Flames of War For The Win: ‘Nam Week – Basic Training Part 2
August 6, 2013 by warzan
Time for part two of our look at the basics of Flames of War Vietnam and what makes it such a cool game. Warren and his experts have a quick look at how injuring troops will affect your game, and what you can do to keep your guys in the fight. From the feel of these mechanics you could really imagine playing out iconic battles from movies like "We Were Soldiers".
Here’s the run down on what you can win:
Prize 1: US Rifle Company
1 x Tour of Duty Rule Book
2 x Rifle Platoon VUS712
1 x Machine gun Platoon VUS708
1 x Mortar Platoon VUS705
Dice and Tokens VE003 VE004
Crashed Huey VE107
Loach VUSBX04
Prize 2: PAVN Army
1 x Tour of Duty Rule Book
Dice and Objective VE002 VE101
Infantry HQ VPABX06
Infantry VPABX07
Weapons Company VPABX08
Divisional Fire Support VPABX09
Local Forces Company VPABX10
To win all you have to do is comment on anything that we send out this week and at the end we’ll pull all the comments in to one big pot and pick two winners before announcing them on not this coming Weekender but the one following it.
So get commenting and enjoy the week!
![Warcradle Studios Reveal TINY New 10mm Festive Marker! [Updated]](https://images.beastsofwar.com/2025/11/christmas-kyle-main-600-338.jpg)
As always keep up the good work on the tutorials. This might get me interested in playing in NAM
Really cool rules with the medics there. I can see some very exciting scenarios to play 🙂
Agreed. Just like the films.
I’ve been waiting for full fledged Nam line. I’ve been really liking the Aircav list.
Do
you get
more entries
if you make
more posts? lol
Very interesting. The system does seem to capture the spirit of Vietnam War, or at least many the iconic scenes to which we all have been exposed through popular culture. I like it.
Great video once again, though I hope that it had lasted a bit longer. Left us all hungry for more, I suppose.
Looks good
Wow medics certainly have a role and can tip the game – Like it, nice!
Love the direction BoW’s been heading recently.
I wonder if the system also reflects diminishing first-aid supplies. anyone know anything?
That would be quite interesting.
Do the Vietcong have any sort of medic too? or did they loose a base directly?
My question would be, whether a wound token implies any penalties on the team it is on. Are they automatically pinned? Can they fight at all? Or is it just that americans have two wounds, that can be healed.
Can you use the same choppers to air vac the guys out. And how many airvac choppers do you have or do you have to purchase them and have like 2 or 3 per game?
I’m liking the look of this game. I have been enjoying the WWII FOW stuff, but it hasn’t really inspired me to want to play the game. This ‘Nam version though is looking rather interesting.
This not-quite-a-demo game is getting a bit confusing.
Very interesting to see that deliberate imbalance in the way the forces work. I’m curious to see what the Vietnamese can do once the Americans start to shoot back.
From what I’ve seen so far this is very much a ‘hero’ focused game, with the Vietnamese just posted as bad guys to offer the challenge. I hope there is more to it, so it can be an enjoyable and balanced game for both players.
I kind of understand your point
From what I have seen of the Vietnamese War, the Viet Cong were essentially a “horde” army, compared to the more technically advanced US forces.
So I would not say it is a hero focused game, but reflects the numerical advantage of the Communists.
Awesome content as always. I have the tropic thunder supplement and hope some of the guys at my club will get into this now.
I’m surprised by the medvac system. Is this the equivalent of a faction based skill like they have in FoW WWII?
Looking good so far..
some interesting content, really is in many respects quite a different beast to the WW2 stuff – I like it, definitely makes it quite a unique, stand-alone addition to Flames of War
I’m also very very impressed with how smoothly the flames of war core rules enabled this theater.
Pretty seamless.
Getting very tempted….how long till christmas?
I don’t know about the whole medic idea. It does seem a bit gamey. I suppose I’d have to try it out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3rnxQBizoU
probably my all time favourite song
I love the medic rule and the Evac rules there, very clever and very effective
I honestly think the Helicopters are what have me most excited about FoW Vietnam. Sad I know.
not really sad at all.
The air cavalry was “invented” during this conflict and is very iconic.
Am looking forward to air strikes called in by the FAC
Charlie hates the old Bird Dog! lol
I know its the same comment, but I am currently running the Internet through my and none of the videos want to load!!
Hmm, they are great looking Models, but I’m not sure how I feel about Wargaming in a realistic setting.
Still, Maybe I cna Concert them into something 🙂
Daft question. Is the rulebook completely separate or do you need the core FoW rulebook.
Apologies if this has been mentioned – I can’t find my arse with both hands right now.
Tour of Duty is standalone so you do not need the core rulebook
IIRC it was stated in the first video with David.
Ignore that I misunderstood. herpy derp derp
“This book allows you to recreate these battles on the tabletop using the popular Flames Of War rules.”
http://www.flamesofwar.com/hobby.aspx?art_id=3758
Sorry for the confusion
is there any rules for the VC to set traps in the field’s??
like pit’s or trip wire’s and the sort???
medvac looks cool.
Are there rules for traps?
Cool feature for americans, wonder what the Vietnamese get.
As soon as I saw how the US troop deployed I instantly thought of “We Were Soldiers”
http://youtu.be/6M6cpjP7GIo
http://youtu.be/3e-DXYUvxys
The problem with BoW is that everytime they play a game I want it!!!! Stop being so good!!!
/signed!
Nice to see a good balance between the existing FoW rules and the additions that add the Vietnam theme.
Hmmmm, medics are making this seem just cooler and cooler.
interesting
Im loving the helicopter models.
