Basic Land Cannons: Classic and OSR

Basic Land Cannons
Threw together some basic cannon rules for a bit of fun carnage.

First up: I'm keeping it simple.
Cannons are complicated; there are many different types and designs over the centuries. Ammunition sizes vary greatly depending on the size of the cannon and its purpose. Even the name cannon does not apply to what we generally call 'cannons.' Culverins, demi-culverins, demi-cannons, guns, etc. That's more than I want to get into so I'm keeping it simple for these land cannon rules. Galloper, field, and siege.

Galloper
Lighter artillery guns firing smaller shells they were designed to be pulled by a single horse in front of  the gun and carriage with the intention of keeping pace with fast troops and possiblly cavalry. This was often not the case as gun crews were still on foot and the ammunition trundled along behind in ox-carts. This category can also represent small swivel guns.

Field Cannon
Standard artillery guns used by most nations which were typically sited before a battle and not moved until after. This the the type of gun most people think of on a battlefield with wheels on the sides for easier placement and transport. They were used on ships and fort walls. These guns were often captured as the battles swept across the field and their loss was considered a typical even.

Siege Cannon
Massive guns firing up to 60lb or larger shells. These monstrosities were mostly used to batter down walls.

Cannon Damage, Range Inc., Rate of Fire
Galloper: 2d6x2, 200', 1 shot every 1.5 to 2 minutes
Field: 2d6x5, 300', 1 shot every 1.5 to 2 minutes
Siege 2d6x10, 400', 1 shot every 5 minutes

Ammunition
Round Shot (link)
Standard iron ball.
Rolls 1d4x10' from point of impact. If plowing through ranks of men it does possible damage to everyone or thing in a 5' path along its trajectory. Those in its path may make a saving throw to take half damage. If the save is made by 5 or more the victim takes no damage.

Chain Shot
As above except the damage path increases to 10'.

Canister Shot (link)
Used with Gallopers and Field cannon. A Canister round is a can or other container packed with dozens of musketballs or other projectiles which fires out in a cone like a giant shotgun.

The CS fires a cone a width of 30' per 300' it travels. Every target in its zone must make a Saving throw or take 2d6 damage from the shot. Every 300' past the first increment the target gains a +4 bonus to the Saving throw as the shots spread out. A troop 380' out or example would get a +4 bonus. A target out 670' gets a +8 bonus, etc.

Canister rounds are not designed specifically to penetrate cover. They are best vs masses of troops in open fields or open decks. All cover bonuses are added to the Saving throw of those under cover.

Grapeshot
Similar to Canister Shot this load was primarily (but not always) a naval round using fewer and larger balls, had a much shorter effective range, and was expected to hit targets behind cover. When fired it comes out in a cone with a width of 30' per 100' travelled. Every target in its zone must make a Saving throw with a +2 bonus (fewer balls) or take 2d6 damage from the shot. Every 100' past this the target gains a +4 to their Saving throw.
In addition GS ignores 4 points of cover bonus to the Saving throw.

Improvised Explosives
Simple iron balls with gunpowder and fuse were used as grenades.
Sometimes you really had to kill a bunch of motherf@ckers and roll a lit powderkeg at them.

Fused Grenade
2d6, 10' blast radius.
Roll 1d6
⦁ 1-3 explodes at end of round thrown
⦁ 4-6 explodes on thrower' initiative the next round

Powder Keg
4d6, 15' blast radius.
Each additional keg adds +1d6 to damage and 5' to the radius.

OSR In Country: Vietnam. Heavy Vehicles

A post on running Armored Vehicle combat and stats for such during the Vietnam war.
Not an expert so a few things are probably off to Veteran eye's. I did my best.

Here are the original vehicle rules these are modified from. The original rules should be used with unarmored normal vehicles such as jeeps, cars, trucks, etc.

Armored Vehicle Movement
Driving Checks
The Drive Check is simply a normal Dex roll modified by road conditions, damage, and perhaps even a Class Ability.  All penalties and bonuses are cumulative.

Most situations won't call for a check.
Taking damage, encountering and obstacle, a damaged Driver, etc will require a check to maintain control if the tank was moving.

Failure
IF the Drive Check is failed by 1-5 on the roll of d20: Slip
IF the Drive Check is failed by 6-10 on the roll of d20: Skid
IF the Drive Check is failed by 11+ on the roll of d20: Spin

Slip
The vehicle slips to the right or left (random) a number of feet equal to half of the speed it is travelling while continuing to move forward. This can bring it into a collision with another vehicle or objects.
On the Driver's initiative the next round he can roll with no penalty to the Drive check to recover. Otherwise the vehicle must be braked or it plows ahead off course.

