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Please Visit: Daniel Raymond Phillips Memorial

Please Visit: Daniel Raymond Phillips Memorial

I ran Charlie Company at Pica Fight II. The Charlie Company Tournament was a continuation of my An Khe campaign. We were able to field a full strength platoon. We ran three missions from 1400hrs to 2100hrs.

The first mission went fairly well. It was a mission to engage the enemy and bring him to battle. The Americans were able to locate several smaller enemy units, but could not find the main force. Although the Americans took some casualties, they were able to drive a Main Force NVA squad from a bunker.

The second mission of the day was a Pyrrhic victory. The American losses were heavy, but the search and rescue mission of a downed Navy flier was ultimately successful. His return cost Charlie company 5 dead and 5 wounded. Among the wounded was the mission's leader.

The final mission of the day was a search and destroy combat patrol. The Americans had a full strength platoon under the command of a lieutenant. Many enemy were found and killed, including a squad located in a small bunker. The Americans encountered an American squad outside of the squad's designated patrol area. This could have ended in disaster, but the platoon leader kept his head and ended the encounter with no injuries and no loss of life. The mission ended when the Americans executed a successful counter-ambush. There was only one wounded casualty for the Americans and he was med-evaced safely.

I ran Charlie Company at MonCon, on March 20. The Charlie Company Tournament was a continuation of my An Khe campaign. We had time for 3 battles.

The first scenario saw a full platoon of three rifle squads, a weapons squad, and a platoon HQ rescue the remnants of a LRRP team. The platoon received fire, but did not sustain casualties. This scenario was the most effective use of arty that I have ever seen. Unfortunately, only one member of the LRRP team was alive at the time the platoon reached their location. This was keyed into the scenario and does not reflect poorly on the players. This scenario also saw the "quote of the day." One player remarked, "It seems like a waste of tax payers' money to send a whole platoon to rescue one man." Another player responded, "He [the surviving LRRP team member] doesn't think so."

The second scenario was very short, but very well executed. A single squad had to position itself as a blocking force and then provide cover fire for a squad that was pinned. It was executed almost perfectly and the two squads were even able to fight their way out of an amubush that was waiting for them.

The third scenario was one of the most complicated scenarios I have run. It involved three squads setting up a defensive position and getting through the night. After the short platoon did so well with the scenario, we had them reinforce their position and repel an even bigger attack the next night. We had counters representing claymores placed on the board. There were several defensive positions used and it was the first chance I had to set-up my concertina wire on the board. The final wave of the second night was repelled, but at the cost of two dead and three wounded.

Thanks to all who played at MonCon. It was the best single day of Charlie Company I have ever experienced. Thanks also to all those people who stopped by the table and commented on the terrain. I really worked hard to build a nice display and your compliments were much appreciated.

I was planning to run Charlie Company at East Coast Game Faire, April 16-18, 1999. There were to be four sessions in my "Tour de Corps." I may run this scenario at ShoreCon in September. Here's the hype for that event:

Fight four battles, one in each of the Corps Tactical Zones. See how the terrain varied from CTZ and how it effected the mission and tactics. Missions, fire support, and enemy forces will be determined by random draw. Just like in 'Nam, you never know if you're being sent out on a cake walk or to a blood bath. Even though we'll have time for 4 battles, you don't have to participate in every battle, just stop by the table to find out when the next battle will be starting. We'll be able to field a whole company if necessary, so it is highly unlikely that you will be turned away.

At this point, the plan is to have the new terrain system, Geo-Hex and War Zone GTS, ready for MonCon, less than a month before ECGF. So, even if you're not interested in actually playing in a mission, stop by the table to take a look at the 3-D jungle terrain.

I ran a three hour game of Charlie Company at WarFaire 1999 on May 22. The scenario is part of my An Khe campaign. We all had a great time with this particularly difficult scenario. This was the largest group of players that I ever had the chance to GM. They were also one of the most fun. The After Action Reports have been sent to the Charlie Company Discussion Group.

