They Were Soldiers and Dak To - Hill 875

by

Cadet Games

 

 This game, or actually games, has done exactly what I love about wargaming. It has presented me with a piece of history that I know little about. So, naturally I had to find books about the two battles. I knew some about the Battle of The Ia Drang Valley, as it was the first time that a group of U.S. soldiers were used in Vietnam en masse and not just as trainers or Green Berets. I had never watched the film 'We Were Soldiers' either. I know, shame on me. I knew next to nothing about the Battle for Hill 875. The way I look at it is you cannot judge a historical wargame without knowing the true details about the battle or campaign.

 Cadet Games gives you both battles inside the box. Let us look at the historical synopsis from Cadet Games:

"At 10:48 A.M. on the morning of November 14th, 1965, the first 80 soldiers of the 1st Battalion of the U.S. 7th Cavalry landed in a small clearing at the foot of the Chu Pong Massif in central Vietnam near the Cambodian border.  The Americans had landed in the middle of the base area for an entire North Vietnamese division, and were almost immediately attacked from multiple sides of their small landing zone - called ‘LZ X-Ray’.

The battle raged over the next several days, with high losses on both sides.  In the end, the Americans had proved their new airmobility tactics and had inflicted high losses on the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) soldiers they faced.  The NVA had also learned how to fight the Americans - and had inflicted serious losses on a high-tech superpower enemy by using classic light infantry tactics with only a fraction of the firepower available to the Americans.

This game challenges the players to re-fight the first day or so of that battle - the critical time when the NVA forces had the chance to overwhelm the Americans and overrun the landing zone.  Can you, as the U.S. player, hold your ground and repeat history?  Or will the NVA player triumph and overwhelm the perimeter - cutting the Americans off from supply and reinforcement?  Get ready to re-live or re-write history in the battle for LZ-Xray!

At 09:43 A.M. on the morning of November 19th, 1967, the lead platoons of the 2/503rd Airborne Infantry began advancing south up the north face of hill 875 in the central highlands of Vietnam near Cambodia.  The Americans, just 330 strong, expected to face a company of the NVA.  The pre-assault bombardment by aircraft and artillery had created much deadfall, craters and holes in the thick jungle.

The battle that followed became one of the bloodiest in the Vietnam War.  The NVA had been expecting the Americans and had a plan of their own.  The 2/503rd was nearly wiped out but was quickly reinforced by their 4th battalion.  The battle for the hilltop raged for days with serious losses on both sides.  In the end, the Americans took the hill - but the NVA had slipped away with many of their soldiers to fight again."

Map for the Ia Drang Battle

 So, both battles have the U.S. player definitely on the backfoot. Your job as the U.S. is to survive the onslaughts. If playing as the Vietnamese, you must try and destroy the U.S. units without using up all of your troops to do so. 

 This is what comes with the game:

32 NVA And Vietcong Soldiers

20 U.S. Cavalry Troopers

2 105mm Howitzers

3 Huey Helicopters

2 A1 Skyraiders

1 Mortar

50 Number Markers

40 NVA Unit Markers

40 Wounded Markers

30 NVA Markers

100 Gray Chips

40 White Chips

23 U.S. Unit Markers

30 Bright Green Chips

50 Olive Drab Chips

20 Green Chips

5 Downed Huey Markers

78 Game Cards

10 Fire Mission Markers

2-Sided Mounted Map

1 Rulebook

1 Battleboard

1 NVA Reinforcement Card With Hidden Unit Boxes

1 Cavalry Reinforcement Card

1 Fire Support Layout

2 Status Markers

1 Initiative Marker

1 Game Turn Marker

2 Landing/Take Off Hex Markers

15 Airborne Unit Markers

2 NVA AAA Unit Markers

2 NVA Mortar Unit Markers

10 NVA Bunker Markers

1 Spooky Marker

 This is quite the list!

