A long time ago, in a state far far away, there was a teenager who was interested in WWII and wargaming. That teenager scrimped and saved and eventually came up with enough cash to buy a phonebook sized rulebook with the name Advanced Squad Leader along with a big box with the name Beyond Valor on it. I don't remember exactly how much it all cost, but it was expensive. Somewhere around $100, which was a huge amount for me at the time.I spent hours reading over those rules, punching out counter, setting up maps and attempting to play out the scenarios that I had. It was a lot of fun when I got it all together, but I never did fully master everything. After I got out of college and found myself with less freetime I put the rulebook and box away and moved on.
Now, over a decade later, I find myself getting sucked back into a game that has been described as a "lifestyle" by some. Perhaps the geekiest lifestyle in existence. The trigger this time is the Advanced Squad Leader Starter Kit series. The first game in this series has been out for a couple of years now (in fact, it's currently out of print, although the new printing should be released soon), but I just now broke down and got it, along with the second in the series.
The game is complex. The full rules are close to 200 pages, the starter rules only twelve, but those are twelve pages of small type. Almost everyone who plays seems to suggest learning from another player rather than trying to learn on your own.
So why play? Because more than any other game I've played it recreates the chaos of small unit combat that I've read about and seen in movies. Using the full rules your units can vary in abilities throughout the course of the game as they show their true natures under fire, snipers randomly hit both sides, and heroes can appear to shift the tide of battle. You have overall control of the battle in terms of telling your troops where to go and who to shoot at, but beyond that things are often out of your hands. Each game is often a narrative of bravery and cowardice as the dice dictate what happens below the level of your control.
This is all just at the level of infantry combat, the core of the game. It's the gun and vehicle combat that I was never able to master, and I understand that they add whole new levels to the play of the game.
So, now I'm sucked back in. Playing the Starter Kits for now, but I'm sure I'll be repurchasing the core rules and module again soon. Now if I could just find a face-to-face opponent...
