Historicon Q&A Session with Pete Simunovich

by Tom Burgess

On the last Day of Historicon, Pete Simunovich and John Matthews of Battlefront sat down with a group of gamers to discuss the current changes and the near future plans for Battlefront, Flames of War, and Team Yankee. This article is an effort to share that discussion with the larger Flames of War and Team Yankee communities. Though I cross-checked my notes with others present at the Q&A to try to make sure I was as recounting the comments as accurately as possible, the reader must keep two caveats in mind with this article. One; the comments that follow are what I thought I heard. There is ample room for misunderstanding and misinterpretation. Two; Battlefront plans two years out. Anything below that will take more than two years to get to is subject to change.

Before I get too much into the nitty-gritty details, let me thank both Pete and John for talking with the gathered players. Let me also note that they were very keen to hear our comments and ideas to improve Flames of War and Team Yankee going forward. Pete took many notes and was willing to listen to any and all issues. I hope those of us present did a good job representing the Flames of War and Team Yankee Communities.



Flames of War Version 4
1) "First to Fight," the next Mid-War book, will have US Tank, Armored Rifles, and Rifle lists.
2) There will be a later British MW book (Rifles/Matilda/Valentines).
3) There will be a later German MW book focused on the 90th Afrika Division that will have FK36(r)s!
4) Dianas will be a "Wild Card" option in the future.
5) In addition to the known US, Italian, and 2nd British and German V4 Books, there will also be an Airborne forces book with both Fallschirmjagers and Paratroopers.

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Viet-Nam, 1952, France vs Viet-Minh, Force-on-Force (Fall-In 2016)

I was able to make the drive down from Canada to Lancaster, PA for Fall-In 2016 this year.  While my main goal was to see old friends, buy more miniatures I don't need, and play in the Flames of War singles tournament put on by Kurt Reese for Wounded Warrior Project, I did have a spare day to partake in some other games!  

Anyone who has been to an HMGS convention knows that with the small description of the game in the convention book, it can be tough to discern if the game will be any good.  As soon as I saw the jungle table, I knew I had to try and play it!   

This one features French forces landing from the carrier group "Arromanches" near Hue, in order to clear out a 'ville' of some pesky Viet-Minh.  It used Force-on-Force rules, 28mm scale, and was being run by Pete English.   The game/table also won some award, as the convention organisers paused our game to hand out a prize and take pictures and all that!  As the only actual person on either side who is French (Cdn) I obviously chose to be on the French team!

The 'ville' had only civilians visible, working the rice paddies, though we knew they had a box full of soldiers yet to be seen.  As the french, we had an LVT4 Amtrac,  2 Chaffees, 3 mech platoons initially as tank riders, an Amphib command jeep and 2 M20s.  

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Product Review: Battlefront's Navy SEALs (VUS782)

by Jeff Flint

What can I say...Navy SEALS...need I say any more.  Go buy them.  Now.

Ok...A little more in the review.  US Navy SEALS (VUS782) have hit the Nam in  Battlefront's Vietnam era book release, Brown Water Navy for Flames of War  .

The SEALS add several new options for the US player.  First they are a very adaptable force.  Even though they are only 7 stands you can configure those teams to be all SMG or M16 teams or have up 2 of those teams be Shotgun teams, MG teams and/or M79 Teams.  Add to that their special rules of "Complete the Mission" (similar to Mission Tactics), UDT Training (gives the Pioneer skills when attacking bunkers, and crossing/gapping wire) and special Insertion options that change how they enter the game...By Sea (enter on a PBR), By Air (enter on a UH1 Slick) or Land (enter on ANY table edge)  If you only use 1 squad of 4 teams they also get Recce!  All this 170 points for 1 squad of 4 teams or 235 for 2 squads.  Oh, did I forget to say they were Fearless Veteran?  Well, they are   OUCH!

The other option the add is that they bring with the first Nam raiding mission!  Battlefront has added a Raiding mission called Reliable Intel Mission where a small SEAL force infiltrates a VC hideout does their thing and then exfiltrates.  I am looking forward to playing this over the next few weeks.  Rest assured, there WILL be BatReps.

All right SEALS   Fall...IN!!!  Open Ranks,,,MARCH!!   Dress right DRESS!!!  Sir, the Platoon is ready for inspection.  Ok, lets talk about these troops.

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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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Patrol Boats (VUSBX12) Review

By Tom Burgess,

Flames of War Vietnam not only lets you play in some really cool and very different types of  Flames of War games, it also seems the to make the best of some of Hollywood's Vietnam movies. Indeed, the initial inspiration for the original "Ia Drang" supplement and first special order Vietnam miniatures sets was the movie "We Were Soldiers." Now we can also go up river "Apocalypse Now" style with Battlefront's release of it Patrol Boats boxed set (VUSBX12).

At the cost of $30 USD, this boxed set gives you a pair of U.S. Navy Patrol Boat Riverine or PBR.

The hulls and superstructure of the PBR were a single, well cast, pieces of resin.  They are about 3.5" long.

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Kelley's Heroes (VUSBX11) Review- US Brown Water Navy Force

By Tom Burgess,

www.ww2incolor.com

By far one of my favorite period to play Flames of War in is the Vietnam war.  I suppose this is in part due to my Father’s service in Vietnam, but even more so I think is because Flames of War Vietnam is just so different than “standard” WW2 Flames of War gaming.  Well, Battlefront has pushed the envelope even further away from “standard” Flames of War with the introduction of Brown Water Navy and its riverine combat actions. So I was keen to volunteer to review any products for Brown Water Navy and was lucky enough to nab this assignment.

To let players get started on riverine operations in Vietnam quickly, Battlefront has made available the "Kelley's Heroes" boxed set.

