Basic Land Cannons: Classic and OSR

Basic Land Cannons
Threw together some basic cannon rules for a bit of fun carnage.

First up: I'm keeping it simple.
Cannons are complicated; there are many different types and designs over the centuries. Ammunition sizes vary greatly depending on the size of the cannon and its purpose. Even the name cannon does not apply to what we generally call 'cannons.' Culverins, demi-culverins, demi-cannons, guns, etc. That's more than I want to get into so I'm keeping it simple for these land cannon rules. Galloper, field, and siege.

Galloper
Lighter artillery guns firing smaller shells they were designed to be pulled by a single horse in front of  the gun and carriage with the intention of keeping pace with fast troops and possiblly cavalry. This was often not the case as gun crews were still on foot and the ammunition trundled along behind in ox-carts. This category can also represent small swivel guns.

Field Cannon
Standard artillery guns used by most nations which were typically sited before a battle and not moved until after. This the the type of gun most people think of on a battlefield with wheels on the sides for easier placement and transport. They were used on ships and fort walls. These guns were often captured as the battles swept across the field and their loss was considered a typical even.

Siege Cannon
Massive guns firing up to 60lb or larger shells. These monstrosities were mostly used to batter down walls.

Cannon Damage, Range Inc., Rate of Fire
Galloper: 2d6x2, 200', 1 shot every 1.5 to 2 minutes
Field: 2d6x5, 300', 1 shot every 1.5 to 2 minutes
Siege 2d6x10, 400', 1 shot every 5 minutes

Ammunition
Round Shot (link)
Standard iron ball.
Rolls 1d4x10' from point of impact. If plowing through ranks of men it does possible damage to everyone or thing in a 5' path along its trajectory. Those in its path may make a saving throw to take half damage. If the save is made by 5 or more the victim takes no damage.

Chain Shot
As above except the damage path increases to 10'.

Canister Shot (link)
Used with Gallopers and Field cannon. A Canister round is a can or other container packed with dozens of musketballs or other projectiles which fires out in a cone like a giant shotgun.

The CS fires a cone a width of 30' per 300' it travels. Every target in its zone must make a Saving throw or take 2d6 damage from the shot. Every 300' past the first increment the target gains a +4 bonus to the Saving throw as the shots spread out. A troop 380' out or example would get a +4 bonus. A target out 670' gets a +8 bonus, etc.

Canister rounds are not designed specifically to penetrate cover. They are best vs masses of troops in open fields or open decks. All cover bonuses are added to the Saving throw of those under cover.

Grapeshot
Similar to Canister Shot this load was primarily (but not always) a naval round using fewer and larger balls, had a much shorter effective range, and was expected to hit targets behind cover. When fired it comes out in a cone with a width of 30' per 100' travelled. Every target in its zone must make a Saving throw with a +2 bonus (fewer balls) or take 2d6 damage from the shot. Every 100' past this the target gains a +4 to their Saving throw.
In addition GS ignores 4 points of cover bonus to the Saving throw.

Improvised Explosives
Simple iron balls with gunpowder and fuse were used as grenades.
Sometimes you really had to kill a bunch of motherf@ckers and roll a lit powderkeg at them.

Fused Grenade
2d6, 10' blast radius.
Roll 1d6
⦁ 1-3 explodes at end of round thrown
⦁ 4-6 explodes on thrower' initiative the next round

Powder Keg
4d6, 15' blast radius.
Each additional keg adds +1d6 to damage and 5' to the radius.

OWB Air War: The Mighty Mitchell B-25

Had a request for the B-25. I was going to just edit it into the post here but I found it to be a fascinating plane and the more I dug into it the more pics I wanted to post. Therefore it gets its own post.

Here you go Rod Thompson.

The B-25
Twin-engine medium bomber famous for the Doolittle April 1942 bombing raid on Tokyo following Pearl Harbor. Variations of the ship served in every theatre of the War. It acted as a bomber, ground attack fighter, torpedo bomber and many other roles. It was a rugged plane and had many different armament configurations based on its role over its service history.

The configurations of weaponry on these things is amazing. The War Master can have a lot of fun with different versions in the hands of the player soldiers.

Mitchell B-25B (as per the Doolittle Raid)
AC: 3 [16]
HP:   36 (HD 6)   
Move: 9/27 flying, +4 airspeed bonus
Attack:
⦁ x1 .30 Medium Machinegun (1d6+2), nose, gunner
⦁ x2 fire-linked .50 Heavy Machinegun (+1 hit, 2d6) in 3 positions: Dorsal turret, Ventral turret, gunners (the B was a rare variation with no tail gun position)
⦁ Bombs: up to 3600 lbs in its bay.
Mods: Aerial, Communications
Country: USA
Year: 1941
Crew: 5 (one pilot, navigator/bombardier/nose gunner, engineer/turret gunner, radio operator/turret gunner, tail gunner)
Range: 1350 miles
Ceiling: 24,196'
Climb: 1666' per minute

Armament:
Later Variations included:
⦁ x6 fire-linked .50 Large Machinegun (+3 hit, 2d6+4), nose, left/right fuselage [operator-linked]
⦁ x2 fire-linked .50 Heavy Machinegun (+1 hit, 2d6) rear turret, gunner
or
⦁ x8 fire-linked .50 Large Machinegun (+4 hit, 2d6+6), nose, left/right fuselage [operator-linked]
⦁ x2 fire-linked .50 Heavy Machinegun (+1 hit, 2d6) rear turret, gunner

