2d4chan - User contributions [en]

Militarum Tempestus

2022-02-09T09:08:44Z

2001:8003:1D0D:301:EC88:79BC:281C:41DE: Undo revision 810145 by 178.191.251.54 (talk)

[[File:Militarum_Tempestus.jpg|350px|right|thumb|Move over [[Space Marines|Maggots!]] Let the <u>''REAL''</u> guys show you how its done.]]
{{Topquote|I'm ready, man. Check it out! I am the '''ultimate''' badass! State of the badass art! You do '''not''' want to fuck with me. Check it out! Hey, Ripley, don't worry. Me and my squad of ultimate badasses will protect you! Check it out. Independently targeting particle-beam phalanx. WHAP! Fry half a city with this puppy. We got tactical smart missiles, phase plasma pulse rifles, RPGs. We got sonic, electronic '''ball-breakers'''! We got nukes, we got knives, sharp sticks...|Private Hudson, ''Aliens''}}

The '''Ordo Tempestus''', also known as the '''Militarum Tempestus''', is amongst the most rigidly codified of all Imperial organisations, for its men form the backbone of the Astra Militarum. Though the Ordo is technically a sub-faction governed by the [[Administratum|Adeptus Administratum]], it enjoys a unusually far greater level of autonomy than the regiments that often fight alongside it much to the chagrin (and potential penis envy) of said regiments. The Ordo's ranks are primarily comprised of [[Commissar|Commissars]] and Tempestus Scions, though they have often included specialist factions mysteriously absent from Imperial records. In every theatre of war across the galaxy, the Ordo's men work alongside the incalculable might of the [[Astra Militarum]], their elite training complementing the sheer manpower and tanks of the Imperial Guard. And yes, we are aware that if the [[Imperium]] just had the best and brightest of every world put through Stormtrooper training, they'd easily kick the shit out of any threat to tanks and tanks would kick the shit out of everything else and their mothers. Stop using common sense before a Commissar notices.

==Overview==
[[File:Homebrew tempestus regiments.png|left|120px|thumb|How to [[Your Dudes]] stormtrooper regiments. Note that everyone else on /tg/ will be doing Razvedki Scions, so pick something else.]]
If the Tempestus provides the rigid skeleton of discipline that holds the Astra Militarum together, it is the Commissars who are the minds of the operation. The Officio Prefectus or just Commissar with a fancy name in tabletop terms, governs and controls the regiments of [[Stormtrooper|Stormtroopers]] and Imperial Guardsmen alike, ensuring that their military force is put to the right use in the Emperor's name. All Commissars are trusted to improvise new orders on the battlefield, a rare privilege in the rigidly-controlled structure of the Imperial war machine. But it is only the most senior of their number, known as Lord Commissars, who are truly independent. Unlike their more trigger happy cousins, they are warriors of great personal charisma which is the closest thing we have to a reasonable Commissar that is not [[Colonel-Commissar Ibram Gaunt]] or [[Ciaphas Cain]] '''*HERO OF THE IMPERIUM!*''', and they will often inspire the men by leading from the front rather than from behind the barrel of a [[Bolt Pistol]].

The Tempestus Scions do not form the main body of the Astra Militarum, for that duty falls to the regular Imperial Guardsmen. Instead, whilst the Guard, Space Marines and Imperial Assassins represent the Hammer, Sword and Poisoned Needle of the [[Emperor]] respectively, the Tempestus and their ilk can be likened to a Knife, a thrusting point of lethal force that is applied with shocking speed into the foes weakest point. Essentially they are in-between that of a Guardsmen and a Space Marine. Many a grinding war of attrition or extended campaign has been brought to a dramatic close by a strike force of Stormtroopers. More often than not, their insertion, mission completion and extraction parameters are all accomplished on the same day.

==Creation==
Exceptionally skilled warriors that are NOT a [[Space Marines|dude in power armor]] that are descended from the very finest of the Imperium's noble bloodlines, (Not necessarily true, they don't all come from nobility, not even most.) both <s>Tempestus Scions</s> Stormtroopers and Commissars obey and enforce the will of their superiors with merciless efficiency. The Imperium holds a million worlds and takes its tithe of military personnel from every single culture within its bounds. Despite this nearly inconceivable scale, the commands issued by the many Imperial authorities must be followed unflinchingly in order for the Imperium to endure; hesitation would result in the swift collapse of the Emperor's realm. Stormtroopers and Commissars are indoctrinated in the Imperial Creed from youth, serving no culture but that of loyalty and the swift execution of their duties...like literally every other human being in the Imperium is supposed to, but presumably actually in practice with Stormtroopers and Commissars. It is they who possess the tenacity and resolve to undertake the toughest missions. [[Get shit done|It is they who get shit done when the guys with balls of adamantium is not enough because they all died heroically.]]

