East Meets West: Nationality Series

Our newest line of precision BattleDice have arrived. There are five dice in the basic set. The set includes American, Chinese, German, Japanese, and Russian dice. The dice are not much bigger than those that came with ASL Starter Kit 1, or Beyond Valor. However, our BattleDice are prettier. Helen told me so. 

We were not sure what to call this first set. It is something of a cross between stars and suns. We finally settled on East meets West. 

Quite a few people have asked us why we have not produced a ½” (12.5mm) series of dice. When I designed the first set of BattleSchool dice, my thinking was that a larger die was easier for grey-haired folks like me to eyeball. I also reasoned that a larger die allowed for more elaborate and interesting designs.

The wee red die came with Beyond Valor. See my post Sniper! for details of the 14mm Sniper! Effects die. The large Soviet die is part of the BudaPack. It is paired with a dark-red die.

Well it turns out that a lot ASL players can see just fine. Moreover, many players prefer smaller dice for some very sensible reasons. If you use a dice cup, or a compact dicetower, smaller dice make sense. Smaller dice provide more “action” in a cup than larger dice do. Smaller dice are also less prone to getting stuck inside a dicetower than larger dice—less prone, because even small dice occasionally become hung up in a tower.   

Back to the drawing board

I really want our dice to be attractive, not just functional. The smaller canvas of a ½” die invariably puts limits on what I can do from a design perspective. From the start I decided to keep things as simple as possible. Unfortunately, this can lead to uninspiring designs such as the Japanese “meatball,” or sun disc. But this very simplicity has its own benefit. The red orb looks like an enlarged pip. Doing sums should be a snap with this die. In fact, several of the designs mimic the shape of a pip. So in one respect these simplistic designs improve functionality. Nevertheless, the American and Chinese dice demonstrate that even a simple design can be striking. 

Nationalist Chinese Dice

I also wanted to design an economical line of BattleDice. In order to keep costs down, I decided to dispense with a matching coloured die. That is not exactly true. You still need a coloured die. But what you do not need is a custom, coloured die designed to match each white die in the series. Because there is a substantial set-up fee associated with each new design, I opted for a generic approach. Let me explain. 

The nationality series of dice are all white except for one black die. I will come back to the black die in a moment. The “matching” die for a white die is whatever you want it to be. There are limits. This is not Baskin Robbins. We carry eight colours of transparent precision dice. (Note that amber is no longer available.) You can use the same coloured die for each white die, or use specific colours for specific nationalities. 

There are some obvious advantages to this system. If you already own some ½” precision dice, you are set. Just pair them up with our white BattleDice and you are in business. Another advantage is that you can use the same coloured die for any number of different white dice. In a pinch, one coloured die is all you need to make our nationality series work for you. 

You can go with our recommended colours above or DYO

The choice is yours. Buy one coloured die, or buy a “matching” set of five. We have discounted the price of our coloured dice to make this more attractive. However, there is no requirement for more than one coloured die. In truth, you may decide that a single black die is all that you will ever need. 

Black goes with everything

There are more than 35 (white) "nationality" dice in our 12.5mm series. However, there is only one black die.

These are the schematics for the Baby ROF. The green foil is the same colour of foil used for the American die in the East meets West Pack.

The black die is essentially a "color" die with rate-of-fire reminders on three faces. Moreover, it retains pips on all faces. Although this die can also be used as a third, rate-of-fire only die—in conjunction with another coloured die, we now have a dedicated white die with colour pips, dubbed The Heretic, for this purpose. (See our 12.5mm page for details.) The biggest advantage of the Mini ROF is that you can own any number of white dice in the nationality series, but need only the Mini ROF (or another coloured die) to make the set work for you. The black die is available with lavender, light-green, teal, or pink foil ROF reminders.

Use one of these Baby Tears as your "colored die."

How to order

You may order direct by emailing us at battleschool at rogers dot com.

Greek and Yugoslav dice

Currently, some “nationalities” are available for purchase as singles. Just want a British die? Or how about a French one? See KitShop page for details.

Commonwealth Pack includes the following combatants: British, Australian, New Zealand, Gurkha, and Canadian

Axis and Allies Pack includes four "switch-hitters" that fought on both sides: Finland, France, Italy, and Sweden. Cross of Lorraine represents French French (and maquis)

Axis Minors are available in our Axes to Grind Pack. Each belligerent in the pack had an axe to grind, and sought to regain lost territories. Most switched sides during the war, and in several cases fought each other.

