The Miniatures:
The figures used were 1/72-scale plastics from Esci #228 U.S. Elite Forces, and Esci #229 North Vietnamese. Unfortunately these figures have been out of production for a long time and are difficult to find. They still show up occassionally on eBay, but to the best of my knowledge there aren't any other plastic Vietnam era figures available. It seems stange that no company is producing figures for this popular era.
All figures were mounted individually on 3/4" bases. The VC were painted in black uniforms to distinguish them from the green clad NVA. I used the green beret figures for the American commanders, and painted a red line on the bases of the NVA and VC commanders so they could be easily identified.
See the link for paper soldiers you can print and use.
The black and white versions are good if you want to run off copies on the photocopier (print opposing sides on different colored paper), or want the kids to color them.
Formations:
There are no set formations. American units consist of 8 figures, NVA and VC units have 10 figures. All the figures in a unit should be in contact, so double and triple rank lines work well.
|
US Forces: 7th Cavalry HQ: Col. Moore (Overall Commander) 1st Battalion 2nd Battalion Reserves: 2nd Battalion, arrives turn
4: |
Vietnamese Forces H-15 Main Force VC Battalion:
66th NVA Regiment:
Reserves, released at start of turn 3: |
The Board:
A 7.5 X 5 foot table was used. The board is considered to be covered by jungle and elephant grass except for Landing Zone X-Ray, a roughly oval shaped clearing in the center of the board, about 36" long and 18" wide. It's inconvenient to cover the board with trees, so simply mark the perimeter of the LZ with a magic marker, or line it with trees (model railroad trees work well).
A small round area (no more than 6" in diameter) inside the LZ should be marked as the large termite mound that was used as the battalion command post. Any sort of small hill or piece of felt will do the job, or use your trusty magic marker.
Deployment :
The Americans should deploy in the jungle around the perimeter of the LZ, prepared for an attack from any direction. The American HQ group should deploy anywhere inside the LZ. The American reserves are not deployed at this time, they will arrive by helicopter later in the battle. The NVA and VC (including their reserves) may deploy anywhere around the board, at least 18" from the nearest American figure.
Sequence of Play:
- 1. Vietnamese Move
2. Vietnamese Shoot
3. Americans Move
4. Americans Shoot
5. Artillery
6. Air Support
Movement:
All units and commanders move 6", and they may move in any direction. There are no charges or melee. A unit may not move closer than 1" to an enemy unit. All the figures in a unit should move together, with their stands touching. A commander may freely move on his own, or join a friendly unit.
Shooting:
Figures may shoot through 12" of jungle, and they may fire in any direction. If any member of a unit can see the target then the entire unit may fire. Units may not fire through friendly troops, and should not be permitted to fire through narrow gaps between friendly troops. Roll 1D6 for each figure in the unit. US figures hit on a roll of 5-6, Vietnamese figures need a 6 to hit.
Each hit removes one enemy stand (player losing figures decides which are removed). A Vietnamese unit that is reduced to one stand, not counting commanders, is immediately removed. US units with one stand left are not removed. US commanders attached to a unit roll two dice when shooting, Vietnamese commanders attached to a unit roll one die. Commanders do not shoot, and cannot be targeted if they are not attached to a unit.
First Fire:
The Americans have spent the night clearing fields of fire and preparing their positions. This give them an advantage in the opening phase of the battle. Place some kind of marker next to every American unit (I used pipe cleaners) except the reserves and the HQ group. Each unit loses its marker when it moves or fires for the first time. The Vietnamese players may not fire at a unit until it has lost its marker. This allows the Americans to get the first shot.
Artillery:
The Vietnamese have mortars, they get to toss a total of three cotton balls at the Americans. The Americans have artillery support, they get to throw a total of six large (triple size) cotton balls at the Vietnamese. Cotton balls may be thrown from any direction, but the thrower must be an arm's length away from the table edge. After all cotton balls have been tossed remove any figure that is touching a cotton ball and any figure that has a ball covering any part of its base. When in doubt remove the figure. If a cotton ball ends up on a friendly figure that's too bad, the figure is still removed.
Air Support:
The Americans have air support. Each turn, during the air support phase, they get to place two markers anywhere on the board where they want an air attack. The attacks are resolved during the air support phase of the following turn. Roll 1D6 for each marker. If the roll is a 1-4 then the closest enemy unit loses that many figures, if there are no enemy figues within 12" then the attack misses. If the roll is a 5 the attack misses. If the roll is a 6 then the nearest American unit is attacked if it is within 12" of the marker, otherwise it's a miss.
If an American unit is attacked roll a second time to determing the results, a 1-4 eliminates that many American figures, a 5 or 6 is a miss.
I used 1/72 scale airplane and helicopter models mounted on TV antennas (see Junior General Issue # 2 for details) to add some excitement to the battle. Allow the Americans to select one helicopter or airplane model for each air attack marker, and place the model in the vicinity of the marker. The model doesn't have any real effect on the battle, it's just for decoration, so you don't need them. But they look really cool!
Broken Arrow:
Once per game the Americans can call for "broken arrow." This announcement is made during the air support phase. This will allow them to place four air attack markers during the next two turns instead of the usual two markers.
American Reserves:
The American reserves arrive at the LZ via helicopter during the air support phase of turn four. They may be deployed anywhere in the LZ that is at least 6" away from any enemy figures. If the enemy is inside the LZ and some of the reserve units cannot be deployed then they remain off the board, and can try to land during the next air support phase.
Vietnamese Reserves:
The Vietnamese reserve units are deployed at the start of the battle, and may move around as long as they don't come within 12" of any American units. During turn three they are released, and may move closer to the Americans just like any other Vietnamese unit. If an American unit moves up and shoots at a reserve unit during turn one the reserve unit is automatically activated and it can move normally on its next turn.
American Command Post:
The American command post was set up near a large termite mound that provided some protection from enemy fire. The termite mound is large enough to provide protection for only one unit, and any number of attached commanders. When a unit on the mound takes hits roll 1D6 for each hit scored. If the roll is a 1-3 then the hit is ignored, if the roll is a 4-6 then the hit is applied, and the unit loses a figure.
Tables
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|
Range | To Hit |
| US | 12" | 5-6 |
| NVA, VC | 12" | 6 |
| Air Attack die roll |
|
| 1-4 | lose that many figures |
| 5 | miss |
| 6 | attack friendly unit, re-roll for result |
More Battle of Ia Drang 1965
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© Copyright 2003 by Matt Fritz.
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