Surviving 'Nam Scenario Playtest: Tanks for the Help!

    Firefight between Big Red One soldiers & the Viet Cong rages in my latest Surviving 'Nam game

At this stage, I feel my Surviving 'Nam: An Infantryman's Year In Country rules are done, for the most part. All that is left is to play test the remaining scenarios that will go in the book. I did a solo test of "Tanks for the Help!" last night. In this scenario, the squad is part of a group tasked with protecting a tank broken down on a dirt road in Viet Cong country. It is taken from an actual Big Red One in Vietnam incident, as well as from my favorite Vietnam fiction novel, Fields of Fire by James Webb. The squad has to form a perimeter to keep any V.C. -- especially those armed with RPGs -- from getting close enough to fire upon the tank and its crew, who are busy repairing it. The game ends when the squad has inflicted a certain number of casualties (that's when the tank is assumed to be fixed and drives off), and they may then exfiltrate the table.

    The tank we need to protect is on the road out of view while jungle & elephant grass cover the table

My squad of the Big Red One finally welcomed back one of its injured fire team leaders, Cpl. Kern. He and his men, with Lt. Fickell and his radioman attached, would cover the left. Sgt. Frey and his team, along with the M60 machine gun team and medic Spec. 5 Frank, would guard the right. Looking at the terrain, I decided we would advance about half of the force into the two pieces of jungle (Medium Vegetation) in the second tier of terrain our from our baseline. The remainder would guard each flank and form a reserve in the center. Each of the jungle pieces would be occupied by our heaviest hitting weapons -- Cpl. Warfield's M60 machine gun on the right, and Lt. Fickell, his radioman, and (hopefully) their fire missions on the left. Each would have a teammate or two deployed just ahead of them with an M-16 so they weren't the first ones shot at by the enemy! 

    Sgt. Frey, top left, leads his fire team with M60 team & medic attached to establish a perimeter

I set the Countdown to Contact modifier at "-2", which meant that I would get at least two turns to move into position. As it was, with my rolls going fairly well, I was able to fully deploy after four turns of Countdown to Contact movement before the V.C. arrived. One large V.C. squad showed up in the elephant grass on the opposite baseline, while the other showed up on the far right table edge behind another patch of jungle. Two other V.C. riflemen showed up on our far left, very close to our flank guards. Almost immediately, I drew the first "Fire Mission" card, which is needed to establish contact with the battalion artillery (further cards bring in actual fire missions if the C.O. has any V.C. in his line of sight). Things seemed to be going well. Though I was failing on about half of my activation rolls, the resulting cards I pulled from the deck did not activate any V.C. Instead, they were less disadvantageous ones like "Wait a Minute" vines preventing a soldier from moving, or a snake that startles a squad member into a random movement.

    Cpl. Kern, center, resumes control of his team as they move off the road into the junble

Along with already being in firing position, the fortunate card draws meant the squad was able to blaze away immediately at the V.C. when they appeared. Cpl. Warfield, temporarily promoted to M-60 Gunner while his friend Boston recuperated from his wounds suffered during the last mission, pinned about half of the V.C. squad in the elephant grass, taking one out of action. Even Lt. Fickell and his radioman got in on the act, firing their M16s and taking down insurgents while impatiently waiting on battalion artillery to respond on the radio. The only real scary point was the two V.C. on the left flank who quickly pinned Pfc. Pace and were advancing towards him while he groveled in the dirt. Cpl. Kern yelled at Tatum to pour fire into those two.  Kern also jogged over to help, firing off several controlled bursts. Between the two of them, they gunned down the insurgents. Pace popped his head up and fired off a blast, as well. Kern laughed and told him it was safe now, and to keep his eyes peeled for more V.C. on that flank.

    Kern's team enters the patch of jungle where they will set up their half of the forward perimeter

On the far right, the squad of V.C. behind the jungle advanced beneath the trees. That brought them into line of sight of Sgt. Frey's fire team who had been deployed to guard against threats from that flank. Pfc. Johnson sighted his M-79 and lofted a shrapnel round into the midst of their formation. It exploded on target and several V.C. tumbled to the ground. Frey's point man, Cpl. Carter, also fired a burst, taking down another enemy. Soon, all six V.C. lay motionless, and the right flank was quiet. In the center, it was a shooting gallery as half a dozen soldiers fired on the V.C. as they attempted to sprint from the elephant grass to the jungle patch just ahead of them. Soon, they were all down, too. It grew quiet for a few moments across the squad's front.

    Center reserve along the road line with Sgt. Frey, medic Spec. 5 Frank & M79 grenadier Cassidy

Pop! A single round cracked from deeper within the elephant grass. Lt. Fickell heard the snap of it passed above his head. He ducked, cursing. "Sniper!" he called. Pfc. Otis yelled out he had seen the muzzle flash. He flipped the switch to full auto and sprayed the area with an entire magazine, just to make sure. All along the line, the squad listened. No more V.C. firing, no sounds, and no movement. Sgt. Frey shouted for everyone to stay frosty. That was probably just the first wave. Spec. 4 Byars' radio crackled to life as the battalion artillery said they were ready for the fire mission. "Should we hammer that patch of elephant grass, just to be sure?" Fickell asked his veteran radioman. Byars shook his head, saying it was too close. Better to be safe and not risk any short rounds.