B-25H
Introduced in 1944. Ground fighter/gunship configuration. Removed the co-pilot position and adding a gunner/camera operator.
Crew: 5 (pilot, navigator/radio operator/cannoneer, flight engineer/dorsal gunner, midships gunner/camera operator, and tail gunner)
⦁ x8 fire-linked .50 Large Machinegun (+4 hit, 2d6+6), nose, left/right fuselage [operator-linked]
⦁ 75mm Cannon (8d6), nose, cannoneer
⦁ x1 .50 Medium Machinegun (2d6), each left and right waist, radio operator/gunner
⦁ x2 fire-linked .50 Heavy Machinegun (+1 hit, 2d6) in 2 positions: Dorsal turret, Tail, gunners
⦁ 3200 pounds of bombs or a 2000-pound torpedo. 2000-pound bombs were deleted, since such large bombs were very rarely carried in actual practice and their hoists took up a lot of space in the bomb bay.

Operation White Box vs DC: Sgt ROCK and Easy Co.

Sgt. Rock and the Combat Happy Joes of Easy Company
The most famous group of characters in the DC War Comics line. Sgt. Rock is the iconic soldier of WWII. He and Easy can make an appearance in Operation White Box games, heck, your guys might even join Easy for a few special missions.
Here they are......

Sgt. Franklin "Frank" John Rock
US Army
Grunt: 5
ARMOR CLASS:  17 (Special forces, Uncanny toughness, Dex bonus, BDU's)
HIT POINTS:  33 (6d6+1 Con bonus)
TOTAL HIT BONUS: +6
ATTACKS: weapons or unarmed
SAVING THROW: 10 (+2 bonus vs explosions and suppressive fire)
MOVEMENT: 12
Str: 16
Dex: 15
Con: 18
Int: 15
Wis:17
Chs: 16
Special Abilities:
⦁ Combat Machine: Against foes of 1HD or less Rock gets 5 free extra attack per round. This can only be used against the 1HD or less foes.
⦁ Uncanny Toughness: Rock gains a +3 bonus to his AC.
⦁ Saving Throw Bonus: Rock gains a +2 bonus to Saving Throws versus explosions and suppressive fire.
⦁ Camaraderie: Rock gains a +1 bonus to Hit when fighting along side members of Easy Company. Once per round he may use his body to shield one of them and absorb up to half of the damage done to that soldier in that round.
Equipment:
⦁ BDU, boots, helmet, dogtags, shit ton of ammo.
⦁ 2 belts of Heavy Machinegun ammo.
⦁ SMG (1d6, 75')
⦁ Larger Handgun (1d6, 75')
⦁ Knife (1d6 -2 +1)
⦁ Grenades (2d6+2)

Note:
As Rock is a special character I built him with the Grunt class as a PC. The other members of Easy are built as NPC's with a few special abilities to each character to represent their particular specialties and traits.

Easy Company
Rock's companions and brothers in arms. He was their leader through Hell and back, they fought and bled together and many died. They were in the theatres of North Africa, Sicily, Italy, France, and likely the Pacific. Any man in Easy would do anything Rock asked of them up to and including disobeying stupid or incompetent orders from higher up the chain of command.

Sgt. Rock has confirmed that he gave nicknames to Easy Company men because during battle, they would be required to do things their civilian identities might not be able to live with; once the war was over, the nicknames could be left behind once the soldiers resumed their civilian lives. This accounts for the proliferation of unusual character names in Easy Company over the years. Some went by their given names despite this consideration.

Easy is dedicated to the 2nd Battalion of the 141st infantry.
The men of Easy were nick-named "The Combat Happy Joes."

Easy Company Soldier
ARMOR CLASS:  13 (Special forces, BDU's)
HIT DICE: 2d6 (10 hit points)
TOTAL HIT BONUS: +2
ATTACKS: weapons or unarmed
SAVING THROW: 14 (+2 bonus vs explosions and suppressive fire)
MOVEMENT: 12
Equipment:
⦁ BDU, boots, helmet, dogtags, shit ton of ammo.
⦁ M1 Garand Large Rifle (1d6+1, 150')
⦁ Knife (1d6-2)
⦁ Grenades (2d6+2)

Members of Easy are survivors of some of the toughest battles in the war. Easy is one of the finest and capable units to serve. This experience and knowledge accounts for their Special Forces AC bonus and higher HD and associated abilities over the average soldier.

A number of the men survived to form the trusted core of Easy Company soldiers. This was the group most seen in the comics and they each had a specialty or special quality to their character to differentiate them from other soldiers serving in Easy.
They included:

Zack Nolan
Corporal, Second in command. Black haired and ragged. Nolan is fearless in combat with is bazooka. He is haunted by the loss of his father in WWI.
⦁ AC: 14
⦁ HD: 3d6 (15 hp)
⦁ Total Hit Bonus: +3 melee, +4 ranged +6 bazooka
⦁ Saving Throw: 13
⦁ Special: +2 to hit with a bazooka, +4 total to Saving throws vs explosions
⦁ RPG Medium (8d6 vs tank/structures, as grenade vs characters)

