08.2023 ASL Journal Issue Fourteen

Publisher/Date:
Multi-Man Publishing (2023)

Product Type:
Periodical

Country of Origin:
United States

Contents:
56-page magazine, 4 pages rules (Chapter Z pages Z91-Z94), 24 scenarios on cardstock, 22" x 30" historical map on semi-gloss paper.

Commentary:

ASL Journal Issue Fourteen comes hard on the heels of the thirteenth issue of the magazine, and is essentially a special issue. In fact, it is dubbed the “Aussie Special Edition,” because most of its content was created and playtested by Australians (and New Zealanders), and much (though not all) of the scenario content also features ANZAC troops.  Arguably–and with no disparagement towards any of the other designers, playtesters, and contributors–it could also be called the “Andy Rogers” issue, in that Rogers came up with the idea, contributed the mini-HASL, designed many of the scenarios, and wrote many of the articles.  Rogers was previously the designer of the popular Hatten in Flames historical module.

With 56 pages of magazine material, 24 scenarios, and a mini-HASL, there’s a lot of content here–and the price reflects that.  At $68 (as of this writing), ASL Journal Issue Fourteen is the most expensive issue of the ASL Journal ever released.

The magazine content may perhaps be the most disappointing aspect of the product, though it is not bad per se.  There is certainly an abundance of articles (too many to list all of them), so most people will find something in it they like.  However, the many articles are also typically quite short (much of the 56 pages is filled with lavish illustrations and photographs rather than text, in contrast to most Journal issues) and don’t present as much substantive content as one would like.  Your humble author would have appreciated, for example, the Series Reply by Aaron Cleavin and Andy Rogers to have had more analysis and discussion. Andy Rogers also contributes a “Hatten in Flames: Map Genesis” article about creating the map for that module which takes up only a page and has only five paragraphs of text.  It would have been fascinating to have had a multi-page article that really took the reader into the process of researching, designing, and laying out and drawing an ASL historical map.  Alas, that just is not there.

The most meaty–and most appreciated–article in the issue is a “Scenario Breakdown” of a scenario from this issue, written by Aaron Cleavin and John Knowles.  Your humble author knows from personal experience that Cleavin has a knack for analyzing scenarios and he’s also a very good player (including a 2-1 record against that same humble author).

The magazine also has a lot of historical content–again, much of it in relatively bite-sized chunks–that is generally designed to showcase aspects of the ANZAC contribution to World War II (though neither the New Zealand Third Division in the PTO nor the Fiji Infantry Regiment that it officered and trained are mentioned).  The historical articles include a short piece on Crete written by Albert Palazzo, an actual military historian (as well as wargamer).  Al is also a friend and former grad school colleague of your humble author, who even once helped Al move.  Then Al moved to Australia before he could help your humble author move. Imagine, moving all the way to another hemisphere just to avoid a reciprocal moving obligation!

Many ASLers will probably be the most curious about the included mini-ASL, dubbed Sparrow Force, the main component of which is a 22″ x 30″  historical map printed on thinnish semi-gloss paper (the paper appears to be about the same thickness as the paper in the magazine and is definitely thinner than the magazine cover).  Sparrow Force depicts clashes between a Japanese landing force and an Australian/Dutch delaying force on the Dutch East Indies (later Indonesian) island of West Timor in February 1942, during the months of rapid Japanese expansion and conquest early in the Pacific War.

The map is attractive, with large hexes, though it is more delicate than is preferable. It depicts a dirt road linking two small villages (consisting mostly of huts, with a few wooden buildings), amid areas of jungle, palm trees, maize fields, bamboo and rice paddies. It’s mostly flat, though there are a couple of small one-level hills near one edge of the map.  The map is distinctive primarily for its hut artwork; the round huts look rather like muffin or mushroom tops, giving the terrain a bit of a fairyland atmosphere.  The terrain does create some interesting tactical situations.

Four pages of Chapter Z rules (but no counters) accompany the map. There are a few minimal rules for map terrain, but the bulk of the rules address the included campaign games.  As the reader may have guessed from the mere four pages of rules, Sparrow Force does not include a full campaign game in the traditional ASL sense.  It is best described as a linked-scenario campaign game with a few traditional campaign game elements.  The campaign game involves playing three scenarios set on three successive days, representing three different clashes (often with different units) that occurred in the area featured in the map. Each scenario is separate; forces from previous scenarios are not carried over.  However, there is a simplified Refit Phase.

