Fire in the Lake Strategy Guide

Change History
1. How to use this document
Version 1.0 (Published to BGG 1/19/2015)
2. US (United States)
a. Strategic Principles Version 1.1 (Published to BGG 1/20/2015)
● Added “Pivotal Events” section
b. Basic Tactics ● Populated some “Advanced Tactics”
c. Advanced Tactics ● Added page numbers
d. Primary Objectives Version 1.2 (Published to BGG 2/4/2015)
e. Secondary Objectives ● Added “Strategic Principles”
f. Tertiary Objectives ● Added faction commentary
● Changed document name
3. ARVN (Army of the Republic of Vietnam) ● Reorganized sections
a. Strategic Principles
Version 1.3 (Published to BGG 11/5/2015)
b. Basic Tactics ● Changed US Primary Objective
c. Advanced Tactics “increase support” wording from
“​
Requires US Troop(s) + COIN Control​” to
d. Primary Objectives “​ ”
Requires a US Piece + COIN Control​
e. Secondary Objectives ● Corrected odd PDF page breaks
f. Tertiary Objectives
4. VC (Viet Cong)
a. Strategic Principles
b. Basic Tactics
c. Advanced Tactics
d. Primary Objectives
e. Secondary Objectives
f. Tertiary Objectives
5. NVA (North Vietnamese Army)
a. Strategic Principles
b. Basic Tactics
c. Advanced Tactics
d. Primary Objectives
e. Secondary Objectives
f. Tertiary Objectives
6. Pivotal Events

1
How to use this document
● Read Left­to­Right
● Column headers guide you, and are consistent across all factions
● Merged cells illustrate multiple methods to accomplish an objective (​see #1​), or they illustrate that a given Operation/Action might influence the
board in multiple ways (​see #2​ )
● For example, to achieve the ARVN ​ Basic Tactic ​ Reposition Troops”​
of “​
○ You may…​ move troops into an adjacent space...​
By carrying out...​ Sweep Op
○ OR​ ,​
You May…​ redistribute 6 Troops and/or Rangers…​ By carrying out...​ Transport Special Activity
○ OR​ ,​
You May…​ redistribute your Troops and/or Police...​
By carrying out...​Patrol Op

2
 US ​
(United States) Victory = ​
Support + Available (uncommitted) forces

As the US, you hit hardest in terms of sheer military power, but your win condition requires that you spend a significant portion of your time on rather
passive operations of training and preparing for the pacification step of coup rounds to further your long­term goals. The VC’s goals directly conflict with
your own. ARVN ostensibly support your efforts through training operations of their own, but don’t lose sight of the fact that ARVN ultimately wants to
govern away the support garnered in some (or all) of these spaces. The NVA represent a threat to Saigon and/or to the COIN control you need to Pacify
and win hearts & minds. You must balance your commitment of troops to this conflict with the support for the southern regime.

Strategic Principles Notes & details

2­population spaces are high priority for all factions, and will therefore become hotly contested. Bases add flexibility to the way COIN
players can respond to threats.
Bases aid in provincial defense
Without bases, troops must sweep/patrol/transport/air lift into spaces. Secondly, police are excluded from many of these maneuvers.
Bases give both COIN players the ability to train 6 ARVN cubes (including police). While the base survives, you’ll be much better able to
rally troops/police to resist incursion.

For the reasons above, US bases in cities seem a bit silly. The only tangible benefits are (a) makes assaults in the city more powerful for
Avoid bases in cities US Troops (but this requires enemies to walk into the situation in the first place), and (b) allow you to train in that city. Weigh the pros &
cons before deciding to use bases in this (relatively) passive manner.

Without Aid, ARVN won’t have the resources you need to Train, Train, and Train again. Oh, and to pacify. And to use their troops in
combined assaults. You get the point. One campaign where you’re short on resources will show you just how impossible it is to get
Victory requires sufficient Aid
things done without sufficient Aid. I don’t know that a magic number exists, but Aid < 20 will certainly begin to cramp your style. And Aid
< 10 (combined with some sabotaged LoCs) will limit COIN options considerably.

Since Air Strikes work against your win condition, each Air Strike in a space that results in loss of support effectively comes at an
Eliminate enemy troops through additional cost of 3 resources (and the requisite time & effort involved in Training) needed to recover that lost support, ​and​
it helps VC’s
Assaults instead of Air Strikes win condition. Use this powerful tool very sparingly. A great part of Air Strike’s value comes from the fact that your opponents must
always consider the fact that you CAN use it, even if you rarely/never do.

Your biggest opportunity to pacify comes during the coup round, but it requires the combination of Troops + Police. Interestingly, this sets
Pair troops with police to aid in up internal tension because you’ll sometimes want your troops clumped together in larger groups for better shock attack capabilities
scoring using Air Lift + Assault. A well­timed patrol is probably the best way to efficiently place troop cubes with police in places you’ll be able to
pacify.