Skid
The nose of the vehicle skews to the right or left but the vehicle continue to travels in the direction it was heading side-ways for a distance of feet equal to 1/2 of the speed it was travelling in mph. The Driver must make a Drive Check at the end of the skid or the vehicle comes to an abrupt halt. While skidding out of control it may collide with another vehicles or objects.

Spin
The vehicle spins wildly for the round and ends up facing a random (1d8) direction. If the Driver makes a successful Drive Check with a -4 penalty the vehicle can continue at normal speed if. If failed it skids to a stop after a distance in feet equal to 1/2 of the speed it was travelling in mph, now facing the new direction. If the vehicle hits an object both take damage as per normal collision rules. 

Bog Down/Hung Up
Wet environments can suck a tire or tread down fast, bogging the vehicle into an immobile state.
Mud, swampy ground, rice paddies, etc can stop a vehicle fast if care is not taken.

Trying to cross over rubble, tree piles, wide trenches, etc can have the same effect, hanging up the tank and stalling movement.

Whenever failing a Driving check by 5+ while crossing the above conditions or obstacles the Driver must immediately make another check with no penalty. If he fails this one he has become bogged down and unable to continue. He can make one more Drive check with a -8 penalty to free himself otherwise he cannot move without help from another vehicle or a major digging project.

Armored Vehicle Combat
Armor and Weapon Ratings
All armored vehicles have an armor rating of Light, Medium, or Heavy.
All armor vehicles are immune to small arms fire, machineguns, and grenades.

Heavy weaponry have the same ratings and affect how they damage vehicle armor based on these ratings.
⦁ If the weapon is the same rating as armor the vehicle will take full damage.
⦁ If the weapon is one rating lower than the armor the vehicle will take half damage.
⦁ If the weapon is two ratings lower than the armor the vehicle will take no damage.

Hard and Soft Targets
Sometimes in tank combat it's important to know how hard or soft a target is that you're shooting or ramming into. If it comes up here are guidelines:
⦁ Hard Target: Armored vehicles, metal and concrete buildings and bunkers.
⦁ Soft Target: Open trenches, unarmored vehicles, wooden buildings, etc.

Vehicle Damage
⦁ At half hit points the vehicle is at a -2 penalty to drive due to damage.
⦁ At 0 hit points the vehicle is immobile.
⦁ At -10 hit points the vehicle is either on fire as per the Fire critical result
⦁ At -20 or lover the vehicle explodes as per the Boom critical result.

Critical Hits
A roll of a natural 20 on the 1d20 attack roll is considered a critical hit and, if it does damage to an armored vehicle, causes a roll on the critical hit chart in addition to damage to the vehicle hit points. Because of the armor rules a Light vehicle weapon might hit a Heavy armor vehicle doing no damage and negating the critical hit.

Every damaging hit to the vehicle when it is at half of it's current hit points or greater is cause for a roll on the critical chart.

Find where the gunner was aiming and roll in the appropriate area (Turret, Hull, Treads) to see what happened.

APC Crits
1. Driver compartment hit. Driver takes full damage, Save for 1/2 damage. See Crew
2. Gunner MG:Destroyed.
3. Gunner hit. Gunner takes full damage, Save for 1/2.
4. Radio: Destroyed
5. Passengers: Random roll for full passengers ( 8 passengers = 1d8, etc.) hit for full damage, Save for 1/2 damage.
6. Engine Hit: The vehicle is now at half speed. If hit again the engine is destroyed. If the first hit is by five or more over the AC the engine is immediately taken out.
7. Fire: The vehicle is burning. The vehicle and all crew take 2d6 damage per round. It increases by 1d6 per round until the vehicle destroyed.
8. Boom: The vehicle explodes in  fire and shrapnel as fuel or ammo or both ignite. The crew takes full damage from the attack and an additional 3d6 fire damage each round inside the vehicle. Those within a 50' radius of the vehicle takes half damage from the attack damage, Save for 1/4 damage.

Treads/Tires
There is no chart to roll. The treads are hit and damaged. Drive rolls suffer a -4 penalty. If hit again the vehicle is immobilized. If the first hit is by five or more over the AC the vehicle is immobilized.

Tank Crits
Turret
1. Main Gun: The first hit causes a -4 penalty to all shots from damage. A second hit destroys it. If the first hit is by five or more over the AC the gun is immediately destroyed.
2. Crew: 1d3 crew (commander, gunner, loader) hit for full damage, Save for 1/2 damage. See Crew Hit Chart below.
3. Turret Jam: Stuck at current position.
4. Co-Ax (turret) MG:Destroyed.
5. Hatch torn off. If Commander standing in it he takes full damage, Save for 1/2.
6. Turret Explosion: It's gone. All crew take 5d6 damage, Save for half.

