Buy SGS Battle For: Hue PC key

SGS Battle For: Hue is a turn-based, grand-tactical game about the Battle of Hué, fought from January 30 to March 3, 1968, during the Tet Offensive. You command either the “Free World” forces or the Communists in a battle across the city and its surrounding rural areas. The campaign scenario uses around 500 counters and can take several hours; smaller scenarios use a few dozen counters. Play against the AI, another player in hot-seat mode, or by PBEM.

The battle for Hué

Hué, Vietnam’s former imperial capital, straddles Route 1 about 100 km south of the DMZ and 10 km west of the coast. In the 1960s, it had around 140,000 inhabitants and was South Vietnam’s third-largest city. Its political and cultural importance, population and location made it a strategic target for the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) and the National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam, commonly known as the Viet Cong.

The fighting took place in the city’s narrow streets and modern sectors, where buildings became fortresses, as well as in surrounding rural areas. The map is based on a 1968 staff map, and terrain—including dense urban areas, military installations, villages and rice paddies—has its own effects on movement and combat. These conditions make attacks difficult unless you coordinate units and combine their strengths.

Command the campaign

In the campaign, the Communist player aims to seize sectors of Hué and its surroundings, which help supply and reinforce units in the city, then hold them for as long as possible. Holding symbolic points for longer improves the Communist side’s chances of victory. The Free World player must first resist the offensive, then retake lost ground as quickly as possible.

The balance shifts over the campaign. Communist forces begin with numerical superiority, greater firepower and the element of surprise, but Free World reinforcements change the balance and push the Communists onto the defensive. Neither side has an easy path: the Free World advance into the city is difficult, and attacks can be costly without combined-arms groups capable of overcoming fortified positions.

Forces and tactics

Free World forces include South Vietnamese units of varying quality, often with mediocre firepower, and powerful American units. Elements of Hué’s 1st Division mainly carry M1 carbines and Garand rifles; M16s are not yet available, or are very rare. American units lose mobility when they suffer heavy casualties, reflecting the attention paid to wounded soldiers. Their artillery is devastating but heavily restricted at the start of the game by rules of engagement.

Communist forces are more uniform and begin with excellent morale, which can decline late in the campaign. They face growing numerical disadvantage and rely on fortifications, barricades, tunnels and harassment to hold out. Losing areas on Hué’s outskirts reduces their supplies and can leave units short of ammunition, food and medicine. Unlike American units, diminished Viet Cong units become more mobile and harder to eliminate.

You need to coordinate units during detailed battle phases. An infantry company operating alone is likely to fail, while support from other units can make an assault more effective. For example, Marines’ M48A3 tanks can draw enemy fire, allowing infantry to attack with fewer losses. The game also includes support units, CS gas attacks, snipers that prevent control of a sector until driven out or eliminated, patrol reinforcements, command units that can call mortar or artillery fire, and sapper counters for suicide attacks.

Turns and activations

Each turn represents one day, and counters represent companies, platoons, sections and groups or squads. Cards are used primarily to authorize unit activations, though patrols and reconnaissance units can move without card activation. The activation system and the possible combinations of units support different operational plans and give the scenarios considerable replayability. Campaign saves can be made manually at any time, alongside automatic saves; the time required to complete a game depends on the scenario.