Below are more of the Random Events (REs) I use to liven up miniatures scenarios set in Vietnam. The first set of such events appeared in MWAN #81 (May/June 1996, pp. 128-132).

As a reminder, in the man-to-man skirmish rules I use, players represent the Allied side; the Communist side is run by the Referee. This article will assume that all Allied soldiers in play are U.S., and all Communist soldiers are VC/NVA. Ground scale is five meters per table inch.

Each scenario consists of Operational Turns, during which Allied troops are out of contact with the enemy, and Tactical Turns, during which combat and its immediate aftermath are played out. Action on the table may toggle back and forth between Operational and Tactical Turns. The Random Events (REs) shown below are most appropriate for use in scenarios in which a fair number of Operational Turns can be expected to occur.

The following rules apply:

• 1. The effects of REs mustbe moderated through a Referee.
• 2. The Referee must decide at the outset of play how often REs will have a chance to occur; I find that drawing for an RE every other Operational Turn works best.
• 3. REs are drawn for at the start of each designated turn, before any other actions take place. REs should be drawn for only if, at that moment, there are no firefights or other combat actions in progress on the table. These are turns corresponding to the Operational Turns featured in my system.
• 4. The Referee draws for REs from a standard 52-card deck, Jokers excluded. Only Clubs result in REs; Spades, Hearts, and Diamonds mean "No Event."
• 5. REs affect only the side. An RE usually affects only one of the several Allied squads which may be present on the table. The Referee chooses which unit is affected randomly, or as directed in the RE description itself.
• 6. Discard all cards drawn so that they cannot be repeated during play [EXCEPTION: the RE card codes shown underlined; these cards are shuffled back into the deck after they are adjudicated, and can be repeated during play].
• 7. A few REs are worth Allied Victory Points (VPs)directly. As soon as they are drawn, the number of VPs shown is earned by the Allied player whose man or squad is. influenced by. or first to ace upon, the RE. The amount earned may be negative, representing an immediate VP loss. A few other Events dictate conditions which must be fulfilled in order for Allied Victory Points to be earned.
• 8. Portions of an RE Description in bold remain the Referee's privileged information for all or part of the time the encounter remains "live.'
• 9. As used below, the word ''squad" shall denote equivalently the word "platoon" and vice versa, as appropriate.

CARD EVENT

A-C A LONE 155mm HOWITZER SHELL EXPLODES in the exact center of the table, without warning. Calculate damage from this fire normally. Any Allied or civilian casualties caused DO NOT count against the Allied side for VP purposes, although the players will still have to deal with the consequences of this friendly fire. The shell is about a kilometer short and 500 meters wide right of its intended target, a suspected VC bunker complex.

2-C -1 VP? A WATER BUFFALO seen chewing contentedly in shallows along the margins of the rice paddy or watercourse nearest the squad. He will not move unless shots are fired (or rounds impact) within 50 meters, at which point he will amble 1d6" directly away from the annoyance before stopping again. Th. death of this Hal by U.S. action costs the unit containing the highest-ranking American figure 1 VP (the U.S. Army paid Vietnamese peasants $500 for each water buffalo shot, run over, or otherwise slain by its personnel).

3-C RADIO CHECK: A currently unwounded RTO is obliged to suspend movement and crouch in the nearest cover which is NOT a hut or jungle. He must remain in place, copying down coordinates and instructions which peripherally affect the current mission, for two complete turns--unless any member of his squad comes under attack, at which point he signs off immediately. If all RTOs on the table are wounded at the time this Event is drawn, the ranking Allied leader must do this job.

4-C A MIXED GROUP OF FIVE VIETNAMESE, apparently peasants, strolls single-file from a beeline some distance away from the squad. They each carry one or more small bundles. Upon spotting Allied soldiers, they pause and begin whispering among themselves. After a few moments they resume walking slowly, occasionally casting furtive, sidelong glances at the squad. This group is simply returning home from a visit. The Referee picks a destination for them--a hut or table edge as far as possible from their point of entry. They continue walking deliberately until they reach it, then enter/disappear. They ignore all hails. The group will voluntarily come within 12" of a stationary Allied soldier, even silently brushing past one (with downcast eyes), if necessary, to reach their goal. If physically intercepted or approached closer than 12", however, they stop and await the Allies' orders. They never do anything provocative and say nothing unless successfully Interrogated (per the rules you use).Even then, their spokesman maintains that they nothing about VC or EVA and would simply like "all sojers go 'way." The bundles contain a little rice, water, simple wooden toys,and Vietnamese household goods of no particular value to an American. Although naturally cautious, these people are completely innocuous and reasonably loyal to the Saigon government. The death or injury of any of them by Allied action counts against Allied victory just as that of a Allied soldier would.

5-C A RANDOM US SOLDIER SUDDENLY COLLAPSES from a tropical fever, the symptoms of which he had been concealing in his desire "not to be left out of the action." Of no further use in the field, he must be MEDEVACed promptly to avoid a US loss of VPs.

6-C AN OLD VIETNAMESE MAN is seen hoeing quietly within 2" of a hut or farm plot of the Referee's choice. He knows no English nor anything about VC/NVA. He is respectful and harmless.

7-C SUNLIGHT GLINTS from the weapon of the hidden VC/NVA soldier presently nearest, in scale inches, to an American. The VC/NVA themselves do not notice this.

