Tonkin: The First Indochina War (Second Edition)

About this board game

Tonkin: The First Indochina War (Second Edition) is a two-player wargame covering the conflict between the Viet Minh and France from 1946 to 1954, with a focus on the intensive years from 1950 to 1954 in northern Vietnam and Laos. A game lasts up to 1800 minutes, offering five scenarios and a campaign game.

Each player receives ten operation points and a number of supply dumps. Operation points allow players to perform different actions, mostly non-combat, while expending a supply dump permits combat missions. Supply dumps are limited, however, and are also needed to keep units in supply.

Players may spend only one, two, or three operation points in a row before the opponent takes a turn to spend theirs. This creates a highly interactive game in which long-term planning and short-term reactions are closely connected. You must decide when to save supplies, when to commit them, and how to respond to the missions your opponent is attempting.

• Players: 2
• Scenarios: 5, plus a campaign game
• Map scale: 12.5 miles per hex
• Unit size: Regiments and battalions
• Time scale: 1 month per turn

The game includes a 22-by-34-inch map, 352 game counters, a 24-page rulebook, four charts, and three information sheets. With its restricted operation-point sequences and finite supply system, Tonkin puts every action into a broader logistical and operational context.