Silver Bayonet recreates the pivotal November 1965 clashes between the US 1st Air Cavalry Division and a full North Vietnamese Army division in the Ia Drang Valley. Originally published in 1990 as GMT Games first ever release and a CSR Award winner, this 25th Anniversary Edition refreshes and streamlines the original operational system while incorporating updated research to more accurately portray the radically different capabilities of both sides. The result is amore accessible design that still honours the historical tension of the campaign.
The game is asymmetric in the most genuine sense: the NVA rely on lure-and-ambush tactics, patient maneuvering, and close-in fighting, while the Americans leverage air mobility, massive firepower, artillery bombardment, gunships, and air sorties. Key changes in this edition focus on patrols, ambushes, landing zones, and HQ mechanics, with each game turn representing one day of fighting at a scale of one mile per hex. All of this comes in beautiful box with great, mounted map as well as counters and player aids.
Below I am presenting the game components, giving also a quick overview of the rules and key design features:
Enjoy!
This is the battle depicted in “We Were Soldiers” with Mel Gibson?
Yes, largely. Silver Bayonet covers the entire Ia Drang Campaign (October–November 1965), while We Were Soldiers focuses on only the most famous part of that campaign: the Battle of LZ X-Ray (14–16 November 1965).