F is for ... Fall of South Vietnam

The Fall of South Vietnam, A Game of Combat in South Vietnam: 1973-1975
Yaquinto (1981, $8.00)
Designed by Neil Zimmerer

Players 2
Playing Time 1 to 2 hours
Period Modern, Vietnam War
Scale Strategic/Operational Turn 3 months
Map abstract areas
Unit regiment
Box Album Game box, folds out into 24"x12" game board.
1 8 page rules booklet
1 20 die-cut counters
1 red six-sided die
2 ziploc storage bags
1 February 1981 Yaquinto price list

Counter Manifest

36 red NV A/NLF units
20 pink militia units
22 white RVN units
27 green RVN units
14 blue air units
1 blue game turn marker

Yaquinto says:

“[A] highly abstract game of the last years of the Vietnam conflict as NVA and ARVN units battle for complete control of South Vietnam. Control of the provinces is the key . . . As the game lasts for only a very few turns, it is always a race against time . . . The South Vietnamese infantry divisions, armored, armored infantry, ranger, parachute, marine, and air units must tenaciously deny and savagely counter attack NVA gains to keep them off balance, to postpone the spectre of mass desertion, and above all to hold Saigon.”

The reviewers say:

“As a recreation of history, the game is nonsense. The CRT is far too bloody and units should be able to co-exist within the same Province. It is ludicrous to put forward, as the game does, that all the fighting was done by Regular North Vietnamese divisions with locally recruited militia fit only to garrison conquered Provinces . . . It is equally ludicrous that the south gets no reinforcements and that elite units like the Rangers are just as likely to desert as the ordinary Infantry Division . . . Of course, it’s only meant as a short and simple game, so we mustn’t expect too much. This game will tell you about as much about the war in Vietnam as Monopoly shows how Real Estate Agents work.” --Walter Oppenheim in The Wargamer 20.

“The most appealing feature of Fall of South Vietnam must be the quick pace of the game . . . Action is direct and results immediate. As the North Vietnamese player takes over provinces, the South Vietnamese Army becomes subject to desertion die rolls for each unit, which can critically affect the strength of the defense lines . . . Players desiring a full-scale operational game on the Vietnamese war will not find it here . . . Fall of South Vietnam is definitely for the player who wants a quick light game.” -- John Prados in Moves 59.

Comments:

Designer Neil Zimmerer was responsible for several of the introductory level titles in the Album Games line. The diversity of topics covered meant that almost everyone could find a beer and pretzels title to suit their tastes - Vietnam, ancients (The Barbarians), sci-fi (Attack of the Mutants), and modern naval combat (Fast Attack Boats).

Collector’s Notes:

Compared to the more sought-after entries in the Album Game line (such as Swashbuckler or French Foreign Legion), it shouldn’t be hard to track down a reasonably priced copy of Fall of South Vietnam. Boone lists low/high/average prices of 6/16/ 12.29 at auction and 10/24/16.60 for sale.

Other games by this designer:

Naval War, Russian Front (AH); the Castle, the Ides of March, Transylvania (Mayfair); Attack of the Mutants, Barbarians, Fast Attack Boats (Yaquinto); Cuban-Mexican War (Chicago Wargamer’s Assoc.)

More Capsule Profiles F

Introduction
Fall of South Vietnam A Game of Combat in South Vietnam: 1973-1975
Field of Honor A Game of Jousting Knights
Fight in the Skies A Realistic Game Simulating WWI Aerial Combat 4th ed
Flying Circus Tactical Aerial Combat, 1915-1918
Foxbat & Phantom Tactical Aerial Combat in the 1970’s
Fury in the West Battle of Shiloh - April 6 & 7, 1862