    Pfc. Otis spots the approach of a large squad of Viet Cong advancing through the elephant grass

A moment later, there was a whistle of incoming mortar fire. It impacted in between the squad's forward group and their reserve. "Not ours!" Fickell shouted. Sgt. Frey chuckled, thinking to himself, "Not your fault, eh, L.T.?" He believed him, though. He honestly felt the platoon was very lucky to have Fickell -- he was one squared away officer. Not every unit could say that about their C.O.! A silence reined over the jungle as the soldiers peered into the jungle looking for more signs of the enemy. There appeared to be none. Was that it? Really?? As it turned out, the Event Cards continued to be very fortunate for my squad. NOW -- with all the enemy on table dead -- I was pulling the event cards that would activate V.C. Meanwhile, I flipped over no cards that would bring new enemy onto the table. The Fire Mission card kep showing up again and again, forcing poor Spec. 5 Byars to invent excuses to hold off the eager artillery.

    In this scenario, each V.C. squad includes an RPG because they're hunting a tank!

Both Sgt. Frey and Cpl. Kern began directing some of their forward elements to fall back to the reserve line. "That tank has to be fixed soon," Frey called over to Kern. The soldiers moved into their new positions and waited. Suddenly, the silence was shattered by the sound of a RPD -- a Vietnamese light machine gun. Tracers and rounds sliced through the trees where Warfield's M60 was set up. Several soldiers hit the dirt, pinned. Frey called on Warfield to relocate so the M60 gunner would have line of sight on the enemy LMG team. As he moved, the RPD opened up again from the other patch of elephant grass. Warfield's assistant, Pvt. Hartline yelped and went down. "MEDIC!" Frey shouted. Spec. 5 Frank sprinted from the woods to Frey's left across the patch of open ground and quickly appeared at Hartline's side. 

    Another squad of V.C. enter the board behind a patch of jungle, trying to take out the tank

Cpl. Kern called over to Frey, "Since when do we have a track star for a medic?" Frey laughed and said, "He's great, but don't get too close to him! He likes to step on booby traps." While the two team leaders watched, Frank patched up the new guy, Hartline, and pulled him to his feet. They began walking together towards where Warfield was firing into the elephant grass, suppressing the enemy machine gun team. Suddenly, Frank and Hartline both dove for the ground. There was a "Pop!" "You gotta be kidding me!" Frey laughed. "Frank did it again -- he stepped on another booby trap!" Kern looked a lot more concerned than the sergeant did. "Oh, don't worry," Frey called over. "He's always okay. It's the people around him that have to watch out. Warfield? Frank? Hartline? You guys okay?" It seemed only Hartline was hurt,. Frey looked over at Kern, caught his eyes, and smiled.

    The V.C. move into the patch of jungle, unaware that puts them in line of sight of Sgt. Frey's team

Eventually, the LMG team was dispatched. Frey told Hartline to limp to the rear and see if the tank was ready to move out, yet. As Frank walked by him, Frey just shook his head. "How many times do I have to tell you, Speedy Gonzalez? WATCH where you put your feet..." he chuckled. Just as Frank was about to reply, the jungle to their right and front erupted in AK-47 fire. "Shit," Frey cursed, "that's out of Warfield's line of sight!" He called out instructions to his team, then fired off a burst. He saw one V.C. fall. He heard his buddy, Carter, open up on the new enemy, too. Warfield, after relocating yet again, laid down a long staccato burst of machine gun fire. He stood up carefully, peering forward. 

    Cpl. Kern's forward position opens up on the V.C., mowing down a few in the elephant grass

"They be down, Sarge, but Elliott and Johnson are hit!" Frey cursed again, and shouted instructions for which guys to come and help carry them to the rear. Frank was already off, racing towards the wounded men -- doubtless not looking where he was going! Behind him, he heard the sound of a tank engine gunning to life. In front, Lt. Fickell was ordering everyone to pull back -- the tank was fixed and ready to move out. Kern walked up to him, his gaze directed towards where Frank was checking over Pfc. Elliott. "Couldn't they have fixed that about five minutes earlier? Your guys okay?" he asked Frey. The sergeant replied he hoped so, they'd know if a few minutes. Meanwhile, the team leaders directed their men to exfiltrate to the rear. He hoped Elliott and Johnson were okay. They were both relatively new, but shaping up well.

    2 V.C. on the left  are too close to Pfc. Pace for Kern's liking, so he tells Cpl. Tatum to light them up!

In all fairness, I have to say that my squad had excellent luck when it came to the Event Card deck this game. Plus, our rolls to avoid enemy fire were fantastic. Up until the final batch of V.C. activated, only one guy had been wounded, and he was soon on his feet as Walking Wounded. My rolls to avoid enemy fire crashed on the final two, though. Still, I was happy that I had good luck rolling on the Down chart for them. I came up with a Walking Wounded result and a Lightly Wounded one. 

    Pfc. Johnson lobs a perfect M79 grenade shot into the midst of the V.C. closing in on the right

Unfortunately, the trend downward continued when I rolled on their recovery time. All three would miss at least one month. Pfc. Elliott would get to enjoy the rear for a month while he recuperated. The FNG Hartline would be off to Da Nang for two months, as his wounds were slightly worse. Poor Pfc. Johnson, in only his second month in country, was badly wounded enough to be sent to Japan for three months. Yikes! Three guys "Down," and three guys gone for next mission! At least Cpl. Boston would be back, though (the normal M-60 gunner). Also coming back was long-lost Cpl. Hawk, returning from three month's recuperation from wounds suffered when he dropped his own grenade (after being hit, to be fair!). Doubtless, he would get some grief from the squad for that!

