6.4 Fire Procedures - Firing Dice

For each of the firing modes one direct fire attack is adjudicated for each participating Fire Team or HMG.

6.5 Fire Effects/Results

In order to represent casualties and their effects on operations in Vietnam the Fire Effects/Results from the original Crossfire rules are replaced with the following rules.

Each shooting attack produces one of 4 possible results:

• Miss (target unaffected)
• Pinned
• Suppressed
• Killed

The Fire Effects are calculated in the same way as in the original Crossfire rules but "casualties" are inflicted when a stand is "killed". A "killed" stand is one where the number of casualties inflicted has rendered the stand useless for further combat.

A "killed" stand is removed from play but is replaced by one casualty marker. The casualty marker represents casualties and equipment which may have to be evacuated or recovered.

Heavy weapon stands which are killed are marked with an equipment/weapon marker in addition to a casualty marker. Captured equipment/weapon markers will add to a player's victory points.

Casualty Evacuation

Casualties may be removed directly from the battlefield or may be collected centrally for treatment or evacuation, in which case the markers are moved to the desired location. Casualties who are successfully evacuated will reduce the victory points for the enemy.

• A fire team or medic may only carry out one medevac action per initiative, to reflect the difficulties of moving casualties. The action may include a pivot either at the start or the end of the movement.
• One fire team, Command Group stand or medic stand may carry one casualty marker. Heavy weapon stands may not move casualties.
• One VC/NVA porter stand may carry 2 casualty markers.

Free world forces may use vehicles or helicopters to remove wounded. Dust Off helicopters may carry 3 casualty markers. A truck or APC may carry 6 casualty markers. A jeep or similar may carry 1 casualty marker. VC/NVA casualties will invariably have to be carried off by their comrades.

Free World Company Aid Posts (CAP). Two medic stands may combine to form a Company Aid Post. This is a voluntary action, which may be carried out during a player's initiative. It does not activate reactive fire. The medic stands must be within 1 base width of each other in order to form a Company Aid Post. The individual medic stands are replaced by a Company Aid Post stand. Once two medic stands have combined to form a Company Aid Post then they may not revert to their original status. Once a Company Aid Post has been established and casualties are present the aid post may not move until all of the casualties have been evacuated. The presence of a Company Aid Post increases the chances of removing casualties via Dust-Off helicopter.

Dust Off helicopters are requested during a player's initiative. Throw 1D6. The score indicates the number of initiatives delay before the Dust Off arrives. Reduce the score by -2 if a company aid post is present. A score of less than one indicates the Dust-Off arrives immediately.

Medic and CAP stands are automatically eliminated if contacted in close combat.

Please note that Free World forces can be severely hampered by even a few casualties, as the need to evacuate casualties will frequently be paramount.

6.7 Recon By Fire

Recon by Fire is conducted as normal except that AFVs and helicopters may also use RBF. An ACAV, tank or gunship helicopter equipped may throw 2 dice, other troops stands and helicopters throw 1 dice.

Armoured vehicles may recon by fire while moving.

6.9 Snipers

Although all nations used snipers these rules are concerned with the use of VC/NVA snipers to attack or delay Free World troops, and with specially trained and equipped USMC snipers attached to Rifle Companies.

VC/NVA Snipers

• A failed sniper shot does not lose the initiative but snipers may fire reactive fire and may seize the initiative.
• A sniper may fire as many times as the player wishes, but only when permitted to do so.
• VC/NVA snipers fire as a normal fire team stand, pin results apply.
• Snipers remain on the playing table when they have fired but may not move from their allocated position unless they are being withdrawn.
• A sniper which is withdrawn is removed from play and may take no further part in the game.
• Snipers can be killed using the normal Fire Effects/Results rules. A killed sniper is replaced by a casualty figure.
• A sniper engaged by the enemy in a close combat is automatically killed.
• Command Groups are treated as ordinary stands for sniper fire, however a sniper may always target a Command Group if it is within the sniper’s LOS.

USMC Sniper Teams

• 1 USMC Sniper Team may be attached to a company. They may move as a normal stand.
• The sniper team fires as a normal Fire Team stand but “pin” results become “suppressed”.
• A Sniper Team may only fire once per initiative, and must remain stationary during the initiative to do so.
• A failed sniper shot loses the initiative.
• A sniper teams engaged by the enemy in a close combat is automatically killed.
• Sniper Teams can be killed using the normal Fire Effects/Results rules. A killed sniper is replaced by a casualty figure
• Command Groups are treated as ordinary stands for sniper fire, however a sniper may always target a Command Group if it is within the sniper’s LOS.

