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Scenario Designer’s Handbook is intended as a reference for those interested in designing historical scenarios for the Advanced Squad Leader game system. This book features over 200 pages in full colour with a variety of information to help in force and terrain selection; chapters on all the components of the scenario and how to craft them; information on publishing your scenario, including how to create your own logo and layout; tips on how to research your scenario, including a listing of all the major official histories; and several detailed walkthroughs of the design process, highlighting various subjects of interest such as SSRs, VCs, SAN and playtesting.

Scenario Designer's Handbook Author: Michael A. Dorosh, CD Format: Softcover, full colour, 216pp Status: First printing commenced 18 November 2007 ISBN 978-0-9782646-8-0 Purchase Link
Detailed order of battle information for the divisions and brigades of the world’s major infantry and armoured forces are presented in an easy to read format, as well as detailed battalion listings in ASL terms of the various forces that fought the war in all major campaigns in the Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Front, far north, Africa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean.
A variety of tables and charts provide the reader with additional information to assist in the crafting of ASL scenarios, giving relevant information on everything from moon phases (for selecting NVR) to the Australian Balance System.
A complete and fully illustrated listing of official map boards and overlays will help you select terrain appropriate to your scenario, and a section on creating your own maps will help you with historical projects.
Detailed walkthroughs discuss how to take real life data on various battles and translate them into ASL terms for use in scenarios. A chapter also provides hints on converting scenarios from other game systems to fit within ASL parameters.
A chapter on Heroes and Leaders provides historical insights into the relationship between rank, authority and medals and the depiction of individuals in ASL via SMC counters.
A listing of other resources is also provided to help the scenario designer seek out and find additional information and assistance with the scenario design process.
The goal of *Scenario Designer’s Handbook* is to complement the existing literature on scenario design and provide the reader not only with hard data on terrain, historical references, and force compositions, but to provide an insight into how vast the conflict really was and inspire further research into the more obscure units and campaigns of the war.
The Author – Michael A. Dorosh, CD, has had articles published in both ASL Annual and View From the Trenches. Outside of ASL, he has completed five books on military history; Canuck (1996), Dressed to Kill (2001) and An Officer and a Gentleman (2008) deal with the subject of Canadian Army uniforms in the Second World War; he also published two unit histories under his own canadiansoldiers.com imprint in 2007, Yorkton’s Gunners and Gallant Calgarians. *Scenario Designer’s Handbook* will be the first CSC title intended for a wide audience. Canadiansoldiers.com was begun in 1998 and continues to provide information on the Canadian Army in the 20th Century to a world-wide audience.

Specific Formations for which combat deployment theatres and/or dates are provided:

Axis Minors	Romanian Divisions (Infantry, Security, Cavalry, Motorized, Armoured, Fortress, Reserve and Guards)
"British"	British Infantry Divisions British Armoured Divisions British Airborne Divisions Australian Divisions Canadian Divisions Indian Divisions New Zealand Divisions South African Divisions
Finnish	Finnish Infantry Divisions (composition only)
German	German (Army) Motorized Infantry Divisions German Light Infantry Divisions German Jäger Divisions German Light Divisions German Mountain Divisions German Panzer Divisions German Panzergrenadier Divisions Waffen SS Divisions (all types) Luftwaffe Field Divisions Luftwaffe Parachute Divisions
Italian	(pre-defection) Divisions (infantry, mountain, alpine, (semi-)motorized, assault, air-landing, cavalry, parachute and armoured)
Japanese	SNLF
United States	US (Army) Infantry Divisions US Armoured Divisions US Airborne Divisions US Army Ranger Battalions USMC Divisions

