Geordie's Big Battles
The ongoing adventures of a boy who never grew out of making and playing with plastic model kits (and even some metal ones too). Also a wargamer in search of the perfect set of wargaming rules for WWII Land and 20th Century Naval campaigns.
Thursday, 19 June 2025
Dad's Army: Father's Day Card
Tuesday, 17 June 2025
Advanced Squad Leader (ASL) Start Kit #2 has arrived!
The simplified ASL rules have now grown to twenty pages (and some interesting new nationalities in the mix), admittedly a lot of repeats from the first set, so not at all bad from teh learning perspective!
Saturday, 14 June 2025
Donald Featherstone's Wargaming Newsletter - Weblink
https://www.fourcats.co.uk/mags/
A shout out of thanks to Phil Sabin for spotting this treasure trove! Many happy hours reading here!
Wednesday, 11 June 2025
Note to Self: ASL Resource Link(s) and Third Time Lucky [Updated]?
Superb ASL Resource Link:
https://www.desperationmorale.com/
I know, it is like Groundhog Day, or a scratched record (again and again). Yes, I am going in again. Wish me luck or pass me the bottle of Jack Daniels, and yes I mix it with coke and ice. The ASL Starter Kit #1 is my way in (again). I have also ordered ASL Starter Kit #2 as well, because "you do need indirect fire" in WWII infantry combat. I was also looking (too much looking) at ASL Starter Kit #3, which brings in tanks, but the prices were/are just too crazy. ASL, sigh, like an attractive mysterious woman, perplexing. It seems so right until you start dating! It is not that the "sound of" the rules doesn't feel right - even "good" (when [or rather if] you managed to cram them all into your head), but it is that there seems so much to learn and options (edge cases) to remember, so you are left with the feeling of "have I missed something"! Which - is frustrating, but in the end for ASL - is that a bad thing, if it gets you there?
Footnote: I have a theory. A lot of the ASL rules seem to stem from misuse of Squad Leader rules or dissatisfaction with unintended game effects. In the same way that the follow on versions of DBA (or its more complex cousins DBM, DBMM etc) were aimed at stopping "competition gamers" distorting the historical principle of the game, winning in "unhistorical" ways. Trying to maintain the historical realism and avoiding clever mathematical twists that inevitably snag rules.
Please see Bob Corderey's Blog Home Page (Wargaming Miscellany) - The First Rule and The Spirit of the Game on https://wargamingmiscellany.blogspot.com/ - top right hand side! I also want to run ASL with miniatures, 1:1 (they are company sized battles). Does that make me "mad and bad"? Because otherwise you forget what you are trying to model in the real world. I have a friend who invested heavily in 2mm blocks of troops and literally said it makes you stop trying to "wibble" when you realise the number of men you are trying to control!
Update I: Found this interesting blog/website as it describes ASL SK#1 - Simple Equation Scenario 3 was thinking of transferring to the tabletop (spoiler alert the attack was bounced and ran out of turns):
https://www.stallardhonour.com/a-journey-into-advanced-squad-leader/
Update II: Board Game Geek tutorial support (thanks to "John Y", see comments):
https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/157922/an-aslsk-tutorial-part-1
The Internet is a rabbit hole of ASL resources!
Saturday, 31 May 2025
WW2 US Infantry Company OrBat
Great reference point for US Infantry Company OoB:
Useful for these game systems:
- Chain of Command
- Command Decision
- Spearhead
- SL
- ASL
- Crossfire
Sunday, 25 May 2025
Lex Fridman interview - Ray Kurzweil: Singularity, Superintelligence, and Immortality
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykY69lSpDdo
A heady mix of topics! Advised to watch and listen without alcohol!
Tuesday, 20 May 2025
Note to Self: Source David M. Glantz - WWII Reports, Free PDF
https://discover.dtic.mil/
Col (Ret) David M Glantz is an impressive author on military matters, in particular the WWII Eastern Front.