Lessons Learned from Team Yankee

While my collecting/hording far outstrips my painting production, I have actually managed to play a couple of games of Team Yankee.  These were more learning endeavors than a linked narrative associated with the defense of Wurzburg.  I even managed to take a bunch of photos cataloging my efforts.  These were while back so I will spare everyone any attempt to recreate the after action reports of my great victories for the party or the defeats that got me sent to the gulag.  Instead, I figured I would just upload a couple of shots that show some of the key learning points I have taken away from the rules.

First of all, the rules are fun to play, and not too demanding to learn.  I don't have to refer to umpteen different charts to get a result.  At my age, I am willing to depart with that teenage experience.  The cards are easy enough to use, and make flipping through the rule book usually unnecessary.  The rules and errata have been well constructed so that we have been able to figure out most of the problems we have encountered.  Now, you may not like the way the designers have made various decisions on some things, but the rules seem to be internally consistent and do not leave you in an infinite do loop.  Usually . . .

The Soviets mass to attack down the autobahn.  This does not end well.

Mass is not always your friend.  The photo above shows one of my attack formations that only seemed to attract lots of nasty artillery fire from the US forces.  Now, the T-64s can survive an artillery barrage.  The BMPs typically do not.  The size of the Soviet formations almost works against you, particularly when the Out of Command rule is examined.  It seems impossible to use a full sized unit without incurring penalties because even if you use a "tank park," some team is likely to be outside the unit leader radius.  US units are smaller (platoon sized) so they don't seem to have this problem.  

ZSU-23/4 provide protection from US air assets.  

Antiaircraft assets are not a nice to have; they are a requirement for survival in a combined arms fight.  US helicopters can sit off and lob TOW missiles in at you, and if you don't have some type of AA/SAM systems to at least keep them honest, it can be a real pain.  The salvo effect from a bombing run is not a fun thing either.  These assets need to keep up with the forward elements as well, or your spearheads risk being picked off and destroyed.  Not having air assets cedes one domain to your opponent.  This may allow him to use his AA assets against your slow moving infantry or lightly armed APCs, neither of which is good.  After experiencing several helo attacks I went and purchased sufficient Hinds and Su-25s to give my opponent a taste of his own medicine.  He is building up his own air defense though.  

Iconic and deadly.  US Huey Cobra attack helicopters protect the US mechanized infantry along the wood line.  

Lightly armed and armored BRDM-2s without sufficient AA protection are annihilated by the US helos.  

One long range SA-13 shot hit and destroyed a Huey Cobra, limiting (slightly) the damage they did to the Soviet attack.

It is a good thing that most Soviet force will have a LOT of tanks.  You will need them with the amount of attrition that the US player can dish out.  You can quibble with their rate of fire or armor protection (it seems low for the rate of fire to me), but they can dish out some damage if used effectively.  Don't allow them to get hit on the flanks however, as they will die really fast.  Believe me on this one.  

M1 Abrams tanks and Huey Cobra attack helos demonstrate that the rear armor of a T-64 is not something to depend on. Ouch!

A reinforced BMP company attacks with a battery of 2S-1 self propelled guns in support.  

The BMPs provide long range ATGM over watch, while the SA-13s provide protection against nasty air attacks.  The infantry are there to assault the enemy positions and take casualties.  

Amazingly enough in a tank-centric game like Team Yankee, infantry can be quite effective.  The Soviet BMP mechanized infantry company at full strength has 10 AK-74 stands, 9 RPG-7 stands, 2 PKM LMG stands, and can be reinforced with a SA-14 stand and an automatic grenade launcher stand.  This is a lot of infantry, and I have problems doing getting the to go in the same direction.  They are an artillery magnet, and can pin easily.  But, the 12-14 BMP-2s with their ATGM missile fire can be deadly to even a M1 Abrams platoon, and the 30mm gun can keep the helos at risk.  The RPG stands can do damage if they get close enough to get a flank shot on a tank, and are deadly against APCs.  The infantry do die off in large numbers, but you have a lot of them.  If anything, the morale rules are a bit generous here, or perhaps I have been lucky with my die rolls and commissars, as my infantry has taken some hideous losses and not routed.

I am less happy with some of the ways that the rules organizes the forces.  I want to use forces as close as possible with the real world table of organization and equipment.  Team Yankee is not as focused on this, wanting to deal with the "normal" forces and not some of the more interesting units crucial to modern warfare.  This is a small concern on my part; I can just use the real world units and don't worry about the points they cost as long as the scenario makes sense.  As such my motorcycle stand will probably never be produced by Battlefront as it is not that interesting and its life on any tank heavy table top is bound to be limited.

All in all, it is a fun set of rules.  As I learn more and become more comfortable with its advantages and disadvantages, I will be better able to effectively use the forces on hand.  As well as the stuff on the painting table.