The 4th title in the Procedural Combat Series (PCS) allows players to recreate the infamous Vietnamese Tet Offensive across Vietnam. PCS is uniquely suited to simulate the conflict given the variable combat strength system being an elegant way of representing asymmetric and conventional warfare on a number of levels.
1968 is arguably the first game in the series to give a player a significant chance of winning through an Automatic Victory. The Vietnamese player is incentivized to string a series of rope-a-dope attacks together forcing the American player to constantly react or recover instead of operating offensively. The American player while having advanced weaponry, fantastic air power, and well-trained units, they lack strategic objectivity making it more difficult to turn success into political consequences/VP.
Random events can play a key role in changing the pacing of the game; like ending a turn prematurely, allowing several spent units to refresh or even exchange combat chits. The Vietnamese player receives material support through the USSR and nuances regarding supply/logistics allow the Vietnamese player a level of strategic and operational flexibility unavailable to the American units, at the exchange of raw power.
WEIGHT: 7/10
SOLITAIRE: 9/10
PLAYERS: 1-2
—description from the designer