LehiCon Lite will be held in Wind Gap, PA on July 10. LehiCon does not have a website, but if you want more info, feel free to e-mail me. I will be running my new scenario "Full Metal Jackass" in the morning, Slot A, from 9am - 1pm. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to make it to LehiCon this year until it was too late to be listed in the pre-reg book. However, I will be listed in the on-site book and anyone who e-mails me to let me know they will attend can consider themselves "pre-registered" for the event. "Full Metal Jackass" will be part of my ongoing An Khe campaign. Here's the description:

SNAFU! The FNG is leading today's mission. RAFM's Vietnam-Era skirmish game has never been played like this! The GM plays the senior officer on the mission and gives orders based on a random draw. If men weren't dying, this would almost be funny. Actually, since the miniatures do all the dying, it's hilarious! Basic and variant rules will be taught.

• What the heck is Charlie Company?
  Charlie Company is a miniatures skirmish wargame that models infantry combat in Vietnam from 1965-1972.
  
  
• What makes Charlie Company unique or different from other miniatures wargames?
  In Charlie Company, the players are all part of the same team and work together to accomplish the mission. Charlie Company also allows each player to actually take on the role of a specific figure on the table. It is a hybrid wargame/role-playing game.
  
  
• Is it just a suped up role-playing game or is it a watered-down miniatures wargame?
  It is neither. First, the role-playing aspect of Charlie Company is restricted to the planning and execution of combat missions; you can't role-play the LT or the Sarge back at the rest camp or tooling around Saigon looking for a bar. However, your combat intelligence is generally restricted to what your figure, the playing piece tht represents "you," can see or hear. Also, when your men are out of visual range, they may or may not follow your orders.
  
  
• Can I play the VC or NVA in Charlie Company?
  Yes, but only if the game master (GM), the game's "referee," allows. The forces of Communist Vietnam used rather static plans and this is best modelled by a GM being responsible for any decisions that the Communists are forces to make.
  
  
• How big are the units used in the play of Charlie Company?
  Each player typically plays a sergeant in command of a squad of up to 10 men. If enough players are involved, these squads may be formed into platoons or even a company-sized unit.
  
  
• How realistic are the rules for Charlie Company?
  This is just my opinion, as I have never actually been in combat in South East Asia. Statistically, the rules are a bit granular: each man firing an M-16 has about a 1 in 3 chance of hitting a target when firing at an enemy squad in the open, for example. However, the "feel" of being in combat successfully is achieved. This is about as realistic as I want to get for recreational purposes. The game is an accurate simulation, allowing for the granularity of the system.

Charlie Company is a miniatures skirmish wargame that uses 20mm figures. This scale means that one inch on the table top is roughly equivalent to 2 yards (1:72). Terrain, vehicles and accessories for HO (1:87), 1:72, and 1:76 may be used.

Each player in the game usually takes command of a squad of American infantry in Vietnam 1965-1972. If enough players participate, some may take command of an entire platoon or even a company. Charlie Company uses a system that requires a gamemaster (GM) to judge the action to make decisions for the enemy forces. Unlike other wargames where the players compete against each other, in Charlie Company the players are all on the same team.

The squad leaders are usually sergeants (E-5). As a squad leader (SL), you are responsible for the control of your squad. Ultimately, you make all the decisions for your squad. Usually, you take the orders given to you by the platoon leader and interpret them into direct actions. It's usually a good idea to obey all of the orders of the platoon leader. But sometimes you can disregard, or just plain disobey, an order. There are really no sanctions in the rules for disobeying an order, but the platoon leader usually finds a way to pay back a sergeant who directly disobeys an order. Usually, it's in your best interest to stick to the team's plan. Most of the time, the platoon leader gives broad orders to the squad leaders, so there is plenty of room to get creative.

The platoon leaders are normally lieutenants (O-1). The platoon leader (PL), has to give orders to the squad leaders. The PL is always assigned a radio telephone operator (RTO). This means that the PL can call in arty, air strikes, gunships, and med evacs. Often, the PL will also be the senior player in the game. When this is the case, he is responsible for the planning, as well as, the execution of the mission. Usually, a PL will take direct command of the platoon's weapons squad. This usually assures cooperation of the squad leaders, should the platoon run into trouble. The PL will normally assign the squad leaders to different areas or tasks within the mission. A PL will often lead from the front of the formation and keep one squad in a reserve or rear guard position.