Bulldozer 
Corporal Horace Canfield. Huge, built like a bull, blonde, and strong. Lugs around a medium (.30) machinegun.
⦁ HD: 3d6 (18 hp)
⦁ Total Hit Bonus: +4 melee, +3 ranged
⦁ Saving Throw: 13
⦁ Special: +1 Str and Con bonuses, incredibly strong, can hip-fire up to a medium machinegun alone.
⦁ Medium Machinegun (1d6+2, 150')

Little Sure Shot
Corporal Louis Kiyahani. Apache and excellent pointman and sniper. Sharp-eyed and has a habit of wearing feathers on his helmet.
⦁ AC: 14
⦁ HD: 3d6 (15 hp)
⦁ Total Hit Bonus: +3 melee, +4 ranged
⦁ Saving Throw: 13
⦁ Special: 1-3 on 1d6 to avoid and Ambush, adept at wilderness survival and tracking (base roll of 1-7 on 1d10)

Jackie Johnson
Private. Tall and muscled African American, former heavy weight boxing champ. Skilled combatant and outstanding soldier.
⦁ AC: 14
⦁ HD: 3d6 (15 hp)
⦁ Total Hit Bonus: +4 melee, +3 ranged, +6 melee
⦁ Saving Throw: 13
⦁ Special: +1 Str and Con bonuses, +2 to hit and damage with fists

Wildman
Corporal Harold Shapiro. Tall, red bearded rifleman and an English teacher from Colorado. Known for going almost recklessly beserk in combat.
⦁ AC: 14/12
⦁ HD: 3d6 (15 hp)
⦁ Total Hit Bonus: +3 melee, +4 ranged
⦁ Saving Throw: 13
⦁ Special: +1 Dex bonus, can attack twice per round in combat but AC drops to 12 in the round doing so

Ice Cream Soldier  
Private Phillip Mason. Young and freckle-faced. Cool as ice in combat, thus his nick-name
⦁ AC: 14
⦁ HD: 3d6 (15 hp)
⦁ Total Hit Bonus: +3 melee, +4 ranged
⦁ Saving Throw: 13
⦁ Special: +2 to Saving throws vs fear effects, +4 total vs suppressive fire and allows him to avoid all suppressive fire damage (even without cover)

4-Eyes
Private. Name unknown. Perfectly average looking except for his thick glasses. Blind as a bat without the them. With them he is the best shot of the riflemen.
⦁ AC: 14
⦁ HD: 3d6 (12 hp)
⦁ Total Hit Bonus: +3 melee, +4 ranged, +6 rifles
⦁ Saving Throw: 13
⦁ Special:   +1 Int bonus, +2 to hit and damage with rifles when wearing his glasses, -4 to all attacks without them

Many members came and went throughout the decades of printed Sgt Rock adventures.
Some were 'star' characters, most were minor. Here is a list of known survivors, deceased, wounded, and missing as of 1944.

Operation White Box vs DC: The GI Robot

One of my favorite DC War characters from my childhood in the seventies and eighties, from Weird War Tales: J.A.K.E. The GI Robot

J.A.K.E. the GI Robot
(Jungle Automatic Killer Experimental)
ARMOR CLASS: 2 [17] (armor plate and Dex)
HIT DICE: 8
TOTAL HIT BONUS: +8
ATTACKS: 2 fists or weapons
SAVING THROW: 12
SPECIAL: see below
MOVEMENT: 12 (running 18/swimming 18)
The GI Robot's body is hardened steel. It is stronger, faster, and tougher than a normal man.
⦁ Strength: J.A.K.E. is very strong and possesses incredible strength. It gains a +3 to all melee damage. It can lift up to six tons and bend a crowbar.
⦁ Speed: As a Robot J.A.K.E. can run and move at speeds that are beyond human physical limits. It can run at a rate of 18. The Robot is also designed to swim like a torpedo through water at a move rate of 18. It is surprisingly buoyant and can surface easily.
⦁ Agility: As a Robot J.A.K.E. agility, balance, and bodily coordination are enhanced to levels that are beyond the natural physical limits of the finest human athlete. +3 to his AC.
⦁ Stamina: As a Robot J.A.K.E. can exert itself well beyond the human limit as long as he has sufficient power. J.A.K.E. automatically succeeds on any Constitution checks.
⦁ Reinforced Hull: J.A.K.E.'s body is composed of armor plated steel, making it durable to most attacks. +4 to AC and Reinforced Hull x1 as per vehicle rules (immune to personal weapons, 1/2 damage from autocannons, 1/4 damage from grenades.)
⦁ Intelligence: J.A.K.E. is capable of rapid analysis of huge amounts of data. Although he must follow commands from the soldier he is assigned to J.A.K.E. is a learning machine and capable of making decisions on its own.
⦁ Ambidextrous: J.A.K.E. can use both hands equally well, often firing both hand machineguns together.
⦁ Rocket Jet Boots: J.A.K.E. has been equipped with short-range jets running off of its power source. They allow a short flight of three rounds with a movement of 12 per round.
⦁ Senses: J.A.K.E. has infravision and night vision allowing it to see perfectly in darkness out to 90' as well as acute hearing. It is only surprised on a 1 on a 1d6.
⦁ Limitation: J.A.K.E. is not able to communicate verbally nor show emotions, if he truly has any.

J.A.K.E. is equipped with a number of lethal weapons:
Its metal fists do 1d6 +3 with each hit. It can attack with both fists each round.

