"ASL in 6mm / 1/285" Topic

I'm starting a new East Front project using ASL rules with 6mm miniatures. Question: since ASL SW (Support Weapons) are separate counters that are 'attached' to SMC and or MMC stacks, how would you handle mounting the miniature LMG/MMG/HMG – on separate stands, etc?

Any advice will be appreciated!

Regards,

J. Kelly

I was planning to do something similar in 15mm but I got distracted by something newer and shinier. A friend started it in 6mm but burned out after cutting out about a bazillion 2" hexes. I was intending to use separate bases with the support weapon on. If it is in base contact with another stand, that stand possesses it. You could try using steel paper to make labels for your stands. If you give the stands magnetic bases then the label could be temporarily be fixed to the stand, with a tab sticking out to indicate which support weapon(s) the stand has. I would still prefer the separate stand for the look of it though.

I could have sworn a long, long time ago when GHQ was involved with ASL they had some kind of supplement or guide about how to do ASL with miniatures.

There is an ASL Yahoo Group that has rules for ASL in miniatures in the "files" section. I downloaded it and printed it a long time ago so I'm not sure where it is at but you can certainly check it for yourself.

There was Deluxe ASL, which was released by Avalon Hill. The boards had 2" hexes and were designed so that you would use 1:300 or 1:285 models with the game. It was not a full miniatures conversion because it did not have 3D Terrain.

I was thinking of mounting some sort of slot for the counter to go into. That way when it is dropped, it could be easily separated from the stand.

Just a thought…

I had thought about 6mm ASL it but the hassle of working out how to deal with stacking killed the idea for me. I use 30mm square bases so the hexes would have to be 3", making for a huge table and lots of storage.

For LMGs/PATW/DC/Flamethrowers etc I was planning on using single figures on tiny bases. They don't need to be attached to specific squads,just be in the hex.

You could do the same for MMG/HMGs but I had planned to only allow them crewed and based them that way.

You might want to contact Action Terrain in Vancouver, WA. Larry there does all of his ASL games in 6mm or 1/285 and he bases his support weapons on a base and adds a couple of figures to the base to fit the squad. So he will have a dozen or so of those made up and can place them out on the table when needed.
Another way I've seen it done is just to place the cardboard counter of the support weapon onto or next to the base. It works and you can see what the weapon is with out hurting your eyes. :-)

There are so many different types of counters in ASL that it seems to me that the amount of effort necessary to convert in into a miniatures game would be enormous. I think of it as a miniatures game system w/o the miniatures and am content to play the game as published. It's already a mammoth enough task for me just to try & remember all the rules!

You really need to convert the ground scale over to account for the number of figures/counter that can occupy the same space. It is not that hard but why use the counters and the figures? Kind of defeats the purpose of going over to miniatures.

I would love to see it done but frankly the WWII empahsis is with FoW so there would be no large interest in groups to make it worthwile.

VR
James Mattes

C-n-C was in involved in ASL and still lists the minis on their site at a discount.

I would make the support weapons separate crewed entities

I do something of a compromise as suggest by Coopman and others. I use the micro-armor miniatures for the vehicles; but use the Squad Leader counters for the squads, crews and infantry support weapons. The silhouettes appear to be close to 6mm in scale.

You might consider using 1" square magnets for a base. Mount squads (3-men stand)and crews (2-men stands) on 1" by 1/2" metal strips, then put the support weapons on 1/4" square metal strips. This lets you see what the squad is carrying and gives space for the maximum number of SW a squad can fire in a fire phase. The type of squad (elite, 1st/2nd line, etc.) can be denoted by using color-coded dots or paint stripes on the base.

Stacking can be represented by placing the additional squads/SMC directly behind and in base contact with the squad representing the battlefield position of the "stack".

Short of creating a hex-based board (using something like the GHQ terrain maker hexes, for example), seems like an easy way to start an ASL-minis conversion.

You may consider using 1/600th minis to do the job. Before handling these figures people often say that you may as well use a counter, but I find that they are a good alternative to 6mm. You can also get a good number of them onto a base. Three look comfortable on a 1" square.

Pico armour do these minis

picoarmor.com

It is the only option I've seen for WW2/Modern that delivers the "mass" look

I have thought about PICO ARMOUR. You can do a nice game with single models mounted on pennies. Build the ground scale to 2 inch Hexes and WOW!

Thanks to everyone for their comments! I plan on using a 2" hex mat; play will focus on a Critical Hit Stalingrad Grain Elevator CG (Campaign Game) published in 1997. Counter density and 'markers' are a problem and I'm working on that issue now.

Regards,

J. Kelly

I tried something similar but gradually the shakey foundations of the ASL system caused more problems than it solved. For me anyway.

You might consider trying to write or find a good set of WW2 company/battalion level rules with a mch heavier focus on infantry than is usual in microarmour games.

Issues I had were the 'fantasy' FP and range factors of the ASL squads and the whole broken/good order split being too binary for my taste. I think units degrade more steadily with a far more common result being 'supressed' but still a threat.

There is also a huge issue with kill stacks in ASL – battalion CO's didn't stand next to the HMG platoon and tell them who to shoot!

In short – beware investing too much in the ASL route. I've been down that road and found it a blind alley.

Skarper,

Understood. I've started with SL and was a play-tester for 3 of the follow on modules. Therefore, I'm aware of the systems problems and limitations.

After 30 years in the hobby (boardgames/miniatures) – I want to try something 'different' (at least for me).

I'm firm on the project and if the ASL rules can't be made to work I figure I can always play CrossFire with that type of basing.

Regards,

J. Kelly

_________________________________

I'm shooting to re-do "Hill 621" in 6mm. This has been on and off again for about 2 years now. :)

I was planning on having SWs on separarte smaller stands and just attach them to squad bases as necessary. I planned on making all MMC, SW, and AFV bases with small copies of the counters attached to their undersides for ID. I would mark bases with a red bead for casualty reduced, white for broken, pink for ELR reduction, etc. That would be to save on making a zillion separate bases for everything.

It is still a project I think I can achieve, but I keep getting distracted with other things. I'm currently on a LotR: SBG kick playing a small Battle Companies campaign.

If I do ever get Hill 621 up and running I will definitely post pictures.

:)