[Aslml] Complete Beginner

[Stephen P. Berry]

>First off what is the best scenario for two absolute beginners to play in 
>order to begin to get a working grasp of the rules?

Red Barricades CG III.

Just kidding.  I've noticed that lots of folks have suggested Gavin
Take (T1), presumably because it's small and reasonably well-balanced.
My thought is that this is probably not a great starter scenario because
it -is- so small.  Small enough that a couple of DR can completely
alter the outcome of the scenario.  While there's nothing inherently
wrong with that, I think that it does tend to emphasise a particular
style of playing.  And I'm not sure that such an emphasis makes a good
introduction to ASL.

I'd actually suggest good ol' Guards Counterattack (scenario A,
also available for free download from MMP).  I've probably played
this more than any other ASL scenario over the years.  It's small
enough that you can play it in one sitting, but has enough stuff
that a single MALF'd SW or K/# result doesn't determine the outcome
of the scenario.


I've actually been recently teaching ASL to someone who had no prior
wargaming experience, and she seems to prefer DASL scenarios---she
says it's easier to keep track of where everything is if there's little
or no stacking.  If you can obtain boards b and d (you can get 'em
from online shops), I'd suggest DASL 1 (Guryev's Headquarters, also
available for download from MMP).  Once again a comparatively low-density
scenario that is nevertheless large enough that you don't have to worry
about a single bad fire phase blowing the whole scenario.

I'd also recommend that you try playing through scenarios twice, once
from either side.  You'll notice things that you didn't the
first time through, and it'll help you figure out why your opponent
did things the way they did (which is an enormously important skill to
develop).





-spb