Fire in the Lake: Fall of Saigon

About this expansion

Fire in the Lake: Fall of Saigon is a 1–4-player expansion that continues the Vietnam War beyond the Paris Peace Accords through the final battles of 1975. A copy of Fire in the Lake is required to play this expansion.

Three Fall of Saigon scenarios extend the original game’s timeline, beginning before the 1968 Tet Offensive, on the eve of the 1972 Easter Offensive, or in 1964 for a complete journey to the war’s end. A standalone two-player Black April scenario focuses on the post-Paris conflict between the NVA and ARVN, including the final advances, retreats, and major battles.

The expansion shifts the conflict from insurgency and counterinsurgency toward mobile mechanized warfare. Paris Peace Talks can produce a US Retreat, an NVA Retreat, or both, while a growing US Anti-War Movement and Northern War Weariness penalize continued campaigns. Players also influence US Posture, ranging from strong economic and financial support for ARVN—and even renewed heavy bombing over the North—to abandonment of South Vietnam.

• Armor units: NVA and ARVN forces can launch rapid Spearhead actions and capture enemy vehicles for later attacks.
• New events: 72 Event cards and four Pivotal Events portray political struggles, military development, battlefield probes, counterthrusts, and the final collapse.
• Solo play: A card-based Non-player system supports solitaire games.

Fall of Saigon includes new cards, faction sheets, counters, wooden pieces, player aids, and expansion rule and play booklets. Its head-to-head NVA-versus-ARVN play uses the two-player Initiative system introduced in Colonial Twilight, while the complete package also includes solitaire materials and selected errata components for the original game.