Viet Nam (for Interested Americans)
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Viet Nam is an unusual game for several reasons. First, it was published in 1965, right at the beginning of the US involvement in Vietnam. Second, it's very much a counter-insurgency and political game as well as a wargame, possibly more so. This may not be all the unusual now, but it was very much so when it was published. The first edition evidently came in a tube, as I have that tube and the map has never been folded. The wrapper on the outside of the tube states "For Interested Americans" which is about as charming a piece of copy as I've seen. The game itself claims to be a "guerilla warfare game."
The game seems relatively simple. Players bluff on intentions, the winner advancing on the victory track, the losing retreating. Movement and combat are simple.
Here's the set up:
Some items of note:
- The red disks are the insurgents, the green the counter-insurgent forces.
Initially, I'm randomizing the counter-insurgency table located in the middle of the map. There are six possible actions, with nine points available to spend on those actions (denoted by pawns). Rolling 9 appropriately colored dice for each side does that job nicely.
Turn Sequence
Step 1 Insurgency
Each player secretly positions pawns behind the screen in the Insurgency section on the map. The screen is removed when both players are finished.
Step 2 Military Orders
Each player secretly writes orders on the Orders Sheet.
Step 3 Movement
The GF players moves ordered units first, then the VC player moves units unders orders.
Step 4 Weather
VC player rolls for weather using the table on the VC Player's Commentary Card.
Step 5 Air Strikes
Step 6 Battles
Step 7 Replacements
- VC places one regular unit at INFL. spot in Laos.
- GF rolls d6, receives one replacement for odd roll, none for even.
Now that we have an outline, let's play the game.
Turn 1
Step 1 Insurgency
Each player secretly positions pawns behind the screen in the Insurgency section on the map. The screen is removed when both players are finished.
- Political Stability: GF 1:VC 0, GF advances from Weak to Weak + 1.
- World Opinion: GF:VC is 2:1, GF Index to 26, VC Index to 24. The rules don't make any sense here, because UP and DOWN are the same direction with respect to the numbers on the Index Track. In other words, no matter who wins the bid here, both players advance towards win. I'm going to assume that "up" means advance towards the bid winner's victory, and "down" is advance towards the losing player's losing condition.
- Terror: GF:VC is 1:4, Index Pawns move to 23, VC places regular unit in Quang Tri (Space 4).
- Ambush: GF:VC is 1:3, VC ambush in Siagon 26 and Bien Hoa 28.
- Psych Warfare GF: nothing.
- Psych Warfare VC: GF:VC is 4:1, no effect.
The VC are in the lead, and it's on to Military Orders for moving and fighting.
Step 2 Military Orders
Each player secretly writes orders on the Orders Sheet.
Step 3 Movement
The GF players moves ordered units first, then the VC player moves units unders orders.
- VC move one regular unit from 21 -> 5, via Cambodia.
- GF moves one regular unit from 24 -> 15.
No AF this turn, want to figure out how the moving and fighting works first.
Step 4 Weather
VC rolls 2, Ideal Weather.
Step 5 Air Strikes
No Air Strikes this turn, keeping it simple.
Step 6 Battles
- Battle in Ninh Thuan 15, 2 GF regulars against 1 VC Irregular. GF
chooses Card 3 (by roll of die), VC chooses Card 3 as (same die roll).
- GF 3.3: Side with less loses 1 unit, then retreats remaining units. In this case, the VC Irregulars lose, and must be replaced with GF Irregulars.
- Same result for VC 3.3.
Moves the Situational Index to 24 for capturing Ninh Thuan.
- Battle in Binh Dinh to capture the base at Qui Nhon.
- GF 3.2: Side with more retreats all regular units.
- VC 2.3: Same!
"Retreat" doesn't seem to be defined in the rules. The options are to put the retreating unit into the replacement pool, or move it to an adjacent friendly space if possible (the replacement pool if not).
Step 7 Replacements
GF rolls 6, no replacements for GF.
Turn 2
Step 1 Insurgency
Each player secretly positions pawns behind the screen in the Insurgency section on the map. The screen is removed when both players are finished.
In the following, the ratios indicate GF:VC in order.
- Political Stability: 1:0, advance to Shaky.
- World Opinion: 2:1, Situation Index to 25.
- Terror: 0:1, SI to 24.
- Ambush: 3:2, no effect.
- Psych Warfare GF: 2:3, VC flips Kontum control, SI to 23.
- Psych Warfare VC: 1:2, no effect.
Step 2 Military Orders
Each player secretly writes orders on the Orders Sheet.
I didn't write out the Military Orders for last turn, some of it was covered in the Movement Step. Would probably be good to write these out at least a few times.
For VC:
- INFL -> 2.
- 3 -> 2.
- 21 -> 16.
- HQ in 3.
For GF:
- 7 -> 8.
- 29 -> 28.
- StrBomb: 4 -> 10.
- TacBomb: 2 -> 2.
- TacBomb: 2 -> 3.
Step 3 Movement
The GF players moves ordered units first, then the VC player moves units unders orders.
No InflBomb means VC moves regular unit into 2.
All others move per Orders.
Step 4 Weather
VC player rolls for weather using the table on the VC Player's Commentary Card.
Ideal weather.
Step 5 Air Strikes
Only strategic bombing in this specific turn, Infiltration and North Viet Nam bombing not specified.
From the table on the GF Commentary Card, roll d6 for 1 on the 4 column is DES., so, VC unit removed from Space 10.
I'm still unclear exactly how to flip control from one faction to the other.