    Squad's first casualty of the game, and wouldn't you know it was an FNG, Pvt. Hartline?

Still, June's mission is now complete and the squad is halfway through its year in Vietnam. Kern will likely be promoted to sergeant, so we will have two good, Veteran team leaders and it appears a lieutenant who can be trusted. Are things looking up for my squad of the Big Red One? Stay tuned to see...!

    V.C. light machine gun pops up and opens fire on Frey's team from the elephant grass on their side

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2026

• Miniatures acquired in 2026: 95
  
• Miniatures painted in 2026: 34

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2026

• Terrain acquired in 2026: 0
  
• Terrain painted in 2026: 21

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2026

• Scatter acquired in 2026: 2
  
• Scatter painted in 2026: 24

 

    Mortar fire from the V.C. crashed through the squad's position throughout the game, hitting no one

    Final trio of V.C. riflemen to pop up and open fire, unfortunately downing 2 members of the squad

 

    Bad luck! Pfc. Elliott and Pfc. Johnson go down to the unexpected fire of a small squad of V.C.

Big Red One Escapes Viet Cong Ambush in 'Perilous Paddies'

    The Big Red One crossing an area of rice paddies when the Viet Cong spring an ambush on them

I created this scenario for my Surviving 'Nam rules after reading a book called The Boys of '67: Charlie Company's War in Vietnam by Andrew Wiest. The author calls the incident from the book, which I was replicating in this scenario, the company's baptism of fire. It was the first time C Company took significant casualties during their deployment. I realized that was not necessarily a good omen for my squad of the Big Red One that I am following through their year "In Country!" The scenario has the squad tasked with crossing a series of rice paddies, entering a treeline, and passing through to ford the river. Historically, the moment the point squad got into the middle of the rice paddies, the Viet Cong, deployed in the woods around them in an arc, opened up on them and riddled their ranks.

    The squad at its jump off point about to enter the board and begin wading through rice paddies

For my adaption, the players must send one fire team across the paddies towards the woods until the ambush is sprung. The other squad elements may hang back, as they typically did so that the entire group would not get caught out in the open. Woe to that the poor group on "point," though! However, last mission was a bit of a watershed for my squad, though. A number of soldiers who had yet to miss a mission became Veterans - one third of the way through their tour. In game terms, this means they not only activate one number better on 1d20, but also receive a new "trait" which gives them some kind of bonus. Despite being under strength (four per fire team instead of the full strength five), and also with two new FNGs in the ranks, they are ostensibly more experienced and effective. Would that help them in this ambush, though? We shall see!

    M60 gunner Cpl. Boston & his assistant Pfc. Warfield head towards a Vietnamese tin shack

Looking at my squad, I decided that newly-promoted Sgt. Frey and his fire team would be on point. His most experienced soldier, Cpl. Carter, had rolled the trait called "Point Man." This would allow me to discard one Event Card per turn if he's at the front of the formation. Plus, this would be the first mission for the other fire team leader, Cpl. Cassidy. The new sergeant felt this mission looked too hairy for Cassidy to cut his teeth on, and took one for the squad. He volunteered his own team to be out in front and exposed. He recommended to 2nd Lt. Fickell that he and his radioman head towards a Vietnamese hut on the far left, which had a great view of the rice paddies and woods. If anything bad happened, he'd be in a sheltered place to call in fire missions. On the opposite flank was a Vietnamese tin shack. He suggested to Cassidy to send Cpl. Boston and Pfc. Warfield, the M60 gunner and assistant, to use that as a covered firing position. The rest of the squad spread out along the paddy dikes and thanked their lucky stars they weren't in Frey's fire team as they began sloshing through the ankle deep water towards the distant wood line. Frey spaced his men out in V-shape, and told them to be ready to take cover if they came under fire. 

    Sgt. Frey's (bottom left) fire team is on point for this mission & head across the rice paddies in a 'V'

They hadn't progressed far into the paddy when the shooting began. As each soldier splashed faced down into the shallow water, they heard the crack of rounds going overhead. Frey grimaced. The V.C. had done them a favor and sprang their ambush way too early, he judged. He and his men were still fairly far out and the fire they were receiving was inaccurate. He risked raising his head and could see what looked like two bunkers with machine guns firing at them -- one straight ahead and another to their right. The wood line all around the arc facing them was lit up with muzzle flashes and the sound of AK-47 fire. Definitely some serious shit!

    To the squad's left, V.C. riflemen open up on the Americans from the Western woods

Behind him, Cpl. Cassidy cursed as the ambush was sprung. He yelled for the lieutenant and radioman to hustle into the hut. Then he raised his M-79 grenade launcher, popped in a flechette round and sighted in on the closest squad of V.C. blazing away at them from the left. BOOM! Cassidy grinned, "Got you bastards!" Several of the dark clad figures fell to the ground, and he could hear screaming. "Get off your asses," he yelled at his team, "put some rounds downrange." Around him, the new team leader saw several raise their heads and fire off bursts at the closest bunker. The machine gun inside kept firing, though.

