
- BGG rank
- BGG #15,125
- BGG rating
- 7.8
The Lost Valley: The Siege of Diên Biên Phù
- 1 player
- 90–120 min
- Complexity 2.8/5
- 2020

1986
Rules assistance for First Team: Vietnam
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

For 1 player
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
First Team: Vietnam is a board game released in 1986 for 1 player, 120 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Mike Joslyn and its main mechanics are Dice Rolling, Point to Point Movement, and Simulation.
A solitaire game of the 1st Air Cavalry's campaign in the Ia Drang Valley in October 1965. The NVA forces had been building up all year for the first major strike intended to cut South Vietnam in half, and on October 19th the plan went into effect. The player controls the American forces and the game system controls the NVA. Scale: the game map covers 400 square miles (point to point distances vary), two day turns, each combat strength equals from one to three hundred men. Published in The Wargamer Magazine number 56.
First Team: Vietnam supports 1 player according to the catalogue. This is the publisher’s listed player count, so the game is designed for exactly that number of participants. Variants for other group sizes, if any, are described in the rulebook of your edition, so check it before setting up a different configuration.
The listed playing time for First Team: Vietnam is 120 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists First Team: Vietnam for ages 12 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
First Team: Vietnam has a complexity rating of 3.1 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-weight game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
First Team: Vietnam belongs to these categories: Wargame, Modern Warfare, and Vietnam War. Its main mechanics are Dice Rolling, Point to Point Movement, and Simulation. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of First Team: Vietnam are: Mike Joslyn. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists First Team: Vietnam as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.