CapnJim's Vietnam Stuff...Nam 68 Game 9 AAR Postlude - Page 32 - 23 Sep 25)

[CapnJim]

Shoveled more snow this morning.  Fortunately, no more real snow in the forecast for a while..

As for a visit to my brother in Florida, that's in the works.  Scheduled for departure mid-March.  He games, too, so we'll get in some Top Secret RPG action whilst down there.  Some background work in La Republica Del Perdomo (my fictional Central American country).  I plan to transition from RPG action to miniature action there later this year, after I've painted up some GNP (Guardia Nacional del Perdomo) troops and some bad guys.  Maybe even a Cuban advisor or 2...

During my visit, we plan to head north into Georgia for a few days, and hit the National Infantry Museum and the Patton Armor Collection at Ft. Moores (formerly Ft. Benning), the Andersonville Confederate POW camp site, and an aviation museum at Warner-Robins Air Force Base...

Anyway, on to Vietnam.  As previously mentioned, game 2 is set for this Friday (the 21st).  After their last firefight, the Threat Level went up to Mike (medium).  They will be doing a 1-squad mission, with 2 platoon support teams (one of which ought to be the platoon HQ, as they will have 3 x 81mm mortar fire support missions at their disposal).  It's a VC ambush out in "the boonies" - The Old Man wants them to get ambushed, so they can use those mortars.  The old 3 Fs - Find 'em, Fix 'em, and F**k 'em up...

Here is the scenario map:

 

And here is the scenario info sheet:



And here is the platoon as it stands now (after making post-battle adjustments after the last game):




SP is set for 1100 hrs. Friday.  AAR to follow...

 

[carlos marighela]

Significant scale up from the last game. Be interesting to see how the rules handle this.

[Lord Raglan]

Significant scale up from the last game. Be interesting to see how the rules handle this.

DITTO CB

[CapnJim]

Yeah - we're looking forward to see how it goes, too.

And I think I'm gonna add a couple rules. 

First, after talking to the guy in my American Legion post that was actually in Vietnam in 2-12 Cav, he said lines of sight in the jungle sucked.  So, we're gonna use a couple of the night fight rules to simulate that.  There'll be a -1 modifier to any observation rolls in targeted fire, and LoS will be limited to no more that 20" of jungle.  That will affect targeted fire and calling in those mortar fire missions.  Some could be Danger Close...

Second, speaking of those mortars, after talking to my younger brother (who was a mortarman in the USMC), the possible deviation distance for the mortar rounds in fire missions will be shortened for subsequent fire missions using the same initial aim point.  That will simulate adjusting fire on subsequent mortar rounds.  They have 3 fire missions available, so this might come into play.  Since I'll be playing the VC, I will have to keep that in mind.  And I will try to have the VC "hug" the US troops if the tactical circumstances permit.

I will include our thoughts on this stuff in the AAR. 

[mikedemana]

You're playing the game on my birthday, Jim!  Sounds like a typical Vietnam mission, too, from the memoirs and accounts that I have been reading. "Go out there and get shot at..."   

Anyway, have fun, and I look forward to the AAR!!

Mike Demana

[carlos marighela]

Happy Birthday Mike!

[mikedemana]

Happy Birthday Mike!

Thank you, sir! Assuming I live till Friday!!

I survived my biggest hurdle to that goal snorkeling in the Galapagos last week. Met several sharks, none of which felt inclined to eat me, thankfully...! 

Mike Demana

[carlos marighela]

Yeah, that would be my greatest worry. I suspect most ambulant folk can out run a giant tortoise, even if they were carrying a salad bowl as a lure. 

[CapnJim]

A.  Welcome back, Mike.  Glad you weren't consumed by a shark.  And Happy Birthday tomorrow!

B.  I've started work on a pair of Rubicon UH1s.  Obviously, they won't be ready for tomorrow's game, but they should be ready for March's game.  Of course, I'll post pics here when they are finished.  Until then, stay tuned for an AAR of tomorrow's fight this weekend!

[Ultravanillasmurf]

Yeah, that would be my greatest worry. I suspect most ambulant folk can out run a giant tortoise, even if they were carrying a salad bowl as a lure. 

I would be more worried about being ambushed by the bachelor sealions that lurk at the top of the rocky hills. You are not allowed to leave the paths or approach within 2m of the wildlife. Said wildlife has not read the rules.

