Desperation Morale Central: The ASL Website of Mark Pitcavage

 

 

 

  

 

 General Wargaming Magazines
(with ASL scenarios)
 
Alea Journal du Stratège
Battleplan Lider
The Boardgamer Scenarios for Wargamers
  Breakout! Sir Roger Mercenario
Page 1 / Page 2 Canadian Wargamers Journal Spel
  Casus Belli Vae Victis
World of ASL Main Page Command & Strategy The Wargamer
  Fire & Movement Battles Magazine
  Frog of War  

 

Title:  Alea
Publisher/Date:   Ludopress/1989- Product Type: General wargaming magazine
ASL contents:  Occasional scenario, article
Country of Origin:  Spain
Commentary:  Alea is a long-running (though irregularly published) wargaming magazine published by Ludopress in Barcelona, Spain.  It is similar in nature to the French wargaming magazine Vae Victis in that each issue of the magazine comes with a complete wargame included (although the counters are not mounted or die-cut, but have to be cut out by players).  From its inception, Alea has supported ASL with Spanish-language scenarios and materials.  Although its provides English translations for its wargame rules, it unfortunately does not do the same for its ASL materials, making them somewhat inaccessible to most of the rest of the world.  This has resulted in Alea not getting the credit it deserves in the ASL community for being the longest continual publisher of ASL related materials.

 

Issue ASL Scenario or Campaign
#1 (Nov-Dec 1988) ¡Berserk!  (a Stalingrad scenario)
NO IMAGE AVAILABLE #8 (1990) Los silos de Stalingrad – 1 ("The Silos of Stalingrad").  The "1" actually seems to be a scenario number and not otherwise part of the title.
NO IMAGE AVAILABLE #9 (1990) Viertagi-2  (Eastern Front 1942).  The "2" actually seems to be a scenario number and not part of "Viertagi."
#11 (1991) Kalach-3 (a scenario set in the Soviet Union, 1944).  The "3" actually seems to be a scenario number and not part of "Kalach."  There is also an article about this scenario and the two preceding ones.
#17 (1993) ¡Atrapadlo!  (roughly, "Take Him!", 1942 East Front partisan scenario set near Minsk)
#18 (1994) Acero Contra Acero ("Steel against Steel," a Kursk 1943 scenario)
#23 (1995) ¡Nuts!  Bastogne 1944 scenario.
#24 (1996) Con '91 Zaragoza Tournament scenarios.  These 5 scenarios all take place in Stalingrad and use the Red Barricades HASL map.  Includes tournament and campaign rules for the scenarios.

Zona Mortal ("Death Zone")
La Fundición ("The Smelting")
A lo Largo de la Via ("Along the Way")
La Cadena ("The Chain")
Planta de Temple ("The Tempering Plant")
#25 (1996) Alá Cobija a los Británicos ("Allah protects the British," a Libya 1940 Italian vs. British scenario)
#29 (2004) Spanish Civil War rules for ASL.  This issue of Alea featured the third unofficial attempt to introduce rules for the Spanish Civil War into ASL (the first two were Le Franc Tireur #6 and Critical Hit's Guerra Civil).  It also included the first of a series of Spanish Civil War related scenarios for ASL.

GCE1 Caza de Conejos ("Rabbit Hunt," a 1937 Zaragoza scenario)
#30 (2005) This issue included the second Spanish Civil War scenario, along with several unmounted AFV counters (for BT5 tanks).

GCE2 Operación Moscú ("Operation Moscow," a 1937 Zaragoza scenario). 

#31 (2006) This issue included the third Spanish Civil War scenario.  It also included errata for scenario GCE2 (in Alea #30) and an unmounted Spanish commissar counter.  Unlike previous

GCE3 Cota 666 ("Hill 666," a 1938 Tarragona scenario).  It uses map HOBI from the Heat of Battle module "High Ground!"
#32 (September 2007) 2GM-1 Apaches en Creta.  Crete 1941, British (commandos) vs. Germans.
#33 (September 2009) 2-GM-2  Hombres y Tanques.  Soviet Union 1944, Soviets vs. Germans.