J.A.K.E.'s arms have an internal gun/launcher system with a variety of ammunition. When firing, the projectiles emerge from his fingertips. Spent brass is ejected through ports in the top of the hands. Ammo for each is stored inside of J.A.K.E. and there is enough for 12 combat rounds of each type.
⦁ Light MG (1D6+1) The most common ammo used by the robot.
⦁ Flamethrower (1d6, no chance to explode) Often used against tanks or large numbers of infantry. 12
⦁ Mini-Rockets/Torpedoes(2d6+2, 15' explosive radius, 75' range) Also used against large numbers of infantry and boats or submersibles.

J.A.K.E. can use conventional weaponry as well as attach specialty equipment by removing his lower arms and attaching one or two of the following:
⦁ Medium Machinegun and ammo belt can.
⦁ Multi-shot RPG/Mortar Launcher
⦁ Larger Flamethrower

J.A.K.E. is normally dressed in marine fatigues, boots, and helmet with a backpack of spare parts and tools.

J.A.K.E.could be assigned to a PC in the squad, perhaps his original handler Sgt Coker has died.
I might stat up the robot dog, cat, samurai, sumo, etc later. Yes I'm serious those are a thing.

Operation White Box WWII: Air Combat Options, Planes, Flyboy Class

Almost finished with this one. Need to finish a few airplane stats (mostly German and Japanese), work over some Flak and Bombing Rules and reconsider the final ability of the Flyboy class.
So a mostly finished post. A work in progress. I'll re-up it with pics when I get done.
But for now............

EDIT:
Cleaned up the post, modified a few small rules, finished the Flyboy class.
More planes (especially enemy and bombers), flak rules, and bomb rules on the way soon.

DAVE'S OWB WWII AIR COMBAT
Combat Proceeds As:
1. Spot Foe
2. Maneuver Roll
3. Initiative
4. Movement
5. Attacks, etc

SPOT FOE
Normal Ambush/surprise checks with bonus/penalty as applied by the War Master.
Came out of the sun, came from behind, etc.

MANEUVER ROLL
This is an opposed Piloting check (Dex checks + bonus from the Death from Above ability) between Flyboys involved in battle.

The Flyboys are dog-fighting and doing other combat tricks to gain the advantage.
A Flyboy must make their check by rolling their Dex score (+ bonus) or less on a 1d20. If both make their check whomever made by the most wins.

• The winner has maneuvered into an advantageous position over his foe and gets a +2 to hit and +2 to Initiative bonus until the beginning of the next round. He also receives  a +2 bonus to his Piloting Maneuver roll the next round.
• A tie equals no bonus to either Flyboy.

For Example: 
A 1st level Flyboy with a Dex of 14 (and a +1 Death from Above bonus for a total of 15) runs into combat with a 3rd level Flyboy with a 14 Dex (and a bonus of +2 for a total of 16.)  Both roll. The 1st level Flyboy rolls an 8, the 3rd level Flyboy rolls a 12.

The 1st level Flyboy made his roll by 7, the 3rd level Flyboy made his by 4. The 1st level Flyboy gains the Maneuver bonuses this round and has a +2 to initiative next round.

Not every pilot in the sky is a Flyboy.
If a pilot flying an aircraft is not of the Flyboy class their maneuver roll is at a -4 penalty.

INITIATIVE
Normal 1d6.
+2 bonus for a Flyboy's All in the Reflexes ability.
+2 if a Maneuver roll was won the previous round.

MOVEMENT
Movement is tracked  with normal OWB rules. The following applies in combat:
The loser of Initiative moves first to allow the Maneuver winner to see where the loser places his plane and then place his own plane.

AC Bonus and Air Speed
Airplanes move a LOT faster than ground vehicles, often going hundreds of miles per hour. Unlike ground vehicles where you multiply the speed by yards x 10 (or 30'), with aircraft you multiply the aircraft speed by yards x 30 (or 90') to get it's movement in feet per round.
https://www.militaryfactory.com/aircraft/ww2-aircraft-ranked-by-speed.asp

Their speed also makes them harder to hit.

Speed Categories
Current Speed AC Bonus
10 +1
15 +2
20 +3
25 +4
30 +5
35 +6
40 +7
45 + +8

In a plane vs plane combat the speed AC bonus of a slower flying plane subtracted from the bonus of a faster flying plane. The remainder is added as an AC bonus to the faster plane. (The faster plane is better but doesn't completely overwhelm it as it does a ground target.) A P-51 going all-out vs a Messerschmidt 110 going all- out has a +1 AC bonus (7 -6 = 1.)

When speed is reduced either by choice or damage use the lower speeds bonus.

ATTACKS, ETC
Armor Class
Vehicle AC
+ Dex bonus
+ Speed Factor
+ bonus from Flyboy Ace ability
+4 Flying defensively (no attack attempt)

To Hit
Normal 1d20 plus pilot's Ranged Hit
-2 non-Flyboy or Grunt class
+2 maneuver bonus if gained
+ linked weapon bonus if applicable

Damage to Aircraft
1. IF aircraft is at half Hp's or less, -4 to Piloting rolls.
2. When at half Hp's or less every damaging hit is a critical hit.
3. A natural 20 is a critical hit.

Roll 1d6.
On a 1-4:  an engine/critical system hit. See engine criticals below.
On a 5-6:  1d3 crew are hit. Save for half damage.

Aircraft at 0 hp or less, roll a 1d6. On a 1 it explodes for 6d6 damage. On a 2 it bursts into flame causing 1d6 per round to crew. On a 3-6 it falls from the sky trailing smoke and impacting in 1d4 +2 rounds.

