Desperation Morale

Contact

  • World of ASL
  • Play Aids
  • Scenarios
  • ASL Museum
  • Misc
  • Blog
Home > Products > Russian Rarities 2: Rockets’ Red Glare / Red Rarities II

07.2015 Russian Rarities 2: Rockets’ Red Glare / Red Rarities II

Alternative Titles/Edition History:
1st Edition (Russian Rarities 2), 2015; 2nd Edition (Red Rarities II), 2018.

Publisher/Date:
Critical Hit (1st Edition, 2015; 2nd Edition, 2018)

Product Type:
Scenario/Map Pack

Country of Origin:
U.S.A.

Contents:
1st Edition (Russian Rarities 2): 8 pages rules, 8 scenarios, 6 11" x 16" uncut light cardstock/heavy paper geoboards (R, S, T, U, V), 212 die-cut counters

2nd Edition (Red Rarities II): 8 pages rules, 8 scenarios, 6 11" x 16" unmounted geoboards, 212 die-cut counters.

Commentary:

One of the warning signs that a Critical Hit product may have rules problems is when CH founder Ray Tapio pre-emptively warns people about the possibility in the product’s rules itself.  For example, in Russian Rarities 2, Tapio explains that this product requires players to have a “sense of expansive imagination” and that the counters simply provide a “framework for delving into subjects heretofore untouched.”  Ray expresses concern that the player might choose to “play ‘rules lawyer,'” i.e., actually expect the rules to be rigorous, and instead encourages players to engage in “‘co-participant’ mode,” i.e., deal with any rules ambiguities on their own.

Well, you can’t say you haven’t been warned.

Russian Rarities 2 (hereinafter RR2) is ostensibly the second in a series of scenario/map packs by Critical Hit that add rare Soviet vehicles to the ASL system.  Apparently, however, such vehicles got rather thin on the ground after the first iteration in the series, because the focus of RR2 is not on Soviet vehicles at all.  Rather, instead it introduces both German and Soviet rocket artillery pieces and vehicles, concentrating more on German weapons than Soviet ones.  Rockets–katyushas, nebelwerfers, and the like (hardly “rare,” by the way)–had actually appeared in the original Squad Leader series of gamettes, but were removed from consideration when it came to Advanced Squad Leader, which reserved rockets for OBA.  There were two main reasons for this–first, the rules needed for on-board rockets would be very complex and, second, rockets were very rarely ever used in a direct fire capacity.  By their very nature, they were not well-suited for this.

Given this, why would anyone actually want to add rockets back into the ASL mix?  No reason other than because they were there, apparently.  The rules provided here–even in “co-participant mode”–are complex, taking up 6 of the product’s 8 rules pages.  Given that some of these rockets have a minimum range of 40–or even 70!–hexes, one can see how these are weapons not really suited as on-map ASL units.

The other rules include a lengthy section on a type of remote-controlled German explosive vehicle (which, cribbed from Kinetic Energy, has appeared in several previous Critical Hit products), a few rules on “steel truss bridges,” and an odd rule that basically allows a sort of super crest status for virtually any unit or weapon in ASL.

RR2 comes with 8 scenarios.  CH assures the purchaser that “game-play and development” is the work of “CH staff,” which is a bit demoralizing, considering that said staff currently seems to consist only of Mr. and Mrs. Tapio.  One scenario features Soviet rockets (apparently “Russian Rarities” referred to the number of scenarios with Soviet rockets), six scenarios have German rockets, and one scenario seems to have none.  All of the scenarios are East Front scenarios except for RR15 (Koch’s Rockets), which is a Crete scenario featuring Germans and New Zealanders–Russians must be very rare indeed in that scenario.

Almost all of the scenarios (6 of 8) are large in size; the remaining 2 are medium-sized.  There are no small scenarios. One scenario uses Night rules, one scenario has OBA and two scenarios utilize Air Support. At least one of the scenarios is not original; RR9 (Hold Until Relieved) is a re-worked version of TEF1-5 (Panzer Pioneers) from Total East Front Pak I.  The Rocket OBA was replaced with on-board rocket counters.

