Incoming! - Miscellaneous & Period Rules
Downed Aircrew
Rescuing downed aircrew was a regular feature of the Vietnam War and operations could easily be diverted when a friendly aircraft went down. Attempts were also made to recover the bodies of dead aircrew. In the event of an aircraft or moving helicopter being shot down the owning player must test for the aircrew. Throw 1D6.
Fixed Wing Aircraft:
- A score of 4, 5 or 6 indicates that the aircrew have ejected safely over the table top. Hold a paper marker over the centre of the table, and at least 1 metre above the table top. Release the marker and the point where it lands is the location of the ejected aircrew. Replace the marker with an aircrew stand. If the marker falls outside the playing area then the aircrew are deemed to have been lost.
Helicopters:
- A score of 1 or 2 indicates that the helicopter has crashed with sufficient violence as to kill all those on board. Place a casualty marker next to the shot down helicopter to represent the crew, plus an additional marker for each passenger stand.
- A score of 3, 4 or 5 indicates that at least some of the crew and passengers may have survived the crash. Dice again for the crew and each passenger stand. Any scoring 4 or more have survived and the stands are placed on the table top adjacent to the shot down helicopter. Those scoring 3 or less are replaced with a casualty marker.
- A score of 6 indicates that the helicopter has made a controlled landing (through good luck and flying skill!) and that all of the crew and passengers have survived. The stands are placed on the table top adjacent to the shot down helicopter.
The following rules apply to Downed Aircrew.
- Downed Aircrew may move once per player initiative (unless captured or rescued - see below) by either an umpire or the Free World player
- One Downed helicopter crew stand may carry one casualty marker
- Downed Aircrew may fire only when close assaulted. Fixed wing pilots use one fire dice and helicopter crews use 2 dice. Usual firing results apply.
- Downed Aircrew stands will be automatically captured if their stand is contacted in close combat by an enemy stand. Captured aircrew are attached to the capturing stand and are subsequently moved by the capturing player as part of the capturing unit.
- Downed aircrew are automatically rescued if a friendly stand (any type) is within one stand width of the aircrew stand. Once rescued the aircrew stands are attached to the rescuing unit and are subsequently moved by the rescuing player as part of the rescuing unit.
US Dog Handler Teams
This represents the use of dogs to locate enemy troops and caches.
- A Dog team consists of a dog and handler mounted on a base 1" wide by 1.5" deep
- They must be attached to either an infantry Fire Team or Platoon/Company Command Group and remain within 1 base width of that stand.
- They may be detached and re-attached during the course of the game by successfully carrying out a Rally action, moving to the new unit and announcing that they are being attached to the recipient unit.
- Dog teams may not fire and do not assist in close combat.
A dog team adds +1 to any dice throws to detect the enemy or their equipment and doubles the distance at which enemy troops are located in jungle and similar dense terrain (ie detection range increases from 1 stand width to 2 stand widths.
Optional Rules - Ammunition Supplies
The Vietnam war was remarkable for the prodigious amounts of ammunition expended by the Free World forces. The following rules are designed to reflect these high rates of fire and the problems associated with resupply. To resupply from an ammunition marker takes one initiative during which the unit must remain stationary.
A fire team or heavy weapon is resupplied by moving to within one base width of the ammunition marker (or a porter stand moving to within one base width of the stand to be resupplied) and remaining there for one friendly initiative, after which it is considered resupplied.
Free World Off Table Artillery/Heavy Mortars
- For all intents and purposes these do not have any limit to the number of fire missions available. This is reflected in the high point cost of FO's for off-table artillery.
Small arms and Direct Fire heavy weapons
- Any of these which throws all "1"s when making a direct fire attack is considered to be out of ammunition and may not fire until resupplied. RPGs etc which are augmenting the fire of a Fire Team will be considered as part of the firing Fire Team for this purpose. Units which are out of ammunition suffer a –1 modifier in close combat.
On table Heavy Weapons
- These will commence the game with a fixed number of fire missions available (see points cost chart for details). Once these fire missions have been expended then the weapon may not fire until resupplied with ammunition.
