About the Publisher
Producer Name: Kinetic Energy Productions, Inc.
Active: 1994-1999
In its less than five years of existence, third party publisher Kinetic Energy Productions established a lasting reputation for ASL products of impressively high production values and imposingly long rules. And after Kinetic Energy folded in 1999, abruptly and prematurely, it began to impress people in yet another way: in their wallets, as Kinetic Energy products became increasingly rare and collectible.
Kinetic Energy was born in 1994, the "dark ages" of ASL, when publisher Avalon Hill did not appear to have an interest in supporting the series any longer and ASL products seemed few and far between. Kinetic Energy was one of a number of third party publishers who stepped forward to support the game. Like fellow third party publisher Heat of Battle, it hailed originally from southern California, in the form of Southern California ASL Club members Mark Neukom and John Knowles. Neukom had previously helped Gary Fortenberry with the ASL newsletter ASLUG, and now he had a vision of creating an even more impressive ASL publication, a magazine with a series of scenarios all sharing the same theme. He called it Time on Target: The Newsletter of ASL Esoterica. The first issue celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge with a passel of Bulge-related scenarios.
The next issue, in which Mike Reed played an increasingly important role, focused on late war battles between the British and the Germans in April 1945, upping the ante of Kinetic Energy's already high physical quality by including a strip of very well done die-cut counters. The third, and final, issue of Time on Target took the cake, with a small countersheet of German rare vehicles that became an instant collector's item.
What was most significant about Time on Target, its scenarios, and countersheets, was that no other third party publisher of that era--not Heat of Battle, not Critical Hit, not Multi-Man Publishing--could even approach the physical quality of Kinetic Energy's components. Even ten years later the counters printed by Kinetic Energy hold up pretty well against all other ASL-related counters, official and unofficial.
The Kinetic Energy team, which in addition to Neukom, Reed, and Knowles, also included Brian Abela, Chris Castellana, Sam Williams, Paul Works, Fritz Tichy and Bahadir Erimli, developed quite a reputation. However, its reputation was two-fold. Kinetic Energy became famous for the quality of its components, but became infamous for its numerous and long SSRs, which sometimes were so long that they could not even be included on a scenario card but had to be printed in the magazine. Often playing a Kinetic Energy scenario meant struggling with detailed rules and lengthy and complicated victory conditions.
Time on Target ended in 1996, but Kinetic Energy developed a new lease on life in conjunction with the yearly March Madness ASL tournament held in Kansas City, Kansas (near the then stomping grounds of Mike Reed). Kinetic Energy sponsored the 1997 tournament, not only offering $500 in prizes but releasing a special scenario pack as a bonus for people attending the tournament. The following year, Kinetic Energy outdid itself, releasing a scenario pack, the March Madness '98 Scenario Pack, which may be the single most collectible ASL product in all of ASL, due to its small print run and unusual Axis Minor Allies countersheet. In 1999, Kinetic Energy released a third scenario pack which featured--for the first time in ASL--full color scenario cards (even with color photograph on the scenario cards).
However, the very quality of Kinetic Energy's components drew it unwelcome attention, because Kinetic Energy had been very closely duplicating the artwork, look and feel of official ASL scenario cards, counters, and rules pages. The copyright wars that had begun in 1997 between Avalon Hill and Critical Hit now drew near, with Avalon Hill eventually sending Kinetic Energy a cease-and-desist letter. These legal issues, in addition to business costs that outstripped revenues, were among the factors that caused a serious case of burnout in Kinetic Energy principals Reed and, especially, Neukom.
In the spring of 1999 Reed and Neukom suddenly announced the disbandment of Kinetic Energy, to the dismay of the ASL community. The sudden dissolution left several projects unfinished, including a Korean War module (which was near completion, making it the "long, lost ASL module" similar to the Beatles' legendary "Get Back" album), causing not a few ASLers to wonder what products would have been possible had Kinetic Energy not called it quits. Mike Reed stayed in the ASL world, playing and working on a Korean War project for MMP, but Mark Neukom dropped out of ASL entirely. Apparently bitter, he was also not interested in letting any of his ASL creations be reprinted, either, despite offers from both MMP and Critical Hit.
In its short existence, Kinetic Energy managed to accrue quite a record. It demonstrated that even a small third party publisher, if determined, could produce a product of unexcelled physical quality. It has been missed.
Kinetic Energy goodies, "March Madness" ASL Tournaments, Kansas City, Kansas:
1997. Attendees received the March Madness '97 Scenario Pack.
1998. Pre-registrants were allowed to purchase personalized leader counters in U.S., German, British, and/or Axis Minor Allied (late war Romanian) colors (making this basically the only way that just anybody could get a personalized leader counter until 2006, when Critical Hit offered ASLers an opportunity to order some custom leader counters). Attendees received the March Madness '98 Scenario Pack, including a die-cut countersheet with 1/2" and 5/8" counters with late war Romanian and Hungarian infantry, guns, and armor. There were also two door prizes, a Dzerhezinsky Tractor Works mousepad donated by Critical Hit and a Kinetic-Energy donated set of black SS counters with German gray-blue borders (so they could be used in conjunction with German concealment counters).
1999. Attendees received the March Madness '99 Scenario Pack. They also received the British Rare Vehicles counters (and two scenarios).