Targeting the Engine or Pilot
-6 to attack the engine or cockpit/crew (due to position and better armor at these locations.)
See Engine/Critical System damage below.

Engine/Critical System

• x2 damage.
• The total damage done  is the percentage chance on a 1d100  that the plane's performance is impacted. Roll for each successful attack successfully.
• IF this roll is successful drop speed by 1/4 of full speed on the first hit.
• Each additional hit and successful percent roll drops the speed by another 1/4 of full speed until the plane reaches 0 speed and falls from the sky.

Stalling
IF a natural 1-5 percent is rolled on any of the engine/critical system percentile rolls the engine stalls and the plane begins to fall from the sky.

• The Pilot must make an Int check (+ Pilot bonus) - total engine damage to restart it.
• The Pilot has 1d4 +2 rounds to get restart or get out.

Linked Weapons
Multiple machineguns liked to fire at the same time and same target. Each extra weapon gives a bonus to hit or damage as seen on the chart below. If more than one caliber of weapon is linked choose the highest damage for the base damage. Remember: the guns fire three times per combat round.

Linked Weapons
2 guns  +1 hit
3 guns  +2 dmg
4 guns  +2 hit/+2 dmg
5 guns  +2 hit/+4 dmg
6 guns  +3 hit/+4 dmg
7 guns  +3 hit/+6 dmg
8 guns  +4 hit/+6 dmg

Autocannon
Autocannon, small 15mm 2d6
Autocannon, medium 20mm 2d6+2
Autocannon, large 30mm 3d6
vs Personnel: Explosive Radius 30'

Airplane Bursts
Three attacks per round, 10 bullets per weapon per burst.
 The pilot can choose to use only one or two bursts to conserve ammo.

Rockets
Airplanes equipped with rockets under their wings were great at knocking out enemy armored vehicles and other hard targets.

Treat the rockets as a Heavy RPG  (8d6 damage) with a 200' range increment.
They can be fired in pairs or even larger groups of four, six, etc. Treat bonuses to hit and damage as if fire-linked. Two rockets fired would be a +1 to hit, 4 would be a +2 hit/+2 dmg, etc.

AC Bonus and Air Speed
Airplanes move a LOT faster than ground vehicles, often going hundreds of miles per hour. Unlike ground vehicles where you multiply the speed by yards x 10 (or 30'), with aircraft you multiply the aircraft speed by yards x 30 (or 90') to get it's movement in feet per round.
Their speed also makes them harder to hit.

Speed Categories
Current Speed /AC Bonus
10 +1
15 +2
20 +3
25 +4
30 +5
35 +6
40 +7
45 + +8

In a plane vs plane combat the speed AC bonus of a slower flying plane subtracted from the bonus of a faster flying plane. The remainder is added as an AC bonus to the faster plane. (The faster plane is better but doesn't completely overwhelm it as it does a ground target.) A P-51 going all-out vs a Messerschmidt 110 going all- out has a +1 AC bonus (7 -6 = 1.)

When speed is reduced either by choice or damage use the lower speeds bonus.

Alternate Strafing Run
Operation Whitebox gives rules for Strafing Runs on page 59.
As an alternate system we can use the Speed AC Bonus above:
A soldier on the ground is firing at a P-51 mustang. The AC of the plane receives a +7  bonus as it roars by at over 400 mph bumping its AC up to  20 + the Pilot's Dex bonus + his Death From Above bonus.

Unfortunately for the pilot it is harder to hit man-sized targets while you're roaring through at 400+ mph. Using all three Machine Gun attacks per each set of available linked weapons allows the Pilot attack an area 30' wide by a number of feet equal to current airspeed. Everyone in this area is rolled against as possible targets but get a bonus to AC equal to the plane's current airspeed bonus plus a cover bonus if they are under partial or soft cover and the War Master rules they can be hit.

Our soldier above who fired at the P-51 gets a +7 to his AC bonus against the plane and since he is standing behind a brick barricade the War Master gives him a +4 cover bonus for a total of +11 to his AC vs the plane.

Airplane Profiles
Generic Small Plane (via OWB)
AC: 7 [12]
HP:  12 (HD 3)     
Move: 9/36, +6 airspeed bonus
Attacks: Medium Machine Gun (x2) [operator-linked]
Mods: Aerial, Communications
Country: Any
Year: late 1930's
Crew: 1
Range: 1000 miles
Ceiling: 27,000'
Climb: 2000' per minute

P38 Lightning
AC: 13
HP: 18 (HD 3)     
Move: 9/41 flying, +7 airspeed bonus
Attack: All [operator-linked]
⦁ x4 fire-linked Large Machine Gun (+2 hit, 2d6+2)
⦁ 1 medium Autocannon (2d6+2)
⦁ x10 Rockets
Mods: Aerial, Communications
Country: USA
Year: 1939
Crew: 1
Range: 2237 miles
Ceiling: 43.963'
Climb: 2500' per minute

F4U Corsair
AC: 13
HP: 15 (HD 3)     
Move: 9/42 flying,  +7 airspeed bonus
Attack: All [operator-linked]
⦁ x6 fire-linked Large Machine Gun (+3 hit, 2d6+4)
Mods: Aerial, Communications
Country: USA
Year: 1942
Crew: 1
Range: 1016 miles
Ceiling: 36,909'
Climb: 3000' per minute