Free World Forces
Ammunition may be resupplied by helicopter. To request an ammunition resupply the senior commander present must first nominate the type of ammunition required and then throw 1D6 and score 5 or 6. A failure does not lose the initiative.If successful the resupply will then arrive on the table in 1D6 initiatives.
Each helicopter can carry sufficient small arms ammunition to resupply 15 fire teams/stands or 3 heavy weapons or 1 artillery or heavy mortar. One fire team stand is required to unload the ammunition. Small arms and mortar ammunition can be unloaded from a helicopter by any fire team. Artillery ammunition must be unloaded by an artillery crew within 2 stand widths of the artillery. Ammunition supplies should be represented by an appropriate marker.
Beehive and Flechette Munitions
These were developed to give artillery, large calibre RCL weapons and AFVs (90mm+ guns) a self defence capability against enemy infantry. They are similar in effect (but far more effective) to the old "canister" or "case" shot. To represent the use of these munitions any tank, RCL or on-table artillery piece may throw two extra fire dice when firing at any dismounted enemy troops in the open and within two base widths of the firing weapon. This may occur as part of the normal firing routine or when the weapon or vehicle is being attacked in close combat. In the case of close combat attacks note that the target stand must be within the firing weapons permitted arc of fire.
Note however that supplies of these munitions were not unlimited. Each weapon will start the game with 1D6 beehive/flechette fire missions. Due to the scarcity of these munitions no resupply is permitted.
Communist Forces
To request an ammunition resupply the senior commander present must first nominate the type of ammunition required and then throw 1D6 and score 5 or 6. A failure does not lose the initiative. If successful the resupply will arrive on table in 1D6 initiatives. Ammunition is carried by a porter stand. Each porter stand may carry sufficient small arms ammunition for 10 stands or one heavy weapon. Porters may centralise the ammunition for collection or may distribute it.
Fighting during the Hours of Darkness
The Night Fighting rules from the Crossfire Hit the Dirt Supplement apply. The following rules are additional to the supllement rules:
- Firing stands are always placed on the table as the muzzle flash etc will give away their position
- Artillery and mortars may fire illumination missions which will illuminate the entire playing area for the duration of the player's initiative and the following enemy initiative. Illuminated targets may be fired on as normal. Illumination missions are requested in the same way as smoke (ie the illumination will not be available on a score of 1 or 2).
- Free World forces may be issued with night sights (max 1 stand/vehicle per platoon) at a cost of +2 points per stand/vehicle (or if specified as part of the scenario). Fire Teams/vehicles equipped with night sights may observe and fire normally.
- M-48 tanks (equipped with Xenon searchlights) and Brown water navy vessels may illuminate any target within arc and LOS as one action. This action may also be combined with firing if desired. Illuminated targets may be engaged as normal by other fire. The tank should be marked with a yellow, cone shaped marker to represent the use of the searchlight. Obviously any tank using a searchlight will also be illuminated and may be engaged as normal by any suitable enemy weapon.
Civilians
If civilian buildings or agricultural areas are present on the table top, and the area has not been declared as a Free Fire Zone by the Free World Player, then the communist player may deploy 2D6 stands of civilians. These may be used to inhibit or restrain the Free World Player actions as follows;
Innocent Civilians:
- The locations of these stands must be written down prior to starting the game. Each stand must be located in a terrain item and may not move. Civilian stands remain concealed until they are located by the Free World player obtaining line of sight or successfully searching an area. If at any stage the terrain item is fired upon then the civilian stand must dice (1D6). It will become a casualty on a score of 6.
Mistaken identity:
This rule allows the communist player to use civilian traffic for movement or for the Free World Player to risk accidentally firing on civilians:
- A civilian stand may replace a fire team or similar stand (but not a heavy weapon crew) for movement.
- A fire team or similar stand (but not a heavy weapon crew) may replace a civilian stand for movement.
This may only occur providing that the stand has not already been located by the enemy. If at any time the stand is contacted in close combat, is within one base width of an enemy stand, is fired upon or attempts to fire then the correct stand is placed on the table.
Note:
- Any civilian stand within the appropriate base widths is tested for friendly fire
- Civilian stands are destroyed by a suppress hit and are replaced by two casualty markers.
