Greetings, Here is a review/replay of Schutze Games' "Victory in Vietnam II." Feel free to use it. Thanks! R. Ben Madison ******************* Review/Replay of Schutze Games “Victory in Vietnam II” Bruce Costello’s “Victory in Vietnam II” (hereafter: ViV) is an updated version of his original design for Canada’s Microgame Design Group. The new version, published by Schutze Games in Australia and available in the States through Bunker Hill Games in Boston (among others), contains real, mounted counters (unlike its MDG predecessor). I’ve been looking for the perfect little Vietnam War game for years. I was crushed when I found out that MDG no longer produced Costello’s design, which I’d read about on the Grognards page; but a couple of years later, I found out that Schutze Games was redoing the game and I got in line for my copy. I’m quite happy to say that Victory in Vietnam is indeed “the perfect little Vietnam War game.” ViV covers the entire Vietnam War from 1964 to 1975, with an additional scenario in 1978/79 covering the abortive Chinese invasion of Vietnam on behalf of China’s Khmer Rouge allies. It includes 280 counters (actually 279, since one is blank, but one North Vietnamese SAM missile battery counter required in the setup seems to be missing from the countermix). There are several player aid sheets, which are absolutely gorgeous and printed in full color. These include exact copies of the units you need to bring in as reinforcements, allowing players to set up their individual counters on the player aid cards before the game, saving a lot of time as the game goes on. Perhaps the coolest thing about the game is that it finds a way of including a ton of period chrome in extremely simple ways. Search-and- destroy missions, pacification campaigns, mining Haiphong, the “Iron Triangle” Viet Cong tunnel complex, “Agent Orange,” riverines, aircraft carriers, USS New Jersey, “free fire zones”­they’re all here. Hueys, Chinooks, B-52s, “Wild Weasel” tactics, the Pathet Lao and Khmer Rouge­ they’re here too, in a game with 20 pages of rules. Except in how new units are created, there is no political difference between VC (Viet Cong) guerillas and NVA (North Vietnamese Army) regulars. There are separate national units for the Australians/New Zealanders, Philippine units, Korean, Thai, American, ARVN (Army of the Republic of [South] Vietnam), Cambodian, Royal Lao, Pathet Lao, and Khmer Rouge. About the only thing missing from ViV is the sort of political rules you find in other strategic Vietnam games. Missing is the whole dimension of South Vietnamese leadership (found in Victory Games’ “Vietnam”) and the impact of American elections (found in WWW’s “No Trumpets, No Drums”). But hey­this is not a Victory Games game. I’ve only played it solitaire, although the game has lot of reaction movement, hidden movement (though no dummy units, surprisingly), and hidden Strategy Cards, all of which detract from its solitaire potential. The air system of the game comes in two versions, a simple beginners’ version and a more complicated advanced version. Either system is fun to play. Air units come in all sorts of varieties but are really, really simple to use. You don’t have to remember which air unit came from which base, for instance. Just make sure your land-based air lands on air bases, and your carrier-based air goes back to the carriers. How many air units you can use, depends on how many air bases you control. Some of that involves military control of territory, and some of it involves political considerations like Thai neutrality or participation. Air units fight each other, bombard ground targets, respond to enemy air units, or can be used in a separate strategic capacity towards the start of the Turn. The game is not without its problems. The rules are badly written and frequently ambiguous (I’m still trying to figure out the exact role of helicopters, and strategic bombing seems like a waste of time but I’m not sure I figured the rule out). Rule cross-references (e.g. “See 13.0”) frequently point you to nonexistent, or the wrong, rules. And there are not nearly enough cross-references to begin with. Some cards are not clear as to whether or not you can play them several times, only once, or until they succeed in bringing about the event listed on the card. None of this seriously detracts from the game, if you’re willing to give it the benefit of the doubt, learn a bit of history