I own the original Silver Bayonet and I thought this early review might help those that are considering buying the game. I've also included many comparisons to the original for those who are considering upgrading. This is not intended to be a comprehensive review but rather just a first look at the new 25th Anniversary Edition.
Firstly, the obvious. The game looks great and there is a huge improvement in the components and particularly, the board. In contrast to the monotonous green haze of the 1990 edition, the anniversary edition has a large, beautifully detailed board. This is in large part due to the increase in reliable source material but the attention to detail does not go unappreciated. You truly feel like you're in an HQ hooch trying to find a good LZ to launch your next operation.
Equally attractive are the new playing pieces and the play aides. The former has received am upgrade in a multitude of departments (particularly the hueys and other air units). Different colors overlayed on the NATO symbols make identifying different battalions and regiments worlds easier than the original edition. Good ol' <PERSON> also makes an appearance in chit likeness along with the legendary Lt. Col. <PERSON>. To be honest, it made me wish they had included a young <PERSON>' <PERSON> (especially after all the reference to him in the rulebook) but there would be no real historical reason to do so.
Another welcome addition is the battle board and markers which help to track some of the more elaborate confrontations as the game progresses. The faction-specific screens also look very nice and have a pictures of each nation's respective Vietnam war memorials along with a little patriotic blurb. I could have done without the photoshop filter over the memorials but that's an artist's gripe. Overall, the rulebook has a good amount of photos from the campaign and is packed with bunches of insightful historical notes.
As far as the rules go, there are many interesting additions to the original system while still keeping what worked. 993
They can be a bit weighty at first but after a couple turns things start to move more fluidly. With any wargame, one runs the risk of purchasing the proverbial "nightmare in a box." While you may not be able to play it with some members of your gaming group, those who are interested should be able to learn it as long as they get the whole move-then-attack-with-odds mechanic.
If you've never played before, Silver Bayonet basically has an I-go-you-go game-play flow. Combat units move and attack adjacent units. With each attack you can either perform maneuver combat or assault combat. <PERSON> allows you to dislodge enemy units from favorable positions and soften them up before assaults. Assaults are intended to do a lot of killing. Each type of combat has rules for air and artillery support which feels realistic without cluttering things up too much.
While the original rules had a system for determining unit coordination centering around an average efficiency rating for the units involved in combat, this has been added to in the new rules with attack coordination. Basically, a roll must be made at the start of combat and if it fails the attack is uncoordinated and the attacking units suffer all sorts of issues. Particularly, it is very difficult for the PAVN units to perform maneuver warfare (which, in actual combat, requires a lot more tactical coordination than frontal assaults to perform). This adds a very interesting command and control element to the game that I've enjoyed immensely so far.
If the 25th Anniversary Edition is your first time playing, I recommend setting up the first scenario and just start attacking things to see how it works.
The campaign system also has some juicy additions to supplement the already effective hidden movement marker mechanics. This includes a nice patrol system that allows units to search and respond in the same turn and an ambush system for the PAVN. I've yet to try any of the campaign but I'm dying to do so. It looks very fun and realistic.
There are only a few cons that I've run across so far and those are pretty small. For starters, the table footprint for this game is massive. You'll definitely need to reserve a sizable kitchen table or the like for a couple days to get used to playing and that can cause strife among the less enthusiastic, non-gaming members of your household if you're not careful (or diplomatic).
Secondly, the designers went through pretty great lengths to explain many of the historical elements of the game but with all the notes and reference cards I still would have liked to have had a card that gives a run-down of each unit. I know it's a little unrealistic (and really what I should do is read more) but it seems like the designers almost included a description of every unit but left a few out. 449