Publisher/Date:
Encircled Productions (2024)
Product Type:
Scenario Pack
Country of Origin:
United States
Contents:
8 scenarios on cardstock
ASL March Madness 2024: The Korean War Pack (hereinafter MM24; you’re welcome) is the latest scenario pack to come from Encircled Productions (formerly the Kansas City Irregular ASLers). These themed scenario packs have typically been released at the March Madness ASL Tournament held in Kansas City each year, although this year’s release only arrived months after March 2024 was a memory. As its title suggests, its theme is the Korean War; MM24 is the latest of several scenario packs designed to capitalize on the 2018 release of Forgotten War: Korea, 1950-1953 (for other examples, see here, here, and here). Ironically, the very first of the revived March Madness packs, released in 2007, also dealt with the Korean War, long before Forgotten War was ever released.
The pack contains 8 scenarios, all printed on cardstock, featuring essentially the same scenario card layout that this publisher has used since 2007, a bare-bones layout with no counter or board configuration map artwork (even guns and vehicles are identified only by their names, with no other values appearing on the counters). They are very plain. Some past March Madness releases have contained overlays or other components; this one has only scenarios. Seven of the scenarios are Korean War scenarios, while one scenario (seemingly based on a Wikipedia entry) takes place at the tail end of the Chinese Civil War.
Half of the MM24 scenarios are large in size; the other half are small or medium-sized. The publisher states that the smaller scenarios are “entry-level scenarios” for new Forgotten War players.
No scenarios use Air Support, while two scenarios use Night rules and two scenarios use OBA. In addition, another scenario features U.S. tanks firing from offboard, while a second scenario has an odd SSR allowing U.S. tanks to use Spotted Fire with an observer in an aircraft. It’s a somewhat complicated SSR, which is also a characteristic of the pack: 5 of the 8 scenarios are particularly SSR-heavy, including the very complicated MM94 (Task Force Combrez), a two-part scenario that has an entire page of SSRs. Some of the SSRs are very fiddly indeed, especially those of MM97 (Operation Item), which contains a paragraph-long SSR for “degrading” trenches by using DCs against them and another paragraph-long SSR for rifle grenade attacks. Several scenarios also have complicated victory conditions.
Leaving aside the Chinese Civil War scenario, the pack features three PLA vs. ROK actions, two PLA vs. U.S. actions, one North Korean vs. U.S. action, and one North Korean vs. Australian/U.S. action. To play all the scenarios in the pack players need geoboards 2, 15, 35, 36, 39, 50, 58, 61. 81, 83, 87, 5a, and 9b, as well as ASLSK geoboard t.
For a scenario pack focusing on the Korean War, MM24 is unusually, well, Germanic. For example, MM91 (Flanked Again) is purportedly a North Korean vs. American action, but it turns out the G.I.s of the 24th Infantry Division have to face off against Panzer Grenadier Regiment Afrika of the 21st Panzer Division. From Afrika to Korea is a long journey, but if anybody could do it, Rommel could. Similarly, MM96 (Outpost 36) is ostensibly a clash between South Korean Marines and Chinese Communists, but the PLA unit is actually the 17th Waffen-SS Panzer Grenadier Division. It is safe to assume the South Koreans were not prepared for that! These are, presumably, simply sloppy errors–correct that, extremely sloppy errors–but they do raise questions about proofreading and quality control for the entire pack, especially since no fewer than five different people are credited as proofreaders. Between designers, proofreaders and playtesters, did no one at all really notice that German units were listed in 25% of the scenarios of this pack?
A further Germanic element is the deliberate and intended use of German 8-3-8 counters in MM97 (Operation Item) to represent U.S. Marine Corps squads, because 7-6-8 squads apparently didn’t have quite enough firepower. These Marines also have DCs, FTs, and 2 Heroes.
This product is probably only for die-hard Korean War aficionados, as well as fans of the Wehrmacht.
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