Stormtroopers are disciplined, elite soldiers who fight without question or hesitation until their orders are fulfilled. Commissars are harsh yet inspiring leaders who ensuring that every military objective is achieved -- no matter the cost. Without the iron-willed resolution of both, the Imperium would be severely weakened in its darkest hour.

Tempestus Scions and Commissars are remorseless and efficient killers, but these warriors are not born that way (although ten thousand years of a Darwinian galaxy may have fixed that). They are forged within the [[Schola Progenium|Schola Progenia]] which like all things coming from this place, creates a fine batch of the Emperor's psychotic killers. Would-be recruits are sent to harsh training camps based on long-established Imperial worlds. It is these ancient facilities that are responsible for taking the orphaned offspring of the Imperium and transforming them into ruthless soldiers.

Unfortunately, despite this arduous training, they are disliked and secretly mocked by the average Joe Guardsmen. Usually that's because most Guardsmen get a slight case of penis envy for you having a [[Hellgun|better flashlight]] than they do as well as having access to better armor to allow them to survive more than 10 minutes and weapons that is usually found on the Guard's elite and specialized regiments. Although the Guardsmen insist that they act like pompous asshats, we know it's [[Bullshit|bullshit.]] Honestly, after all their training and indoctrination it's unlikely the Stormtroopers have much of a personality at all. Like [[Death Korps of Krieg|Kriegsmen]] without the death wish. Come to think of it, this is probably very disturbing to normal humans who interact with them so perhaps the accusations of pompousness are just Guardsmen's assumptions as to why the Stormtroopers don't seem to ever talk to them at all.

==On the Tabletop==
There are two things that makes the Militarum Tempestus stand out; the first is that they are a very small (and we mean '''''SMALL'''''), elite army comprised of Stormtroopers. The second is that they have a very limited unit selection choice - seriously, they only have five/six units to choose from (only 2 of these are decent combat units), [[Derp|they don't even have a special character,]] [[What|hell, even the fucking]] ''[[Harlequin|Harlequins]]'' have more unit variety than they do, and that's saying something. That said, the unit hits '''hard'''; with the standard infantry weapon being AP-2, you can put a dent in anything <strike>short of a [[terminator]]</strike> with your basic dudes, and you have [[plasma]] for what you can't. Combined with their ability to spam air power, since they have no other fast attack option, and an army-wide armor save of 4+, the Tempestus hit hard, while not quite being a glass cannon, though still kind of frail. Because of this, you have to choose carefully where you want to play. A Stormtrooper army may be nice, but they still lack sufficient armor support, artillery, and heavy weapons, which means that they are often paired up with the [[Imperial Guard]] to provide cover support. So choose wisely. [[Tl;dr]] they are Imperial [[Dark Eldar]], seriously they play like one. Focus on destroying threats to your armor so your armor can kill everyone else with impunity. Like in real life.

==See Also==
*[[Warhammer 40,000/Tactics/Imperial Guard(8E)|Tactics/Tempestus Scions]]

{{Imperium}}
{{WH40k-Factions}}
{{Militarum-Tempestus}}

Paragon Warsuit

2022-02-09T09:08:34Z

2001:8003:1D0D:301:EC88:79BC:281C:41DE:

{{WTF}}

{{Fail}}

[[File:Paragon_Warsuit.jpg|300px|right|thumb|Looks like the [[Dreadknight]] had a daughter the whole time.]]

{{topquote|If its out time to die, it's our time. All I ask is, if we have to give these bastards our lives, ''WE GIVE THEM HELL BEFORE WE DO IT!!!|Matrix Revolutions}}

Urgh...where the fuck do we begin with this bucket of doozy.

The Paragon Warsuit is a new unit released on our virgin eyes on January 2021. A device that straddles the line between [[Power Armour]] and [[Battlesuit|Mecha]], the Paragon Warsuit has garnered...well...let's just say that we have now a metric fuck ton of [[Meme]]s now.

== WTF Am I Looking At!? ==

The thing you seeing here is the new [[Sisters of Battle]] elite unit. This abomination is the first new sister unit since 2003 and it seem to carry on the Imperium's glorious tradition of [[Derp|strapping a fucking baby carrier and pushing them onto the front lines.]] Seriously, what the fuck is up with GW's habit of giving the Imperium fucking baby carriers? First we had the [[Dreadknight]], then the [[Invictor Tactical Warsuit]] and now ''this''. Thanks to this fiasco, we can finally conclude that the design of the Dreadknight may not be [[Matt Ward]]'s fault after all, go on our [[Spiritual Liege]], you're redeemed for now on this case.

And yes we did not have a typo up there. Ask any <s>Beardy</s> Matronly sisters of battle player and they will tell you the sisters of battle have never been one of game workshops favored armies and have over the years received very little support. As such from the Witch Hunter codex released in 2003 the Sisters of battle have not had '''one''' totally new codex option not counting the [[Repressor]], which was forge world not base codex, or special characters. Even the 2020 release had only [[Zephyrim Squad|Zephyrim]] and [[Mortifier|Mortifiers]] as new units, and both were variants of existing units, the [[Seraphim Squad|Seraphim]] and [[Penitent Engine]] respectively. As such the Paragon Warsuit is the first 100% original, not based on any existing unit so-we-can-sell-two-unit-kits option in the sisters line up in almost two decades. . .and. . .look at it.

