So you wanna learn ASL, eh?  Maybe you bought the ASL Rulebook and Beyond Valor?  Or you bought an Advanced Squad Leader Starter Kit?  Or you’ve seen a video on YouTube or a post on Facebook and it looks interesting?  Maybe your long-lost uncle bequeathed to you his closet full of ASL gear.  Whatever the reason, you would like to give it a try.  Well, good for you: Advanced Squad Leader is one of the best games ever designed. It provides an intellectually challenging, completely immersive experience that is also incredibly fun. Many people like ASL so much that they hardly ever play anything else. Is it that good?  It’s that good.

The challenge is that it is a complex–and, let’s be honest, sometimes just downright complicated–wargame.  While parts of it are pretty intuitive and logical, others are not so much. So learning it is not like learning Monopoly or Settlers of Cataan or Memoir ’44.  It takes time and investment, and a little patience.

There are also multiple ways to learn ASL, based on your previous experience and personal preferences, which we’ll discuss.  But before we get into that, there are three cardinal rules that always apply to learning ASL, no matter what your situation is, and these are rules that should never be forgotten.  They are:

1. IT IS (ALMOST) ALWAYS BETTER TO HAVE SOMEONE TEACH YOU ASL THAN TO TRY TO LEARN IT SOLELY ON YOUR OWN.  While it is theoretically possible to learn ASL all by yourself, just by reading the rulebook and charts and moving pieces around, it is hard to do–and even harder to do it right. It also takes much longer and–because you will not experience the joys that come with playing with other people while you are doing it–you are more likely to drop out while doing it. People who learn this way, solely on their own, are also susceptible to interpreting rules incorrectly (even if they think to ask rules questions of other players online), which sometimes can result in the “wolf boy” phenomenon, so-called because a boy raised by wolves as opposed to by normal human society is simply not going to know the proper rules and etiquette when finally introduced to human society.  But an experienced player already knows the rules (hopefully) and knows which rules are most important as well. They can not only teach you the rules but show you how everything works in practice. Some wargamers reject this, having played primarily solitaire for most of their wargaming life, and think they can learn ASL on their own just as they have learned other complicated wargames on their own. Well, it certainly is possible, but it is not easy, and also not as much fun. Moreover, because ASL is so popular–in so many countries–it is often not hard to find someone who can teach you, face to face. Most ASLers are pretty willing to do so, because then they get a new opponent. It is also possible to play ASL online, using a program called VASL, so even if you live in Outer Timbuktu (which is very nice this time of year), you can still find people willing to teach you as long as you have an internet connection.
2. YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE TO READ THE RULES. A LOT.  It’s weird to have to stress this, but I have learned from experience the need to do so.  Ironically, this rule applies especially to those people who do learn by having someone teach them. There are people out there who, having learned the rudiments of ASL, think that’s pretty much all they need to do, and they don’t have to pay too much attention to that bulky rulebook. But you will never learn or get even half-way proficient at ASL unless you read the rulebook–and re-read it. I don’t mean you have to memorize every rule.  You absolutely do NOT have to memorize every rule.  There are plenty of sections (for specialized situations) that you can completely ignore unless you happen to be playing a scenario requiring one of those sections.  I play with ski rules so infrequently that I always have to re-read and re-absorb those rules. Same for all sorts of other rules. But what you can’t ignore–what you must absorb–are the core rules (whether for infantry, vehicles, guns, or the environment).  Even here, you don’t have to master all the core rules before you play.  Plenty of people just learn the infantry rules first, and play scenarios without guns or vehicles (or play scenarios where only their opponent may have a gun or vehicle) until they feel fairly comfortable with those rules.  Then on to mastering the next thing. It’s a very workable approach: you bite off what you can chew.  But you can’t do this without paying attention to the rules.  One thing I did–which is even easier to do now that you can buy an endless number of pocket rulebooks–is to go through a rules chapter highlighting key rules.  Even the act of reading and highlighting helps you absorb those rules.  However you do it–before bedtime, on the toilet, on your phone using the electronic version of the rulebook–do it. read the rules.
3. YOU CAN’T LEARN ASL WITHOUT REGULARLY PLAYING ASL.  With many wargames, it is possible to learn the rules, play a game, then come back to it a year or two later, spend a little time to reacquaint yourself with the game, and easily play it again. ASL–and I can’t stress this enough–is not like that. You have to play regularly at first, to reinforce the rules you’ve learned and to fill in the rules gaps in your head, or you simply won’t learn. The best thing to do is play regularly, against a variety of people. Next best is to play regularly against just one or two people. Least desirable–but still better than not regularly playing–is to play regularly primarily solitaire (keeping in mind rule number one, above).  The more ASL you can play within a given time interval, the more likely it is that doing so will carve the ASL grooves in your cerebellum that you will need going forward.  Once you really learn an ASL rules area, it will stick pretty well (though some particulars may grow fuzzy over time).  An experienced player can play just a couple times a year and not loose too much in terms of basic rules knowledge.  An inexperienced player needs to play more than that.