Step 6 Battles
We have battles in Spaces 2, 3 & 8:
- Space 2, Thua Thien: GF has 1 Reg, 2 AF and 1 Irreg, VC 2 Reg. GF choose card 4, VC
choose Card 2:
- GF 4, VC 2: VC destroys 1 GF unit, retreats if any defenders remain. This leaves 1 GF Irregular, not sure how that battles out.
- VC 2, GF 4: Same result. The destroyed GF is in a Base.
This result was in Thue Thien, and leaves the GF Irregular in place. Closer reading of the rules indicates that an AF unit can stand in for the GF loss.
- Space 3, Quang Nam:
- GF 1, VC 4: GF loses 1, retreats remaining. The loss will be taken from AF unit. VC captures Da Nang, Situation Index moves 6 in VC's favor. This also results in GF having only 8 Counter Insurgency pawns.
- Space 8, Binh Dinh: 2 GF take on an irregular, GF 1, VC 2. Even losses determined by Attacker. Since there is only 1 Irregular VC, that's the unit which is lost. Hurts losing a Regular GF unit here though. GF gets moves 1 on Situation Index, now at 18.
Step 7 Replacements
- VC places one regular unit at INFL. spot in Laos.
- GF rolls d6, receives one replacement for odd roll, none for even.
GF gets no replacements this turn.
On to Turn 3.
Turn 3
The GF are in the hurt locker, with the situation rapidly deteriorating on the military front. Fortunately, the political side appears fairly stable at the moment.
Step 1 Insurgency
Each player secretly positions pawns behind the screen in the Insurgency section on the map. The screen is removed when both players are finished.
In the following, the ratios indicate GF:VC in order.
- Political Stability: 0:2, back to Weak.
- World Opinion: 1:1 no effect.
- Terror: 3:0, no effect.
- Ambush: 2:3, VC ambush in Space 2, Thua Thien.
- Psych Warfare GF: 1:4, VC flips Quang Tri (1), Pleiku (7) and Phu Bon (9). SI moves 3 in VC favor to 15.
- Psych Warfare VC: 1:0, GF flips Phu Yem (10). SI back to 16.
Step 2 Military Orders
Each player secretly writes orders on the Orders Sheet.
GF:
- 28 -> 26.
- 11 -> 9.
- 15 -> 9.
Bombing:
- NVM: 4.
- INFL: 2.
- STRAT: 2 on Space 4.
VC:
- 27 -> 26. (Saigon)
Step 3 Movement
The GF players moves ordered units first, then the VC player moves units unders orders.
Everything moved.
Step 4 Weather
VC player rolls for weather using the table on the VC Player's Commentary Card.
Rains in 3 & 4, but GF have no air ops in those areas this turn, so it doesn't matter.
Step 5 Air Strikes
INFL: roll 6, no effect. NVN: roll 2, 4, 4, 6, net 0. STRAT: roll 1, VC DES. in Space 4.
Step 6 Battles
-
Phu Bon: GF 4, VC 1: Side with less retreats all units. Phu Bon changes hands, SI to 17.
-
Saigon: GF 2, VC 4: All defending units retreat. Saigon falls! GF to Vung Tau and Phan Thiet. Situation Index to 7.
Government Forces are in a bad bind.
Step 7 Replacements
No replacements for ARVN on die roll, the SI is on a Star slot for GF, so they can have a bonus point.
- VC places one regular unit at INFL. spot in Laos.
- GF rolls d6, receives one replacement for odd roll, none for even.
AAR
The rules in this game are not as well organized as they could be, with the observation that the main body of the rules is an extended and detailed sequence of play. Most modern games have a rather more succinct sequence of play, usually consisting of little more than an outline. The explanations for each step or phase in the sequence are punted into the main body of the rules. This is fine for players who have the rules down pat. I found learning the flow of Viet Nam was very easy because the sequence of play is more detailed.
This middle ground between an outline and burying the sequence of play in the rules is fertile ground for fan-made player aids. Conversely, in Viet Nam, the player aids need to go in the other direction to consolidate relevant material appropriately in the rules.
Overall, I didn't find the game that much fun to solo. In part, it's really hard to work the Insurgency bids concurrently, and making them completely random isn't all the satisyfing either. I made a sincere vow to play through 12 turns, which would be one year of game time, but it really started to drag very early on. (This may in part be because I have a solo game working the bot playthroughs in Fire in the Lake scheduled next.)
Simultaneous order ("Military Orders") increase the difficulty of solo play for me, as there is just enough complexity to make it a bit tedious. In other simultaneous movement games such as StarForce, the complexity is lower, so it's not as much of burden. Complex games without simultaneous movement don't induce the same burden, as it's often difficult to remember the details specific to each side when playing the opposition.
The game revolves around controlling 47 provinces in South Vietnam. I'm pretty sure that with a bit of tinkering, these rules could be used with the 23 provinces and cities on the Fire in the Lake board.
On other hand, I'd be delighted to play the game all the way through with an opponent. It's definitely worthy of at least one serious play.
Questions
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It's not clear to me how the Irregular forces contribute to combat and suffer combat results, if at all.
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It's not clear whether the GF can take an AF unit as a loss during combat. This would be really handy as it allows the Regular units to stay on the ground and retain control. Otherwise I'm not sure of the efficacy of the AF units for tactical combat. According to the rules, it looks like the AF units can soak up the losses, but they are not destroyed as regular units would be.
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It's not clear to me how many units may occupy a base, nor what the relationship of a base to the province is.
Blunders
- Major game play blunder by not reading the Strategy Card Results section of the Appendix.