Spanish-American War Campaign System

Just released by David Manley, a Spanish-American War naval campaign system that also includes tactical rules.

Splendid Little War

Review - Crusaders Over 'Nam

Crusaders Over 'Nam - written by Roxanne Patton.  Published by I-94 Enterprises, March, 2017.  $18.00.

As many of you already know, I like obscure and different periods of history to recreate on the tabletop.  While the Vietnam War is certainly not obscure, Vietnam air combat is not that prevalent in the gaming world, so when I came across a Check Your 6! scenario book for Vietnam on the I-94 website, specifically one that deals with the F-8 Crusader and MiG kills I was curious.  So, I placed my order via the I-94 Raiden webstore, and within a few days I received my copy.  While the booklet is not an official Skirmish Campaigns production, it is designed for Check Your 6!

Let's jump into what I felt left me less than satisfied.  First, the price of the scenario booklet is $18.00.  Unfortunately, the number of pages doesn't warrant such a high price tag.  The 8.5" by 11" booklet comes in at only twenty pages.  The cover is color cardstock, while the interior is black and white.  Unlike the other Check Your 6! scenario books, this offering does not have a data table showing the plane stats needed, which I find very useful in the other books and wish could have been added here to avoid having to refer back to the Jet Age version to obtain plane data.  And there are a few typos and missing information, both within the scenarios themselves, and in the rules modifications section.  Example - Page 4, second line states "range is reduced to eight (8) hexes for targets at."  At what?

Okay, those were my sticking points.  My positive takeaways are the vast majority of the eleven scenarios are ideally suited for four players, perfect for a small gathering of friends or a convention setting where the smaller number of players makes teaching Check Your 6! an easier task.  The scenarios are also well researched and clearly written indicating that the author knows her subject well.  The bits of typos and missing info within the scenarios is easily overcome with a bit of common sense.   The eleven scenarios, with F-8s featured in every one, also includes A-4s and a lone A-6, while for the "bad guys" all one needs are only MiG-17s and MiG-21s.  This is a simple mix of planes for the player to obtain.

Overall, Crusaders Over 'Nam fills a niche for Vietnam War air combat, while providing more scenarios for jet age gamers, especially those who use Check Your 6!  You will have to be the judge in deciding if a twenty page scenario book priced at $18.00 holds value for you.