As you know, ''everyone'' and I mean <u>'''''everyone'''''</u> [[EPIC FAIL|has taken the piss out of this thing.]] From comparisons to either the infamous Dreadknight or Ellen Ripley's loader suit in Aliens, to [[Neckbeard]]s [[Nurgle|projectile vomiting]] on the horrendous design choices such as ''where'' the Sister's feet is meant to go, and even folks [[Lulz|laughing their asses off]] over the fact that after decades of SoB players bitching for new armor, they finally got it in the form of a discount [[FAIL|Centurion warsuit.]]

Suffice to say, this literal walking ergonomic nightmare has become the butt of jokes at the Sisters' expense. [[Khornate Knights|But at least both Sisters and Grey Knight players could finally find something to bond over.]]

The funny thing is that, if GW wanted to give the sororitas some form of heavy support, they could have just gone for other, more plausible options. We do know that regular humans can don terminator armour, we have many examples of inquisitors doing just that, and considering how wealthy the Ecclesiarchy is, getting a special body of terminator-clad SoBs wouldn't be that implausible, even if they don't have the advantage of a black carapace. Another option would be a dreadnought-like design, and while that sounds absurd at first, we have the precedent of SoB dreadnoughts from the Rogue Trader days. Hell, they wouldn't have to go that far, they could use some sort of warsuit akin to the [[Invictor Tactical Warsuit]] that functioned as a dreadnought while being piloted by a regular battle sister. . . I mean that is what the Pargon is really, it just got some design issues that made us laugh like the sister's ostrich legs and that silly little left arm.

So really they would have, you know, just design the warsuit better. Additionally this is part of an annoying trend for GW to force exo-arms on something, which have always been ugly and never looked good.

The Paragon is ''so'' silly that even the ''Regimental Standard'' [https://regimental-standard.com/2021/06/23/5-reasons-why-a-sentinel-is-the-only-warsuit-you-really-need/ pokes fun at it], comparing it very unfavorably to the [[Sentinel]]. It says a lot that some of the [[Imperial Guard|biased]] points they make are actually legitimately valid, such as the fact that there’s no risk of dropping a Sentinel’s weapons in combat when they’re bolted to the chassis itself, and that (Armoured) Sentinel pilots have actual head protection; proving that the Paragon is so stupidly designed that not even blatant Imperial propaganda (or GW itself) can defend it.

On top of everything else, as many of the more [[/m/|/M/anly]] members of /tg/ has commented, it looks like a discount [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landmate Landmate], from Shirow Masamune's works.

==Equipment==
In terms of what these glorified flamingo walkers lug around, the Paragon Warsuit is equipped with firepower to rival a [[Space Marine]] [[Dreadnought]]. Their left arm incorporates a [[Heavy Bolter]], [[Heavy Flamer]], or [[Multi-Melta]] which is augmented by shoulder-mounted secondary weapons consisting of either twin [[Grenade Launcher]]s or [[Storm Bolter]]s. Its right arm wields a melee weapon consisting of a large [[Power weapon#Paragon War Blade|Paragon War Blade]] or [[Power weapon#Paragon War Mace|Paragon War Mace]]. Now, it looks stupid, but if it reaches melee, the poor idiots who failed to bring it down are quite screwed.

== Gallery ==

<gallery>

10hcsed7rcd61.jpg|GW's fetish with baby carriers truly mystifies us.

Sister of Bulk.jpg|Some anons quick photoshop proves that even [[/tg/]] knows how to make better models than [[GW]].

2f67q4lpy4d61.jpg

04xummq71cd61.jpg|HONK HONK!

B2c90rhhb7d61.jpg|Truly indomitable. Bet you can't unsee that now.

F71ilq7so9d61.jpg|Trust us, you don't wannna know.

Go70xetry3d61.png|Even [[Eldrad]] is in agreement. This shit makes the [[Eldar War Walker]] look good.

F90caierz8d61.png| Original character, donut steel.

Gthko9kn44d61.jpg

Tt2f04tkv3d61.jpg|Yeah its basically the Loader from Aliens but all 40k'ed.

Up16qesw55d61.jpg|The baby carrier's baby carrier.

I am your father.jpeg

Csylvtsdu3e61.jpg|Cheeki Breeki edition...

Sob-dreadnought.jpg|...And suddenly grimdark fanart explanation.

Patrick-star-paragon.png|Dem legs.

Kawaiigon-warsuit.jpg|Emprah knows how much kitbashing [https://1d4chan.org/wiki/Sisters_of_Battle#Painting_pretty_Sisters_of_Battle_faces_.28so_they_don.27t_look_like_manly_marines.29 and painting skill will take] to achieve this, we are not sure if they have a back-exoskeleton, use special fibers or those are cybernetic arms, and we can skip over the mechanized high-heels.

