Hearts and Minds Board Game - 1965 To 1975 (Third Edition)

Hearts and Minds - 1965 To 1975 (Third Edition) Spanish

Vietnam, 1965. The United States deploys combat troops to South Vietnam and operations Rolling Thunder, Steel Tiger and Market Time begin. The Allies build deep-draft ports in the bays of Vung Po and Cam Ranh. Ho Chi Minh has decided to take the war to South Vietnam. One player (the Red player) controls the communist side; the other player (the Blue player) controls the allies. The Red player controls regular North Vietnamese Army (NVA) and Viet Cong (VC) units in Vietnam, Khmer Rouge units in Cambodia, and Pathet Lao units in Laos. The Blue player controls South Vietnamese infantry (Army of the Republic of South Vietnam or ERVS units), American units, international units (Republic of Korea or DRC plus New Zealand, Australia and Thailand), and government forces from Laos and Cambodia.

This is a card-powered game in which you win the game by accumulating Political Will. The North Vietnamese player (Red) attempts to earn Dove points, which are added to the Political Will total. The South Vietnamese player (Blue) attempts to earn Falcon points, which are subtracted from Political Will. You can play an entire campaign from 1965 to 1975, or you can play a shorter scenario of any length you choose. The scenarios show deployments for each year from 1965 to 1972. Pick a start year, pick an end year, and that's a scenario. To decide a winner, compare your final Political Will score to your end-of-year goal. Each year also has automatic victory conditions for each player, so your scenario could end sooner. The cheat sheet shows the victory conditions for each scenario.

Eight scenarios introduce players to US involvement in Southeast Asia, including a scenario after the US withdrawal from Vietnam, a full campaign scenario, and the ability to play solo. Players will be able to start in any year of the war they wish and fight until the end of any other year of the war. The game provides a comprehensive historical focus using mechanics including guerrilla warfare, faction differentiation, political upheaval, and veteran benefits. It is a game with a card and area engine, with a low density of tokens and a very simplified combat system. Each scenario represents a year and players have the flexibility to start in any year of the war and end in any subsequent year of the war. Players will be able to choose allies (US, ARVN, Cambodia and Laos) or communists (NVA, VC, Cambodia and Laos)

Players engage in guerrilla warfare - VC units remain hidden until discovered. VC units can be units or reinforcements or simply false information. When it is determined that this is false information, players roll on the Bush Events Table involving events from the discovery of Chinese troops to the arrival of USO (United Service Organizations) shows with John Wayne and Bob Hope. There are three decks of cards, a red deck (communist), a blue deck (ally), and a black deck (tradable). Before each game, half of the black deck is shuffled into each of the red and blue decks, ensuring a different game every time. The cards indicate the amount of RP (resource points) that can be spent or accumulated, a historical situation, and its effects on the game. Some cards are specific to each year. Within each red and blue deck there are a series of campaign cards that can be chosen by each player and that allow them to increase skills, but only in a predetermined area.

The game takes into account the political ramifications of the war. The events of the cards cover the mass protests in the United States and, more significantly, the instability of the South Vietnamese government. The Allied player controls more firepower, but must walk a tightrope between American and ARVN (South Vietnam) casualties. Too many American casualties lead to a rapid rise in communist morale. Too many casualties in the ARVN will lead to a coup d'état which has important strategic advantages for the communist player. While in Cambodia and Laos, the destruction of all government forces means the fall of those governments. Throughout the game, both sides compete for "Hearts and Minds" in each province. Political control determines the availability and expansion of the VC's influence.