Front Toward Enemy

Front Toward Enemy is a tactical wargame covering company- and platoon-level combat during the Vietnam War.

Players command small units in intense firefights where terrain, coordination, firepower, morale, and uncertainty matter. The game focuses on the kinds of engagements that defined much of the war: airmobile insertions, assaults on fortified positions, search-and-destroy missions, night actions, fighting in jungle terrain, and clashes around villages and rice paddies.

The system uses 50-metre hexes and five-minute turns, with units representing fire teams, heavy weapons sections, leaders, vehicles, and helicopters. A chit-pull command system creates friction and unpredictability, while the rules cover Vietnam-specific battlefield elements such as helicopter gunships, artillery, snipers, sappers, civilians, booby traps, medics, casualty evacuation, tunnels, hidden caches, prisoner interrogation, and more.

Victory is not simply about taking ground. Casualties, mission goals, command breakdown, and unexpected events can all shape the outcome, giving the game a strong small-unit command feel.

Designed by Joe Chacon, Front Toward Enemy is a strong choice for players interested in Vietnam tactical combat, company-level decision-making, and fast-playing systems with plenty of battlefield uncertainty.

Contents include: three 5/8" countersheets, two unmounted 22" x 34" mapsheets, one 20-page colour rulebook, two colour Combat Results / Terrain Effects charts, one colour Helicopter Table, four colour scenario cards, two d10, one d6, and one box and lid.