Whenever possible, train Irregulars either with the intent of putting them on the board, or with the intent of flipping used ones back to
Always deploy the max Irregulars inactive. Irregulars pose defensive threats that must be considered by the insurgent players. Without deploying them, you save your
opponents a lot of risk and complexity.

The NVA Special Action “Bombard” can target adjacent spaces that contain 3+ troop cubes (ARVN and/or US), or which contains a
Limit concentrations of troops to
COIN base. While it isn’t the worst thing that can happen, consider the risks vs. rewards when making a space vulnerable to bombard.
those places it’s most meaningful
Note that only troop cubes can be selected for removal by Bombard; special forces and police are immune.

3
Basic Tactics You may... By carrying out... Notes & details

Move Troops into an

​
Sweep​
Op ❏ May move onto a Guerrilla­free LoC first
adjacent space

❏ May combine with other Ops to create opportunities that were

Redistribute pieces among previously impossible
​
Air Lift​
Special Activity
Reposition Troops any 4 spaces ❏ May redistribute any number of US Troops
❏ May carry up to 4 Irregulars or ARVN Troops/Rangers

❏ Pieces must end their moves on Cities/LoCs

Redistribute your Troops
​
Patrol​
Op ❏ Pieces must stop in spaces with Insurgent pieces
among Cities/LoCs
❏ Irregulars may not Patrol

Increase presence/numbers ❏ Irregulars protect bases

without committing more Train Irregulars ​
Train​
Op ❏ Irregulars always return to the Available box during coups and
Troops do not decrease Aid

❏ Active Guerrillas can attack troops, but not without an element

of risk on the part of the insurgent player (see “attack” rule
Activate Guerrillas ​
Sweep​
Op
3.3.3)
❏ Active Guerrillas are vulnerable to Assaults & Air Strikes

(various
Protect Bases ❏ Never leave a base without Troop/Irregular pieces to protect it
movement/train ops)
Protect troops and bases
Protect against Ambushes
❏ Ensure province/city has some level of support, AND
within provinces/cities or from N/A
❏ Ensure province/city contains at least 3 cubes
adjacent provinces/cities

Protect against Ambushes

​
Patrol​
Op ❏ Patrol to Activate Guerrillas in adjacent LoCs
from adjacent LoCs

Advanced Tactics Notes & details

If US Troops begin their turn in the same space as enemy pieces (Space A), you may A ​ssault + Air Lift​and resolve the
Assault + Air Lift + Assault​
to attack twice in
Assault in Space A, then interrupt the Assault to Air Lift those Troops into a second location (Space B), then continue the
the same turn with US Troops
Assault in Space B. In effect the same US Troops have struck twice in the same turn.

Air Lift + Train​

to insert Special Forces where Move US Troops or Irregulars to a new location using Air Lift, then train to place 1­2 Irregulars (either from Available, or from
they’ll be most annoying another location on the map if there are none in Available).

Air Strike + Train​

to repair damage done to If you’re disappointed at the idea of the damage done to support via Air Strike, Train & Pacify in the same space to undo that
support in target spaces damage and potentially relocate some Irregulars to that space in the same move.

4
Primary Objectives You may... By carrying out... Notes & details

❏ Requires a US Piece + COIN Control

Train​ ​
Op, Pacification
❏ Prioritize Cities to prevent Insurgents
action
❏ Prioritize high­population spaces
Increase Support in spaces to Directly increase support
increase overall score in a City or Province
❏ Requires US Troop(s) + Police + COIN Control
​
Pacification​
(Coup 6.3.1) ❏ Prioritize Cities to prevent Insurgents
❏ Prioritize high­population spaces

Move pieces to the ❏ Move Troops & Bases back to Available box
Maximize Available forces to ​
Commitment​
(Coup 6.5) &
Available box (remove ❏ Reducing Troops too early limits your ability to increase Support and limit
increase overall score Events
them from the map) enemy activity

❏ This requires 2 turns to coordinate (due to 2 separate Ops)

❏ US Bases maximize US Assault power; make US Assaults 2:1
Op + ​
Sweep​ ​
Assault​
Op
❏ Inactive Guerrillas may not be removed with assault, and bases may not be
Activate & Assault VC removed if Inactive Guerrillas are present
Guerrillas and Bases
using Troops ❏ Uses ARVN pieces for Sweep or Assault instead of using US Troops
❏ ARVN Assault is weaker than US
Advise​
Special Activity
❏ Inactive Guerrillas may not be removed with assault, and bases may not be
removed if Inactive Guerrillas are present
Remove VC Guerrillas and Bases
Remove VC pieces
(VC work directly against your ❏ May use Irregulars or ARVN Rangers
(including inactive
primary objectives and are Advise​
Special Activity ❏ Irregulars/Rangers may not move as part of this action
Guerrillas) using Special
therefore your top priority ❏ Only 1 Irregular/Ranger may be Activated per space
Forces
opponent.)