The Axes to Grind Pack includes dice for the five nationalities found in chapter H of the ASL Rule Book: Croatia, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, and Slovakia

The Allied Minors are available in two packs. The First to Fight Pack includes five nationalites found in chapter H of the ASL Rule Book. Two additional nations are included in our Balkan Blues Pack, coming Easter 2013.

First to Fight Pack includes the first five of the Allied Minors: Poland, Norway, Denmark, Netherlands, and Belgium

More “nationalities” are in the works, including dice for the Korean War. 

Most Chinese communists regard the Nanchang Uprising of 1 August 1927 as the founding point of the PLA.

The first die in the Partizan Pack represents Josip Tito's Partizan Army in Yugoslavia. (The Russian-coloured vehicles found in the Yugoslav chapter H notes, for example, are for use with Tito's Partizans.) The second die is a symbol of the Armia Krajowa (AK), the Polish underground army. This set gives players flexibility to represent communist, and non-communist partisans during play. The Free French (Cross of Lorraine) die can also serve as a generic “Western” partisan die, in addition to the French Forces of the Interieur (FFI), a.k.a. the French Resistance.

The "Eastern" Partizans

Collect them all, or only what you need. Just be sure to find time to use them. Except for our forthcoming Dust Devils, BattleDice are not meant to collect dust. Roll more, and play more! Roll 'em often.

Shooting stars

Gone Fishin'

Seven people joined Sitrep in May. Three Americans from west of the Mississippi became Squad Leaders. They were joined by one American and two Canadians from eastern North America, and another player from the United Kingdom. One of these gents led from the front in our May raffle.

How it worked

Each Squad Leader following Sitrep on 31 May was potentially eligible for our special May raffle. To qualify, a Squad Leader had to be following under his or her first and last name. He or she also was required to have a non-generic avatar. In other words, a default grey silhouette, or a generic “exclamation mark,” would not qualify for a ballot.

What made this round particularly special was that all Squad Leaders, regardless of when they joined, would receive only one ballot. A ballot is equivalent to one roll of the dice. The lowest roll after any tiebreakers would win the May prize. We did this in order to give newer Squad Leaders a fighting chance to score some ASL goodness.

We used four, half-inch precision dice for the contest. As I explained in my previous post, there would be only one winner for the month of May.

Trainwreck 

There is also only one “loser” for May. Pablo Garcia-Silva had the dubious distinction of scoring 24 with a pair of “boxcars.” Pablo lives and works in the Washington, DC area. I happen to know that he likes our BattleDice, which is just as well. For his trainwreck, Pablo wins one our new ⅝" (16mm) Panzerfaust dice.1 

Reboot

Our winner for May was trying to land a salmon, when he learned of his good fortune. It was just as well. The biggest fish in living memory eluded him. Oregon is not New Brunswick my friend. 

My father-in-law grew up on the Miramichi River in New Brunswick. He was never much of a fisherman. But then, this probably spared a few Atlantic Salmon for today’s anglers. Fly fishermen flock to the Miramichi for a chance to hook the only salmon native to the Atlantic Ocean. A local guide caught the salmon below on 31 May, as our winner was casting his line in the Pacific watershed. The smaller photograph is of a grilse—a salmon that has returned to fresh water after a single winter at sea—netted on the Miramichi a week earlier. 

“Spring” Chinook Salmon enter the rivers of the Pacific Northwest in April-May, where they remain until autumn, when they spawn. Our winner was fishing with his father and brother. They had hoped to put some of these tasty salmon on their table. But they “got skunked fishing,” and went home empty-handed. Home, in this case, is not Oregon, but Big Sky Country.

When I first saw the military training area at Suffield, Alberta, I was struck by how much sky there was. It was spellbinding. The sky was endless. Standing on the gently rolling landscape I felt very small. My first, unexpected sighting of “pronghorn” etched this moment and place in my memory. I was delighted to learn that Canada had a native “antelope.” (I learned later that it was not a true antelope.) The fleet-footed animals were everywhere. They could outrun our wheeled armoured vehicles. Some bucks have been clocked doing 100 “klicks.” No other animal in the Americas can run faster. 

It was 1986. At the time, Suffield had the appearance of an African savanna. Not that I had been to Africa yet, but I had imagined that the Alberta grasslands resembled the vastness of the Serengeti plain. There were virtually no trees in any direction. We joked at the time that, because the area had so few trees, each individual tree was shown as a tiny green dot on our topographical maps. And perhaps they were. There are more trees where our May winner resides, however.