Kawaiigon-model.jpg|We leave to the skillful and elegan/tg/entlemen this grand challenge of kitbash and painting.

morvenn_vahl.jpg|And of course [[Morvenn Vahl|the new major character]] has to be in one. At least the personal one looks decent.

</gallery>

[[Category: Warhammer 40,000]]

[[Category: Imperial]]

[[Category: Sisters of Battle]]

[[Category: Vehicles]]

[[Category: Walkers]]

[[Category: FAIL]]

{{Sisters-of-Battle}}

{{40k-Imperial-Vehicles}}

{{40k-Armor}}

Team Yankee

2022-02-09T06:39:25Z

2001:8003:1D0D:301:EC88:79BC:281C:41DE: There's a reason no one listened to the Nazis the first time /pol/

[[File:Team-Yankee-cover.jpg|250px|right|thumb|FREEDOM, BITCHES!!!]]
''"Sunday, August 4, 1985 the Warsaw Pact thundered across the Iron Curtain. 6 Soviet Armies, backed up by the forces of Poland, Czechoslovakia, and East Germany, hammered into the NATO forces guarding the border. The Americans, supported by the armies of West Germany, Britain, and France, are strained to the breaking point at the Soviet Advance. It is 1985, and the Cold War has just gone hot."''

Welcome soldier to Team Yankee, Battlefront Miniatures' alternate history game where World War 3 breaks out on the fields of central Germany. Maybe you're here for the cool tanks, maybe you're here to fight to spread your preferred form of economic system, or maybe you're here to titillate your acronym fetish. Team Yankee is based on the book of the same name by Harold Coyle, the story of Team Yankee follows a unit of the US Army named Team Yankee (of course) as they struggle to hold off those damn commies, with viewpoints from the other armies added in their respective Army rule book.

==The Story==
So, obviously the story of Team Yankee is a bit unrealistic but bear with us, alright? In 1985 the Soviet Union is dealing with mounting internal issues, and with the death of Leonid Brezhnev, the USSR was faced with a choice between Mikhail Gorbachev or another hard line communist. In our world Gorbachev was elected as the Premier of the Soviet Union, which would eventually lead to its collapse, but in the Team Yankee universe an old Stalinist took his place instead.

Believing that after the disastrous war in Afghanistan, the best way to reassure the people of the Union's strength would be a victorious war with the West, and any seized resources could be used to immediately shore up the slumping economy (incidentally, this is probably why there was not a nuclear exchange and the subsequent destruction of the world).

It was in the Persian Gulf that the USSR found its excuse to begin preparing for war. The Iran-Iraq war had been blazing for 4 years and though it was an active warzone, the trade of oil continued mostly unabated. That was until a pair of Iranian jets attacked and sank a Saudi tanker with huge loss of life. The United States began increasing its Naval presence in the Gulf to prevent additional attacks on commercial vessels in international waters. As part of this action, on the 27th of July, the destroyer ''USS Charles Logan'' was patrolling off the Strait of Hormuz when it was rammed by a Soviet cruiser, which was ostensibly there to do the same thing. In the confusion, both ships fired on each other before retiring to their respective ports.

Claiming that this was a blatant attack on a Soviet warship, the Warsaw Pact issued a statement of solidarity and then began to increase troop movements toward the Iron Curtain. In response, the United States began to react in kind, and over 100,000 national guardsmen were federalized as front line combat units started moving to their wartime posts.

==The Game==
Team Yankee is a 15mm (about 1:100 scale) Table Top Wargame, usually played on a standard 6x4 game table. To play Team Yankee, you will need a tape measure (both Inches and Centimeters work), a whole bunch of D6 dice, an army of models, and some friends to play with (that one will probably be the toughest, to be honest).

===Playing the game===

;Example Turn
What follows is a basic layout of a standard turn

'''1. Starting Step'''<br>
This is where most of the administrative stuff happens. Check the Morale of your formations and units, roll for reserves, rally pinned units, free bogged down tanks, remount bailed out tanks, remove smoke from the previous turn, etc. etc. etc.

'''2. Movement Step'''<br>
Move your units (duh). The amount a unit can move is dictated by the terrain they have to deal with. The majority of orders are given in this phase as well.

'''3. Shooting Step'''<br>
No problem cannot be solved through the application of superior fire power. Team Yankee uses abstraction rather than true line of sight, meaning that tanks clearly visible behind slopes may not actually be seen due to terrain height rulings. All shooting and artillery occurs in this phase, with smoke being fired before any other shooting.

'''4. Assault Step'''<br>
Time to get up close and personal. Units charge into close quarters to beat the enemy to death with their rifle butts or crush them underneath their treads. Infantry teams don’t get saves in close combat so be wary.