❏ Removes 6 pieces from up to 6 spaces

Remove Activated ❏ Requires 1 COIN piece in each target space
Guerrillas & Bases using ​
Air Strike​
Special Activity ❏ Cannot remove Inactive Guerrillas
Air Strikes ❏ Inactive Guerrillas protect Bases
❏ Reduces Support in each target space

Activate & Assault

​
Patrol​
Op ❏ Activates Guerrillas equal to cubes on each LoC, and free Assault on 1 LoC
Guerrillas on LoCs

5
Secondary You may... By carrying Notes & details
Objectives out...

Support ARVN Outnumber NVA/VC units in spaces. Use (see tactics to remove ❏ COIN control is required to Pacify (your primary objective)
movement and/or removal tactics to enemy or reposition ❏ COIN control is only essential to ARVN victory
Promote COIN Control achieve numeric superiority. Troops) ❏ Monitor ARVN total points and act accordingly

❏ Requires COIN Control

Establish Bases in high­activity Place US Bases in spaces as fire support Commitment​ ​
(Coup
❏ US Bases maximize US Assault power; make US Assaults
spaces for US Troops 6.5) & Events
2:1

Tertiary Objectives You may... By carrying out... Notes & details

Increase the amount of ❏ Advise always grants +6 Aid

Increase Aid to ARVN resources ARVN earns next Advise​
Special Activity ❏ If you execute an ARVN assault and remove a base, grants another
Coup round +6 Aid

Train ARVN Police at a US

Ensure US Troops are paired with ❏ Pairing US Troops with Police allows Pacification during Coup phase
base, or bargain with ARVN ​
Train​
Op
ARVN Police 6.3.1
player for Police redeployment

Move forces into Sweep​

Op
COIN control in at least one Laos/Cambodia in order to ❏ Troops present in Laos/Cambodia during Coup will go o ​ut of play
Laos/Cambodia space reduce the Trail during the next ❏ Much better to use Irregulars­­they return to Available
Air Lift​
Special Activity
Coup round

Remove Patronage to ARVN ❏ Training in Saigon removes 3 Patronage to ARVN Resources

Reduce ARVN Patronage ​
Train​
Op
Resources ❏ Only if no Pacification is possible during Training Op

6
 ARVN ​
(Army of the Republic of Vietnam) Victory = ​
COIN + Patronage

As the ARVN, your ability to conduct combat pales in comparison to your mobility to move among the cities & LoCs and the versatility of your Ranger
Special Forces to search and destroy enemy units. The US is your COIN compatriot, but their goals simply do not align with your own, and if you spend
the majority of your time assisting US with the eradication of insurgent forces through sweeps & raids, you will likely find yourself outdistanced in the end
as the US pulls away through their training & pacification operations. The NVA work directly against you for control of cities & provinces, and your combat
ability is roughly equal to theirs unless you conduct combat operations in Highland spaces where the defensive ground makes the fight uneven. You can
train and deploy new troops to conflict areas (if they are cities) both rapidly and at very little cost compared to the NVA’s level of effort to achieve the same
ends, but provinces pose a much more difficult challenge since you must redeploy ​ away​ from these areas during coup rounds. You require more than 50
points to win and if you manage to hold ​ only the cities​
then you’re 14 points closer to victory. Perhaps you can manage to leech the US of 30+ Patronage
so you can get away with only becoming involved in wrestling for three or four provinces?

Strategic Principles Notes & details

Removing insurgents can be helpful, and when things approach a breaking point, but at each point in the game where you’re put to
Increase patronage as a top priority a decision of “remove insurgents” or “increase patronage”, give serious consideration to increasing patronage. You’ll need upwards
of 30 patronage to attain your win condition.

Yes they’re your rivals, but you only need to outnumber them. Carefully consider the extent to which you want to engage them,
Consider how much of an enemy you
because your troops are tactically weaker than the US and much less able to inflict losses due to the severe limitations on the
must make of insurgents
Transport special activity.

Aid gives you resources, and without these your campaign will likely falter. Additionally, you require Aid if you intend to Govern
Maximize Aid
(since govern converts Aid to Patronage).

7
Basic Tactics You may... By carrying out... Notes & details

Move Troops into an adjacent ❏ May first move onto a Guerrilla­free LoC, then continue into a Province
​
Sweep​
Op
space or City

may​
❏ Destination(s) ​ be provinces if they are adjacent to the LoC
Redistribute 6 Troops and/or
network
Rangers from a single space into
Reposition Troops ​
Transport​
Special Activity ❏ May combine with other Ops to create opportunities that were
1­6 “destination” spaces
previously impossible
following the LoC network
❏ Path traveled cannot contain guerrilla units

Redistribute your Troops and/or ❏ Pieces must end their moves on Cities/LoCs
​
Patrol​
Op
Police among Cities/LoCs ❏ Pieces must stop in spaces with Insurgent pieces

❏ Not a bad idea to maximize your mobililzed forces to maintain

presence and COIN control
Train at COIN­controlled Cities or ❏ If available box is empty, you may reposition existing pieces currently
Add forces to the board ​
Train​
Op
Bases (US or ARVN) on the map (this can be very useful)
❏ Rangers repositioned as per the bullet above go f​ ace down​ for later
use in a Raid.

