Unboxing HazMo Scenario Pack 1

For fans of Advanced Squad Leader looking to expand their scenario library beyond the official Multi-Man Publishing catalog, third-party publishers like Hazardous Movement (HazMo) have carved out a niche with themed scenario packs. This overview takes a close look at HazMo Scenario Pack 1: A World at War, the first in a series of six packs (and growing).

Getting It

The pack retails for around $30 individually, with pricing varying slightly across the six-pack series depending on scenario count and whether a board is included. Derek, at Ritterkrieg, periodically runs bundle promotions — at the time of this review, the full six-pack set was discounted from its normal $240 to around $216. The scenario packs are also available directly from hazardousmovement.com. Links at the bottom of the article.

Contents:

• 10 scenarios
• Scenario notes and tips

Packaging

Like the other packs in the line, Pack 1 arrives in a folder-style layout. On one side sit the scenario cards themselves; on the other, a set of companion notes for every scenario in the pack, backed by a piece of cardboard to keep everything from bending in shipping. The back cover credits designers Chuck Hammond and Chad Cummins, along with play-testing, graphic design, technical assistance, and logistics support.

The ten scenarios span a broad swath of the European and Pacific theater — Italy, Russia, France, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Sicily, and China — giving the pack wide geographic and historical variety.

Rather than just handing players a bare scenario card, each entry comes with a short “rules to remember” paragraph plus strategic pointers broken out by nationality — reminders about ammunition restrictions, unit capabilities, or tactical considerations specific to that fight. For a scenario like the opening entry, “Born Again,” this might mean flagging that Shermans use the black-numbered “to hit” table and don’t carry white phosphorus, alongside separate notes for the German and Canadian sides.

This kind of built-in coaching is a nice touch for a hobby where the vast majority of players don’t operate at tournament level, or rub elbows with the ASL “elite.” It’s arguably the pack’s compelling differentiator from a standard scenario pack we’re used to.

Design Aesthetic

Visually, the scenario cards use a spartan, text-heavy layout rather than official ASL counter graphics — an understandable choice given copyright restrictions on using MMP/Hasbro artwork. Some HazMo packs (Pack 6 among them) work around this by using VASL-style counter art for a quicker visual read; Pack 1 largely sticks to text blocks describing unit types, which means more careful reading to identify things like machine gun classes or vehicle types at a glance.

A few smaller critiques:

• Color and contrast issues. The French counters/text use a dark purple that’s difficult to read against its background — a case where inverting to white text would have helped legibility significantly.
• SSRs spilling onto a second page. Several scenarios’ special rules extend past the front of the card onto the back or an additional sheet. We all have a love/hate relationship with SSRs, ahem “Scenario Parameters”, but SSR creep is a legitimate gripe among a lot of players. Not all the scenarios suffer from this, but at least half have SSRs or OBs that creep onto another page.
• No visual playable-area diagram. Rather than the familiar shaded/blocked-out board graphic showing which hex rows are in play, the pack instead states playable areas in text (e.g., “hex rows A through Z are playable”). It’s functional, but slower to parse at a glance than the usual convention most ASL players are used to.

The Scenarios

The scenarios cover a good mix of match-ups, unit compositions, and tactical situations. Board layouts are approximate and do not include all overlays and/or terrain transformations. They’re just to give you a quick glance at the battlefield.

Born Again (HazMo 1) – Canadians vs. Germans, Ortona, Italy, 1943, near the Gustav Line. Canadian infantry and armor with assault engineers face German defenders backed by an anti-tank gun, fortifications, and a Panzer IVH.

Crown of Thorns (HazMo 2) – Russians vs. Germans, 1941. A defensive Russian scenario built around dug-in positions (trenches, pillboxes, wire, fortified buildings, mines) and a random ad hoc reinforcement table, against German assault engineers and armored support.

Seaside Retreat (HazMo 3) – Germans vs. Free French, 1944. Free French forces (and Partisans) with American bazookas and British armor face German defenders and their fortifications, including an anti-tank gun and infantry. All level 3 hills are level 2.

Kids These Days (HazMo 4) – German SS vs. British, an 11-turn, mixed-arms fight featuring off-board artillery support (OBA) for both sides. All walls and hedges are bocage.

The Blood of Lambs (HazMo 5) – Russians vs. Germans, Lithuania, 1941. A nine-turn, mixed armor-and-infantry engagement with fortifications on the board. The valley on board 24 doesn’t exist. All buildings are wooden.

Great Vengeance (HazMo 6) – A British/French vs. German scenario set in the Netherlands in October 1944, in the aftermath of Operation Market Garden. Notably features a Crocodile flamethrower tank, with a special rule requiring German infantry adjacent to a flamethrower-hit location to take an immediate morale check.

Left Behind (HazMo 7) – Germans vs. Russians, Lithuania, 1941, an earlier-war scenario featuring KV-1E heavy tanks on the Russian side against dug-in Germans.

The Devil’s Descendants (HazMo 8) – Italy/Britain, 1943, with glider-landing rules invoking Chapter E8. All woods are brush. All buildings are ground level only. Building J9 is a guard tower. Building H10 is a radio station and is treated as a factory. KGP light mist is in effect.

Cloak and Dagger (HazMo 9) – Germans vs. French, 1944, where German defenders (dug in) must be evicted from a controlling building and at least two of three road-hex clusters to hand the Allies victory. Uses a Starter Kit board (p)  — worth noting for players who own only the full ASL board library.

Fresh Grist (HazMo 10) – Chinese vs. Japanese, Shanghai, 1937. Japanese forces bring light tanks, anti-aircraft guns, and fighter-bomber support; Japan wins by controlling at least six multi-hex buildings. The Chinese side has access to a casualty-triggered random reinforcement table.

Debriefing

HazMo Scenario Pack 1 delivers exactly what it promises: ten thematically varied World War II engagements spanning multiple theaters and nationalities, wrapped in a no-frills but functional presentation. The bare-bones counter graphics won’t win points for visual flair, and the recurring issues with color contrast and SSRs running onto additional pages are minor but relevant points. What elevates the pack is the inclusion of scenario-specific player notes — a genuinely useful feature for players who want a bit of strategic guidance without having to be tournament veterans to enjoy a well-designed scenario.

I feel the price is a bit high, but for roughly $30 (or as part of a discounted bundle), it’s a reasonable pickup for ASL players looking to diversify their scenario rotation beyond the official releases, with the caveat that presentation minimalists may want to have the official ASL boards and counters handy to fully visualize the action.

Where to Buy

Ritterkrieg

Hazardous Movement (website is gone/down, please order from Ritterkrieg)

Academy Out!

GET TO THE CHOPPA…!!!

These Articles Might Interest You

Unboxing ASL Journal #17 Unboxing HazMo Scenario Pack 2 HazMo #6 ‘The Liberators’ Unboxing Unboxing ASL Action Pack #22 Unboxing Winter Offensive Bonus Pack #17 ASL Module 10a – Croix de Guerre Unboxing Bounding Fire Production’s Onslaught to Orsha 2 Unboxing Brevity Assault Campaign Game Unboxing