Why go to an ASL Tournament?

By David Garvin

In any calendar year, there are a number of regular Advanced Squad Leader (ASL) Tournaments. From the at Winter Offensive in January to the unofficial ASL Oktoberfest, () in October, there are more tournaments than months in a year. These span the globe, though most are in the US. There are even a number of online tournaments using (VASL), a freeware game that allows for online live play as well as for the somewhat cumbersome play by email (PBEM). A quick and incomplete check of the shows 19 tournaments in 2019 alone. The number is closer to 25.

Winter Offensive at a glance

The first addition to the original Squad Leader: the immensely popular Cross of Iron

These include those previously-mentioned US-based events, but there are also a number of events to be found worldwide, from to the UK, from to and even in . Attendance at these events varies greatly, but the numbers are often more than 20, and there are some that approach close to 200.

The question remains: what is the draw? Why do people spend hundreds and even thousands of dollars a year to travel just to play a dice game? There is no single answer; every player has his own reason to invest so much time and capital in such an enterprise. In this article, I’ll try to explain a bit of the history of ASL tournaments and then lay out some reasons why some people go. That said, there are too many reasons to try to explain in one short article.

As previously stated, ASL grew out of Squad Leader. That game consisted of the original smash-hit, released to great fanfare in 1977. As players embraced the game, they continually asked for more. And they got that! Cross of Iron added more rules, some of which replaced rules from the original game, especially for artillery and tanks. Crescendo of Doom came in 1980 and added more to the system. Finally, in 1982, GI: Anvil of Victory tore the entire game system down and attempted to rebuild it. That said, Advanced Squad Leader was in development, the stated aim of which was to consolidate the entire system into one comprehensive rule book.

The result: The ASL Rulebook

From its inception as Squad Leader and throughout its evolution, there were tournaments at which one could play it, but nothing was really set up as a Squad Leader tournament per se. Part of the problem was that there were really four levels of play, one for each game (or gamette, as they termed the three follow-on releases).

This all changed with the release of Advanced Squad Leader in 1986 (NB: The first module, Beyond Valor, was released in 1985 but the rule book didn’t make it to release until early 1986). By October of that year, an ASL staple was established: the ASL Oktoberfest, otherwise known as ASLOK.

This ASL-only event featured a mere 17 players and there was a dearth of scenarios from which to choose: the 10 from Beyond Valor, 8 from Paratrooper and 8 from Streets of Fire. There were also some available from the General Magazine, but even with unofficial scenarios, the number available pales in comparison to the several thousand available today. ASLOK just had its 32nd annual tournament last year, which saw attendance near 200. What was once a collection of gamers coming together for a weekend grew into a ten-day event that sees people travel from around the world.

Wow, that’s quite a tournament!  Oh, wait, wrong Oktoberfest…

There are a number of other less-attended events, but they are nevertheless well-regarded. is up in New England every year, in North Carolina, and it coincides with the ASL Open in Chicago. Europe also sees its fair share of events. From Scandinavia to Italy, from Spain to Germany, there are ASL events that also draw people in from across Europe and around the globe.

So, now that I’ve established that there are a number of ASL-only events around the world, the question remains: why go? As stated, there are as many reasons as there are players, so this is far from exhaustive. I can only relate this perhaps through my own story. Since I have your attention, that is exactly what I’ll do!

In 2015, I was new into ASL and had yet to play a full-rules game; I was still playing Starter Kit. Through an ASL-themed Facebook group, I made contact with Chuck, who was running an event in Portland, Maine, a five hour drive from where I lived at the time. I explained that I was a new player and he ensured me that I would have a good time. I took the plunge and with a couple of friends, we headed out.

Huzzahcon: plenty of games, a variety of formats

I played Rob in my first game and even though he beat me, quite soundly, I knew I had found the game I wanted to play. Rob coached me on some of the finer aspects of the rules and was patient with me. I went on to play three more games that weekend, one of which I actually won! The other two losses were actually more memorable for me; I was the attacker, and in both I came within a hair’s breadth of winning. The excitement I got out of the game left an indelible mark in my memory.

Better than the experience of playing was the friendships I made. I am still friends with Chuck, in fact, we are very close friends. Same with Rob. I also met Keith and Kedge; great friends and great players all. Now when I book in for a tournament, I look forward to the games but more so I look forward to meeting up with some very good friends.

Why I play: two outstanding gentlemen players, whom I always look forward to seeing at Tournaments

I ended up liking tournament play so much that last year I made a leap of faith and pretty much on my own organized and ran a tournament on behalf of my local club, the DC Conscripts. Keeping the ASL-theme in mind, we named the tournament “Human Wave”. It was a themed tournament and as such, it was set entirely on the Eastern Front. It was a success: we had 16 players for the main tournament and 8 for the mini. We also had a few show up for open gaming. I think we broke even, but given that it was run on a shoestring, that was no surprise.

This year we are doing . We shifted locations but are still going to be in Tysons Corner. The word must have gone out because as of right now, there are 34 registered players; 19 for the main tournament, 6 for the mini, 7 for the Starter Kit and 3 for open gaming. It’s still too early to tell if we will break even or not, but that is less important than having players walk away with a good feeling.

Trophy for the Main Tournament Winner in 2018

If you’re in the area and curious as to what tournament play is all about, and what the draw is, come on over on the 8th of June, the Main Day for the tournament. Walk-ins are encouraged and if you feel the draw, toss a few dollars in the hat, sit down, and roll those dice! We look forward to seeing you there!

 

David Garvin is, as you may have been able to tell by now, a bit of a fanatic when it comes to playing Advanced Squad Leader. He lives and works in Northern Virginia, but hails from .