Product Review: Battlefront's Sampans from Resistance (VPABX12)

By Jeff "SonBae" Flint

In the new-ish Brown Water Navy book for the Vietnam Era of Flames of War the Local Resistance forces get some interesting new watercraft. Notably, Brown Water Navy adds Sampans to the Organization chart for the Local Forces. To help new players they have updated their old VPABX10 Local Forces with a new Local Resistance box set VPABX12 that includes all the land based Resistance teams, but also adds a Sampan option for each team.

Now if you're a new player this is great; all your Resistance options are there in one box. However, if you're on your 2nd tour of the Nam you already had land based teams from VPABX10.  Insert sad panda mode....but STOP right there mister (or miss)!!!! I will share two little tricks that can help you maximize your purchase. First, you can sell half the Sampans with the land based figures and make some of your money back, because in a river fight you can never go full Sampan. The other method is to modify your Sampans with some extra figures or, like I did, just cut the rice/straw bundles off of the land figures and add them as cargo to the Sampans

I mean the Sampans have to be carrying something...right?

This review will focus on the Sampans in VPABX12. I covered the land based teams in a this article.  Since those figures are exactly the same, I wont cover them again.

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Vietnam Action: ANZACs vs PAVN in Blocking Force

By Steve MacLauchlan

It had been quite a long time since Sean and I got in a game of Vietnam, and he had yet to see his ANZACs on the table, so we decided it was time to remedy that!








Australian List (from easyarmy.com)

PAVN List (from easyarmy.com)

Points wise, this was on the large size of our Vietnam games, but we chose to roll with it. We decided on Blocking Force- a mission we hadn't played yet. The Elephant grass was very tall, blocking infantry further than 6" and offering concealment to all infantry. The ANZACs were the attacker.

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Attack on Firebase "Eagle" US vs NVA

By Eric Lauterbach and John Sulek

Here is the base perimeter with wire all the way around it, some poor
Engineer officer is going to get sacked
after this nights attack for the design and layout of this base.

Another game from our WWPD Wounded Warrior game day was the second part of our Vietnam series attack on the firebase.  The first part being the NVA's attempt to isolate the base by killing supply convoys, which didn't work!  So near the DMZ Firebase "Eagle" is crushing communists with its heavy 155 fire, attempts to neutralize the base by fire have failed due to the US Army stationed M109 (VUSBX08).  Its excellent survivability against incoming fire from the North has made firebase "Eagle" a number one target for Uncle Ho!

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"NAM-voy" Battle report US light Truck company Vs. NVA

 by Eric Lauterbach

On WWPD for vets day we decided to try out my new Vietnam Light Truck Company, in a Vietnam convoy ambush. During the war, the flow of supplies to forward operating bases were constantly under attack as the NVA would attempt to isolate a base from supplies before an assault on the position.

With the constant ambushing of supply convoys, the US Army Transportation Corp started to develop Guntrucks. While not a new concept, as the French developed this tactic as well, the US took it to new level of firepower.

For our game the US had 5 guntrucks, 3 armored cars, and a convoy commander jeep. To defend 20 utility vehicles full of supplies for fire-base "Eagle". The NVA Battalion had two companies with extra weapons attached to each. We both also have reserve platoons to bring on after turn 3. To play the game we were kind of on uncharted ground on how to play the supply trucks. I settled on the trucks would get 5+ save and then the NVA would have to make firepower test to destroy the vehicle and the contents inside.  A hit in assaults of course would also do the trick.

Poison Ivy at the head of the convoy.

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Unit Spotlight: Dac Cong (Special Tasks) Company

In both the Tour of Duty and The People's Liberators PDF we find the Dac Cong (Special Tasks) Company as a support option for a PAVN or Local Force Battalion in Flames of War's Vietnam battles.

The Communist Forces in the Vietnam war made great use of Combat Assault Engineers aka Sappers.  These soldiers were tasked with cracking the enemy defensive line for the rest to follow through.  They were adept at getting very close before opening up the assault.

www.easyarmy.com

O-M-G!!!  Lots of goodness here.  Recce Pioneers with flamethrowers that can get as close as 2 inches away from the enemy with their Recce move in darkness or dawn missions? ... and they are Fearless Veteran also?!?!?!? Holy Crap Batman!  Battlefront captured the essence of the Sapper for sure.

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Tieu Doan Dia Phuong Quan (Local Forces) Battalion Army List Review

http://www.victorymilsimevents.com/load-out---viet-cong.html

By Jeff "SonBae" Flint

Alright you lot...listen up! There is a new force you might be facing in the jungle...this block of instruction will give you just that little bit of an edge you will need to come out victorious.

Until now, you have only seen 2 Local Force Companies at most in a PAVN list.  Well, these black pajamas boys...and gals...have started taking to the field in full battalions.  This creates a whole new set of issues that you need to be ready to face.