❏ Active Guerrillas can attack troops, but not without an element of risk
Activate Guerrillas ​
Sweep​
Op on the part of the insurgent player (see “attack” rule 3.3.3)
❏ Active Guerrillas are vulnerable to Assaults

(various movement/train
Protect Bases ❏ Never leave a base with fewer than 2 other pieces
ops)

Protect troops and bases Protect against Ambushes within

provinces/cities or from adjacent ❏ Ensure province/city has some level of support AND at least 3 cubes.
provinces/cities N/A ❏ This will activate Guerrillas who move into the space, and mitigates
risk of your removed/replaced cubes via VC Subvert.
Protect against VC Subvert

Protect against Ambushes from

​
Patrol​
Op ❏ Patrol to Activate Guerrillas in adjacent LoCs
adjacent LoCs

Advanced Tactics Notes & details

If ARVN Troops begin their turn in the same space as enemy pieces (Space A), you may A ​ssault + Transport​ and resolve
Assault + Transport + Assault​
to attack twice in
the Assault in Space A, then interrupt the Assault to Transport those Troops into a second location (Space B), then continue
the same turn with ARVN Troops
the Assault in Space B. In effect the same ARVN Troops have struck twice in the same turn.

Train + Transport​
to immediately redeploy
Normally you can only place newly­trained pieces on bases or cities. This combination allows you to respond to an
newly­placed pieces to provincial or contested
immediate threat in a province (or NVA­controlled space) by immediately moving your newly­placed pieces there.
areas

8
Primary Objectives You may... By carrying out... Notes & details

Shift spaces with support

Increase Patronage to increase
toward neutral; profit from this Govern​
Special Activity ❏ Passive support is required to prevent Guerrilla rallying
score
shift

Outnumber NVA/VC units.

(see removal tactics below
❏ COIN control is part of your primary objective
COIN Control in Cities Use movement and/or and or reposition tactics
❏ Prioritize higher population cities
removal tactics to achieve above)
numeric superiority.

❏ This requires 2 turns to coordinate (due to 2 separate Ops)

Activate & Assault Guerrillas
Remove enemy Troops, Guerrillas, Op + ​
Sweep​ ​
Assault​
Op ❏ Inactive Guerrillas may not be removed with assault, and bases may
and Bases using Troops
and Bases... not be removed if Inactive Guerrillas are present

❏ ...in non­COIN­controlled spaces ❏ Rangers may move to an adjacent space as part of this action, but
to take them over and increase Remove pieces (including they may not utilize LoCs to increase the distance traveled.
your score inactive Guerrillas) using Raid​
Special Activity ❏ Multiple Rangers may move into the selected space, but only 1
❏ ...in COIN­controlled spaces to Rangers Ranger per space may be Activated to remove enemy units.
subdue resistance and maintain ❏ Can remove up to 2 enemy pieces; bases last.
score
Activate & Assault Guerrillas ❏ Activates Guerrillas equal to cubes on each LoC, and free Assault on
​
Patrol​
Op
on LoCs 1 LoC

Secondary You may... By carrying out... Notes & details

Objectives
Outnumber NVA/VC units.
❏ COIN control is part of your primary objective
(see removal tactics below
❏ Prioritize high­population Highland provinces because if they become
COIN Control of Provinces Use movement and/or and or reposition tactics
occupied by enemy, they’re much more difficult to conduct combat
removal tactics to achieve above)
operation
numeric superiority.

❏ Requires ARVN Troop(s) + Police + COIN Control

Increase Support in spaces to Train​ ​
Op, Pacification
❏ Prioritize Cities to prevent Insurgents
reduce risk of Guerrilla activity action
Directly increase support in a ❏ Prioritize high­population spaces
City or Province ❏ Passive Support is enough for purposes of preventing Guerrilla
Increase Support in spaces to later rallying.
​
Pacification​
(Coup 6.3.1) ❏ Active Support increases US score.
gain Patronage

9
Tertiary Objectives You may... By carrying out... Notes & details

Place bases in provinces where Replace 3 cubes with a base ❏ Recommend provinces only because bases only benefit cities by
​
Train​
Op
troops are needed after coups after training in a province increasing its total ARVN piece count

Use a special activity to gain

Increase aid Govern​
Special Activity ❏ Strictly better on 2 population spaces
support

