Episode 124: Tarawa-boom-de-ay

It's hard to imagine a player of Advanced Squad Leader who doesn't like a challenge. After all, the very essence of ASL is in the challenge to learn it, and for an elite few, master it. But even so, many of us would rather suffer repeated dowsing with buckets of icy water than to take on the monster that is Blood Reef: Tarawa, the fifth historical module in the ASL family (and perhaps the archetypal "black sheep" of the line).

But wait. There's hope. For you that proudly own BRT but lack the courage to tackle its diabolical eccentricities, or for you that have played it and glossed over its imposing minutiae, or for you that can only sit in awe of its Byzantine logic, there's hope! Thanks to many monasterial hours and days of staggering devotion, Rich Spilky has sought to unravel the Gordian Knot of rules and create a selection of player aid charts that will greatly assist your BRT odyssey.

In this episode, we chat with Rich -- or rather, Rich chats with us -- about each of his BRT tables: why he created them and how to use them.

Equipped with these tables and the Tarawa Gamer's Guide AND this episode of The 2 Half-Squads, the challenge of BRT will seem child's play. And if we're wrong, you can dump a bucket of ice water over . . . Perry's head!

Tarawa Player Aids by Rich Spilky


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