[2] The referee uses a Random Encounters table to generate terrain and villages, and to create groups of adversaries, obstacles to overcome, and problems to solve.

The first edition of Recon was written by Joe F. Martin and published by RPG, Inc. in 1982 as a 44-page book covering rules for a miniatures wargame.

Whereas RPG Inc.'s version had only limited information regarding firearms, the Palladium edition has almost 40 pages of gun statistics as well as fully illustrated, detailed descriptions of aircraft, seacraft, and vehicles, rules for playing mercenaries, rules for small arms and heavy weapons, garrote, bayonet, knives, and hand-to-hand fighting.

[5] It is an expansion of the rules allowing the creation of Special Operations characters and detailing a four-mission campaign set in 1960s Laos.

There are also sections on American and North Vietnamese tactics and strategy, period electronic equipment, a primer on the game world in 1965, and briefings on the Kingdom of Laos and other military and government agencies.

In Issue 70 of Space Gamer, Brian R. Train reviewed the original edition and commented "Recon is the game for the mercenary fan.

Swan's only issue was with the game's "narrow focus", which he felt "limits its appeal to mature players with an interest in the military."