Tropic LighTning - Flames of War

Other missions in VietnamUsing the Standard Flames Of War Missions for Vietnam GamesBy Phil YatesWhile the Tropic Lightning booklet has four new Vietnam-specific missions, you can still play all the standardFlames Of War missions from the rulebook and the website (www.FlamesOfWar.com). These will play verydifferently in Vietnam due to the US Army’s helicopters and the PAVN’s guerilla tactics.The two standard fair fight missionsare Free-For-All and Encounter. Theseare normally straight-forward headto-headbattles, the only differencebetween them being that the players havereserves coming in from turn three inEncounter. When playing in Vietnam, theVietnamese special rules make them intovery different missions.Thanks to the ‘Guerilla Reserves’ inOther Missions rule (on page 35 of theTropic Lightning booklet), the Vietnamesestart with only one platoon (Vietnamesecompany) on the table, but when theirreserves start appearing, they are likely toappear behind enemy forces threateningthe objective - ready to either attack themfrom behind or attack objectives leftvulnerable by the enemy advance.Combined with the Vietnamese ‘Bornin the North to Die in the South’special rule that allows them to putdestroyed companies back in reserve,the battle loses its linear character,forcing the US player to be ready toblock continuous surprise attacks andmaintain secure flanks while advancing.Counterbalancing this, US airmobileforces are excellent in this sort of missionas they can land infantry right beside theobjective on the other side of the tableearly in the game.The defensive battle missions also playvery differently. The ‘Charlie Ownsthe Night’ special rule means that if theNorth Vietnamese do end up attacking, itwill be at night. If they are defending, theattacking American forces will be subjectto a continuous series of ambushes thanksto the ‘Guerilla Reserves’ special rule.The Us player’s big advantage at the startof the battle is that they’ll only be facinga single Vietnamese company. Theyneed to take advantage of this and attackhard, trying to win the game before theVietnamese ambushes bog them downand whittle away their combat power.When defending in Hold the Line or NoRetreat, the Vietnamese player startsweak, relying on their determination tofight to the death and massed B-40 andB-41 rocket-propelled grenades to keepthe Americans at bay until their guerillareserves start hitting the US forces inthe flank. Once that starts happening,the American player will be strugglingagainst a steadily mounting casualty listas they try to clear a path to the objectivewith their massed firepower.Fighting Withdrawal changesdramatically in Vietnam. With theVietnamese attacking, it makes agreat game where the US forces areattempting to break contact underfire. The battle starts at night and theattacking companies spring up fromall over the battlefield, forcing the USplayer to maintain an all-round defensiveposture as their force slowly evacuates.If the Vietnamese are defending, theVietnamese forces actually grow duringthe first part of the battle as they race tothe battlefield to give their headquarterstime to remove crucial papers andsupplies from an underground tunnelcomplex before abandoning the position.Even once you’ve played all of thebooklet and standard missions, thereare still plenty of new challenges. Getaccounts of actual battles and modifythe missions to create your ownscenarios. The Tropic Lightning News(www.25thida.org/TLN) and other unitwebsites are terrific sources for this, as isthe US Army’s Center of Military History(www.history.army.mil).So, what’re you waiting for soldier?Saddle up ’n’ move out!40