Grunt
Grunt was
published by Simulations
Publications, Inc. in 1971, as a magazine game in Issue 26
of
Strategy & Tactics. Issue 26 was the first to
include mounted, die-cut counters. Back issues of the magazine were
later sold without the game included, which was available in boxed
form for separate sale instead. Grunt was included in two
different box formats
in addition to the magazine release;
the initial white box and the more common black box which followed
it.
The game itself was
remarkable for a variety of reasons; it was firstly a simulation of
combat operations in Vietnam published during the war itself, a
daring move in itself. It was also the first commercial board
wargame to depict combat at the company-level, using squad-sized
units. SPI's first concerted advertising campaign used Grunt
as its focus. It also became one of SPI's first titles to be redone:
Grunt was not a bad game, for 1971.
But as the state of the art improved, especially in regard to
tactical games, Grunt's popularity fell. In 1974, SPI decided
to drop those games that had become obsolete and replace them with
improved versions taking advantage of new design techniques.
Grunt was high on the list. [After preparing eight games for
alteration and publishing three, it was decided that the money would
be better spent in developing all-new games.] 1
Components & Game Play
Grunt features a monochromatic
map that was "rather ugly - the thatch huts look more like
overturned oil barrels, and the patches of forest resemble sickly
amoebas."2 The map is integrated with charts necessary
for play - including a Combat Results Table (CRT) which is really no
different than the standard wargames CRT used from the beginning of
commercial board wargaming, using odd-calculations to give results.
Later squad-based games would revolve around firepower calculations
and on-map depictions of support weapons.
The rules are presented in a large
foldout - "one of those confusing annoying ones...Most (not all) of
the rules are in there someplace, but in such disorder that it can
take half an hour to dig them out."3
Counters are in high contrast colours,
with brown for the US and ARVN forces and black for the NLF. Counter
depictions are standard NATO map symbols for the US and military
units of the NLF, with silhouettes depicting peasants, porters,
farmers, arms and rice caches, and ammunition drops. The focus of
the game is on patrolling and counter-insurgency, and there are
rules for interrogation of civilians, helicopter drops, artillery
support, and casualty evacuation. The game is firmly infantry
focused with no vehicles in play.
A typical game of Grunt!
starts off with the landing of a stripped-down U.S. Airmobile
company near the 'enemy village.' As the troops land by helicopter
they may come under enemy fire or be met by an eerie silence. Their
primary mission is to search the area for caches of food and
equipment. They are faced by a host of inverted counters spread
around the map by the NLF player...The task of confronting and
dealing with these inverted counters is the heart of the game - it's
a combination of cat and mouse, hide and seek, and Russian Roulette.
Grunt! does an excellent job of
capturing the period 'feel' and flavor of the war in Vietnam in the
mid-60's. For example, there are extensive rules covering
interrogation. The U.S./ARVN player is allowed to uncover the
location of enemy caches by interrogating local peasants and porters
who are discovered in the search. The die is rolled for each attempt
to interrogate the 'prisoner'. The results range from the
intelligence gained to the peasant's death. In this same vein, there
are rules covering U.S. air strikes, medevac evacuation by
helicopter of U.S. casualties, 'body count' victory points, NLF
ambushes and booby traps - in short, the bitter realities of this
tragic conflict.
With the passage of a few years and
the improvements made in the state of the art of game designing, SPI
decided to rethink Grunt! The late John Young got the job,
and Search and Destroy was the result...4
Articles
Moves |
Nr. 9 |
Jun-Jul 1973 |
►Errata |
Nr. 23 |
Oct-Nov 1975 |
►"From Grunt to Search
& Destroy" by Phil Kosnett (Review) |
Strategy & Tactics |
No. 26 |
Mar-Apr 1971 |
►"Cohesion and
Disintegration: American Forces in Vietnam" by John Kramer (Historical) |
Fire &
Movement |
No. 18 |
Jul-Aug 1979 |
►"Panorama: Sympathy
for the Devil, Viet Nam War 1965-1975" by Rodger MacGowan,
John Hill and John Prados (Review) |
Simulacrum |
No. 11 |
|
"Grunt" by Joe Scoleri III
(Capsule Review) |
International
Wargamer |
Vol. 4 No. 8 |
|
"Grunt" by Jay Richardson (Review) |
A
review was also published in Strategy & Tactics Guide to
Conflict Simulation Games, Periodicals, and Publications in
Print Issue 2. |
The title of the game refers to the
Vietnam-era slang term that American foot-soldiers applied to
themselves.
Notes
-
Kosnett, Phil "From Grunt
to Search & Destroy" (Moves,
Nr. 23)
-
Ibid
-
Ibid
-
MacGowan, Rodger, John Hill
and John Prado "Panorama: Sympathy for the Devil,
Viet Nam War 1965-1975" (Fire &
Movement No. 18)
|
Grunt: The Game of Tactical Combat in Viet Nam |
Developer: |
John
Kramer |
Publisher: |
Simulations Publications, Inc. |
Date
of Release: |
1971 |
Scale: |
Squad |
Players: |
1 or 2 |
Campaign Type: |
None |
Components: |
►
1 22" x 27" map
► rules sheet
► 1 die-cut sheet of 1/2" counters |
Replaced by: |
Search
& Destroy |
|
All photos from the
webmaster's collection except where noted
This image of the "black
box" appeared on ebay. |