Allied Minors	Belgian Infantry Division Greek Infantry Division Dutch Infantry Division May 1940 Dutch Infantry Regiment Dec 1941 (East Indies) Norwegian Infantry Brigade April 1940 Polish Infantry Division September 1939 Yugoslavian Infantry Division April 1941
Axis Minors	Hungarian Infantry Division July 1942 Romanian Infantry Division June 1941 Romanian Security Division 1942-43
"British"	British Infantry Division 1942-1945 British Armoured Division 1943-45 British Airborne Division 1944-45 Australian Jungle Division 1943-45
Finnish	Finnish Infantry Division 1939-40 Finnish Infantry Division 1941
French	French Infantry Division 1939-40 French Motorized Infantry Division 1939-40
German	German Infantry Division 1939-42 German Infantry Division 1943-45 German Mountain Division 1939-45 German Panzer Division 1940-45 German Cavalry Division 1939-40 German Parachute Division 1943-45 Luftwaffe Field Division 1942-43
Italian	Italian Infantry Division 1940-43 Italian Infantry Division (North Africa) 1942-43 Italian Motorized Infantry Division (North Africa) 1942-43
Japanese	Japanese Infantry Division Type "B" 1940-45
"Russian"	Red Army Infantry Division 1939-40 Red Army Infantry Division 1941 Red Army Reduced Infantry Division July 1941 Red Army Infantry Division June 1942 Red Army Infantry Division July - December 1942 Red Army Infantry Division 1943-45 Red Army Rifle Brigade 1941-42 Red Army Mountain Division 1940 Red Army Ski Brigade early 1942 Red Army Ski Brigade September 1942 - January 1945 Red Army Cavalry Division 1939-1941 Red Army Cavalry Division July 1941 Red Army Light Cavalry Division 1941 Red Army Cavalry Division 1943-45 Light Tank Brigade 1939-40 Heavy Tank Brigade 1939-40 Red Army Motorized Division 1941 Red Army Tank Division Jul-Jul 1941 Red Arm Tank Division Jul 1941-1945 Red Army Tank Brigade Aug 1941 - Dec 1941 Red Army Tank Brigade Dec 1941 - 1942 Motorized Rifle Brigade Apr 1942 Red Army Tank Brigade 31 Jul 1942-Nov 1943 Red Army Tank Brigade Nov 1943-1945] Red Army Mechanized Brigade Sep 1942-1945 Red Army Airborne Brigade Nov 1940 Red Army Airborne Brigade 1941 Red Army Airborne Brigade 1943
United States	US Army Infantry Division 1942-45 US Army "heavy" Armored Division 1942-45 US Army "light" Armored Division 1944-45 US Army Mountain Division 1945 US Airborne Division 1943-44 US Airborne Division 1945 USMC Infantry Division 1942-May 1944 USMC Infantry Division May 1944-1945

These are just the charts; some timeframes not covered by the charts are covered in the text instead. For example, the Japanese Infantry Division Type "B" chart is also applicable to the Type "A" Division, with changes described directly in the text, rather than devoting space to another diagram. Similarly, the late USMC Division chart is applicable to both the "F" and "G" Series organization with a few footnotes.

The point of the divisional charts (which also break down the regiments into number of infantry battalions as well as a breakdown of supporting units, in the case of artillery and mortars to the battery level with type of tube/barrel) is to give some idea as to what an infantry battalion might expect for support. In other words, I've focused on the infantry. So while I don't break down a typical armoured battalion, I do break down the infantry battalions in, say, a Panzergrenadier division. For every formation level breakdown I just listed, there are corresponding infantry/cavalry battalion breakdowns down to the squad level, in ASL terms.