 
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Title:  Battleplan
Publisher/Date:  Diverse Talents, Inc. (last three issues published by 3W)/1987-1989 Product Type: General wargaming magazine
ASL contents:  Occasional scenario
Country of Origin:  United States
Commentary:  Battleplan was a short-lived wargaming magazine that featured variants, scenarios, and strategy articles for the wargaming world.  Battleplan had Squad Leader scenarios in most of its issues, but for some reason was slow to begin supporting Advanced Squad Leader.  However, in its very last issue, it published four ASL scenarios that had been used in an ASL tournament in Michigan. 

 

Issue ASL Scenario
#9 This issue contained four scenarios created for the 1988 Michicon ASL tournament.  They are rendered in a non-standard format that aesthetically will displease most ASL players.  However, the scenarios were reformatted in the early 2000s and are available for download here.  Each scenario features a different aspect of the ASL rules, like night or air support.

B1 Two Long Bars
B2 Ice Follies
B3 Prussian Panic
B4 Clear up the Bridgehead

 

 
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Title:  The Boardgamer
Publisher/Date:  Bruce Monnin/1995-2004 Product Type: Wargaming magazine
ASL contents:  Occasional article or SASL mission
Country of Origin:  United States
Commentary:  The Boardgamer was a magazine devoted to supporting old Avalon Hill wargames.  It began publication in the 1990s, almost as a miniature version of Avalon Hill's house magazine, The General, but continued after Avalon Hill was sold to Hasbro and The General folded.  Its circulation was tiny, but it was one of the only sources of articles, scenarios, expansions, and variants for old Avalon Hill wargames in the years after 1999. 

Strangely, despite the fact that Advanced Squad Leader was quite possibly the most popular Avalon Hill wargame, The Boardgamer largely ignored ASL.  It never published a single ASL scenario; during its entire print run, ASL content in The Boardgamer was limited to a few minor articles and an SASL Mission.  One exception, in terms of article content, was a series replay by Robert Banozic, Scott Drane, and David Goldman that appeared in Volume 4, No. 2 (April 1999).

The editor of The Boardgamer, Bruce Monnin, went on to become the editor of MMP's house magazine, Operations, which ironically has continued the blackout of ASL coverage (though it does cover ASLSK).

Issue ASL Scenario
Volume 8, No. 1 (January 2003) SASL Mission for the Pegasus Bridge HASL by Ian Vickers.

 
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Title:  Breakout!
Publisher/Date:  Conflict Simulations of Australia/1981-1991 Product Type: General wargaming magazine
ASL contents:  Occasional scenario
Country of Origin:  Australia
Commentary:  Breakout was a more or less quarterly gaming magazine published in Australia.  Because it covered every aspect of the gaming field, from miniatures to board wargames to play-by-mail games (a dead genre) to computer games to role-playing games, its coverage of any single area was necessarily thin.  However, it was really the only gaming publication of its type in Australia at the time.  It folded after about 45 issues and 2 special issues.

 

Issue ASL Scenario
NO IMAGE AVAILABLE #32 Prokhorovka Melee
Make or Break
NO IMAGE AVAILABLE #33 Rearguard Action.  Americans vs. Germans, Italy 1944.
#42 Usau Ridge.  Australians vs. Japanese, Dutch East Indies 1942.

 
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Title:  Canadian Wargamers Journal
Publisher/Date:  Canadian Wargamers Group/1985-1996 Product Type: General wargaming magazine
ASL contents:  Occasional article or scenario
Country of Origin:  Canada
Commentary:  The Canadian Wargamers Journal was a relatively low production quality 'zine devoted to wargames, featuring variants, strategy articles, and similar items.  Although amateurish, it really served as Canada's de facto wargaming magazine for a decade.  Its ASL content was very slight (CWJ was much more interested in World in Flames than ASL) and of poor quality.

 

Issue ASL Scenario
Vol. 3, No. 1 (Issue 13), October/November 1988 The Back Door.  Canadians vs. Germans, Sicily, July 1943.

 
Vol. 4, No. 4 (Issue 22) April/May 1990 The Black Devils.  Canadians/Americans (First Special Service Force) vs. Germans, Italy.
Vol. 5, No. 2 (Issue 26), 1991.  Reprinted in Best of CWG Vol. 3. Battle of Carpiquet.  This is a monster scenario ostensibly representing the Canadian vs. German battle of Carpiquet in Normandy in July 1944.  It features 9 boards and squads and probably was never actually playtested (to give you an idea of the scale of this 20-turn scenario, the Germans get 11 modules of artillery).   Squad types in the Canadian OB include 4-6-8 and 4-6-7 squads!  Only the most obsessive of collectors will bother with this one.

