem to be placing Schwerpunkt as the number two third party producer, in terms of scenario quality, behind the Friendly Fire packs.  One suspects that if Schwerpunkt took a year off on "holiday," more people might appreciate what they were missing. 

Several people have commented that Schwerpunkt scenarios seem a bit too similar sometimes; one person wrote on an ASL discussion forum that "frankly I am starting to find their selection more of the 'same old same old,'" and seemed to suggest that there were too many late war scenarios among Schwerpunkt's offerings.

This is an interesting assertion, and one that moreover can be checked for validity: 
 

The results of this tabulation are highly interesting.  Now, in any large collection of varied scenarios, one would expect a greater weight on late war scenarios, simply because the war was so much larger in 1944-1945 than it was in, say, 1939-1940.  However, even taking this fact into account, it is remarkable what a high proportion of Schwerpunkt scenarios are set in the last 18 months of World War II.  The chart clearly indicates a strong bias on the part of Schwerpunkt towards late war scenarios.  It is, moreover, a trend that has clearly increased over time (although Issue #14 temporarily reversed it somewhat).  There are a number of campaigns that Schwerpunkt has barely even touched, or in fact covered not at all.  Perhaps most remarkable is the dearth of East Front scenarios from 1941-1943, a period that other scenario designers have mined for material most profitably.  Given this substantial late-war bias, it can be perhaps be seen how some people might legitimately perceive a certain sameness to Schwerpunkt scenarios.

Now back to the (literal) issue at hand.

Schwerpunkt #15 continues the exact same format that all previous issues of the magazine have had.  It consists of a short (24 page) black and white magazine and 12 black and white scenarios (with no counter artwork) on glossy cardstock.  One wishes that Schwerpunkt might jazz up the scenario cards a bit, perhaps even trying a bit of color some day.  As is typical, the bulk of the magazine content is devoted to players' and designers' notes for the included scenarios; the magazine also includes a lengthy overview of Italian soldiers by Brook White.

The 12 scenarios are, as noted above, heavily weighted towards late war scenarios.  Indeed, Schwerpunkt #15 contains only one scenario set before 1944 (it should be noted that there is no "relief" in Rally Point #4, released at the same time, as the theme of that pack is actions that take place in May 1945).  Actions covered include Chinese/British vs. Japanese (Burma 1942),  Americans vs. Germans (Italy 1944, France 1944, Germany 1944), British vs. Germans (France 1944, Holland 1945), Canadians vs. Germans (France 1944), Soviets vs. Germans (Soviet Union 1944, Hungary 1944 [2], Germany 1945), and Americans/Filipinos vs. Japanese (Philippines 1945). 

In terms of size, Schwerpunkt #15 has a slightly better mix than last year; 3 scenarios are small in size, 4 are medium-sized, while the remaining 5 are largish.  As is typical for Schwerpunkt, the SSRs tend to be few in number.  Two scenarios have OBA, while none have Air Support or Night Rules.   There is a substantial emphasis on using geomorphic mapboards from Action Packs #4 and #5; half of the scenarios utilize one or more of these boards.

Among the scenarios, several are promising.  SP178 (Chiang's Finest) is a smallish, fun and playable Burma scenario  (it is interesting to compare it to the very similar FrF37 [Crossing Swords at Kyaukse], released by Friendly Fire at the same time).  Another good PTO scenario is SP177 (Tic Tac Toe), which pits the Japanese against a mix force of Americans and Filipinos led by a dangerous 9-2 leader.  The tactical situation and the victory conditions give this scenario a bit of an interesting twist.   SP176 (Smiling Albert) is a smallish action that pits five Tiger tanks against two American tank destroyers. 

The biggest scenario in the pack is SP169 (The Winnekendonk Cakewalk); the OB is as much a mouthful as the title.  In this scenario, a force of 17 British Elite and 1st Line squads, accompanied by a ton of AFVs (including 9 Churchills of various kinds, 6 Ram Kangaroos, and a lone Bren gun carrier) must capture a handful of multi-hex stone buildings (on boards 4, 53, and 57) from a German force of 12 squads, 3 StuGs, 2 50mm AT guns, and an 88mm AT gun.

Overall, Schwerpunkt #15 looks pretty good, though some early war actions would have been welcome.

