Chopper Down! Specialty Terrain Piece

    A helicopter has gone down in a ruined cityscape - a specialty terrain piece for an upcoming scenario

I was trying to think of something to lure my post-apocalyptic survivor gangs back into another free-for-all after their last cooperative scenario. Someone on the excellent Lead Adventure Forum suggested a downed aircraft in the city. Each gangs wants to scavenge ammunition and tech from the wreck before the others. Since my campaign is based around the Terminator concept with the apocalypse being the war between the sentient Machines and humans, this fit in well. I decided to use as my wreck a helicopter, with the story being humans fighting back were using it against the Machines when it was shot down.

`The chopper wreck lies partially on its side, having crashed into a building and mostly destroyed it

The helicopter in question is one of the $2.99 ones in the bins at Menards home improvement store, where I picked up many of my die cast vehicles. I also decided this would be a perfect time to tinker with the pack of flickering tea candles I'd bought a couple months back. My idea would be that the chopper came down in an urban area, so I'd have a shell of the walls holding it up and it would be resting on the tea candle. I broke out the plastic windows (except for the front) and used wire cutters to trim away the bottom and one of the sides of the helicopter. The candle was still too large (or the wreck too small) for the candle to be essentially inserted into the underside. I decided to try slicing away the top of the candle, and that worked. I found out that really you need only the bottom half of a flickering tea candle for it to remain intact and keep flickering.

    The brick pattern base and the ruins were painted and readied before gluing the chopper into place

I used some Acheson Creations stone and wood post fence pieces to create "U shape", then added more bricks to enclose the wreck on three sides. The base was a piece of brick-patterned styrene plastic from Hobby Lobby. I cut a hole out for the candle to pop in through the bottom (so I could replace it if and when the battery died). I also added in lots of coarse ballast painted black and dry brushed gray like the rest of the stone walls to represent rubble and debris. I even recycled a few slivers of the tea candle's top as pieces of the helicopter torn off onto the ground.

    Two rotor blades were "snapped off" and embedded in the walls, the others bent by the collision

I had fun with the rotors, too. First, I trimmed off two of them and then embedded parts of them in the fence. The other two were bent at an angle to give it even more of a wrecked look. I had painted the walls and bricks first, then glued the spray painted black chopper in place. I used Tacky Glue and hopefully it holds. It seems pretty secure. I added some dark olive to the chopper here and there on the parts that would be furthest from the flames. Finally, when I was satisfied with how it looked, I stuffed in batting (pillow stuffing) and teased it out through the open windows. Then I turned on the candle and was pretty happy with the look of flames still flickering inside the helicopter.

    A final look at the downed helicopter, which you will hopefully see in a few weeks in a scenario!

All in all, I'm fairly happy with how it turned out. I won't win any contests with it, but it should add to the "cool" factor of a nicely set up tabletop! What's next, terrain-wise? I have several corner wall sections primed that I bought from Diabolical Terrain at Advance the Colors 2023. I also am getting ready another 3-D printed ruin from Jarls Workshop. So, stay tuned...more on the way!

Miniature Painting & Purchasing Tally for 2024

• Miniatures purchased in 2024: 15
• Miniatures painted in 2024: 21

President of Kammebalango's Nightmare Motorcade through Capital

    I ran my "To Kill a President" scenario for Wars of Insurgency at DayCon 2022 this past weekend

I wanted one final tuneup of my Wars of Insurgency scenario that I am taking to Historicon next weekend. So, I scheduled an afternoon session this past weekend at DayCon 2022 for "To Kill a President." It is a reworking of a scenario that I had first run in 2018 at Advance the Colors. For this version, I added a sixth player faction. I wanted to run it to make sure things still ran relatively okay. I also pared down and reworked the order of battle a bit more, too, so things would move quickly with six players.

    The table at DayCon (and rule books) all set up prior to the start of the game

The six factions include the President in his motorcade of two jeeps with heavy machine guns (HMG) and two up-armored SUVs. Inside these four vehicles are the drivers and two extra crewmen or passengers of "Professional" status (best troops in Wars of Insurgency). The player controlling the faction decides which vehicle the President will ride in, and where in the vehicle itself. They can choose between one of the two SUVs or two jeeps. He can't be a driver or machine gunner, though!. On the President's side is the Peoples Militia of Kammebalango. They are immensely loyal to the "Great Elephant," and are there to escort him the president and keep him safe. They control three squads of 10 Militia with small arms. Each squad also has a Militia light machine gunner (LMG) and RPG man.