[carlos marighela]

The night rules for visibility in close terrain sounds like a good idea. Actually, unless you are standing in a paddy field, it's probably reasonable for many if most situations. Once the bullets are flying and folk are on their guts it only takes about eight inches of grass or scrub to make spotting difficult and hazardous.

Night rules would be equally applicable in buffalo grass. I can remember being on exercise in the Northern Territory in the dry season and the grass up  there can get up and beyond head height. It's stiffling hot, noisy to walk through and visibility is minimal. Likewise in dense regrowth. I also recall an exercise in state forest, that had suffered bush fires the previous summer and the incredibly dense regrowth made all movement single file, all navigation was night navigation by compass and pacing and without cutting fire lanes from our pits visibility was probably around 6-12 foot for the most part.

However it's situation dependent to a certain degree. I've stood in some Vietnamese scrub that was quite open and park like, probably sight lines of 50 to 100 metres in parts, at least when standing. Rubber plantations throw up their own complications. Because they are laid out in rows and planted in a regularly spaced manner, the vision along the rows is very good. It's more like being in a park than scrub. Of course once you try looking across the lanes on the diagonal the sight lines immediately go to shit. I had read about this in accounts of Long Tan and having stood in a Vietnamese rubber plantation can confirm its truth.

You should probably give the defender in any field works an advantage in terms of spotting and fire, because fire lanes would invariably be cut at ankle to knee height and maintained from any occupied position as part of the defence routine. 1 ATF did this and the VC/NVA were very adept at concealing their fire lanes.

One final thought on terrain. The cheapness of Chinese online sellers of model bamboo makes it a popular item on most gaming tables. I dunno if you've ever come across bamboo growing in the wild but the thickets tend to be incredibly dense and nigh impossible to traverse in any remotely tactical manner. Accounts from the war bear this out. It's probably the one terrain type that should be declared as impassable.

[mikedemana]

Thanks for the tips and first-hand information, Carlos. I will remember them for my own games.

Mike Demana

[CapnJim]

We played our Nam '68 Tour of Duty 2nd game today.  Using night fight rules in the jungle, as I mentioned, worked well.  It was hard to hit folks today.  With small arms fire, anyway...

David, Gene, and Ted Played the US force (the Platoon HQ, 3rd Squad, and their 2nd M60 team).  I GM'd and played the VC.  Here is a teaser to wet your whistle as I sort out the photos for the AAR:

The fight at the old temple ruins was yesterday.  3rd Platoon was lucky again - nobody got killed.  Well, not during the firefight anyway... 

SFC Daltry stopped in at the Company CP to let Top know he was gonna go up to Battalion Aid to check on his LT.  Poor guy got hit twice yesterday.  Top told him "Grab your new medic while you're up there.  Look for Spec 4 Payne - since Moon's gonna be out for a while, Battalion's giving you a new medic.".  "Roger" replied Daltry.  And off SFC Daltry went to the Battalion Aid Station.

He went right to see his LT.  2LT Entwistle had indeed been hit twice.  "How you doin', Sir?"  asked Daltry.  Entwistle said "I'll be OK.  I'm gonna miss a few weeks while I heal.  That round grazed my head, and they dug a small piece of shrapnel out of my ass.   I got a souvenir now."  "Well, that's good." said Daltry.  "And I got good news, bad news, and more bad news.  What do you want first?"

"Gimme the bad news first."  replied the Lieutenant.  "Okay.  Jagger's Fire Team B must be cursed.  Young was killed in a jeep accident on his way back to us from here, while we were out in the bush.  And that ain't VC shrapnel you got there.  Johnson must have given that VC too much lead with his Blooper.  Got you and Moon together.  I saw it myself"

"No shit.  That son of a..."  Daltry cut him off "I already took care of it.  Delp, DeYoung, and I already had a, um, word with Johnson."  Daltry saw the concerned look in his LT's eyes... "Don't worry, LT.  We didn't kill 'im."

"Good.  What's the good news?" asked the LT.  Daltry responded "We get a new Doc.  I'm gonna go fetch him when I leave here.  Hurry up and get well, LT.  Yer growin' on me."  With that, SFC Daltry nodded, turned around, and headed out...    

And with that, that oughta hold you till I post the AAR this weekend.  At ease, men...

[has.been]

We're waiting. 

[Lord Raglan]

You are such a tease Jimbo 😏