Move forces into Sweep​

Op
❏ Troops present in Laos/Cambodia during Coup will return to available
COIN control in at least one Laos/Cambodia in order to
❏ Remember trail automatically corrects from 5 ­> 4 and from 1 ­> 2, so
Laos/Cambodia space reduce the Trail during the
Transport​
Special Activity if trail is at 5 or 2, no need to pursue this objective
next Coup round

10
 VC ​
(Viet Cong) Victory = ​
Opposition + Bases

As the VC, you represent a highly resilient and adaptable force who can achieve major goals without needing large numbers of massed personnel. On
average, COIN requires a two­step approach to remove your pieces (Sweep + Assault), and in the event COIN forces manage to eliminate you from a
space, you are still able to Rally there as long as the space is not in support. It only takes a single guerrilla to make major leaps toward victory through a
Terror op, and (potentially) again later during the Agitation phase of the next coup round if COIN doesn’t gain control of that space. The US competes with
you directly since they seek to garner support, and their air strikes­­while powerful­­work against them unless the space is already in full opposition. The
NVA takes a sometimes ambivalent, sometimes aggressive stance toward you. They’re able to steal your base and undermine opposition using their
powerful infiltrate special action. The ARVN potentially have the least to gain by opposing you since they only seek to keep some spaces in support in
order to leech Patronage from the US.

Strategic Principles Notes & details

Top priority to the VC is the ability to influence opposition & bases, and the key to that is producing guerrillas. Don’t let your
Maximize your presence on the board by
numbers dwindle, and buffer spaces that contain bases with a few extra guerrillas. Subverting will either remove 2 ARVN cubes, or
continually rallying, protecting bases,
remove 1 cube + place a face down guerrilla; you almost cannot go wrong with this­­unless it makes more sense to do some
and subverting vulnerable ARVN cubes
ambushing..

This is one of your most potent weapons against the US. Since the US can only add 10 more troops to the board during the
commitment phase of a coup (and only if they do not reposition any troops already on the ground), 3 troops removed represent a
Ambush
permanent decrease in US forces even though they don’t necessarily make it to the “out of play” box. Additionally, each ambushed
piece means ­3 Aid during the upcoming Coup round, which will limit COIN operations during the following campaign.

Jungles and Highlands represent places where you can dig in versus ground forces due to increased difficulty to expose & engage
Terrorize high population spaces with troops. But as long as a space is not in support, you can rally in very flexible ways to begin operations on new fronts at any
time.

It only takes a single guerrilla to commence Terror ops and push Agitation during a coup round. Even if you take heavy losses,
Small numbers can have large impact don’t become demoralized or discount your chances. COIN will find it very difficult to move around and train/pacify while they’re
scrambling to eliminate your men using Air Strikes, and they’re required to use 2­step elimination process (Sweep + Assault).

11
Basic Tactics You may... By carrying Notes & details
out...
❏ Marching into spaces with support may activate guerrillas (see 3.3.2)
Move Troops into adjacent
Reposition Troops ​
March​
Op ❏ Marching into spaces with support will deter US Air Strikes
spaces
❏ LoCs are free

❏ Bases greatly improve guerrilla unit creation and are part of your win condition
Add Guerrillas and/or Bases ❏ Prioritize Highland spaces because they are much more difficult for COIN to remove
to spaces without any level ​
Rally​
Op your units
of support ❏ Consider rallying in cities when possible. Non­COIN controlled cities automatically
Add forces to the board
sabotage all adjacent LoCs during Coup rounds.

Replace ARVN pieces with

Subvert​
Special Activity ❏ Also reduces ARVN patronage
your own pieces

Inactivate Guerrillas to
❏ Inactive Guerrillas can only be removed by Special Forces (Rangers/Irregulars)
protect themselves and ​
Rally​
Op
❏ Active Guerrillas are vulnerable to Assaults
nearby bases
Protect troops and bases
❏ Never leave a base with fewer than 2 other pieces to protect from Special Forces
(movement/rally/subvert
Protect Bases ❏ Consider protecting important bases (Highland bases?) with 6 Guerrillas to protect
to add Guerrillas)
against Air Strikes

Temporarily sacrifice points

❏ Taxing LoCs remove the “con” of promoting support
Generate income & expose a guerrilla to Tax​
Special Activity
❏ Consider combining with Terror to reduce support wherever you increased it
generate income

Activate a Guerrilla to Ambush​ Special

❏ Guerrillas on LoCs can target adjacent spaces
remove one enemy piece Activity

Activate all Guerrillas to

❏ Ill­advised (exposes all Guerrillas and may not succeed)
Remove enemy Troops potentially remove two Attack​
Op
❏ Suffers from attrition if you remove US pieces
enemy pieces

Replace ARVN pieces with

Subvert​
Special Activity ❏ Also reduces ARVN patronage
your own pieces

Advanced Tactics Notes & details

Ambush + March​ from an LoC to avoid ​mbush​

By executing an A from an LoC, you can decrease the COIN piece count enough that your subsequent ​
March
activation upon entering a space Operation does not activate any of the moving Guerrillas.

