Vietnam '65 announced @ Matrixgames/Slitherine

[Apocalypse 31]

I find no use for the Corbra (based on my experience in Training)

. 

The Cobra and tank are outstanding tools for lethal targeting.

The Cobra can move long range and engage targets for multiple turns. Works well when paired with SF Recon that are conducting deep recon or units away from the flagpole.

Tanks are basically mobile artillery. Again, they work well when supporting SF Recon, outside of artillery range. Easier than establishing fire bases.

[Micha]

Hello, on my Website is also a free Vietnam war game .

www.peoplesgeneral.de

[tgb]

I won my first "real" game on Normal difficulty with a H&M score of 64, giving me a decisive victory.  This despite a couple of rookie errors like sending engineers out unprotected (I lost 2 by mid-game and never replaced them).  I will be playing my next on Veteran to see if it gives me more of a challenge.

[Steelgrave]

I find no use for the Corbra (based on my experience in Training)

. 

The Cobra and tank are outstanding tools for lethal targeting.

The Cobra can move long range and engage targets for multiple turns. Works well when paired with SF Recon that are conducting deep recon or units away from the flagpole.

Tanks are basically mobile artillery. Again, they work well when supporting SF Recon, outside of artillery range. Easier than establishing fire bases.

Ditto. I use my Cobra as a fast strike force, mostly when Charlie pops up unexpectedly or my SF Recon spots the enemy and there is nothing closer to make the kill. Using it in conjunction with deep recon is also very effective. I played the game all weekend and I'm going back in momentarily. Very enjoyable and fun game!

[BanzaiCat]

I guess I need to read the manual, as I'm just not getting it. After 10-20 turns I find myself still huddled around the eastern third of the map, unwilling to expand further outward without being able to bring massive support to the field. Expansion strings me out too much, and that's exactly when the VC appear, right when I'm at my worst.

There aren't enough resources to really mount an effective campaign, and the supply rules hamstring the efforts even further. I can't get my overall H&M beyond 51 or 52, and I know that's because I'm not able to visit most of the villages on the map. More often than not I'll get a "population not cooperative" or "no new intel" result, which leaves me all, "ooookay, WTF do I do now?" Not to mention having troops on the end of a very long supply line.

I know none of these are insurmountable as you guys are having a good time addressing them. I want to like this game, but it's frustrating and I feel like I'm hitting my head against a wall. I just need to get an idea as to strategy. Anyone care to share some pointers?

I'm pretty sure most of the issue is my lack of uber-aggression, but without the troops and 'copters to back that up...

[KyzBP]

I guess I need to read the manual, as I'm just not getting it. After 10-20 turns I find myself still huddled around the eastern third of the map, unwilling to expand further outward without being able to bring massive support to the field. Expansion strings me out too much, and that's exactly when the VC appear, right when I'm at my worst.

There aren't enough resources to really mount an effective campaign, and the supply rules hamstring the efforts even further. I can't get my overall H&M beyond 51 or 52, and I know that's because I'm not able to visit most of the villages on the map. More often than not I'll get a "population not cooperative" or "no new intel" result, which leaves me all, "ooookay, WTF do I do now?" Not to mention having troops on the end of a very long supply line.

I know none of these are insurmountable as you guys are having a good time addressing them. I want to like this game, but it's frustrating and I feel like I'm hitting my head against a wall. I just need to get an idea as to strategy. Anyone care to share some pointers?

I'm pretty sure most of the issue is my lack of uber-aggression, but without the troops and 'copters to back that up...

What I've been doing is putting all my Grunts on Choppers in the first turn and sending them to take the 3 closest villages with LZ's.  Next I push the Engineer out for a turn or two and then build an FOB.  I send my SF guys to that FOB and churn out a couple of ARVN units.  The ARVN units then move forward.  The Engineer continues forward and builds the Firebase somewhere near the center of the map.  I ferry the Arty to the Firebase and buy another Huey to start supplying all the units.  After that it really depends on the map.  I've been winning more than losing on both regular and veteran.  I've only used the Tank once.  I've never used the Chinook or M113. 