Hull
1. Radio: Destroyed
2. Bow MG: Destroyed
3. Crew: 1d4 crew (see below for random crew hit chart) hit for full damage, Save for 1/2 damage.
4. Engine Hit: The vehicle is now at half speed. If hit again the engine is destroyed. If the first hit is by five or more over the AC the engine is immediately taken out.
5. Fire: The vehicle is burning. The vehicle and all crew take 2d6 damage per round. It increases by 1d6 per round until the vehicle destroyed.
6.  Boom: The vehicle explodes in  fire and shrapnel as fuel or ammo or both ignite. The crew takes full damage from the attack and an additional 3d6 fire damage each round inside the vehicle. Those within a 50' radius of the vehicle takes half damage from the attack damage, Save for 1/4 damage.

Treads/Tires
There is no chart to roll. The treads are hit and damaged. Drive rolls suffer a -4 penalty. If hit again the vehicle is immobilized. If the first hit is by five or more over the AC the vehicle is immobilized.

Crew Hit Chart
(multiple hits on the same crew member count and diminishes hits due to other crew.)
⦁ 1-2 Commander
⦁ 3-4 Gunner
⦁ 5-6 Loader
⦁ 7-8 Driver

Aiming At an Armored Vehicle
With an extra -4 penalty on the roll the attacker, if a crit is scored, can choose a critical effect.
⦁ Turret: Main Gun, Crew, or Turret Jam
⦁ Hull: Crew or Engine Hit
⦁ Treads/TIres

Ramming and Collisions
To successfully ram a vehicle or other object a Driver must make a Drive Check with a +4 bonus. If successful the vehicle plow into its target. Tanks are good at ramming things, especially smaller vehicles.

If a vehicle is hit the rammed Driver must make a Drive Check or lose control. If the attacking Driver fails and rolls a natural 1 or 2 on the d20 the attacking Driver  must make a Drive Check of  his own or lose control.

If two vehicles are attempting to ram each other, each Driver makes a normal Drive Check with a +4 bonus. Whomever makes the highest roll has the advantage; the other Driver must make a second Drive Check or wreck his vehicle. If both miss,  nobody hit. If it's a tied roll, both take damage and both make Drive Check to see if they lose control.

Damage
Crashing or ramming vehicles take 1d6 points of damage for every ten miles per hour they are travelling. Armored vehicles multiply this damage: x2 for Light armor, x4 for Medium armor, x8 for Heavy armor.

Against unarmored vehicles a Light armored vehicle takes 1/4 damage. For collisions with other armored vehicles damage is reduced the same as if the opposing AV is a weapon of the same rating as its armor. Thus a Heavy armor tank ramming a Light armor tank would take no damage; the light tank would take full damage.
⦁ If a Vehicle rams another from behind subtract the target Vehicle's mph from the ramming Vehicle's mph. The remainder is the damage to both Vehicles and Drive Checks are required as normal. .
⦁ If a Vehicle T-bones another vehicle both take the damage from the ramming vehicle's mph. Unarmored vehicles or armored of the same rating come to a dead stop. Smaller armored vehicles are knocked aside. An armored vehicle will plow over or through a smaller unarmored vehicle.
⦁ If two Vehicles hit head-on add the amount of d6 damage from BOTH Vehicles mph and add them together for damage. Unarmored vehicles or armored of the same rating come to a dead stop. An armored vehicle will plow over or through a smaller unarmored vehicle.

When ramming buildings etc use the following guidelines adjusted for fortifications, etc.
⦁ Hard targets: concrete buildings and barricades rate as Light armor, heavy steel rates as Medium armor.
⦁ Soft Targets: Normal wood and earth rate as no armor or Light armor if thick trees, etc.

Sideswipe/Grazing//Pushing
Grazing a vehicle as a sideswipe does 2d6 damage to each vehicle and none to the Passengers. For armored vehicles follow the same damage guidelines as above. A sideswiped Driver must make a Driving check or lose control.

Pushing another Vehicle off the road or into obstacles is a Ramming Maneuver as above.

Passenger Damage
Passengers take half damage from all wrecks and collisions (except for grazing/sideswiping.)
Damage is whatever is left over from a vehicle after being reduced by armor, etc.
Passenger damage can be reduced by the following:
⦁ A seat belt reduces the damage by 25 percent.
⦁ A Saving Throw (Death) allows the Passenger to reduce the remaining damage by 50 percent.

Damage reduction is cumulative and follows the order of seat belt then Save.