Players read through their mission briefings to learn their individual goals & victory conditions

Opposing the President is one of the local army commanders. He is from a rival tribe whose people have been neglected, mistreated, and persecuted by the president's regime. The general has brought soldiers loyal to him in a bid to assassinate the president. They are riding in two armored vehicles, each equipped with a HMG and an extra crewmen. Each vehicle also carries a squad of four Regular soldiers with small arms and one with LMG. Also attempting to prevent the president from escaping off-table (he is on his way to the airport to fly to Cairo for a meeting of African leaders), is a Mercenary faction. These have been hired by an unnamed country who wants to have a "chat" with the president to convince him to sign away some mining rights to them. Their job is to kidnap the president and take him to the undisclosed location where the "chat" will take place. They arrive in two helicopters, each armed with a LMG, and each carrying a squad of four Professional mercs with small arms.

    'Kammebalango for Kammebalangans' (K4K) arrives on table through the park playground

Slightly less anti-president is the faction of UN Peacekeepers from Ghana. For their own selfish political reasons, they do not want the president of Kammebalango to attend the meeting in Cairo. Their forces have been ordered to divert or prevent him from escaping off the designated board edge heading to the airport. They are NOT to kill him -- that would be a disgrace to the nation of Ghana if their peacekeepers killed the president of their host nation. The peacekeepers are all on foot. They have two Regular squads of eight men armed with small arms, plus a LMG and RPG gunners in each squad. Finally, the forces of a new and somewhat mysterious movement are present in the capital - Kammebalango for Kammebalangans (K4K). They also have two squads armed identically to the UN peacekeepers. However, their mission is to attack and drive off any foreigners. They believe only citizens of Kammebalango should determine the future of the nation.

    The Peoples Militia of Kammebalango marches down the dirt road to meet the President's motorcade

So, the way I intend for it to work out is there are three factions somewhat on the president's side, and three factions who are somewhat (or wholly) against him. They all have their own individual victory conditions which do not coincide perfectly. Even the goals of the intensely loyal People's Militia are subtly different than the President's. Each faction doesn't know the other players' goals, so it is a bit of a free-for-all rather than a straight up, two-sided confrontation. I ended up with five players signed up, so Jenny volunteered to play the role of the President since she will actually be helping me run this scenario at Historicon. I am also running Mean Streets, so she's giving me a break or two from GMing. She was there to observe and learn, and what better way to learn than to be thrown into the role of the President and his motorcade, trying to navigate the streets safely to the opposite corner of the table?

    As gunfire erupts in the streets, two helicopters hover over the downtown streets of the capital

The game opened in a relatively low-key fashion, with two squads of the Peoples Militia advancing down the alley, cheering as they met the Great Elephant's motorcade on the main street. A third squad began sneaking down the long table edge behind the buildings, climbing the chain link fences separating each apartment block from each other. To the President's right, the two squads of K4K advanced through the park playground and took up positions along the wall, making his bodyguards very nervous. Gunfire first erupted, though, from the Peoples Militia climbing the fences when they spotted the Ghanaian peacekeepers. One blue-helmeted trooper went down. With the sound of gunfire, all the forces on table suddenly became alert, fingers on their triggers.

    The rebellious army commander's troops roll onto the table inside two APCs, ready for a fight

More shooting was about to erupt, though. The armored vehicles of the rebellious army commander rolled onto the table almost precisely where the President would be trying to exit. They moved steadily towards the intersection with the main street, down which the motorcade was progressing. Turning the corner, they saw the President's jeeps and SUVs, escorted by a massive throng of the militia, all headed towards them. BRAAAAP!! The gunner on the HMG opened up on one of the President's escorting jeeps. The other Armored Personnel Carrier (APC) turned the corner and opened up on the same jeep. Sparks flew and the vehicle shuddered to a stop. Its occupants were Professionals, though, and immediately began firing back, pouring rounds aimed for the driver's observation slit. With two jeep-mounted HMGs hosing down the APC, one round made it inside, killing the driver of the lead vehicle. It rolled forward past the median and slowly ground to a stop. 