 

Not everybody may be in a perfect situation to learn ASL in the easiest, best fashion. But the more you can adhere to these three rules, the more likely you are to learn ASL, enjoy ASL, and stick with ASL.

It’s true that not everybody will come to ASL with the same amount of game or life experience.  Based on what your precise situation is (as well as your own personality and other strengths and weaknesses), there may be different priorities.  Here are some of the most common situations for people–as well as some advice for people in each situation.  I will note that for all of these situations, I recommend starting with the Advanced Squad Leader Starter Kit rather than full ASL, for reasons that will be explained later.

• “I played Squad Leader back in the day and would like to move on to ASL.”  At one point in time, this was by far the most common situation for aspiring ASL players, because Squad Leader, its predecessor, was a very popular game. That’s less true now, because most of the original Squad Leader players have long since already made up their minds about moving from SL to ASL or not, but it still happens.  The advantage of having a Squad Leader background is that ASL is descended from Squad Leader; thus, many of the rules are similar. The disadvantage is that many of the particulars are different (and some rules are just different, period), so unlearning may be necessary.  Ironically, the best situation to be in might be if you played SL in the distant past and have a dim recollection of many of the rules, but they are not fresh in your mind.  That is actually great, because that experience can help you learn ASL more quickly (“Oh, yeah, I remember the concept of “breaking!”), without necessarily having to unlearn many particular rules (like the fact that LMGs no longer can be used in Close Combat).  The more fresh the SL rules are in your mind, the more you will have to unlearn things, so I don’t really advise going back and rereading the old Squad Leader (and later gamette) rules before starting with ASL.  Just be grateful you’ve played a game similar to ASL that can help you pick up the concepts of ASL.  Squad Leader’s early scenarios are much like the ASL Starter Kit in terms of complexity.  I personally was in this situation.  I learned Squad Leader circa 1981 and for the next few years played it quite a bit (the later gamettes, not so much), often using it to introduce other people to the concept of board wargames.  But when ASL came out, I was in college and could not afford to rebuy the entire system even if I wanted to, so I never got into it.  In the 1990s, I picked up the ASL rules and a few early modules really cheap at a game auction at a convention and messed around a little bit but that was about it. When the 2nd Edition rules came out in 2000, a friend of mine and I decided to commit ourselves to actually getting into ASL.  We read the ASL rules (there was no ASLSK at that time) and started playing. We spent more of our first scenario consulting the rulebook than actually moving counters, but things quickly got better (I should note we were both experienced wargamers).  Soon, we sought out other opponents as well.  Having played Squad Leader in the past, even though it was nearly 20 years earlier, was very helpful for us.
• “I never played Squad Leader but I’ve played other tactical World War II board wargames.”  This is a great position to be in, especially if those games were squad-level games, because almost every other squad-level wargame published over the past 50 years has been heavily influenced by Squad Leader or Advanced Squad Leader.  As a result, you will find many of the concepts in ASL familiar to varying degrees and it should be quite easy to get into the ASL Starter Kit (or even full ASL, although I always recommend at least a short stint with the Starter Kit).
• “I never played other tactical World War II board wargames, but I’ve played other board wargames.”  Having played other board wargames before, whatever their type, is still quite helpful, because they contain many of the same basic concepts–hexgrids, combat tables, movement points, etc.  You will still have a lot of learning to do, but you have a good framework already for a lot of the concepts and specifics you will encounter. It won’t all be a new language.