    Even more dangerous, a bunker conceals a V.C. machine gun team in the North woods

On the far right of the line, Cpl. Boston dashed to the tin hut, took cover, then popped his head back around the corner. "Aww, shee-yit!" his shoulders slumped. He was out of line of fire of the closest bunker's firing slit. The stocky black soldier put his head down and sprinted back towards the rice paddy, passing up his assistant gunner Warfield who had been following him. Boston hurtled the paddy dike, steadied his M60 on the top of it, and squeezed off several bursts at the bunker. The machine gun inside went silent, but he guessed he hadn't killed the gunner, and had instead just suppressed him for a moment.

    Another squad of V.C. in the northern tree line along the river -- the squad's objective

Back in the paddy, Frey yelled back to his new M-79 gunner gunner to move up along the paddy dike and start pumping out rounds. He turned back towards the enemy and sighted at the nearest patch of woods. There was one! He squeezed off a round and saw a V.C. thrown backwards. "Gotcha, asshole!" He glanced over at Cpl. Carter, up on point. He was firing off bursts at the enemy until an avalanche of shots impacted all around him. As the point man ducked down behind the paddy, he was showered in mud and water. He saw Pfc. Otis dart by to his right and take cover behind the same dike . He fired several bursts at the bunker, and Frey swore he saw one of Otis' tracers go directly through the firing slit. The machine gun paused in its firing, then resumed again after a few moments. The volume of fire from the woods and the other bunker shifted to Otis, though, who was also showered in splashes. Frey saw him hurled backwards and yell out. He rolled around a bit then lay flat with just his head above the water level of the paddy, calling out that he'd been hit. "Damn it," Frey cursed. "Medic!! Frank, get your ass up there and check on Otis."

    Another bunker and a V.C. rifleman in the Eastern woods on the squad's right

The sergeant smiled as he saw Frank sprinting through the paddy. Man, that guy was fast! The medic plopped down next to Otis and began checking him over. Frey noticed his new FNG staring wide-eyed over the embankment. "Johnson - fire some rounds, dammit!" He watched the newbie sight along the short barrel and pull the trigger. The grenade sailed well past the V.C. he was aiming at and exploded in the woods beyond. "Okay, now bring it in a bit." Johnson loaded another grenade and changed the trajectory. This one exploded way in front of the V.C. in the woods. Frey drawled, "It's okay, Johnson...we got all day. You have them bracketed - focus!"

    2nd Lt. Fickell & radioman Cpl. Byars shelter in a villager's hut as they try to call for a fire mission

Behind Frey, Cassidy was ordering Cpl. Tatum to sprint into the nearest woods and get within grenade range of the bunker. Tatum shook his head and splashed off in that direction, pausing at the last paddy dike before the open ground. "Maaan, why that Chuck gotta pick me for the job?" He missed his friend and previous team leader, Griffin. He wouldn't have ordered Tatum to do something so Gung Ho -- he would have done it himself! On the other side of the line, assistant gunner Warfield had the same idea, though. He shouted for Boston to cover him and sprinted towards the woods that the right-hand bunker was located in. He crouched down as he got out of the enemy machine gun's line of fire. Whew -- made it! So far. He reached into a pouch attached to his web gear and pulled out a fragmentation grenade. He looked at it. "I ain't pulling your pin just yet -- I remember what happened to Hawk!" Warfield began to creep closer to the woods, M16 in his left hand and grenade in his right.

    Cpl. Cassidy's perfect shot with his M-79 grenade launcher takes out several V.C. in the West woods

Meanwhile, Frey saw where Tatum was heading and guessed his mission. He aimed at the last of the muzzle flashes in the closest woods and fired off a long burst. He replaced the magazine, satisfied the muzzle flashes or AK sounds did not recommence. He looked back to his right just in time to see Johnson pump his fist and grin ear to ear as his third round landed in the middle of the V.C. squad he'd been firing at. "Good shot, Johnson! We'll make a soldier out of you, yet..." Another shout from the paddy drew his attention. Pfc. Elliott crouched and pointed, "Boston is down!" Frey cursed and yelled for the medic. Apparently, the M60 gunner had lost his duel with the machine gun in the right hand bunker. 

    Team leaders Cpl. Cassidy in center & Sgt. Frey to his left lead from the front & direct their men

"Somebody put a smoke grenade in front of that damned opening!" Up ahead, he saw Carter rummaging through his equipment and then hurl the grenade. It flew true, but landed short of the bunker opening. Still, purple smoke began to shoot up and slowly spread over the area. He chuckled as Carter shouted "Purple haze!" and mimicking Jimi Hendrix's guitar riffs. "I want fire on that bunker straight ahead now!" Frey called. He saw tracers impacting around it, but the machine gun kept up its fire. The squad was pinned down by the V.C. all around them, but they were beginning to kill some of the enemy. Suddenly, there was the whistle of incoming mortar rounds. He saw them explode beyond the bunker, then slowly walk their way forward until a solid hit sent dust and leaves flying everywhere, obscuring their view. "Well, it is about time you got into the battle, L.T...!" he mumbled.

    Cpl. Tatum sneaks into the West woods after his comrades have gunned down most of the V.C.