    Blue-helmeted peacekeepers march onto the table and take up positions on the Jersey barricades

Gunfire erupted up and down the main street, echoing off the walls of the downtown buildings. The sound of the gun battle reverberated back and forth, at first masking the sound of the rotor blades of two khaki-colored helicopters suddenly arriving overhead. One of them hovered inches above the hotel's roof. Four white mercenaries leapt out and raced for the trap door, leading to the ladder from the roof to the building's top floor. Soon, the clamor of the helicopters began to drown out the sound of the gunfire. With the arrival of the mysterious choppers, two other factions leapt into action. The K4K squads clambered over the park walls and advanced down the alley way. One squad of UN troopers dashed along the concrete Jersey barricades between the street and the hotel. The other squad ducked through a side door into the neighboring, three-story apartment building. Half of those blue helmeted troopers dashed upstairs to the second floor, as well. From there, they engaged the militia they could begin to see advancing down the street. The militia had fired first, after all - at least that was how they interpreted their rules of engagement!

    Cheered on by the jubilant militia, the President's bodyguards escort him down the main street

The APCs continued to fire upon the militia and the bodyguard. The second jeep was also disabled, but both HMGs were still operational and firing back. The militia added their small arms fire to that of the bodyguard's, as well as keeping up a running gun battle with the UN troopers. Everyone kept eying the hovering helicopters, which so far, had yet to tip their hand why they were there. As the helicopter over the roof lifted off, the two switched places, disgorging another squad of mercenaries onto the rooftop. Suddenly, one of the choppers descended abruptly to low level, alongside the three-story apartment building. The crew chief's LMG roared to life shattering the glass and riddling the second floor firing position of the Ghanaian peacekeepers. The Mercs were firing on the UN! 

    The tiger-striped K4K troopers spring into action, vaulting the park walls and advancing

The blue helmets ducked to avoid the spray of bullets and then returned fire. Sparks flew and bullets ricocheted or pierced the sides of the chopper. From the first floor, an RPG rock screamed skyward and slammed into the underside of the helicopter. The explosion sent red flames rushing out the sides of the aircraft, which lazily spiraled down to the street. It crashed onto the pavement, turning partially on its side as broken rotor blades whirled like deadly scythes through the street. The UN troopers continued to fire on the wreckage. Both pilots were killed, but the crew chief was able to sprint from the wreckage for safety.

    The President's escorting HMG-armed jeeps begin to take fire from the rebel's APCs

Meanwhile, the president's bodyguard had a decision to make. There was a lot of shooting and flames in the intersection they had been rolling towards. Talking back and forth by radio, the bodyguards decided to turned down the alley behind the Shell station. Maybe the SUVs could work their through the alleys and rejoin the main road beyond the intersection? They kept their eyes on the tiger-striped, K4K troopers who seemed to have no interest in them. Both K4K squads disappeared in the direction of the intersection. One of the squads ducked inside the Shell station and took up firing positions looking across the street towards the hotel and the diner. The  other crept alongside the buildings towards the same intersection.

    A huge gun battle erupts in the streets as the milita and bodyguards return fire on the rebels

The bodyguards in the disabled jeeps kept firing on the rebel soldiers. Both APC squads dismounted and scrambled for cover along the front of the gas station. One squad eventually worked up the nerve to get back into the fight and moved to the corner of the building and opened fire. The other passed by the K4K, giving them a wide berth, and ducking into the service bay of the Shell station. There they watched the opening, ready to engage the motorcade if it came that way.

    UN troopers take up a firing position on the 2nd floor of an apartment building overlooking the street

Meanwhile, the mercenaries' day continued to get worse. The first squad descended the stairs and into the alley. For some reason, they decided to go around the front of the building rather than rear. The K4K player had been waiting all game for the perfect opportunity and he opened fire. "Die Mzungu!" Half of the mercenary squad went down, the rest retreating into the diner. The second squad, hearing the gunfire erupt where their companions had gone, wisely ducked around the back of the building, making their way towards where the President would have to exit the board. 

    Chopper down! Concentrated gun & RPG fire from a UN squad forces shoots down a Merc chopper

The UN troopers celebrating the downing of the helicopter were surprised when the militia squad, which had been clambering over fences, suddently burst into the first floor of the apartment building. A point blank range gun battle erupted. Wood splinters, stuffing from chairs, and shattered glass flew into the air. The UN troopers were badly outnumbered, even when their mates from the second floor hurriedly clambered down the stairs to join them. The Ghanaians eventually fled the building and joined their other squad at the Jersey barricades.

