Publisher/Date:
Hazardous Movement (2021)
Product Type:
Scenario Pack
Country of Origin:
United States
Contents:
10 scenarios on glossy color cardstock, 4 sheets of loose-leaf paper with playing tips, credits, etc.
Hazardous Movement Scenario Pack 1: A World at War (hereinafter HMSP1, because that’s a mouthful) is the inaugural scenario pack by a new third party publisher, Hazardous Movement, started during the pandemic by two ASLers, Chuck Hammond and Chad Cummins. As its subtitle suggests, the pack is a “mixed bag” scenario pack, with 10 scenarios depicting a range of actions throughout World War II.
The pack comes in a folder with two pockets. The scenarios, printed in color on glossy cardstock, are in one pocket. The opposite pocket contains 4 loose sheets of paper that mostly contain playing tips and credits for the pack. While the folder offers an advantage, especially in terms of protection, over scenario packs that only come in shrinkwrap, they may not be superior to scenario packs that come in a plastic baggie. The main disadvantage of the folder is that it is very wide, meaning that this scenario pack will stick out further than all other scenario packs one may have. This was quite noticeable when stored with other scenario packs and could make the edge that sticks out more vulnerable to damage. As your humble author discovered, it also may pose problems for some storage systems. ASLers who remove scenario cards and throw away the packaging or who scan their scenarios will not be affected. The loose sheets of paper are essentially lost-sheets-in-waiting, as they are not even stapled together. A better strategy for packaging this product might be the strategy used by Schwerpunkt for its Rally Point scenario packs. The Rally Point scenarios have a standard-sized folder, with no pockets, and have the players’ notes printed on the inside of the folder. This is an option Hazardous Movement should explore.
The scenario cards are printed in color on glossy cardstock of suitable thickness. There is no counter artwork; the counters are displayed merely as 2-4-8, HMG, Wire, etc. Vehicles are identified by vehicle name (though not ID) and, sometimes, vehicular MGs, while guns are identified only by gun size (such as 50L AT). There are two scenarios that depict Free French counters with black text against a dark purple background, making them extremely hard to read. Waffen SS units, however, are depicted with white text against a black background. The layout of the cards is sloppy, with too-tight vertical line spacing for text, counter boxes that are not evenly horizontally aligned, and counter text that (for 1/2″ counters only) is bizarrely flush with the bottoms of the counter images (i.e., they blend into the counter border). All the scenario card sections are given new names, so the cards have “Turn Progression” instead of “Turn Record Chart,” “Scenario Parameters” instead of “Scenario Special Rules,” and “Parity” instead of “Balance,” etc. Most scenarios take up both sides of the scenario card. Based on its inaugural product (as well as its logo, website, and newsletter), it would seem that graphic design is not one of the strengths of Hazardous Movement. There is certainly room for improvement here.
Of course, the scenarios themselves are more important than their graphic presentation. The scenarios of HMSP1 are only somewhat varied, with three of them set in the early days of Operation Barbarossa and featuring the same German unit (suggesting they all came from a single book) and four more set in France and the Low Countries in 1944. The full list of situations includes actions set in China 1937 (Chinese Nationalists vs. Japanese), the Soviet Union 1941 (Soviets vs. Germans [3 scenarios]), Sicily 1943 (British vs. Italians), Italy 1943 (Canadians vs. Germans), France 1944 (Free French vs. Germans [2 scenarios], British vs. Germans), and the Netherlands 1944 (British vs. Germans).
Most of the scenarios in HMSP1 are large or huge in size (8 of 10), though all are set on only one or two geoboards, resulting in some scenarios that have significant counter density. There are no small scenarios. Almost all of the scenarios are also lengthy or very lengthy. Many scenarios have substantial entrenchments/fortifications; additionally, the ratio of SW to squads in many scenarios is very high. Some of the scenarios also have a lot of thick SSRs. This is essentially a pack of grinders, with many scenarios that will take all day, or even more than one playing session, to get through. A representative scenario, picked blindly from the pack, is HazMo 3 (Seaside Retreat), set on two geoboards and 8.5 turns long. The attacking Free French have 30 squads, 6 leaders (and an armor leader), 18 SW (!), and 11 AFVs. They also get 3 partisan squads (with 1 leader and 2 SW) as reinforcements). The defending Germans have 24 squads, 6 leaders, 14 SW, 3 Guns, 3 AFVs, and considerable fortifications.
Two scenarios have OBA; one scenario has Air Support. No scenarios use the Night rules. One scenario, HazMo 8 (The Devil’s Descendants), features a Glider Landing. Some scenarios use rules from Kampfgruppe Peiper or Red Barricades.
To play all the scenarios, one needs access to geoboards 18, 24, 40, 50, 51, 53, 54, 60, 70, 78, 1a, 4a, and 9a, and ASLSK board p.
Some of the scenarios are just straightforward slogs, but others present more interesting tactical situations, such as HazMo 8 (The Devil’s Descendants), which features a British glider landing with 10 lightly-armed squads. Their initial opponents are only 8 Italian 1st -line and 2 Italian conscript squads, but on turn 4 (of 10 turns) a large Italian counterattack force shows up to create a significant momentum shift. Will quantity prevail over quality?
The proprietors of Hazardous Movement made numerous strong statements (in marketing material and online) about the extent and strength of playtesting. From comments in forums and videos, though, it seems the bulk of the playtesting was done, via VASL, between the two designers themselves, with an uncertain amount of additional playtesting done by six other people (several of whom are very experienced players). These are parameters that, especially when the large size and great length of the scenarios in this pack are taken into account, would normally raise some yellow or red flags with Desperation Morale over the playtesting. However, as of this writing, several years after their release, the ROAR records for these scenarios is overall pretty good, with no obvious dogs, and some of the scenarios reasonably balanced even after considerable playings–especially Haz Mo 6 (Great Vengeance). The number of playings–for a pack from a new publisher with many scenarios that are not all that conducive to easy play–also is testament to the number of ASLers willing to give this pack a try.
For a first endeavor, the product shows some strengths but also some areas for improvement. It’s worth a look for ASLers with the luxury to be able to play large/long scenarios.
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