Terror + Tax​
to remove the support caused by
By executing this combination, you remove the support that taxation generates while pocketing a potentially large net profit.
taxation

12
Primary You may... By carrying out... Notes & details
Objectives
Activate inactive ❏ Contributes to your win condition
Increase opposition Guerrillas to shift spaces Terror​
Op ❏ Focus on high­population areas due to greater score
toward opposition ❏ Terror tokens make Pacification more expensive

❏ Bases greatly improve guerrilla unit creation and are part of your win condition
Add Guerrillas and/or ❏ Prioritize Highland spaces because they are much more difficult for COIN to remove
Bases to spaces without ​
Rally​
Op your units
Increase your presence
any level of support ❏ Consider rallying in cities when possible. Non­COIN controlled cities automatically
on the board by adding
sabotage all adjacent LoCs during Coup rounds.
Guerrillas and Bases
Replace ARVN pieces
Subvert​
Special Activity ❏ Also reduces ARVN patronage
with your own pieces

Secondary You may... By carrying out... Notes & details

Objectives
❏ Guerrillas present during a coup will automatically sabotage LoCs and
Occupy LoCs to reduce ARVN income
undermine the ARVN Move your Guerrillas to LoC ❏ US/ARVN cannot patrol through your Guerrilla units...consider blocking
​
March​
Op
economy & disrupt COIN spaces access to key Cities, or blocking their ability to move from North to South
unit mobility by occupying two parallel LoCs
❏ Guerrillas on LoCs can Ambush adjacent spaces

❏ Reduces Aid (during coup round)

Move to LoCs or spaces with ❏ Reduces US presence & their ability to pacify
Remove enemy pieces (see removal tactics above)
COIN pieces, then strike ❏ Reduces risk to your own pieces (air strike spotters)
❏ Removes COIN control (helps A​gitate​ during coup)

Temporarily sacrifice points & ❏ Taxing LoCs remove the “con” of promoting support
Increase funds expose a guerrilla to generate Tax​
Special Activity ❏ Consider combining with Terror to reduce support wherever you increased
income it

March​
Op
Place at least one guerrilla in ❏ Only one guerrilla is required to agitate during the coup.
Position guerrillas to
locations ​
without COIN control ❏ Guerrillas do not need to be inactive to agitate.
Agitate during the next Rally​
Op
where you’ll benefit from a shift ❏ Your o​pponent​ might perceive one guerrilla as “not worth it to sweep &
coup round
toward opposition eliminate”, which only helps you
Subvert​
Special Activity

Tertiary Objectives You may... By carrying out... Notes & details

Reduce ARVN patronage by replacing

Reduce ARVN Patronage Subvert​
Special Activity
ARVN pieces with your own pieces

13
 NVA ​
(North Vietnamese Army) Victory = ​
NVA + Bases

As the NVA, your primary mission is control of South Vietnam’s population through superior military strength. Your conventional combat ability combined
with your numbers make you capable of going toe­to­toe with COIN, and terrain has no impact to your combat capability (COIN doesn’t have this luxury).
You also have capable guerrilla units at your disposal for other operations such as establishing bases and ambushing COIN. The ARVN directly oppose
you in the south, and Saigon itself is a tempting gem that alone represents ⅓ of your victory condition. Cultivate the Ho Chi Minh trail to maximize your
campaign options. Target high­population provinces to maximize your efforts toward your goal. The VC work with you to disrupt and threaten COIN, but
you’re a major threat to the VC!​
the fact is ​ The moment you decide VC has become a threat, you can replace their bases with your own. Saves you a lot
of work...

Strategic Principles Notes & details

As long as troops/guerrillas ended their previous March move in Laos or Cambodia, then the Marching troops/guerrillas may
Utilize the Laos/Cambodia “highway” continue to March into subsequent destination(s) (see 3.3.2 for details) paying full price­­1 resource­­per province on the travel
path.

See above about using Laos/Cambodia as a highway. If T ​he Trail is at 4​

, however, ALL March maneuvers where the current OR
Use the trail to fuel your war machine previous March space lies within Laos/Cambodia are FREE! Take full advantage of how cheap & powerful this heavy discount can
be toward your aims of invading the south. This means every March invasion into any South Vietnam spaces comes at 0 cost.

Threat of invasion may be just as useful hree​

If you position a large number of troops in Kien Phong (a 2­pop in the southern delta) you’re within reach of t​ more 2­pop
as an actual invasion spaces, a 1­pop city, and Saigon. Perhaps you’ll never invade Saigon, but if COIN drops its guard then you can capitalize..