 The set cost $120 (US) and is available in the online store:  Kelley's Heroes (VUSBX11) - Flames of War

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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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Review: Hallowed Ground Terrain - Firebase Trench System

By Craig Baxter

A few months back Hallowed Ground Terrain launched an unsuccessful Kickstarter  for for vietnam terrain.  It included a Firebase, VC trenches, river boats, and village huts.  When the Kickstarter failed to get enough support to go through, the company reached out to those who had pledged to see if they were still interested in supporting the project.  My Dad and I were, so they filled out order from our pledge (thats pretty cool).  We had backed the US Fire Base set to use in FoW Vietnam.

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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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Wargaming Shirts Announcement

New release from Wargaming Shirts.

You might not have noticed but there have been a few changes over at Wargaming Shirts.

First off we now have a U.K. which runs along the current site at Wargaming Shirts UK which is ran by myself, Gary Martin (big –gazza on most forums and a few criminal databases).  This new site allows us to print and ship shirts directly from the U.S and U.K.  This should help reduce delivery times and costs to our international customers.  All designs will be available from both sites, so just pick the nearest location to you and grab your shirt. 

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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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Review: Battlefront's Local Force Battalion HQs (VPABX11)

by Jeff Flint

Finally! Now we have the final pieces to be able to run a Local Forces Battalion in Flames of War.  The recent PDF at Battlefront's website gave us the organization and now we have the actual figures to complete the force with the addition of the Local Forces Battalion HQs (VPABX11).  The box set I am reviewing I bought from my FLGS, The Foundry in Huntsville, Alabama.

The figures are very close to the rest of the figures in the Local Force line and the review I did on the Dia Phuong Quan (Local Force) Company (VPABX10) holds true for these figures as well.  Bottomline, these guys are great. I used the same paint scheme on these guys as I did for my previous force (as listed in the review above)

There are several new sculps...mainly the HMG, Recoilless Gun and Mortar crews as well as a few leaders. Using the 9.25/10 overall score for company box set as a base, this Battalion HQs set raises the score to 9.5/10.  The detail on the Leaders and NCOs brings the score up another 0.25.  We'll talk about the new additions as we go over the pictures.

Headquarters:

Notice the scarf on the team's leader on the right?

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Review: Battlefront M42 Duster (AJO161)

by Eric Lauterbach

AJO161 Jordanian M42 Duster

The Battlefront Jordanian M42 Duster AJO161  is an essential piece of kit for anyone building a Jordanian army. Developed and produced in the 50s by the US Army as a mobile AAA platform it was soon found in many countries around the world. The US Army had almost phased the vehicle out by 1963 but the Vietnam War revived the Duster and several battalions were reactivated. As a low level AAA platform the Duster served well in the Jordanian Army as well since most of their Air Force was wiped out in the first day. I had purchased a couple of Dusters for my US forces in Vietnam pack VUS161 and had not put them together yet so the Jordanian was my first go at it.

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Review: Pink Team Assemble! The Cobra and Loach in Vietnam.

Let's do this!

By Throck "T-Rock" Morton

One of the biggest draws of the new-ish Vietnam briefing book, Tour of Duty, for Flames of War is the helicopters.

I mean, who doesn't want to field flying death machines in force? So, when our benevolent overlords at Battlefront sent along a Loach and two Cobra kits recently of course I wanted to paint them up.



Plus, I just got my first airbrush rig, so this gives me the perfect opportunity to whip it out and start brushing.

Armed forces regularly use "hunter killer" set ups in various different ways, where the "hunter" acts as a spotting team and the "killer" does... well he does the killing. From Bradly AFV's and Abrams tanks to snipers and spotters, the team works together to get rounds down range in the most effective way possible.

Due to the nature of the fighting in Vietnam, quick reaction close air support was a necessity. Thus was born the "Pink Team," consisting of one OH-6 Cayuse or "Loach" (from an observation or "White" team) acting as spotter while the venerable Hueycobra or a UH-1B Hog (from an attack or "Red" team) did the killing.

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Review: Battlefront M113 (AJOBX01)

By Eric Lauterbach



When I was told I got to review the Jordanian M113 box AJOBX01 I said YEAH!!!  I had purchased two of the US Vietnam era boxes (VUSBX07) already and had not put them together so this was my chance to dig into M113.  First let me say wow, the sprues as they come out of the box are overwhelming. It's target overload.  Since the Jordanian box is the same box as the US M113 with all the variants you get a ton of extra pieces if you are only doing the plain Jordanian version.

So my first step, and I highly recommend you do the same, is to go find the battlefront assembly guide and study the pieces you need.  I did and I still messed up some hatches. This was my first all plastic Battlefront tank model and I was impressed with the quality, but I did add extra crew that you do not get in the box set.  Hey, these are for my personal army and I want them to be cool. 

In both the US and Arab boxes the two sprues pictured above allow you to build one vehicle.

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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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Flames of War Vietnam: Resistance Teams Review

by Jeff Flint

I reviewed one half of the units in the Local Resistance Company (VPABX10) box set released by Battlefront for Flames of War in this post. Now, I get to talk about a cool addition to any army of the communist menace...I mean freedom fighter...I mean...never mind....we get to talk about the Resistance Teams!!!!  Again, for matters of full disclosure, this boxed set is one that I purchased from my FLGS.

One thing that makes these figures cool is that they are non-military sculpts (at least non-military sculpts that serve a gaming purpose :-/ ). We have farmers, Grandpa taking rice to the market...Grandma carrying a basket...and a young mother with a little baby in her arms.  Talk about a different color palette!

These teams represent the nastier guerrilla fighters...the punji stake diggers...the IED planters...the Booby Trap Bubba.

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