This is a simple Vietnam skirmish scenario for solo gamers that recreates a ‘search and destroy’ sweep through jungle using a pack of cards and whichever rules and figures you fancy. (So strictly speaking I guess it should be called ‘Playing Patience with Charlie’, patience being what we Brits call solitaire.) I use the ‘Arc of Fire’ rules and the old ESCI 20mm plastic figures (Anyone got any they don’t want?), but I have left things generic and the scenario should work equally well with most skirmish rules and scales. Set-up The player takes command of a US rifle platoon conducting a sweep through an area of jungle. The three rifle sections (7-10 men each) enter from the narrow side of the table and advance to the far side along three parallel lines of march. If you’re feeling cautious you can add a command section bringing up the rear to provide support. The terrain should represent quite dense jungle, but there is no need to worry too much about the detail, as the game mechanism takes care of the uncertain nature of moving through this type of country. Each turn draw one card per section from a well-shuffled pack of playing cards (no jokers). Number cards (2 to 10) represent the number of inches that section advances across the table in the turn. As a result, your orderly advance will soon break down as some sections find the going easy and rush ahead while others get literally bogged down. Which means that if things turn nasty, your support might not be quite where you wanted it. Speaking of things turning nasty, if a section draws an ace or a picture card, something has happened. Consult the tables below to find out what. The section drawing this card does not draw another until the effects of that card are dealt with. When this is should be pretty obvious in most cases, but if in doubt, wait until the shooting stops! The other sections continue to draw cards until they trigger an event, but can use the movement to come to the aid of the section in trouble. Events HEARTS ACE: Fire support from the firebase becomes available. The section halts while you use your rules’ usual mechanisms for resolving the effect. The support consists of two turns of fire by a six gun 105mm battery. If there’s nothing to fire at during those two turns the support is withdrawn and the section starts drawing cards again. KING: As for the ace except support is one turn of fire. QUEEN: As for the ace except support is two turns of fire from a six tube 81mm mortar battery. JACK: As for the ace except support is one turn of fire from a six tube 81mm mortar battery. DIAMONDS ACE or KING: Booby trap. Use your rules to determine who triggers or spots it. If triggered, effect is as for a 105mm shell. If the trap is spotted it must be disarmed before the section resumes drawing cards. QUEEN or JACK: As above except effect is as for a grenade. CLUBS ACE: A six tube 82mm mortar battery fires on the squad. Point of aim is one d6 figures from the front of the squad. Use your rules to determine the effect. Fire lasts for two turns. KING: As above but fire lasts only one turn. QUEEN or JACK: False alarm. Squad halts for one turn. SPADES ACE: Ambush! Throw two average dice to determine the range in inches at which the VC open fire. I give the US section a chance to make a spotting roll, and this sort of thing is covered by most sets of Vietnam rules. The ambush consists of a VC section: 9 men with an RPD light machine gun, an RPG7 and the rest with AK47s and SKS carbines. KING: As for the ace, but just a three man RPD team. QUEEN: As for the Ace, but just a lone VC with an AK47 JACK: As for the Ace, but a single sniper. Will target officers and NCOs first, then radio operators and then anyone shooting at him. Variations This scenario repays a certain amount of replaying, as it can generate very different games. On one outing a US rifle section drew the king of clubs, followed by the ace of clubs, and was effectively wiped out by the mortar fire. The rest of the platoon was pinned down by a lone sniper, and had to withdraw. Another time I ended up with a full-scale fire-fight as each attempt to outflank the first ambush drew a spade picture card and triggered another VC unit. Clearly a well prepared VC trap. If your rules include a random events table, and things do not seem exciting enough as they are, add the jokers to the pack and roll for a random event when one of them is drawn. The scenario could also easily be adjusted to other modern periods or settings with a few changes to the events tables and terrain. An advance through the rubble of Berlin or a day in the Normandy bocage spring to mind. Back to Table of Contents -- Lone Warrior # 144 Back to Lone Warrior List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 2003 by Solo Wargamers Association. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com