Ostensibly, RR2 comes with 6 11″ x 16″ unmounted (heavy paper thinner than official geoboards) geoboards.  Actually, the boards are more like map kits, because each of them has to be trimmed on every side (that’s 24 sides in all, in case you weren’t counting) using scissors, a razor blade, a rotary cutter, a box cutter, or some other implement before they can actually be used.  Essentially, players have to finish creating the maps, because Critical Hit was too cheap to do it for them.

The geoboards were also hastily created with little in the way of tender loving care.  All the maps suffer from the Critical Hit Building Screw Up, in which any building that is not oriented perfectly horizontally or vertically ends up with jagged, pixelated graphics.  This makes some of the buildings look like graphics in an outdated video game, while other buildings look fuzzy or furry.

If that weren’t enough, the building graphics are for the most part not original but recycled.  Most of the buildings appeared in the Sweet 16 Geo Board & Scenario Collection published in 2013 or the Sweet 16 Geo Board Collection 2, published in 2014.  Indeed, one can take board Q of this product and compare it to board x20 from the Sweet 16 Geo Board Collection 2 and find on X20 almost every building that appears on board Q.  But if this weren’t brazen enough, Critical Hit uses the same buildings over and over again ON THE SAME BOARDS.  So take board Q again.  The two-hex building that appears on hexes E3-F3 shows up also in hexes E8-F8, D12-D13, and M2-N2.  The 4-hex rowhouse buildings that starts on H2 has clones that start on H6, M6, and M10.  Building B16 is cloned in C18.  Building H10 is duplicated in H12, E17, and I15.  Naturally, buildings that appear on board Q also appear repeatedly on board R, including 6 more copies of board Q’s E3-F3 building.

Of course, the one thing consistent about Critical Hit is its inability to be consistent.  So board S features two buildings done in an entirely different graphics style (and possibly graphics program) from all other buildings on all the maps–including all the other buildings on board S itself.  At least those two buildings are not fuzzy/pixelated.

So, to sum up, RR2 comes with a paltry 8 scenarios, a single countersheet (with many rockets that will never see play because of their minimum range), and 6 messed-up boards.  What is one expected to pay for this?  A whopping $99.95.  Note that for this price one could purchase THREE copies of, say, Action Pack 9 (3 double-sided boards and 10 scenarios, all well-researched and playtested).

Don’t spend your money on this.

 

2nd Edition (Red Rarities II) comments:  In 2018, Critical Hit released Russian Rarities II as Red Rarities II. This version contains the same contents as the 1st Edition, except that the 11″ x 16″ geoboards now seem to be trimmed, and the Soviet counters (which are few in this module) are in Critical Hit’s red color variant.

Critical Hit did offer a “RED Russian Rarities II Upgrade Set” for $16.95, which consists only of a 5/8″ countersheet.

Back to Top

Tagged: East Front-oriented, Gary-style geoboards, Third Party Geoboard(s)

Leave A Reply Cancel reply

Red Rarities II, image courtesy of Noble Knight Games

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/Map Pack
    • Official Periodicals
    • Official Rulebooks
    • Official Scenario & Scenario/Map Packs
    • Official Software & On-Line Products
    • Official Solitaire ASL (SASL)
  • Third Party Publishers
    • Abdicated Despot Company
      • Periodicals
    • Action Terrain
      • Accessories
    • Advancing Fire
      • Historical Modules
    • 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
    • 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
    • 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 (Death to Fascism)
      • 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
  • historical
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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 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 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 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 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 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
  • 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

  • Quality in ASL: A Reconnaissance in Force
  • ASL and the Pandemic: Social Responsibility and Board Wargaming
  • ASL Gear and the Systainer System: An Introduction
  • The Top 20 ASL Communities by Country
  • World of ASL major update

Contact

  • I welcome all comments & feedback.