Wartime Thanksgivings

While we enjoy Thanksgiving at home with friends and family it's appropriate to remember our soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and others serving overseas and dining on MREs or less at cold outposts in Afghan mountains, at sea or inside missile silos and all the other places where duty requires.

THANKSGIVING DAY 1863
By the President of the United States : a Proclamation

...In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign states to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere, except in the theater of military conflict, while that theater has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union...

...I do therefore invite my fellow-citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN

SOURCE: Pilgrim Hall Museum website, which lists a sample of wartime proclamations from 1898, 1917, 1943, 1953, 1967 and 1991.

So where is this generation's "Grunt?"

Back in 1971, while combat operations still raged in Vietnam, Strategy & tactics magazine published a groundbreaking design called Grunt. This game included a number of firsts. It was the first commercial squad-level wargame. It was S&T's first game with die-cut counters. It was one of the very first simulation games published about a conflict during that conflict.

Interestingly enough, there seems to be little interest in designing such a game dealing with today's conflicts. I can understand a certain reluctance to try designing a game dealing with the strategy or politics of the wars in Afghanistan or Iraq -- everybody seems to be having a hard time wrapping their minds around what forces are really at work.

But at the tactical level it's not so complicated. One would think there's be some interest in depicting a G.I.-level view of the fighting, but there's little there and nothing yet in any of the wargame magazines, so far as I know. Why not? Is it the controversial subject? Hard to see that it cold be, after all, Vietnam was surely even more controversial when Grunt was published.

Tet 68 review

The issue game in Command Magazine No. 18, Tet 68 is the most S&T-like wargame to appear in the pages of Ty Bomba's competing periodical. While always clearly simulation wargames, rather than just war-themed games, most Command Magazine wargames stressed playability as a major factor. One of their techniques was a reliance on standard wargame mechanics and an avoidance of charts and tables whenever possible, which caused some critics to say the games were too much alike (but it did succeed in making the games easier to play).

On the other hand, over its long history Strategy & Tactics magazine games have often experimented with different game mechanics and have not been afraid to use charts/tables and intricate game rules in order to be more realistic. Many S&T games seem designed more to be a study than a game.

Tet 68 is closer to the S&T philosophy than most Command games, which is not surprising, considering that the game's designer, Joe Miranda, designed many games for S&T and eventually became its editor. Miranda's designs are notable for paying a lot of attention to the political aspects of warfare, and Tet 68 is no exception. Players who bring a "panzer-pushing" mindset will find themselves losing in spectacular fashion, especially as the Communist side. But even US/ARVN players are cautioned that a purely military approach will not bring victory in this game, which covers the decisive 1968 Communist offensive. While a failure militarily, the Communist offensive's political impact was wide and deep and set the stage for their eventual victory.

Each hex is about 25 miles across and the map covers all of South Vietnam and southern Laos, and parts of Cambodia, Thailand and North Vietnam. Another functional and attractive Mark Simonitch production, it shows a wide variety of natural and man-made terrain, including jungles, swamps, mountains, cities, towns, camps, roads, bases and rivers. One unusual terrain feature are "popular areas" which represent rural regions that were friendly to one side or the other. Concentrated in the southern part of South Vietnam, they play a large part in the political warfare of the game.

The 1/2-inch counters in wargame standard NATO symbol/combat factor/movement factor format depict the sides in the by-now familiar color schemes that were usually used by XTR. The US forces are in black on olive, South Vietnamese are red on yellow and various allied forces (Australia, South Korea, Philippines, Thai, Laos, Cambodia) are black on brown. Units are divisions and brigades/regiments. US divisions have two steps while other units have just one. Some of the unusual units that appear include military police, psychological warfare units and various kinds of special forces.

The North Vietnamese Army (NVA) units are yellow on red and Viet Cong forces are black on red. All the Communist units are one-step, with the other side using a yellow or black star to show the Communists in "underground" mode. A few US side units also have this ability.This "underground" mode is the key design element of the game, as it allows guerrilla units to be hidden, and makes them immune from attack except under certain conditions.

