Human Wave 2022

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.

Unique to Human Wave is having a theme for each tournament. The first year was Eastern Front, followed by US vs Germany in 2019. That was followed by “Tom and Jerry” in 2020 (UK vs Germany).  2021 was the Axis Minors in the USSR and this year the theme was Italy at War. Concurrent to the themed events, Advanced Squad Leader Starter Kit tournaments were hosted as well. As an aside, ASL SK is primarily intended to break the veil of ASL and allow people to get the basics down before trying the full game. That said, there are many who prefer to play ASL SK.

This year’s theme of focusing on the Italians at War coincided with the release of Hollow Legions 3rd Edition.  Not only does this have the entire Italian order of battle, but also was a re-release of the desert rules and improved overlays. It is an impressive module and sold quite well, with over 1,600 orders going out. Given that the original was released in 1988, it was long past due for an update and the results are rather impressive. In addition to the overlays, but improved maps and counters, and there are even rules for Ethiopians and Eritreans. All in all, it made for a great reason for the aficionados of ASL to gather for some gaming as well as the usual banter that only an ASL player would understand.

On to the tournament! The format for the main tournament was a four-round event. Each round had a sub-theme for its scenarios and the first round’s theme was “Mare Italiano”. These scenarios were all set in the early part of the war as Italy initially fought in North Africa and around the Mediterranean Sea.

Round 2 was titled “For the Glory of Rome”. This round saw battles when Italy was attempting to restore its former glory by establishing colonies in Europe and Africa. Next up was “Sons of Italy” as the Allies took on Italy following the invasion of Sicily in 1943.

Finally, “Kampf um Italien” saw Germans fighting the Allies in Italy, which sometimes included their former Axis partner. All in all, the 30 or so players in attendance got some great gaming in. But in the end, there could only be one champion. In the final round saw Mr Ready and Mr Stanhagen battling it out for the right to be called Champion.

The scenario chosen for the final round was “Bite of the Bassotto”, set in July 1944 as New Zealanders ran into the Gothic Line. Once the dust had settled, it was Neil Stanhagen who emerged as the champion, with Varick Ready coming in a very respectable 2nd place. It must be noted that Neil was runner-up in 2019. He is quite a good player and it was great to see him and his brother at the tournament. In fact, it was great to see everyone.

I had driven to Virginia from Nova Scotia and I had a record of 1 win and 3 losses, including a first-round loss to Varick. But for me and for many, it’s not about playing – it’s about spending time with friends. Yes, we curse the dice when they go sour on us, but in the end, every game starts and ends with a handshake, with friendly banter in between matches. Oftentimes over a sip of whisky or some other libation.

And so ended Human Wave 2022. The ASL SK tournament ended in a three way tie. Their format was a round-robin between the four participants and such was the end! So, with that, preparations for next year are already underway. The theme will be “Human Waves in the East and the Far-East”.

Next year will see the tournament include some battles in the jungle to include some Pacific Theater action, as well as battles on the Russian Front. But as I’ve already alluded to, the games are second to the socializing aspect of an ASL tournament. So if you can make it to Tysons Corner, Virginia in July 2023, make sure you at least drop by and check out some of the gaming. Bring a glass!

David Garvin is an ASL player who thrives on tournament play.