 
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Title:  Casus Belli
Publisher/Date:   Groupe Excelsior Publications/circa 1980 - circa 2000 Product Type: General wargaming magazine
ASL contents:  Occasional scenario, article
Country of Origin:  France
Commentary:  Casus Belli was a long running French language gaming publication started by François Froideval.  It covered all sorts of games, and as time went on, covered role-playing games more and wargames less.  In the 1980s, it published a number of Squad Leader scenarios, and eventually some ASL scenarios as well.  The physical quality of the scenarios was not high. 

 

Issue ASL Scenario or Campaign
NO IMAGE AVAILABLE ?? Mourir a Madrid (Spain, November 1936).  This scenario was later reprinted in Le Franc Tireur #6.
#45 (May 1988) Quiproquo (Germany, May 1945)
CASUS ISSUE 076 (EX) #76 (July 1993) It Crescendo (Italy, January 1944)
Hors-Serie #9 (December 1993) Défense Élastique (USSR, June 1941)

 

 Hors-Serie #13 (December 1994) Scenarios:
La Dernière Charge (Guadalcanal, October 1942)
Les Mamelons (Libya, June 1942)
Un Épineux Problème (Tunisia, April 1943)
Chasse à l'Ours (Czechoslovakia, February 1945)
 

 
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Title:  Fire & Movement
Publisher/Date:  Decision Games (currently; see below)/1976- Product Type: Wargaming magazine
ASL contents:  Occasional review; one scenario and map
Country of Origin:  United States
Commentary:  Fire & Movement:  The Forum of Conflict Simulation is one of the longest running wargame magazines in history.  It was founded by Rodger MacGowan (who designed the covers for the original Squad Leader and its gamettes).  In 1988, the wargaming company 3W acquired it; shortly thereafter, 3W sold it to Decision Games, which has published it ever since. 

Although its content has varied over the years, Fire & Movement is known primarily as a wargame review magazine, rather than a magazine about gameplay, strategy, variants, or scenarios.  As a result, though throughout the years it has published articles related to ASL (typically reviews of new products), it has not really produced much in the way of ASL related playing materials.

One unusual exception occurred in F&M #53 (May/June 1987).  Because 1987 was the 10th anniversary of the original Squad Leader game, F&M included a collection of articles related to SL and ASL.  Among them was an unusual 2-map set designed by Ralph Ivy.  These maps, on cardstock (labeled B & C) used hex center dots but not a printed hexgrid.  They were designed as part of a generic series of wargame maps (the "Combat Vision System," intended to be part of a set of 8 to be released by RBM Graphics & Design Studios, MacGowan's design company; apparently the others never appeared).  The artwork did not look like standard SL/ASL artwork.  The issue also included a scenario designed to use the maps, "Wrong Place for a Rest Stop," set in Volkovisk, Soviet Union, on July 1, 1941 (although it appears to be a generic scenario).  It was designed by Stance Nixon. 

 
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Title:  Frog of War
Publisher/Date:  Frog of War/2004- Product Type: On-line wargaming magazine
ASL contents:  Occasional scenario
Country of Origin:  France
Commentary:  A large, attractively-produced French-language downloadable wargaming magazine, Frog of War was born as an idea on a French on-line wargaming forum, Strategikon.  Edited by Jean-Michel Constancias, it contains reviews, strategy articles, scenarios and variants for a variety of games.  A couple of issues have included an ASL scenario.  Though the magazine itself is in French, the scenarios have been in English and French (but not both).

 

Issue ASL Scenario
NO IMAGE AVAILABLE #1 FOW ASL 1   It Ain't Easy.  This Poland 1939 scenario doesn't seem quite finished.  The historical text is missing, as are the balances.  The language is English.
#2 FOW ASL 02  Un Pont Sur l'Amblève.  A more finished-looking Bulge scenario designed by Pedro Ramis.  The language is French.
     

 
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Title:  Journal du Stratège
Publisher/Date:   ?/? Product Type: General wargaming magazine
ASL contents:  Occasional scenario, article
Country of Origin:  France
Commentary:  Journal du Stratège was a French wargaming magazine published in the late 1980s/early 1990s by Didier Rouy.  It lasted for over 70 issues.  Its ASL content consisted of the occasional scenario, in French.  These include some of the earliest third party scenarios published for ASL, most designed by Pierre Forget or Robin Reeve. 