The company commander has to give orders to the platoon leaders. The company commander (CO) is normally a captain (O-3). When the CO is a player, he is, with very rare exceptions, the senior player. When this is the case, he is responsible for the planning, as well as, the execution of the mission. In addition to taking direct control of the company HQ, the CO will often take direct control of the weapons platoon HQ as well as one of the squads in the platoon, if not the entire weapons platoon. The CO will usually let one of his platoons take point, but he will not be far behind. This puts the CO in a good position to respond to the situation as it changes, as well as communicate effectively with his reserve platoon; a pinned or suppressed CO is a bad thing.

Charlie Company is published by RAFM Company Inc. If you'd like to learn more about Charlie Company you can check out their Charlie Company pages. The site currently includes a new Ask the Experts FAQ, a page with a list of miniatures hyper-linked to pictures of the minis, and a scenario. Their Charlie Company site is growing all the time, so check it out and tell them how much you appreciate their efforts and that you want even more support for Charlie Company.

In the summer of 1965, the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) became operational and began occupying a position at An Khe. From there, the division could deploy it's assets in support of it's mission. The missions are all similar to real missions that occurred during the given time frame. However, any similarity to an actual military unit, with the exception of the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) or any individual is purely coincidental.

Rather than play a series of unconnected battles, I am maintaining a bit of background and using one unit for all battles in a series, or "campaign." Even as leaders die or are rotated home, the campaign will continue.

So far, we've fought 12 battles, one per month of "game" time, in the campaign starting in August of 1965. This is the campaign I played at Pica Fight II and MonCon. The An Khe campaign will continue at WarFaire 1999 with my Charlie's Point scenario and at LehiCon with my Full Metal Jackass scenario.

C Troop, 1/1, 1st Cav Div (Airmobile)

Rank	Name or Code	Position	Status
	Brooks	Commanding Officer	Active #
	Smith	Executive Officer	Active #
	"Ed"	Platoon Leader	Active
	Fogle	Platoon Leader	Active
	"Richard"	Platoon Leader	Active
	"Joe"	Platoon Leader	Active
	"Lucky" Woolman	Platoon Sergeant	Active
	"Bill"	Squad Leader	Active
	"Andy"	Squad Leader	Active
	"Robert"	Squad Leader	Active
	"Thomas"	Squad Leader	Active
	"Rachel"	Squad Leader	Active
Casualties
	"Red"	Squad Leader	DOA
	"Shorty"	Asst Squad Leader	KIA
Key to Roster
#	Previously Played by GM
KIA	Killed in Action (Kill Result)
DOA	Dead on Arrival (died from wounds)
MIA	Missing in Action (surrendered or abandoned)

Vietnam 1969-1970 : A Company Commander's Journal

This book contains excellent descriptions of combat. It is taken directly from a company commander's journal with comments made by the author over 15 years after the action.

Platoon Leader

A great book about the true experiences of a platoon leader in the strategic hamlet program. Avoid the film based on this book, it is a horrible film and does not do justice to the people involved.

Death in the A Shau Valley : L Company Lrrps in Vietnam, 1969-70

An excellent account of the small unit tactics used by the U.S. Army Rangers.

Images Of My War

This is a website that has a group of photos as well as the best collection of personal Vietnam stories from one man available on the web. Do NOT miss it and be sure to encourage the author to write more.

• Night of the Silver Stars : The Battle of Lang Vei

Images Of My War

This site has a group of photos as well as some excellent stories about the experiences of, at various times, an XO in an admin company, a platoon leader, and a company commander. This is the best collection of personal Vietnam stories from one man available on the web. Do NOT miss it.

Daniel Raymond Phillips Memorial

This page is dedicated to all the missing POW/MIAs, and most especially, to Daniel Raymond Phillips.

Khe Sanh Veterans Home Page

Dedicated to all who served and died at Khe Sanh 1962 - 1972. This site contains an extensive set of now and then photos, a great deal of information about the KSCB, maps, and contact info for veterans.

Vietnam Veterans Home Page

You must check out this collection of links and resources. The map section alone is worth the effort, and that's just a small part of this incredible site.

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Insignia Adapted from

Charlie Company Copyright © 1997 RAFM Company Inc.

Copyright © 1998, 1999 Octavian Group All Rights Reserved

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