Boocoo Fire Missions is an interesting game. It has all the chrome and feel you would expect from a VN wargame. Nine (!) different Allied army lists, covering different periods of the war, ARVN, various sorts of US Army, Marines and ANZACs. Three VN lists, VC and NVA of different time periods.

This is a game where 1 base = 1 squad, or vehicle/helo. A platoon will have a HQ, and 2-3 squads. Turns are activation based. Activations are alternated, and interestingly, a unit can do multiple things, if you want to use up the APs that way.

The is air strikes and helos, tanks and APVs, so you can do pretty much anything that happened. They even have the ONTOS :)

Morale is handled by troop quality, with better troops being able to make skill checks more easily. This lets them do things (or avoid bad things) more easily.

An interesting and unique feature is "terrain points" You can have one platoon max at each TP. Units can hide there, move from a TP to another TP. Usually it's Charlie using the TP, but it would make sense for Allied special units to use them in some cases (like a raid on the HCM trail). Some aspects of TP are not as well described as one might wish. Specifically "reveal" vs detected. A revealed unit is NOT detected, even if you have LOS to it. You need to detect it as normal.

If you are fired on from a TP you know the fire is coming from the TP, BUT the units are not detected. It's easier to detect a unit that is firing on you, but not certain.

Combat is pretty easy, you fire by squad, most use one D6, and a whole platoon can shoot at one target, if you have the AP for it.

It helpfully comes with several QRS for INF actions, TP and skill checks. The play is quick, and pretty easy.

I would suggest that you places the forces close if you have a lot of Jungle on the table - movement is 4"/ turn. Lots of boring movement if they are far apart!

A very interesting and good game. The idea is basic, you create a band of heros, and they get some followers. Essentially followers are less capable heros.

Your band can move between various fringes of civilization, encountering things mundane to otherworldly, but almost always dangerous in the extreme.

Your characters can increase in skill, and can gain useful and valuable items.

The various supplement allow for more toys and more serious dangers.

It's a lot of fun, and easy to play, but exciting. It can easily fit inside any existing world you might have or want to get.

What seems a silly module does have some point. You can fish, and if lucky you catch fish that you can sell for gold OR make into ration.

Usable with 2nd ed., it gives your band something to do when others are resting.

Why come here indeed!

A shorter campaign setting, than normal. It has two types of encounters, nomads, and animals.

Aminals are tough, and you don't get much when you win.

Nomads are a different type of human.

A tough and easily frustrating campaign, suitable for more experienced bands.

This is a campaign easily used with 2nd ed., but one with no monsters or evil monsters.

Just the evil of your fellow man, who wants to split your head open and take your stuff.

Your band will do 8 patrols for a noble in a land at war.

The set of encounters are new, and some new skills can be had here as well.

If you prefer to find normal folk, man to man (literally!) this is the one for you.

A campaign for 5 leagues, and easily used with 2nd edition.

A different campaign than dark woods, here you have a new and specific monster type, which has its own specific fighting styles and weapons. They also have a type of magic.

This campaign has stages. Each one is different, and harder than the last.

Its easy to lose this campaign, due to the calamity mechanic. You do get the chance to get a LOT of loot, as well as some interesting goblin treasure.

I think this is tougher than the dark woods, I would want a more experience band before heading here.

I nice expansion for 5 Leagues, and I find it quite compatible with the 2nd edition, with really nothing to change.

Basically what is different is the encounters tables, and the after battle loot and such.

You have "Fey" creatures, which some items affect more, and others don't affect at all. Hope you have the right things!!

Areas tend to be more dense, so there will be less ranged combat, more up close and personal stuff. There is only one village, that helps.

There are new (and strange) type of enemies, many not quite human or plain not at all human.

If you want a more "spooky" adventure, this is for you.

It starts off with a brief history of the war, with high level maps. In a VERY nice touch, the scenarios are highlighted on the maps. So, for each one, you can easily understand the context of the scenario in regard to the phase of the war, and the location of the fight.

Then follows details on the scenario (table size!) scale, turn size, and other assumptions made for the scenarios. This is really useful, and will help you to tweak this to your favorite rule set. There is also a key to the natural and man made terrain on each map. It has the effects of spotting and combat, so again, helps to use this with your rule set of choice.

The scenarios have an introduction, a briefing for each side, and your mission. For use at tournaments, there is an intel summary you can give the players.

Last there is an Order of battle for each side, and the historical outcome.

15 scenarios are presented, covering the War in the East from June of 41 to June of 43.

There is also a nice bibliography at the end.

An extremely reasonable value for your 5 USD! (pdf form)

I like FiveCore Company Commander. I like it a LOT.

The "fire for effect" mechanic which is also used in Five Core Brigade commander is very different than many wargames.

You roll "kill dice" and "shock dice" in combat. The better your unit, the more dice you throw. The results can remove the stand from play, or degrade it's ability to move and fire or paralyze it. Retreats are also possible.

There are many different troop types, they have different shock and kill dice in combat. They also have assualt bonus (or penalty) and some have unique aspects that model their real world behavior.

Tanks are handled as "similar, better, worse, hopeless" in term of technology difference. People who like to count mm or armor and such may not like this approach. BUT it does reflect how real commanders think, and more importantly how a commander would fight his unit.

The last pages of the rules are devoted to creating scenarios, campaign generation, and other variations.

Command and Control are represented by giving the commander "points" that he can use to activate stands. This allows them to move and fire. Stands that are close enough can do a group move. There is a group fire also.

This has become my "first choice" for playing at this scale. While the rules are clearly meant and designed for smaller actions (small table, 10-15 stand per side) I have used it on a much larger table, with more stands per side. It works very well.

I have mixed feelings about FiveCore Brigade Commander.

In many ways, I like it a LOT. The "fire for effect" mechanic which is also used in Five Core Company commander is very different than many wargames.

You roll "kill dice" and "shock dice" in combat. The better your unit, the more dice you throw. The results can remove the stand from play, or degrade it's ability to move and fire or paralyze it. Retreats are also possible.

There are many different troop types, and these,in my opinion, model reaistically their real world behavior.

Tanks are handled as "similar, better, worse, hopeless" in term of technology difference. People who like to count mm or armor and such may not like this approach. BUT it does reflect how real commanders think, and more importantly how a commander would fight his unit.

About half the rules are devoted to creating scenarios, campaign generation, and other variations.

I think what I dislike is that morale is built into the fire combat shock and dice rolls. I also dislike the HQ is essentially nothing but a target.

However, I DO like the 5 Core Company Commander a LOT. It is very similar to Brigade Commander.

I am not at all sorry I purchased it, and likely will play it again.