Desperation Morale

Contact

  • World of ASL
  • Play Aids
  • Scenarios
  • ASL Museum
  • Misc
  • Blog
Home > Products > From the Cellar Pack 10

05.2021 From the Cellar Pack 10

Alternative Titles/Edition History:
aka "Sand & Snow"

Publisher/Date:
Le Franc Tireur (2021)

Product Type:
HASL/Historical Module

Country of Origin:
France

Contents:
1 33" x 23.5" historical map, 20 pages rules, 8 scenarios on glossy color cardstock

Commentary:

Look, it’s not easy maintaining an ASL website.  Buying tons of products, cataloguing them, chasing down publication dates or scenario records, fighting off hordes of adoring fangirls–it’s not just glamour, it’s real work.  Which is why Desperation Morale officially deplores when ASL publishers make uncategorizable products.  You invented an edible ASL scenario?  GTFOH.

Which brings us to From the Cellar Pack 10.  Le Franc Tireur’s “From the Cellar” is a line of scenario packs, typically featuring actions from across the width and breadth of the Second World War, or even beyond.  That’s, like, an established fact.  Which is why it was such a surprise to open From the Cellar Pack 10 and discover that it is not a scenario pack at all.  It is actually a small historical module–something not even mentioned on the front or back of the product.  Well, it’s not even really just a historical module, but some sort of bizarre chimera, like when you decide “I like rye bread and I like peanut butter, so I am going to make a peanut butter on rye bread sandwich.”  When you open the product, you discover that the real but secret name of this product is “Sand & Snow” and that it is not a scenario pack–DESPITE HAVING “PACK” IN THE DAMN TITLE, GO AND LOOK FOR YOURSELF–but rather a small Korean War historical module somehow fused together with four scenarios for an entirely different historical module in a different war and published by a different company.  How does one even categorize this? Two Desperation Morale interns have already committed suicide rather than having to face pondering this situation.

Ahem. Okay. Let’s just, well, let’s just call it a small historical module and let it go at that.  From the Cellar Pack 10 is…a historical module.  Yeah, that’s it.

So the “Snow” in “Sand & Snow” is the historical module part of this product, aka “Fox Company at Toktong Pass: A Perimeter of Necessity,” which is certainly a mouthful, so I can see why they went with “Snow.”  It depicts fighting around Fox Hill at the Toktong Pass during the U.S. retreat from the Chosin Reservoir in North Korea in November/December 1950.  Critical Hit actually released a historical module on the same topic some years ago, long before the publication of the “official” Korean War module, Forgotten War, by Multi-Man Publishing. The designers of this product, Andrew Hershey and Keith Spurlock, are rather snarky about the accuracy of the Critical Hit map, claiming that its alleged shortcomings were one of the reasons for their attempting the “Snow” project. Desperation Morale is agnostic on that debate, as the maps of most ASL historical modules have to be taken with a grain of salt when it comes to accuracy.

The LFT “Snow” Toktong map is large, at 33″ x 23.5″ (though it has generous top and bottom borders), depicting the terrain in “winterized” fashion with hues of gray  (the later versions of the Critical Hit module also took the “winterized” approach).  The map is printed on a thick matte stock, which is sturdy but produces a dimmer look than the glossy paper used in the Critical Hit version.  The graphics are not that great. Much of the map is covered with brush, which is portrayed with artwork that looks like golden palm trees, while some of the details and lettering on the map don’t show up well–something not helped by the relative lack of color in the map.

“Snow” comes with no counters but rather uses counters from Forgotten War and other official products. It has a 20-page rulebook, but don’t worry: only 4 of those pages are actual rules.  There is no campaign game; just the included four scenarios.  None use the entire map, but three of the four scenarios use most of it.

The scenarios include:

FT300 (Fox in the Cold). Uses most of the map. Night scenario. Chinese attack with 42 mixed squads against approximately 12 USMC squads in four different positions. The Chinese have to control two of the American positions, and not go over a CVP cap.

FT301 (Chinese Machinations). Uses most of the map. Night scenario. Chinese attack with 41 mixed squads in five different forces against approximately 11 USMC squads in four different positions (plus OBA). Chinese win by inflicting casualties on the Americans.

FT302 (“We Will Hold”). Uses most of the map. Night scenario. Chinese attack with 32 mixed squads, plus a 4-squad “Feint Force;” defending USMC have 8 squads in four different positions. The Chinese win by clearing Americans from two positions (and not going over a CVP cap).

FT303 (Ridgeline Rendez-vous).  Uses 30% or so of the map. NOT a night scenario.  USMC attack with about 13 squads (plus air support) against 11 Chinese squads. The Americans must get units near a specific position, while also achieving one or more of two other goals (basically, getting CVP or getting near a second position).