If a Passenger in the Vehicle is brought below 0 hp but has more than -10hp he can make a Saving Throw (Death). IF successful the Passenger is stabilized but unconscious and in critical condition. For each hour they are without medical help they must roll another Saving Throw or die.

If they are at -10 hp or lower or the after wreck Saving Throw is failed the Passenger is dead at the wreck.

Injured Driver
A Driver at half hit points or lower have a Drive check penalty of -4.

Armored Vehicle Profiles
A quick explanation of a few vehicle game stats.

Armor Class (Ac)
Normal armor class to be hit. (Light, Medium, or Heavy armor.)

Hit Points (HP)
How many hit points the vehicle normally has.

Move
Maximum mph for the vehicle. To find combat movement in relation to characters us the following quick and easy way:  Every 1 mph the vehicle is moving multiply by 10'.
(ex: 25 mph equals 250 feet per round.)

Range
The miles the tank can travel on a full tank of fuel.

Armament
Where the weapon is mounted:
⦁ Turret: the main weapon of the vehicle, usually a cannon or launcher.
⦁ Pintle: a machine gun on a swivel mount, placed near a gunner hatch on an APC and a Commander's hatch on a tank.
⦁ Coaxial: a machine gun mounted in the turret aligned next to the cannon. It moves with the turret.
⦁ Bow: a machine gun mounted on a swivel in the front hull of the tank.

USA/ARVN
M113 Personnel Carrier
Ac: 13 (Light Armor)
Hp: 70
Move: 37 mph/ 3.6 mph amphibious
Weight: 12.1 tons
Range: 300 miles
Crew: 2
Passengers: 11 troopers
Armament:
⦁ Pintle: .50 MG: 2d12, 200', 100 belt, 2K rounds.

M-125 81mm Mortar Carrier 
Ac: 13 (Light Armor)
Hp: 70
Move: 40 mph/ 3.6 mph amphibious
Weight: 12.3 tons
Range: 300 miles
Crew: 6
Armament:
⦁ Rear: 81mm Mortar: 6d8, 20' radius, 1000' range inc, 114 rounds
⦁ Pintle: .50 MG: 2d12, 200', 100 belt, 2K rounds.

On a critical hit result of 'Passengers' the mortar and all crew are all hit as the rear of the APC is open top to accommodate the mortar.

M-577Al Carrier Command Post 
Ac: 13 (Light Armor)
Hp: 70
Move: 40 mph
Weight: 12.7 tons
Range: 300 miles
Crew: 8
Armament:
⦁ None

On a critical hit result ignore 'Gunner MG' and 'Gunner' results.

M551 Sheridan Tank
Ac: 14 (Light Armor)
Hp: 120
Move: 40 mph/ 3.6 mph amphibious
Weight: 17 tons
Range: 470 miles
Crew: 4
Armament:
⦁ Turret: 152mm Heavy Cannon: 5d6x6 HE/HEAT,30'/15' radius, 600' range inc., 20 rounds (AP, HE, HEAT)
⦁ Pintle: .50 MG: 2d12, 200', 100 belt, 1K rounds
⦁ Bow: 7.62 MG:  2d8, 200', 100 belt, 3k rounds

Caseless Ammo: When hit with a turret or hull critical there is a 70% that the rocket or mine sets off the ammo outright destroying the tank and killing everyone inside in an inferno.

M41 A3 Walker Bulldog Tank
Ac: 14 (Light Armor)
Hp: 170
Move: 46 mph
Weight: 23.5 tons
Range: 100 miles
Crew: 4
Armament:
⦁ Turret: 76 mm Medium Cannon, 5d6x2 HE, 20' radius, 600' range inc., 57 rounds (AP, HE, HEAT, WP)
⦁ Pintle: .50 MG: 2d12, 200', 100 belt, 600 rounds
⦁ Coaxial: .30 MG: 2d6, 200',100 belt, 5.225K rounds

M48 A3 Patton II
Ac: 15 (Medium Armor)
Hp: 200
Move: 40 mph
Weight: 52 tons
Range: 287 miles
Crew: 4
Armament:
⦁ Turret: 90 mm Medium Cannon: 5d6x3 HE/HEAT, 25'/15' radius, 600' range inc., 64 rounds (AP, HE, HEAT, WP, Beehive
⦁ Pintle: .50 MG: 2d12, 200', 100 belt, 3K rounds
⦁ Coaxial: .7.62mm:  2d8, 200', 100 belt, 10K rounds