Yesyesyesyesyesyes and YES!!!!! I have been waiting for this PDF since I first opened Battlefront's Tour of Duty force list for Flames of War. In Tour of Duty, you could take a Tieu Doan Bo Binh Infantry Battalion with up to two Local Force Companies as Support Platoon options. I know, as of the writing of this article the list is still “Under Review,” regardless, I just couldn't contain my glee and had to share my thoughts and wanted to see if I see what y’all see.

OK, why does the Dia Phuong Quan (Local Force) Company in Tour of Duty sing to me? It’s the sneaky feel they have…from the black pajamas…to the Resistance Teams…to the Booby Traps…to the special rules.  Everything just screams “NAM!!!!!” to me, more so than the Bo Binh Infantry list.

This goodness gets ramped up in the Battalion list. So let’s look at the differences between the Bo Binh PAVN List and the Local Forces list. Comparing the Ironclad Battalion list is just too different and is a topic for later discussion.

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AAR "Ambush Alley" - Road Block Mission in Tour of Duty

by Tom Burgess

I had always thought that Road Block, a Version Two Flames of War Mission that did not make it into Version Three, would be great for playing out missions similar to that actions that occurred along “Route 9” during Operation Lam Son 719, the infamous “Ambush Alley” during the Vietnam War. My friend Charles and I had already been planning to resurrect the V2 Road Block Mission. Our plan was to use his ARVN Cavalry Squadron versus my PAVN Infantry in a fight to keep the VC from cutting the main supply route. So, when Wargames Illustrated #311 came out with the updated Road Block mission we jumped right on it and set up the following battle.

The most important thing about setting up the Road Block mission is that you must have six feet of road that runs along one side of the board. It has to be entirely between 8” from the one of the long edges of the board and 8” from the center of the board.  We have been using a lot of light “jungle” in our previous Tour of Duty games, but for this one we just used a lot of normal jungle/woods and then left the area in-between as clear.

 The battlefield looking down “Route 9.”

The Jungle areas are normal woods. The rice paddies are slow going and have bullet-proof cover for infantry along the bunds (edges). There is a dry stream bed on the other side of the village that is very difficult going, and provides bullet-proof cover as well as concealment.

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AAR "Blocking Force" - ARVN vs. PAVN in Tour of Duty

by Tom Burgess

Following our “Road Block” game where my PAVN Battalion defeated Charles’ ARVN Cavalry Squadron, in a high action game of Tour of Duty, Flames of War's Vietnam rule set, it seemed natural that the ARVN forces would try to breakthrough and reopen the main supply route by pushing back the PAVN forces. So we chose “Blocking Force” as our next mission to play from Tour of Duty.

The board we played on was similar to our last set up, but this time the area between the “jungle” was head high elephant grass. This meant that everything was concealed and line of sight from inf/gun teams to inf/gun teams was limited to 6.”

The battlefield.

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Vietnam AAR: Hot LZ!

After Sean and I's last game, Sean was eager to try the airmobile list.  We decided to add some offboard artillery to each list and try out the "Hot LZ" mission again.  We've been taking turns as the US and PAVN, so I was also eager to try the PAVN with the 2 platoon strong companies and see if I could push the Imperialists off their LZ.  The Elephant Grass is waist high, providing concealment to all troops and guns on the ground.

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Vietnam AAR: Indian Country (Airmobile)

Sean and I were able to get in a Memorial Day game of 'Nam, and with my 2 Cobras, 2 Loaches, and 2nd PAVN company (almost...) complete, we decided to do an Airmobile battle. We settled on the mission "Indian Country". It was my turn to play the Americans, and I was excited to have so many gunships on the table!

Steven's Airmobile Infantry HQ + Medic Airmobile Platoon Airmobile Platoon 4x Slicks Pink Team w/ 1 Loach and 1 Cobra Pink Team w/ 1 Loach and 1 Cobra Heavy Hog w/ Grenade Launcher

Sean's PAVN Infantry Battalion HQ + 4 Booby Traps 2 Platoon Strong PAVN Company w/ 2 LMGs 2 Platoon Strong PAVN Company w/ 2 LMGs 3x Type 54 AAA Guns 6x 75mm Recoilless Guns

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Product Review: Battlefront PT-76 (K-3)

Soviet PT-76 using shipping containers for cover after an Amphibious landing!

With Battlefront's release of Vietnam Tour of Duty kits, it is such a blessing for folks like me who do a bit of 'Cold War Gone Hot' and the PT-76 release is no exception.  I have to admit, I knew next to nothing about Soviet armor, and initially thought these were BMP personnel carriers (A bit of knowledge from playing Battlefield 3) but turns out they were one of the very first amphibious light tanks, used as recon and by the Soviet Navy for landings.  Since I am doing Cold War gaming as the 'Red Team', I knew these would be right up my alley!