P-40 Warhawk
AC: 13
HP: 15 (HD 3)     
Move: 9/42 flying, +7 airspeed bonus
Attack: All [operator-linked]
⦁ x6 fire-linked Large Machine Gun (+3 hit, 2d6+4)
Mods: Aerial, Communications
Country: USA
Year: 1941
Crew: 1
Range: 240 miles
Ceiling: 38,156'
Climb: 2142' per minute

P-47 ThunderBolt
AC: 13
HP: 15 (HD 3)     
Move: 9/43 flying, +7 airspeed bonus
Attack: All [operator-linked]
⦁ x8 fire-linked Large Machine Gun (+4 hit, 2d6+6)
⦁ x10 Rockets
Mods: Aerial, Communications
Country: USA
Year: 1942
Crew: 1
Range: 449 miles
Ceiling: 49,994'
Climb: 3200' per minute

P-51 Mustang
AC: 13
HP: 15 (HD 3)     
Move: 9/44 flying, +7 airspeed bonus
Attack: All [operator-linked]
⦁ x4 fire-linked Large Machine Gun (+2 hit, 2d6+2)
⦁ x4 fire-linked Medium Autocannon (+2 hit, 2d6+4)
Mods: Aerial, Communications
Country: USA
Year: 1942
Crew: 1
Range: 851 miles
Ceiling: 41,900'
Climb: 3475' per minute

FLYBOY CLASS
Identical to Wheelman with the following Class Abilities:

Death from Above
A Flyboy adds a +1 bonus to Piloting (Dex) checks at first level. The bonus increases to +2 at third level and +3 at fifth level.

This applies to all Piloting checks called for by the War Master but will be most useful in combat as it will help win the opposed Piloting check at the beginning of Airplane combat rounds for the +2 Maneuver bonus.

This bonus also applies to his vehicle's AC when flying.

All in the Reflexes
The Flyboy receives a +2 bonus to initiative while behind the stick of a plane in  Vehicle Combat.

Grease Monkey
Pilots are often called upon to make field repairs on their damaged vehicle engines or other mechanical parts. To fix a vehicle they must have the parts, take the time set by the DM, and make a successful Int check with a +1 bonus at first level, +2 at third level and +3 at fifth level.

Saving Throw
 When flying a plane a Flyboy receives a +2 bonus to all Saving Throws made to resist the effects of flax and crew damage.

XP Bonus for Dexterity
Flyboys with a Dexterity of 13 or 14 receive a 5% Experience Bonus, and those with 15 or higher get 10%.

Ace (3rd)
At 3rd level the Flyboy has a reputation as a skilled dog-fighter and Ace. At this level any vehicle weapon used by the Ace does one extra dice of damage.

OSR In Country.... Vietnam

I am forty-six as of this writing. I will always have a strong interest in the Vietnam War.
It was my uncle's war, it was my friends dad's war. It ended almost three years after I was born but we grew up in the shadow of it. Slowly at first, few people cared to talk about it in the seventies, especially to kids. You got a sense or shame, of regret, or other signs of pain. It seemed like people wanted to forget. We weren't taught about it in school. I saw John Wayne's film the Green Berets but it felt off, not quite right. Gradually, especially during the early eighties, we learned more about it thanks to pop culture interest: First Blood (Rambo), the Chuck Norris Missing in Action movies, Platoon, Hamburger Hill, Full Metal Jacket, etc. Then TV shows such as China Beach and Tour of Duty. And comic books, most notably Marvel's classic The 'Nam. We were finally allowed to learn about it. And it is fascinating. As with generations of veterans and civilians of other wars we got our tales of men who only wanted to survive to get home from that terrible time that people didn't want to talk about for years. They have joined the ranks of heroes bestowed to our Grandfathers and Great-grandfathers from Korea and the World Wars.
It may seem strange to younger kids now, but that's how it was.

We have naturally turned to gaming as we do everything. I think a lot of us as DM's try to express our 'artistic side' by running games, creating and re-creating worlds and time periods. My uncles were Vietnam vets (now dead) and I took care of dozens of veterans from Vietnam to as far back as one WWI soldier. This one is a lot more personal and I mean no insult to anyone on ANY side of the war. This is written from the American viewpoint. As with any war we don't want to denigrate the horror that is actual war and not play war. Due to the nature of this one I find it a bit..... unnerving? I'm not sure of how to describe it. It's a feeling of not wanting to somehow 'fail' to show the horrors and 'cheapen' it. It's hard to articulate this feeling other than I hope we are not insulting their memories by turning the war into a game play. I don't feel this way about other wars only Vietnam. Personal hangup? The muddled nature of the war?

On to gaming.
Get a copy of Recon (Advanced or Deluxe Revised.) It was a big influence on this. It was the first Vietnam dedicated RPG I ever owned and it is still amazing. I love that game and it has a number of excellent charts for almost everything: encounters, villages, traps, ert as well as a simple vehicle system that can be used if you simply figure out cover bonuses. All good stuff and cheap on pdf and otherwise.

There is an amazing amount of info on the War and that time in history.
For our purposes the the most useful would be info on the war itself:

• Maps of the War
• Basic History of the War
• Military info on American/Allied and NVA/VC armed forces.
• Campaigns and major battles (several wargame sites actually have good info, maps, and troop movements for these to recreate and use for your games.)

We are using my Survival Horror OSR for quick character building and a wider spread of skills/abilities. Combat is still standard Classic D&D few few modifications.