Feel free to be aggressive, it's only a game. :)

[BanzaiCat]

Thanks, KyzBP. I'll give it a shot.

I knew I was being way too timid.

[Philippe]

You might want to go through the advanced tutorial one more time.  The advanced tutorial is very useful because it isn't a how-to as much as an exposition of the important rules.  That and paying close attention to unit capabilities but especially their costs (click on all the i-buttons in the recruitment list) will probably give you 95% of what you need to know. 

Engineer units may be the most important units in the game.  One of the first things I do is buy a second one.  I build as many forward bases as I can afford, and make sure that there is an infantry unit in defensive posture inside of each one most of the time.  As soon as I can afford it I buy a second Green Beret -- one of them spends all of its time recruiting ARVN, so I tend to need a second one if I'm going to do any recon.

I've played around with attack helicopters and tanks, but I think I'd rather have an extra artillery unit or two backed up by a Chinook.  Since I build roads and forward bases everywhere, I've found the M113 surprisingly useful -- it's not only good for ferrying supplies, but can pack a surprisingly effective punch when attacked.

I don't like risking casualties so I tend to avoid closing with the enemy.  Getting in range of an RPG with a tank or a helicopter can be expensive, hence the reliance on air strikes and artillery.  Bases tend to attract counter-attacks, so putting an infantry unit in defensive posture inside of one protects the base and keeps it from walking into minefields and ambushes.

The key to this game seems to be not spending yourself into the ground.  If you use the kind of approach I'm describing the enemy will end up building three or four bases, and you probably won't know where they are (or won't want to go there even if you have a fair idea where they are.  Plan around losing a thousand political points a day in the second half of the game, and make sure you don't run out of political support: if you do, you engineers will stop clearing jungle, and that can be very bad.

You don't need to control the entire map to win.  Just try to control what you know you can defend and set up a defense you can afford.  This tends to be determined by geography and how many garrisoned bases and roads you manage to build.

And the nice thing about having an a lot of bases and a Chinook is that you can fly your one or two artillery units around from base to base, rather than going broke putting artillery in each one.

In some respects the first half of the game reminds me a little bit of playing Go -- you scatter a few of your pieces around the map, but do it in such a way that they are mutually supporting.

Or sumfink.

[bayonetbrant]

I knew I was being way too timid.

No kiddi...

Oh, you're talking about the game.  Gotcha

[BanzaiCat]

 ???

[Jarhead0331]

Wish there was a way to automate resupply.

[Philippe]

Supply is half the game.

[Jarhead0331]

Supply is half the game.

i know...that's why I wish it could be automated. It gets boring constantly ferrying Hueys back and forth and it is tedious checking every unit to see their current supply status. I'm not suggesting that supply shouldn't be a critical part of the game, but I think it could be managed better. 

[jomni]

Thanks, KyzBP. I'll give it a shot.

I knew I was being way too timid.

You won't earn money just by sitting somewhere.  Each VC and NVA you kill brings in money.  So that means you have to be brave and stir the hornet's nest.  Build forward bases as bait.

[MikeGER]

i know...that's why I wish it could be automated. It gets boring constantly ferrying Hueys back and forth and it is tedious checking every unit to see their current supply status. I'm not suggesting that supply shouldn't be a critical part of the game, but I think it could be managed better.

i wish there were a function (a 'continuous supply' crate icon in the wheel menu) where i can 'slave' a certain chopper to a certain unit and then it just flys back and for until told otherwise, or get shot down ...of course it moves out only up too 2 turns its max range and 2 turn back and ends his return trip always in the depot to refresh/heal

i am actually doing this by hand for all my Inf-type units in the field...some  wait in ambush if possible in the jungle next to a village so that they can 'stamp out the fire' immediately every time it shows up