A. INFANTRY & BASIC RULES

A.1 DICE: The rules often require use of a colored die to differentiate it from the other die in use. A set of four dice of different colors is included in ASL Module 1: BEYOND VALOR. A white die and one of the colored dice are rolled simultaneously and summed normally for most purposes, but occasionally the colored dr will take on added significance either by itself or in comparison to the white dr. Players may also find it beneficial to get in the habit of rolling three dice, and using the third colored die as an automatic "subsequent dr" for any situation requiring one (such as 5.132, 7.309, 9.74, 11.13, 11.501, 24.1). The term "dr" refers to die roll while the term "DR" in all CAPITAL letters refers to Dice Roll. The term Original DR/dr refers to one before the addition of modifiers; Final DR/dr refers to a DR/dr after the addition of all modifiers.

A.2 ERRORS: All results stand once play has progressed past the point of commission. In other words, if an error is discovered after play has passed that point, the game cannot be backed up to correct the error, even if such error is in violation of a rule¹. For example, assume an attack is resolved without the application of a proper DRM, and a subsequent attack is resolved, or another unit moved, or play proceeds to another phase before a player remembers he was entitled to a DRM in the previous attack, thus changing the result. His failure to apply that DRM at the time of commission has cost him his right to claim that DRM. Or perhaps a player moves a unit before remembering that he wanted other units to attempt to Rally in the RPh or fire or entrench in the PFPh. Once the Phase for execution of a particular action has passed, the player has lost any claim to that capability.

A.3 MOVE/ADVANCE: Whenever a rule refers to a non-vehicular unit's inability to move, it refers only to movement in the MPh. If a unit's advance capability during the APh is also restricted, the rule will specifically prohibit both movement and advance.

A.4 OPTIONAL RULES: Rule cases preceded by an asterisk increase realism at a heavy price in playability. Players may consider such rules optional and agree on their use prior to play. Players are encouraged to use all non-optional rules to preserve the integrity of the ASL game system as a whole. Omission of any non-optional rule could have adverse consequences on both play balance and design validity.

A.5 ATTACK DRM: Whenever an attack is made against multiple defending units, if a modifier applies to some but not all of the defending units, that attack is made with only one DR by applying the appropriate DRM only to those units - thus getting two or more Final DR from the same Original DR. Conversely, whenever an attack is made by multiple attacking units/weapons, if a modifier applies to some, but not all, of the attacking units, it applies to the attack only if detrimental to the attacker. This often advocates the breaking up of a FG into separate attacks - not all of which are so penalized.

A.6 IN/INTO: Depression hexes have the capability of containing units at both ground level (Crest status) and at the bottom of the Depression (i.e., not in Crest status). Rules referring specifically to the bottom of a Depression hex use the words IN/INTO with all CAPITAL letters as opposed to normal usage with lower case letters. A unit IN a Depression is at the bottom of it, but one in a Depression is in Crest status in it.

A.7 GOOD ORDER: This term refers to a Personnel unit which is not broken, berserk, captured, stunned, shocked, or held in Melee. A unit can be pinned, CX, TI, and/or unarmed and still be considered in "Good Order". When used in regard to a SW it refers to a SW which is fully manned by a Good Order Personnel unit and is not malfunctioned or restricted by Ammunition Shortages.

A.8 ADJACENT: Hexes (and the units inside them) are "adjacent" if they share a common hexside. Units are considered "ADJACENT" only if there is a LOS between the two hexes and a player could conceivably move a hypothetical Infantry unit from that hex into the adjacent hex in question during the APh. The word "ADJACENT" will be printed in all CAPITAL letters when this added restriction is necessary so as to differentiate from the more common usage with lower case letters. Q&A

A.9 RANDOM SELECTION: Whenever an event occurs calling for the Random Selection of one or more units in a hex, a dr is made for each such unit therein. The unit with the highest dr is the one affected by that event. If there is a tie for the highest dr, all of the applicable units which rolled that number are affected equally. The process can be sped up by the application of assorted "House Rules" of the player's choice. We recommend using four dice of different hues to resolve Random Selection with a single DR. The lightest colored dr applies to the top applicable unit in any stack, the next darkest to the next applicable unit in the stack, etc. Q&A

EX: A leader, crew, HS, and squad are stacked in that order from top to bottom in a hex which has just been attacked on the IFT yielding a K/1 result (7.302). The Random Selection dice are thrown and result in a white 3, a green 1, a red 2, and a black 3. As a result, the leader is wounded and the squad Reduced to a HS. The crew and both HS suffer a 1MC.

Random Selection among concealed units to select which units are revealed must include a dr for every counter beneath the top "?" counter in a stack; any Dummy unit selected is eliminated and the Random Selection process continues using the next lower dr of the same DR until a non-Dummy unit is revealed. If a SW is picked to be revealed, reveal its possessor instead. If the SW is unpossessed, use the next lower dr of the Random Selection DR.

A.10 LEADERSHIP DRM (Δ): Leadership modifiers, which are usually negative, permit a leader to direct certain fire attacks or actions with improved chances of success. However, leadership ratings do not modify the DR/dr of certain actions/weapons/types of attack. These are identified by a triangle symbol "Δ" on their counter, pertinent result tables, or rules.

A.11 PERMANENT BREAKDOWN: When a weapon uses a form of fire which increases its Breakdown frequency by decreasing the B#/X# (Sustained Fire, Inexperienced Personnel [19.32], Ammunition Shortage, Intensive Fire, Captured Weapons, unqualified crews [21.13]), it also transforms the weapon's Original B# to an X# during that use. Multiple causes of Breakdown frequency increase are cumulative.

EX: A German LMG with a malfunction rating of B12 uses Sustained Fire. During that attack it has a malfunction rating of B10 and X12. If its Original IFT DR is 10 or 11 the weapon malfunctions; if it is a 12 the weapon is permanently removed.

A.12 WHITE COUNTERS: All counters printed on a white background can be used by any nationality and are often informational or memory devices only. Those printed in a color other than black on a white background are color-keyed to be automatically flipped over or removed at the end of the phase represented by that color on the Sequence of Play Chart [EXC: Target Acquisition counters]. For example, Pin counters (which are red on white) are removed at the end of each CCPh.

A.13 ATTACKER/DEFENDER: These terms, when printed in all CAPITAL letters, each refer to one of the two players. The ATTACKER is the player whose Player Turn is currently being played and is therefore capable of movement. The other player is the DEFENDER.

A.14-.14B COLLATERAL ATTACKS: See D.8-.8B

A.15 FIRST/FINAL FIRE: Even though Defensive First Fire occurs during the MPh and Defensive Final Fire usually occurs during the DFPH qualifying units may fire in both without violating the general rule that no unit can fire in more than one phase per Player Turn (7.1). Q&A

EX: A 4-6-7 squad firing during the opponent's MPh as Defensive First Fire may still fire in its own DFPH at adjacent or same-hex units as Defensive Final Fire (provided it is not already marked with a Final Fire counter [EXC: FPF; 8.31]).

A.16 SMOKE: The term SMOKE when spelled completely in CAPITAL letters refers to an artificial LOS Hindrance caused by any chemical agent or Blaze and therefore refers collectively to both Smoke and WP types.

A.17 DRM: Unless the rules specifically state otherwise, all applicable DRM or drm are cumulative.

A.18 MORALE LEVEL CEILING: Regardless of circumstances, a unit's Morale Level can never be increased beyond 10. This is true even if the unit is Fanatic, heroic, with a Commissar, and/or part of a Human Wave.