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A DIFFERENT KIND OF WAR

The United States, the Cold War, and Vietnam, 1963-65

by Nicolas W. Proctor

The game examines the violent and sometimes brutal interactions between communist efforts to liberate the nations of the “Third World” from colonialism, American fears about Communist aggression, the resulting US strategy of containment, and the volatile situation in Southeast Asia during the mid-1960s.

It is set in the middle of the Cold War – a global contest between the “Free World,” which was led by the United States, and communism, a totalitarian political ideology.

During the period examined by the game, Vietnam was divided between the communist North and the anti-communist South.

Players take on the roles of key American decision makers on the National Security Council as well as an array of advisors, journalists, commentators, and foreign policy professionals. Confronted with a wide array of policy options, they must explore the historical documents that are included in the gamebook, research historical events, and determine the best course of action for the US in Vietnam.

This is a Level 3 game that is still under development but has been approved by the Reacting Editorial Board (REB) for general use. A detailed explanation of the editorial process and game levels can be found on our REB Page.

ABOUT THE GAME

Details

Disciplines
Conflict and War Studies; Political Science and Government; Western Civ/History


Era 
20th Century; Late Modern Period


In a Few Words
Containment, War Escalation


Geography 
United States; Asia


Primary Source Highlights 
NSC 68, "US Objectives and Programs for National Security;


John Foster Dulles, "The Threat of Red Asia";


Vo Nguyen Giap, "People's War, People's Army"

Player Interactions 

Factional, Non-factional, Competitive, Collaborative, Coalition-Building


Sample Class Titles

Cold War; 20th Century America; America Goes to War


Level
Level 3 game (what's that mean?


Notable Roles

Robert McNamara, Dean Rusk, Walter Cronkite


Themes and Issues

Colonialism, Containment

Mechanics 

Rolling Dice, Differentiated Voting, Branching Decisions

Chaos and Demand on Instructor 



Using the Game

Class Size and Scalability 
This game is recommended for classes with 25-30 students. Adding additional journalist roles can increase this cap to 38.

Class Time  
For this game, 1 to 2 setup sessions, 3 to 5 game sessions, and 1 to 2 debrief sessions are recommended.


Possible Reacting Game Pairings
This game can be used on its own, or with other games. These pairings are meant to be illustrative rather than exhaustive or prescriptive.  Peacemaking may pair well with:


Assignments

The assignments can be adjusted to fit the desired learning outcomes of your class. This game can include traditional paper/research/thesis-driven writing.


GAME MATERIALS

Reacting Consortium members can download all game materials below. You will be asked to sign in before downloading.  

Please Fill out the Permissions Request Form Before Using Peacemaking, 1919 in Your Class!

Gamebook

All students need a Gamebook, which includes resources and historical content. Members can download the Gamebook, and provide it to students for free or at cost.

Updated August 2024. .pdf file.

Instructor's Manual

The Instructor's Manual includes guidance for assigning roles, presenting historical context, assignments, activities and discussion topics, and more.

zip folder of .pdf files.

Role Sheets

Students also need a Role Sheet, which contains biographical information, suggestions for further reading, and role-specific info or assignments.  

zip folder of .pdf files.


ABOUT THE AUTHORS 

Nicolas W. Proctor

Rebecca Livingstone is Department Chair of History and Professor of History at Simpson College. She is involved in the innovative, immersive pedagogy of Reacting to the Past, utilizing the historical role-playing simulations in her classes, authoring games of her own, and serving on the Board of the RTTP Game Development Conference.

Reacting and Related Titles

QUESTIONS

Members can contact game authors directly

We invite instructors join our Facebook Faculty Lounge, where you'll find a wonderful community eager to help and answer questions. We also encourage you to submit your question for the forthcoming FAQ, and to check out our upcoming events


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reacting@barnard.edu

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