I have run several adventures with this ruleset over the years: mostly action (John Wayne's Green Berets again) or weird war/horror. As with other Classic D&D and OSR rulesets it runs quickly and fairly smoothly. We had a good time. The nature of lower hit point characters lends itself well to infantry combat.

I also have actual character classes which I'll post later for whose who want even more classic character class versions for the system.

Vietnam Military Packages
Built for 2 hd characters with 12 points for abilities/skills.
All except medic and special forces have spare points to spend. Feel free to arrange any points to lower or raise certain skills for individuals.

American/Allies Arsenal

Rifles
M-16A1 5.56mm, Semi/auto
2d6/150'/20 or 30 magazine
Feed reliability was an issue with these magazines. A fully loaded 20 round magazine jams on a natural 1 or 2 roll. Loading only 18 rounds drops it back to 1.
 It takes 1d6 rounds to clear the jam.

30 round magazines were introduced in 1967 with special forces, became more common by 1971.
The 30 round magazine has the same issues with reliability unless 28 or less rounds are loaded.

XM-177E2 "Colt Commando", 5.56mm, Semi/auto
2d6/100'/20 or 30 magazine
This weapon has the same magazine loading issues as the M16.

M-2 Carbine .30, Semi/auto
1d10/80’ /15 or 30 magazine

M-14 Rifle 7.62mm, Semiautomatic
2d8/200’/ 20 magazine

XM21 Army Sniper Rifle, Semiautomatic
A modified M-14. 
2d8/200’/ 5 internal magazine
Telescopic Sight:  +4 bonus to attacks when aiming (stacks with the aim maneuver.)

M40 7.62 USMC Sniper Rifle, Bolt action
2d8/200’/ 20 magazine

Telescopic Sight: +4 bonus to attacks when aiming (stacks with the aim maneuver.)

Handguns
High Standard Victor .22, Semiautomatic
1d4 /20’ /10 magazine

Smith & Wesson .38, Revolver
1d6 /25’ /6 cylinder

Browning Hi Power 9mm, Semiautomatic
1d6 /25’ /15 magazine

M1917 .45, Revolver
1d8 /30’ /6 cylinder

Colt 1911.45, Semiautomatic
1d8 /30’ /7 magazine

Colt Trooper .357 magnum, Revolver
1d8+1/30’ /6 cylinder

Smith & Wesson .44 magnum, Revolver
1d10+1/30'/6 cylinder

SubMachine Guns
Ingram Mac 10, 9mm, Semi/auto
1d6/50' /32 magazine

Ingram Mac 10/ M3A1 "grease gun", .45, Semi/auto
1d8/60' /30 magazine

Thompson, .45, Semi/auto
1d8/80' /20 or 30 magazine

Shotguns
Shotgun, .12 ga, Break or pump
2d8*/50’/2 or 5 break or pump

Sawed Off, .12 ga, Break or pump
2d8*/20'/2 or 3 break or pump

*Slug damage (2d8)
* Shot damage (3d6/2d6/2d6/1d6/1d6) by range increment (5 increments)
Shotguns loaded with buckshot receive a +2 hit in the first range increment.

Machine Guns
M1919 Browning .30, Auto
2d6/200'/100 belt

M-60  7.62mm, Semi/auto
2d8/200'/100 belt

M-2 .50 BMG
2d12/200'/100 belt
 

Grenades
Fragmentation Grenade
⦁ Damage is 3d6 out to the first 20', 2d6 21 to 30', 1d6 31 to 40'. Save for half damage.
⦁ The throwing increment is 20'.
⦁ The M26/61 and M33/67 have a delay fuse.
⦁ The M59/68 explodes on impact.

MK 3A2 Offensive Hand Grenade
⦁ Concussion grenade, little shrapnel, short damage range outside, incredibly lethal in enclosed areas.
⦁ Damage is 2d6 outside out to 10', 1d6 at 11' to 20'. Save for half damage.
⦁ Damage inside is 4d6 out to a solid wall or 30', whichever comes first. Save for half damage.

Smoke Grenade
⦁ Lasts 1d4 +6 rounds.
⦁ The M-8 is standard white while the M-18 comes in red, yellow, green, or violet.

M14 TH3 Incendiary Hand Grenade
⦁ Damage is 2d6 out to the first 20', 1d6 out to 60'. Save for half damage.
⦁ The damage is continuous for 6 rounds.
⦁ The throwing increment is 20'.
⦁ It has a 4 to 5 second delay fuse.

M-79 40mm Grenade Launcher
⦁ Standard High Explosive damage is 3d6 out to the first 10', 2d6 11 to 20', 1d6 21 to 30'. Save for half damage. The range increment is 100'.
⦁ Grenade shells must go 10' before arming. Otherwise damage is 1d10 from impact.
⦁ Common shells are HE, white phosphorus, smoke, CS gas, and parachute flare.
⦁ The M-79 can also fire a multiple projectile round (basically a big shotgun shell.) capable of hitting a target and to all enemies within 5' of the target if the attack roll is high enough to hit them as well.  This shell has a range increment of 50' and gives a  +2 bonus to hit within the first increment. There are five range increments and damage is affected by the range increment: 4d6/3d6/2d6/2d6/1d6.

The M-79 can be fired and reloaded once per round with a -3 to the initiative roll (1d6+ Dex bonus.)

In 1969 the US introduced a reliable underslung single shot, the M203.
Treat as an M79.