• “I’ve never played board wargames before, but I have played historical miniatures.”  This is also good, especially if the miniatures were tactical World War II miniatures, because many concepts will be similar (indeed, ASL itself can be used as a set of miniatures rules, which some people do, crafting their own battlefields, etc.).  What I have noticed is that some minis players have to lose a bit of attitude, as some things are simply done differently with board wargames than with miniature rules.  Go with the flow and make sure you don’t hold any prejudice against games just because they use boards and counters.
• “I’ve played ASLSK but not played full ASL.”  This is a very common situation these days, and a great situation to be in, since (as we’ll discuss), the ASL Starter Kits are specifically designed to be compatible with ASL and to introduce people to its concepts.  There are very few things you need to unlearn from ASLSK to be able to play ASL. Nor do you have to have or have played all of the core ASLSK modules (up to four now!) in order to move on to ASL.  Based on my experiences teaching people and what I’ve seen with others, all you really need to do is master ASL Starter Kit #1, which provides the basic infantry rules that are core to the entire ASL experience.  It is pretty easy to move on to full ASL once you have mastered these. Of course, if you have played ASL Starter Kit #2 scenarios (which feature Guns), you have even more under your belt, and it’s easier still; and if you’ve played ASL Starter Kit #3 scenarios (which have vehicles), you are even more prepared.  No need to wait any further.  What I have observed, sadly, is that some people get “stuck” in ASLSK, even after having played scenarios from one or even all three of the first three starter kits (ASL Starter Kit #4 introduces the PTO, which is not necessary for getting into full ASL).  They get anxious at the thought of moving on to full ASL and want to wait for some additional “bridging” product to help them make that leap–or even a series of additional bridging products.  People who get into that mindset will often never move on to full ASL, like the ghost of a dead person afraid to “walk into the light” and move on to the next world.  If you learn ASLSK you should do so with the intention and mindset of wanting to move on to full ASL, and as soon as possible.  Remember, too, that no matter how fun ASLSK is, full ASL is even more fun.
• “I have zero relevant experience.”  Well, buckle up, it’s going to be a fun ride.  Get ASLSK Starter Kit #1, start reading the rules, and start looking for opponents (ideally experienced ones, but even just you and a friend learning together works).

 

So, why do I recommend starting with the ASL Starter Kit rather than full ASL?  Well, though you can certainly learn full ASL (many people have), the ASL Starter Kit rules rather ingeniously separate out the important core rules that form the foundation of most of the key rules systems of ASL.  They strip away a lot of the chrome, so you don’t have to waste time remembering it, while letting you concentrate on what you really need to know.  This lets you build a mental framework on which you can later hang additional rules and chrome.  Moreover, the scenarios themselves are also designed to help you learn.  The first ASLSK scenario doesn’t even have machine guns in it, just basic infantry with their inherent rifles and grenades.  It is easier to teach yourself the ASLSK rulebook and it is far easier for someone else to teach you ASLSK than full ASL.  Having done it dozens of times, I know that I can teach someone enough ASLSK to have them playing the first scenario in about 30 minutes.  That’s not too bad!  It would take considerably longer to learn it on your own, but still far less time than to digest what you’d need to know about full ASL to play your first ASL scenario.  The ASLSK is a great resource, specifically designed to help you learn ASL, so take advantage of it!  It also has the advantage of letting you try ASL for a very small investment in terms of $$$.  If you play ASLSK and don’t like it, you probably won’t like ASL, either, but you learned that lesson without having to buy the ASL rulebook and Beyond Valor.

