12 Months: Vietnam
AlphaSixGames · 2026 · Strategy, Turn-Based Strategy, Board Game, War, Immersive Sim
PC
Mixed67% · 15
Compare prices in Official Stores
Screenshots
About 12 Months: Vietnam
1965, Vietnam.You arrive at an Airborne Brigade not as a frontline fighter, but as the administrative officer responsible for keeping a platoon alive on paper.Your decisions determine everything:
– who deploys,
– who rests,
– who gets promoted,
– who goes home,
– and who will remain forever inside a personnel file.12 Months: Vietnam is a minimalist yet emotionally heavy, paper-based military simulation inspired by historical statistics, period-accurate organization, and real wartime casualty patterns.Your task is simple only on paper — survive your Tour of Duty while keeping your unit combat-ready.In reality… nothing about it is simple.
– arrive
– rotate out
– get wounded
– recover
– die
– change roles
– or extend their serviceYou must maintain a deployable platoon at all costs.
– rest
– casualties
– promotions
– injuries
– deploymentsLow morale collapses the entire unit.
High morale boosts survival — but nobody is bulletproof.
– Severe wounds = permanent removal from duty
– Every death lowers morale and adds pressure on you
If a leader is needed, even a fresh replacement may be promoted instantly.
The machine must keep turning.
– reports
– assignment boards
– personnel files
– wounded and casualty logsNo combat.
No cinematics.
Just the quiet horror of paperwork in war.► A System Built on Chain ReactionsEvery choice ripples outward:→ bad choises→ more injuries→ morale collapse→ an undeployable unit→ you are relieved from dutyEvery campaign is different:– different casualties– different outcomesInfinite replayability — with a finite number of men.
no reload
no undo
no alternate savesEvery choice is final.
Not a shooter
Not a power fantasyThis is a responsibility–morale–decision simulator, depicting the most invisible yet most brutal side of war: the administrative burden of keeping a unit alive.The game does not depict:
– civilian casualties
– graphic violence
– real historical tragedies
– war crimesEverything occurs within fictionalized military structures.
– war and military loss
– stress and moral decline
– administrative pressure
– failure and monotonyNo blood or graphic violence.
Flashing effects can be disabled.
– who deploys,
– who rests,
– who gets promoted,
– who goes home,
– and who will remain forever inside a personnel file.12 Months: Vietnam is a minimalist yet emotionally heavy, paper-based military simulation inspired by historical statistics, period-accurate organization, and real wartime casualty patterns.Your task is simple only on paper — survive your Tour of Duty while keeping your unit combat-ready.In reality… nothing about it is simple.
Controls.:
Mouse for interaction, Mouse Wheel to zoom in and out on the table, and WASD for movement when zoomed in.Key Features
► Tour of Duty Simulation (12-Month Cycle)
Every soldier serves a 12-month tour, with optional extensions up to 3 tours — if morale allows it.Soldiers constantly:– arrive
– rotate out
– get wounded
– recover
– die
– change roles
– or extend their serviceYou must maintain a deployable platoon at all costs.
► Morale System That Truly Matters
Every decision affects morale:– medals– rest
– casualties
– promotions
– injuries
– deploymentsLow morale collapses the entire unit.
High morale boosts survival — but nobody is bulletproof.
► Injuries and Consequences
– Three wounds = automatic discharge– Severe wounds = permanent removal from duty
– Every death lowers morale and adds pressure on you
► Promotions & Qualifications
Wartime cares nothing for protocol.If a leader is needed, even a fresh replacement may be promoted instantly.
The machine must keep turning.
► Paper-Based Presentation
The entire game takes place inside the administrative reality of the platoon:– dossiers– reports
– assignment boards
– personnel files
– wounded and casualty logsNo combat.
No cinematics.
Just the quiet horror of paperwork in war.► A System Built on Chain ReactionsEvery choice ripples outward:→ bad choises→ more injuries→ morale collapse→ an undeployable unit→ you are relieved from dutyEvery campaign is different:– different casualties– different outcomesInfinite replayability — with a finite number of men.
► You Can Send Them Out — But You Can’t Bring Them Back
The game offers:no reload
no undo
no alternate savesEvery choice is final.
This Is Not…
Not an action gameNot a shooter
Not a power fantasyThis is a responsibility–morale–decision simulator, depicting the most invisible yet most brutal side of war: the administrative burden of keeping a unit alive.The game does not depict:
– civilian casualties
– graphic violence
– real historical tragedies
– war crimesEverything occurs within fictionalized military structures.