Explosives, Rockets, Etc

Claymore Mine
⦁ Damage is a 5d6 area attack in a 60 degree arc out to 150'. Everyone not under cover can still Save for half damage.
⦁ The explosion has a back bast of 40' in a 180 degree rear arc doing 3d6 to anyone in this area. Save for half damage.

C-4
⦁ One pound block. Must be set off with a detonator.
⦁ Damage is 5d6 per pound out to 10', -1d6 per ten feet after.
⦁ Each extra block adds 2d6 to the blast.
⦁ If shaped it is a Heavy Weapon.

Det Cord
⦁ Must be set off with a detonator.
⦁ Five feet of det cord does damage of 2d6 fire to with a five foot area. Can be doubled up which adds another 1d6 to the damage. Maximum damage this way ius 4d6,

M72 Light Anti-Tank Weapon (LAW)
⦁ Damage is 8d6 out to 50', 4d6 51 to 80', 2d6 81 to 100'. Save for half damage.
⦁ Range increment is 100'.
⦁ Medium Weapon

M2A1-7 Flamethrower
⦁ At full capacity the tanks have enough for 7 bursts of flame. One burst gives the operator an arc 30' wide x70' long. The arc can be doubled at the cost of two bursts.
⦁ It is an area attack weapon and the operator needs to only roll for for a malfunction (natural 1-3 on 1d20.) Everyone caught in the area of attack takes 2d6 damage and can make a Saving throw for half damage with a bonus to the Save equal to Cover bonus. This damage total is applied for six rounds unless the character is immersed in a body of water or a fire extinguisher is used.
⦁ If the tanks are hit with a piercing weapon the weapon is rendered useless.

Armor
Flak Vest
+2 to AC vs Handguns and SMG's.
+4 to Saving Throws vs shrapnel damage.
The vest is hot and heavy. It costs the wearer a 1 penalty on all personal rolls (attacks, attributes/abilities/skills, etc.)

Helmet
+4 to AC for head shots vs handguns ammo/+2 vs rifle ammo and +1 to Saving Throws vs shrapnel. (50 percent chance of coverage.)

Hand Weapons
Axe, Hatchet 1d6 /10’
Axe, Wood 1d8 /10’
Bayonet 1d6
Brass Knuckles 1d3
Butt Stroke 1d3
Club 1d4 /10’
Entrenching Tool 1d4
Knife 1d4 /10’
Knife, Pocket 1d3 /5’
Machete 1d6 /10’

NVA/VC Arsenal

Rifles
AK-47/Chinese Type 56, 7.62mm, Semi/auto
2d8/100’/ 30 magazine

SKS, 7.62mm, Semiautomatic
2d8/100’/ 10 internal magazine

Soviet SVD Dragunov Sniper Rifle, , 7.62mm, Semiautomatic
2d8/200’/ 10 magazine
Telescopic Sight: +4 bonus to attacks when aiming (stacks with the aim maneuver.)

Handguns
Makarov, 9mm, Semiautomatic
1d6 /25’ /8 magazine

Tokarev, 7.62x25, Semiautomatic
1d6+1 /30’ /8 magazine

SubMachine Guns
PPS SMG, 7.62x25, Semi/auto
1d6+1/70'/35 magazine or 71 round drum

VC modified Mat-49, 7.62x25, Semi/auto
 1d6+1/70'/35 magazine

VC Thompson Copy, .45, Semi/auto
1d8/80',/20 or 30 magazine

Machine Guns
Chinese Type-24, 7.92mm, Auto
2d10/200'/250 belt

Soviet RPK, 7.62mm, Semi/auto
 2d8/200’/ 40 magazine or 75 drum

Grenades
Fragmentation Grenade
⦁ Damage is 3d6 out to the first 20', 2d6 21 to 30', 1d6 31 to 40'. Save for half damage.
⦁ The throwing increment is 20'.
⦁ Delay fuse.

Anti-personnel Hand Grenade
⦁ Concussion grenade, little shrapnel, short damage range outside, incredibly lethal in enclosed areas.
⦁ Damage is 2d6 outside out to 10', 1d6 at 11' to 20'. Save for half damage.
⦁ Damage inside is 4d6 out to a solid wall or 30', whichever comes first. Save for half damage.

Incendiary Hand Grenade
⦁ Damage is 2d6 out to the first 20', 1d6 out to 60'. Save for half damage.
⦁ The damage is continuous for 6 rounds.
⦁ The throwing increment is 20'.
⦁ It has a 4 to 5 second delay fuse.

Rockets, Explosives, Etc
RPG-7
⦁ Damage is 6d6 out to the first 20', 3d6 21 to 40', 2d6 41 to 50'. Save for half damage.
⦁ Range increment is 150'.
⦁ Heavy Weapon

Armor
Helmet
+2 to AC for head shots and +1 to Saving Throws vs shrapnel. (50 percent chance of coverage.)

Hand Weapons

As the American/Allies above. 

Captured/Improvised Weapons

The VC had a very mixed bag of older weapons such as WWII Nazi surplus and firearms and explosives captured from first the French the  the Americans and our allies. 

That's not even counting the home-made or reworked junk firearms into single shot pistols, carbines, etc and home-made coke can grenades and improvised explosives. 

Later....

Stats for basic NPC troop types.

Troop standard weaponry and kits.

Quick vehicle rules and stats with weaponry.