M60 Main Battle Tank
Ac: 15 (Heavy Armor)
Hp: 240
Move: 30 mph
Weight: 60 tons
Range: 310 miles
Crew: 4
Armament:
⦁ Turret: 105mm Heavy Cannon, 5d6x5 HE/HEAT, 25'/15' radius, 600' range inc.,
⦁ Pintle: .50 MG: 2d12, 200', 100 belt, 3K rounds
⦁ Coaxial: .7.62mm:  2d8, 200', 100 belt, 10K rounds

NVA
Soviet PT-76  
Ac: 14 (Light Armor)
Hp: 120
Move: 27 mph / 6 mph amphibious
Weight: 14 tons
Range: 155 miles
Crew: 3
Armament:
⦁ Turret: 76mm Medium Cannon: 5d6x2 HE, 20' radius 600' range inc., 40 rounds (AP, HE)
⦁ Coaxial: .7.62mm:  2d8, 200', 100 belt, 1K rounds

Soviet T-55  
Ac: 14 (Medium Armor)
Hp: 170
Move: 30 mph
Weight: 36 tons
Range: 310 miles
Crew: 4
Armament:
⦁ Turret: 100mm Medium Cannon: 5d6x4 HE/HEAT, 25'/15' radius, 600' range inc., 43 rounds (AP, HE, HEAT)
⦁ Coaxial: .7.62mm:  2d8, 200', 100 belt, 1K rounds

Tank Cannon/Guns  
Here are some cannon stats for tanks.
The base damage is based on the High Explosive (HE) shell. There are three increments to the radius as in my Artillery rules here. This damage is used and modified for other shells.

Shell Types
High Explosive (HE, tipped with an explosive warhead.)
Standard damage round. Most effective against soft targets and infantry.

High Explosive Anti-Tank (HEAT, a shaped HE warhead designed to penetrate tank armor.)
An extra x1  to damage vs vehicle. Explosion arcs out in a 180' arc from point impact on vehicle or hard target. Automatic half damage to soft targets (personnel, animals, etc.) and may Save for another half damage.

White Phosphorus (WP, incendiary shell.)
Explodes in the normal radius for the shell. It burns for 2d6 damage for six rounds.
Damage is not reduced by radius increment but those hit do receive a bonus to their Saving throw for half damage.  The second increment gives a +2 bonus to the Save and the third increment gives a +4 bonus to the Save.

Canister//Beehive round.
Similar to the artillery version it is a shell packed with thousands of flechettes (small darts like nails). It is a vicious area effect weapon used against personnel especially those hidden in dense foliage. this shell does 3d6 damage to all targets in a cone attack starting 2' wide at the firing weapon and extending in a cone 1200' in length and a 300' width at it's end.
⦁ Everyone and everything not undercover can make a Saving Throw for half damage.
⦁ Those under soft cover automatically take half damage and can make a Save to halve it again with a bonus to the Save equal to cover bonus.
⦁ Those under hard cover or in an armored vehicle take no damage if totally covered. If partially exposed they will take damage and Save as if under soft cover above.

Because if the rarity of tank to tank combat the most popular shells were HE and canister. WP was useful but dangerous if hit in a tank. AP and HEAT were the least used.

Armor Piercing (AP, non-explosive solid rounds.) Rarely use in Vietnam.
An extra x1  to damage vs vehicle.
(Ex: a 75mm AP round would do 5d6x3, not x2.)

Light            Dmg (HE)  Radius Notes Range Inc 600'
20mm 3d6             5' Auto 3/rnd
40mm 5d6            5'

Medium       Dmg (HE)  Radius Notes Range Inc 600'
75mm 5d6x2 20'
88mm         5d6x3 20'
90mm         5d6x3 25'
95mm         5d6x4 25' HEAT Radius- 15'

Heavy          Dmg (HE)  Radius Notes Range Inc 600'
105mm       5d6x5 25' HEAT Radius- 15'
150mm       5d6x6 30' HEAT Radius- 15'

NVA/VC Anti-Tank Weapons
The communists used a popular Chinese 75mm Recoilless Rifle. It was light and had a good punch.
Functions the same as the 75mm tank cannon.
Armed with HE and HEAT rounds.

Smoke/Smoke Mortars
Smoke from explosions, fires, etc can play havoc in vehicle combat. An obscured vehicle is more difficult to hit, just as an obscured character is, and can hide movements. An obscured vehicle receives an AC bonus or +2 to +6, but it also takes a penalty equal to this amount if attacking from within the smoke. If an obscured vehicle fires from within the smoke it gives its position away and its AC bonus is halved. .

Smoke mortars on vehicles create a wall of smoke that will obscure it and its movement for 1d6+2 rounds. Smoke/WP shells could also be fired towards an enemy to cause confusion.

