The Great Game Pt.2: Nam and Bodybags - Submitted by David Makin

Much fun was had by all and sundry. including me as ref... nothing as exciting as seeing a Napalm strike deviate onto a players unit... more the paranoia of Grant and Martin after the first ambush... as a result a lot of jungle suffered the attention of Napalm, Bombs, Artillery....

Ready Reaction Force (Company) ARVN 13th Battalion (Phillip)
"B" Company US Mechanised Infantry 3rd of the 3rd (Grant)
Air Mobile Infantry Company (Martin, AH-1 in DS)
TF CO (played by Phillip later in the game - all Air and Artillery in DS)

VC & NVA Battle Plan

The Southern end of the table was paddy fields and rubber plantations (open forests). The Northern end was low hills, creeks and Jungle (forest, but Infantry move x1/2, vehicle x 1/4).

Withdrawal direct North, preferable through center of North edge.

The Rocket attack is the bait for the trap.. it is the VC sapper patrol firing rockets from field expedient bamboo rails. They cleared the area as soon as they fired.. heading to act as flank security for the rest of the VC Company.

The VC Company was in an ambush position on the road between the ARVN Battalion Fire Base and the Rocket launch site. It's programming was: Ambush - 1 turn, withdraw through 2nd Company NVA, then to local defence of the Battalion HQ. Withdrawal with/ahead of Battalion HQ.

The 2nd Company NVA was in ambush position covering entry by road from West and to ambush anyone following up the VC Company. It's programming was: Ambush- 1 turn, withdraw to local defence of the Battalion HQ, cover Battalion HQ withdrawal. Option: attack South towards an enemy force moving up the center of the table.

The 1st Company NVA was in ambush position covering entry by road from East and to ambush anyone moving North along the road from Phut Yoi. It also had under observation the central clearing. It's programming was: Ambush - 1 turn, withdraw to 2nd set of prepared entrenchments covering a ford between the 1st position and the Battalion HQ, Ambush- 1 turn, then withdraw through Battalion HQ to off table. Option: attack North towards an enemy force moving up the center of the table.

The 3rd Company NVA was in an ambush position covering entry (e.g. by helicopter) into the NE corner clearing. It's programming was: Ambush - hold for as long as possible to cover the withdrawal of all forces to the North and West, then, under Battalion CO or last staff telephone order withdraw to the NW off table. Option: attack North towards an enemy force that is on the Battalion's line of withdrawal.

Battalion HQ: Hold position. Use staff telephone orders to control Battalion till they can all be controlled by direct orders then withdrawal to the North. Note: the various defensive areas have been rigged for telephone order transmission, with further communication "nodes" on each of the planned routes of withdrawal.

Main Objective: Inflict more damage to the enemy than the unit suffers. Secondary Objective: Cause as much frustration as possible.

After Action Report

Phillip chose a central location for his Ready Reaction Force (RRF) of the ARVN battalion.

Grant chose to enter his Mechanised Infantry Company from the East table edge near Phut Yoi.

Martin started late and for a number of turns chose to keep his Air Mobile Company off table, trying to sanitise areas with aircraft and gunships..

1st Turn: Phillip got an airstrike on the Rocket launch area.. 1st go.. it was lucky for the VC sapper patrol that the F-4 pilots dropped their load of Napalm 100 yards too far away... Grant dismounted his infantry and with M113s following up advanced cautiously north on and beside the Phut Yoi road.

2nd-3rd Turn: The RRF advanced NW.. almost straight towards the 2nd NVA Company's position as the Mechanised Infantry walked into the 1st NVA Company's ambush.. they lost a platoon to small arms fire.. but the 75mm RCL's firing down the Jungle trail at the M113 platoon missed... and suffered a hit for being automatically spotted... 1st blood to the Mechanised Infantry..

4th Turn: The Mechanised Infantry disengaged.. (so to the 1st NVA Company...) The RRF started calling in map fire in front of his position.. just in case...

5-7th Turn: The Mechanised Infantry called Map Fire on the ambush position. The RRF had a number of frustrating failures to try and call in aircraft to strike the area he was intending on moving towards. The 1st NVA Company moved to it's reserve positions..