 The map is mounted and double-sided. The maps are very nicely done and really show off the terrain you have to deal with. Both Maps show a smaller area than you might have thought. The scenarios for the battles are very early in each battle and only show the part of the terrain that matches with the beginning of both battles. Think of it as a map of one of the fortified positions of Dien Bien Phu and not the entire valley. I cannot go over all of the game's components separately or this would be one very long review. All of the plastic soldiers and counters etc. are manufactured to a very high degree of workmanship. As I mentioned in my last Cadet Games review, if you do get soldiers or planes that are a bit bent, do not sweat it. Just put them in some hot water and they can be fixed into their original positions. One thing that is great for we grognards that are getting older is that all of the components are large. You will not have to fiddle with 1/2" counters in these games. The game comes with two rulebooks. One is for the Battle of Ia Drang Valley (and is the main rulebook for the games). The other is for the Battle of Dak To Hill 875. The Ia Drang Rulebook is twenty-three pages long, while the one for Dak To is just eleven pages. They are in full color and have some illustrations of the rules inside. The components, maps, and Rulebooks are definitely up the level of the other Cadet Games wargame that I reviewed 'Nguyen Hue '72, The 1972 Easter Offensive in Vietnam'.

 The different colored 'chips' to the side of the map are used underneath the plastic soldiers to show the unit's strength. A full-strength unit of either side has 7 'steps' and thirty-five soldiers. It is an easy and simple way to keep track of your units' strength points. 

Everything that was encountered by either side in the battle is included. There are NVA bunkers, anti-aircraft, and mortar units. The U.S. has Huey helicopters and howitzers. These are just a few of the units that you are capable of using in the game. 

 Victory is determined in Ia Drang by the U.S. casualties taken. The smaller the number of casualties means a U.S. victory. In Dak To Hill 875, the NVA player has to eliminate the U.S. soldiers and make sure none are on the top of Hill 875 at the end of the game. The U.S. wins even if they have a wounded unit on the top of Hill 875.

  The other game from Cadet Games that I reviewed was a strategic one encompassing the whole of South Vietnam. The rules for this game are not just leveled down compared to it. The Sequence of Play, movement, and combat have all been designed for a tactical game. The one thing U.S. players have to keep in mind is that neither of these battles shows off the immense resources that the U.S. had during the war. These are both very small action knife fights. In every hex toward your goal might lie an ambush. The NVA player in Dak To Hill 875 can take as many casualties as are needed to reach your goal. As long as you have one unit left and the U.S. has none you are king of the hill.

 

 Both of these battles, as has been shown, are very different from the ones in documentaries. The U.S. player has a very minimal amount of air and artillery to keep the NVA at bay. I am as impressed by this game's rules and play as I was by the Cadet Games strategic game I reviewed. The games have short rulebooks and are easy to learn but still have a lot of depth for the player to revel in.

 Thank you, Cadet Games, for allowing me to review another great product from your stable. Wargamers, and especially grognards, should look past the small plastic soldiers etc. to see the real wargame underneath. These games are not Axis and Allies clones.

Robert

Cadet games:

Cadet Games LLC - Cadet Games

They Were Soldiers, and Dak To Hill 875:

Vietnam War - Cadet Games LLC

My review of:

Nguyen Hue '72 by Cadet Games - A Wargamers Needful Things

 SAIGON 75

FROM

NUTS!PUBLISHING

Back in 2019,  I had the opportunity to preview Nuts!Publishing's proto-type of Saigon 75, just before its launch on Kickstarter.  Now I can provide you with a deeper delve into the recently published edition and its highly professional quality.  Though even the proto-type had largely wooden pieces with sticky labels on with some cardboard counters, the final product has gone the full mile with its embossed  wooden pieces and  a distinctly COIN style appearance.  Even this peek inside the box shows what I mean.

Getting everything lined up for set-up makes it even clearer.  As promised the dice are customised and very attractive too and finally the cards remain identical in their layout and each individualised picture on them, but with that expected touch of refining in their rounded corners and subtle smooth finish.  And, of course, let's not forget the mounted map board which has the factor I prize - it folds out perfectly flat first and every time; no ridges, no back-folding.  Perfect from the minute it's laid out on your table.

With the preliminary rules that I received being a simple, very basic black and white printout, turning to the finished professional product is a stunning revelation.  The well-nigh obligatory division these days into a Rulebook and Playbook maintains such high standards that it's a pleasure just to pick them up and feel the quality.  The smooth gloss is combined with a bold text size in the rule book that makes reading it so simple, even if you hold the book at arms length. 

