ASL Ordnance Counters Explained

If you’re new to Advanced Squad Leader (ASL) or just need a refresher, ordnance counters can look intimidating at first glance. Some counters in ASL are the most information-heavy in all of wargaming. They’re packed with numbers, symbols, and abbreviations, but once you know what each element means, they become second nature. This guide breaks down information you’ll find on a typical gun counter.

Caliber Size

The most prominent number on any gun counter is the gun’s caliber (barrel size) in millimeters, always shown in the lower left. You’ll see a wide variety across nationalities and weapon types: 20mm, 75mm, 81mm, 88mm, 105mm, and many, MANY others.

Caliber size matters primarily in the TK process (some form of AP ammunition) and the IFT resolution (HE ammunition), where it’s cross-referenced against those appropriate charts to determine the gun’s effectiveness against different target types.

Two important modifiers to watch for:

• Overcored caliber number — The gun typically fires only High Explosive (HE) ammunition.*
• Underscored caliber number — The gun typically fires only Armor-Piercing (AP) ammunition.*

*Special ammunition notes may give a Gun limited ammo that can’t normally be fired. Always consult the applicable Gun/Vehicles notes.

Gun Type

The text in the upper right of the counter identifies what kind of weapon it is. Common types include:

• Mortar (MTR)
• Anti-tank gun (AT)
• Infantry gun (INF)
• Anti-aircraft gun (AA)
• Recoilless rifle (RCL)
• Artillery gun (ART)

For the most part, these labels don’t restrict how you can use the weapon — you can fire an artillery gun at a tank, or use an anti-aircraft gun against infantry using its infantry fire equivalent. The major exception is the mortar.

Mortars: A Special Case

Mortars are unique because they are required to use the Area Target Type (ATT) when firing. Mortars are a big different than other guns. Though they are fired like direct-fire weapons (you need line of sight), they act like indirect-fire weapons in that they lob shells at high angles, imprecise by nature, but capable of blanketing an entire hex. Area fire hits everything in the target hex, but at half firepower.

All other gun types can choose between Vehicle Target Type (VTT), Infantry Target Type (ITT), or Area Target Type (ATT), though using area target type reduces their effectiveness. Mortars have no such choice: they are locked into ATT. The bonus is that using ATT does not consume all of a mortar’s ROF, unlike all other guns.

Range

Most guns in ASL have ranges large enough that they will never come into play in a typical game. You can look up ranges in Chapter H, but in practice, targets are rarely out of range. For example, the German 37mm PaK 35/36 AT gun has a maximum range of 120 hexes. Outside of even the largest campaign games, and assuming you even have LOS across 120 hexes, max range for most non-mortar Guns is irrelevant at the ASL scale.

Again, mortars are the exception. Their range is listed directly on the counter in square brackets, representing the minimum and maximum range in hexes.

For example:

• An 81mm German mortar might show [2-60], meaning it cannot fire at targets closer than 2 hexes, and has a maximum range of 60 hexes.
• A smaller support weapon mortar might show [2-13], meaning it cannot fire at an adjacent hex and tops out at 13 hexes.

The minimum range rule matters: if an enemy unit is right next to your mortar, you simply cannot fire at them.

Manhandling Number

The M number indicates how easily the Gun can be moved. In ASL, ordnance can be transported in two ways:

• Carried using the Portage Point system (some Guns are Support Weapons and can be carried by a MMC).
• Manhandled (pushed by crew or infantry), the higher the manhandling number, the easier it is to push.

The color of the manhandling number also carries meaning:

• White circle/background: The weapon is a small target, making it harder for enemy fire to hit.
• Red number: The weapon is a large target, adding modifiers that make it easier for enemy fire to strike during the two-hit die roll.

Rate of Fire

The number shown in the box on the left of an ordnance counter is its Rate of Fire, and works the same as machine gun ROF from Chapter A. After each shot, if certain conditions are met, the gun may fire again. ROF is never greater than 3, but there are some situations where ROF is reduced (a slow turret changing CA while firing), or eliminated (a non-mortar Gun using Area Target Type).

• An 81mm German mortar with ROF 3 is particularly fearsome — there’s a 50% chance of getting a follow-up shot each time it fires.
• An American M1 57L AT Gun may have ROF 3, but if it were to fire at a target outside its current CA it’s ROF would be reduced to 2 because it doesn’t possess a turret (see below).

There are some situations where ROF is reduced (a slow turret changing CA while firing), or eliminated altogether (a non-mortar Gun using Area Target Type).

Barrel Length

To the right of the caliber size, you’ll find one of three symbols indicating the gun’s barrel length, which affects accuracy at range during the TH process:

Barrel length is also analogous to muzzle velocity. An LL gun generally has a higher muzzle velocity than an L gun. Mortars and infantry guns typically have short barrels (asterisk) and suffer at range. Dedicated AT and AA guns with long or very-long barrels excel at engaging distant targets. If a gun doesn’t have a barrel symbol, no special modifiers apply.

Breakdown Number

Like SW, all guns in ASL have a default breakdown number of 12, meaning they malfunction on a roll of 12. If a gun has a lower breakdown number (such as 11), it will be printed on the counter as B#. The non-default breakdown number is typically found on the left side of the counter, but not always.

Infantry Fire Equivalent

Some guns, particularly smaller caliber AA guns, have an Infantry Fire Equivalent (IFE) printed on the counter in parenthesis. This allows the gun to be fired like a machine gun (no TH process required), simply applying a flat firepower value against targets within its current Covered Arc.

The trade-off is that firing in IFE mode reduces a Gun’s ROF by 1. For example, a 20mm AA gun with an IFE of 4 and ROF 3 could be fired as 4 firepower against a hex, but its effective ROF drops to 2 for that fire action.

Turret Traverse

All Guns (including AFVs, which are basically Guns with wheels/tracks) have a turret traverse symbol on the counter, indicating how freely the weapon can pivot its TCA/VCA to engage targets. The No Symbol and Circle rows of the table below are typically the only types of traverse found on Guns, while all types are found on various vehicles.

The shape of the symbol around the gun’s firing arc tells you everything:

In general, the more enclosed the shape, the less freely the weapon can be redirected. A circle (Fast Traverse) is the most permissive; a thick cornerless square is the most restrictive. Keep the traverse type in mind; a fast traverse weapon can adapt quickly to threats from unexpected directions, while a restricted traverse weapon needs to be carefully sited to cover the most likely avenues of approach, and always have to be BU to fire.

Quick Reference Summary

Debriefing

With a solid grasp of gun counters, you’re well-equipped to integrate ordnance into your ASL tactics and well on your way to understanding the nomenclature of AFV counters. Whether you’re lobbing mortar rounds over a building or setting up a Pak 43 to cover an open field, understanding what’s on the counter is the first step to using it effectively. And, as always, read you gun/vehicle notes!

Check out the video above for a walkthrough.

Academy Out!

GET TO THE CHOPPA…!!!

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