8-16th Turns: The Mechanised Infantry would move cautiously forward one turn then put map fire down ahead of it, move the fire forward, then move forward.. a very slow procedure with only one order counter per turn.. While this was happening the RRF changed directions and headed almost Due North.. this move was unobserved by any VC/NVA stands and so did not trigger their programmed options.

17th Turn: The Eastern most platoon of the RRF ended it's move within 1" of the Bunker containing the NVA Battalion Staff telephone stand! General Fire saw the 82mm mtr inflicting hits on both of the RRF eastern stands.. while SA fire from the bunker missed.. Both of these platoons were forced back pinned, but the bunker stand was spotted. The Mechanised Infantry and Air Mobile were busy calling in assets on poor defenceless jungle.. well one Napalm strike would have been on the 3rd NVA's position except again the sky jocks missed...

18th Turn: The 1st and 2nd NVA Company's optional programming was activated.. aimed at moving them towards the Battalion HQ.. though 1st Company left it's engineer and patrol stands behind. The RRF passed Morale and disengaged to the area of it's pinned stands, then issued a Call Fire airstrike on the Bunker area.. The Air Mobile tried to get an air strike again.. and failed so Martin promptly repeated his Call Fire.. Since the US players have priority over call fires.. Phillips ARVN call fire automatically failed.. The Mechanised Infantry called in a two turn map fire for the 155mm Battalion..

19th Turn: The 1st NVA Company turned West, the 2nd NVA Company headed East.. the 2nd Southern platoon contacted the Western platoon of the RRF in the flank.. in General Fire the RRF lost it's platoon.. the NVA platoon was forced back. The Mechanised Infantry slowly advanced. The Air Mobile brought in an AH-1 rocket strike on the tree line near the NE clearing... (secret rolls put a hit on one NVA platoon of the 3rd Company.. the AAHMG held fire waiting for the loitering UH-1s to try and land...)

20th Turn: The 1st and 2nd NVA Company's closed in on the ARVN RRF from East and West while the RRF moved NW... the result was that the RRF became the meat in the sandwich.. or rather the Tiger caught in the trap... surrounded, outgunned and outnumbered each of his stands (including the pure command stand) inflicted a hit on a NVA stand!... while the NVA failed to destroy the Company completely (1 stand left red/pinned).. Phillip now took over the TF CO position.. continually he had been frustrated by issuing call fires on various assets to have the US Company commanders pull priority on him.. so he felt like getting some back.. and promptly called in an airstrike (bombs) on where the RRF survivors were... his rational was that they would die anyway.. hmm...

The Mechanised Infantry continued to slowly advance..

The Air Mobile landed in the CENTRAL CLEARING!!! The Bastard!!! All that fire was a feint!! Argg... 3rd NVA platoon's Grinding of Teeth was to be heard kilometers away...

The Battalion staff ordered the 2nd Company to move North.

The Battalion Command stand ordered the 1st Company to advance North.

(I was pretty sure that the last platoon of the RRF would be eliminated by morale failure and wanted to clear the area..) Well the 1st Company failed morale and was pinned.. the 2nd Company passed.. the RRF were eliminated (8 +2 cover -2x3(destroyed)-1 hit -1 pinned -1 enemy personnel in 10" = 1 rolled a 9...)

21st Turn: The airstrike came in!!! ON TARGET!! and along a SE-NW path that put both NVA Companies under it!!! It was a bad turn for the 1st and 2nd Company.. the 2nd Company was reduced to it's weapon stand (red) and Patrol stand (out of the burst area), the 1st Company lost its weapon platoon and an Infantry stand, the other Infantry stand and Battalion Command stand went red... This same turn the Mechanised Infantry pressed forward.. straight into the entrenched engineer and minefields.... who promptly failed to do any damage!!! The engineers did not survive...

22nd Turn: Using the staff telephone the 1st Company survivors started withdrawing North.. leaving the patrol stand to cover the rear.. just as well since the Air Mobile Company had bypassed the 1st Company's second ambush position and was advancing north fast... they moved 2 platoons straight into the patrol stand.. lost a platoon but killed the patrol.. then failed morale..