Typical of the quality of full-colour examples of play

Illustrations abound whether they be historical photographs or sumptuous large full-colour examples of the rules and not only does the Playbook have a full play through of the first turn and a half, but the Rule Book itself provides an example from a solo turn.  No complaints here then, I hope, from the those who absolutely must have a solo mode.  An additional feature of the Playbook is that not only does it have a four-page historical narrative, but that is followed by a section in which every single one of the 20 Event cards is pictured with an accompanying explanatory historical background.  Fantastic attention to detail here.

Just a few of the 20 cards with their historical background

Some of the actual cards

The game takes us from Summer of 1973 to Spring 1975 in eight seasonal turns.  Both the relatively short time span and seasonal turns highlight the broad sweep of the game.  They also indicate the first reason why the game is quick-playing; the second reason is that each player rolls for how many activations they get per turn.  The South Vietnamese units are largely divisions of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam [ARVN] with a diverse range of small unit American troops, including Ranger battalions, Marine and Paratroop brigades, two River patrol units and several mechanised regiments.  Grouped under the abbreviation SV, it is the American troops that tend to give flavour to the game.  Opposing them are 14 North Vietnamese divisions and 8 Viet Cong battalions, abbreviated to NV.  Only the divisions of both sides have the equivalent of two steps.  Being octagonal wooden pieces, when one of these is reduced in combat it is replaced by an identical piece half the size.  All the other units are half-sized ones and so one hit and they're gone!  Adding further visual appeal to the game are the star-shaped Quyet Thang markers [essentially NV control markers] and NV infiltration markers, while the variety of coloured pieces that represent American units are supplemented by black air support/air transport markers.

To emphasise and help pick out the units, I've placed everything with its embossed star uppermost.  In playing the game, these begin face-down and a unit is only turned star-end up to show that it is activated.   You'll notice too the compact footprint of the whole game.  Everything fits perfectly onto my 24"x24" board.

NorthVietnamese Divisions

Viet Cong Battalions

Quyet Thang markers

Game play itself is very smooth and the rules are a brief 8 pages long.  Each turn is divided into an NV Phase followed by an SV Phase.   Before starting both players need to agree on how the Event cards will be handled.  The standard process is for each player to draw eight Event cards and hold them secretly.  One must be chosen and used each turn.  An alternative is offered for those just learning the game where you only start with three cards and draw a new one each turn.  Obviously the idea is not to overburden a new player with too many decisions as to how you might be going to plan out the the course of all eight turns.  Personally, I like the easier approach, not because it's easier, but because it combines an element of control with having to react to what turns up! - a combo I've always liked in a game.

Both player's Phase begins with an Activation roll to determine how many units can be activated.  For the NV player it is the number of infantry divisions[whether at full strength or reduced strength] + an optional 2 Viet Cong units.  It is slightly different for the SV player as their activation points can also be used to bring airstrike/transport units on, but once the latter are in play, their use is free each turn, while they survive.

Low unit density reduced even more by the activation process and all units having 1MP [movement point], except for the few mechanised units that have 2 MP create a swift playing game.  This is helped even more by maximum stacking of five units per side and a quick and easy combat system that allows a maximum of 5 dice to be rolled in any one attack.  

The Customised Combat Dice

Combat is not mandatory and not all units in an area need attack, though all defending units in an area must be attacked.  Add to all this are customised dice that show either a blank or one of two symbols [the cross hairs symbol indicates a casualty and a running man indicates a retreat.]  One player deducts the number of retreats from the other player and the excess have to retreat.  So, as the rule book's example shows: if the NV scores 2 retreats and the SV scores 3, then the NV player has to retreat one unit.  Each side has some potential minor combat bonuses; for the SV it's air support and for the NV it's infiltration markers and the Quyet Thang markers. But, always bear in mind that 5 dice is the maximum rolled by either side. Both sides have a number of small differences that create each side's individuality.  For the SV it's mainly the variety of units and greater movement flexibility and for the NV it's mainly the range of combat bonuses.  Nothing too overwhelming, but this type of asymmetry is an aspect of a game system that I relish and so I was pleased that Saigon 75 has been announced as the first in an intended new series labelled UP! [Under Pressure]. 

