As Don Featherstone often points out, many wargamers find themselves tiring of fighting battles which are lacking overall objectives and continuity. The answer to this is, of course, the campaign game. We have decided to try adapting the Old West and Colonial Skirmish Rules for modern combat actions, based on the guerilla warfare conducted in the Mekong Delta of South Vietnam during the period 1966-67. To obtain an overall continuity for our games, we came up with a "mini-campaign" format. As in a regular wargames campaign, we will use map movement, along with overall objectives for each side, in order to provide a tactical framework for the individual games. The idea for the game came from Terry, who was stationed in the Mekong Delta on a US Navy river patrol boat. We chose the Skirmish Rules since we felt that they will be ideal for representing the "limited" type warfare conducted in the area between the Viet Cong and the South Vietnamese with US Special Forces advisors. The main difference between a normal campaign and our mini-campaign is one of size. In a typical campaign, the players move their armies over large areas of land in strategic manoeuvres. In our game, we are moving squad level detachments over a map representing under 100 square miles, in a series of tactical operations. Among the operations possible are ambushes, patrols, sabotage and assassination missions, and border infiltration. Larger actions, such as assaults on fortified outposts, will be possible using the ideas found in Ian Colwill's "Johnson's Crossing" articles (Skirmish Line, Newsletter Nos 151, 152 and 153). The map itself is drawn on hexagonally-gridded paper, and is a composite of terrain features found in the area. Included are rivers, rice paddies, stands of forest and elephant grass, villages, fortified outposts, and a section of the Cambodian border. Map movement will be recorded on clear acetate overlays, which will then be compared by an umpire. When a contact is made, the umpire will inform the players. He will then place an acetate overlay, representing the scale size of the wargames table, over the map, and transfer the terrain features covered to the table-top. The Viet Cong player will have to move his forces across the border into South Vietnam, consolidate them into forces large enough to perform his assigned operations, and accomplish his missions. The US/South Vietnamese player must locate the Viet Cong, prevent them from completing their missions,_ and capture or destroy as many as possible. Using the above method of map movement, it will be possible to set up ambushes at likely locations on the map. To do this, the player must inform the umpire that he is setting up an ambush at a particular point on the map. A detailed map of the area must be prepared, showing the exact location of all his troops. When the enemy player enters the area, and the action is transferred to the table-top, the location of the ambush party is represented by small markers, which will be hard to locate. It is then up to the enemy player 0 spot the ambush before it is too late. This should encourage the use of point and flank men by the players when moving, as was the case in actual combat situations. Figures for this period are not very abundant. We chose 20mm scale, as this is the only scale, with the exception of 54mm, in which we could find commercially made figures. The Viet Cong and Special forces figures come from Stan Johanssen Miniatures (41-4 Ridge Road, Naugatuck, Connecticut 06770, U.S.A.). The Viet Cong are available in 5 poses. In addition, there is a two man mortar team available, wearing flak jackets. The figures are of good quality, and are reasonably priced. For the South Vietnamese, we are using the plastic Airfix US Marines and Infantry Combat Group, suitably painted in a tiger stripe camouflage pattern. The Viet Cong forces will be a mixture of 30% Pro/Vets, 40% Averages, and 30% Novices. The South Vietnamese will be 20% Pro/Vets, 40% Averages, and 40% Novices. The Special Forces will all be Pro/Vets. The South Vietnamese will represent irregulars (Civilian Irregular Defence Group). Due to the rather pronounced lack of "esprit de corps" among our Vietnamese troops, we are using a rather severe morale rule addition for them. Basically, it goes something like this: Upon either sighting or being fired upon by the enemy, each South Vietnamese soldier has a basic percentage chance of either refusing to advance, or of retreating and/or abandoning their weapons. The basic chance is modified by the number of enemy involved, the distance from the enemy, and the number and type of leaders present with the South Vietnamese force. This rule will also be used for Viet Cong Novices, who represent peasants who have been pressured into fighting. Other ideas which we are working on are rules for interrogation of villagers, mercenaries and hill bandits, listening posts, and use of double agents. The methods which we are using in our modern campaign could well be used in other periods with the Skirmish Rules. Such situations as a Roman Legion in a punitive expedition against a barbarian tribe, or perhaps the US Cavalry in action against Apache raiders would work well in a campaign format. The Skirmish Rules lend themselves well to modification, and a campaign format gives a framework in which to create some very interesting games. We hope this article will encourage further experimentation with the Skirmish Rules. Back to Table of Contents -- Wargamer's Newsletter # 162 To Wargamer's Newsletter List of Issues To MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1975 by Donald Featherstone. 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