Cover
Vehicles can take advantage of cover such as burned out buildings, trees, and shallow depressions in the ground (going 'hull down.') Cover works the same as for a character giving a bonus based on how much of the vehicle is hidden. Camouflage netting may aid in the cover bonus.

For hard cover such as a concrete/brick walls or hiding behind a rocky hillside or burnt out tank:
+2 AC light, +4 for medium, and +6 for heavy cover.

For soft cover such as trees, an earthen hillside, etc. halve the cover bonus.

OSR In Country.... Vietnam

I am forty-six as of this writing. I will always have a strong interest in the Vietnam War.
It was my uncle's war, it was my friends dad's war. It ended almost three years after I was born but we grew up in the shadow of it. Slowly at first, few people cared to talk about it in the seventies, especially to kids. You got a sense or shame, of regret, or other signs of pain. It seemed like people wanted to forget. We weren't taught about it in school. I saw John Wayne's film the Green Berets but it felt off, not quite right. Gradually, especially during the early eighties, we learned more about it thanks to pop culture interest: First Blood (Rambo), the Chuck Norris Missing in Action movies, Platoon, Hamburger Hill, Full Metal Jacket, etc. Then TV shows such as China Beach and Tour of Duty. And comic books, most notably Marvel's classic The 'Nam. We were finally allowed to learn about it. And it is fascinating. As with generations of veterans and civilians of other wars we got our tales of men who only wanted to survive to get home from that terrible time that people didn't want to talk about for years. They have joined the ranks of heroes bestowed to our Grandfathers and Great-grandfathers from Korea and the World Wars.
It may seem strange to younger kids now, but that's how it was.

We have naturally turned to gaming as we do everything. I think a lot of us as DM's try to express our 'artistic side' by running games, creating and re-creating worlds and time periods. My uncles were Vietnam vets (now dead) and I took care of dozens of veterans from Vietnam to as far back as one WWI soldier. This one is a lot more personal and I mean no insult to anyone on ANY side of the war. This is written from the American viewpoint. As with any war we don't want to denigrate the horror that is actual war and not play war. Due to the nature of this one I find it a bit..... unnerving? I'm not sure of how to describe it. It's a feeling of not wanting to somehow 'fail' to show the horrors and 'cheapen' it. It's hard to articulate this feeling other than I hope we are not insulting their memories by turning the war into a game play. I don't feel this way about other wars only Vietnam. Personal hangup? The muddled nature of the war?

On to gaming.
Get a copy of Recon (Advanced or Deluxe Revised.) It was a big influence on this. It was the first Vietnam dedicated RPG I ever owned and it is still amazing. I love that game and it has a number of excellent charts for almost everything: encounters, villages, traps, ert as well as a simple vehicle system that can be used if you simply figure out cover bonuses. All good stuff and cheap on pdf and otherwise.

There is an amazing amount of info on the War and that time in history.
For our purposes the the most useful would be info on the war itself:

• Maps of the War
• Basic History of the War
• Military info on American/Allied and NVA/VC armed forces.
• Campaigns and major battles (several wargame sites actually have good info, maps, and troop movements for these to recreate and use for your games.)

We are using my Survival Horror OSR for quick character building and a wider spread of skills/abilities. Combat is still standard Classic D&D few few modifications.

I have run several adventures with this ruleset over the years: mostly action (John Wayne's Green Berets again) or weird war/horror. As with other Classic D&D and OSR rulesets it runs quickly and fairly smoothly. We had a good time. The nature of lower hit point characters lends itself well to infantry combat.

I also have actual character classes which I'll post later for whose who want even more classic character class versions for the system.

Vietnam Military Packages
Built for 2 hd characters with 12 points for abilities/skills.
All except medic and special forces have spare points to spend. Feel free to arrange any points to lower or raise certain skills for individuals.

American/Allies Arsenal

Rifles
M-16A1 5.56mm, Semi/auto
2d6/150'/20 or 30 magazine
Feed reliability was an issue with these magazines. A fully loaded 20 round magazine jams on a natural 1 or 2 roll. Loading only 18 rounds drops it back to 1.
 It takes 1d6 rounds to clear the jam.

30 round magazines were introduced in 1967 with special forces, became more common by 1971.
The 30 round magazine has the same issues with reliability unless 28 or less rounds are loaded.

XM-177E2 "Colt Commando", 5.56mm, Semi/auto
2d6/100'/20 or 30 magazine
This weapon has the same magazine loading issues as the M16.

M-2 Carbine .30, Semi/auto
1d10/80’ /15 or 30 magazine

M-14 Rifle 7.62mm, Semiautomatic
2d8/200’/ 20 magazine

XM21 Army Sniper Rifle, Semiautomatic
A modified M-14. 
2d8/200’/ 5 internal magazine
Telescopic Sight:  +4 bonus to attacks when aiming (stacks with the aim maneuver.)

