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Flyer Date Venue Participants Scenarios Ranking After Action Report (AAR) Photos

 

Flyer

 

This was the official invitation for the tournament: Einladung ASL Alpenfestung XVI

 

 

Date

 

The Alpenfestung XIV tournament took place Thursday, February, 29th until Sunday, March, 3rd, 2024.

 

Venue

 

We played in this vacation apartment in Amden (Canton of St. Gallen).

 

Participants

 

1. Michael S. (Germany)

2. Dave R. (Great Britain)

3. Jan F. (Switzerland)

4. Marc B. (Switzerland)

 

Scenarios

 

This was the selection of the scenarios for the three rounds:

 

First round: Fortitude and Frostbite: Swedish Volunteers

 

I. Ten-Ton Tank. Swedish vs. Russians. February, 1940. 4.5 Turns. (2:50 hrs.)

II. Absolut Märkäjärvi. Swedish vs. Russians. March, 1940. 5.5 Turns (3:40 hrs.)

III. The Swedish Voluntary Corps. Swedish vs. Russians. March, 1940. 5.5 Turns. (4:00 hrs.)

 

Second round: Shattered Peace: Poland's Darkest Hour

 

I. A Polish Requiem. Germans vs. Polish. September, 1939. 6.0 Turns. (5:40 hrs.)

II. Along the Vistula. Germans vs. Polish. September, 1939. 6.5 Turns. (7:00 hrs.)

III. Round One. Germans vs. Polish. September, 1939. 7.0 Turns. (7:30 hrs.)

 

Third round: Red Storm Rising: Russia's Last-minute Offensive

 

I. A War of their own. Russians vs. Japanese. August, 1945. 5.5 Turns. (4:20 hrs.)

II. Forging Spetsnaz. Russians vs. Japanese. August, 1945. 6.0 Turns. (4:50 hrs.)

III. The deadly Line. Russians vs. Japanese. August, 1945. 5.5 Turns. (5:40 hrs.)

 

Download all Scenarios (PDF, 9 MB) 

 

 

Results

 

First Round

Jan (as the Russians) vs. Michael (as the Swedes) in Absolut Märkäjärvi. Jan wins.

Dave (as the Russians) vs. Marc (as the Swedes) in Ten-Ton Tank. Marc wins.  

 

Second Round

Jan (as the Polish) vs. Marc (as the Germans) in Along the Vistula. Marc wins.

Dave (as the Germans) vs. Michael (as the Polish) in Along the Vistula. Dave wins.  

 

Third Round

Michael (as the Japanese) vs. Marc (as the Russians) in A War of their own. Draw (unfinished at midnight).

Dave (as the Japanese) vs. Jan (as the Russians) in Forging Spetsnaz. Dave wins. 

 

Ranking

 

1st: Marc (2:0) - Tournament winner

2nd: Dave (2:1) (lost against Marc)

3rd: Jan (1:2)

4th: Michael (0:2)

 

After Action Report (AAR)

 

John

(your AAR) 

 

Dave

(your AAR)

 

John

(your AAR)

 

Marc

Alpenfestung XVI took place in late February, a slightly unusual timing for our small ASL tournament. After facing some challenges finding enough players for our proposed dates in 2023, we decided to play early in 2024 to ensure the gap between tournaments wouldn't stretch too long. We returned to Amden, the place where Alpenfestung began. It's a town that holds a lot of personal significance for me, as my former employer had a vacation house there, which we used for the first five tournaments between 2011 and 2013.

     

          This year’s tournament featured a great mix of scenarios, with different challenges at each table.

 

• My first game was against Dave, where we found ourselves playing a 1940 scenario with Swedish forces defending Finland against the Russians. The scenario was a small but intense battle, where every unit—be it a tank, gun, or leader—had a real impact on the outcome. I remember feeling a bit of relief when my artillery came down in the right spot and disrupted his attacking Russian forces. Dave is a skilled and courteous opponent - I can learn a lot from him. 
• The second game, against Jan, was set in Poland and featured both sides battling on either side of the Vistula River. The scenario was unusual in that the two forces were so separated by the river that there wasn’t much direct interaction between them. In many ways, it felt like two smaller battles happening side-by-side on the same board. I enjoy the early war period for the vulnerability of tanks, especially when even light machine guns can be a threat due to their thin armor. It made for an interesting game.
• My last game of the tournament was a late-war scenario between the Russians and the Japanese, set just before Japan’s surrender in 1945. The scenario was unique in that the Japanese were the ones launching the counterattack. Michael, my opponent, used an armored assault tactic to push across open terrain, and despite my entrenched Russian positions, I wasn’t able to hold on for long. It was a hard-fought game, and by the time we called it a draw around midnight, Michael had the upper hand. Still, it had been an engaging match, with a lot of back-and-forth.

 

The Experience

Beyond the games, it’s the overall atmosphere of Alpenfestung that I always look forward to. There’s something about being in in the Swiss Alps —surrounded by the mountains and the ever changing atmosphere due to the weather - that adds a layer of calm to the intensity of the matches. Between rounds, we enjoyed good food, had some great conversations, and reconnected with what is happening in our lifes. It's a nice balance of focus and relaxation, with everyone there to enjoy both the challenge of the game and the company of fellow ASL players.

 

I’m really looking forward to the next Alpenfestung in 2025. If you’ve been before, you’ll know it’s always a great way to spend a weekend with like-minded players. And if you haven’t yet, I highly recommend it as an opportunity to enjoy both the game and the setting, in a relaxed but competitive environment.

 

See you in 2025 in the Swiss Alps!

 

Photos

 

In the first night of the Alpenfestung, we rallied the troops in a delicious, albeit somewhat stiff fish restaurant in Weesen on the shores of the Walensee. Michael's wife Andrea also spent the weekend with us - but for some inexplicable reason preferred to enjoy the surroundings and sights of the area rather than the battles we were fighting. :o)  

 

Our venue - a wonderful vacation house with a marvelous view of the Ruchen mountain range of the Swiss Alps (its peak being at 2'440 meters above sea level). 

 

A view to the south-west into the Glarner Alpen. 

 

Hey, what is this? A time machine? The first five Alpenfestung tournaments took place between 2011 and 2013 in this vacation house, just a few hundred meters from our new venue. Veteran players like Michael, Jan, John and Dave will all remember this early period of the Alpenfestung.  

 

Dave in his bold attempt to storm the Swedish-held edge of the woods. The Swedish artillery, consisting of only 70mm mortars, was surprisingly effective. 

 

An inevitable view during a ASL game: Both players refreshing their memory of a particular rule. 

 

Who would not like to step out in the morning and see such a beautiful mountain panorama?

 

Mild, warm rays of sunshine invite you to a... fierce battle along the Vistula river in Poland. 

 

One Polish artillery hit was enough to shock my thinly armored German Panzer I B tank. 

 

The Alpenfestung claim of «...playing with a view of the Swiss Alps, often right from your gaming table» is not just a marketing trick - it's true! :o)  

 

Same battle, different opponents... 

 

The lineup of the ranking of players

 

With great joy, I received the winner trophy of some American GIs in a house ruin - when I had a sudden déjà-vu moment with it... I recall painting those miniatures! ;o) 

 

One of the hikes we undertook near our event location. The thick walls may look like an Alpine fortress bunker - but they are just part of a water dam above Lake Walen. 

 

Did we manage to wet your appetite for our jubilee Alpenfestung XVII in 2025? Please send me a message if you want to be updated about its planning.