More importantly, in the three scenarios, players get to purchase much of their Order of Battle in a manner similar to traditional campaign game purchases (with the purchases coming in as reinforcements). In the first CG scenario, for example–J228 (Flying Samurai)–the attacking Japanese start with 9 squads, 3 leaders, and 5 SW. The Japanese, moreover, receives Campaign Purchase Points (from 3-5, depending on turn) for each of the first six turns. They can spend these points on Reinforcement Groups ( and may save some for future turns). There are 9 different RG options for the Japanese, most of which can be purchased only once. Options include 1) an infantry platoon (3 x 4-4-7, LMG, 50mm mtr, 9-1), 2) another infantry platoon (same as previous except 10-0 leader), 3) a machinegun section (2 x 2-2-8 crew, 2 x MMG, 8-0), 4) a headquarters platoon (3 x 3-4-7, LMG, 9-0, 8+1), 5) a support platoon (3 x 3-4-7, 5omm mtr, 9-0), 6) another support platoon (3 x 3-4-7, LMG, 8-0), 7) yet another support platoon (3 x 3-4-7, LMG, 8+1), 8) a squad (4-4-7; this is the only RG that can be purchased more than once–it can be purchased up to four times), and 9) a Repair & SAN increase, the former being temporary and the latter seemingly permanent. Because the CPP allowances are so low, the Japanese player won’t have a ton of different options, so this system mostly offers choices in terms of what forces arrive when.  The Australian player has their own starting force and their own RGs to purchase, as well as CPPs that start off low and increase as the scenario progresses. The Australians also may purchase a very limited array of fortifications.

The winner of each scenario (decided by VP) gets a variable VP bonus to be added to their total in the next scenario, depending on how narrowly or decisively they won that scenario.  The winner of the third scenario wins the whole campaign game. While the lack of retained units (essentially dictated by the historical situation) and the limited purchase (similar so dictated) may be seen as drawbacks, overall this campaign game concept seems viable, and does offer more than a typical linked-scenario campaign game, which is often little more than “play these 7 scenarios in order; whoever wins more wins the campaign.”

In addition to the three campaign scenarios, four other scenarios also take place on the Sparrow Force map, so players will be able to get a lot of play value out of the Sparrow Force map.

Though one might think the scenarios in an “Aussie Special Edition” would all feature Australian troops, that is not actually the case here, though ANZACs are certainly featured quite a bit.  There are 24 scenarios total, including the three Sparrow Force scenarios (which can also be played independently of any campaign game), set in the following campaigns: France 1940 (French vs. Italians), Libya 1941 (Australians vs. Italians), Greece 1941 (New Zealanders vs. Germans), Crete 1941 (Australians vs. Germans, Greeks/British vs. Germans), Dutch East Indies 1942 (Australians vs. Japanese [7 scenarios]), New Guinea 1942 (Australians vs. Japanese) and 1943 (Australians vs. Japanese [3 scenarios]), New Britain 1943 (Americans vs. Japanese), Biak Island 1944 (Americans vs. Japanese), France 1944 (Canadians vs. Germans) and 1945 (Americans vs. Germans [3 scenarios), Belgium 1944 (Americans vs. Germans), and Hungary 1945 (Soviets vs. Germans).

The scenarios trend heavily towards larger actions.  Ten of the 24 scenarios are large in size, while another 10 are medium-sized. Only four are small.  Some of these may play a little faster than their size might indicate, due to a lack of AFVs. Two scenarios use Night rules, while no scenarios use Air Support or OBA.  One scenario, J226 (Drawing the Kroh), features an Air Drop.

Obviously, the scenario mix here is characterized by many actions featuring Australians, but it is also characterized in another way–by an unusually large number of actions featuring elite squads.  Not only are a number of elite forces depicted here–USMC, Alpini, Waffen SS, etc.–but many other units are given elite units as well by generous scenario designers.  The New Zealand division is depicted as elite in the scenario set in Greece, although it did not perform very well during that campaign.  In J240 (Hurricane Biak), 40% of the initial force of the 41st Division is elite, though the 41st was an “ill-starred” division that did not perform well in in their two most important campaigns.  Similarly, the green 42nd Infantry Division also gets some elite squads in one of its early actions in January 1945. Even a “French Border Force” in a France 1940 scenario gets one elite squad thrown in.  If you like playing with elite troops, there are definitely plenty of options for you here.

With so many scenarios, there are definitely a lot of interesting actions, including almost all of the 7 Sparrow Force scenarios, as well as the air drop scenario mentioned above.   Despite the relative newness (as of this writing) of the Journal Fourteen scenarios, many have already garnered gotten considerable play.  Scenarios that have proven popular and (so far) balanced, include J233 (Roff Riders), J234 (Buckley’s Chance), J237 (Commandos at Kaiapit), J239 (Shoot or Shovel), and J240 (Hurricane Biak). The most-played scenario to date is J241 (It’s a Battlefield), but the Germans may have an edge.

For what it may be worth, based on the very vague units (“French Border Force” and “Alpine Army Corps”) and a historical description devoid of any identifiable historical specifics, scenario J223 (Latecomers) may be a generic scenario rather than one based on a specific historical action.

To play all the scenarios, the following boards are needed:  5, 10, 19, 32, 35, 36, 38, 39, 43, 44, 46, 50, 58, 61, 62, 66, 68, 72, 73, 75, 79, 82, 83, and 5b, as well, of course, as the Sparrow Force map.

This product has a clear wealth of value for PTO fans.  Fans of late-war armor may also cast a keen eye to some of the four Operation Nordwind scenarios included here, as well as the sole East Front scenario in the mix, J246 (Loser Takes All), set in Hungary in 1945 and featuring some very big guns.  Overall, the substantive scenario content more than makes up for the overall less substantive magazine content.

 

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