Quick-Play Low Intensity Warfare Campaign Rules

- Aaron Longbottom (1986)

Introduction

These rules are blatantly stolen & modified from an article in one of the early Miniature Wargames (I think it was called "Charlie Company"). I've written them to accompany my own Skirmish '90. rules when playing a series of Vietnam games, but it should be easy to modify them for any similar set or period.

The numbers and setup used below is based on games of not more than 3 platoons controlled by the players, with the Guerrilla forces controlled by one or more umpires.

There is also a more detailed set of Campaign Rules, Quiet, Ugly Men which I have been using more recently.

Campaign Set Up

Each section/platoon commander rolls to see how long he has been "in country" 1D12 months. The idea of the campaign is to complete your 12 month tour of duty. After each game (which represents the main action in one month) increase the incountry time of each surviving commander by one. If a player reaches 13 they win.

The commanders section can add +1 to Ability for each 4 months, the commander may also add +1 Leadership points for the same period.

After each battlefor each 6 missing men (WIA/KIA/MIA) roll 1D6 this is the number of replacements that arrive. If less than 6 missing roll for each, a 6 on a D6 gives a replacement. Roll separately for privates, corprals, sergeants, lieutenants etc.

1 or 2 replacements (per section) in a month has no effect on increased troop ratings. Any more and all troop rating bonuses so far are lost.

Game Set Up

To give each monthly game a background as to why the players are there or what/who they are looking for roll a D12:


RESULT   TYPE OF GAME                    DM TO GUERRILLA TABLE
 1-3    Enemy Patrol Active                -2
 4-5    Food Cashe                         -1
 6-7    Weapons Cashe                       0
  8     Tax Collector/Harassing Villagers   0
  9     Guerrilla Area HQ/Supply Base      +1
 10     Guerrilla rest Camp                +2
 11     Mainforce HQ/Supply Base           +3
 12     Fire Base Defence                  N/A

To find the number of Guerrillas opposing the players roll a D10:


RESULT   TYPE OF GUERRILLAS   NO OF MEN   NO. OF MINES/TRAPS(*)
  1       Local Guerrillas      1D6          1D6
  2       Local Guerrillas      2D6          2D6
  3      Regular Guerrillas     1D6          none
  4      Regular Guerrillas     2D6          1D6
  5       Local Guerrillas      4D6          4D6
  6       Local Guerrillas      8D6          8D6
  7     Maincore Guerrillas     1D6          none
  8     Maincore Guerrillas     2D6          none
  9      Regular Guerrillas     4D6          2D6
  10     Regular Guerrillas     8D6          2D6
  11    Maincore Guerrillas     4D6          none
  12    Maincore Guerrillas     8D6          1D6

(* See below for Skirmish '90 rules for mines.)

Roll D6:
1-2 Worse than average quality.
5-6 Better than average quality.

If Regular or Maincore roll D10:

8 - One heavy weapon.
9 - Two heavy weapons.
10 - Three heavy weapons.

Heavy weapon is HMG, AAMG/AA gun, Mortar, Light tank, etc.

Use of mines/booby-traps in Skirmish '90 rules:


% TERRAIN OF          NUMBER OF BOOBY-TRAPS ROLLED
THIS TYPE     0    1-6    7-12  13-18  19-24  25-30  31-36  37-42  43-48

None        100%   50%    40%    25%    10%    none   none   none   none  
Minimal     none   50%    45%    40%    20%    10%    none   none   none
Low         none   none   15%    20%    30%    20%    10%    none   none
Medium      none   none  none    15%    30%    30%    20%    10%    none
High        none   none  none   none    10%    30%    40%    50%    50%
Maximum     none   none  none   none   none    10%    30%    40%    50%

Fire Base Defence

Set up a fire base/unit perimiter in the centre of the table and play 5D6 nights of 2D6+14 (1/2 hour) turns. Each turn roll D100 below:


ROLL     RESULT
1-75     Nothing happens
76-95    Sniper fire (Roll 2D6, 12 = someone hit)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
96-97    LMG fire (Randonly shoot-up some area within the units perimiter)
98-99    Mortar fire (Drop 3 random rounds within the units perimiter)
100      Sapper attack (2D6 men try to infultrate units perimiter)

If you rolled 96 or over above, then next and subsequent turns roll D20 below instead:


ROLL     RESULT
1-3      Nothing happens  (Go back to rolling on table above)
4-10     Nothing happens
11-12    Aimed mortar fire (At a random building/bunker)
13-14    Artillary/Rocket rounds (As mortar fire, above)
15-16    False alarm, garison opens fire. Jumps one ALERT STATE.
17-19    Assult - Roll on GUERRILLA TABLE to get numbers or drive
                 a carbomb into the base etc.
20       Sapper attack (2D6 men try to infultrate units perimiter)

At the start of each half hour turn the players must choose one of the following ALERT STATES:

                                                     OBS. LEVEL  TIREDNESS
(1)  NORMAL     25% in position, watching                 3        none
(2)  EFFICIENT  As normal but officers keep men alert     4        +0.5
(3)  ALERT      75% in position and awake                 5        +1
(4)  RED ALERT  All in positions, fully manned            5        +2
(5)  EXTREME    (CAN NOT CHOOSE THIS) As above but all    5        +3
                jumpy. Illum shells, firing at shadows, etc.

For each task a sapper wishes to perform they must roll less than the observation level of the base. If they roll equal to the value they must stay still for that half hour turn.

The effects of TIREDNESS are given below:


TIREDNESS    EFFECT                   
1-15       No effect
16-30      Slightly tired (initial motivation is -1)
31-40      Seriously tired, jumpy (initial motivation is -2)
           Roll D6 per turn, if 6 go to FALSE ALARM.
41+        Lathargic (Initial motivation is -2 from now on)
-----------------------------------------------------------
41-50        DM -1 to all observation & firing rolls.
51-60        DM -2 to all observation & firing rolls. 
61-70        DM -3 to all observation & firing rolls. 
71-80        DM -4 to all observation & firing rolls. 
81-90        DM -5 to all observation & firing rolls. 
91-100       DM -6 to all observation & firing rolls. 
101+       Shellshock. If you get this far then you're relieved of duty!

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