Given that the scenarios are Korean War actions and most are Night, these may not get a ton of play, although they may be a draw for USMC fans.  However, as of 2024, ROAR has recorded very few playings of these scenarios (the secret or hidden nature of the historical module probably doesn’t help).  Some of the scenarios, though, portray pretty interesting situations.

The other four scenarios of From the Cellar Pack 10 have nothing to do with Toktong, or the Korean War, although they do involve Marines.  They are for scenarios designed for use with one of MMP’s very first products, Blood Reef: Tarawa.  BRT is not one of the more popular ASL historical modules, but it does have a sort of cult following. Those Blood Reefers are likely to appreciate these added materials for that module.

One scenario is set in the northwest corner of Betio, while two others are set in the central portion.  The fourth scenario actually uses the “Eastern Extension Map” created years ago by Italian ASLers Marco Oresto and Mario Lombardi, which features the long thin tail of Betio that was left off of the original Blood Reef: Tarawa map. It was originally hosted by Openground.it, but is no longer there.  However, Desperation Morale has hosted a backup copy of the extension map as a jpg file here, while Le Franc Tireur has also made it available as a pdf file here. [see also these associated rules]

This product may well fall under the radar screens of a lot of ASLers, with neither Korean War, USMC, or Tarawa fans realizing that these resources exist. That would be a shame.

Back to Top

Tagged: Blood Reef Tarawa materials, Extra Stuff for Official HASL, Historical Map(s), Korean War, Winterized Boards/Maps

Leave A Reply Cancel reply

Search Site

All Categories

  • ASL Newsletters
    • Newsletters with Scenarios
    • Newsletters without Scenarios
  • Avalon Hill Products
  • MMP Products
    • Unofficial Periodicals
  • Official Publishers (Avalon Hill & MMP)
    • "Core" Modules
    • Accessories
    • Foreign Language ASL
    • Miniatures
    • Non-WWII Expansion Modules
    • Official ASL Starter Kit Products
    • Official DASL Modules
    • Official Historical Modules
    • Official Mini-Scenario Pack
    • Official Mini-Scenario/Map Pack
    • Official Periodicals
    • Official Rulebooks
    • Official Scenario & Scenario/Map Packs
    • Official Scenario/Map Pack Plus
    • Official Software & On-Line Products
    • Official Solitaire ASL (SASL)
  • Scenario Packs
  • Third Party Publishers
    • Abdicated Despot Company
      • Periodicals
    • Action Terrain
      • Accessories
    • Advancing Fire
      • Historical Modules
      • Scenario Packs
    • ASL Cards
      • Accessories
    • ASL News
      • Periodicals
    • ASL Sweden
      • Periodicals
    • Battleschool
      • Accessories
    • Bill Wilder/First to Fight Variants
      • Counter Supplement
      • Scenario Packs
      • Solitaire Rules
    • Bounding Fire Productions
      • Historical Modules
      • Scenario & Scenario/Map Packs
    • Break Contact
      • Scenario Packs
    • Broken Ground Design
      • Counter Sets
      • Mini-Scenario/Map Packs
      • Scenario/Map Pack
    • Countersmith Workshop
      • Accessories
    • Critical Hit
      • Accessories
      • Campaign Games
      • Counter Packs/Counter Sets
      • Historical Modules
      • Map Packs (no scenarios)
      • Periodicals
      • Rulebooks
      • Scenario & Scenario/Map Packs
    • Dare-Death
      • Periodicals
    • Derek Ritter
      • Accessories
    • Desperation Morale
      • Manuals
    • EastSide Gamers
      • Scenario Packs
      • Zombie Stuff
    • ELR
      • Scenario Packs
    • Encircled Productions/Kansas City Irregular ASLers
      • Scenario Packs
    • Fanatic Enterprises
      • Accessories
      • Scenario & Scenario/Map Packs
    • Flying Pig Games
      • Periodicals
    • Friendly Fire
      • Friendly Fire Scenario Packs
    • Front Line Productions
      • Historical Modules
    • Hazardous Movement
      • Periodicals
      • Scenario Packs
      • Scenario/Map Pack
    • Heat of Battle
      • Historical Modules
      • Periodicals
      • Scenario & Scenario/Map Packs
    • JagerSoft Games LLC
      • Historical Modules
    • Kinetic Energy
      • Counter Pack
      • Periodicals
      • Scenario Packs
    • Le Franc Tireur
      • Accessories
      • Historical Modules
      • Periodicals
      • Scenario & Scenario/Map Packs
    • Lone Canuck Publishing
      • Historical Modules
      • Scenario Packs
    • Minden Games
      • Rulebooks
    • Mister T
      • Accessories
    • New England Volunteers
      • Scenario Packs
    • New England Volunteers & Yankee ASL
      • Scenario Packs
    • North Texas ASL
      • Scenario Packs
    • Panzer Press
      • Scenario Packs
    • Partisan Publishing
      • Scenario Packs
    • Sherry Enterprises (Schwerpunkt)
      • Periodicals
      • Scenario Packs
    • Southern California ASL Club
      • Periodicals
      • Scenario Packs
    • Southern Cross
      • Scenario Packs
    • Stavka Archives
      • Scenario Packs
    • Struijf-Mazzei
      • Scenario Packs
    • Swedish Volunteers
      • Scenario Pack
    • Tactiques
      • Periodicals
    • Taktyka I Strategia
      • Periodicals
    • Texas ASL Club
      • Periodicals
      • Scenario Packs
    • The Tactical Wargamer
      • Periodicals
    • View from the Trenches
      • Campaign Games
      • Periodicals
      • Scenario Packs
    • War-Oboe Publications
      • Scenario Packs
    • Windy City Wargamers
      • Periodicals
      • Scenario Packs
    • Winnipeg ASL Club
      • Periodicals
      • Scenario Packs
  • Wargaming Magazines with ASL Scenarios