 The physical quality cannot be said to be high.

Issue ASL Scenario or Campaign
NO IMAGE AVAILABLE #34 (Nov-Dec 1987) L'Enlèvement de Mussolini.
#36 (Mar-Apr 1988) La Libération de Paris 1: Romilly, Champaubert, Montmirail.
NO IMAGE AVAILABLE #36 (Mar-Apr 1988) La Libération de Paris 1:  Retrouvailles.
#39 (Nov-Dec 1988) Eben-Emael.
#41-42 (Mar-May 1989) Un Jour en Normandie.  This scenario, which purports to represent attempts to close the Falaise Gap in August 1944, is actually a rare three player scenario, with players representing the Americans, British, and Germans.
NO IMAGE AVAILABLE #53-54 (Jan-Mar 1991) Saint Nicolas sur la Ligne Mannerheim.
NO IMAGE AVAILABLE #55-56 (Apr-Jun 1991) Resistance pres du Pripet.
LE JOURNAL DU STRATEGE 57 (EX) #57 (Jul-Sep 1991) Pres du Rhin.
#60-61 (Jan-Mar 1992) Reprise
LE JOURNAL DU STRATEGE 62 (EX) #62 (Apr-Jun 1992) Resistance Active
#63-64 (Jul-Aug 1992) Va et Vient
#67-68 (Jan-Mar 1993) Descente Perilleuse
NO IMAGE AVAILABLE #70 (Apr-Jun 1994) Campagne SL & ASL 1944.  This is an attempt at a campaign game of sorts representing an attack of a Soviet mechanized brigade against a German infantry regiment during the destruction of Army Group Center in July 1944.  Not sure if this was actually playtested.

 
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Title:  Lider (originally M&S)
Publisher/Date:  Maquetismo y simulación/1981-2001 Product Type: General wargaming magazine
ASL contents:  Occasional scenario, article
Country of Origin:  Spain
Commentary:  Lider (Spanish for "leader") began as the house publication of the Maquetismo y Simulación (Modelling & Simulation) Club of Barcelona in the 1980s.  In its first incarnation, it was called M&S and ran for 17 issues (1981-1985).  In 1986 it improved its quality and changed its name to Lider, restarting its numbering system (which ran for 5 issues).  Lider then once more reinvented itself; its third incarnation lasted 62 issues until January 1998.  At first, it concentrated on wargaming, but as time went on, more and more of its content dealt with role-playing games and collectible card games.  A final incarnation, solely featuring RPGs and CCGs lasted around five issues, until late 2001.

During its third incarnation, Lider published several ASL scenarios, as well as a couple of other reviews and articles.

Issue ASL Scenario
#4 La estación de Suhinici ("Suhinici Station," a 1942 East Front scenario)
NO IMAGE AVAILABLE #25 (1991) Necesitamos un Cuartel ("We Need Barracks"?, East Front 1942)
NO IMAGE AVAILABLE #26 (1991) Apenas nos Hablamos ("We Hardly Talk"?, Sicly 1943, U.S. Rangers vs. Italians)
NO IMAGE AVAILABLE #54 (1996) ¡Nuts!  (Bastogne 1944, possibly reprinted from Alea)

 
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Title:  Scenarios for Wargamers
Publisher/Date:  Jay Karamales/1993-1994 Product Type: Wargaming magazine
ASL contents:  Occasional scenario
Country of Origin:  United States
Commentary:  Scenarios for Wargamers was a short-lived quarterly magazine from Maryland with scenarios primarily for miniatures rules systems.  However, issue #4 contained 4 scenarios, all from Anzio 1944, as well as order of battle information and other supporting materials.  Supposedly the ASL scenarios were well-received by subscribers, so SFW decided to put at least one ASL scenario in each issue.  However, there were no more issues.

In 2007, ASLer Paul Dutram received permission to make the scenarios available again, and they are now a free download on the Gamesquad.com Web site.

Issue ASL Scenario
NO IMAGE AVAILABLE Volume 1, No. 4 (October 1994) SFW1 Bridge Number 8
SFW2 The Battle for Carroceto
SFW3 Nowhere to Hide
SFW4 Along the Lateral Road

 
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Title:  Sir Roger Mercenario
Publisher/Date:  SRM/2000-2003? Product Type: On-line wargaming magazine
ASL contents:  One "extra" with ASL scenarios
Country of Origin:  Spain
Commentary:  The unusually named Sir Roger Mercenario was a short-lived Spanish on-line magazine devoted to miniatures, role-playing games and sometimes wargames.  One of its "Xtra" issues, each of which concentrated on a single game or game system, focused on ASL.  It had articles on OBA and the 250th (Spanish) "Azul" Infantry Division, as well as 4 scenarios (three of which featured that division).