M40 7.62 USMC Sniper Rifle, Bolt action
2d8/200’/ 20 magazine

Telescopic Sight: +4 bonus to attacks when aiming (stacks with the aim maneuver.)

Handguns
High Standard Victor .22, Semiautomatic
1d4 /20’ /10 magazine

Smith & Wesson .38, Revolver
1d6 /25’ /6 cylinder

Browning Hi Power 9mm, Semiautomatic
1d6 /25’ /15 magazine

M1917 .45, Revolver
1d8 /30’ /6 cylinder

Colt 1911.45, Semiautomatic
1d8 /30’ /7 magazine

Colt Trooper .357 magnum, Revolver
1d8+1/30’ /6 cylinder

Smith & Wesson .44 magnum, Revolver
1d10+1/30'/6 cylinder

SubMachine Guns
Ingram Mac 10, 9mm, Semi/auto
1d6/50' /32 magazine

Ingram Mac 10/ M3A1 "grease gun", .45, Semi/auto
1d8/60' /30 magazine

Thompson, .45, Semi/auto
1d8/80' /20 or 30 magazine

Shotguns
Shotgun, .12 ga, Break or pump
2d8*/50’/2 or 5 break or pump

Sawed Off, .12 ga, Break or pump
2d8*/20'/2 or 3 break or pump

*Slug damage (2d8)
* Shot damage (3d6/2d6/2d6/1d6/1d6) by range increment (5 increments)
Shotguns loaded with buckshot receive a +2 hit in the first range increment.

Machine Guns
M1919 Browning .30, Auto
2d6/200'/100 belt

M-60  7.62mm, Semi/auto
2d8/200'/100 belt

M-2 .50 BMG
2d12/200'/100 belt
 

Grenades
Fragmentation Grenade
⦁ Damage is 3d6 out to the first 20', 2d6 21 to 30', 1d6 31 to 40'. Save for half damage.
⦁ The throwing increment is 20'.
⦁ The M26/61 and M33/67 have a delay fuse.
⦁ The M59/68 explodes on impact.

MK 3A2 Offensive Hand Grenade
⦁ Concussion grenade, little shrapnel, short damage range outside, incredibly lethal in enclosed areas.
⦁ Damage is 2d6 outside out to 10', 1d6 at 11' to 20'. Save for half damage.
⦁ Damage inside is 4d6 out to a solid wall or 30', whichever comes first. Save for half damage.

Smoke Grenade
⦁ Lasts 1d4 +6 rounds.
⦁ The M-8 is standard white while the M-18 comes in red, yellow, green, or violet.

M14 TH3 Incendiary Hand Grenade
⦁ Damage is 2d6 out to the first 20', 1d6 out to 60'. Save for half damage.
⦁ The damage is continuous for 6 rounds.
⦁ The throwing increment is 20'.
⦁ It has a 4 to 5 second delay fuse.

M-79 40mm Grenade Launcher
⦁ Standard High Explosive damage is 3d6 out to the first 10', 2d6 11 to 20', 1d6 21 to 30'. Save for half damage. The range increment is 100'.
⦁ Grenade shells must go 10' before arming. Otherwise damage is 1d10 from impact.
⦁ Common shells are HE, white phosphorus, smoke, CS gas, and parachute flare.
⦁ The M-79 can also fire a multiple projectile round (basically a big shotgun shell.) capable of hitting a target and to all enemies within 5' of the target if the attack roll is high enough to hit them as well.  This shell has a range increment of 50' and gives a  +2 bonus to hit within the first increment. There are five range increments and damage is affected by the range increment: 4d6/3d6/2d6/2d6/1d6.

The M-79 can be fired and reloaded once per round with a -3 to the initiative roll (1d6+ Dex bonus.)

In 1969 the US introduced a reliable underslung single shot, the M203.
Treat as an M79.

Explosives, Rockets, Etc

Claymore Mine
⦁ Damage is a 5d6 area attack in a 60 degree arc out to 150'. Everyone not under cover can still Save for half damage.
⦁ The explosion has a back bast of 40' in a 180 degree rear arc doing 3d6 to anyone in this area. Save for half damage.

C-4
⦁ One pound block. Must be set off with a detonator.
⦁ Damage is 5d6 per pound out to 10', -1d6 per ten feet after.
⦁ Each extra block adds 2d6 to the blast.
⦁ If shaped it is a Heavy Weapon.

