Charlie Don’t Surf

Yesterday I tried out the new Vietnam rules Charlie Don’t Surf from Too Fat Lardies in a solo play test using my new Battlefront Hueys. For the play test I used a pair of US air-mobile platoon with a Huey flight and a single Huey Hog to clear a village occupied by three platoons of NVA regulars.

The first flight of Hueys showed up and one of the three Hueys was driven off by a NVA platoon in the woods near the landing zone. The rest of the US air-mobile platoon dismounted and then was driven back by the NVA platoon. The Huey Hog showed up and hammered the NVA back. The missing Huey then returned and added the third air-mobile squad which raced past the rest of the platoon to enter town where they were promptly ambushed and wiped out to a man by the second NVA platoon. The rest of the air-mobile platoon quickly recovered and occupied positions at the edge of the town.

The Huey Hog then arrived from resupplying its ammo and smashed the first NVA platoon and spotted the third NVA platoon. The second air-mobile platoon then arrived near the first and third NVA platoons and the first NVA platoon was caught as it was fleeing from the Hog. By this time the first air-mobile platoon had recovered and proceeded to drive back the second NVA platoon from the near buildings.

At this point the NVA commander decided to withdraw and first drove off the Hog with AA fire and then used fire from one squad of third platoon to pin the newly arrived air-mobile platoon and then retreat. The shattered first NVA platoon also withdrew. The game ended as the last NVA platoon also withdrew through the town.

The mechanics of Charlie Don’t Surf are basically IABSM updated. The cards gave a dynamic flow to the battle as each side attempted to gain the advantage. The blinds were useful in leaving the US side to figure out where the NVA were and then try to isolate and destroy them. The US advantage in Big Men was telling even with the loss of the XO in recovering quickly while the smashed first NVA platoon was never able to recover. Using the military and political victory conditions from Charlie Don’t Surf the US had a marginal advantage but the loss of the third squad in first platoon really hurt the US forces.