Commentary:  Schwerpunkt Volume 16 is the latest in the venerable series of magazine/scenario combo packs designed and published by Evan Sherry and his Tampa-based crew of grognards.  Some things, it seems, are inevitable, including death, taxes, and another issue of Schwerpunkt.  Luckily, Schwerpunkt is typically far more welcome than the others.

As always, this issue of Schwerpunkt includes a smallish magazine (24 pages), plus 12 varied scenarios.  The feature in the magazine is an article by Brook White on the USMC in ASL (because that's what the USMC needs, dammit, more attention); the rest of the magazine is taken up entirely by designers' and players' notes for the included scenarios.

Again as always, the 12 scenarios represent a mix of actions from different theaters and periods, including Soviets vs. Germans (Soviet Union 1941 [2 scenarios], 1943; Germany 1945), Americans vs. Japanese (New Guinea 1942, Philippines 1945, Okinawa 1945),  French vs. Germans (France 1940),  Spanish Nationalists vs. Spanish Republicans (Spain 1937),  Canadians vs. Germans (Germany 1945),  Slovaks/French vs. Germans (Slovakia 1944), and Soviets vs. Hungarians (Hungary 1944).  One cannot help but notice that, this time around, Schwerpunkt features a far more rounded and varied set of scenario settings than in previous years, with half of the scenarios taking place before 1944.  It would be pleasant to think that this Web site might have had a gentle influence in this regard, but whatever the reason for it, the result is nice.

Would-be purchasers should keep in mind that many of the scenarios in this volume use recently printed official maps (the Schwerpunkt folks, bored with older geomorphic maps, are always the quickest to embrace newly released ones, often even obtaining pre-release playtest copies to help them more quickly design scenarios using them).   Fully 9 of the 12 scenarios use one or more of the following relatively recently released mapboards:  53, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 1a, 2a, and 3a.  Thus players who are not up-to-date in their ASL mapboard collecting should take note. 

The scenarios in this volume range tends towards the large; 7 of the scenarios can be considered large, with 3 medium-sized and 2 small.  However, none of the scenarios are huge, and even a couple of the large scenarios could conceivably be played in a tournament setting if players are speedy with their vehicles.   As is typical with Schwerpunkt scenarios, SSRs tend to be minimalist.  One scenario uses Air Support, two scenarios use OBA; no scenarios employ the Night rules.  One scenario, SP190 (Bottcher's Corner), unfortunately employs a great many terrain changes, where one terrain type is substituted wholesale for another.  In this case, Brush is treated as Marsh/Swamp, elevated roads do not exist, and hills are treated as level 0 terrain.  Such wholesale substitutions are often hard for players to keep in mind, especially if more than one exist at the same time.  Several playings of this scenario at ASLOK 2010 were impacted by players forgetting the terrain changes. 

Fully 10 of the 12 scenarios include AFVs, and 7 of these have 5+ vehicles for at least one side.  One scenario, SP185 (Von Renesse's Recon) is an all-AFV scenario. 

Among the scenarios, one early favorite has been the atrociously titled SP181 (The Elefant of Surprise), a very straightforward East Front action pitting 16 Soviet squads with 6 AFVs against 11 German squads and two (here's a shocker) Elefants.  The two Elefants set up HIP, leading to the question, "How can you tell if an Elefant is HIP in the hex adjacent to you?"  The answer:  "There's a trailbreak in the peanut butter."

Also interesting is SP187 (Stairway to Heaven), the first Spanish Civil War scenario published by Schwerpunkt since its inaugural issue way back in 1865 ("Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you like the scenario?").  In this action, the Nationalists are represented by Axis Minor counters, while the Republicans, coming from the volunteer "International Brigades" that fought on the Republican side, are represented by their nationality's counters:  Americans (early war) and French.    This lends a nice exotic feel to the entire scenario. 

