A special 2-game offering where both games are included in one box! Here's a testimonial... "I received my copy of “They Were Soldiers” and “Dak To” today and I am totally blown away by both the physical quality of the game and the soundness of the rules. As a former Vietnam-era infantryman (B-1-35th Inf., 25th Inf. Division), field artillery forward observer (B-2-180th FA) and as a wargamer since 1963, I have always had a strong interest in games that covered the Vietnam conflict. This game recreates the feel of small unit light infantry combat without bogging down in lengthy and complicated rules. Sound tactics – and some luck – will win battles in the real world and also in this game. And the board is awesome. When I opened it up and took it in, I had an urge to draw in the grid squares. Your game takes me back to the days of jungle fatigues, jungle boots, M-16s, steel pots, C-rats and the sound of Huey rotor blades coming into the LZ. Good work. Drive on!" Mike Anderson, former SSG US Army 11B40, 13F40 and 95B40. Bisbee, AZ
Here's a cool interview from The Player's Aid explaining the game in detail: Interview with Kevin Talley Developer for They Were Soldiers: Battle of the Ia Drang Valley from Cadet Games Currently on Kickstarter – The Players' Aid (theplayersaid.com)
This was the Kickstarter Campaign from 2020: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/647106057/they-were-soldiers-and-dak-to-hill-875
At 10:48 A.M. on the morning of November 14th, 1965, the first 80 soldiers of the 1st Battalion of the U.S. 7th Cavalry landed in a small clearing at the foot of the Chu Pong Massif in central Vietnam near the Cambodian border. The Americans had landed in the middle of the base area for an entire North Vietnamese division, and were almost immediately attacked from multiple sides of their small landing zone - called ‘LZ X-Ray’.
The battle raged over the next several days, with high losses on both sides. In the end, the Americans had proved their new airmobility tactics and had inflicted high losses on the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) soldiers they faced. The NVA had also learned how to fight the Americans - and had inflicted serious losses on a high-tech superpower enemy by using classic light infantry tactics with only a fraction of the firepower available to the Americans.
This game challenges the players to re-fight the first day or so of that battle - the critical time when the NVA forces had the chance to overwhelm the Americans and overrun the landing zone. Can you, as the U.S. player, hold your ground and repeat history? Or will the NVA player triumph and overwhelm the perimeter - cutting the Americans off from supply and reinforcement? Get ready to re-live or re-write history in the battle for LZ-Xray!
Also -
At 09:43 A.M. on the morning of November 19th, 1967, the lead platoons of the 2/503rd Airborne Infantry began advancing south up the north face of hill 875 in the central highlands of Vietnam near Cambodia. The Americans, just 330 strong, expected to face a company of the NVA. The pre-assault bombardment by aircraft and artillery had created much deadfall, craters and holes in the thick jungle.
The battle that followed became one of the bloodiest in the Vietnam War. The NVA had been expecting the Americans and had a plan of their own. The 2/503rd was nearly wiped out but was quickly reinforced by their 4th battalion. The battle for the hilltop raged for days with serious losses on both sides. In the end, the Americans took the hill - but the NVA had slipped away with many of their soldiers to fight again.
This game challenges the players to re-fight the first day or so of that battle - the critical time when the NVA forces had the chance to overwhelm the Americans and overrun the U.S. battalion. Can you, as the U.S. player, hold your ground and repeat history? Or will the NVA player triumph and overwhelm the perimeter before reinforcements arrive? Get ready to re-live or re-write history in the battle for Hill 875!