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Basic Tactics You may... By carrying out... Notes & details

❏ Marching into spaces with support may activate guerrillas (see 3.3.2)
Move Troops into adjacent
Reposition Troops ​
March​
Op ❏ Marching into spaces with support will deter US Air Strikes
spaces
❏ LoCs are free

❏ Bases enable troop deployment and are part of your win condition
❏ Bases in Laos/Cambodia are less appealing for COIN to move against due to
Add Guerrillas and/or Bases to
risk of removal during Coup
spaces without any level of ​
Rally​
Op
❏ Inactive Guerrillas defend bases, and may be replaced by Troops during
support
Infiltrate
❏ Highland spaces are much more difficult for COIN to remove your units
Add forces to the board
Add troops to spaces ​ and/or
❏ Requires a Base
replace your guerrillas with
❏ Strong Trail value improves Troop placement
troops
Infiltrate​
Special Activity

Replace VC pieces with your ​pposition​

❏ Shifts any degree of o toward Neutral (does not affect support)
pieces (including Bases) ❏ May replace Tunneled bases

❏ Inactive Guerrillas must be removed before bases

Add Guerrillas to protect bases ​
Rally​
Op
❏ Keep inactive Guerrillas with bases whenever possible
Protect troops and bases
❏ Highland spaces are much more difficult for COIN to remove your units
Move into unfavorable terrain March​
Op
❏ Spaces with support are unfavorable Air Strike targets

Activate a Guerrilla to remove

Ambush​
Special Activity ❏ Guerrillas on LoCs can target adjacent spaces
one enemy piece

❏ Ill­advised to attack with Guerrillas

Activate all Guerrillas to
❏ Your Troops do not suffer from terrain disadvantage; you always remove 1
potentially remove two enemy Attack​
Op
enemy per 2 Troops
Remove enemy Troops pieces
❏ Suffers from attrition if you remove US pieces

❏ Must target a space with a Base adjacent to 3+ NVA troops which also contains
Remove enemy troops in either ​
3+ enemy Troops o ​n enemy base
​r a
Bombard​
Special Activity
adjacent spaces ❏ Only removes Troops. Cannot remove Bases, Police, or Special Forces
(Rangers/Irregulars)

Advanced Tactics Notes & details

March + Infiltrate​
to replace VC bases with your By executing a ​
March + Infiltrate​
, you can move troops/guerrillas into a VC space to outnumber them, and then replace their
own base with your own.

This is mentioned above in the tactics, but worth mentioning again. VC bases can be replaced with your own via infiltrate no
Replace VC base with yours
matter how many VC guerrillas may appear on that space as long as you have more pieces than VC has.

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Primary You may... By carrying out... Notes & details
Objectives
Move pieces into spaces to ❏ Prioritize high­population areas
achieve numeric superiority ❏ Prioritize Highland spaces, they are much more difficult for COIN to
(see removal and
NVA Control in populated areas remove your units
reposition tactics above)
Remove enemy pieces to ❏ Important Note:​ VC pieces work against your total here. You must
achieve numeric superiority outnumber all non­NVA pieces.

Increase your presence on the

Build bases and add Troops & Rally​ ​
Op +
board by adding Troops, ❏ Without numbers you will not succeed at NVA control
Guerrillas Infiltrate​
Special Activity
Guerrillas, and Bases

Secondary You may... By carrying out... Notes & details

Objectives

❏ US Troops are a very potent anti­NVA factor

Achieve numerical superiority Carry out long­term strategy of
❏ US Troops can A ​ir Lift ​ ​ir Strike ​
and A to work against your expensive
over the US Troops to enable reducing US Troop count through (see removal tactics
and time­consuming R ​ally + Infiltrate​ ​ssaults
operations, and their A
your Pivotal Event and reduce various means whenever above)
often inflict 1­for­1 removal of your pieces
risk of Troop loss possible
❏ Prioritize removing US pieces whenever possible

❏ Guerrillas present during a coup will automatically sabotage LoCs and

reduce ARVN income
Occupy LoCs to undermine the
Move your Guerrillas to LoC ❏ US/ARVN cannot patrol through your Guerrilla units...consider
ARVN economy & disrupt COIN ​
March​
Op
spaces blocking access to key Cities, or blocking their ability to move from
unit mobility
North to South by occupying two parallel LoCs
❏ Guerrillas on LoCs can Ambush adjacent spaces

Spend resources to improve the

Improve Trail Rally​
Op ❏ High Trail value provides benefits to Rally, Income, and Movement
Trail’s value

Monitor VC’s win condition; take Outnumber VC in a space with

❏ Shifts any degree of opposition toward Neutral (does not affect
their bases for yourself to one of their bases and you can
Infiltrate​
Special Activity support)
reduce their score and increase infiltrate it to replace it with your
❏ May replace Tunneled bases
your own own (even a tunneled base)

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Tertiary Objectives You may... By carrying out... Notes & details