8-C 1 VP. IN THE UNDERBRUSH, a random soldier finds a complete VC identity booklet--including black-and-white photo, pay vouchers, immunization record, etc., bound in cheap brown plastic NOTE: This VP is earned only if a soldier carrying the booklet exits (or, at the end of the scenario, can be reasonably expected to be able to exit) the table alive.

9-C A CRAZED-LOOKING VIETNAMESE with several canvas carry-bags slung over his shoulders dashes from the teeline or hut, toward the squad. This is a VC Death Co canto (DC). Upon drawing this card, the Referee selects the spot where the DC has been hiding. It will usually be within a 120-degree arc of the "front" of the squad, judging from its line of march, and one to two turns' movement away at a flat run. The DC will attempt to put as many Americans, among those whom he could see at the start of the Turn, into the blast radius (4") of the satchel charges he is carrying. If there are many Americans within 4" at the end of the first turn of his run, he will detonate the charges; otherwise, he will attempt to close on the second turn. Whether the Americans get to shoot at the DC before he does his deadly work will depend on such factors as the distance he must run from his hiding place, the prevailing terrain, and whether there are any Opportunity Fires (or equivalent) in effect. There are four satchel charges in all. A "dud" check (10%) is rolled for the first charge only: if it goes off, they all do; the DC is blown to pieces and any Allied soldiers in the blast radius must roll for injury per the Explosives or Booby Trap rules you use. If the dud check fails, none of the charges detonate and the now-shrieking DC throws himself at the nearest American, flailing wildly with a bayonet. He will fight until killed or incapacitated and never checks for morale or command. The other two members of the DC's combat cell are hidden together in good cover near the point from which he began his run. Although armed only with old bolt-action carbines, they may see a chance to open fire on the squad with maximum effect, either before or immediately after the explosion. If not, they will spend a turn or two assessing the damage done to the Americans (during which time they are subject to being Spotted, normally), then slink off the table.

10-C A LARGE SNAKE drops onto a random soldier currently Occupying jungle terrain. The victim is immediately bitten and killed on a die roll of "1"; wounded on a "2" or "3", and unaffected on any other roll. The soldier and any buddies within 2" can spend the coming turn killing the snake (automatic success). If not dead by the end of that turn, the snake slithers down a hole and disappears.

J-C 4/2/0 VP (see below). A GRIMY-FACED U.S. NAVY PILOT in a tattered flight suit staggers out of high brush about 24" away from the squad. He makes his way tactically toward the nearest American and tells him that he has just escaped from a VC squad which surrounded him shortly after he parachuted into the jungle, miles away. (NOTE: These VC are unrelated to any with which the squad may currently be engaged; he can tell the Americans nothing about the latter). The pilot, a Navy Lieutenant Commander, is uninjured but exhausted. He should be MEDEVACed promptly. Unarmed when found, he is capable of using a pistol, SMG, or assault rifle in combat if necessary while waiting for the chopper. Although probably outranking every American on the table, he never tries to lead them. MEDEVAC of this character is worth 4 VP to the player whose figure he first reached; merely escorting him off the table alive before the end of the scenario is worth 2 VP. He is worth nothing (but the potential extra gun) if the scenario ends before he can be evacuated, or if he is killed or wounded.

Q-C 2 VP. Standing in the shadows behind a randomly selected hut, wall, or hedge is magnificent white stallion-- the most beautiful horse anyone in the squad has ever seen. He is tied to an iron ground peg By few meters of rotting rope and looks like he could easily be freed. Although spirited, he is docile in almost any hands. Any Vietnamese Civilians who are successfully Interrogated say that the horse's owner, a cruel old man, fled the area as the soldiers advanced. Bringing this animal back to the squad's base, alive and unwounded, is worth 2 VP Simply shooing him off the table is worth 1 VP.

K-C VP? AN ALLIED SOLDIER currently occupying Deep Jungle terrain spots a tiny clearing. In the middle of the clearing stands a large rectangular cage constructed of bamboo and baling wire. In file cage are two white-skinned male figures, dirty and gaunt, wearing rags. These are a U.S. Army POW private and a sergeant E-S, in transit from their point of capture to a permanent camp farther north. Their uniforms and everything else of value has been stolen from them. The cage is wired stoutly to the ground and cannot be moved. The POWs cannot leave the cage until a mansize hole has been cut, blasted, or burned through one of its lattice walls (Referee's judgement how the latter methods are used without harming the occupants). The prisoners know enough to hit the deck and stay there when it becomes apparent that an Allied attack rescue is underway. The prisoners have each suffered severe beatings and have had only a few sips of water in the four days since their capture. They are also somewhat dizzy from sleep deprivation and fatigue.. They have no weapons, of course, but can use any Allied squad weapon or Communist small arm they may be given. There must be NO VC/NVA IN SIGHT before they will get up, accept weapons or leave the cage, even if it is open. Due to their physical debilitation, they move at half rate and fight as Poor soldiers (fire and melee) for the duration of the scenario. Nevertheless, either one will try to lead the squad if circumstances should leave him senior man. Each freed POW who exits (or, at the end of the game, can reasonably be expected to be able to exit) alive from the table, ESCORTED BY AT LEAST ONE SQUAD MEMBER, is worth 5 VP. The recovered bodies of American POWs who are KIA are worth 2 VP each.