Fire in the Lake: Fall of Saigon Expansion

The Great Spring Offensive

Vietnam, 1975. The Provisional Revolutionary Government was ready. After internal debate, the Communists had issued Resolution 21 - the war to unify the country would continue. The Paris Peace would serve as merely one more tool in the armed struggle. In Saigon, President Thieu had known from the beginning that the ceasefire was an empty promise, but he had to accept his US ally's hollow accords with the North. Nonetheless, he now fielded one of the world's best equipped armies, and the victories of 1972 proved to him that it could withstand even an all-out assault from the North.

While President Nixon had pledged peace with honor, his determination to enforce South Vietnam's independence had floundered amidst the worst US presidential scandal in history. What now from Ford? From Hanoi, Le Duc Tho - the negotiator who had squared off against Kissinger in Paris - was to trek south to oversee the final push to Saigon on behalf of the Politburo. His orders: "Do not come home until victory is won."

Mark Herman and Volko Ruhnke's award-winning Fire in the Lake revealed the factional classes of the US insurgency in Vietnam, from the first entry of US combat troops under General Westmoreland to the '72 Christmas bombings that teed up the US negotiated withdrawal. Now, Fall of Saigon expands Fire in the Lake to finish the story. New game features include the Paris Peace Talks, US Posture and Anti-War sentiment, NVA War Weariness, and new Armor units.

Three Fall of Saigon scenarios enable 1-4 players to extend play beyond Paris, beginning before 1968's Tet Offensive, on the eve of the 1972 Easter Offensive, or from 1964 all the way to the end of the war. A standalone 2-player Black April scenario focuses tightly on the Post-Paris sparring between NVA and ARVN, including the final massive battles, advances, and retreats. An innovative and crafty Non-player system can replace one or more human players in any scenario. Fire in the Lake veterans will find the war beyond Paris easy to rev up but a whole new experience. Fight on and find the end of the tunnel.

Fall of Saigon is compatible with the First and Second Edition of Fire in the Lake, as well as the Second Edition Upgrade Kit. The Solitaire System included in Fall of Saigon is for the Fall of Saigon only, and cannot be used to play the Scenarios included in Fire in the Lake.

Mechanisms:• Area Majority / Influence• Variable Phase Order• Variable Player Powers

Contents

• 79 Event Cards
• 25 Solo Cards
• 21 Wooden Pieces
• 1 Full-color Countersheet
• 10 Player Aids
• 1 Rules Booklet
• 1 Play Booklet
• 1 Solitaire Rules Booklet