Frey looked over to check on Tatum's progress and saw him slipping into the hopefully now V.C.-free woods. On the other flank, Elliott was splashing towards Boston. He paused, confused, as Pfc. Otis sprinted past him towards the rear, screaming something that sounded like "F-ing snake!" Frey chuckled. Well, at least that meant Otis was okay! Spec 4 Frank was moving towards Boston, too. Frey heard splashing to his left and saw Cassidy shouldering his M-79 and firing a grenade off. Another V.C. in the woods was tossed backwards by the blast. Cassidy grinned. "Not who I was aiming at, but what the hell...?" Suddenly, he grabbed his shoulder, and cursed, crumpling to the ground. "God damn it -- I'm hit!" Frey ordered Johnson to go check on the stricken team leader. Johnson stumbled through the paddy water and sank to his knees next to him. There was a sharp "Thwack" and Johnson pitched forward on top of Cassidy, also hit. 

    Meanwhile, spurred by my poor activation rolls, the V.C. activate & pour fire into the Americans

On the squad's far right, Warfield had almost reached the woods when he heard Vietnamese voices shouting. Suddenly, a squad of black-clad V.C. darted around the trees and between him and the cloud of purple smoke. Thankfully, their eyes were focused on trying to locate his buddies in the rice paddy through the thickening cloud. He could see their expressions, their eyes wide and jaws clenched with fear. Probably what he was doing right now, too, Warfield thought. He froze, hoping the V.C. wouldn't notice him. Crouching slowly down, he pulled the pin and counted. Then he underhanded the grenade at the lead soldier. It bounced once, twice, and rolled still. He ducked, watching, as it exploded exactly when the squad had run to center themselves over it, completely unaware. His ears rang from the explosion and he stood up and began running back towards the rice paddy. He risked a look over his shoulder and saw all five V.C. soldiers sprawled on the ground, some motionless, some writhing in obvious pain.

    Squad's mid-game positions -- note Cpl. Tatum infiltrating on left & Pfc. Warfield on the right

As he neared the dike, he saw Lt. Fickell across the paddy burst from the hut and shout to the squad, "We're pulling back, people! Grab the wounded and fall back! Choppers are on the way to rocket the Hell out of this place!" All across the paddy, soldiers were helping their comrades to their feet and assisting them in moving to the rear. Another smoke grenade popped and sent out expanding, yellow tendrils of smoke, covering their rear. Warfield shook his head when he saw Spec 4 Frank half carrying his friend Boston through the paddy. Warfield ran over and wrapped Boston's other arm around his shoulder. Together they carried him, splashing through the shallow water. Pfc. Elliott jogged past them and held up Boston's M60, "I got his hog, Warfield..."

    BOOM!! Squad's one & only fire mission finally arrives and inflicts damage on the North bunker

Frey watched the squad leave, sending out long bursts of covering fire, and counting as each man left the paddy. When Tatum ran past, Frey turned, and waved at the lieutenant. He and his radio man had been spraying M16 fire back and forth through the trees. "Let's go, L.T.! We're the last ones..." The three jogged off, crouching down to present as little as a target as possible. Frey shouted to Lt. Fickell, "Well, that could have gone worse. Good job with the fire mission, sir!"

    Point man Cpl. Carter tosses a purple smoke grenade to block the East bunker's field of fire

As Sgt. Frey said, that scenario could have easily gone worse for my squad. I rolled high enough that the pre-battle phase, which I call "Countdown to Contact," ended after my squad members had proceeded forward for only one turn of movement. This meant we were still at fairly long range for the V.C. However, with two bunkers with machine guns, they had us outgunned for the moment. That wasn't helped by losing M60 gunner Boston for one turn of fruitless movement that put him outside of arc on the bunker. He raced back and was able to suppress one of the bunkers, but the V.C. were un-Pinning at a high rate and the machine gun was quickly back in action each time. Speaking of Pins, my point man Carter and his buddy Otis collected so many Pin markers from the fusilade of shots directed their way that I seriously wondered if they would ever be able to act! 

    The smoke causes a V.C. squad to leave the woods & advance - much to Pfc. Warfield's surprise!

However, Sgt. Frey (and I) soon realized the key was to follow the mission's objectives. The squad is permitted to pull back once they inflict as many casualties on the enemy equal to their own numbers (13 U.S. soldiers, so 13 V.C. casualties were needed). So, when firing at the bunkers proved to be a difficult shot, we switched to targeting the two V.C. squads shooting at us. Still, one thing was holding my guys back -- our crappy activation rolls! It was amazing how many guys who should succeeded on a 6+, 7+, or 8+ on our 20-sided die would rolled two failures! Time and again, we'd pin the machine gun team in the bunker only to have it un-Pin on an Event Card drawn because of someone's failures. When the "All Hell Breaks Loose" card came up, and all V.C. on the table activate, it was nerve-wracking rolling all those dice to avoid my guys being hit!

    Focused on the rice paddy, the V.C. don't see Warfield or the grenade he tosses into their midst!

The lieutenant's fire mission came in much later than it probably should have, all but silencing one of the bunkers. Cpl. Tatum, sneaking in the woods, did the third and final hit with one well-aimed shot. We had to resort to a smoke grenade to block off the line of sight of the other bunker when my M60 gunner went down, though. The moment that saved the squad, bringing our casualties inflicted on the V.C. to above 13, was when Pfc. Warfield tossed that grenade into the middle of the V.C. squad in the open. They were relocating because the smoke blocked their line of sight of any of my men, and Warfield hit them at just the right moment. Finally, I could pull the squad back, and limit the losses we'd suffered.

