| Title | In the shit with Vietnam '65 |
| Author | Tom Chick and Bruce Geryk |
| Posted in | Game reviews |
| When | March 19, 2015 |
Bruce: So this game seems fascinating. Completely ahistorical in every way, yet an interesting gaming problem to solve and arguably a practical solution to an almost intractable problem of simulating the nonmilitary tactical aspects of counterinsurgency..
Read the full articleThis little guy surprised me. I'm a huge Fire in the Lake fan and when I saw some game images I thought, its cute like Advanced Wars in Vietnam but not like Fire in the Lake. It isn't like Fire in the Lake, of course, but it sure punches way above its weight class when I was dealing with that mass of logistical frustration that is the jungle.
It wasn't at all what I expected and I really liked it as well.
This was a very enjoyable read. Is there a draw state, or is it win or lose?
You either bury Communism or are buried by it.
Mercy, this is a good 'review'. I suppose I'll have to go ahead and buy this. And Tom, so nice to see (or hear) you podcasting again.
I have to admit, this review pushed me to purchasing this, and I can't wait to play the game this weekend. Well done, gents. :)
I like to think that the Soldiers are conducting key leader engagements when I move a unit into a friendly village with a lit fire. If the village is hostile I think of it as intelligence exploitation. At first the American units conduct the KLEs, later turning that mission over to the ARVN units that the SF trained.
Wait, Bruce played Championship Manager? Why wasn't he on the sports management TMA?
I played so much CM around 98-99, I bought an extra hard drive for it. But I haven't played as much since.
Tom, please don't correct "craps of information." The phrase is sublime.
"...reference a bunch of really good scholarly books on the conflict (which you can find at the end of this article)..."
Where is the list you mention?
Sorry, that was meant to be a reference to the fictitious New York Review of Books article that I phrased badly. But I'd be glad to provide you with a list if you'd like.
Thanks! I've only read Turse's "Kill Anything That Moves" and Fitzgerald's "Fire in the Lake". I'd gladly add a few more books in my reading pipeline, if you have any recommendation.
If you have never read it, I would recommend Neil Sheehan's "A Bright Shining Lie". An amazing book.
I have a bunch of recommendations in the "Wars in Vietnam and Southeast Asia" section here: http://www.wargamespace.com/re...
If I were to recommend a single book about the Vietnam War there, and you've read Fire in the Lake, it would be America in Vietnam by Guenter Lewy.
Thanks!
It sounds like it'd be an interesting game too if you could play as the communists??
I like the idea, Simon, but I'm not sure that would work given the current design. The VC and NVA has a whole different style of play that, I suspect, would be kind of tedious to play. Sort of like a stealth strategy game.
Hmm, I might have just sold myself on it.
I wouldn't even begin to guess what to correct it to!
This was a very fun read. More multi-author reviews, please!
Corrections:
"called in [b]y my Green Berets"
"the[y] immediately disappear when they win"
"all your village check[s]"
