PAVN lures ARVN out to play

Previous:
Next:
Tags

Met with MW to play some Silver Bayonet today at EGO. He hadn't played it before, but expressed a serious interest.

As it turns out, the only Vietnam game he's played is Fire in the Lake, so he may be a potential convert.

We were able to get two games in. The first was the full Scenario #2, the second was 2 of 8 turns in Scenario #10, which is full campaign rules.

Scenario #2 The Lure and the Ambush (Plei Me)

This scenario runs for 7 turns, and simulates an attempt, as the title indicates, to lure the FWA forces into a position where the PAVN could either take Plei Me, or block resupply, or both.

During our game, I attacked immediately to get the game going and show MW how combat worked. The goal was to take Plei Me, which should have been a done deal, but I rolled really badly. Bad PAVN. The game went back and forth, a lot of attrition, but PAVN was able to block the ARVN supply convoy from reaching Plei Me, which was good for some victory points.

The PAVN also get VPs for not being in contact with FWA at the end of the game. This seems contrived, but there may be some historical justification given the pursuit rules in Vietnam 1965-1975. Here, I was able to get 4 reduced PAVN units escaped, for 4 VPs. The main ramification is that the FWA needs to keep in mind that engagement counts all the way to the end of the game, and plan accordingly. Of course, planning to keep the PAVN engaged puts defensive pressure on the convoy and on the Plei Me camp…

On the FWA side, MW did pretty well, albeit forgetting to use artillery as effectively as it could have been.

Scenario #10 Silver Bayonet II (2nd Brigade)

This is a campaign scenario simulating the last 8 days, from November 19, 1965 to November 26, 1965. The operation Silver Bayonet II was conducted by 2d Brigade 1st Cavalry (Airmobile). The objective was to destroy remaining PAVN units in the Ia Drang valley.

Because this is the last days of the campaign, and the PAVN are fleeing on foot, the PAVN player gets to use all 30 of the hidden movement markers. These are countered by the FWA employing all the patrol markers.

As mentioned, we played the first two turns before running out of time. Compared to the short scenarios which are mostly slugfests, this was very much a cat and mouse movement situation, with very little fighting. I'm looking forward to playing through this complete scenario.

Previous:
Next:
Tags

What to play next?

Deciding what to play next is always a tough call when faced with a closet full of games, all of which were purchased with intent to play. Here's one I'm dealing with the decision.

  • Something New: this means both something new to me and a game which has been published recently, within the last two or three years.
  • Something Classic: I've acquired a number of games properly considered "classic" which haven't yet been played. The current example would be PanzerGruppe Guderian.
  • Something Again: mastery requires constant practice, which means playing games many, many times to allow nuance to appear.
  • Something Vietnam: as I'm on a Vietnam binge. I don't have all the Vietnam games ever published, but I can say that I have a lot of them, and probably more than most people.
  • Something Obscure: as it's fun to poke around in the dustier corners of game design.
  • Something Different: break away from the same old publishers and try a game from one of the new kids on the block. Or, conversely, dip into legacy with a classic tried and true.
  • Something Light: once in a while it's nice to actually finish a game all the way through in one sitting, in an hour or two.
  • Something Heavy: if possible, it's nice to set up something big and complicated which can be left out for days or weeks or even months, for a leisurely stroll through a very large or long game.

There are surely many more ways to choose, but the above method keeps me busy enough, helps me get both breadth and depth into my play, and provides me with a sense of progress.

The odd man out

When there is an odd man out:

  • Have a solo game ready to play.
  • Keep score or advise on a game in progress.
  • Referee a game in progress.