Alternative Titles/Edition History:
1st Edition, 2004; 2nd Edition, 2015
Publisher/Date:
Lone Canuck Publishing (1st edition, 2004; 2nd edition, 2015)
Product Type:
Scenario Pack
Country of Origin:
Canada
Contents:
1st Edition: 6 scenarios on cardstock
2nd Edition: 7 (substantially changed) scenarios on cardstock
Commentary:The Combat History of Schwere Panzerjäger Abteilung 653 (SPA), no doubt based on the book of the same name, is a small scenario pack created by George Kelln, but never offered for sale. Instead, he has only made it available to tournament directors who wish to use it as a prize (one of several small packs Kelln has created this way). As a result, it is a very rare ASL product; the only way to get it is to win it as a prize in an ASL tournament, or cajole someone who did so to make photocopies.
The product may not have been fully playtested and developed in the sense that other ASL products are; Kelln writes that “I have opted to place the units, ordnance and vehicles on a battlefield which best represents the field of battle in the scenario and then let the players fulfill the scenario’s Victory Conditions. It is this reason why I have decided not to sell the pack and use it only for a prize.”
The 6 scenarios, numbered A-F, include 2 large scenarios and 3 medium-sized scenarios. Four of the scenarios are East Front scenarios, while the remaining two take place in Italy and Germany and actually feature U.S. troops–something very rare for a George Kelln scenario. Three of the scenarios have OBA; one scenario has air support. One scenario, SPA-F (Tiger by the Tail), features three Jagdpanzer VI’s (Jagdtigers) with 128L guns and a frontal AF of 26.
SPA-A (All-Out Effort) uses a geoboard from Heat of Battle’s High Ground! pack.
Second Edition Notes: Circa 2015, Lone Canuck Publishing released a second edition of this product, although “released” may not be the right word, in the sense that this product continued to be given out as a prize in tournaments rather than sold to the general public. The only explanation given for the updated edition is that “over the years, styles of play change and scenario designs evolve, and the Second Edition reflects much of this evolution.”
The scenarios certainly have been changed from their original versions. Indeed, the new versions of most of the scenarios are so different from the originals that they should be considered different scenarios. The second edition contains one additional scenario, scenario G (A Fiery Northwind).
Boards needed to play all the scenarios include 9, 12, 13, 16, 18, 33, 43, 48, 49, 51, 9a, ASLSK board t, and board II published by Heat of Battle in High Ground!
A (not comprehensive) summary of changes for each scenario is as follows:
Scenario A (All-Out Effort). Was 8.5 turns, now 10 turns; Soviet OB substantially changed; random Soviet OB additions added; Soviet SAN decreased; German OB substantially changed; random German OB additions added; German OBA added; numerous SSR changes/additions.
Scenario B (Sappers Forward!). Was 9 turns, now 10 turns; Soviet OB substantially changed; random Soviet OB additions added; Soviet SAN decreased; German OB substantially changed; random German OB additions added; numerous SSR changes/additions.
Scenario C (Stalingrad of the Kursk Salient). Was 9.5 turns, now 10 turns; Soviet OB substantially changed; random Soviet OB additions added; Soviet SAN decreased; German OB substantially changed; random German OB additions added; numerous SSR changes/additions.
Scenario D (Piercing the Abscess). Was 6.5 turns, now 8.5 turns. American OB substantially changed; American SAN lowered; random American OB additions added; German OB substantially changed; German ELR increased; random German OB additions added; some SSR changes/additions.
Scenario E (Mounting a Big Blow). Was 7 turns, now 7.5 turns; original 3 8″ x 22″ geoboards replaced by 1 11″ x 16″ geoboard; Soviet OB substantially changed; random Soviet OB additions added; Soviet ELR and SAN lowered; German OB substantially changed; random German OB additions added; numerous SSR changes/additions.
Scenario F (Tiger by the Tail). Originally used boards 44, 45, 49, now uses boards 49, 51; German OB substantially changed; random German OB additions added; German SAN decreased; American OB substantially changed; random American OB additions added; American ELR decreased; numerous SSR changes/additions.
Scenario G (A Fiery Northwind). New scenario.
The scenarios in the 2nd edition, as in the 1st, were probably only minimally playtested at best, so this product is mostly for completionists looking to get all the rare ASL items, though it is certainly cool to be able to win a copy of this product as a prize.
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