    A K4K squad takes up a firing position overlooking the diner and hotel (and some rebel infantry)

The key moment of the game was approaching, though. First, one SUV zoomed past the service bay of the Shell station. The rebel soldiers fired into the engine block and tires, hoping to disable it. Bodyguards, with their red berets, fired back. The first SUV successfully ran the gauntlet and accelerated through the gas station's lot. But was that the one carrying the President? Then it was the turn of the second SUV. It also braved the rebel soldiers' gunfire. It also made it past without being disabled, these being special up-armored limos purchased from the United States. As it turned out, the passenger in the back seat of the second SUV was the President. Had the troopers known this, and fired upon him rather than the vehicle itself, they could have won the game then and there. However, his armored limo escaped only slightly damaged, and the President's driver hit the gas and accelerated to safety. 

    Return fire from the President's bodyguards and the militia begin to whittle down the rebel ranks

We'd reached the three hours allotted for the game, so we decided to call it a Presidential victory. The surviving mercenary squad decided to exfiltrate rather than block the president's exit. The UN had come under fire by K4K, too, so knew they couldn't do anything to stop the limos at long range. My players all said they enjoyed the game. I was very happy with how it progressed. Everyone was involved, everyone was firing on rival factions. There was an air of mystery till the end on what some of the factions were doing. So, I liked that dynamic. My favorite part was how it literally came down to the last attack roll of the game. If the rebel soldiers had scored more hits, and the limo had made fewer of its armor saves, the President may not have made it out alive.

    A squad of mercenaries descend the stairs into the alley, preparing to move out

I look forward to my two runnings of this at Historicon Friday night and Saturday morning. The game at DayCon certainly set a high bar, though! It's hard to see how things can go as well as this game, at least from a GM's perspective!

    A full squad of K4K advances towards the intersection, continuing to hold their fire

    A squad of militia burst into the ground floor of the apartment, surprising the UN troopers

    The President's bodyguard decides to turn the SUVs into the alley and try to find an alternate route

    One of the Merc squads wisely advances along the backside of the diner away from the gun battle

    The President's limo and decoy limo turn up the alley - but which is which??

K4K squad fires at the 2nd limo putting two hits on it, but not disabling it - the President escapes!

    The battle's end - a great game with a gripping ending. Most importantly, everyone had fun!

Chopper Down...Salvage!! Post-Apoc Scenario

    One of the many 'bad guys' that showed up to attack the players -- a Machine Patrol bot

I'd been waiting for an available Sunday evening to run the sixth scenario of our post-apocalyptic campaign. After the cooperative game of "Where the Dark Things Gather," this would be a competitive one. In the beginning, players were avoiding shooting each other. Eventually, though, they got into the spirit of it and began blazing away at each other around the smouldering, downed helicopter. The back story was that their survivor gang had seen a military chopper go down but with no resulting explosion. They surmised the pilot must have auto-rotated a soft enough landing, which meant one thing: available salvage!

    The players map out their routes towards the downed chopper in the middle of the board

Only four of my players were available, so I sat out and GM'd the affair. Each started in their respective corner back edge and began moving towards the center of the board where my recently-constructed downed chopper terrain piece was placed. I had six potential salvage spots, two on the helicopter's base and four flung out 10" in each of the the cardinal directions. The center spot was an intersection in a heavily damaged section of a city. Wrecked vehicles blocked sight lines along the roads leading to the chopper. The rest of the board was filled with my ruined buildings and urban scatter that I have been working steadily on now for a couple years.

    The view from my end of the table with the Bass Reeves on the left and the Bucknuts the right

The players were unaware that I had increased the chance of arrival of wandering "bad guys." Normally, after each 10% casualties on the board, something appears -- usually a Machines Scout Bot. As each
subsequent 10% level is reached, they go up to a Patrol Bot, then Military Bot, and (maybe one day) Destroyer Bot. I gave a 50/50 chance that the Scout Bot would be an aerial drone instead. Same stats, but flying. I also gave a 50/50 chance it would be a ground creature drawn by the noise of the gunfire. I had my giant rats (ROUS's - Rodents Of Unusual Size) and feral dogs out, but only the rats arrived other than machines. At one point, I had four bad guys on the board, but it was usually just one or two at a time. In addition, before the 10% casualty level was reached, I gave a 20% chance a bad guy would show up.