Our winner lives 500 kilometres south of Suffield, in “Magic City.” Billings is the largest city in what is the fourth largest US state. Nevertheless, there are not many people, let alone ASL players, in Montana. Metropolitan Billings is home to roughly 150,000 people, large enough to support a local ASL club. But it was not another ASL player who introduced our winner to the hobby. It was a book.

Matt Caudill was reading an Osprey title about the Battle of the Bulge when he came upon a section entitled “Wargaming Ardennes 1944.” In his book, James Arnold identified a number of tactical games that provide players with opportunities to recreate some of the drama of the Ardennes offensive. Among these were Ambush, Patton’s Best, Squad Leader, and “the tremendously popular Advanced Squad Leader.”2 So began Matt’s ASL odyssey.

Matt unearthed a copy of Squad Leader in a game store in California, and played it solo several times. He later purchased ASL, and compiled a respectable library of modules and scenario packs. Due to a lack of local opponents, he only played online via Virtual ASL (VASL). Being a responsible dad—albeit a short-sighted ASL player—he sold his collection when his daughter was born. 

Late last year, Matt returned to the hobby, after a four-year hiatus. He rapidly acquired a modest ASL collection that is surprisingly eclectic. For instance, he picked up ASL Starter Kit 3 (ASLSK3) and the Expansion Pack (ASLSK EP1)—a pair of standalone introductory publications designed to hook new people on ASL, and perhaps allow former players to reenter the hobby without breaking the bank. In stark contrast to his “beginner” materials are his copies of Red Barricades, and Valor of the Guards. These historical modules (HASL) are must-haves for fans of Stalingrad. Apart from the ASL Rule Book, Matt also has an early edition of Beyond Valor—more on this later, a copy of the American module Yanks, Solitaire ASL (SASL), while the Commonwealth module For King and Country is on its way to him. 

SASL makes sense given the dearth of local opponents in Billings.3 There is a practical explanation for the Starter Kit material too. Matt recently ran into an old gaming buddy. They agreed to hook up later for a game. And so it was that, less than a month ago, Matt finally played his first face-to-face game. His friend had never played ASL before, so Matt set up S20 “Joseph 351” from ASLSK3. This all-infantry action is a good primer. His friend was impressed. He also had an interesting insight. 

During play Matt’s friend commented that the game seemed fairly solid and straightforward. Matt remarked that there had been two editions of the rule book since the game’s release in 1985. This got his friend’s attention. “That tells a lot about how good this game is right there,” his friend asserted. During the game, Matt’s friend remained attentive, and asked a lot of questions. Matt felt that these were good signs. He gave his friend a copy of the ASLSK3 rules, and the first edition ASL Rule Book to browse.    

Less than a week later, Matt and his newfound ASL pal were at it again. They played S46 “Where the Winter Lingers” (from ASLSK EP1) at a local game store in Billings. Matt admitted that they missed “a bunch of rules.” These oversights notwithstanding, the pair thoroughly enjoyed the game. The day was memorable for another reason. During the scenario the more curious passersby would ask Matt and his friend what they were playing. A few “older guys” recognized ASL. One of these gentlemen confided in Matt. “I hated ASL. I think it haunted my house,” he opined. It turns out that the old hand still had a copy of Kampfgruppe Peiper (KGP) at home. Would Matt like to have it? Silly question. Matt was over the moon.4

Matt's budding ASL collection

Matt enjoys the tactical aspect of ASL, and finding solutions to the tactical problems that each new scenario presents. Reading ASL-related articles is almost as much fun. Matt is particularly interested in combat actions involving American armoured fighting vehicles, which has put the “Singling” Campaign Game (CG) high on his must-play list.5 That said, he increasingly finds himself drawn to operations conducted by Commonwealth armoured forces in northwest Europe. Not surprisingly, Matt is looking forward to the first ASLSK historical game Decision at Elst. The forthcoming ASLSK CG takes place just south of Arnhem, the Netherlands, during Operation Market Garden (September 1944).

Ortona map (draft)

Matt is also eagerly awaiting the Ortona HASL, designed by the late Jim McLeod. This will be the second historical module to feature Canadian troops; Operation Veritable was the first. More importantly, it will be the first HASL to focus on operations in Italy. The Italian Campaign is an underrepresented area in ASL, even at the level of individual scenarios.