    Time to go! The squad begins to gather up the wounded & get ready to pull back from the rice paddy

What were our losses? Pfc. Otis turned out to be okay -- the bullet had hit a piece of equipment and knocked him backwards. I did have three wounded to roll for -- Cpl. Boston who was "Messed Up" and had to be carried from the field; Cpl. Cassidy, who was Lightly Wounded, and my FNG Pvt. Johnson, also Lightly Wounded. Both Johnson and Cassidy rolled "Bad Luck -- soldier returns for next mission" (a little bit of grim Vietnam humor). Their wounds were light enough they could be treated back at base. I was nervous about Boston, though. He was easily my most effective soldier the squad had. His traits were "Gung Ho" (which meant he activated on a 6+ as a Veteran) and "Handy With That" (which gave him a +1 to shooting rolls with his M60). Losing him would be a huge blow. However, I rolled high enough on the chart that he would be out for only one month. Woo-hoo!!

    Squad leadership ensures all soldiers are out of the rice paddies before exiting themselves

The squad has now survived five months "In Country." Frey's team lost no one, but will still be under strength one until Cpl. Hawk comes back in July. Good news, though, Cpl. Kern returns to duty next mission, relieving Cassidy of being team leader -- which he didn't like anyway. That brings that team up to full strength. We will need a new FNG assistant gunner for a month (Warfield will carry the hog for a mission). Speaking of him, for a little bit of storyline, I decided that the medic, Spec 4 Frank, saw Pfc. Warfield's heroics with the grenade. He wrote it up very colorfully for Lt. Fickell, who has decided to put him in for a Bronze Star. Will he get it? Hopefully, he deserved it!

    Illustration done by Andrea Sfiligoi of Ganesha Games -- possible rule book cover?

I had a lot of fun with this mission and am really enjoying playing these games. The way the dice rolls and event card deck naturally ebb and flow, with good rolls, bad rolls, and same with cards, really make the game unpredictable. You feel like all Hell is breaking loose at times, and at other times are praying for that 20 on an activation roll (extra action) or the next Fire Mission card. You cheer when one of your guys plops a grenade down in just the right spot. Fun stuff! 

So, how close are these rules to being published? Well, I want to include 12 scenarios for a year's worth of missions. I have some more to write up and play test before I have 12. So, once that stage is done, I'll be ready to begin layout. Stay tuned for more adventures of the Big Red One in Vietnam!

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2026

• Miniatures acquired in 2026: 6
  
• Miniatures painted in 2026: 24

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2026

• Terrain acquired in 2026: 0
  
• Terrain painted in 2026: 2

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2026

• Scatter acquired in 2026: 0
  
• Scatter painted in 2026: 16 

Rescuing a Downed Chopper Crew in Vietnam (Scenario Playtest)

    Pfc. Carter of the Big Red One searches a patch of jungle for the missing & injured helicopter crew

After the flurry of playtests of Surviving 'Nam in November, things have been kind of quiet here on my blog about Vietnam. I have been busy writing the campaign rules section, as well as researching the squad organization for the various nationalities that helped South Vietnam resist its communist insurgency. However, I still need to get some scenarios play tested, so it was time for another solo game. I had been wanting to get the Big Red One back out into the field for awhile, and see how Cpl. Frey and the boys are progressing in their year-long tour.

    In the 'Downed Airmen' scenario, two wounded crewmen are in one of the six interior terrain pieces

With the loss of Lt. Cooper and Cpl. Kern in the Perfect Ambush scenario last month, the platoon needed some reorganization in leadership. A new "butterbar" lieutenant, 2nd Lt. Fickell, was given the platoon, while Pfc. Griffin was promoted to corporal and given charge of Cpl. Kern's fire team. They also received a new "cherry" from stateside in the form of Pvt. Elliott to bolster the squad's ranks. It was none to soon, as Lt. Col Meyer called Fickell and his NCOs together with an urgent mission for the squad. A helicopter had gone down in their operational area due to enemy fire. Weather had closed in soon afterwards, and the aerial rescue had to be scrubbed. It was up to the Big Red One to truck it out there, as close as the roads could get them, and beat the bushes to try and find any surviving crew.

    My 'chopper down' terrain piece I created for my post-apocalyptic games stood in well for this game

The scenario called for a heavily-wooded board. In the center, I placed a crashed chopper model I'd created for my post-apocalyptic games. The wounded crew would be either in that terrain piece or one of the other five on the interior of the board. It would be a race against time, though, as the V.C. were assumed to be actively searching for them, too, wanting to take them prisoner. "Keep your asses moving, Fickell - you understand?" Lt. Meyer stared at the new lieutenant, then at each of the team leaders. They all chorused affirmatives or "Yes, sir!" Cpl. Frey took Fickell under his wing and suggested parceling out the M60 team to his team, and that he and his radioman, along with the medic Specialist 4 Frank, go with Cpl. Griffin -- the newly promoted leader for the other fire team. 

    Cpl. Frey (center) moves his fire team up quickly through the clearings in the thick jungle tabletop

Frey and his men deployed in the gap between wooded sections on the left while Griffin and his group did the same on the right. Each sent a point man quickly forward, with the rest following behind slightly more cautiously and grabbing cover where they could. Frey motioned Pfc. Carter towards a patch of jungle giving hand signals to move fast. Carter nodded and jogged towards the trees. Frey motioned his bloop gunner Cpl. Janowicz to take cover in the trees to their left, while the machine gun team of Boston and Warfield were sent into the trees to the right. The FNG Elliott stood staring wide-eyed into the dense undergrowth. "Elliott!" Frey hissed. "Go with Carter." The terrified soldier nodded, his eyes wide, and moved off slowly after Elliott.