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Contact! Contact! Contact! A Vietnam AAR

A "Tropic Lightning" Rifle company is on a routine patrol, when suddenly an enemy of unknown strength engages them! With Armored Cav nearby, waiting to react, the US push forward. Sean and I decided to try out a book mission for the first time, deciding on Contact! Contact! Contact! Up until now, we've only done quick and dirty homebrew scenarios. With about 930ish points per side, we figured a full board would work out okay. Sean is up to play the US, and he is excited to get some tracks on the ground. We aren't sure how the US will do at Confident Trained, having only played them as vets up until now!

Sean's US Rifle Company (25th Infantry) HQ + Medic + Medevac + C&C Chopper Rifle Platoon Rifle Platoon Armored Cavalry w/ 4 ACAVS and 2 Pattons Huey Hog 105 Battery (fire support w/ 3 tubes)

Steven's PAVN Infantry Battalion HQ + 3 Booby Traps Infantry Company w/ 1 Platoon and LMG Infantry Company w/ 1 Platoon and LMG Recoilless Gun platoon w/ 6 Type 52 75mm AAA Platoon w/ 3 Type 54 AAA 130mm Artillery (fire support w/ 6 tubes)

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PAVN Anti Aircraft

The type 54 12.7mm Machine Gun (The familiar DShK for all of you soviet players!) was widely used by many nations.  In Flames of War Vietnam, the PAVN have access to these "Dragon Killers" as a means to keep pesky choppers at bay!

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Vietnam AAR: Here comes the Cavalry!

Our good buddy Brian Fuller was visiting Richmond recently and swung by for a game. He was curious to give Vietnam a shot, so I whipped up 2 lists that featured basically everything I had painted, and came up with a quick and dirty scenario.

Brian's US Airmobile Infantry HQ + Medic + Medevac Airmobile Infantry Platoon + Aviation Platoon w/ 4 Slicks Aeroweapons Platoon: 1 Hog Rocket Artillery: 1 Frog Armored Cavalry (CT): 4 M113s, 2 M48A3 Pattons

Steven's PAVN Infantry Battalion HQ + 2 HMG Nests 1 Platoon Strong Company w/ LMG 1 Platoon Strong Company w/ LMG 6x 75mm Recoilless Guns 3x Type 54 Dshk AAA MGs 3x 130mm Artillery (off board)

Choppers approaching the LZ

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PAVN Recoilless Guns

After playing a few games of 'Nam, it became clear that the PAVN need some heavy weaponry.  Fortunately, combining pieces from the Battalion HQ box and Weapons box, you can make a full unit of Recoilless Guns 6 strong.

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'Nam AAR: Get to the LZ!

Sean and I decided to try out another 'nam game to get some of our new terrain on the board. We didn't use an existing mission, but rather just whipped up our own scenario on the spot. Since the last game we played had the US defending an LZ, this time we wanted them up and out of their foxholes and hoofing it to an LZ. We were fast and loose to keep the game exciting as we went along, since our primary goal was simply to get familiar with the unique 'nam rules and forces. The Buffalo grass was waist high, essentially giving concealment to all infantry and man-packed guns in the open. The US started with their infantry platoon and independent teams with the choppers in reserve. The PAVN started with nothing on the board, and everything in Guerilla reserve. Neither force will be subjected to company morale checks.

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US Aircav defends a hot LZ!

With my first Flames of War PAVN company completed, I just couldn't wait to play a game of 'nam!  Having a scant 350ish points per side, we assumed the game wouldn't be all that exciting, but figured we could at least learn the mechanics.  We were in for a treat!

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First completed PAVN Company!

As you know, I've been bitten by the Flames of War 'nam bug!  But, so far, I'm really the only one in my neck of the woods, so I decided I needed to do both sides.  Not a problem!  However, a fairly large volume of PAVN troops are needed (they're actually not as huge of a horde as I initially thought though), and so I decided to try a new speed painting technique.

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First Nam Game: US Blackhorse vs PAVN Infantry

My first game at WWPD4VETS was my first game of 'nam!  I was playing against Glenn on a table setup by Eric Lauterbach of I95 fame.  He also generously loaned me his PAVN.  Glenn was running the US Blackhorse Cavalry.  His list (from memory) was 1 big cav platoon w/ 3 Sheridans, and 4 M113s + HQ M113s, a unit of Zippos, 2 M48s, and a unit of armored mortar M113s.  All of his tanks were beautifully painted- but not a chopper in the sky!

Glenn setting up

My list was a PAVN Battalion with 2 companies (each of 1 platoon, 1 with an extra LMG), a unit of recoil-less rifles, 2 units of 3 AA guns ea, 3 of the decoy civilian teams, 120mm mortars (off board), and 130mm guns (off board).  The mission we decided to play was Contact! Contact! Contact!

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