Map of Suicide Creek

With so much catching up to do, and so much on the ASL horizon, Matt is easily distracted. In March, he played his first scenario starring US Marines and the Imperial Japanese Army. Not only was it his first romp in the jungle, but it was also his first experience calling in mortar fire from off-board. Needless to say the aptly titled J131 “First Love” presented a steep, but enjoyable, learning curve.6 The objective: cross “Suicide Creek” and eliminate the majority of Japanese units on the far side. Sounds like a suicide mission for a green “Gyrene.” But Matt and his hapless marines had a hoot. 

When not playing, Matt has been reading anything and everything ASL related. This has to lead to purchases of several ASL Journals and magazines. Now if Matt, like me, suffers from collectivitis, he is going to have a hard time staying focussed. It is easy to rationalize the purchase of a magazine that improves your game, or a core module that is necessary to play hundreds of scenarios. But it is a slippery slope7 once you convince yourself that there is no point in owning KGPI if you do not also own KGPII. So far, I have resisted the urge. Will Matt? I am not so certain. I am sure, however, that he can justify the purchase of Schwerpunkt’s Rally Point 6, as a teaching aid for his new face-to-face opponent. But as much as he loves the publications of Le Franc Tireur, he is going to have a tough time justifying the purchase of LFT Magazine No. 10 on the grounds that he has no counters to represent the Spanish infantrymen of the Blue Division.

So far Matt appears to be sticking to his plan. He has promised to resist buying anything else until he has the ASL map bundle in hand. This will probably come as a relief to his wife. In fact, she was a bit puzzled as to why he started playing ASL in the first place. “Wargames? Isn’t that for old guys?” she asked. Well, no, not really, he may have said, at least until the day his used copy of Beyond Valor arrived. Inside the box lid was a note. It read “Miracle Ear,” with a telephone number for the hearing-aid retailer. Matt’s wife got a lot of mileage out of the incident.

Funnily enough, my wife has a theory about ASL and ageing. She believes that playing ASL helps strengthen and maintain brain function. In her view, ASL is aerobics for the sedentary lump between my ears. She argues that as we age the importance of remaining mentally activate cannot be overstated. She therefore encourages me (and others) to play ASL regularly. Now the skeptics among you might suggest that this is just a clever ruse on her part. While it is possible that she is just trying to keep me safely penned in a game room for the day, I truly believe that her intentions are sincere.  

American turret counters by Countersmith Workshop

Now where was I? Ah yes, the fellow in “Miracle City.” Sorry, I could not help myself. It is no miracle that Matt won our May raffle, although magic may have had something to do with it. Matt only joined Sitrep on 21 May.8 Considering that he recently scored a copy of KGP, there would appear to be some magic at work in Billings. Matt wins a copy of Action Pack 8, a set of American and Commonwealth BattleDice, and a sample sheet of American and Commonwealth turrets. Congratulations Matt!

MMP's Action Pack 8

US and Commonwealth BattleDice

American and Commonwealth turret counters

Oh, and before I forget, Matt is keen to attend his first tournament. Perhaps you will run into him at ASLOK sometime. He should be easy to spot. He will be the guy without bifocals, grey hair, or a hearing aid.

How to claim a prize

To claim your prize, simply leave a comment at the end of this post and email us your mailing address. All prizes are provided courtesy of the BattleSchool KitShop. (You may request a pdf of our KitShop catalogue at the same time.) Our email address is: battleschool at rogers dot com

Future contests

Canada Day will mark the first anniversary of Sitrep. To celebrate, we are giving away a copy of Festung Budapest. Shipping is also on us.

Each Squad Leader following Sitrep on 30 June 2012 will be eligible. You need to “follow,” not just subscribe. Contestants will receive one ballot—equivalent to one roll of the dice—for each month that they have been following the blog. The lowest roll after any tie-breakers will win.

Some Sitrep Squad Leaders (i.e. followers) will have a chance to win a set of precision, Festung Budapest BattleDice on Canada Day. To qualify for this special raffle, Squad Leaders must follow under their full names (first and last). Each qualifying Squad Leader will receive one ballot for the raffle. Those who also use a custom avatar, will receive a second ballot. Those who use a portrait of themselves will receive a third ballot.

The Canada Day raffle will be the last where those who joined in July 2011 will have the best odds of winning. Henceforth, Squad Leaders will receive one ballot for being a follower. Those who joined Sitrep before 1 July 2012 will receive one bonus ballot. And finally, any Squad Leader following under his or her first and last name will receive an additional ballot, provided he or she is also using a non-generic avatar, and preferably a personal portrait.9 Good luck to everyone in future contests.