 

Issue ASL Scenario
N/A SRM Xtra 1 A special issue devoted to ASL, consisting of two articles and four scenarios. 

SRÑ-1 Krassny Bor
SRÑ-2 Bautismo de Fuego ("Baptism of Fire")
SRÑ-3 Cuarteles de Dubrowka ("The Dubrowka Headquarters")
SR-1 Comienza el Crepúsculo ("The Twilight Begins")

These scenarios are downloadable here.

 
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Title:  Spel!
Publisher/Date:  Ducosim/1997- Product Type: General gaming magazine
ASL contents:  Occasional article or scenario
Country of Origin:  Netherlands
Commentary:  Ducosim is the national gaming association for the Netherlands, intended to promote gaming in ways ranging from organizing gaming events to publishing the games magazine Spel! (Dutch for "Play!").  The content in Spel! ranges from Euro games to miniatures to role-playing games to wargames.  However, articles about ASL have appeared from time to time, such as "ASL in Rotterdam."  In Spel! 9.4, for example, veteran Dutch ASLer Hennie van der Salm wrote an article on the 20th anniversary of ASL.

 

Issue ASL Scenario
NO IMAGE AVAILABLE 8.4 This issue of Spel! actually contained an original ASL scenario (in English) designed by Adam Lunney.  It can be downloaded here.  It is an American vs. German action set during Operation Market-Garden.

AL01 It's Hardly Fair

 
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Title:  The Wargamer
Publisher/Date:  3W (later Decision Games)/1977-1990 Product Type: General wargaming magazine
ASL contents:  Occasional scenario
Country of Origin:  United States
Commentary:   The Wargamer was a bimonthly wargaming magazine founded by Keith Poulter in Great Britain in 1977 that originally included a wargame in each issue.  After 62 issues, in 1987, when Poulter acquired the similar magazine Strategy & Tactics, the games were dropped from The Wargamer (from then on known as "Volume 2" of the Wargamer) and it focused instead on reviews, strategy and analysis articles, as well as scenarios and variants.  When Decision Games acquired The Wargamer and other magazines from 3W, it was believed that the content in The Wargamer duplicated the content in other magazines and it was dropped in 1990 after 25 "Volume 2" issues.

The Wargamer did not pay much attention to ASL, but several "Volume 2" issues featured scenarios.

Issue ASL Scenario
Vol. 2, #1 (July-August 1987)

Scenarios:
Swing on Singling (Germany, December 1944)
Objective Bill (Germany, March 1945)
Vol. 2, #2 (September-October 1987) One Lone Farmhouse (Germany, March 1945)
Vol. 2, #8 (November-December 1988) Counterattack at the Roundhouse (March 1944)

This issue also included two generic ASL scenarios featuring Central American guerrillas:
The Los Lobos Prison Break
On the Border
Vol. 2, #9  (Special Christmas Issue, 1988) Starting with this issue, The Wargamer ran a series of 10 East Front ASL scenarios.  Based on the high amount of errata, it seems unlikely that these scenarios were sufficiently playtested.

WG1 Boltenko's Gun (USSR, September 1942)
WG2 Assault on Teploye Heights (USSR, July 1943)
Vol. 2, #10 (January-February 1989) WG3 Attack on the Frontier (USSR, June 1941)
WG4 Breaking out of the Pocket (USSR, September 1941)
WG5 Setback on the Road to Mtensk (USSR, October 1941)
WG6 Plugging the Gap: State Farm 79 (USSR, December 1942)
Vol. 2, #11 (March-April 1989) WG7 Desperation at Seelow (Germany, April 1945)
WG8 The Storming of Ivanovo (USSR, November 1941)
WG9 Retreat from Moscow (USSR, December 1941)
WG10 Repulsed (USSR, August 1942)
NO IMAGE AVAILABLE Vol. 2, #14 (September-October 1989) Needed errata for above scenarios.  Also available at
http://grognard.com/errata/aslwg.txt. 

 
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