by Mark Pitcavage
I think there are more categories than that for ASL players. My taxonomy would suggest 10 types of ASL players:
1. Hardcore ASL players who are tied into the ASL community, are long term players, and have got the "bug" to a considerable degree. They make up the vast majority of TPP purchases (except for Critical Hit), they make up the majority of tournament attendees, and they are typically the majority of active participants in on-line venues like this one. Many of them play ASL exclusively or near-exclusively. These people make up the bulk of playtesters, and it is from this crowd that most third ** publishers, scenario designers, and tournament directors emerge. They essentially are the life-blood of ASL, even though they make up only a minority of people who play ASL.
2. Burnouts. These are former hardcore players who have to one degree or another lost the "bug." The least burnt-out ones are the ones who will still make a number of purchases, and will usually muster themselves to go to what they might consider to be an "important" event, but don't really make an effort to play beyond that. The more burnt-out ones don't really buy new stuff anymore (though there might be the occasional rare exception) and don't really play anymore, though they might go to an ASL event, but with the purpose to hang out with other "old-timers." The most burnt-out ones abandon it completely, sometimes even with bitterness, depending on their personal experiences.
3. The casual ASL player. The casual ASL player IMO is the largest segment. This is someone who plays ASL on a semi-regular basis (at least a few times a year), usually against a single opponent/friend, sometimes a tiny group of gamers. This type of player does NOT play ASL exclusively; it is only one of a number of types of games the casual player plays, and in all likelihood not the most popular one. The casual ASL player is likely to have a reasonable complete set of official core modules, but not necessarily other official stuff (and especially not older stuff from before they started playing), and might have a few third ** offerings, but probably not. Some ASLSK players may qualify as Casual Players.
4. The Revisionist. This type of person usually evolves from the casual player but can sometimes evolve from a hardcore player. What separates this person from other types is a strong conviction that ASL is not "realistic" in some way, or a conviction that it is "needlessly complex" in some way (these are two different strains of revisionists and never the twain shall meet). Consequently, they develop a series of "house rules" to fix whatever problems they see with the system (eliminating DM, adding command and control, you name it). Often this is where you find the ASL miniaturist, creating a homebrew system that is a hybrid of miniatures rules and ASL rules. Often if you meet one of them they will insist that their rules be used and they have little patience for playing ASL the "traditional" way. One subset of the Revisionist is the Armor Revisionist, where the passion is concentrated on making more "realistic" armor rules for ASL.
5. The Solo Artist. This type of person plays ASL, but only solitaire (and I'm not talking SASL). They typically have the collection of a casual player but sometimes may get more. They have no interest in playing anybody face to face or VASL; they would rather play themselves. Often they will make up excuses as to why they won't play face to face. Sometimes a Solo Artist will also be a Revisionist. Because people who play ASL only solitaire rarely learn the rules correctly, some Solo Artists eventually become Wolf Boys, which are ASL players who get fundamental aspects of the ASL rules completely wrong.
6. The Barricadist. The Barricadist is an ASL player who is typically interested only in ASL campaign games. The phenomenon began with the release of Red Barricades, thus the name, and Red Barricades continues to be the most popular subject for the Barricadist, but some are more willing to try other CGs. Barricadists can come from both casual and hardcore ASLers. Typically they will play with a friend who is a fellow Barricadist, often having a regular play date for their umpteenth game of a CG. Because of their frequent replaying of the same CGs over and over, some Barricadists eventually become disenchanted with aspects of those CGs and become Barricadist-Revisionist hybrids.
7. The Collector. The emphasis of the collector is on having all the stuff. Collectors collect ASL products, sometimes excessively (such as spending thousands of dollars on Wild Bill Wilder ebay items, for example). Collectors sometimes emerge from Solo Artists and Casual Gamers, but usually they are an offshoot of the hardcore gamer. Some may play quite frequently and might even be quite good, but their passion for collecting trumps their passion for playing. These are the people whose houses you want to rob.
8. The Competitor. The competitor is an offshoot of the hardcore gamer, whose focus is specifically on competitive ASL; that is, on playing in and winning tournaments. They may engage in casual play, but often they will choose to play scenarios that they know are on the playlist of an upcoming tournament they will attend. Some competitors have little interest in playing newbies or novices at all, while others (the Sharks) may be interested, but only for an easy victory. It should be noted that only some regular tournament players and winners are actually Competitors; many of the best ASL players, who regularly win ASL tournaments, nevertheless don't really fit this mold.
9. The Dabbler. The Dabbler is in essence a weak version of the Casual Player. The Dabbler has the rulebook (though not always the 2nd edition), Beyond Valor, and perhaps a few other modules (there is also the ASLSK Dabbler). The Dabbler knows the basic ASL rules, though not well, but has never played a scenario with Air Support, Caves, etc. The Dabbler plays once in a great while, not enough to sustain or enhance his rules knowledge, much less his tactical skill, so he never advances beyond a rudimentary knowledge of the rules or a rudimentary knowledge of tactics. ASL is "okay" in the Dabbler's mind, but it is hardly a priority or even a subject of much interest. The Dabbler may buy a few ASL items at first, and maybe even another one every great once in a while,but has no real interest in getting a full set.
10. The Tentative Player. The tentative ASL player may have the ASLRB and Beyond Valor, but is more likely these days to have one or more of the starter kits. The full ASL rules, quite frankly, scare the tentative player, who prefers the comfort of ASLSK. The Tentative Player prefers to play people at his own skill level and doesn't consider himself "ready" for full ASL yet--it is too daunting. Often the Tentative ASL player is not in close physical context with a Casual or Hardcore ASL player, who might force him to play despite his anxieties. The Tentative ASL player is not yet sure that full ASL is really for him. Though he has not even yet tried ASLSK3, he kind of wishes there were more ASLSKs between ASLSK3 and the full ASL rules, so he could stay in a comfort zone longer. The Tentative ASL player is most likely to develop into a Dabbler, but could potentially become a Casual Player. The prognosis for developing into a hardcore player, i.e., that type of player that really sustains the system, is relatively slim.
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发表于 2014-12-30 17:38:10
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