The 14-pages of rules include sections on intelligence, combat support, popular areas, Dau Tranh (Total Struggle) and other peculiar aspects of the war, for a game of moderate complexity by wargame standards. Victory is measures by victory points, with both sides amassing their totals separately (one side's gain is not the other side's loss, directly). The Communist player gets points for attacking American units, holding cities and bases. The American side scores points for eliminating Communist units. Both sides can gain or lose points for political combat and collateral damage.Combat is firepower based, with the more combat factors increasing the chances or a favorable result. Defenders fire first, followed by the attacker. The US side had an enormous advantage in available firepower, naturally.

The game takes about 20 minutes to set up and can be played in one sitting.There is a 10-turn standard scenario covering the first phase of the offensive and a second 11-turn "total victory" scenario for the Allied counteroffensive. Each turn is a week.

Recommendations

(Yes) For Wargamers: A interesting game on the campaign.

(No) For Collectors: No remarkable collectibility.

(No) For Euro gamers: A detailed, intricate hex-and-counter wargame with some arcane game mechanics on top of that.

Operation Solace review

Operation Solace is a small hex-and-counter wargame depicting a hypothetical invasion of North Vietnam around 1969 to rescue POWs.

While not particularly likely, the operation does have some interesting aspects for gaming. It was one of two games in the Vietnam-themed issue No. 5 of Command Magazine of 1990 (The other being Hamburger Hill).

The one scenario lasts just six one-day turns. Each hex is about 6 miles across and the map covers the majority of North Vietnam, centered on Hanoi. The map is functional and about average in appearance. It shows the key terrain, including jungles, mountains, cities, towns and rivers. Man-made facilities depicted include a road net, several airfields and eight POW camps.

The invading American force includes eight commando teams in a white-on-black color scheme, three Marine battalions in white on dark green, and nine U.S. Army battalions of airborne, airmobile and mechanized troops(three of each) in black on olive. Finally there is a helicopter "brigade," also in olive and ten air support units in light blue. The battalions are two-step and the other units have just one. The defending North Vietnamese Army (NVA) units are generally two-step infantry divisions of yellow on red. Filling out the NVA order of battle are a tank regiment, two anti-aircraft brigades, three groups of VIPs and three dummies.

The 6-page rulebook describes a low-complexity wargame using standard game mechanics such as odds-based combat, IGO-HUGO movement-combat turn sequence, mechanized movement phase (US only) and stacking, but no zones of control. It's a game of low complexity by wargame standards. With just 65 counters in total this is clearly a small game.

The US Player has to enter North Vietnam by sea and air, grab the POWs and evacuate everyone within six turns.

The game revolves accumulating victory points. The Americans win VPs by evacuating POWs and VIPs and eliminating combat units. The NVA gets VPs for eliminating US units or if the US units fail to get off the map. In addition the NVA scores VPs for uncaptured VIPs and unrescued POWs. Both sides can lose VPs, the NVA for "liquidating" POWs and the US for collateral damage caused by using its heavy firepower in populated areas. The game is a tight contest between the two sides. The surprised NVA gathers it forces slowly and is facing daunting US firepower. But the US has just six turns to get in, grab and get out. Both sides have interesting and different challenges and both will get to attack and defend. While powerful, the American force is just a dozen battalions and some special forces units and will be stretched thin.

The NVA has to be careful about facing US strength, but can make it very hard to the US to pull everyone out in time.The game only takes about five minutes to set up and can easily be played twice in one sitting due to the low counter density and familiar game mechanics.

Because it's a hypothetical battle, it's hard to judge the historicity of the game design. It's highly unlikely that President Nixon would have authorized such a high-risk operation. But if he had, it may well have been the nail-biter this game suggests.

