Jim Taylor, First from the Right, at ASLOK 2009

An interview with… Jim Taylor

Jim Taylor, first from the right, at ASLOK 2009.

Hi Jim,

you won VASLeaguein 2008 and 2009, the first year with 32 players in TOP VASLeague, but before starting with questions please tell us something about you

I was born in 1961, so 52… getting old enough that I have to do the math. Who wants to count birthdays anymore?

I got serious into ASL around 1991, when a buddy of mine that I played Starfleet Battles with decided he was ready to take the plunge. I had played SL and had bought all the ASL gear when it came out, but without a regular opponent didn’t have the moxie to take it on by myself.

Pretty much right off the bat, in 1992, I attended MichCon which was filled with top notch ASL players & personalities that I had no idea who they were…. Mike McGrath, Gary Fortenberry, Fish, Dave Ginnard, Mark Nixon, Eric Baker, Pete Mudge, etc., etc. I think I was 1 and 2 in that tournament--- losing to Mike McGrath in literally *moments*. At that tourney, however, I was introduced to a guy named Michael Klautky… and that would prove to be a fateful encounter. Mike lived only a few minutes from my house and we quickly became fast ASL friends. I was even at his house the night his oldest son was born--- and remember his wife coming out of the bedroom in a bathrobe announcing her water had broke--- and Mike saying, “Just one more turn…..!!”

For a living I’m a systems engineering consultant. I have expertise with an IBM product suite used for content management, workflow and case management, (FileNet), and work with government, banks, and insurance companies on helping them to implement solutions.

Hard to judge your own playing style I think… I think Trezza would probably be the best equipped to deliver a colorful description of my playing style. I’d use phrases like “methodical”… where he would use phrases like, “torture”.

My preferences are combined arms--- I don’t much care for infantry or armor only, and I have come to decide that I don’t much prefer the Japanese scenarios. Don’t get me wrong--- there are some great ones out there--- but as a generalization I find Japanese scenarios tend to reduce the maneuver element of ASL, which I find to be essential to enjoyable game play.

At the moment I think my favorite CG experience has been OVHS. I will play PTO, although not first choice anymore. I don’t do much DTO or Night, but will play if someone has a hankering.

Your opponents in 2008 were Wiersma, Perham, Guerrero, Cole, Catanzaro (in the final) and in 2009 Wiersma (again), Aceto, Jassaud, Guerrero (again) and Trezza in the final. I will mention that in 2007 you won also the Minor League with a perfect score thus gaining the right to play the TOPVASLeague in 2008. In 2010 you got 4 wins on 5 games being beated only by Wiersma who, at his third attempt, finally stopped your winning streak at 12 games in a row. The scenario was AP 61 Desobry Defiant.

What game do you like to remember of these and why?

It has been a few years so most of these games are not at the forefront of my ASL memory. I do recall that pretty much all of these games were very close, i.e. there were no easy ones. Miguel Guerrero I recall playing pretty much perfect games--- and in fact I believe in our 2nd game his position was very good although he was pressed for time to get it completed and therefore graciously awarded the victory to me.

Brian Wiersma has just gotten better and better as an ASL player. In our first game I was only able to win by passing a +3 TC with a 7-0 to do a single-man overrun, otherwise I would never have gotten to the final victory hex. At the time I didn’t realize I had to add in the +3 for the stone-building, so I was rather cavalier when rolling the TC and the VASL BOT smiled at me with a 4. In our 2nd game I think I had to do Human Waves on the last 2 turns to get to the VC hexes.

Against Trezza I did something I had never done before or since, pulling 6 black chits from a 6B 2R Russian OBA draw pile. Even with such good luck he still had a significant blocking force to prevent my last turn exit, but I pulled off two bounding fire shots that allowed me to get the necessary points off for the win.

We had a previous VASL League game I think… in the minors… of Big Cats at Bay. In that game I made over 100 DRs with the Panthers and King Tigers without ever once rolling a 12. No bogs, immobs, or malf’d weapons.

(I guess I do recall some of these games … at least I remember getting lucky! :D).

But I think the big take-away for me from the VASL league was just how many good players of this game there are, and scattered across the globe. It is a real treat to be able to connect with like-minded individuals in other countries--- and for that I think the VASL league has been exceptional.

And in these four years of VASLeague what are the funniest or memorable things happened to you?

See above…clearly the funniest moments were listening to Trezza curse the good fortune I had against him.

Actually--- here is another memorable moment--- this year at ASLOk I went over to watch one of my friends games--- and he introduced me to his opponent: Derek Ritter, who was my very first VASL League opponent. Derek and I played an awesome game of BTB3 Kraut Corner, but had never met face to face until we met at ASLOk this year. We both fondly remembered that game. Derek had done something really nasty… putting mines in the only woods hex on one board edge. It just so happened I had to rout to that hex repeatedly, (or die for FtR).

You played in total 20 scenarios for the VASLeague (19 wins), which is the best scenario you played?

Wow… that is a toughy. Several of the scenario choices were awesome--- I think Big Cats at Bay is an excellent scenario, but so many of the scenarios I played were really, really good. At the moment I can’t think of any that I wouldn’t play again.

And the best opponent?

All of my opponents demonstrated the best of sportsmanship. I hope I did the same.

Picking out one of them as the “best opponent” is very hard, but if I’m going to have to give the nod to anyone it is to Gary Trezza. Not to get sappy, but I can truly say that meeting and becoming fast friends with Gary through ASL was literally a life-changing event. Without him I would never have been a VASL player, let alone a VASL League player. The number of other players that I have come to know through my friendship with Gary is astounding. He will always be known for his colorful moments in ASL history, but in my opinion he has been one of the great leaders of our hobby--- working tirelessly to bring players together in games that are closely balanced and decided by skill.

The worst or sounding defeat (if any)? What didn’t work? (ok I know you only had one defeat in four years, so I’ll ask you : why did you leave VASLeague? )

Easy answer for me: I enjoyed the VASL League immensely, but playing in the top league was becoming a challenge time-wise. My kids were getting to an age where my weekends needed to be spent with them. Playing against opponents across the globe typically requires weekend time slots… which I was having less and less. With that in mind I took a hiatus from the VASL League. One of my kids is off to college now, and the other is not far away. When that happens, I expect I’ll be looking to rekindle my VASL League membership.

You played VASLeague fourseasons, what do you like about VASLeague, and what do you think could be still improved?

The one improvement I’d like to see. Make the round in the summer last 3 months instead of 2. I think all players, (at least in the northern hemisphere), are challenged to play ASL during July and August. By extending that round I think it will make things easier for players. That is at least my opinion.

Thank you and hope to see you here again very soon.