Team Yankee Day - 25 November

I had a couple of games of Team Yankee with Chris at the club on Saturday, with the main event being 100pts on an 8x6 table. This was the first time we had each brought a full bag of tricks in 15mm.

It had been a mad dash to get ready after work commitments had left me behind schedule on painting a stack of BMPs, and I had also made a late decision to pick up a couple of Academy SU17 kits for air support.


SU17, ready to pretend to be a Frogfoot

PRP-3 observer team

It was also a good chance to try out some of the terrain I had been working on. The EVA-backed railway track was a success: looked okay, solid and stable. The roads not so much - they are light, easily bumped out of place, and don't want to lie flat. Further thought is required for those. We decided to go with a desert setting as we generally have more terrain for that, however in the days leading up to the game I realised that we lacked a suitable 8x6 basecloth. At the last minute I picked up some tan coloured fabric for cheap, and was feeling quite pleased with myself until my wife pointed out that it was actually gold, shiny, and easily crinkled... It didn't look too bad once the rest of the terrain was down, but it wasn't quite right and the smooth surface did nothing to help keep the roads in place.

My Soviet tank battalion list was an attempt to get as wide a variety of kit on the table as possible, to see what things did and test out different aspects of the rules.

T-72 HQ
6 x T-72
6 x T-72
3 x BMP2 scouts
BMP1 Motor Rifle platoon plus Gremlin
2 x Shilka
2 x Gopher
6 x 2S1 and OP
2 x Hind
2 x SU17s (played as SU25s)

Chris ran a tank company from Stripes of:

1 x IPM1 HQ
3 x IPM1
3 x IPM1
1 x M113 Mech platoon
1 x Scout section
2 x M109 ITV
3 x M106 mortar carriers
4 x VADS
2 x Cobra
2 x F16s (played as Harriers)

We played Hasty Attack, with the Soviets attacking. The Americans ended up killing everything expect the Carnations and the SUs, losing the two IPM1 platoons and the Cobras. Notable was a decent infantry scrap for control of the town in the centre of the board, as we were both keen to try the assault rules. Over the course of a few turns, an American assault was driven off, then a Soviet assault was broken up by M113 support, before the Americans came back and managed to clear the area, thereafter using it as a base of fire to pour ATGM fire into the Soviet armour pushing forward on the left flank. Nicely done, and we were pretty happy with how the mechanics worked.

There were quite a few lessons from the game.

1. 100pts on an 8x6 works really well. There was plenty of space, a good quantity of equipment on the table, no weird rule issues, and things died fast enough to keep the game to two hours. I suspect this might change if either of us went large on infantry, but I think we're pretty happy keeping the focus on the MBT lists.
2. IPM1s are a nightmare to deal with. That additional point of front armour swings the balance against T-72s solidly in the Americans' favour.
3. Karen laughs at IPM1s. My SU17s arrived every turn, and their Kh-25 missiles kept me in the game by accounting for the two platoons of tanks. Without them it would have been pretty one-sided.
4. VADS are nasty. Kill them before attempting to bring your air support anywhere near them. I didn't, and my Hinds never got a shot off. Their range however is limited, and on a table this size they were unable to provide any protection against the SUs, and for big games they really need to be partnered with Chaparrals. 
5. Just because you can Spearhead, doesn't mean you should. I used it successfully to get my infantry in the buildings in the middle of the board, but their BMP1s were too exposed and were quickly disposed of by a crossfire of 105mm, TOW, and 20mm gunfire. In retrospect, I was too aggressive across the board. I had good concealed positions, and could have happily held those for a few turns, taken the time to try and chip out the AA, and waited for my reserves to come on, before pressing forward.

Knowing what I do now, I think I'd tweak the list in future by putting BMP1s in the Scouts (so that I'm not pushing too far with my high AT assets), with BMP2s and an AGS-17 team for the infantry, increasing the Hinds and Shilkas to four each, and making space for all of this by dropping two T-72s.

The table after deployment

Cobras lurking, shortly before being Gremlined...

The SU17s earning their keep.

Last man standing: the Soviet Commander missed. The US Commander did not.

The end: a table full of burning Soviet AFVs

The second game was a lower key 30pt match, Encounter on a standard 6x4. I didn't get any photos of this one, but it was another enjoyable game. 30pts has a very different dynamic, being focused around small infantry platoons and light armour, and I'd be keen to play more of it.

BMP1 CHQ
BMP1 Motor Rifle platoon plus Gremlin
BMP1 Motor Rifle platoon
4 x BMP2 scouts
3 x 2S1
2 x Hind

From memory, Chris ran a mech company of:

Mech HQ
M113 Mech Platoon
M113 Mech platoon
1 x Scout section
2 x M109 ITV
3 x M106 mortar carriers
4 x VADS

My list was far from optimal. The 2S1s were a waste of space and I would have been far better served spending the points on four Shilkas and an AGS-17 team. The Hinds didn't do much, as there were no valuable targets for their Spiral missiles, but I would probably retain them for future games of this size because they are so iconic, and the 1:100 models are a huge part of the visual attraction of TY. Once again the VADS were dangerous, and they quickly gunned down the BMPs that started on table.

All in all it was an excellent day, and I'm looking forward to the next time we get this game on the table. My next steps, apart from picking up a last couple of things for the Soviets, will be a NATO list, before seeing what happens when 'Fate Of A Nation' is rereleased on the TY platform.