    As the Followers of the Dark Prophet were sneaking forward, a Scout Drone appeared in their rear

A new innovation this time (that I will likely continue using), was that I had the players "roll off" to see whose sector the bad guy showed up in. Low roller got the creature or machine. Everyone except Joel had a bad guy show up in their sector. Some of them did no damage to the players -- the Bass Reeves killed the ROUS with a shotgun blast after its first move couldn't contact one of their survivors. Others suffered heavily. The lethal Bucknuts lost two of their four men to a rabid ROUS. Allen's Followers of the Dark Prophet had two guys wounded and downed, but each time luckily drew an Ace or Queen of Hearts next turn to recover.

    Brutus & Jackie of the Bucknuts use the available cover of vehicle wrecks to close in on the chopper

On the section of the board closest to me, the Bucknuts and Bass Reeves deployed opposite each other. They did not advance forward, but both began to shift laterally towards the center. The Bucknuts were the first to dash someone forward to snag salvage that had been flung from the wreck. The Bass Reeves sent Dreadz climbing up the tall, corner ruin to obtain a great sniper spot. He held off on shooting any of the rival survivors until the Bass Reeves were attacked first. Dreadz was also lucky to move early in the turn, when he began his climb. Shortly after he scrambled up a couple levels, a ROUS appeared well within range of where he'd been standing. Frustrated by the disappearance of the human it had (apparently) been stalking, it charged across to the gang's leader, Big Bass. Hearing it skittering towards him, but coming up short, Big Bass stepped around the corner of a building and blasted it with his shotgun. It gave a squeal and went down for good, relegated from a threat to rat burgers with one shot!

    The Bass Reeves stalk laterally through the ruins, using the walls of buildings as cover

Across from the Bass Reeves, firing broke out as the Followers of the Dark Prophet reacted to the sudden appearance of a Scout Drone Bot from behind them. It whirred forward and blasted away, wounding one of the dark-robed survivors. The remaining three members whirled round and blasted away at the drone, Eventually, Dafyd hit a vital spot on the machine and it dropped to the ground. More salvage! Across from Allen's troops, his brother Joels' F Troop was taking advantage of the distraction provided by the drone to advance closer to the smouldering wreck. No signs could be seen of any survivors. Had they escaped on foot, or had the rats gotten to them? No one was sure, but their looked to be all kinds of things to loot from the helicopter -- ammunition boxes, rations, medical kits, and electronic components.

    The Scout Drone is no match for the firepower of the Followers of the Dark Prophet!

At this point, the lure of avarice took over. The survivor gangs ended their unspoken truce and began firing at each other. Ironically, it was Joel's F Troop who fired the first shot -- at his brother! We joke how Allen's wife admonishes Joel every Sunday evening when he picks up her hubby to "not kill your brother!" So, it is a running gag that sometimes they follow her directives and other times all bets are off. F Troop had moved Pvt. Picnic up near the chopper while the other three remained behind vehicles and walls to cover him. Not to be beaten to the punch, Allen moved Dafyd (who'd knocked down the drone) up to contest the salvage. Shots were fired, but both men remained standing.

    A standoff between Bucknut's Jackie and Amram of the Followers, each wanting the salvage

Allen took that as cue to sprint Amram towards the metal box that could be seen on the ground, just feet away from the helicopter. Amram was astonished when Jackie ran up, as well. Both looked from the metal box to the other, sizing each other up. Shots rang out all around them as men and women from all four factions began firing at each other. The "Bad Guys" added to the cacophony as a Patrol Bot clomped onto the board's far edge. Its machine gun had plenty of range, though, and it blasted away and another of the Followers of the Dark Prophet fell to the ground wounded. 

    The firefight around the chopper is truly underway, with all four factions firing at each other

Someone fired at Ned of the Bass Reeves, and that gang of survivors joined in the shooting, as well. Tosh took advantage of the confusion to sprint forward and snag the closest piece of salvage, a duffel bag that looked as if it had been tossed from the helicopter on impact. The players had been careful in the early turns, and minimized exposing their survivors to enemy fire. However, risks were taken now as the desire to snatch up the loot before their rivals overcame their caution. One of the early successes, Wrich of the Bucknuts, had dashed back to what he thought was the safety of the buildings after snatching up a box of ammunition he'd seen lying in the street. He ducked behind the walls, panting from the exertion, relieved that he was no longer in the open street.

