Combat Commander: Vietnam Update – The Last Big Push
We’re in the final stretch for Combat Commander: Vietnam (CCV) development before moving fully into art. This makes it the perfect time to provide an update on the current status of the game. For all of our over 1,300 preorders and those still on the fence, we want to assure everyone that CCV will live up to the great expectations of Combat Commander: Europe and its excellent post-release support.
We’ve organized this update into three sections: 1) What we’ve been working on the last few months, 2) What steps remain before the base game goes to the printer, and 3) What post-launch content is already in the works.
The Last Few Months
All 24 scenarios that will be included in the initial release of Combat Commander: Vietnam have received significant internal testing (for a teaser scenario list, see this thread: https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/3578721/gmt-monthly-update-scenario-list-guess-the-engagem). We’re still refining the balance of some scenarios with more general testing, but all 24 scenarios have been polished for release. In addition, the Random Scenario Generator (RSG) and Campaign system are receiving a similar focused treatment.
NVA counter-charge against ROK forces during TTS playtest of Scenario “Pass Defense”
Over the past few months, we’ve also been developing additional not yet announced content that will be added to the CCV base game box: Random Scenario Rules (RSRs). These offer an optional mode for the RSG and Campaign system that allow players to generate plausible scenario rules similar to those that CC veterans know and love from the historical scenarios. Although the RSG is the heart of CCV, we frequently hear how much players enjoy having special rules in their scenarios. Now, players will be able to add two types of RSRs to their randomly generated engagements, Environmental Hazards and Organizational Challenges, both using d66 tables.
A selection of the “Environmental Hazards” d66 table
Environmental Hazards add additional complications that will affect both players by tweaking the battlefield in which engagements take place (e.g., DEFOLIATED AREA, ELEPHANT GRASS, DEVELOPED HAMLET, etc…). These offer additional variety even once players become familiar with how to best position on certain maps. In contrast, Organizational Challenges present negative effects for one side or the other (e.g., AMMUNITION SHORTAGE, INFLEXIBLE SUPERIOR, POOR COORDINATION, etc…). These rules provide a great way to offset differences in experience between CC players, or to give two veteran players new gameplay twists and challenges, enhancing the RSG experience for all players.
Furthermore, both types of RSRs can be integrated into Campaign games to make scenarios feel fresh even when fighting over familiar maps with the same formations. Our favorite aspect of the RSRs is how they help players fill out the story of randomly generated engagements, similar to the background paragraphs offered with historical scenarios. Luckily, we got full approval for the RSRs from Kai, who seemed as excited as us for what they add to the CC system!
On Gene’s suggestion, we’ll also be including a one page “Mission Briefing” slip to help players ease into the massive amount of content and replayability offered by CCV (imagine the “Transition Letter” from Mr. President). The Mission Briefing offers a guide on where to start after opening the box, and how to then move on to the additional content in the box. On the back, it offers a beginner version of the tutorial scenario “Jenkin’s Assault”, with a fixed setup and strategy tips to help new Combat Commander players.
The NLF narrowly escapes a napalm strike at GMT’s Spring “Weekend at the Warehouse”
Finally, Mitch Land (best known for the Next War series and updates to Vietnam 1965-1975 and Silver Bayonet with GMT) provided excellent feedback on the game at Weekend at the Warehouse. He also graciously looked over all our materials and offered helpful substantive and clarity edits to our various rules booklets. We’re happy with the last rounds of minor changes to the game and can’t wait to see your reactions.
Next Steps
To reach our goal of going to the printer in late 2026, the CCV team still has a lot on our plates, and we are shelving a few projects until after completing this last push (including COIN Multipack 3, but with 10 existing multipack games to play, you’ll be fine!).
Testing, testing, testing! As we begin the process of moving into art for the counters and maps, testing continues to make sure we deliver the best balance and clarity that we can. If you’d like to help with some additional testing, feel free to sign up by filling out this form: https://forms.gle/fEnYwGrq6hShjMPR8
Speaking of art, Kai has found us a map artist to professionally update her excellent playtest maps. We’re currently searching for a counter artist but have prepared detailed instructions (and lots of sample uniform photos) to get the counter art moving along.
Finally, we’ll be working on a new series of InsideGMT articles to cover all the features offered in the base game box (RSG, Campaign Scenarios, and new RSR rules), provide some more After Action Reports, and show art teasers to build anticipation for the release.
Post Launch Support
Building on the model of Combat Commander: Europe, we have a full set of post launch content planned for Vietnam, including Battlepacks, boxed expansions, and free periodically released content.
Image from an operation covered by CCV Battlepack 1 – can you guess what it is?
The first Battlepack topic has been confirmed with GMT and we’ve reached out to other designers knowledgeable on Vietnam to help provide scenarios. Once the CCV base game is fully with the art department, we’ll start testing the 12 new scenarios and maps. We hope to announce the Battlepack when the base game ships out in 2027. Furthermore, we’re already conducting initial research and design on other expansions, including ones devoted to Tết Mậu Thân (Year of Tet), the French War, a “Major Contact” expansion inspired by Commands & Colors Epic, and more! As long as players remain interested in the game, we hope to roll out new ways to play.
Finally, C3i magazine offered a great way of offering additional scenarios and optional rules for Combat Commander: Europe; we’ll be copying that format but with a modernized twist by making CCV a “living” war game. Twice a year (for a wet and dry season release in May and November), we’ll be offering free digitally-delivered content for CCV in the form of new scenarios and optional rules that require no additional components besides those already found in the physical releases of the game or expansion. During these hard economic times, we want to make sure everyone feels they got their money’s worth from opting into CCV and providing polished free content offers a great way to do so.
Conclusion
In conclusion, we wanted this update to provide specific details on what is happening with CCV, but also to convey three important points about our progress on the game. First, we’re giving the base game content serious attention to balance the competing needs of getting you the game as soon as possible while maintaining a level of quality that reflects Chad’s excellent previous work on Europe and Pacific. Second, we want to make sure everyone knows that CCV will receive dedicated post-launch support and extensive additional content. We love seeing threads on BGG about people’s 1000th game of Combat Commander and want to make sure people have a reason to keep coming back to CCV (even if it’s less than a 1000 times…). Finally, delivering Combat Commander: Vietnam is a team effort. As our update above conveys, beyond Joe, NB, and myself, many members of the extended GMT team are making this game happen. We also couldn’t have made it this far without our playtesters and the warm reception we’ve received from the GMT customer base, both in person and online.
We hope you’re excited as we are to move closer to release!
End of “Jenkin’s Assault” Scenario at “Weekend at the Warehouse”, with a preview of the campaign display alongside it