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This is the ninety-ninth in a series of posts on the Vietnam War. See here for the previous post in the series and here to go back to the master post.

When I started up this whole exercise of working through my Vietnam PC game scenarios in, more or less, chronological order, I suppose I had an idea of how it would all go. I can’t imagine that I anticipated that, one day, I would have ninety-nine such articles under my belt with no end in sight.

What I probably was thinking was that I would be in for was something like this… I’d play a few early-war scenarios, then game out the events of Gibson’s We Were Soldiers…, play some mid war scenarios, and after all that hit a varied pile of games associated with Full Metal Jacket and the Tet Offensive. Yet here I am, almost five years and a full 99 posts later, and I still haven’t reached 1968, the Tet Offensive, or several games from my library that specifically deal with the post-1967 war.

The number 99 seemed like a good time to pause and take stock.

– ‘Twas the night before Christmas…

I’m right at the point, wrapping up my playing of Vietnam Combat Operations Volume 6, where things are getting ready to happen. I’ve taken a breather with the Christmas truce and my digital people are preparing for the traditional Tet cease fire. Above, you can see a little action from Operation Yellowstone taking place in the turn that runs through the Christmas holiday.

I happened to be looking back at one of my first posts after I took up Vietnam Combat Operations. After that first scenario, I was a little disappointed with myself. Having made it through, I had scored but a draw. Being new to this series, I figured I’d left a lot on my plate. With the next scenario, I assured myself and my readers, I would learn from my mistakes. I would both be a little more aggressive about the use of available forces as well as being careful not to misuse units that were slated for an upcoming historical operation. With such a strategy, I hoped to attain at least the minimum point level for a victory.

– My Marines have located an NVA HQ but, air assets aside, I’m not sure I’m bringing enough to the table

Now having finished Volume 6, I will report to you that each of the six has ended in a draw. Whether I think I’m doing well or having trouble doesn’t seem to be a factor. The Vietnam War, per these scenarios, is just an endless slog where, even if I can manage to avoid “losing,” victory remains ever elusive.

I’ve certainly got the hang of making sure that I remain active in all of the scored historical operations. Even though it means Vietnam Combat Operations takes the strategic planning function away from me, I feel this game is best enjoyed by sticking as close to reality as the scenario design and the vagaries of the virtual dice allow. On the other hand, if I did so religiously, it was wouldn’t be much of a “game” at all, now would it? The key to the fun, for me, is finding and taking advantage of the little opportunities as they present themselves. See, for example, the above screenshot featuring some extra-historical activity.

I had noticed that I was getting hit by large caliber heavy-artillery, pelting me unanswered from deep in the hills. What began as a historical search and destroy assignment turned into an unsanctioned, multi-month hunt to track down and neutralize the NVA rocket units (accompanied, as you can see above, by a regimental HQ). Well beyond anything specified in the scenario notes, I had to cycle in several different Marine battalions and, eventually, some riverine units, in my efforts to corner this elusive enemy. In the end I never did wipe him out, although I drove at least some of the NVA force back across the border into Laos.

But for all of my effort, the victory points didn’t move substantially. The scenario still scored as a draw.

– By late January, something seems to be going on around Khe Sanh. I think I’ve got a handle on it, though.

The ending turn (see above screenshot) of the scenario sees things quieting down. Of course, we know that we are deceived. It’s all about to get much, much worse.

As an aside, I am also wondering if the framework of these scenarios have spoiled me for all other TOAW game play. As I’ve described for you, somewhere in those prior 98 posts, Vietnam Combat Operations mostly removes the player from the hex-and-counter mechanics that frequently rule the base game. I’ve come to see this as THE way to play TOAW. Will I ever be able to move on to a different scenario design?

Return to the master post for Vietnam War or join with me for more stick time in the next post.