===List Building===
Note that all lists are based on historically based equipment at a specific point in time, even if that equipment was unique or incredibly rare.

Army lists in Team Yankee are usually built from a single book or 'codex' which tells you what your country has access to. Each nation has different 'sub lists' but most follow three types: armoured and mechanized infantry. Armoured companies let you bring several platoons of tanks, while mechanized infantry does the same with infantry that can come in your bog-standard metal boxes or a metal box with an autocannon. Some armies have more unique options, but those will be discussed on their respective pages.

NATO armies tend to be cheaper thanks to their smaller sizes, while Pact forces have much more units that are identical across the 4 nations. If you buy an M1 it can only be used for a USA army; paint a T-72 in Soviet green (without national emblems) and it can be used in four armies.

Want a cheaper single army? Buy American (or any other NATO power). Want a cheaper collection and several army lists? Buy Soviet.

'''Force Command'''<br>
Your force will always have an HQ. Your Force Commander and 2nd in Command (also known as the meatshield) represents you in the game, commanding the battle on foot or some vehicle. If the Force commander dies, your army will begin to panic. Lose too many platoons and you will immediately lose the game. At higher point games, you may have two or more force commanders to mitigate this (as you will probably be forced to utilize multiple formations to fill out the points). For NATO Players, the Force Commander is generally a company commander wielding his company and any company-level support the higher-ups have deemed to send his way. For PACT players, the Force Commander is usually at the Battalion level, which is made up of several companies, to balance out the power differential between the average NATO and Pact units.

HQS usually DO NOT count as platoons for Company, or even Battalion strength. They function as 40k independent characters do, so you would have 4 units on the field whether your company commander joined a platoon or ran around on their own.

'''Combat Platoons'''<br>
AKA Troops choice: like with 40k, each organization chart will have a minimum requirement of a Company Commander and two platoons of troops, which could be [[Motor Rifle Company|IFV-mounted infantry]] or a unit of [[Huey Rifle Platoon|heliborne infantry]]. This is where your list building starts, with the size of your unit and taking additional weaponry like anti-tank weapons, medium machine guns, or anti-air missiles.

'''Platoon Support'''<br>
Unlike 40k, platoon support is unique to each company. This is the reason you selected the specific Company: access to unique toys that your other companies or nations can't take. Historically, this would be a platoon from the support company of the battalion: infantry companies might have a mortar platoon, while armoured companies might have a platoon of vehicle-mounted ATGMs. Your platoon support may also have platoons of the alternate unit type: tank companies almost always have the option to take a platoon of infantry, and vice versa.

'''Division Support'''<br>
These are the rarest systems in your army, and often among the most expensive options. Historically, it would be things like air support, heavy artillery or attached helicopter squadrons. This varies from nation to nation: some countries have platforms that serve [[AMX Roland|crucial support roles but won't win the war for you]] to [[ADATS|snowflake units that provide the teeth to your force]]. These options are open to all company types, and should therefore be used to round out the weaknesses of your list. Additionally, platoons for troops like tanks and infantry might be purchasable here.

'''Allied Support'''<br>
These are your 'Allies of Convenience', to continue the 40k analogy. Generally, only one allied formation (company, battalion, whatever) is allowed. Generally this would mean NATO Allies for NATO countries, and vice versa for the Warsaw Pact (but not the Middle Eastern powers, who all want to kill each other and are much more uncaring in where they get their gear from). Additionally, smaller factions may have allied units that fall under the same lines as Divisional Support, just with a different flag. For example, Canadians have access to German Leopard 2s and American Abrams' to round out their lack of modern battle tanks.

These units do NOT count as platoons which add to your last stand count, so your army may rout if the last Canadian troops have been picked off even if half of your (American Allied) units are on the table. Like Division Support, this is taken to smooth out the rough edges of your list and might be very interesting if you like the idea of a British-French coalition battlegroup, or are a powergamer who just wants the best companies of each nation.

As a disclaimer to the young teens reading this wiki and calling themselves a military expert, Team Yankee is a HISTORICAL FANTASY game. The models might represent real weapon systems, but the organization of lists ranges from relatively accurate to outright blasphemous. Pretty much all your tanks and artillery fired across kilometres in real life, but only fire up to several hundred meters on the tabletop. [[M247 Sergeant York|Prototypes that never made it past the testing phase can be found]], while organizational details have been simplified for gameplay purposes.

For the prospective kommandant who reached this point, consider reading the rulebooks at your FLGS or read on to decide which nation might be for you.

===List Archtypes===

Like any other tabletop game, each army has its own pros and cons leading to very distinct archetypes: just like the real-life counterparts, an infantry company will have a much happier time holding a town than a bunch of tanks. Here are a few of the many variants, found in the tournament scene and casual table:

====Mechanized Infantry====
Kings of the tournament scene, mechanized infantry are THE premium choice for players seeking cost efficiency, holding power or firepower in some cases. Over 90% of all infantry in the game arrives in a motorized tin can of some sort, meaning that these lists have an overabundance of machinegun fire. Some lists might use infantry fighting vehicles such as the [[BMP]] or [[Marder Zug|Marder]], but most are characterized by hordes of cheap infantry in the cheapest transports. Mechanized lists are incredibly split in specialization depending on your faction of choice as well.

