How to Play

Advanced Squad Leader

2-2 players 120-480 min 8.0 Board Game Geek Rating

Advanced Squad Leader is a tactical WWII combat system featuring infantry, vehicles, and specialized equipment across diverse scenarios. Players maneuver military units using detailed hex-based mechanics to achieve scenario-specific objectives like capturing buildings, inflicting casualties, or evacuating troops. Victory conditions vary by mission. Additional modules required for play.

Published 1985

Get Ready

Setup the game with these step-by-step instructions before diving into your turn.

Cave counters and their contents always set up Hidden; Cave Complexes and their contents always set up Hidden

Only Japanese Infantry (including Dummies), SW, and non-vehicular Guns may be set up in a cave

No Cave counter may be set up in a building, rubble, marsh, swamp, Water Obstacle hex, or in a non-dry stream

The hexside a Cave counter's arrow points to is its CA Hexside; only one Cave counter can point to each hexside of a hex

Up to 25% (FRD) of cave counters in the Japanese OB may be designated as Primary Caves for Cave Complexes

Cave stacking limit

one squad-equivalent OR one Gun with crew (overstacking may occur during play)

Cave Complex stacking limit equals twice the number of Cave counters within its boundaries

It takes three OB-given cave counters to set up one Upper-Cliff Cave

No Fortification may exist in a cave/Cave Complex; however, a tunnel may connect to a Cave Complex

Depression Caves

must be IN a gully, sunken road, hill depression, or dry stream; its own hex is its Entrance Hex

Non-Depression Caves

set up in a hex sharing a hill/cliff Crest Line hexside with an adjacent lower-Base-Level hex

On Your Turn

What you can do during your turn.

Rally Phase:

Caves and Cave Complexes are Rally-Bonus Terrain; Infantry in Cave Complex may not remain DM; Hidden actions possible within Caves/Cave Complexes

Fire Phases:

Cave TEM is +6 vs OBA/Area Target Type, +4 otherwise; DC placed/thrown into cave receives no drm (or -4 if no unconcealed Good Order Japanese unit present); must pre-designate cave as target to affect it; no LOS exists to/from Cave Complexes; neither mortar nor AA fire allowed from caves (except Japanese light mortar)

Movement Phase:

Japanese Infantry enter caves at cost of 2 MF; Infantry entering a cave/Cave Complex cannot enter another cave, Cave Complex, or tunnel that same phase; entry from Accessible cave in same non-Depression hex costs +1 MF per level change; a Search reveals all cave counters in hex and contents

Rout Phase:

Infantry may not Rout from a Cave Complex; broken units in caves not required to rout to nearest woods/building

Advance Phase:

Infantry may enter cave/Cave Complex from Accessible location if ≥2 MF available; Infantry may not advance from one Cave Complex to another

Close Combat Phase:

No CC attack allowed between unit in cave and one outside it; Caves are Concealment Terrain

Winning

How to claim victory.

*Note

This document is a rules reference/play-aid for cave mechanics in Advanced Squad Leader (ASL), not a complete standalone game. Victory conditions are determined by individual scenario objectives, not by the cave rules themselves.*

Caves can be eliminated by DC attack or HE Critical Hit of ≥100mm

Cave control and denial of cave positions contribute to scenario-specific victory conditions