Allied Minors	Belgian Infantry Battalion May 1940 Greek Infantry Battalion October 1940 Greek Cavalry Battalion October 1940 Dutch Infantry Battalion May 1940 Dutch Infantry Battalion Dec 1941 Norwegian Infantry Battalion April 1940 Polish Infantry Battalion September 1939 Yugoslavian Infantry Battalion April 1941
Axis Minors	Hungarian Infantry Battalion Romanian Infantry Battalion June 1941
"British"	British Infantry Battalion 1939-1942 British Infantry Battalion 1942-1945 British Motor Battalion 1940-Apr 1942 British Motor Battalion Apr-Sep 1942 British Motor Battalion 1943-45 British Parachute Battalion 1942-43 British Parachute Battalion 1943-45 British Glider Battalion 1944-45 British Independent Company 1940 British Commando 1940 British Army Commando 1943 Australian Jungle Battalion 1943-45
Chinese	Nationalist Chinese Infantry Battalion
Finnish	Finnish Infantry Battalion 1939-40 Finnish Infantry Battalion 1941
French	French Infantry Battalion 1939-40 French Motorized Infantry Battalion 1939-40 French Motorized Dragoon Battalion (type DLC) 1939-40 French Motorized Dragoon Battalino (type DLM) 1939-40
German	German Infantry Battalion 1939-42 German Grenadier Battalion 1943-45 German Mountain Troop Battalion 1939-1945 German Schützen Battalion (Motorized) 1939-42 German Schützen Company (Armoured) 1939-42 German Panzergrenadier Battalion (Motorized) 1942 German Panzergrenadier Battalion (Motorized) late 1943 German Panzergrenadier Battalion (Motorized) 1944 German Panzergrenadier Battalion (Motorized) late 1944 German Panzergrenadier Battalion (Armoured) late 1943 German Panzergreandier Battalion (Armoured) 1944-45 German Cavalry Battalion 1939-1941 German Cavalry Battalion 1944 German Parachute Battalion 1939-42 German Parachute Battalion 1943 German Parachute Battalion 1944-45 Luftwaffe Field Battalion 1942-43
Italian	Italian Infantry Battalion 1940 Italian Infantry Battalion 1941 Italian Infantry Battalion 1942-43
Japanese	Japanese Infantry Battalion 1939-45 Japanese SNLF 1940-45 Japanese Airborne SNLF 1941-42 Japanese Raiding Regiment 1944 Japanese Glider Regiment 1944
Partisan	French Secret Army and FTP Tactical Organization (manpower only)
"Russian"	Red Army Infantry Battalion 1939-41 Red Army Reduced Strength Infantry Battalion July 1941 Red Army Infantry Battalion Jan-Jun 1942 Red Army Infantry Battalion Jul-Dec 1942 Red Army Infantry Battalion 1943-45 Red Army Reduced Strength Infantry Battalion 1943 Red Army Rifle Brigade Battalion 1941 Red Army Rifle Brigade Battalion 1942 Red Army Mountain Company 1940-Apr 1943 Red Army Mountain Company Apr 1943-1945 Red Army Mountain Battalion 1944-45 Red Army Ski Battalion Winter 1941-42 Red Army Ski Battalion Oct 1942-1945 Red Army Line Squadron (cavalry) 1939-41 Red Army Motor Rifle Company 1939-41 Red Army Light Cavalry Squadron 1941 Red Army Line Squadron 1943-45 Red Army Motor Rifle Battalion 1939-40 Red Army Motorized Infantry Battalion 1941 Red Army Infantry Battalion (as in Tank Brigade) Aug 1941-Dec 1941 Red Army Motorized Rifle Battalion Dec 1941-Jul 1942 Red Army Motorized Rifle Battalion Apr 1942-Nov 1943 Red Army Motorized SMG Battalion (as in Tank Brigade) Nov 1943-45 Red Army Motorized Rifle Battalion (as in Mechanized Brigade) Sep 1942-45 Red Army Parachute/Glider Battalion Nov 1940-Sep 1941 Red Army Parachute/Glider Battalion Sep 1941 Red Army Parachute Battalion 1943
United States	US Army Infantry Battalion 1942-45 US Army Armored Infantry Battalion 1942-43 US Army Armored Infantry Battalion 1943-45 US Army Mountain Battalion 1945 US Glider Infantry Battalion 1942-44 US Parachute Infantry Battalion 1942-45 US Glider Infantry Battalion 1945 USMC "D" Series Infantry Battalion 1942-43 USMC "E" Series Infantry Battalion Apr 1943-May 1944 USMC "F/G" Series Infantry Battalion May 1944-1945