Advanced Squad Leader is venerable classic that continues to provide a platform for simulation-grade gameplay, a form of Dungeons and Dragons for squad-based tactical battles (just check out all the stats, dice, and chunky sourcebooks!). ASL may seem intimidating, but with many options to ease into its rules while having grand adventures, there’s never been a better time to explore one of wargaming’s greatest games.
What is Advanced Squad Leader?
Nobody can refute the grandeur of a global battle map. Shoving vast fleets, battalions, and divisions over whole countries to claim victory is thrilling, but when you zoom in, when you look at the stories that capture our imagination, many—dare I say most?—are in the hands of the squads. Advanced Squad Leader, first designed by Don Greenwood in 1985, delivers those stories in one of the most authentic games ever made.
Primarily built around World War Two action, Advanced Squad Leader fulfills its name by pitting literal squads against one another in small-scope missions built to showcase tactics rather than grand strategy. You’ll have your machine gunners providing cover for grenadiers, a sniper pinning down oncoming riflemen, and a bazooka angling for a perfect shot on enemy armor. While games like Undaunted abstract all of these elements to similar dice rolls, Advanced Squad Leader gets into the grit. We’re talking more than line-of-sight, but whether your gun might jam or how much protection that wall might offer against a tank’s shell.
This is both a barrier and a boon. I’d never recommend ASL as someone’s first foray into wargaming, but when you’re prepared to delve into the lush minutiae, the rush of success is so much sweeter. Pull off a successful mortar strike or behind-the-lines ambush in ASL and you’ll know you earned it, not just had it handed to you via a lucky roll or card draw.
Advanced Squad Leader uses a classic I-go-You-go system, though the phases are interspersed with so many opportunities for both players to engage that you’ll rarely feel bored. A sudden strike from the sewers might cause your hunkered down soldiers to route, say, and now you’re figuring out how to get them back in line while the enemy continues their advance. Fires started by mortars could spread with the wind, imperiling your garrison. Night conditions might send a charge wildly off course as soldiers get lost. There’s so much to dig into during every turn.
Yet, familiar foundations abound. The basic rules, delivered in concise volumes within the core ASL games, get you most of the way there. You’ll find comforting combat resolution tables (CRTs) and counters with clear stats. Objectives and special rules are laid out for the individual scenarios, giving clarity while reducing the need to memorize the game’s entire rulebook (a hilarious impossibility). You can absolutely wade into ASL with infantry-only missions, and find yourself doing glider raids into armor-defended positions as part of a multi-game campaign before too long.
That flexibility is a huge part of why ASL remains a pillar of the wargaming world. Modules give you the chance to model all sorts of conflicts in deep detail, immersing yourself in the stories told by individual soldiers, by small skirmishes, by the little-appreciated but absolutely critical details that defined the world’s greatest war.
How to Get Started with Advanced Squad Leader?
Looking at Advanced Squad Leader might feel a bit like staring down Dungeons and Dragons or Warhammer 40k. At first glance, there’s a zillion modules. Where does one begin?
The easiest way is to start with a friend or local community that plays the game. Advanced Squad Leader has a large following, so chances are there’s a group not far from where you live that’d be open to showing you the ropes. Noble Knight, for example, has a weekly wargaming gathering on Sundays, which is an ideal place to pop in and meet some would-be mentors who could introduce you to ASL’s ins and outs.
After you’ve tried it out, or if you’re feeling like just diving in, check out the many starter kits out there. In particular, you’ll want ASL Starter Kit #1 which
gives you a basic introduction to infantry play, which you can build on from there. This one goes in and out of stock frequently, so use that Want List to secure a copy.
Once you’ve whet your appetite with a few starter modules, you have some options to grow your ASL collection. If you know, specifically, what battles, campaigns, and factions you’d like to play, then you can look for specific sets from various publishers. These vary in price and availability, often swinging in and out of print, which, given ASL’s long life, isn’t too surprising. I mention the Want List frequently for this very reason, and it also helps Noble Knight know what you’re looking for, so they can snap it up when publishers are open for orders.
Or, if you’re feeling a more-is-better vibe, where specific modules are less important than just having the chance to explore the game at the best price possible, there’s a bevy of ASL collections out there. Something like this might seem expensive until you review the content included, realizing that you’re getting dozens and dozens of replayable scenarios and campaigns. If you’re in love with the system, these bundles will let you enjoy it for life.
For those of you with more creative ambitions, ASL supports all kinds of custom scenario and campaign creation. If you’d rather go your own way, or buttress a collection, you can grab counters by themselves. Equivalent to buying loose minis, the counters (units) let you expand factions for your games at a discount, albeit with a bit of randomness thrown in.
Ultimately, getting started with ASL is like launching into any massive game system. Get your toes wet with a starter kit, a friend, or local group so you know ASL is a game for you. As you decide what parts of ASL are your favorite, build your collection in that direction or grab a big bundle so you can game for a lifetime.
Games like Advanced Squad Leader
If Advanced Squad Leader is a lifestyle game, why is there this section about other titles? If ASL is life, what else—
Okay, Advanced Squad Leader is a deep ocean filled with possibility, but one might be better served not diving into the depths right from the get go. If you’re new to wargaming or tabletop gaming in general, staring at a product listing detailing literal pounds of counters might make the ol’ eye twitch. If that’s you, I say fear not. Options abound to tread into this excellent arena without overwhelming yourself or your playing partner.
So let’s start with a slightly more modern classic: Combat Commander. Like ASL, Combat Commander deals with skirmishes at the squad level. Its rules are detailed, but more approachable. Turn-by-turn play is card-driven, rather than the more pure pick-and-play style of ASL. This does mean you might not be able to activate that rifleman or fire that mortar quite when you’d like, but restricting the decision space keeps things simpler while adding a new tactical dimension: how to play that hand to ditch poor cards and still complete your objectives.
Any of the Combat Commander offerings will deliver a healthy dose of cards, counters, and scenarios to duel with a playing partner. It’s a great way to transition, too, from zoomed out strategic or operational-level wargames to the guts and glory of squad tactics. If you find yourselves in love, taking the sideways leap into ASL will be an easy jump to make.
Then again, if you’re looking at these games and thinking counters? Clipping? What? Then it might be better to back up a step, splash around in the shallows for a bit with some excellent titles before striking deeper. I’ve mentioned the likes of Memoir ‘44 and Undaunted before as good introductions to the
face-smashing one-on-one play you’ll find in ASL, so definitely give either of those a look if you haven’t yet.
But I’m going to go in a different direction here. See, ASL lives and breathes by its involved simulation. Trying games with a similar focus, even if they’re not wargames, can help you see if this is a style you enjoy. Break into unique, squad-level titles like Earth Reborn, Core Space, or Warhammer 40K Kill Team. These won’t have ASL’s rules grit nor its aesthetic, but the core skirmish, objective-based structure is the same, and you might find these sci-fi games more approachable.
Then, once the door is opened, all you need to do is walk on through.
Victory Formation
Advanced Squad Leader is a wargaming classic for good reason: it has depth, nigh-infinite replayability, and great core gameplay. If you’ve never picked it up or given it a play, seeking it out at a local wargaming group or with one of the many starter kits might change how you enjoy our hobby, all for the better.
And then you might find yourself collecting counters instead of minis. No painting necessary.