6.9.1 Detaching Snipers

VC/NVA units may detach a sniper in order to delay and harass the enemy while the unit disengages and withdraws. The loss of a sniper may be worth considering when compared to the loss of other casualties or units. The following rules apply:

• A VC/NVA Fire Team may detach a sniper when it has the initiative AND is in terrain that offers cover from fire. The Fire Team stand must then withdraw and exit from the table top, along with any casualties or equipment it may have been carrying. Withdrawing stands may carry out reactive fire but may not carry out direct fire or close assaults.
• A Fire Team may detach a maximum of one sniper.
• The sniper may not move but must remain where he is placed.
• Dead snipers will count towards the enemy victory points.

6.10 Ambush Fire

Ambush fire is conducted as per the original crossfire rules, with the addition of the following other circumstances under which the Ambush fire bonus is applicable.

An ambush attack may also be declared against an enemy stand which is passing within two stand widths of the firers ambush position as long as the target stand is either:

• Moving along a trail, track, road, stream or river.
• In the open and passing between two terrain features which are no more than 2 stand widths apart (ie the target is moving through a natural defile).

6.11 Recoilless Weapons, RPGs and LAWs

RPG and other similar weapons (B-40 rockets, etc) were used in both the anti-armour and anti-personnel roles by the VC and NVA. The RPG was apparently quite effective as a support weapon against infantry. To represent this the following rules are used.

An RPG stand (comprising 1 - 2 figures with an RPG launcher, a supply of RPG grenades and personal small arms) must be attached to an infantry squad or Combat Support Platoon as an integral support weapon for that unit. The RPG stand is treated as a part of that platoon or squad for movement purposes and must remain within 1 base width of at least 1 stand from the unit at all times. It may fire in one of two ways:

• The stand may augment the fire of its parent squad or platoon by adding one fire dice to the total number of dice thrown.
• The stand may fire in the anti-armour role using the normal anti-tank fire rules.

An RPG or LAW stand may not fire at targets or augment the fire of a friendly stand if the target is closer than 1 stand width from the firing RPG or LAW or the unit is in close combat.

RPG/LAW stands are treated as crew served weapons if engaged in close combat and do NOT count towards numbers of stands engaged in close combat.

US troops did not appear to use the LAW/Bazooka as an anti-personnel weapon but used them to engage enemy bunkers and similar targets. The models are based in a similar manner to the VC/NVA RPG stand and fire as follows:

• The stand may augment the fire of its parent squad or platoon by adding one fire dice to the total number of dice thrown when engaging targets in bunkers or substantial brick or concrete buildings (eg during street fighting in Hue or Saigon). The bonus does not apply against light wooden or similar constructions.
• The stand may fire in the anti-armour role using the normal anti-tank fire rules.

US LAW teams are treated as VC/NVA RPG teams in all other circumstances

All heavier RCLs are crew served weapons and are based as such. These may engage personnel targets with anti-personnel munitions.

Due to the back-blast of recoilless weapons, any recoilless weapon stand is automatically placed on the tabletop when it fires. They cannot remain hidden once they have fired.

They may NOT be fired from inside bunkers or buildings.

6.12 Flame Weapons

The following flame weapons may be used. They may only fire in the Direct Fire role, Reactive Fire is not permitted to flame weapons.

Flame weapons may only be used against the following targets:

• A single vegetation terrain item which contains, or is suspected of containing enemy troops or positions.
• Identified enemy field defences (bunkers, trenches etc).
• A building terrain item

Vehicle mounted flamethrowers have a range of 1 “hand width”, manpack flamethrowers have a range of 1 base width.

Each flamethrower throws 1D6 when firing. A score of 3 or more indicates that the fire is effective. Effective fire results in:

• Destruction of the occupants of any field defences. Models are removed from play
• Vegetation or building terrain items are set on fire and will burn for the remainder of the game. Occupants of these terrain items are immediately placed outside the terrain (but in base to base contact with it). Troops may not enter burning terrain.