Gaming

By David Garvin

The dictionary defines “tank” as “an armored, self-propelled combat vehicle, armed with cannon and machine guns and moving on a caterpillar tread.” That much makes sense. Practically every war game depicting combat in the 2nd World War has tanks, and Advanced Squad Leader (ASL) is no exception. There are many other iconic weapons and platforms that stimulate the imagination when it comes to war, but none more so than the tank.

There are defining tanks, such as the Sherman, the T-34, and of course the Tiger. I will discuss this in this article, but I’ll confine myself to tanks and try to avoid discussing other Armored Fighting Vehicles (AFVs), such as half-tracks, tank destroyers, and assault guns. For the purposes of this article, I will expand upon the definition and further demand that tanks have a turret (or turrets) that house their gun. That said, the purpose isn’t to teach players how to use Tanks in ASL, but rather to show how the designers took the real-world use of tanks and translated that use to the game.

Lucky me, I get to sit down with Nick and Sophia from Georgetown University Wargame Society (GUWS) and hear all about who they they are and what they do!

The Earth is the cradle of humanity, but mankind cannot stay in the cradle forever — Russian rocket scientist Konstantin Tsiolkovsky

By Patrick S. Baker

After the huge success of both Sid Meier’s Civilization I (1991) and Civilization II (1996), both released by MircoProse, another sequel was inevitable, however, it was not going to be something as prosaic as a third Civilization (although a third Civilization game was developed and released in 2001).

Instead, Sid Meier, chief developer of the first game, and Brian Reynolds, the chief developer of the second game, decided to go for something different, more of a spiritual sequel than a direct one. That something became Sid Meier’s Alpha Centuri.

The various moves and decisions of MicroProse’s and its parent company, Spectrum Holobyte’s, management, which lead to Meier, Reynolds, and Jeff Briggs breaking ties with the companies and forming Firaxis Games in 1996 have been discussed elsewhere. The Firaxis team had left the Civilization Intellectual Property and name with MicroProse, so despite wanting to do another turn-based, “explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate” (4X) strategy game they couldn’t just do another Civilization. Plus, they wanted a fresh focus other than world history.

By Troy A. Hill

When it comes to gateway drugs in miniature wargaming, a historical period like the dark or middle ages isn’t a period one would expect to draw in new miniatures table-top wargamers. Is Lion Rampant Second Edition that gateway drug?

Is it another Song of Ice and Fire miniatures game that can use pop culture to bridge Hollywood fans into table-top gaming like a Crisis Protocol game for a certain Comic-to-Movie franchise? Or even a historical game with interesting meta-gaming twists like Saga and their battle board/saga dice system?

Is it a game that can draw in the Win At All Cost (WAAC) meta netlist players from that space orc game, and get them to play historicals?

Probably not, unfortunately. But, it is a stand-alone game in a crowded field of historical and fantasy-style historical-esque games. It’s a welcome addition to my gaming library.

By David Garvin

Ever since I first played Advanced Squad Leader (ASL) for the first time, back in 2015, I have spent many thousands of dollars on playing it. Not just in purchasing the widely-available gear and components, but in travel and in tournament fees. I have traveled across much of the US North East as well as across Eastern Canada.

When I lived in Virginia, I would spend hours on the road every month just to play; as a play-tester for Multi-Man Publications, as a member of the Fredericksburg Fire Eaters, and of course as a DC Conscript. Here’s the thing: my experience is not that unique in the world of ASL. There are many others who, like me, will spend a great deal of time, money, and energy on playing this game. This is something that I’ve not experienced to this level in any other game, though I’m quite sure ASL is not alone in this regard.

By Paolo Paglianti

ETC is probably the biggest and most important Flames of War tournament in the World – I already reported about it here. It was an amazing experience, and I hope to come back in following years. After the above article about the tournament, time to talk about my games with a full report of my six battles with the Iceland Team.

Playing ETC is deeply different than playing a normal, single-player FOW tournament. You are part of a team of six players, and the Captains of the two opposing teams try to find the best pairing for their players. For example, if the opposing team has a US Tank destroyer army, the opposing Captain will try to counter it with Recce Company full of nimble scouts relying on being hidden and to hit the weak side armor of the M10s. The Captains also need to choose which of their players will attack, maneuver, and defend, as they have two “cards” for each stance – ie, you can’t attack with all six players. A lot of strategy even before the game starts!

by Mitch Reed

Last month wargamers of every ilk converged at the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA) facility in Alexandria, for the annual Connections Wargaming Conference. This was the first live event since 2019 due to COVID19 and many people, including myself, were excited to have an in-person event.

By Paolo Paglianti

One hundred twenty players, 20 teams, 60 tables, and everyone was happy. European Team Challenge (ETC) is probably the most important tournament in the world, and for sure it is for the Old World. Every year, hundreds of players train and test their armies for the spectacle of three days of wargaming, not only to see who is the best but, more importantly, to play together.

By David Garvin

In Early July, 2022, Advanced Squad Leader players from the DC Area and beyond gathered in Tysons Corner, Virginia, for the 5th annual tournament to be hosted by the DC Conscripts, an ASL club in the greater DC metropolitan area. Human Wave started by pure will back in 2018 and was almost a disaster.

The room booked for the tournament lost air conditioning and the venue moved to what was essentially a glorified hotel room. That said, the players played on and the tradition of hosting an annual tournament began. The event in 2019 was in a better venue (and coincidentally, the same weekend as ComiCon.) The Pandemic forced Human Wave 2020 to be run virtually using the online tool Virtual Advanced Squad Leader (VASL). 2021 was a hybrid, thanks to loosening restrictions, but this year saw Human Wave back to its original and best form: in person.

“Just…One…More…Turn…”

– Everyone who has played Civilization

• By Patrick S. Baker

Bill Stealey and Sid Meier co-founded MicroProse in 1982 and over the next few years published several phenomenally successful flight and military simulation games, such as Spitfire Ace, Solo Flight and Red Storm Rising.  Then, in 1987, the company, at Meier’s insistence, shifted into also producing highly successful strategy and adventure games such as Sid Meier’s Pirates!, Sword of the Samurai and Railroad Tycoon.

In 1990, after completing and releasing Railroad Tycoon, Meier and his protégé, Bruce Shelley turned to working, with a distinct lack of enthusiasm, on an espionage adventure game called Covert Action. At this same time, the newly married Meier was also working on another project on his own time, which would eventually become Sid Meier’s Civilization (Civ I).

Various sources report different inspirations for the game: One source says that Civ I came out of Meier’s enduring fascination with SimCity. Meier thought the “so-called software toy” was a “stunning achievement” and thought he could “gamify” it to make the experience more involving.