Nothing to Lose

“I will never forget the night, that Tan Son Nhut was hit. “C Flight was on duty then, we knew that this was it. We hit the dirt and looked around with anxious waiting eyes, and said a prayer as mortars came raining from the skies” –Opening stanza of an anonymous veteran’s poem about the attack at Tan Son Nhut.

When the Communist forces of North and South Vietnam launched the 1968 Tet Offensive one component was an attack on the Tan Son Nhut airbase north and west if Saigon. This was the largest airbase in South Vietnam, with its aircraft ferrying men and material from the US, as well as basing combat aircraft that support military operations throughout all the region.

The Communist offensive was supported by the National Liberation Front’s 9th Infantry Division that had recently been rebuilt following extensive losses fighting the US and ARVN (Army of the Republic of [South] Vietnam) by the attachment of the 267th and 269th Main Force Battalions. The assault force would also include sappers attached to the division’s 1st Battalion of the 271st Regiment who were armed with satchel demolition charges used to destroy the base’s aircraft and air control towers, as well as the division’s mortar and rocket artillery batteries. The battle here would usher in a new phase of the Vietnam conflict. Can you do as well or better than your historical counterpart?

Each copy of Nothing to Lose is composed of the following:

Two 11 by 17 inch map area map sheets with game tracks and tables.

One sheet of 80 double-sided, mounted counters

One rules booklet

A standard deck of playing cards (a custom card set is available) and ten sided die are needed to play the game.

Each turn of the game represents one hour of time. Units are mostly companies (I). Tank units represent 2 (full strength) or 1 (reduced) vehicles. An inch on the map is about 200 yards.

Players use playing cards to determine which player gets to activate and with how many units, as well as determine when to determine random events for the turn and the end of the turn. The die is used to resolve combats (assault, air and artillery strikes), rally units and perform other game functions. The game is designed by Paul Rohrbaugh and features graphics by Nils Johansson.