How to improve your Advanced Squad Leader play

By David Garvin

I have been playing Advanced Squad Leader for about eight years now.  In that time, I have recorded five hundred and thirty one matches and played against over one hundred and eighty opponents. As an aside, to say that I keep a detailed record of my matches would be an understatement.  That said, the point is that I’ve played quite a few different opponents over the years. And it is through playing all these fine ladies and gentlemen that I have seen my play improve. Such is the basis of this article: my own experience in how I went from a terrible ASL player to an average one.

And here is where I rolled boxcars and broke my main armament

When I first started playing board wargames, my first game was . I was barely 17 and I had one main opponent, my best friend Gary. We had plenty of fun and Gary even bought Advanced Squad Leader’s first module, , when it first came out. We were both a bit overwhelmed by the rule book, so we decided to stick with the original, much more simple game of Squad Leader.

And so it went until about 2013 for me. I played the original game using the freeware VASSAL, and I did get some opponents whom I could play online. That said, the community was sparse and as far as I knew, was dying. Little did I know that Advanced Squad Leader was still being produced and that a  even existed. I soon discovered that not only was ASL still being made, but that the community was not only existent, but thriving.

They come from away, just to play ASL

All this to say, how did a guy like me, essentially brand new to the game a few short years ago, graduate from an absolute noob to an extremely average player? Quite simply, it was to play as many opponents as I could. To do so, I had to put my ego into check and to realize that I was going to lose many games.

Like, a lot of games! It took me two years to get twenty one games in, and after that extensive period, I had won 7 and lost fourteen. That is a terrible record if all one cared about was winning; however, I was not too concerned about that. And that was key: winning is fun, but the experience of each game was much more important.

The experience is key

As I learned to diversify my opponents, I slowly began to learn lessons, sometimes the hard way. As I played my first game as a member of the DC Conscripts’ ASL Club, I had no idea that my opponent was an ASL legend.  beat me handily and the first lesson I learned from him was to record my results. He was a gracious opponent and at no time did I feel a sense of contempt as though he were playing a substandard opponent, even though I was a virtual babe as far as the game was concerned.

I soon learned who he was and in spite of having my hat handed to me in the game, I picked up a few techniques in playing the game. More importantly, I was started to discover that his style of play was different from others whom I had played. My style was simply to rely on luck of the dice (not recommended!), but I was soon to develop a style, I suppose.

I thought for sure my plan was fool proof!

Jim was only but one of many legends of the game whom I played. And these fine gentlemen all contributed to a positive experience in learning how to better my game. Their names are part of the ASL Canon. Mike Balis. Jim Stahler. Perry Cocke. Steven Pleva. Gary Fortenberry.  Ray Woloszyn. All of these players are top in the game and every one of them is a gentlemen. I have a very poor win/loss record against them; however, I would not change a thing.

Each and every one of these players played me to the fullest extent of their abilities and for that, I was always grateful. There are many examples, but the one that sticks out to me is the use of Cavalry. I was playing Gary Fortenberry, who is a four-time and designer of at least 42 ASL scenarios, and who was now my opponent in a scenario pitting Cossack cavalry against Yugoslavian partisans.

I’m sure this is what I expected to face

I was the defender and Gary came at me with his cavalry. I wasn’t too familiar with the rules, but most of all, I wasn’t sure how I would have used them. Well, Gary taught me a lesson: cavalry is quite vulnerable to enemy fire, so instead of charging headlong into massed machine gun fire, he instead used his horses to transport his riders to an open flank, well out of my line of fire.

Once there, his men dismounted and then simply approached my main force using a covered route. In retrospect, it was so simple. He used their strongest suite, that is, their speed, to get to a position that they could not have reached otherwise. It may seem like a simple lesson to learn, but it was key enough that I have it ingrained into me. That lesson? Mobility of cavalry is their strong suit, not charging into enemy fire!

How not to use Cavalry

There are many other lessons that I have learned. I know how to use vehicle bypass movement to “freeze” units from engaging my more vulnerable forces. I have also learned to use poor quality leaders to great effect. Also, I have learned how to be patient. My friend Monty mentioned this to me one day.

He had my style pegged and knew how to draw out my forces. Then, as he says, one day, I changed. No more could he run a worthless half squad at me to draw out some defensive first fire. That said, I had learned my lesson and began to improve my play. No more was I to be played as a sure thing, instead, I was now a challenge. Well, that of course is relative. I am more of a challenge for the average player.

Why do they keep running Half Squads at me?

All this to say the obvious: to get better at something, do that thing, whatever it is, and do it often. As far as Advanced Squad Leader is concerned – play. And play often! Play a wide variety of opponents and learn from them. Every opponent will have a unique method of playing and that is true no matter your opponents’ skill levels. I would also recommend that you keep a journal of your games.

You may not want to recount your games in their entirety, but instead, you can even just keep a record of key notes. Noting how your opponent was able to reduce your defenses, how he revealed your concealed units or even just time management. All of these are key lessons, and more. All of these can be learned through osmosis and that is best done by playing as often as you can and against as many opponents as you can.