"15mm Vietnam questions" Topic

I'm wanting to get into it, but I am more interested in single based figures rather than FOW style.

What rule system works best for this?

What figure manufacturer to go with?

I would prefer US availability.

thanks!

I'm planning to use both Force on Force and FNG 2 for this. Miniatures wise I'm using Peter Pig which you can get here in the US from Brookhurst Hobbies in California.

Both rules sets are set-up for individually based miniatures and both support platoon to platoon + engagements. Force on Force will require you to spend more money to get the Ambush Valley supplement to go Vietnam. But you do get your money's worth with a great set of rules and a very detailed supplement. IMO, Ambush Valley is the best supplement for Force on Force when it comes to the rich collection of details about the forces involved.

I haven't seen FNG 2 yet, but I have FNG 1 and it is a great rules set. FNG 2 should clean up the rules some and bring them in line with the rest of the Chain Reaction rules.

Miniatures wise Peter Pig models are very detailed and not terribly expensive. They tend to be a bit shorter and stouter than many 15s out there, but you get a lot of detail and they are very clean castings. You don't have much in the way of clean up to do with them and they paint up great. Lots of detail to play with including the junk the GIs slap into their camo bands around their steel pots.

It's a great time to jump into Vietnam 15mm. Hop in, the water's fine!

Who carries peter pig in the US?

Brookhurst Hobbies in California:

link

They also have the AK 47 line that you can pilfer from too.

Eureka also have Viet Minh & French Indochina era FFL which can be used for the VC & some of the lesser quality ARVN troops. Eureka USA will have them & they go well with PP, which are very nice.

Flashpoint & Battlefront also do ranges but they're a bit bigger than the PP figures & may not appeal as much for that reason. The BF choppers are good.

Good suggestions for rules already but another decent set is the Two Fat Lardies' Charlie Don't Surf rules.

Fields of Fire Reloaded is a good Vietnam wargames site link

The New Peter Pig professionals from the AK47 range can pass for SAS during that period.

I'd recommend against Flashpoint though unless you go through a discounter (Which most of their U.S. distributors do thankfully.) Even with the discount they're pretty pricey. Nearly a dollar a figure and they're not even that impressive compared to the few other ranges out there. It's the same 6 or 7 dollies used for the NVA, U.S. forces, New Zealand and VC…and some of those same dollies were used for the BF figures since they were sculpted by the same fellow.

I'd go with Peter Pig (PP) for figures and Charlie Company (CC) for rules. PP figures are smaller than the 18mm – 20mm "15mm" figures of other manufacturers and tend to be clean casts and easy to paint. After playing Chain Reaction, FNG and FoF I've gone back to CC to prevent my brain exploading. Anything more than 10 men aside slows to an impenetrable crawl with CR and FNG. FoF can handle a platoon with practice, but CC will allow you to field and play a company.

And you can get our postwar US vehicles from Mark at Scale Creep: link

charlie don't surf and charlie company are very good rulesets , thoroughly researched and playable .

Oh, I would also toss out FUBAR as a good rule set to try out. It's rather simple, it's free, and it even has a Vietnam specific supplement that is also free.

A word of caution on Charlie Company: It is a simple rules set BUT it really requires a gamemaster to run it properly. In fact, it's the gamemaster who runs the Vietnamese Communists while the players play the Free World forces. The mechanics really run the VC and most players wouldn't care for the restrictions on how to play them. Also having the gamemaster allows the fog of war effects in the system to really work. It's that and the fire support system that really make Charlie Company shine. This game ISN'T a line 'em up and have at it game! It's a carefully crafted engine that does one thing, and it does it very well, and that's to replicate the Vietnam "experience" on table top.

There's also Ambush Valley (the Force on Force rules for Vietnam). Ambush Alley games in general do a very good job of modeling asymmetric warfare.

I've ended up with a lot of Battlefront US infantry and Helos, with QRF tracks, personally. Gotta order the QRF OH6 and find someone who does a 15mm PBR… and get a set of good small speakers so I can blare Ride of the Valkyries at the start of the game!

Peter Pig do a 15mm PBR

Gomi Designs do some nice Riverine craft too: gomidesigns.co.uk

Tim has a PBR and PCF listed as in development as well.