and use common sense. It is fun to play, and it seems to represent historical event in realistic but flexible ways. There is a certain predictable dynamic to all strategic Vietnam War games: anything you do (as the Free World player) that might actually help win the war, pisses off Walter Cronkite and the Folks Back Home. ViV handles this by imposing a victory point penalty on the introduction of US (and other allied) forces. Watching the Victory Point track is the key to victory for the Free World player, and after every Turn you need to do a detailed rundown of a long checklist to make sure what modifications you need to make to Victory Points. The effect is a very tense game, in which lots of player choices have subtle or profound affects on where the war goes from here. Player choices are represented largely through Strategy Cards, of which there are several dozen. These are beautifully printed in full color, with South Vietnamese and American flags on the US cards and North Vietnamese flags on the Communist cards. Interestingly, the cards are not drawn at random; you pick the cards you want to play. Some cards, however, are kept face-down, so that your opponent doesn’t always know what options you’ve chosen to hold. One glaring strategic omission, at first glance, is the whole Ho Chi Minh Trail. There are no special rules for the Trail (contrast that with VG’s Vietnam, which has a whole sub-game on the Trail). Oddly, this seems to work well within the framework of the game and the restrictions on American involvement in Laos and Cambodia. A de facto Ho Chi Minh Trail forms when NVA units begin moving through these “neutral” countries, and since VC units are automatically in supply, this too sort of represents the existence of the Ho Chi Minh Trail. The whole game is played out on a beautiful and functional map, roughly 16 by 12 inches (it’s Australian-sized paper). The map covers all of Vietnam, North and South, plus most of Laos and Cambodia and adjacent portions of Thailand and (marginally) China. The map is drawn in a weird sort of distorted projection which aims to maximize the area of South Vietnam, which is after all where most of the game will usually be played. The projection ends up making Cambodia much, much larger than it really is. And there are numerous other strange errors in the map. Perhaps the worst is that two cities, Nha Trang and Cam Ranh Bay (spelled “Cam-Ran” on the map), are switched; the map has Cam Ranh Bay, with its port and airbase, north of Nha Trang, when in reality it is to the south. There are other errors; in real life the Thai city of Khemmarat is downriver, to the south, of the Laotian city of Savannakhet; but on this map, Khemmarat ends up two hexes upriver from Savannakhet. Spelling is often bad; the capital of Cambodia is Phnom Penh, not “Pnomh Penh” as it appears on the map. There are other quibbles that one could make about this game. For instance, you probably should only be able to play the “Tet Offensive” card during Spring turns, since the Vietnamese holiday of Tet occurs at the start of the year. Bombing the Red River Dykes is crippling to the North Vietnamese economy and seems like too obvious a thing to do (though it was never done historically). But these and other points I could make would be minor. There is plenty of room for making ViV more complex. But as a simple, comprehensive simulation of America’s war in Vietnam, ViV is a wonderful achievement. And as a game, it’s a load of fun. To give some sense of how the game feels, here is a recent solitaire game: SUMMER, 1964: The Vietnam War begins well, with US airstrikes knocking out a VC guerilla unit just northeast of Pleiku. US forces bomb the Red River Dykes, seriously damaging the communist North’s economy. FALL, 1964: LBJ is re-elected, presumably. North Vietnam calls on Soviet aid, but it arrives slowly. ARVN forces isolate and destroy VC units southeast of Ban Me Thuot, but the VC and North Vietnamese regulars begin a major infiltration into the northernmost areas of South Vietnam. The North Vietnamese pop out of the jungles and launch an attack on ARVN special forces at Khe Sanh, but are driven back. SPRING, 1965: President Johnson commits US ground troops to the Vietnam War. China refuses, for now, to aid North Vietnam. US troops begin to arrive in force; ARVN forces rout a VC base west of Saigon on the Cambodian border. Huge battle north of Kontum, as ARVN and