    As Pfc. Carter prepares to search a patch of woods, Frey positions his fire team in cover

On the other side, Griffin sent Pfc. Tatum and his M79 bloop gunner Pfc. Cassidy into the patch of woods to their front. He followed behind, while motioning the C.O., his radioman, and the medic into the trees to their left. "No use all of us getting gunned down in an ambush," Griffin thought, and then followed his two point men. He had been reluctant to take on leadership of the team when Kern got injured. However, the platoon sergeant told him that, before he was medevaced out for his "Da Nang Holiday," Kern had recommended him for the spot. Griffin shook his head. He guessed it was the least he could do for Kern, who had always treated him as a valuable member of the fire team. Griffin scanned the trees ahead. "Come on, flyboys, where are you? Let us find you and get the Hell out of here!" he whispered.

    In a stroke of luck, Carter finds the two wounded crewmen in the first patch of jungle he searches!

Frey's head jerked up when he heard Carter's voice from the trees ahead, "Jackpot -- got 'em! They're injured, but okay." The corporal mouthed a silent "Holy Shit!" How could they be so lucky as to find them in the first patch of woods they searched? Sure enough, the injured crew chief had seen Carter coming and called out to him quietly. He was crouching over one of the pilots, who was in obvious pain and would need help going anywhere. The crew chief looked like he might be able to limp out on his own. He told Carter to bring the pilot out and motioned to the crew chief to come towards him. He frowned as he saw the crew chief wincing with every step -- his back probably got badly wrenched on impact. Frey motioned the FNG Elliott to help Carter with the pilot.

    As luck would have it, the Viet Cong squad arrives in a nearby stand of trees just as we find the crew

"Heads up," Janowicz whispered from beside him, "we got company." Frey heard them too, now. At least a squad of V.C. were moving through the vegetation in the woods up ahead and to the left. Frey stayed in cover instead of moving to help the crew chief, and crouched surveying the woods. He saw movement -- there they were! He could tell by the excited chatter that Charlie had been seen his men, too. Frey aimed at a shadowy figure and fired off a 3-round burst. There was a scream and he saw the shadow fall. Beside him, Janowicz snapped his bloop gun's barrel shut, sighted, and pulled the trigger. While the grenade was on the way, the handy Janowicz was loading another, raising it, and firing it off, as well. Two flashes of orange brightened the jungle and more screams indicated he was on target -- as usual, Frey thought. Janowicz had probably bagged more V.C. than anyone else in the platoon. He was glad he had him on his fire team! 

    Another V.C. squad and rifleman arrive fortuitously on the far edge of the table

The V.C. in the woods began to fire back, wildly, obviously shaken by the sudden deaths of their companions. Suddenly, another burst of AK-47 fire rang out, but from behind and to the left of he and Janowicz. More and more bursts rang out and he could hear the angry bees of their rounds in the trees over his head. Both he and Janowicz hit the dirt, looking over their shoulder trying to locate the new enemy that had outflanked them. Just as he was about to yell for Boston, he heard the rhythmic bursts of his M60 gun, hosing down the patch of woods where the AK-47 fire was coming from. Their shooting stopped momentarily, but soon started up again. Janowicz yelped in pain and mouthed, "Muthaf -- ow! I'm hit!!" Frey raised up to shoot again at the first batch of V.C. Boston probably couldn't see them with the a thick cluster of trees in his way. He hoped the M60 gunner and his assistant could keep the new V.C. off of his and Janowicz's backs. He shouted for the medic, not exactly sure where Spec4 Frank was in all of this mess.

    The V.C. are also hunting for the downed crew and would come running when the shooting started

Tracers streaked through the woods, both from the squad and returning fire from the V.C. He heard more gunfire coming from where Griffin's team was, also. What had looked like a cake walk was fast becoming a snafu. A bullet smacked into the tree just about the corporal's head and he ducked. Looking up, Frey saw Pfc. Otis race through the clearing to Carter's side. Together, they began moving the pilot more quickly back towards the shelter of the woods while sniper rounds whistled through the vegetation around them. He saw the crew chief still standing there, wincing, and Frey yelled at him to get a move on. The trooper began to slowly hobble after Carter and Otis. Frey squeezed off a 3-round burst and saw another V.C. fall. There was the whistle of incoming mortar rounds overhead and several flashes as they impacted in the V.C.'s woods. "Get some, L.T.!" Kern whispered.

    An overhead table view showing our positions and where the V.C. arrived just as we found the crew

There was a rustle of vegetation to his right as Spec4 Frank darted up to take a look at Janowicz's wound. He bandaged the cursing bloop gunner's thigh. When he tied it off, he tapped him on the helmet. "You should be good, now," the medic said. Janowicz nodded, grimaced, and let Frank help him to his feet. Together they two began to shuffle back towards the rear. "BOOM!" What the Hell? Frey cursed and turned around. Both the medic and Janowicz were down. One of them must have tripped a booby trap. There was another whistle and a mortar round impacted near Frey, showering him with dirt and leaves, but luckily no shrapnel. 