In tournaments, the French and British are defined by the sheer amount of Milans they can bring to the field. They may lack in firefighting capability, but their ability to destroy armoured lists are second to none. They can be used in urban operations as well, but excel in open fields where their Milans can chew through tank after tank.

The Soviet, Iranian and Polish lists are the Communist equivalent of the Milan horde; trading the latest in wargear for the latest in childbearing technology. While these troops lack in weapon systems that can engage armour from a distance, they are characterized by sheer numbers coupled with 3+ morale stats allowing them to keep pushing forward when other armies would fall back.

On the other end of the spectrum are the spam lists of Czechs and Iraqis. Characterized by their horrendous morale, and basic weaponry, these lists have little to no offensive capability. [[Imperial Guard|However, their low pointage allows you to bring waves of men to the field that will HOLD the line like no other.]] In an urban setting, these troops can turn all buildings on your side of the field into deathtraps for enemy armour.

Somewhere in the middle are Soviet [[BTR-60|BTR]]/ [[BMP]] and Dutch [[YPR-765]] lists. Typically, these lists would feature armoured elements and focus more on punching through the weak points of the enemy's line with the superior firepower of infantry fighting vehicles complementing a couple of tanks. A jack of all trades list, these forces are capable of defending and can counterattack on a dime when required.

Universally feared by all players and the cheapest unit in any force, the mechanized infantry are the benchmark of every other unit: a platoon only needs to kill 1-3 tanks to make its points back. For tournament players, prepare to build lists that counter infantry. For casual players, expect to see some form of them in every single game.

====Armoured====
The poster boys of the game, Armoured forces rely on the overwhelming superiority of tanks to crush virtually any opposition in its path. These units represent the fastest, heaviest units in the army that are not only capable of taking ground, but holding it. Strong in standard games and deadly in larger tables, Armoured forces would be unmatched if not for their Achilles heel: overpriced units.

Tank units often cost dozens of points for a single platoon, leaving them as niche choices for the average player. In a tournament setting where every point counts and every wasted unit may cost you the game, tanks are treated as specialized units in different lists. Some may use armour as [[Chieftain|firebases]]; [[M1 Abrams|maneuver elements in a hammer and anvil force]], or solely as snipers [[Leopard 2|to destroy armour]]. Regardless of their tournament viability, here are the traditional makeups of armoured lists.

With unparalleled mobility and firepower, armoured lists excel on the attack. This greatly favors offensive nations such as the West Germans or the Soviet Union who can conduct ‘blitzkrieg’ tactics on the tabletop scale: rather than exploiting strategic weaknesses, these lists employ a mix of tank killers like the [[T-64]] and the [[Leopard 2]] to compliment the firepower of support tanks: outdated models that may not beat the latest metal boxes, but could chew through any other vehicle like a masochist on a sanding belt.

Protection against missiles comes in the form of artillery. Other lists may occasionally get away without running artillery, but is not optional in the current meta. Used to protect your tanks from Milan spam or the tank killers of the enemy force, smoke is probably the most important task of the artillery in an armoured list, neutralizing Milans for you to get within their firing range, forcing Chieftains to move or even dividing the force to reduce the amount of return fire.

The strongest armoured lists are anachronisms; with no nation having a single tank that does the job of both a tank killer and support. Hence, they are generally defined as lists that run a substantial amount of armour (two platoons or so) with singular platoons of infantry, artillery, reconnaisance, etc. For a competitive player choosing the path of an iron grave, consider using allies for access to ROF 2 brutal tanks to compliment your AT22 tank killers. If you are a Soviet player, rejoice! Your tanks all-in-one and are countered by any form of missile, tank cannon or bomber. Have fun!

====Cavalry====
Distinct from the armoured and mechanized archetypes, cavalry forces employ fast, mobile vehicles to outmaneuver the enemy while avoiding head-on engagements with the heaviest elements of the enemy list like tanks or infantry. While WILL be employing their own infantry and tank forces, cavalry forces are defined by their reliance on autocannon-armed vehicles to destroy soft-skinned vehicles like APCs, anti-air and artillery.

Generally used for reconnaissance in a combined arms list rather than serving as the frontline troops who fight and die on your behalf, the British are known for having some of the best cavalry units with the Scorpion and Scimitar coming in low, cheap and with both variants having the firepower to take on anything but battle tanks. Hampered by their mediocre moving ROF, their main purpose is to deny spearhead movement to your opponent while threatening their soft skinned vehicles, providing an extremely dangerous (but easily answered) threat that hamper much more expensive units such as infantry and tanks from doing their job on the frontline.