Montagnard forces destroy part of the North Vietnamese incursion. A North Vietnamese division is destroyed north of Quang Tri, but at enormous cost to the ARVN. North Vietnamese forces on the riposte blow through the lines and seize Quang Tri and Khe Sanh­the reds are on a roll. Horrible turn for the Free World. SUMMER, 1965: US activates airbases in Thailand. Congress refuses to declare war on North Vietnam, while NATO refuses to give moral support to the Americans. Lousy politicians! Ben Madison is born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Another huge battle, this time in the mountains west of Hué, ends with the Viet Cong being driven back. The North Vietnamese launch a giant attack on Hué itself, but American air power turns the tide of battle and preserves the city in ARVN hands. Pathet Lao guerillas in Laos take Vientiane, capital of Laos, which causes American morale to begin to dip. FALL, 1965: ARVN forces begin to pull back from the front lines to garrison air bases in anticipation of VC attacks. US initiates “Operation Rolling Thunder,” although I’m not convinced that the strategic air war against North Vietnam in this game really hurts them enough to justify pulling all those planes off tactical duty. A battle breaks out between the VC and ARVN just southwest of Cam Ranh Bay; it ends in an exchange, but the road from the port to Saigon is reopened. US special forces and ARVN troops retake Quang Tri, while Hmong guerillas harass the Pathet Lao further north. Another North Vietnamese attack on Hué fails, but the US First Cavalry Division is mauled, depressing US morale. NVA forces capture the mountains north of Kontum. The VC launch a major assault on the naval base at Cam Ranh Bay, but are driven back by US special forces. SPRING, 1966: Thailand enters the war as a full ally. US planes mine Haiphong harbor, blocking Soviet aid. The Chinese, however, finally begin to support the North Vietnamese cause. Victories over the VC west of Pleiku and outside Cam Ranh Bay, where the Australians/New Zealanders show their mettle for the first time. US forces expand the perimeter around Hué and Quang Tri. The VC respond by staging a major uprising south of Saigon, to try and draw US forces south. Pathet Lao and NVA forces go on the rampage in Laos, crushing the Hmong guerillas and pushing the Royal Lao government into the city of Savannakhet. Tan Son Nhut airbase, just west of Saigon, is overrun by VC forces! SUMMER, 1966: US special forces stage a raid into North Vietnam to rescue POWs, but the raid is unsuccessful. VC begin terror raids in the South, designed to depress American morale. Free World forces retake Tan Son Nhut airbase and mop up VC stragglers in the Saigon area. US 9 Div retakes Khe Sanh, overrun way back in the spring of ‘65. The NVA begins a major movement of forces into northeastern Cambodia. Pathet Lao forces surround Savannakhet, but Royal Lao troops hold out. VC stragglers west of Saigon retreat to the “Iron Triangle” VC Tunnel Complex. Bombardments and offensives in the Kontum/Pleiku highland area clears the sector of Communist troops. FALL, 1966: The VC make a major push in the southern Mekong Delta. Free World forces fail to uproot the VC in the Tunnel Complex. Pacification attempts also fail to root out VC guerillas around Cam Ranh Bay. However, a US sweep south of Saigon, around Can Tho and Quan Long, ravages Viet Cong forces. The VC defeat an entire South Vietnamese division near Ban Me Thuot; a lousy turn for the Free World. Royal Lao troops at Savannakhet still refuse to surrender. SPRING, 1967: Except for the Iron Triangle south of Tay Ninh, VC forces are routed in a brilliant series of successes. They’re cleared out of the delta south of Saigon, and crushed on the highlands west of Cam Ranh Bay. Communists still can’t conquer Savannakhet. The NVA continues its buildup in eastern Cambodia­but the US plays the “Cambodia Coup” card and wins the support of the ‘neutral’ Cambodian government. The war widens. SUMMER, 1967: Thai and allied air forces blast the Pathet Lao around Savannakhet, which refuses to surrender to the Red Hordes. Big VC outbreak on the coast around Quang Ngai, and the US response is anemic. But US, Australian, and ARVN troops finally encircle and crush the “Iron Triangle.” Communists continue their massive buildup in Cambodia. VC forces around Quang Ngai are destroyed as they attempt a failed terror raid. FALL, 1967: President Johnson goes for broke­US forces attack into North Vietnam. Vinh quickly overrun by the First Cavalry; but Dong Hoi, close to the DMZ, holds out. The Communists, who have moved the bulk of their forces into Cambodia in anticipation of an early 1968 Tet Offensive, are caught off guard. Cambodian forces put some pressure on the NVA in their east Cambodian bases. Savannakhet holds out, again­ it’s been under siege since early 1966. Reds launch massive attack into South Vietnam from Cambodia, with mixed results. Allies hold on northwest of Kontum, but are defeated (loss of Special Forces brigade) west of Pleiku. NVA attack on US fire base at An Loc fails. SPRING, 1968: China refuses to intervene militarily on North Vietnam’s behalf, in spite of the fact US forces occupy a chunk of North Vietnam. US morale surges upward. But now Hanoi goes for broke; the Tet Offensive begins. VC uprisings concentrate in the north and around Cam Ranh Bay, and surround the First Cavalry Division in Vinh. US air units bomb everything in sight; special forces take Dong Hoi, near the DMZ; the First Cavalry breaks out of Vinh and links up with our forces in Dong Hoi. Elsewhere, US retaliation against the VC is remarkably effective; forces that crossed in from Cambodia are mostly destroyed, and VC outbreaks are confined to coastal areas near Quang Ngai and Qui Nhon, and the highlands east of Kontum. In the Communist counterattack, US CCS Brigade is destroyed north of An Loc. Massive, concentric NVA attack on US and ARVN forces at Plei Can, where Cambodia, Laos, and South Vietnam meet, ends with the Americans just barely holding on. But ARVN forces just north of the DMZ are destroyed. Other than a couple of minor successes, the Tet Offensive was a complete disaster for the Reds. SUMMER, 1968: The summer of love and assassinations! Soviets refuse to intervene militarily on Hanoi’s behalf. President Johnson announces a unilateral halt to bombing in North Vietnam, and earns brownie points back home. US air raids on VC positions in South Vietnam are very successful; US consolidates control in the two southernmost hexes of North Vietnam, but otherwise pulls out of the North. Communist response is anemic and confused; we have them on the run! FALL, 1968: I guess Nixon is elected President? US bombards every remaining VC unit in South Vietnam, but results are poor. Korean forces destroy VC bases near An Loc. Ground campaign generally is phenomenally successful: every single hex of South Vietnam is now Free World controlled. The Khmer Rouge attack Phnom Penh, but they are driven back. The Vietnamese communists are in total disarray. SPRING, 1969: US declares Operation Phoenix (the assassination of VC leaders and sympathizers in the South), but it begins with little success. VC Tunnel Complex near Saigon is reoccupied by the VC, but overrun again by the ARVN. First air battle of the war: NVA’s new MiG- 21 unit evades American air units and bombs US forces at Dong Hoi. This helps the NVA to storm into Dong Hoi and recapture the last North Vietnamese city under US occupation. The First Cavalry is again devastated in the attack. SUMMER, 1969: By this point, North Vietnamese leadership is completely demoralized. US morale stands at 32, not exactly robust but far from collapse. US forces, with Free World allied help, neutralize more VC near Ban Me Thuot. Phnom Penh and Savannakhet hold out. FALL, 1969: A routine turn of anti-VC sweeps southwest of Saigon; Savannakhet and Phnom Penh hold out. The North Vietnamese begin from scratch and start building up another huge army for a future incursion into Cambodia. SPRING, 1970: Stalemate. Khmer Rouge forces scatter away from Phnom Penh and begin to concentrate on conquering other cities in Cambodia; Kompom Chom falls. Savannakhet continues to resist the Pathet Lao. SUMMER, 1970: Stalemate continues, but virtually all South Vietnam is free of Communist forces. Khmer Rouge control in Cambodia spreads; Kompom Pranak falls. FALL, 1970: North Vietnam’s leadership calculates that the military campaign has failed, and agrees to a ceasefire. The game is effectively over, as the Americans are nowhere near collapse and have no current incentive to leave South Vietnam. The ARVN, Thai, Australians, New Zealanders, Koreans, and Americans have preserved South Vietnam as an independent, capitalist state. *** R. Ben Madison Global War­World War II in a box! http://www.globwar.com