    Frey watches as Carter carries the wounded pilot from the woods, with the crew chief limping along

"Warfield," Kern yelled to Boston's assistant, "I need some help here -- both Frank and Janowicz are down!" Bandoliers of M60 ammo jangling, Warfield sprinted to the medic's side. He shook him, and turned him over, then started to chuckle. "Man, you are the luckiest SOB ever, Doc! You ain't hit at all...again! You just got your bell rung!" Frank shook his head to clear it, and checked each of his limbs to confirm it was true. Once he realized he was unhurt, he turned to Janowicz. He turned him over, eliciting a yelp from the bloop gunner.

    Hearing that Frey's team has found the airmen, Cpl. Griffin (right) sets up in woods to cover them

"Doc, did you really step on another tripwire?" Janowicz groused. "What is that, three missions in a row?" he tried to laugh but it turned into a hiss of pain. "Get me up and let's get out of here!" The two once again struggled to their feet, though Janowicz seemed to be in more pain than before. He leaned on the medic who directed him to the rear. Frey gave a thumbs up to Warfield, who sprinted back to Boston. Frey stood and jogged to the limping crew chief and took one of his arms and threw it over his shoulder. "Let's go, buddy. Let's get you guys back to base!"

    A V.C. sniper pops up due to an event cards drawn in response to my soldiers' activation failures

Firing had died down as the V.C. in close proximity had all been killed or suppressed. He could hear shouts in the distance, which meant more were on the way, though. Yeah, it was definitely time to go! As they moved back down the trail towards where the truck had dropped them, he did a quick head count. Everyone was there, but Griffin appeared to be hurt, too. He was being supported between two of his team members, and didn't seem to be conscious. His head lolled with each step Cassidy and Tatum took. So, Janowicz and Griffin appeared to be the only wounded besides the helicopter crew. They'd had worse missions, sure. But god, he hoped those two would be okay! They were squared away soldiers, and their loss would hurt the platoon seriously.

    Bloop gunner Cpl. Janowicz is right on target, as usual, with his aim against these two V.C.

This game was relatively short compared to some of my other play tests. The Big Red One was very lucky to find the helicopter crew in the very first of six patches of woods they had to search. I also rolled well to get them three Countdown to Contact turns before the Viet Cong arrived. As soon as we found the helicopter crew, though, the doo-doo seriously hit the fan. Still, my die rolls in general were good. The M60 gunner Boston probably took longer than he should have to suppress and kill the V.C. that outflanked us. Lt. Fickell had himself a hell of a first mission, though. He shot and killed two V.C. riflemen and then accounted for two more with a Fire Mission. Griffin was out of action and looked "messed up" early in the shooting on his flank. Luckily, Cassidy (whose bloop gun had quickly accounted for a V.C. sniper that was troubling Frey's team) and Tatum were on hand to drag their new team leader back to the rear.

    Holy crap! An outflanking V.C. squad appears in the same patch of jungle as both Janowicz & Frey

Now, would my luck hold for two more rolls? I needed to roll for the recovery of the wounded Griffin and Janowicz. First, I rolled for Janowicz. "Lightly wounded" is +4 and "Made it off table" is another +1 (you want high on the roll). I picked up the 20-sided die and rolled a one! Noooo! Janowicz scored a "Million Dollar Wound." That leg must have been worse than it looked. The squad will miss Janowicz big time as he was flown back to the States to recuperate from his wound. They were called "million dollar" because they were bad enough to keep you out of Vietnam for the rest of your tour, but caused no debilating permanent injury. I rolled low for Griffin, too, who "Lost a Limb." Crap! All those good rolls throughout most of the game and suddenly my dice go cold right when it matters! That was two squad members gone for good!

    INCOMING! V.C. mortar round lands perilously between a half dozen U.S. soldiers

Lt. Fickell and the platoon sergeant would have to put their heads together and figure out how to piece things back together in time for the next mission. There was definitely going to be some promoting to do to fill out the ranks. And speaking of which, all of the original survivors who hadn't missed any missions due to injuries would be promoted to Veterans after this game. That means they activate on 7+ instead of 8+ for each action. They would also receive a second roll on the Trait chart (which are positive bonuses to accomplishing certain tasks). So, even though the squad lost its deadliest shooter in Janowicz, they should see an increase in effectiveness. 

    The badly wounded pilot has almost been carried to safety by Pfc. Carter and Pvt. Elliott

The mission was a lot of fun to play. The idea came from Bob, one of my U.K. play testers. I made some tweaks to it and will make a couple more after this play through. Surviving 'Nam continues to be fast, fluid, and full of unexpected twists and turns. I'm having a good time following the adventures of Cpl. Frey and the boys. The rules seem to flow well and provide an entertaining game that creates believable results. I am going to keep playing through scenarios (and hope my play testers do, as well) and give it that final push to write the last of the rules. Then it will be time for editing and proofreading.

    Spec4 Frank, the medic, has been a magnet for booby traps -- here he triggers another one!

Stay tuned to see what's next for the Big Red One's fifth mission in their year in Vietnam!

MINIATURES Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2026

• Miniatures acquired in 2026: 6
  
• Miniatures painted in 2026: 6

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2026

• Terrain acquired in 2026: 0
  
• Terrain painted in 2026: 2

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2026

• Scatter acquired in 2026: 0
  
• Scatter painted in 2026: 4 

    Cpl. Griffin, in his first mission as fire team leader, is carried off the battlefield unconscious

    The squad exfiltrates through the elephant grass and has almost reached safety of the board edge