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Year of the Rat: Vietnam, 1972
1972
Rules assistance for Year of the Rat: Vietnam, 1972
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2 players
- 120 min
- 12+
- Complexity 2.8/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Year of the Rat: Vietnam, 1972
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Year of the Rat: Vietnam, 1972 is a board game released in 1972 for 2 players, 120 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by John Prados, Jim Dunnigan, and Redmond Aksel Simonsen and its main mechanics are Dice Rolling and Hexagon Grid.
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About the game
Year of the Rat: VietNam, 1972 is a two player wargame simulation of the documented operations during the 13 weeks of the Communist Offensive in the Spring of 1972. It includes the historical game and two optional games that play with Variable Order of Battle or Player selected deployments. 200 counters NOTE: One of the very few (only?) Vietnam wargames ever published (in multiple, hard-copy formats) in the same year during which the conflict occurred. Strategy & Tactics magazine #35, and stand-alone flatpack editions were both released.
Categories
Mechanics
Publishers
- SPI (Simulations Publications, Inc.)
Questions and answers
Year of the Rat: Vietnam, 1972 supports 2 players 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 Year of the Rat: Vietnam, 1972 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 Year of the Rat: Vietnam, 1972 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.
Year of the Rat: Vietnam, 1972 has a complexity rating of 2.8 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light 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.
Year of the Rat: Vietnam, 1972 belongs to these categories: Wargame, Modern Warfare, and Vietnam War. Its main mechanics are Dice Rolling and Hexagon Grid. 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 Year of the Rat: Vietnam, 1972 are: John Prados, Jim Dunnigan, and Redmond Aksel Simonsen. 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 Year of the Rat: Vietnam, 1972 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.