The only true Cavalry lists seen in tournaments are US Marine LAV lists, employing hordes of moving ROF 3 LAVs to outmaneuver, threaten, and destroy soft-skinned vehicles. However, it must be noted that cavalry forces still rely on infantry and armour to actually win the game: your cavalry are force multipliers to neutralize the support elements of your opponent, not the ones who will carry the day on their own.

====Air Assault====
Rarely seen in the tournament scene aside from Soviet VDV lists, Airborne lists employ helicopter infantry and their superior mobility to win battles. Almost universally worthless in a 6x4 game where the marginal infantry buff and loss of fighting transports can be crippling, air assault forces have a niche of larger team games spanning several maps. Whether used to grab vulnerable objectives or serve as firemen where the line is weakest, air assault troops have greatly different roles among the nations that can field them: the USA, Soviet Union and British.

The American air assault list is the archetypical airborne force: lightly equipped, highly trained and absolutely deadly in firefights, these units are barely worth their weight against armour but are almost unparalleled in a firefight. Combining Soviet morale with American firepower, heliborne infantry may not be able to kill a tank to save their life but are best suited to urban warfare or any other setting where dug-in infantry must die.

While the US Huey technically has its M60s, consider them one time use guns that cannot be considered fire support unlike an M113.

Soviet VDV lists are THE most accurate depiction of a proper air assault operation: deploying highly trained, versatile troops in highly dangerous environments while supported with helicopter gunships. The most ‘competitive’ of the three nations, VDV troops are equipped not only to win infantry fights, but also carry the heavy weapons that make infantry what they are: unmovable rocks that take a disproportionate amount of firepower to move, while having the tools to destroy armour that strays too close. While your infantry are few, your transports are terror on rotors: enter the Hind.

A flying tank unmatched by the West until the development of the Apache, the Hind is one of the only gunships with transport capacity. While nerfed by its lack of stationary ROF and 3+ to hit, Hinds have a weapon for any target. See a Merkava? The Hind can kill it. Unprotected artillery? The hind can kill it. Infantry hordes in the open? The hind can fuck them all at the same time.

By playing the VDV, you are committing to a list that combines air assault and air cavalry through the investment of points into gunships. Add on some Frogfeet and the VDV becomes a tournament worthy list that preys on any meta without sufficient anti-air. Not to mention, your blue berets are more than a match for the average foot soldier from the capitalist west...

The British air assault list are a competitive unit that sees fringe play, albeit as a fever dream that would make the Sergeant York wet. Worthless on their own and pathetic in a firefight, the Gordon highlanders see their niche as a Milan horde that happen to ride in helicopters.

====Air Cavalry/Leafblower====
Air Cavalry lists, unlike their real-life equivilants, are forces that spam airpower to win battles. Combining strike aircraft with helicopter gunships, these lists aim to destroy air-defence units before destroying the enemy force piece by piece. While most nations have access to bombers and ATGM helicopters, only the USA, Soviets and French have access to true leafblower lists; given their access to gunships like the [[MI-24 Hind]], [[Cobra|Cobra]], and [[Gazelle Helicopter|Gazelle]].

Prospective commanders should note that these are all-in lists with over 40 points being funnelled into airborne units and are easily countered by tournament metas. Essentially, you are praying that your opponent does not aim to counter your lists; given that Air Cavalry aims to outrace a platoon of dedicated air killers like [[SA-8 Gecko|SA-8 Geckos]] or [[Tracked Rapier|Rapier]]. Uncounterable for the casual player who does not plan ahead, and easily beaten by tournament players who do their homework. They may fufil your ride of the valkyrie fantasies, but will lead to games which end faster than your opponent's patience.

Not recommended if you wish to stay friends with your opponents. Acceptable (but weak) if you want to win games.

====Combined Arms====
Like most tabletop games, Team Yankee favours players who can mix and match each of the previous components; diluting the strength of each troop type and compensating with the power of diversity (yay!). As implied by the previous articles, building a spam list of infantry or tanks might be acceptable in a multiplayer game but will lead to your quick and laughable defeat in a competitive 1v1 game. Without artillery, your infantry and tanks can’t attack without taking a million casualties. Without cavalry, your tanks risk being flanked and blown up. Without infantry, your tanks and cavalry will not take objectives.

The overwhelming majority of competitive lists feature an infantry or armoured company with support elements to cover all angles. While an infantry list might see itself playing the defensive under ideal circumstances, the counterblow from a tank platoon coming from reserves can decisively swing games in your favour. Similarly, armoured lists require smoke to cover the advance of your tanks or mounted infantry. Experienced players may dabble in ‘all-in’ lists, but you, prospective general, will find the best results when your lists have no clear weakness.

Want to muddy the mixture? Consider taking combat troops as allies with your ‘chosen’ nation providing nothing more than combat (and moral) support.