The solo mode briefly mentioned earlier is designed purely for the SV player with the NV player controlled by a random card draw from the Solo Deck which in turn prioritises the draw made from the NV Event Deck. The Solo card also gives an order of preference for NV targets, details of its activation and how combats and retreats are handled.  I was surprised and welcomed the amount of detail that can be included in just two and a half pages of rules.  As always I'm personally happy to use the methods of my gaming origins [and I confess age!] that demanded simply that you played both sides to the best of your ability, but here is a solo system, both easy to follow and quick to execute.

A final point made in the opening sentence of the rulebook is that the games in this series are aimed to be played back-to-back.  Sometimes, I've found in the past that if games were designed that way, it often turned out to mean that one side is distinctly less interesting to play than the other.  That's not at all my view of Saigon 75.  I will willingly sit down to play either side with just as much expectation of enjoyment and anticipation of a tense match.

Once again, Nuts!Publishing have come up with a streamlined winner and one that I must thank them for, especially in letting me have to bites of the cherry by reviewing both the prototype and the polished published copy.

LINK to review of the prototype

 Nguyen Hue '72

by

Cadet Games

  The Vietnam War, at least the US involvement phase, was something I always stayed clear of in wargaming. I think it has something to do with growing up during it. The nightly list of the dead and wounded was something I will never forget. The kids I knew, including myself, always assumed we would end up going there. It was talked about only once in a while. The way we talked about it was more in low tones and usually at night. A year when you are ten years old lasts about ten of one of your years when you hit sixty. So, the memory of these late-night talks has stayed with me.

 This game is about the 1972 North Vietnamese offensive, and as an extra for the grognard, it also has the last offensive in 1975. Historically, because of US and Allied help, the 1972 offensive was finally stopped. In 1975 it was just a straight up fight between North and South Vietnam. The collapse of South Vietnam took only fifty-five days. You probably remember the pictures of the helicopters at the US embassy.

 This was reported about the actual offensive:

"Time Magazine - April 17, 1972…”The offensive began in the sky—with a shattering barrage of at least 12,000 rounds of rocket, mortar and artillery fire across the Demilitarized Zone, which divides North and South Vietnam. Said Specialist Fourth Class Michael Hill, a U.S. adviser with ARVN units in the area: "It was like nothing we ever expected and nothing we ever saw." Then came the ground attack. Some 25,000 North Vietnamese troops, with Russian-built tanks and artillery, swept down through Quang Tri province, sending 50,000 refugees fleeing south and U.S. advisers scurrying to their helicopters…”

 This is what Cadet Games has to say about the game:

"Strategic-level oversize hex & miniatures treatment of the huge conventional contest in 1972, as the Northern Communists attempted to militarily defeat the South before the US presidential election at the end of the year. Fast-paced and easy-to-play but complex enough for the true wargamer. Event cards and mystery units make for great re-playability. Terrain effects, supply, ZOC, airmobile moves, air and naval gunfire, amphibious operations, air defense, NVA tanks and artillery, B-52s and more.

Grand Strategic treatment of the 1972 campaign with aircraft and armor, artillery, infantry and helicopter minis, two big beautiful maps at 10 miles/hex, event cards every turn, weekly turns, ZOC, terrain and supply effects, US airpower, airmobile and amphibious movement, a real mystery unit dynamic, and max replay-ability. 1975 campaign scenario included!"

The two full sized maps together

 

 Speaking about childhood, this game tries to reach your inner child by using plastic soldiers etc. instead of cardboard counters. Many of today's computer wargames use 3d representation of units instead of the tried-and-true square NATO symbol ones. It does not affect how the game plays, and some other games actually give you a choice between the two different sets of graphics. 