Content Warning
Themes include:– war and military loss
– stress and moral decline
– administrative pressure
– failure and monotonyNo blood or graphic violence.
Flashing effects can be disabled.
About the Developer
12 Months: Vietnam was created by a solo indie developer with a background in law enforcement.The goal is not to glorify war, but to reveal its unseen side — where paperwork decides who goes home and who does not.Your Mission– Serve your Tour of Duty – Keep the platoon alive– And try to keep your conscience intactWhat Steam players say
Recent verbatim reviews from Steam — separate from playze.io community reviews below.
After playing this for an extended period, I can confidently say it’s a fun game. There are no overcomplicated UIs or bloated mechanics to wrestle with. The gameplay loop stays just random enough to feel rewarding without becoming stale. From reading developer responses and posts, I understand there are limitations on what can realistically be added or fixed. With that in mind, I do have a few recommendations that, in my very non-developer opinion, could improve what is already a solid experience. Suggestions: -End-of-run summary screen. It would be great to see a breakdown at the end of a run. Combined stats, awards earned, number of missions completed, and similar details would add a satisfying sense of closure. -More base events. Not necessarily tied to morale. Events that could result in demotions, transfers, or reassignment opportunities would add flavor and consequence. -Add the Marines. No explanation needed. -UI resolution and clarity. I know resolution adjustments are limited, and the UI is readable as-is, but slightly darker or clearer fonts could help. This is especially noticeable with awards and ribbons. I know what I’m looking at, but they can be hard to distingu…4 found this helpful
I'm going to give it a recommend at the price point. but with caveats. There are some issues. First, I absolutely love the premise of this game. Managing your platoon of soldiers through 3 years is a really fascinating concept. Example: I had a trooper who kept performing well in missions and I watched him move up the chain of command with a number of promotions, all the way up to platoon sergeant. In my mind he became the rockstar of the platoon only to be KIA during his second tour. His loss hurt. Even though the game provides very little narrative, moments like that create their own narrative, especially if you're board game geek like me. There is a lot of natural narrative generation if you're willing to have an imagination. Now the not so good. UI is very buggy. Sometimes soldiers won't allow to be reassigned to their role after sitting a mission even if the slot is open. Text is very small and sometimes boxes cover parts of the text making it a bit hard to use and see. The game provides very little narrative during missions. Just tells who who was decorated during the mission and who was injured or killed. The missions give you dialog choices, but there is no indication of…2 found this helpful
I really liked it. I'd like more challenging quests and a more flexible rank system. Platoon Leader fought for three years as a 2nd Lieutenant and never got promoted.1 found this helpful
Close to yes, but no, with the possibility of great improvements. OK, you know it's a simple excel management game if you read the description, so no surprises, and it's fairly good in creating an atmosphere to keep you in go "just one more mission". But it could do better with details, to be a bit mor informative and entertaining. Awards affect morale, yet you don't even know what awards your soldiers get. Buggy when it comes to click on info panels (KIA and wounded), Repetitive missions, and it really is predictible after a while - it is no joke what it says in the intro - keep it safe, keep your boys alive, no heroics. But sometimes taking risks should be rewarding, like a frontal assault - either wipes your people out, or gives them a huge morale boost if succeds. And maybe smoe balancing tweaks should be done. I took my platoon up until the end of 67, but not getting any replacements for 3 full months had sealed my fate. Good idea, good base, needs a lot more work to refine.1 found this helpful
NEEDS WORK
I don't know. Man does the premise of the game sound awesome. But I get no FNG at all when my unit gets down to around 23-20 due to KIA about 6 months in, and the game ends because I can't keep combat power up. If I can't keep combat power up you get relieved of duty. This seems unfair due to high casualty rates of the war. FNG getting delivered by birthdate/ draft numbers makes sense. But battalions would resupply troops before this. Me losing 20% of my company gets me relieved of duty?? Units in Vietnam were lucky if half the original guys came back. This has happened multiple times and is very game breaking. Why is my unit not getting resupplied with fresh troops? New guys were coming in and out at all times in Vietnam due to high casualty rates. Choosing different options over four games and nothing. No sound control, it's either on or off. Creator has responded to feedback where they have said issues others have seen can't be fixed. Personally I didn't have an issue with font size, but just like the developer I'm playing on a 32 inch monitor. I'm gonna keep playing, and I like what's here. But it needs just a little more. Yes for now, gonna play a bit more. If I can't get pas…
Community reviews
—
0 reviews
Sign in to write a review.
No reviews yet. Be the first to review this game.