Still special at 70

Before you go, I wanted to share something special with you. In July 1942, a joint American-Canadian force was activated and began training in the United States a month later. This summer marks the 70th anniversary of the First Special Service Force (FSSF). The Force is worth commemorating for a host of reasons. Allow me to offer two.

Pvt Norman E. Brown 5-3, and Pvt Alva R. Thompson 5-3 near Cervaro, Italy 14 Jan 1944

Two men went to war. Private Norman “Duke” Brown was from Oshawa, Ontario, just east of Toronto. Private Alva R. Thompson hailed from Waverly, Iowa, some 1300 kilometres east of Toronto, in America’s heartland. Both signed up for a mysterious unit. Neither knew what to expect that fateful summer when they arrived in Helena, Montana. Training was tough, and lasted almost a year. Brown and Thompson were among 1800 Americans and Canadians who had made the grade. They served in the 5th Company (2nd Battalion) of the 3rd Regiment, abbreviated as “5-3.” Together they fought the enemy atop Monte Majo, near Cassino, Italy. They fought until their ammunition ran out. They picked up abandoned German weapons and fought some more. They fought until, in mid January 1944, they had thrown the Germans out of the Bernhardt Line. Their individual motives for joining the fight are irrelevant. Brown and Thompson fought the good fight, because it was the right thing to do. It was that simple. 

After the war, Alva Thompson settled in Seligman, Arizona. Like the rest of his generation, he got on with life. There had been a job to do. He had done it. Now it was time to move on. Norman Brown never returned. He was killed at Anzio on 29 February 1944. Both men paid a price that few today are willing to pay.10

The FSSF welded men of different nations into a community of comrades that transcends borders. In two short years, the shared hardships and loss created bonds that have persisted for 70 years. If anything, these bonds have grown stronger, as the roll call of the Force has grown shorter.

FSSF veterans salute their fallen comrades at the 2006 reunion in Helena, MT

In 2006, the First Special Service Force Association held its last reunion in Helena, Montana. Or at least it was supposed to be the last. Most veterans are in their 80s or 90s. Organizing and running a reunion is now more than these old soldiers can manage. Happily, the families and friends of FSSF veterans took up the torch in 2007, and have continued to run annual reunions. The next reunion is scheduled for August this year, in Washington DC. You can find out more about the FSSF in my post Special Delivery, which I hope to publish before the weekend. (I had initially planned to publish the FSSF story as part of this post, hence the delay.)

Thanks for reading.

Notes

1. The Panzerfaust (PF) die is actually a dual-purpose die. It is designed to be used whenever a player is required to make a Check die roll (dr) for an Anti-Tank Magnetic Mine, or ATTM (C13.7), or a PF (C13.3), including a Panzerfaust Klein (PFk). This speciality die will be available in July. I spoke to the manufacturer this morning, and had a peek at the dice. They are shipping this week. See our June catalogue for more details.

2. James R. Arnold, Ardennes 1944: Hitler’s Last Gamble in the West, (Osprey Publishing: Oxford, 1990): 93.

3. See Robert Delwood, “SASL is NOT ASL,” in ASL Journal 2 (Multi-Man Publishing: Gambrills, MD, 2000): 22-25, for a good overview of how the SASL solitaire system differs from ASL. The article, less graphics, is also available online.

4. KGP I was published in 1993, and KGP II in 1996. Matt hopes to one day play all of the campaigns in these modules, if for no other reason than the fact that one of the things that drew him to ASL was Robert Delwood’s after-action reports of the KGP campaigns carried out by Robert and his fellow players in Houston, Texas. http://www.delwood.org/squadleader.html

5. The “Singling” CG rules, two scenarios, and colour map were enclosed in Operations Special Issue 1, published by MMP in 2008. With only two and a half pages of rules, “Singling” is a good combined-arms introduction to campaign gaming. The game recreates the battle for Singling, France on 6 December 1944. It pits Abteilung I, Panzergrenadier Regiment 111, 11. Panzer-Division against elements of Team B, Task Force Abrams, US 4th Armored Division. 

6. “Suicide Creek” is a series of scenarios designed by Darrell Anderson, and played on a historical map depicting a portion of Cape Gloucester, New Britain. The six scenarios take place during three days in January 1944. Japanese forces consist largely of the 141st Infantry Regiment, with elements of the 53rd Infantry Regiment appearing in two scenarios. The US Marine Corps is represented by the 7th Marine Regiment, with guest appearances by 5th Marine Regiment, the 1st Tank Regiment, and the 1st Pioneer Battalion. The map and scenarios can be found in ASL Journal 9.

