WOW! I just returned from the Bitter Ender and what a wonderful time I had. For me personally it was a home coming, my last three years living in Miami prevented my attendance, and it was great to see all of my old Tarheel ASL comrades in arms again. A BIG SHOUT OUT to Charlie for once again putting together an awsome 3 days of ASL. It probably doesnt get said enough but thanks Charlie.

For those of you who have never attended Bitter Ender is a great tournament. All of the NC area players are skilled and competent cardboard warriors, and you are missing the opportunity to compete and more importantly have fun gaming with some of the countries best players and guys around.

I only played four scenarios this weekend but what a blast they were. I started Friday afternoon with Fire Teams from the Into the Rubble Pack. I was happy to the US in this and played a long (9 hour) rumble in the rubble with Tom Richardson. I highly recommend this scenario. Highlights included rubbling a building and having the upperstory fall on my besrek americans, and a 80mm OBA crit hit vaporizing a German stack and rubbling the building. This scenario went down to the wire, but when I prepfired the final victory hex in the final victory building and Tom rolled snakes for the MC on a broken squad I knew things could only get worst, and of course they did. Three US squads assult moved into an empty fortified building hex. Tom subsequesnt first fired on them with his two surviving beserk GO squads at 4+4. Forced a pin task check and all 3 squads failed!!. I ended up scrambling to get a hero, 8-1 leader, and 2d line US squad adjcent for the advance into CC and the wind. I succeded but failed to ambush (hero, leader vs bsk!!!) then missed the CC roll by 1. A great great scneario and I cant wait to try the rest of the rubble scenarios.

Saturday I began with a rare and valued opportunity. A newbie! Scott Burkhardt. He had brought his Starter Kit 1 and had only played a few scenarios with his brother. I am not very familiar with the SK variation, and Scott wanted to play with some of the ASL rules so we played a hybrid version. No snipers and concealment but, should other ASL only rules come up I would explain the concepts and tactics behind them.
I was surprised at how good a grasp Scott already had of the basic rules and how they worked with in the sequence of play. If he sticks with it he should be a tough opponent in the near future and I look forward to playing him again. A shot across the bow of MMP! Get SK2 on the market again. Scott and other players like him have 1 and 3 but arent comfortable moving to 3 with out first working through the SK2, and they're right. New players are a precious few, and a precious commodity (and future customer for the rest of the ASL and likely other products) we must nurture them and keep them in the game or we will loose them!!

I have been wanting to play Borodino Train Station (J105) for sometime and Rich Jenulis, who flew down from Clevaland (Thanks for coming Rich), agreed. We diced for sides and I even got the side I wanted with the Russians. This scenario was fun for both of us, but Rich spanked my initial assult with some great Dice rolling, and I really never threatened to win. I screwed up and forgot to take a comissar but probably this wouldnt have made much of a difference. If the Germans succeed in stopping the initial assult into the train station it will be very tough on the Russians to rally with out the comissar as there is no where to run save one or two woods hexes and one wooden building.

My final game of the weekend was Saturday evening and it was the one I was looking forward to the most. I hadent seen Tony Hutton is three years and our past games have always been fun, competitive and down to the wire. FT89 Too Little, My Friend would prove no exception. This excellent FT offering pitted my French vs Tony's Germans in an early war french armor excursion. I hope to provide a more detailed AAR later on this fun, surprisingly fast playing scenario. For now, I will say only that I would play it again, it was a blast, and it was great to sit down with Tony again.

Overall Bitter Ender is a superb ASL experience and if you have the chance, or better yet make the chance to attend you will not be disapointed. When I left Mika and Anthony were squaring off for this years title and I am certain it will not be a Bitter End for either of these geat players.