Protect Laos/Cambodia spaces Avoid allowing COIN control in (see reposition and ❏ During the Coup, a COIN­controlled space will cause the Trail to
to avoid Trail degradation any Laos/Cambodia spaces removal tactics above) degrade by 1, reducing your long­term mobility and income

❏ You prefer to keep spaces at “Neutral” to prevent helping US or VC

Push support toward “Neutral”
Activate inactive Guerrillas to win conditions
to open the door for subsequent Terror​
Op
shift spaces toward opposition ❏ Only pushes S​upport ​toward Neutral. Has no effect on spaces that are
Guerrilla rallies
already Neutral, or are already in some level of opposition

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Pivotal Events
All of these general suggestions for timing the play of these Pivotal Events are, of course, subject to the circumstances when they are playable. Often the one playing
the Pivotal Event would prefer (not always) to have their nominal "ally" Eligible to follow up with an Op + SA (especially true if a 2­player game). Sometimes you have to
play the Pivotal Event under less than ideal circumstances because the 1st Eligible can play a "killer" Event that you need to bury with that Pivotal Event Card. And as
noted, whatever Capabilities are in play can affect what the "optimum" moment is and even whether it's advisable to play the Pivotal Event at all.

Linebacker II (US Pivotal Event)​ :​The US usually waits for the NVA Faction to play Easter Offensive (EO), and then drops Linebacker II on them when the "steam"
starts to go out of EO, as well as when the NVA has at least 10 Resources. In other words, the US play Linebacker II to essentially cripple the NVA Faction once and
for all. As the US can't "trump" any other Pivotal Event, it's rare that Linebacker II will be played first and is often played last.

The Tet Offensive (VC Pivotal Event)​ :​Play of The Tet Offensive (TTO), by far the most "chaotic" of the Pivotal Events, should be timed by the VC player for when VC
Underground Guerrillas are in good position to make the initial Terror phase effective by increasing Opposition or more likely putting a huge dent in US Support. In
terms of placement of the 6 VC pieces (preferably VC Guerrillas) in Cities, I usually put them all in 1 City to assure an "automatic" win in the Attack, and preferably in a
City which has Support which will leave the US unable to later conduct Air Strikes without suffering Support losses. Also, if the VC can get to play shaded APC, they
can conduct, in essence, 2 TTOs. But the VC player must also be prepared for "retaliation" by the COIN forces to take out all those now Activated VC Guerrillas. It gets
even worse if unshaded Cadres is in play which may cause a VC player to hesitate playing TTO at all.

The Easter Offensive (NVA Pivotal Event)​ :​

The NVA will want to time play of the Easter Offensive (EO) with as many NVA Troops on the map as possible to take full
advantage of the free March/free Attacks. Also, if the Route 13/14 LoC connecting An LoC to Saigon isn't blocked by COIN forces, that is an opportune time to play EO
to conduct a "blitz" into Saigon (a subtle aspect of EO of NVA Troops on vacant LoCs allows this gambit) and also via the Route 1/9 LoC into Hue. If providently timed
just before a Coup Card shows up, the 8 VPs gained by NVA player for Control of Saigon and Hue may lead to a NVA win in the Victory Phase of the Coup Round (and
the jaws of the US and ARVN player in particular to drop). As Oerjan Arlander (the Bot Master) has suggested, the ARVN would do well to put 3 Police (and/or ARVN
Troops if Police are scarce) on each of these "EO highways" into Saigon and Hue until the threat of EO is over. For the COIN forces, preventing the EO "blitz" gambit
should be a high priority. If the COIN do block the EO "blitz" gambit, the NVA player should then look for 2­Pop provinces to invade, preferably targeting Tay Ninh
(Jungle, and if the VC still have a Tunneled Base, a potential Infiltrate target), and Binh Dinh and Quang Tri (Highland, provided the US has no Bases there to create a
US firebase negating the advantage for Insurgents against COIN Assaults). When Marching NVA Troops, consider also spaces with Support (the Volko "hostage"
strategy) that may cause the US player to pause in conducting retaliatory Air Strikes, especially if shaded Arc Light is in play. When Marching NVA Guerrillas, and
unless you can get them Underground into a Support space, you're usually better going into spaces which are Neutral (best choice) or at Opposition (next best choice).
Having shaded PT­76 in play can also make a difference as to how many NVA Troops need to be in each March group for maximum "kill" power.

Vietnamization (ARVN Pivotal Event)​ :​

The ARVN should usually play Vietnamization as soon as it's playable because it's like a "goodie bag": the ARVN get
Resources (+12); Aid (+12); all ARVN pieces (usually 3 Rangers, 10 Troops, and 2 Bases) go from Out of Play into the Available box; and finally 4 ARVN cubes may
be placed anywhere on the map, potentially for a quick COIN Control pick up. Unlike other Pivotal Events, Vietnamization is the one that usually needs to played as
early as possible to gain maximum benefit. The other three Pivotal Events are much more subject to "optimum moments" for play and not necessarily when playable.

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