7. KGP introduced slope hexsides [P2.] to the ASL rule set.

8. I realize that becoming a follower on Blogger can be something of a struggle. I do not understand why it is so complicated. Fortunately Matt is not as technically challenged as I am. He persevered and succeeded. 

9. For instance, the default grey silhouette provided by blogger is a “generic” avatar. Similarly, an exclamation mark, regardless of colour, is too generic to be considered a personal avatar. We encourage Squad Leaders to use a personal avatar, especially one with an ASL theme. (We may even run a contest in the future where readers vote on the best ASL avatar.) We also encourage followers to use their first and last names because it makes it much easier for us to identify and contact the winner of a contest.

10. Some have suggested that the Canadian in the photograph is Private Howard A. Brown, of Owen Sound, Ontario, a town roughly 250 kilometres northwest of Toronto. It is true that Howard Brown served in 2-3, the same Regiment as Private Thompson. However, Howard Brown was with the 1st Battalion. But even if I have got the names wrong, it changes little. Howard Brown died on 24 May 1944, of wounds sustained during the break out from Anzio. He too paid a price that should never be taken for granted.

Shortchanged?

Helen had an idea. She had watched me play the first round of my VASLeague match.1 For those who have yet to experience the pleasures of Virtual ASL (VASL), you are shortchanging yourselves.

Rodney Kinney’s ASL interface is a fantastic way to get a game in with a friend from out of town, or ‘round the other side of the planet, for that matter. VASL also takes a lot of the fiddliness out of a game. For instance, it takes little effort to customize the playing area with virtual overlays. I cannot speak for you, but it is sometimes a mission for me just to find a particular overlay amongst my kit. Clean up is also a snap; no counters to put away (or tip over). The program will even roll dice at the click of a button. And here is where Helen came in.

“Hey, that’s cool,” she said. “Why don’t we use that dice thingee for the next raffle?”

So that's why they call them tumblers

Now, she never did say that. Even a “newbie” knows where to draw the line. But for those of you who have yet to experience the displeasures of the VASL “dicebot,” you lucky ß@§‡∆®₫$! The truth is there are a lot of people who are skeptical about the randomness of the VASL 'bot. Not to worry, the best minds are developing a workaround as I write.

In the meantime, we will continue to roll bones the old school way. But boy, oh boy, what a lot of rolling. About 170 Squad Leaders were entered in our February raffle. My thinking was that we could reduce the number of potential ties by using seven dice for the contest. Do not try this at home! Getting your mitts around seven cubes, even the half-inch variety, is a challenge. Keeping the little devils in the tray after they tumbled down the tower was another worry. Happily, it all worked out in the end. 

A matter of perspective

With seven dice the highest possible roll is forty-two. Only one contestant came close. From his perspective in Wellington, New Zealand, he rolled extremely well: a pair of deuces and five aces. But as unfair as it may seem, we were only concerned with the pips that were facing up, and there were forty of them! The roll was nevertheless remarkable, the “equivalent” of rolling a nine with seven dice. Considering that no one had a roll below eleven, we felt that forty-two was worthy of a little recognition. 

Coincidentally, each of the biographical  sketches that follow have a Canadian connection. Most are obvious. Such is the case with Dale Drake. In 1995, Dale was a trooper with Queen Alexandra's Mounted Rifles, light cavalry with a partial infantry role. His high school days were still fresh in his mind, but his surroundings were completely foreign. Dale was in Bosnia, attached to a rifle company of the 2/1 New Zealand Infantry Regiment. However, one of Dale's fondest memories is of an exchange with the 3rd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment in Visoko and Ilijaš, or as he put it: “a hostage from CanBatt 2.”2 

Dale has had no success finding local opponents in Wellington. This is troubling as Wellington used to have a thriving ASL community. Dale is getting desperate. He is threatening to draft his sons, if he cannot find a local opponent. Is there anyone out there? 

Dale joined Sitrep shortly before Xmas. He may be shortchanged with respect to local “oppos.” However, he is not entirely out of luck. Dale wins a Heretical Rate of Fire die for rolling an “upside-down” nine.  

Stay calm and carry on

The second lowest sum was twelve. Two contestants shared this result. Andy Beaton was one of them. 

I first met Andy online through the VASLeague in May 2010. He lives in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). We played “Failure to Communicate” from the first Winter Offensive Bonus Pack. His French 10-2 leader gave my Germans a tough time. However, it was a plucky 8-0 with a demolition charge that won him the game when he took out one of my remaining tin cans and nudged me over the casualty cap. 