    Brutus felled by an ROUS - the second Bucknut to be knocked out of action by the hulking beast

A high pitched shreik from behind him startled Wrich. He turned, horrified, as a ROUS bore down on him. He spun, leveling his rifle, but too late. The giant rat was upon him and clamped him in his jaws. The beast shook him back and forth battering his head several times against the stone walls. Wrich went limp and lost consciousness. In the ruins of the next building over, Brutus saw the attack and inadvertently shouted, "Jesus H. Christ!" The rat heard him, dropped the unmoving prey from its jaws and began skittering towards Brutus. The large man screamed in terror and tried to slam home the magazine he'd been loading into his weapon. He fumbled and the metal magazine clattered to the ground. The ROUS launched itself at Brutus and seized him him by the shoulder. Brutus was a big man, but the rat's weighed dashed him to the ground, senseless.

    As bullets from rival factions ricochet all around, F Troop hunkers behind a burnt-out pickup truck

All the shouting drew the attention of Coach Coop, the Bucknuts leader. He shifted to get a better angle on the rat and let loose a burst of his assault rifle. The creature turned and bared its bloody jaws at him. Coop cursed and drew a bead on its beady eyes and fired twice. The rat let out its last squeal and fell dead. Coop called to Jackie to fall back, and moved up to see if his friend was still alive. Many of the survivors looked up as another Scout Drone whirred overhead, the machine's guns blazing at their human foes. Bullets kicked up all around F Troop's Pvt. Picnic and he fell to the ground, clutching his shoulder. Meanwhile, the Followers of the Dark Prophet called to each other and began to withdraw from the open streets, moving through the ruins towards the table edge. 

    Bucknut leader Coach Coop grimaces at his losses as Joel surveys the field and does likewise

The casualties and increasing number of machines and feral denizens of the city convinced the factions it was time to pull back. Those that could grab some last salvage or supplies did so, while hugging the cover of the ruined buildings. All of them had taken hits and most had at least one of their four out of action. The Bucknuts and F Troop were each down to half strength. Carrying their wounded, they withdrew from the bloodied intersection. Each hoped that the blood spilled was worth the rewards they had gained.

   F Troop utilizes the cover of the ruins and wrecks to move up early in the game

I felt the scenario had started out a little slow, but it picked up speed and was a blazing hot mess by the end. The players were laughing and having a good time spraying their rivals with gunfire at each opportunity. I really liked giving the players "control" over where the enemies appeared by having them roll off. Allen saved his worst rolls for then, but in general his Followers of the Dark Prophet came on top. They picked up two caches of supplies, knocked out a drone, two rivals (Ned of the Bass Reeves and Pvt. Angel of F Troop), and escaped with all four members off-board. His success may lead to future challenges, though, as I give players who lost a member to enemy fire bonus victory points in subsequent missions for exacting revenge and taking out one of theirs.

    Wrich of the Bucknuts creeps closer to the salvage at his feet, while keeping an eye out for enemy

Joel's F Troop took it on the chin, again. I'm not sure why, but fortune has not favored this former army unit in its post-apocalyptic missions. Joel escaped with no supplies and lost two members (both of whom fortunately ended up being just "winged" and okay for the next scenario). The rat-ravaged Bucknuts discovered a weakness in their formerly lethal, long-range tactics. They lost two members to an ROUS, Wrich being just "winged" while fleshy Brutus will recover with some rest time. They did kill one rat and escape with one cache of supplies, so all was not lost.

    Pvt. Picnic goes down to a Machines Scout Drone as F Troops sour luck in scenarios continues

Mike W's Bass Reeves picked up three caches of supplies (which includes carving off enough rat burgers for a feast). They carried Ned off the battlefield (who fortunately was also just "winged") and killed the ROUS. All in all, the players rolled VERY well in their post-battle recoveries. It could have been much worse for them. Everyone seemed to have a good time. Now that I retire in just over a month, we hopefully will be playing more post-apocalyptic scenarios soon. Then again, don't I say that every time after every game??

    The streets are silent as the Machines scour the area looking for human survivors to terminate

Miniature Painting & Purchasing Tally for 2024

• Miniatures acquired in 2024: 64
• Miniatures painted in 2024: 57

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 2025: 6
  
• Miniatures painted in 2025: 6

TERRAIN Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2026

• Terrain acquired in 2025: 0
  
• Terrain painted in 2025: 2

SCATTER Acquired vs. Painted Tally for 2026

• Scatter acquired in 2025: 0
  
• Scatter painted in 2025: 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