All Tags

  • A Bridge Too Far material
  • Action Pack
  • Advanced
  • Afrika Korps Series
  • AFV Cards
  • Airdrop/Glider
  • Alternative Counter Color Scheme
  • Alternative Map System
  • Alternative Rules System
  • Alternative Use of HASL Map
  • Amphibious
  • Arab-Israeli Wars
  • ASLSK
  • Battle of the Bulge
  • Blood Reef Tarawa materials
  • Bonus Pack
  • Burma
  • Campaign Game(s)
  • Chaco War
  • Chapter H Pages
  • Chinese Civil War
  • Chinese-language
  • City-Fighting
  • CONSUMER ALERT
  • Contains material for Hatten in Flames
  • Counterfactual/Fictional Scenario(s)
  • Critical Hit Normandy Series
  • CWASL
  • DASL
  • DASL Boards
  • Desert War: 1941 series
  • Desert-Oriented
  • Design-Your-Own
  • Dice
  • Digital
  • DM High Recommendation
  • Downloadable
  • Dutch-language
  • East Front-oriented
  • Exceedingly Rare Shit
  • Extra Stuff for 3rd Party HASL
  • Extra Stuff for Official HASL
  • Extra-Large Counters
  • Festung Budapest materials
  • Fog of War Scenarios
  • France 1940
  • French Language
  • Gary-style geoboards
  • Genesis III series
  • Geoboard Campaign Game(s)
  • God Save the King materials
  • GWASL
  • Has components for LFT's The Green Hills of Inor
  • Historical Map(s)
  • Indochina-Vietnam Wars
  • Introductory
  • Irish Wars
  • Italian-language
  • Italo-Ethiopian War
  • Japanese-language
  • Kakazu Ridge materials
  • Kampfgruppe Peiper materials
  • King of the Hill materials
  • Korean War
  • Kursk
  • Linked-Scenario Campaign Game
  • Magazine
  • Manuals
  • Market-Garden
  • mini-HASL
  • Miniatures
  • Misc Conflicts 1920-1929
  • Misc Conflicts 1930-1939
  • Misc Conflicts 1941-1955
  • Misc Conflicts 1956+
  • Misc Conflicts Pre-1920
  • Module-Specific Manual/Guide
  • Monster Historical Scenario
  • Monster Product
  • Newsletter
  • Nhpum Ga materials
  • Nomanhan
  • Non-DASL Large Hex Map/Board
  • Non-Geomorphic Generic Maps
  • Non-historical/contemporary map
  • Nonstandard Geoboards
  • Normandy
  • Official Geoboards
  • Official Overlays
  • Official Rules Pages
  • Operation Veritable materials
  • Operational Subsystem
  • Partially-geomorphic board(s)
  • PBDYO
  • PDF Only
  • Pegasus Bridge materials
  • Platoon Leader Campaign Game(s)
  • Polish-language
  • Postwar Anti-communist Partisans
  • PTO-Oriented
  • Rare Vehicles
  • Recon Leader
  • Red Barricades materials
  • Requires GWASL components
  • Russian Civil War
  • Russo-Polish War
  • SASL
  • Satire
  • Software
  • Spanish Civil War
  • Spanish-language
  • Squad Leader Scenario Conversions
  • Stalingrad
  • Strategy Manual
  • Third Party Counters (Not CH)
  • Third Party Geoboard(s)
  • Third Party Overlay(s)
  • Three Player Scenario
  • To the Volga series
  • Tournament Friendly
  • Tournament Prize Pack
  • Unit Study
  • Uses ASLN1 Geoboard from ASL News
  • Uses ASLSK geoboard(s)
  • Uses Berlin Fall of the Third Reich Components
  • Uses Beyond the Beachhead 2 boards
  • Uses Beyond the Beachhead 2 rules
  • Uses Beyond the Beachhead components
  • Uses BFP A geoboard from Into the Rubble
  • Uses BFP H geoboard from High Ground 2
  • Uses BFP I geoboard from High Ground 2
  • Uses BFP J geoboard from High Ground 2
  • Uses BFP M geoboard from Crucible of Steel
  • Uses BFP N geoboard from Crucible of Steel
  • Uses BFP-B geoboard from Into the Rubble
  • Uses Blitzkrieg in the West: North Campaign components
  • Uses Blood and Jungle counters
  • Uses Broken Ground counters
  • Uses CH W# Boards from Fire and Ice
  • Uses CH1 geoboard from Gembloux II
  • Uses CH2 geoboard from A Few Rare Men
  • Uses Chosin/Chosin Few Components
  • Uses components from Forgotten War
  • Uses Components from Kampfgruppe Scherer
  • Uses components from Onslaught to Orsha 2
  • Uses components from Poland in Flames
  • Uses counters from Poland in Flames
  • Uses Critical Hit Afrika Korps Map(s)
  • Uses DASL geoboards from LFT's Deluxe Pack #1
  • Uses Decision at Elst components
  • Uses Desert War: 1941 components
  • Uses DW-1a/1b geoboard(s) from Blood and Jungle
  • Uses FE1 geoboard from Budapest Pack
  • Uses Festung Budapest map
  • Uses Festung Budapest rules
  • Uses Finland at War Counters
  • Uses Forgotten War components
  • Uses Friendly Fire Geoboard
  • Uses geoboards from BFP's Poland in Flames
  • Uses geoboards from Blood and Jungle
  • Uses geoboards from Crucible of Steel
  • Uses geoboards from Deluxe Pack #1
  • Uses geoboards from High Ground 2
  • Uses geoboards from Into the Rubble
  • Uses geoboards from Into the Rubble 2
  • Uses Guerra Civil Components
  • Uses High Ground geoboard(s)
  • Uses Into the Rubble overlays
  • Uses Into the Rubble rules
  • Uses Kampfgruppe Peiper I Map
  • Uses Kampfgruppe Peiper II Map
  • Uses Kampfgruppe Peiper rules
  • Uses Kursk: Devil's Domain maps
  • Uses LFT1 geoboard from LFT11
  • Uses LFT2 geoboard from LFT12
  • Uses Nhpum Ga map
  • Uses Operation Cobra counters
  • Uses Operation Merkur components
  • Uses Operation Veritable map
  • Uses Pegasus Bridge map
  • Uses Pegasus Bridge rules
  • Uses Recon by Fire #4 counters
  • Uses Red Barricades map
  • Uses Red Barricades rules
  • Uses Red October/Red Factories components
  • Uses Red October/Red Factories Map
  • Uses SCW2 geoboard from Condor Legions
  • Uses Special Forces! counters
  • Uses St. Nazaire map from St. Nazaire
  • Uses Swedish Volunteers components
  • Uses Sweet 16 geoboards from CH
  • Uses Sweet 16 Winter geoboards from CH
  • Uses Total Axis Pack I Components
  • uses Valor of the Guards counters
  • Uses Valor of the Guards map
  • Uses Valor of the Guards rules
  • Uses Wacht Am Rhein 1 components from LCP
  • Valor of the Guards materials
  • winterized
  • Winterized Boards/Maps
  • Zombies