Andy has long been an enthusiastic supporter of our hobby. He can be seen at left coaching a first timer through a Starter Kit scenario at a game convention in the GTA. Last October, he made the pilgrimage to Cleveland. Although it was his first ASL Oktoberfest (ASLOK), he played well, making it to the finals of the desert mini-tournament. He and Doug Sheppard played the classic “Khamsin” from West of Alamein. Doug is a top player and past Desert Mini champ. It is a testament to Andy's dogged perseverance that the game came down to the very end. Doug commented afterward that it was the most memorable desert scenario that he had played in years. 

My match with Andy that same week was entirely forgettable. I was too aggressive. Lesson learned (again). Never ever underestimate Andy's ability to wrest the initiative from you with a low-odds countermove. Truth is, I did not put the same effort into the game as Andy did. To get the most of a game, I recommend that you follow Andy's lead. Put your heart into the game, keep your focus, and do not give up.

Andy wins a copy of the latest Friendly Fire scenario pack, and a Heretical Rate of Fire die.

Band of Odders 

When Sitrep launched last July, most of our readers hailed from the United States and Canada. To my surprise, the third largest contingent was from Spain. Even today, Spain ranks in the top ten, slightly below Germany, but still slightly ahead of Australia. Needless to say, I was pleased to see that one of our Iberian Squad Leaders had been shortlisted in our February raffle. Moreover, he did so in style. 

Martí Cabré can hardly claim to have been shortchanged. The average sum was 24. Martí scored a dozen twice!

Martí's love of ASL is eclipsed only by his love for his native Catalonia, and perhaps his belle. Martí lives in Terrassa (Tarrasa, in Spanish), less than 30 kilometres from Barcelona. Those who frequent BoardGameGeek and the ASL Forums on GameSquad may recognize his avatar. However, like me, you may have wondered what it was. Turns out it is the coat of arms of Pere II el Catòlic, King of Aragón (1196-1213), and the former Count of Barcelona (Pere I). Who knew? The Catalan flag that Martí keeps in his sitting room sports the same red stripes on gold field emblazoned on the shield of Peter the Catholic.3 Mystery solved. 

Martí is Catalonia's ambassador of ASL. He has a wide circle of gaming friends, many of whom play other board games, or with miniatures. Tapping into this network, Martí has been able to coax a few gamers along the path to ASL Starter Kit. Some like Jordi in the picture above, are progressing quite nicely. But Martí's recruiting drives are more ambitious. 

Since 2007, Martí has been posting about boardgames on his blog Band of Odders. His inaugural post was followed by a write up of S11 “A Long Way to Go.” But what makes his blog special is that it is written in Catalan. This is an important development for our hobby. While there is a Catalan Wargamers Resource website, it does not appear to have any ASL content. There are some nine million Catalan speakers in the world. Most reside in Spain. However, Catalan speakers also can be found in Andorra, France and Sardinia (Italy). Learning a new language is tough enough. Learning English and the ASL Rule Book is something else altogether. I therefore applaud Martí's efforts to acquaint more people with ASL. 

Last November, a small but enthusiastic group of ASL players gathered in Barcelona for the 13th Fanatic Tournament. In the thick of it was our Catalan ambassador Martí Cabré. Due to the theme of the tournament, players had a chance to play a unique scenario starring a few Canadians. I say unique, because to my knowledge there are only two scenarios where Canadians face the Imperial Japanese Army. They are: MLR1 “Hana-Saku,” and FE130 “Desperate Straights.” I have yet to play either scenario. It is high time that I did. 

For spreading the good word in Catalan, and for rolling low, Martí wins a copy of the lastest Winter Offensive Bonus Pack, a Heretical Rate of Fire die, and a $10.00 gift certificate for our KitShop. Felicitats Martí!

House call

The winner of our February raffle is a mild-mannered fellow from Berlin. He has attended the last two Canadian ASL Open (CASLO) tournaments in Ottawa. Yet, I have not had the pleasure of playing him. It turns out that we have a mutual ASL friend, a Circassian who moved to Canada some time ago. I only learned of this in 2010, and then only when I made a point of asking him who the cross-border player was. 