I agree with the earlier post questioning ‘heroes’ in the game. I hope that there is more room for balance in perception of factions. Only a demo I know so hoping for more detail as it progresses. As always these videos really do show off the games so well. Never thought historical games would appeal to me but I find myself now tempted.
Seems interesting – would love a battle with tanks involved
Cool stuff, its nice how they are trying to give FOW V its own feel.
I like the churning of the air cav. Makes for a very interesting game dynamics. Might make it harder to find play groups though, since there are only two factions essentially.
Just to answer previous questions…. you still need the core rulebook… the “Tour of Duty” book just adds the Vietnam aspects of the game…. and yes there are booby traps… 🙂
the Dust-Off rules add to the complexity of command for the U.S. player…
Charlie sheen left a piece of himself back there!
Awesome stuff flames of war Nam is
Now I want some pho.
This game looks even more awesome with each video.
the heli models are a must have i think 10 should do
as
redben
said, do
we get
more entries
?
good way to learn a new game … awesome work guys!
Gotta try this game
Love that the medics have a role in the games. Would have been so easy to just ignore them for the sake of the game rules but works like a charm.
AIRCAV!
If you ain’t cav, you ain’t S#!@!
Ooh, also please disregard my comments for the drawings 😉
<= Needs more Stug's 😉
Lets see a K car
Interesting tutorial, thanks.
Loving these ‘how to play’ vids!
Yep, I can even see my uncles loving this. We all grew up with Vietnam movies. Cool looking set of rules and Im realy looking forward to seeing the rest of Nam week.
Now this happens.. Medivacs.. medics… Makes me think that a US army would be the first Nam army.. I’m still not there yet …
Thanks for the new episode. I would like to win the vietnamese forces 😀 the black “kimono” as Garreth put it – looks fun..
The medic/medivac rules do sound like they will bring an interesting dynamic to the game. It will be interesting to see it played out in a proper battle.
Look like a cool system
Good stuff, covering some key elements of the rules in shorter format is a nice diversion from the full-blown AAR (which I like nevertheless).
Very cool looking game
The medivac and medic rule makes it hard for the PAVN to eliminate the free-world forces. PAVN have to concentrate on killing off 1 unit at a time by hitting it with all the have. The free-world forces have to keep patching up their units The PAVN have Anti arcraft and will try to get hits on a chopper. Very tense game guys, more so then WW2.
Medic! Medic!
I’m going to have to dust off my old nam figures. Peter pig and individually based, but will do the job I think.
I really like this tweak to the rules, really adds that Vietnam flavour to the game.
I’ve played a few games of FoW-Nam now and while there is a sense of “American heroes” that is only really because you have to be rurally carefully on how you manage the waves that come in. A Huey can only carry 3 bases at a time and only one of those can be a man packed gun team (ie. an M60 or mortar team) plus you can’t mix platoons on a chopper. When choppering in the hues have to land and wait t turn weathering whatever firepower the PANV can throw at them before disembarking. So you’re looking at about a three turn cycle before you get more boots on the ground. You really do feel very outnumbered in the field!
The Vietnamese are not left wanting either. With them too wave management is vital. They have the ability to pretty much leap out of the bushes and attack form multiple angles. The HMG bunkers are particularly devastating and can appear slap-bang in the faces of the disembarking Americans. The other awesome trick the PANV have is that you can choose to remove a platoon (and these are very big platoons) from the table and put it straight back into your reserve pool ready to come on, at full strength, again leaping out of a random bushes.
I got caught out massively with this in my first game, I pushed forward to create a new LZ cos the original one was far to hot, only to have a horde of VC come charging out of some elephant grass firing all kinds of AKs and RPGs at my beleaguered Huey’s. Only two flew off but that left me with only 3 bases Americans defending against 25 stands of very angry VC!
is a bit different of ww2 but still very good, I may try!
Catch up time so much to see
Gotta love them hueys! I have to restrain myself from ordering some right away.
This is great!
Great explanation of the Medivac rules guys Thanks
loving the medic idea, allows the americans to live just that tiny bit more!
Very interesting guys. Go on! We’re loving it =)
The helicopters are the big draw for me. Not even painted a tank from my WWII force yet but TOD is looking good.
Please tell me though that her helo’s don’t just get put on, then taken off, then put on etc. Otherwise, other than to collect and paint them, you could just use a token.
random comment to win stuff
He’s got the 1000 yard stare, that’s how you can tell he’s been in the sh**
Those medic rules could make for some really interesting gameplay
If you haven’t seen this before it may be of interest
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSvN2os2djM
Looks like a nice system
Medic!!!
Those models are just so awesome, such an iconic helicopter! Beautiful
Nice follow up video, look forward to watching the rest of the videos.
Got to love choppers, just so, so cool.
Huh. I like the asymmetrical rules for the two major sides in this. Even with the country-specific rules in FOW: WWII, I felt like the sides played very similarly. Hopefully this shakes things up a bit more!
Best theme week yet guys. Thoroughly enjoyed it all. Especially nice touch with the music. And i liked the multiple unboxings spread over the week.
I’m going on a copy+paste mission now to maybe win an army. If not, i’ll be buying one anyway.
Good to see how the game system works
Very interesting approach to a game review. Allows for an in depth explanation of many different events. I like it.
Nice video guys, puts our podcast to shame….
Interesting! I like the fact that the helicopters are getting reused rather than just for deployment.
Do the VC have a single wound or two like the Americans?
I know I’ve been saying I was going to play NVA… but after seeing this chopper I’m definitely playing AA NVA.
Starting to think about getting some of this minis