Vietnam - Tour of Duty: Major Robinson's Challenge

Covid-19 social distancing rules are a game changer fro the tabletop wargaming experience, but where there is a will there is a way (see below, weather permitting you can always go outdoors - note hand sanitiser for the post figure/dice exchanges - each player having "their own" side's set of dice): 

The venue is Vietnam and a beautifully modeled A3 terrain piece to model a Firebase and three "friendly" villages [from Pendrakon] - (see below, the jungle mat and trees courtesy of the  https://www.themodeltreeshop.co.uk/ with the trails made with the assistance of an electric razor, I kid you not): 

The figures were from Prendrakon's 10mm Vietnam Range (https://pendraken.co.uk/post-war/vietnam/) range and enhanced with flags denoting nationality and factions (see below, red VC and NVA and blue US):

The ubiquitous Huey .. essential for any Vietnam game, transporting the troops from Firebase to village and adding additional support fire (see below, not sure what manufacturer, I just remember it was a very heavy piece of metal): 

The big thing about the helicopter is that it gets the troops there and back in the same turn, not one turn out and one turn back with the constant danger of a VC/NVA ambush (see below, it certainly looks neat):  

The final touch was the playing cards, a normal deck but with nicely styled decals (see below, the game itself is based on Wayne Thomas' Small Wars, in particular .. "Six months in the Sahara" courtesy of the History of Wargaming Project https://wargamingco.blogspot.com/2018/01/small-wars-new-perspectives-on.html (see below, I can highly recommend the book which is available at https://www.amazon.com/Small-Wars-Perspectives-Wargaming-Insurgency-ebook/dp/B079QRN5QV): 

The game is ready to start, the US safely in their Firebase and the friendly villages with orange intelligence counters for the US to collect (see below, oops one of the villages already does not seem to be so friendly with VC and NVA "educating the villagers", so much for a quiet start): 

The Americans have the advantage in the firepower department, hitting on 4, 5, or 6; the NVA on 5 or 6 and the poor old VC needing a six. To the US Player's horror "Charlie" (VC) should never be underestimated in his ability to throw sixes at the most awkward of moments (see below, the US Player gets a nasty wake-up call early on, two boys not going home - also note the flags denoting ownership of the villages, "all bells and whistles" for this game): 

Mid-game action shot, VC and NVA presence in all three villages, the US Player has to clear them out while the garrison is small and before they "grow" too big [the US Player does not want to be drawn into a sucking firefight] and the twist is that only "cleared villages" can start generating the vital intelligence (see below, the game is very attritional for the US Player - intelligence helps generate reinforcements [a positive reinforcement mechanic])

The Huey is not guaranteed (a six being required at the start of each turn) but when it comes it is a good safe way of getting to a village and adds an additional firepower punch (3d6) which is a welcome to the grunts intrinsic squad firepower (see below, "fun-time" here is over quick-time for Charlie): 

As the game progresses the danger is that the US Player gets drawn into "sucking firefights" that draw in resources and linger over several turns. This means that the VC/NVA Player gets stronger elsewhere and the US Players finds himself running from firefight to firefight (see below, the US Player prefers 2:1 odds in his favour .. it just takes one lucky dice throw to upset the balance):   

Night time falls, in character to the setting jungle midges appear in swarms (my bite count was close to twenty [a bald head was a killer here] akin to the tally of US casualties but nowhere near the NVA/VC losses) and the game is lit by an atmospheric "false moon" on the table (see below, the game sequence "pack of cards" has almost run its course and the last turn "Tet Offensive" is about to start): 

After the last normal card is turned "The Tet Offensive" begins in earnest. All on table VC and NVA attack the fire-base, US troops on patrol cannot assist. That caught the US Player with six defenders against ten [4 VC and 6 NVA] attackers, but the attackers needed a natural six to hit, the VC are the first wave and hence are killed first. The dice is rolled and all go down by of the ten NVA/VC dice three natural sixes are rolled. Four more round follow, with shamefully poor US combat dice. Major Robinson and his staff are captured by the remaining three NVA (see below, epic ending to a great game [yes, I was the VC/NVA Player]):  

A great start back to face-to-face wargaming, with hopefully much more to come as normality slowly resumes!