Circassians originated in the northern Caucasus, but many later settled in the Levant (present day Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria) during the Circassian diaspora in the 19th century. To paraphrase Dennis Hopper from the film True Romance, this stuff fascinates me.4 I studied the history of the Near East (Middle East) a fair bit in university. I also did a tour in the Golan Heights in 1985-86. As an interesting aside, during the 1930s, Circassians living in al-Quneitra approached officials of the then French Mandate. They lobbied for an independent Circassian state on the Golan Heights. They based their case on the fact that they constituted the majority in al-Quneitra, the largest settlement on the Golan. I spent six months in Camp Ziouani, just outside the ruined town of al-Quneitra. It would be another ten years before I learned that there were Circassians living in the Middle East. So where am I going with this? To Brockville, naturally, as that is where our mutual friend lives.  

Brockville is less than an hour drive from my place. I have played three or four face-to-face games with Dana over the years, but not of late. So imagine my surprise when the winner of this month's raffle winner told me that in 2010 he had made a house call in Brockville. He was on his way to the CASLO, and had arranged to hook up with his old ASL buddy. But what surprised me the most was that Dana was responsible for getting "Doc" Evans into the hobby. 

Mark Evans is an acupuncturist in Berlin, New Hampshire. He is also a pretty decent player. He placed third at the CASLO last year.5 To be clear, this had nothing to do with his standing offer of complimentary therapy for all the CASLO attendees. No, he won fair and square. He also won our February raffle outright with an 11, and a 13! 

Mark wins a copy of Le Franc Tireur's latest scenario pack From the Cellar 6, a Sniper! Effects die, and a $20.00 gift certificate for our KitShop. Congratulations Mark!

Make your own luck

It is never too late to become a Squad Leader. Jonathan K. joined on 31 December. His lowest sum was 13. And Fred Ingram, who joined the same month, had two rolls of 16! Suffice it to say that one roll of the dice is one more than none. Make your own luck and join Sitrep as a Squad Leader (follower) today!


To claim a prize, simply leave a comment at the end of this post, and send us an email: battleschool @ rogers dot com

Acknowledgements and Notes

The cellar rat appears courtesy of Le Franc Tireur, publishers of stunning, full-colour ASL scenario packs, magazines, and historical modules. 
1. The VASLeague turned six this year. Enrico Catanzaro of Palermo, Sicily is the Tournament Director and chief whip. There are several Minor Leagues (Europe, Australasia, Eastern North/South America, and Central/Western North/South America), and one Major League. Players are promoted to the majors each year. This new blood is used to replace low-ranking individuals in the majors, as well as those who decline to continue for another year. The minors are grouped roughly according to time zones thereby allowing players to play in real time on VASL. Play-by-email (PBEM) is also permitted, but the default method is live VASL. For more information, see Enrico's post on BoardGameGeek.

2. Initially, the New Zealand company was attached to a British infantry battalion—Royal Highland Fusiliers—for administrative purposes. Dale's reference to being a “hostage” is not accidental. During 1995, 55 members of ‘A’ Squadron, Royal Canadian Dragoons—part of Canadian Battalion 2—were taken hostage by Serb forces. According to some reports, the hostages were treated well by the Serbs, while their comrades back in Visoko were mortared and rocketed. However, Dale received nothing less than the royal treatment from his Canadian hosts. Keen to see what a “treadhead” was made of, “Rocky,” the RCR section commander, assigned Dale a C9 Light-machinegun. Dale also insists that some visiting Canadians helped him and his mates drink the Kiwi canteen dry later in the tour. That's odd. Most of the guys who I served with in the army were strict teetotalers. <wink>

3. According to legend, the arms of Aragón were originally plain gold, or “Or plain.” The changed purportedly occurred following the death in battle of Geoffroy le Velu, King of Aragón. Geoffroy had been fighting alongside Charles le Chauve against the Normans. In a dramatic show of gratitude for Geoffroy's bravery, Charles dipped his fingers in his blood and smeared them onto the shield. The four red fingers, or in heraldic terms, the “four pallets gules,” thereafter adorned the “Or plain.”

Pere/Pedro/Peter II (1174-1213) gained prestige and lasting fame for his role in the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa (16 July 1212). The battle took place some 250 kilometres south of Madrid. Known in Arab history as the Battle of Al-Uqab, the defeat of the Moors at Las Navas de Tolosa was a major turning point in the Reconquista of the Iberian peninsula. Ironically, Peter died only a year later at the battle of Muret, while fighting fellow Crusaders.

4. If you love flicks with brilliant dialogue, you need to watch this one. To my knowledge, it is the first screenplay written by Quentin Tarantino. The cast is top notch. Gary Oldman is a superb slimeball. This is also where the seed for The Soprano's was sown.

5. Rather than spoil the CASLO After-Action Report due to be published after the Festung Budapest post, I will save the details of Mark's accomplishments at the CASLO until then.