Ghosts of Vietnam: The RPG | Gorgon’s Grimoire

Ghosts of Vietnam: The RPG core rulebook cover.

GOV Core Rulebook

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The Family RPG System in Vietnam

Ghosts of Vietnam: The RPG / GOV

Status: Active core RPG

A Vietnam War roleplaying game about missions, unit pressure, survival, and the weight of history.

GOV brings The Family RPG System into the Vietnam War, with characters built around nationalities, equipment, terrain, missions, encounters, unit structure, and the hard pressure of operating in a war that does not behave like a clean adventure map.

The core rulebook is dedicated to Vietnam veterans and uses historical photographs and maps drawn from public-domain U.S. government sources. Its rules support ground-force play, mission structure, patrol encounters, weapons, vehicles, air and riverine support, and the Adventure Master’s judgment at the table.

About the Game

Ghosts of Vietnam: The RPG is a historical roleplaying game using The Family RPG System. The book covers basics of play, ability scores, nationalities, character classes, alignment in Vietnam, proficiencies, equipment, encounters, NPCs, light and sound discipline, time and movement, combat, experience, campaign material, and missions.

What You Can Play

GOV character classes are built from real Vietnam-era U.S. Military Occupational Specialties, turning period roles such as Rifleman, RTO, Combat Engineer, Medic, Sniper, Intelligence, and related field assignments into playable character options.
Riflemen, automatic riflemen, grenadiers, tank/APC crewmen, RTOs, combat engineers, Huey pilots, medics, PsyOps personnel, LRRPs, snipers, and intelligence personnel.
Advanced or cross-trained concepts including Ranger/Force Recon, U.S. Army Special Forces, and U.S. Navy SEAL dual-class material where the rules support it.
Characters shaped by nationality, ability scores, rank progression, proficiencies, field gear, and the demands of the platoon.

What the Book Supports

Weapons, field accessories, firearms, explosives, mines, booby traps, vehicles, river craft, helicopters, aircraft, and air-support rules.
Encounter building for the Mekong Delta, Central Highlands, border regions, urban areas, highways, civilians, hazards, and hostile contact.
NPCs, light, visibility, sound discipline, timekeeping, patrol movement, fatigue, combat, wounds, field healing, vehicles, and experience.
Vietnam War campaign context including Corps Tactical Zones, force structures, enemy forces, terrain, operations, and field navigation material.
Mission play, including Operation White Lotus material in the core rulebook.

TAWS: Vietnam Edition

TAWS: Vietnam Edition is contained within GOV. The core rulebook includes The Art of War and Steel: Vietnam Edition, with unit attributes, combat, casualties, morale, movement, cohesion, heroes, unit rosters, vehicles, terrain, obstacles, mines, traps, buildings, fortifications, and point-cost material.

For Players Who Want

Historical roleplaying with unit-level pressure and military detail.
Vietnam War missions that take terrain, weather, movement, sound, equipment, and consequence seriously.
Characters whose roles matter inside the platoon.
A game about survival, duty, memory, and the weight of history rather than generic action spectacle.

For Adventure Masters

GOV uses the Adventure Master as the table’s judge and organizer. The book supports mission framing, patrol pressure, encounters, NPCs, tactical complications, operational movement, and rulings shaped by the Vietnam theater.