Allied Ground Forces displayed

 The game box is a big and hefty one. Cadet Games describes the maps as "two big, beautiful ones". I cannot argue with that statement at all. The maps are both standard wargames maps at 22" X 34". They show South Vietnam and a small amount of North Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia at ten miles per hex. I agree with Cadet Games that the maps are beautiful. The Rulebook is in full color and is twenty-pages long. The Rulebook is this size because this game is much more than an Axis & Ally clone. The rules are written out in an easy-to-understand manner. There are two Player Aid Setup Charts. These are made of the same material as the mounted maps. One of them has the NVA/NLF Deployments and Reinforcements and the other has the Allied ones. The reverse on both Player Aids has the Terrain Chart. There is one Counter Sheet that has 117 circular counters on it. They are mostly color coded to show their use. They come wrapped in plastic because they do want to jump out of the surrounding cardboard. There are twenty-seven cards for both sides. For each scenario, both sides get thirteen 'named' cards and one mystery one. The cards are the usual card type you find with wargames. The information side of the card come with a black & white photo and are easily read and understood. Next up, we have the plastic soldiers. These plastic minis are colored brown and green. I will say that they have brought some childhood angst with them. Because of their small size, the gun barrels and the wings of the aircraft sometimes come, Oh the horror, bent. While almost 60 years ago this would cause my OCD to rear its head. It doesn't bother me as much as I thought it might. The minis are actually pretty cool looking. The Allied Skyraiders (I love those planes) are a little bland, but it is because of their size that they have to be. The B-52s and everything else look very good. So, all of the components as a whole, are very well done. 

It also comes with two Spookies or Puff the Magic Dragons. For those of you who do not know, these were Douglas AC-47s that were loaded to the brim with anti-ground armament.

 This is the Sequence of Play:

NVA Player Turn

Reinforcement & Card Phase

Movement Phase

Combat Phase

Rally Phase

Allied Player Turn

Reinforcement & Card Phase

Movement Phase

Air Attack & Naval Gunfire Phase

Combat Phase

Game Turn Advancement

NVA/NLF Minis

  The game is much deeper than I thought it would be. So, kudos to Cadet Games. The supply rules are not just if a unit is in or out of it. There are different supply states for NVA and Allied units. Allied units are considered in General Supply if they can trace an unobstructed line to any un-besieged Allied controlled town or base. It does not matter how far they are from them. They are also in General Supply if they are in a town or base hex. If an Allied unit cannot trace a hex line for supply, it is unsupported.  The NVA has three supply states. These are Attack Supply, General Supply, and Isolated. During the Combat Phase a 'Real Supply Token' is expended from a supply center within eight hexes of the unit. That unit has Attack Supply for that entire Combat Phase. Any NVA units in the eight-hex range are in Attack Supply also. An NVA unit is in General Supply if they are within eight hexes of an NVA Supply Center. If any NVA cannot make an eight-hex line to a Supply Center, it is considered Isolated. Due to the NVA buildup before the 1972 offensive, all NVA units have Attack Supply for the first two game turns.

  At the beginning of each player turn they are allowed to pull one card from their deck of fourteen. Each player can only have one card to play each turn. So, if they do not use a card during a turn, they will need to discard one of the two that are in their hand at the beginning of the next turn. They can use that one card anytime during the game turn. 

 This is the Combat Sequence:

1. Determine strength and supply status of all attacking units.

2. Reveal and hidden defending units.

3.Reveal strength and supply status of any defending units (including militia) and air/naval effects.

4. Check and terrain effects on the combat.

5. Attacker plays and desired card.

6. Defender plays and desired card.

7. Determine combat ratio and CRT column and roll die.

8. Apply combat results immediately.

9. Advance after combat option.

10. Re-hide any defending units.

 As you can see the game uses the tried-and-true CRT (Combat Results Table) method.

 

The game laid out before placing the minis

 Thank you, Cadet Games, for allowing me to review this very good game. They have eight games on Vietnam and its environs right now. They go from this game's strategic look at the conflict to tactical battles. Speaking of which, I will have a review coming of their They Were Soldiers/Dak To Hill 875 tactical game. F-105 Thunderchiefs here we come. I hope they get to work on a Dien Bien Phu game.

 I just read on the game's BGG website how to straighten out the bends in the plastic pieces. It is a pretty simple process that just involves immersion into hot water.

Robert

Cadet Games:

Cadet Games LLC - Cadet Games

Nguyen Hue '72:

Nguyen Hue '72 - The 1972 Easter Offensive in Vietnam - Cadet Games LLC