SP188 (On the Road Again) is an interesting American-Japanese combined arms clash taking place in the Philippines in January 1945.  In this scenario, 16 elite and first line Japanese squads, accompanied by 6 AFVs, swarm in from a variety of directions to engage a group of 8 elite U.S. squads, buttressed by two tank destroyers and a Stuart.  Two thirds of the way into the scenario, they see some much needed reinforcements in the form of 4 more elite squads, another tank destroyer and another Stuart, and two armed jeeps.  The tactical situation is interesting, because the Japanese essentially must get past, through, or around the Americans to have at least 10 good order VP within 3 hexes of a particular location.  However, going through the Americans takes time and getting past them involves a lot of open ground.  Both sides have interesting tactical decisions to make.  Early results suggest the Japanese may have a slight edge (they do have the benefit of having the last player turn, and the possibilty of using the advance phase to crawl into the needed hexes), but the scenario is still a fun one.   Another US-Japanese scenario, SP190 (Bottcher's Corner), also presents an interesting tactical situation with several different battles going on at the same time, but it does have the disadvantage of the wholesale terrain changes alluded to earlier.

One final scenario, also execrably named, deserves mention:  SP191 (Tatra Salad), designed by Pete Shelling.  This scenario takes place during the all-but-forgotten Slovak Uprising, which took place in the late summer of 1944 at the same time as the more famous Warsaw Uprising, which has totally eclipsed it in memory.  During the Slovak Uprising, dissident Slovak army units joined Communist partisans in an effort to seize Slovakia, overturn the puppet government, liberate the country, and open a way for Soviet troops.  However, as with the Warsaw Uprising, much went wrong in the Slovak uprising's initial stages, and a hastily-assembled German force (including the eponymous makeshift "Tatra" Panzer Division) defeated the effort.  This scenario depicts an attack of the improvised "Tatra" Division against positions held by Slovak units (represented by Axis Minor counters) and re-armed French prisoners (represented by French 4-3-7 squads).  The tactical situation as well as the countermix are both enjoyable. 

Overall, Schwerpunkt 16 is a good mix of different actions, nationalities, and tactical situations.  It looks like a solid product.

Commentary:  Schwerpunkt Volume 17 is the latest in the veteran series of magazine/scenario combo packs designed and published by Evan Sherry and his rowdy crowdies (especially Hugh Downing, Mike Faulkner and Brian Williams). 

As with every version of Schwerpunkt, it combines a baker's dozen of scenarios with a small magazine, the bulk of which is devoted to designers' and players' notes for the included scenarios (this issue also includes an article on the American 4th Infantry Division and the German 272nd Volks-Grenadier Division in the Huertgen Forest--essentially drawn from the books on those two units by Robert Sterling Rush and Douglas E. Nash, respectively).

The scenarios in Schwerpunkt 17 cover a variety of actions, including France 1940 (French vs. Germans), Soviet Union 1941 (Soviets vs. Germans), Soviet Union 1942 (Soviets vs. Germans), the Solomon Islands 1943 (USMC vs. Japanese), France 1944 (Poles vs. Waffen SS; Waffen SS vs. Waffen SS), Hungary 1944 (Soviets vs. Germans/Hungarians), Luxembourg 1944 (U.S. vs. Germans),  Germany 1945 (Soviets vs. Germans [2 scenarios], British vs. Germans), and Luzon 1945 (U.S. vs. Japanese).   As is typical with most Schwerpunkt packs, late war (1944/1945) actions predominate, making up 2/3 of the scenarios.

The scenarios are mostly medium or large in size, with a couple of small scenarios.  None of the scenarios are huge, though.  Almost all of the scenarios have AFVs, with a number of them having quite a lot.  SSRs tend to be few and far between, and there are no scenarios using Night or OBA rules.  One scenario uses the Air Support rules. 

As has become customary with ASL products since MMP began releasing post-Board 52 boards, the board mix is heavily dependent upon recently published boards.  To play all the scenarios in the pack, players will need to have boards 5, 19, 20, 24, 41, 44 (2 scenarios), 50, 51, 52, 53, 57, 59 (2 scenarios), 60, 62 (2 scenarios), 63 (2 scenarios), 1a/1b, 2a (4 scenarios!), 3a.  While most ASL players enjoy the novelty of playing on new boards, ASL scenario designers tend to tire of older boards more quickly (because they repeatedly playtest scenarios on them) and as a result are flocking to the newer boards.  This puts pressure on ASL players to purchase the new products to ensure that they can continue to play the bulk of newly released scenarios.

