The PDF for Advanced Squad Leader (ASL) rules has 714 pages. How do you even get started?
There are four starter kits (SK):
1. Regular infantry
2. Guns
3. Tanks
4. Pacific Theater of Operations (PTO)
I didn't want to take that route and tried to dive straight in but this is not how it works. Start small.
You can get the rules for all four starter kits as a PDF.
rules for all four starter kits
Buy the complete rules once you know that you like the game.
As somebody recently told me: "Looking up the rules is 90% of the game!"
I like to call Advanced Squad Leader "the game to end all rules-lawyering."
For online gaming, you need to download the following:
The VASL site has a section called "Download Scenarios" where you can download setups for many scenarios (without the mission goals). If you load those games, you'll see messages about all the extensions you're missing. Often you don't need them, but feel free to install them.
If you want a physical box of the games, with physical counters, be aware that you must buy *Beyond Valor* because it has some stuff that gets used in later boxes.
(Earlier: Advanced Squad Leader, 2022.)
#ASL
"This article covers in detail every aspect of the game other than diving in and teaching you how to play (I have a long list of videos for this). This article is ~11,000 words long, with many images and a few embedded videos." – What is Advanced Squad Leader
An Examination Of Fire Grouping