Det Cord
⦁ Must be set off with a detonator.
⦁ Five feet of det cord does damage of 2d6 fire to with a five foot area. Can be doubled up which adds another 1d6 to the damage. Maximum damage this way ius 4d6,

M72 Light Anti-Tank Weapon (LAW)
⦁ Damage is 8d6 out to 50', 4d6 51 to 80', 2d6 81 to 100'. Save for half damage.
⦁ Range increment is 100'.
⦁ Medium Weapon

M2A1-7 Flamethrower
⦁ At full capacity the tanks have enough for 7 bursts of flame. One burst gives the operator an arc 30' wide x70' long. The arc can be doubled at the cost of two bursts.
⦁ It is an area attack weapon and the operator needs to only roll for for a malfunction (natural 1-3 on 1d20.) Everyone caught in the area of attack takes 2d6 damage and can make a Saving throw for half damage with a bonus to the Save equal to Cover bonus. This damage total is applied for six rounds unless the character is immersed in a body of water or a fire extinguisher is used.
⦁ If the tanks are hit with a piercing weapon the weapon is rendered useless.

Armor
Flak Vest
+2 to AC vs Handguns and SMG's.
+4 to Saving Throws vs shrapnel damage.
The vest is hot and heavy. It costs the wearer a 1 penalty on all personal rolls (attacks, attributes/abilities/skills, etc.)

Helmet
+4 to AC for head shots vs handguns ammo/+2 vs rifle ammo and +1 to Saving Throws vs shrapnel. (50 percent chance of coverage.)

Hand Weapons
Axe, Hatchet 1d6 /10’
Axe, Wood 1d8 /10’
Bayonet 1d6
Brass Knuckles 1d3
Butt Stroke 1d3
Club 1d4 /10’
Entrenching Tool 1d4
Knife 1d4 /10’
Knife, Pocket 1d3 /5’
Machete 1d6 /10’

NVA/VC Arsenal

Rifles
AK-47/Chinese Type 56, 7.62mm, Semi/auto
2d8/100’/ 30 magazine

SKS, 7.62mm, Semiautomatic
2d8/100’/ 10 internal magazine

Soviet SVD Dragunov Sniper Rifle, , 7.62mm, Semiautomatic
2d8/200’/ 10 magazine
Telescopic Sight: +4 bonus to attacks when aiming (stacks with the aim maneuver.)

Handguns
Makarov, 9mm, Semiautomatic
1d6 /25’ /8 magazine

Tokarev, 7.62x25, Semiautomatic
1d6+1 /30’ /8 magazine

SubMachine Guns
PPS SMG, 7.62x25, Semi/auto
1d6+1/70'/35 magazine or 71 round drum

VC modified Mat-49, 7.62x25, Semi/auto
 1d6+1/70'/35 magazine

VC Thompson Copy, .45, Semi/auto
1d8/80',/20 or 30 magazine

Machine Guns
Chinese Type-24, 7.92mm, Auto
2d10/200'/250 belt

Soviet RPK, 7.62mm, Semi/auto
 2d8/200’/ 40 magazine or 75 drum

Grenades
Fragmentation Grenade
⦁ Damage is 3d6 out to the first 20', 2d6 21 to 30', 1d6 31 to 40'. Save for half damage.
⦁ The throwing increment is 20'.
⦁ Delay fuse.

Anti-personnel Hand Grenade
⦁ Concussion grenade, little shrapnel, short damage range outside, incredibly lethal in enclosed areas.
⦁ Damage is 2d6 outside out to 10', 1d6 at 11' to 20'. Save for half damage.
⦁ Damage inside is 4d6 out to a solid wall or 30', whichever comes first. Save for half damage.

Incendiary Hand Grenade
⦁ Damage is 2d6 out to the first 20', 1d6 out to 60'. Save for half damage.
⦁ The damage is continuous for 6 rounds.
⦁ The throwing increment is 20'.
⦁ It has a 4 to 5 second delay fuse.

Rockets, Explosives, Etc
RPG-7
⦁ Damage is 6d6 out to the first 20', 3d6 21 to 40', 2d6 41 to 50'. Save for half damage.
⦁ Range increment is 150'.
⦁ Heavy Weapon

Armor
Helmet
+2 to AC for head shots and +1 to Saving Throws vs shrapnel. (50 percent chance of coverage.)

Hand Weapons

As the American/Allies above. 

Captured/Improvised Weapons

The VC had a very mixed bag of older weapons such as WWII Nazi surplus and firearms and explosives captured from first the French the  the Americans and our allies. 

That's not even counting the home-made or reworked junk firearms into single shot pistols, carbines, etc and home-made coke can grenades and improvised explosives. 

Later....

Stats for basic NPC troop types.

Troop standard weaponry and kits.

Quick vehicle rules and stats with weaponry.