Several of the scenarios are interesting in one way or another.  SP193 (Kamikaze Gorge) is interesting because of a comparatively rare Schwerpunkt appearance of a "flavor" SSR (i.e., an SSR designed not simply to delineate the conditions of combat but to impart some of the unique flavor of that particular action).  In this scenario, the defending Japanese benefit from an SSR which basically allows them to turn two of their tanks into suicide tanks equipped with explosive charges attached to them that will go off if they ram another tank.    The scenario is one in which the Americans are fighting the terrain as much as the Japanese, as they have to surmount the Board 50 hill, then cross a hard-to-cross stream).  It is balanced and fun. 

Another scenario may be interesting because of the hardware involved:  SP194 (Requiem for a Dreadnaught) features two of the Soviet early war T-35 tank "monstrosities" (along with a KV-1 thrown in for good measure).   It is also quite balanced.  As of 2013, the two most popular scenarios in the pack are also two of the most balanced:  the Soviet/German SP202 (Fiery Finale) and the American/German SP204 (Yankee Pride).

However, the most novel scenario is SP201 (Doppleganger), which depicts a very unusual situation:  the mutiny of a battalion of Ukrainian troops in German service against their fellow troops (also Osttruppen).  This scenario thus features SS troops fighting SS troops (one of the only reasons to actually use the black SS counters that came in A Bridge Too Far).  There's a some quibble-worth stuff here--there are far too many 8-morale squads wandering around in this battle between forces that were actually low-quality, and the mutineers are given super-partisan qualities to boot--but the novelty value is still pretty high. 

SP195 (Retreat from Hannut) is welcome as a relatively rare early war Schwerpunkt scenario; moreover, it also features a lot of French vs. German early war armored action--a lot of ASLers welcome those "wars of the tin cans."  In this scenario, have to do a sort of fighting retreat--exiting at last one tank off the board edge while hanging on to a few buildings.

Unfortunately, the scenario that may be the most immediately attractive to people might also be the most unbalanced.  SP196 (Hussars and Hounds) is a 1945 scenario involving a British attack.  At just 4.5 turns, the scenario is quick playing; moreover, both sides have some vehicles to play with.  The Germans only have 8 squads, 3 of which are 2nd-line, while the British have 11 squads (3 of which are elite), plus a 9-2 leader and various other goodies.  However, it also seems like it is very difficult for them to win; they have to essentially take three of four buildings, which are fairly spaced out, and they just have very little time in which to do it.  It was played 8 times upon its debut at ASLOK in 2011 and the British did not win once (2013 update:  ROAR confirms it is not balanced).

Hussars and Hounds also brings up something else that Schwerpunkt has been doing an awful lot of lately.  It's not clear whether it is positive or negative, but it is worth mentioning.  In Hussars, the British do not actually have to control any buildings to win.  Rather, they must ensure that there are no unbroken German MMCs in a certain number of buildings.  Even the victory conditions are written backwards for this:  "The Germans win at game end if they have at least one unbroken German (non-vehicular crew) MMC(s) in ≥ 2 of the following buildings, etc.   SP195 (Retreat from Hannut) is similar--to prevent the French from winning, the Germans must insure that the French do not have 7VP "of unbroken infantry" in certain buildings.   SP202 (Fiery Finale) also has backward victory conditions (victory conditions specified from the defender's point of view rather than, per official ASL scenarios, the attacker's):  "The Russians win at game end if they have a Good Order MMC" in various building hexes.  Time and time again, this or similar phraseology is used; in essence, the attacker is no longer required to control various buildings/hexes/etc., but merely sweep them of unbroken defenders.  This phraseology also occurs in scenarios in Rally Point 6, released at the same time.

What does this mean?  In essence, it is a tacit admission that the attacker in question does not have enough time in the scenario to win "traditionally" (through control of the geographic objective).  Essentially, what the Schwerpunkt designers are really doing, consciously or unconsciously, is lopping off the last turn or half turn of a scenario and wording the victory conditions to accommodate this.  It is, in a sense, a design shortcut to allow a shorter scenario.  Is this a good idea?  Is it a fudge?   The answer is not immediately obvious.  However, it is interesting to note this obvious design technique (see the Desperation Morale blog for more on this).

