First run of Team Yankee

In the middle of April we are planning to have a mini-tournament of Team Yankee with myself, Mike, John and Craig who will be coming up from Hastings. The plan is that our armies will be painted by then, fingers crossed, and we can really get to know the rules. In anticipation, Mike and I decided to play a small 'quick mission' with 60 points. I took the Soviets that I've painted for Craig, and Mike took his Brits in their 'night camouflage'.

Mike rolled up himself as the attacker and deployed in one corner. I lined the opposite edge.

A nifty line of T-72s supported by Shilkas and Carnations sat on the right flank.

Another group of four tanks was on the left flank. The objective can just be seen in the unoccupied quarter of the table.

Mike took advantage of the cover in his deployment zone

Which availed him naught when my Hinds turned up and got a clear shot. My T-72s on the right also did a good job of burning a Chieftain and killing some Scorpions.

In mike's turn the Chieftains advanced out of the smoke that the Carnations had laid, and took out one T-72 and the Battalion Commander's T-72. The only bright spot ws the 6 hits that the Rapiers got on the Hinds - they saved them all!

Then we did something wrong. Mike moved his Lynx helicopters and shot up the T-72s from the rear - except he can't move and fire with them in the same turn. They have to be halted to shoot. It probably did make some difference in the end, but it is all part of learning.

The next Soviet turn saw the Scorpions taken care of and one Lynx shot down by the Shilkas, but then Mike got his revenge with the Rapiers. If only I'd had the Hinds for one more turn... At least they managed to drop their infantry on the objective before being downed!

Mike starts moving his Chieftains to contest the objective, and there just aren't enough infantry to hold on.

The T-72s had manned the treeline with some good moments, but by this stage they were well and truly beaten. The infantry were destroyed by the Chieftains assaulting them and the Brits took the game.

It took 3 hours to play this 'quick' mission, but that involved pizza, rulebooks and banter, so it was OK to take it slowly. The rules proved to be bloody and enjoyable, and very simple, really. I think the only rules we got wrong was the use of the helicopters, but we know now and have a good idea of the Helicopter special rules. I'm looking forward to the next game - I might even have my Germans ready by then for a 'blue on blue' game!

Nate