Re: Vietnam and modern combat

A group that I used to game with put on some of the
most Challenging  wargames (Vietnam or other period)
I have ever played in. The reason for this, I
suspect, was because the people who put on the games
were Vietnam veterans and knew what a SNAFU it could
be. Some of the things that were used that made it
interesting were:

All blind plus - each side/group would get a map
of what they "knew" the terrain was and plans would
be drawn up and then the game would be set up on the
table. You would have to follow your plan until you
couldn't. VC has map with trails and roads, US
gets map with roads, NVA gets same map as US but
guide who will take you where you want to go
(unless guide gets shot) but you may not know where
you were on the table, LURP has US map with
some of the trails but can't show it to other
US players.

SNAFU - All messages would get through or lost or
delayed or scrambled (erase every third, forth or
fith word) depending on the judge (dice?). In one
game a call for fire got delayed 10 turns and arrived
just as the grunts were entering you-know-where.

What you see is what you know - If you can't see
the other guy you don't know what happened. I was VC
and had a heavy weapoms section and was trying to
escape across a ford. I heard the tanks and APC's
comming up but every time I tried to cross I took fire
from the other side. I spent the whole game and all
the Recoiless rifle and mortor ammo hitting those
#*+%&*_) across the river and still was taking fire.
At end of game one RPG hit on a tank stoped the
armored column, I was facing 5 recon types who had
2 dead and 3 wounded by my fire but were still
firing (but couldn't call for help due to como
mixup). I ended up burying the heavy weapons and
sneaking away with my wounded. I didn't make my
objective but I got away somewhat intact.

Ghosts for the green - Less well trained soldiers
will suddenly see the enemy (judge gives ghost
soldier to player to put out) and start firing. When
a more expierenced soldier comes by the target
disappears. That assumes, of course, that the gamer
actually askes if more experienced soldier can see
a target.

Scott Siebold