23rd to 24th Turn: The NVA and VC start heading for the withdrawal route.. while the US players brought in fire on the jungle...

Turn 25: Night.. the US players withdraw... leaving the field... (it was late) and the players did not want to try and play hide and seek in the dark..

Game Result

Highest Body Count:

Phillip (KIA) ARVN Infantry Company: 5 hits {100% casualties}
Grant Mechanised Infantry Company: 4 hits {1 Infantry platoon of casualties}
Martin Air Mobile Company: 3 hits (1 unconfirmed) {1 Infantry platoon of casualties}
Philip (replacement) TF CO: 4 hits (unconfirmed)

Total inflicted: 16 hits

Total Suffered: 14 hits

Ammunition expenditure: I lost count.. but the 155s were firing at least every second turn, the 105s only fired about 4 times, 8 F-4 flights delivered 5 Napalm and 3 Iron Bomb airstrikes, 1 attack helicopter rocket attack.

So... Grant is ahead in the "Great Game", since Phillip lost his "player" KIA.. as the war goes... nobody took any excess bodies (what!) so the "powers that be" can get an accurate assessment... If this battle is any indication then no way can the war be won!

VC Main Force Company (+)

Experienced, Morale 8

1 command Weapons stand, in entrenchment, integral 57mm RCL
2 Infantry stands, in entrenchments
1 Patrol sapper stand, integral 57mm RCL

The rocket attack is to draw the ARVN ready reaction forces out and into an ambush by the company.

NVA Battalion (+)

Regular, Morale 9

Battalion HQ Company (+)

1 command stand, in entrenchment, with 1st Company
1 staff telephone stand, in Bunker
1 82mm Mortar stand (DS) {10 shots}, in weapon pit

1st Company (+)

2 Infantry stands, in Entrenchments
1 Weapon stand (integral 75mm RCL (BG), in Entrenchment
1 engineer stand (attached), in Entrenchment, + 4 x 1"x1" minefields
1 patrol stand (attached), in Entrenchment

2nd Company (+)

2 Infantry stands, in Entrenchments
1 Weapon stand (integral 75mm RCL (BG), in entrenchment
1 Patrol stand (attached), in Entrenchments

3rd Company (+)

2 Infantry stands, in Entrenchments
1 Weapon stand, in Bunker
1 AAHMG stand (attached), in Weapon Pit

Weapons Company: has been farmed out to other Companies (ie 82mm mtr, 75mm RCLs, AAHMG

All NVA stands have Integral RPG-7

This battalion has recently arrived in the area to teach the 'Mercenary Aggressors' a lesson.

Scenario Notes

It would have been good to get more players on the table... a TF Company player would make the players life far more easy.. The VC Company did nothing.. but then nobody activated it's program.. and I didn't ask the players which route they were withdrawing along... "the night belongs to Charlie".... perhaps...

For who ever had priority on a Call Fire order for Air support:

I had the Airforce requiring a 1 on a d10 to come in (3 for TF CO). The AH-1 required a 3 or less for the Airmobile or TF CO, 1 for anyone else.. and once called successfully it would not be available for 4 turns after. All players troops were rated Regular Morale 8 for simplicity.

Alternatives

OK, you have played "The Great Game" once and have all these nicely painted M113's, helicopters, F-4's and troops sitting around. It's tempting to play it again - so how to keep the "fun" for the players..

1. Continue the game - this works if both sides are still existent, but you can always send reinforcements in. Perhaps the withdrawal of the NVA Battalion's was a lure so that the "Free World" forces could be attacked by the rest of the NVA Regiment; a Battalion from the West and another from the East would make things hairy enough. The "Free World" objective would then be to get out if they can!!

2. Play the game again with different VC/NVA deployment.

3. Play the game again with the VC/NVA objective being to attack either Phut Yoi and/or the ARVN Fire Base using one VC/NVA coy(+) to draw the defenders out (in the game we played the US players did not sweep the plantations near either the FSB or the Village - a Battalion(+) could have easily hidden in each)

4. Play the game again with the entire enemy force (VC) being a single sapper patrol stand which is trying to get away. Safety warning: do not do this more than once as frustrated players are a health hazard!