All in all, this is a pretty standard Schwerpunkt offering.  In terms of the scenario actions, in terms of the orders of battle, and in terms of the SSRs and victory conditions, it will be very familiar territory to those who have previously purchased Schwerpunkt products.  Those who like the Schwerpunkt flavor will certainly appreciate this dose of it.

Commentary:  Schwerpunkt Volume 18 is the umpteenth magazine/scenario pack combo published by the Boys from Tampa.  It need hardly be said that this is, by far, the longest-running consistently published ASL product series in the hobby.  At 18, Schwerpunkt is now eligible for the draft.

The magazine portion of Schwerpunkt is short, at 24 pages.  It consists of a lead article by Mark Pitcavage, "Throwing Snowballs in Hell:  The Art of the Low-Odds IFT Shot," players' and designers' notes for the scenarios, and an article on British and American reconnaissance units by Brook White, a perennial Schwerpunkt contributor.

ASLers buy Schwerpunkt for the scenarios, though, not the articles (similar to Playboy).  Often in volumes of Schwerpunkt, the bulk of the scenarios are designed by Evan Sherry, with other Schwerpunktians contributing some.  This volume is more of a smorgasbord, with contributions from a variety of Schwerpunkt folks--Evan Sherry (2.5), Brook White (1), Randy Thompson (.5), Mike Faulkner (1), Hugh Downing (1), and Mike Augustine (2)--as well as scenarios from "guest" designers with relationships with Schwerpunkt, including Pete Shelling (2), Mark Pitcavage (1), and Bill Sisler (1).  This gives players an opportunity to see a variety of different design styles, though most have that "Schwerpunkt flavor."  Also typical of recent Schwerpunkt volumes, the scenarios in this volume tend to use the most recently-issued boards, as Evan Sherry and others tend to get tired of the older ASL boards.

About half the scenarios in Volume 18 are large, with most of the remaining medium in size; there are two small scenarios.  No scenarios use OBA, Air Support or Night Rules.  The actions represented in Volume 18 are varied and include:  Soviets vs. Germans (Soviet Union 1943 [3], Germany 1945),  Soviets vs. Hungarians/Germans (Hungary 1944), British vs. Germans (Italy 1945), Belgians vs. Germans (Belgium 1940), Chinese vs. Japanese (Burma 1944), Spanish Nationalists vs. Spanish Republicans (Spain 1938), Americans/Filipinos vs. Japanese (Philippines 1941), Americans vs. Germans (Germany 1945), and British/Americans vs. Germans (France 1944).

A number of the scenarios in this volume are solid scenarios.  One of the better larger scenarios is SP214 (Makela's End), which is set during the Spanish Civil War and features American and Canadian volunteers.  It uses Soviet counters for the Republicans and Allied Minor counters for the Nationalists (though they are considered Axis Minors).  The tactical situation is interesting and it is fairly replayable, too.   At the other end of the scale is SP210 (Tea at Three), a tiny scenario (9 squads vs. 5.5 squads which set up practically on top of each other) that can be finished in no time at all.  It depicts a tiny, elite British force (5 x 6-4-8 squads, a 10-2 leader, a 9-1 leader, a hero, an LMG, and 5 DCs) attacking a larger but mediocre German force on a small hill.  The scenario is fun and frivolous, perfect when you need a scenario that can be played super-quickly, but it favors the Germans (the British balance, adding an 8-0, probably won't help; a better balance might be to add another American half squad).

One well-balanced scenario is SP213 (The Mighty Have Fallen), a 1941 Fil-American-Japanese PTO action.  The attacking Japanese have 14 squads (plus lots of toys) and 6 AFVs; they must assault an American/Filipino force of 12 x 4-4-7 squads with 5 AFVs.   SP211 (The Apiary) pits a large Soviet force loaded for bear against a deceptively slight set of German defenders.  SP215 (Encircle That!) is a barely-tournament-suitable scenario that pits 16 Soviet squads and 6 AFVs against 12 Hungarian squads and 2 AFVs that get reinforced by 2 German Panthers.

One last editorial note:  SP207 (Resiste Et Mords) depicts a May 1940 German attack against the Belgian Chasseurs Ardennais.  Desperation Morale would just like to inform all ASL scenario designers that the Belgians had many units in their army other than the Chasseurs Ardennais and not every Belgian scenario needs to feature them.

Overall, this looks like a solid volume of Schwerpunkt.