World of ASL

  • World of ASL Main Page
  • This Year's Releases
  • Avalon Hill Products
  • MMP Products
  • Third Party Publishers (all)
  • Recommended

Play Aids

  • Mini-IFT and Setup Sheets
  • Reminders/Checklists
  • Terrain Related
  • Subject Specific
  • HASL Aids
  • AFV Aids
  • SW Aids
  • OBA Decks
  • Sniper Reminders
  • Contributor Section

Scenarios

  • WCW Scenario Pack
  • Michicon Scenarios
  • Tactiques Scenarios
  • Southern Cross Scenarios
  • Gun Duel Scenarios
  • Sir Roger Mercenario

ASL Museum

  • Dice Towers/Cups
  • Rulebooks
  • Counter Storage
  • Play Aids
  • Clothing
  • Mapboards
  • Miniatures
  • Prizes/Trophies
  • Travel Kits
  • Misc.

Misc

  • About this Site
  • Scenario Designers Guide

Blog

  • How to Learn ASL
  • MMP and the Stewardship of ASL: A 25(+) Year Perspective
  • The Road Not Taken: An ASL Poem (with apologies to Robert Frost)
  • Quality in ASL: A Reconnaissance in Force
  • ASL and the Pandemic: Social Responsibility and Board Wargaming

Contact

  • I welcome all comments & feedback.