What if you already have purchased the ASL rulebook and Beyond Valor?  I advise you to get the first Starter Kit, regardless.  Again, for all the reasons mentioned above, it’s easier to learn with.  Plus it’s cheap, and if you do like ASL, you’ll want to get it for the boards, anyway, as a number of ASL scenarios utilize those boards.

If you are bound and determined to learn full ASL without learning ASLSK first, and you don’t have someone to teach you, and don’t want to find someone, here is what to do.  What you need to learn is Chapter A–or most of it (there are some things, like human waves, which you don’t need to worry much about right away).  Chapter A is the core of ASL, the true foundation.  You will also need to master the most common types of terrain in Chapter B–roads, buildings, hills, hedges, walls, woods, orchards, grain, etc.).  Finally, you can take a glance at the weather and environmental condition rules in Chapter E and decide if you want to learn the basic rules there or wait a bit (for scenarios without mud, snow, etc., you can basically ignore all the other weather/ec rules and still play them).  With this background, you can choose infantry-only scenarios (no artillery, no mortars or bazookas, nothing that uses the To Hit Tables, and no vehicles).  Scenarios that have small numbers of troops on each side are better than huge scenarios, because you have fewer decisions to make, things move faster (meaning you can still have time to play and consult the rulebook), and you can concentrate on decisions regarding just a few units.

If you are being taught by someone, great, that’s the best way–usually.  Almost every experienced wargamer has wound up having had to learn a wargame from someone who is painfully bad at teaching wargames to people. It can be very frustrating.  If you think your instructor may be incompetent, you can always try looking for other instructors.  If you are setting out trying to find someone, here are some things to consider:

1. Look for someone who can teach you the ASLSK over someone who really wants to teach you full ASL.  Even an ASLer without ASLSK experience can very easily learn it (for obvious reasons) and use it to teach you.  The scenarios are much, much better for learning.
2. Look for someone who has taught other people how to play recently, or has played inexperienced people recently.  You may not be able to find such a person, but it does help to have an instructor who has given thought recently to the issues of teaching ASL.
3. If you are learning full ASL, make sure the instructor is using appropriate scenarios–ideally, smaller scenarios with straightforward situations.  I’ve noticed some old ASLers want to start teaching people full ASL using The Guards Counterattack, primarily because that was the first scenario they ever learned (back when they were playing Squad Leader), or Fighting Withdrawal, because that’s the first scenario in Beyond Valor.  But both of these scenarios have a lot of units as well as some less-than-optimal starting situations (i.e., with both sides right across the street from each other).  Fighting Withdrawal has the additional disadvantage of being a very tricky tactical situation for the Finns, while The Guards Counterattack has little maneuver.  Even playing an ASLSK scenario like Retaking Vierville or War of the Rats with full ASL rules would be better than one of these, I’d argue.
4. Look for someone you can play regularly.  It’s no good if someone spends a day teaching you ASL and then is gone forever; you haven’t really gained all that much.  Ideally, you’d like an opponent you can play at least several times, in relatively short spans of time, because that’s how you really imbibe and digest the play of ASL.  They don’t have to be your opponent-for-life, simply someone who can be there to help you build that foundation.

 

Finally, I’d like to note that when you learn ASL, you are really learning two things at once.  First, you are learning the rules of the game.  Second, you are learning the tactical principles that the rules of the game dictate (which are often, but not always, the real world principles of tactical World War II combat). In other words, you are not only learning what you can or cannot do, according to the rules, but you are also learning what you should and should not do, according to the specific tactical situation.  The rules let you move big stacks of units into open ground within line of sight of your opponent, but people who try this will soon learn that the tactics of the game do not let you do so without paying for it.  While the rules are printed in ink or pixels and are there for anybody to digest, the tactical principles are largely unwritten and are learned only through play.  This is yet one more reason why playing other human beings is so important to learning ASL.

If you are someone learning ASL, please reply in the comments below and tell us how you think it is going, what you have found beneficial, and what advice you’d give to other newbies based on your experiences so far.  If you are a more experienced ASLer, especially one who has taught other ASLers, what additional advice would you give to people wanting to play ASL (and feel free to tell me what you think I got wrong)?  Respond below, and help everybody.