The only errata is an admission that the game is somewhat biased in favor of the US player and suggesting an additional measure for an American player victory.

Command Magazine No. 8 contained variant rules and counters for adding Chinese intervention and a Sheridan-equipped light tank unit to the potential OB.

Recommendations(Yes) For Wargamers: A unique and highly unusual topic covered in a playable way.

(No) For Collectors: No remarkable collectibility.

(Conditional Yes) For Euro gamers: Although a hex-and-counter wargame with intricate and detailed rules compared to most Euro games, this game is short and straightforward enough that it may be worth trying.

Hamburger Hill

Hamburger Hill is a small hex-and-counter wargame depicting the bitter 1969 battle of the same name during the Vietnam War. It was one of two games in the Vietnam-themed issue No. 5 of Command Magazine of 1990 (The other being Operation Solace).

The one scenario covers the 11-day battle. Each turn represents a single day with an indefinite number of player turn couplets during each turn. Each hex is about 240 yards of jungle hillside. The map is rather bland and its various shades of green would serve equally well as Russian steppe because there is no graphic hint of trees.

Units are companies for the United States Army and Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) and platoons for the North Vietnamese Army (NVA). The 8-page rulebook describes a game of low complexity by wargame standards. The 85 counters, including information markers, are functional if not especially attractive. Combat units include an silhouette icon of a soldier from the depicted army or a flag, a combat factor and a movement factor. U.S. and ARVN units also include a company letter and parent unit designation. The U.S. Army units are olive green with the icon and factors printed in various colors depending on the parent battalion. The units from the one ARVN battalion are red on yellow. The NVA units are yellow on red. ARVN and NVA units are two step while the U.S. companies have four steps, using a second counter for the reduced company.Player turns are interactive, with a movement phase that can be interupted by defensive fires followed by a combat phase. The US player also has an artillery and air preparatory fire phase at the beginning of his turn.

Couplets continue until the US player decides he has had enough for the day. A special "night turn" follows, with US units either staying in the field overnight or returning to their Landing Zone. The NVA can then launch a night attack combat with his surviving units.

The game revolves accumulating victory points for causing enemy casualties. The US can earn extra points for capturing the two map's hilltops and can accelerate the arrival of reinforcements at a VP cost. The battle ends when the US has wiped out the NVA or the NVA decides to withdraw at the end of a day.The game is a cat-and-mouse affair. The NVA player can substitute dummy units for real platoons for victory points. If played cagily the NVA player can keep the US player in the dark on his real strength.

The US player starts the game with a single battalion, meaning he'll probably be outnumbered. If he's not careful he can have his lunch handed to him by an aggressive Communist player. The arrival of the second battalion gives the US enough strength for serious offensive action. In most cases the third US battalion and the ARVN arrive too late to affect the game's outcome.

The US player has to pick his way through on-map bunkers and among dummies to destroy NVA platoons while taking fire. The NVA has to play an Eastern-art-of-war defense, retreating from strength and attacking weakness. Among the interesting touches, if frustrating for the US, is that the US has no way to permanently destroy bunkers. So the US no sooner clears a line of bunkers than finds it reoccupied behind him.Combat is firepower-based, with the attacking player adding up the firing combat factors, rolling a die and looking up the result on a Combat Result Table. No more than one casualty step can be inflicted in one shot. There are modifiers for elevation advantage, bunkers, morale and being encircled.

The game takes about five minutes to set up and can easily be played twice in one sitting due to the low counter density. For most of the game the US will have just 5 or 10 units in play and the NVA never more than 20.

The game does a nice job of simulating the actual battle. There is no published errata, which is a refreshing thing to be able to say about any wargame.

Recommendations

(Yes) For Wargamers: A unique topic covered in a playable way.

(No) For Collectors: No remarkable collectibility.

(No) For Euro gamers: Although definitely on the simpler end of the scale, it is still a hex-and-counter wargame with intricate and detailed rules compared to most Euro games.