[Nam 68] Platoon - UD 27/4 final AAR of first game

[Silent Invader]

With the intent of building some role-playing elements, I'm looking for an analysis of the characters portrayed in Platoon. I realise that I could just watch the film (I have, many, many, many times  ) but I was hoping that someone, somewhere on the interwebz had already done something semi-official.

Any thoughts or advices?

By the way, have to applaud LAFer c0cky30 for his blogpost on Hollywood Nam. Excellent!

http://carportgaming.blogspot.co.uk/2016/09/hollywood-nam.html?m=0

Which btw gets some discussion here:

http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=92458.15

[c0cky30]

Gday S.I.

I have had a look around to see what I could find.  How many character details are you after as most of the stuff only covers Taylor, Barnes and Elias.

[Silent Invader]

Gday S.I.

I have had a look around to see what I could find.  How many character details are you after as most of the stuff only covers Taylor, Barnes and Elias.

Hiya and thanks 

I really like your blog - thanks for sharing it 

Quoting from your blog, I'm thinking of starting with Taylor's squad.

Rifle Squad
Sergeant Elias Grodin (Willem Dafoe), Senior Leader with M16

Fireteam 1
Junior (Reggie Johnson) with M16
Gator Lerner (Johnny Depp) with M16
Crawford (Chris Pedersen) with M16
King (Keith David), M60 Belt Fed LMG

Fireteam 2
Chris Taylor (Charlie Sheen) with M16 & M72 LAW
Flash (Basile Achara) with M16
Big Harold (Forest Whitaker) with M16
Rhah (Francesco Quinn) with M16
Sandy (J. Adam Glover), Pistol .45 cal, M-79

I'm not yet 100% on what attributes I'm going to focus on for their character cards but it'll probably be factors that affect the usual movement, shooting and fighting elements of most rulesets (though I'll probably be using my own generic set). Off the top of my head, core attributes something like

Morality
Tenacity
Excitability
Dexterity
Physicality
Ferocity

In essence, a Top Trumps of Platoon characters with their characteristics that might influence how they perform.

Hopefully this makes sense. 

[c0cky30]

Makes perfect sense.

Looking at those stats though I think you might have to pop the old DVD into the machine and sit through the movie for the data.

Given Barnes and Elias are probably at the extremes you might want to create their characters first and adjust everyone else from there.

PS: Cheers for the wrap.

[Silent Invader]

Thanks and yep, I thought I might have to ..... not that it'll be a chore!  

Btw, that's a good point about starting with the extremes.  

[Silent Invader]

Thanks and yep, I thought I might have to ..... not that it'll be a chore!  

Btw, that's a good point about starting with the extremes.  

Well, I had a good stab at it...... and will now no doubt watch the movie many more times while comparing it to my notes 

https://www.silentinvader.uk/index_w_nse_index_movies.html

[c0cky30]

Superb work..

[Silent Invader]

Thanks Cocky but credit where it's due re your own Hollywood Nam blog post. 

To be getting on with I'm going to put together the minis for a reduced platoon, of most of the first and second squads and some HQ elements.

[Elk101]

I'm liking this a lot. A bagged a load of cheap Force of Arms figures shortly before they went out of stock and I can't wait to get round to doing them. The RPG angle is a great idea. I also wrote my own rules with a rather complex Contact Fire Mission mini game based on reading on the subject.  There's some great websites with Vietnam vet stories and slang and general 'stuff'.

[fred]

Good work, lots of detail there.

Do you have the Excitability values reversed though? The more stable, i.e. least excitable characters you have as +2, which would suggest they are the most excitable? Should these ones not be -2.

Or you reverse the name of the Stat and call it Stability (or something similar).

[Silent Invader]

@Steve: I did recall you have an embryonic Nam Project. The nature of the characters in Platoon really does lend itself to an RPG-type game.  Plenty of opportunities for immersion!  

@Fred: Thank you! You are 100% right. It should be STABILITY (d'oh) .... I shall revise the page.  


Edit: PLog page revised: Excitability is now Stability

[Silent Invader]

To be getting on with, I've decided to make 2/3 of The Platoon (20 minis):

https://www.silentinvader.uk/index_w_nse_index_minis-USA.html

Obviously, the sensible thing would be to use commercially available minis but I'd quite like to get as close to the movie as possible. As a fair few will need their height adjusted and other small changes, I'm having a go at converting plastics. The parts are sourced from the Bolt Action USMC (plus a few German Grenadiers) with rifles, canteens, etc from the Project Z survivors.

First up is an average height guy, Ebenhoch:



As this is a movie rendition, I tried to be steered by what was worn and carried in the movie. The Project Z M16A2 was converted to a M16A1 (there are holes drilled into the barrel shroud). The movie load out varies a little bit to most of the historical references I've seen on-line, as they carry what I think is the Tropical Pack with ET attached. I've decided to go for Fighting Order, which in the movie is usually represented with a small pouch over the butt that I don't recognise. IIRC the only time a 1956/1961 Butt Pack appears it's on the company commander calling in the napalm (and in that scene he's wearing later suspenders). I've decided to give all of mine the 56/61 Butt Pack with paired canteens and no ET (as it's on the pack).

Anyways, the first mini sets the process for all that follow so I'd appreciate thoughts on obvious oddities etc, as I'd hate to make them all and then discover a major error/omission. Thanks in advance.  

[Elk101]

No one can ever accuse you of not making an effort!    looking forward to watching this progess.

[Silent Invader]

No one can ever accuse you of not making an effort! 

It's a curse, Steve 

It's Mason's fault for suggesting that my The North river system would provide a good basis for a jungle. That, and Platoon is to me what Star Wars seems to be to those LAFers a bit younger! 

[NurgleHH]

Steve, you have forgotten the evil master - Sgt. Barnes. He is a must. Still after more than ten times watching the movie I hate him, but he is important.