Mandatory:
2-6 Combat Troops (2 platoons of tanks or infantry, 1 platoon of infantry/tanks)
1-2 Artillery (for smoke and pinning)
1-4 Recon (for spearheading and/or denying spearheads)
1-2 Air Defence (Multirole air defence acceptable below 26 points, dedicated air defence required above 30 points)

Optional:
1-2 Air support (used as suicide units)
1-1 Armoured ATGM carriers (overlaps with combat troops)

==The Forces of WW3==
With the new Ally rules, take the following with a pinch of salt. Using the combat units of an ally faction as the bulk of your force while keeping your 'actual' faction for its support choices is a totally legal (if cheesy) option. The scores are strictly in relation to one another; and does not account for terrain, list building and other stuff.

The Breakdown Scores:
5: Auto-include for competitive lists.
4: Good for the purpose, if overshadowed by other factions.
3: Not terrible, but needs a good reason to be included.
2: Not recommended due to inefficiency.
1: Overshadowed by other options in the same force organisation.
-: Role filled by Allied units within the force organisation. Minor nations only.

===NATO===
{{topquote|The Parties to this Treaty reaffirm [...] [t]hey are determined to safeguard the freedom, common heritage and civilisation of their peoples, founded on the principles of democracy, individual liberty and the rule of law. They seek to promote stability and well-being in the North Atlantic area. They are resolved to unite their efforts for collective defence and for the preservation of peace and security. They therefore agree to this North Atlantic Treaty|The North Atlantic Treaty}}

The free world takes their freedom seriously, and armies operate very differently from one another. Entries for similar units (M113 mortars) will have different roles when used in another nation, while most countries have their own unique units which may similar versions but nothing completely identical. NATO is generally more beginner friendly, but varies between nations when it comes to cost and budgeting.

====United States of America====
{{topquote|I can no longer sit back and allow Communist infiltration, Communist indoctrination, Communist subversion and the international Communist conspiracy to sap and impurify all of our precious bodily fluids.|General Jack D. Ripper}}

Difficulty: 1/5 (excellent for beginners!)

They may not have shown up on time for the last two world wars, but they sure have brought some firepower into this one. The principal founder of NATO and its strongest military power, the United States moved immediately to bring its full strategic might to bear against the seemingly-endless masses charging west from behind the Iron Curtain.

Three of the U.S.A.'s armed forces feature in this game, primarily their Army; the United States Army is one of the most technologically advanced forces on the Battlefield. An all-volunteer force, the average US Soldier is backed up by some of the most advanced weapon systems rumbling into war with them (including the first ever METUL BOX). Particularly the principal tank of the US forces in Europe, the M1 Abrams is arguably the most influential main battle tank of the 80s, influencing almost every other tank design in the Western world.

''Stripes'' covers most frontline combat units in the US Armed Forces, from an Amphibious Assault Unit to an Airborne Infantry Company. Their units may not be the best in the world, but you have so many options in your list that you should have a counter for anything your opponent brings up. This versatility makes them the only faction to rival the Soviets, matching their cost efficiency with incredibly flexible listbuilding.

For players concerned with historical accuracy, remember to toss out the Yorks, RDF/LTs and the Hueys (except for Marine Airborne)!

Defining Units: [[M1 Abrams]], [[M163 VADS]]

;Strengths
*Most versatile faction in the game, with options to fill almost all roles.
*Ideal for Armored and combined arms playstyles, with the flexibility to attack or defend.
*Decently easy to learn, and is rather straightforward.
*Ability to upgrade entire force to carry AT23 TOW2s

;Weaknesses
*Second most expensive faction in-game.
*Poor cost efficiency compared to other NATO equivalents.
*The TOW tax quickly adds up.
*Capitalism.
*Can't point out the enemy on a map.

The Breakdown:
Infantry: Solid and cost-efficient. 4/5
Transports: The best 'free' transports in the game. 3/5
Tanks: All the flavors of M1s. 4/5
Anti-Tank: No longer cost efficient, but packing serious heat. 4/5
Recon: Decent Army options, Good Marine options. 3/5
Artillery: Decent, if expensive mortars. 3/5
Aircraft: Best helicopters, mediocre aircraft. 4/5
Anti-Air: Expensive but essential. 3/5

{{US Forces in Team Yankee}}

====Great Britain====
{{topquote|if two fish fight in the Tigris, the British are behind it. |old Iraqi saying}}

Difficulty: 2/5 (Good for beginners and vets!)

Steadfast, courageous, and absolutely devoted to their time-honoured traditions of tea, crumpets, and silly hats, the British Armed Forces became a founding member of NATO after World War II, in which they earned great fame for their many triumphs over impossible odds. Two major commands, British Army of the Rhine and Royal Air Force Germany, were dedicated to stand guard against the threat of Soviet invasion and have dutifully done so for 40 years. The British military is well-known for its discipline, professionalism, and for actually showing up on time for world wars (not like those louts across the pond).

Thanks to a little disagreement on the far side of the Atlantic in 1982 (not to mention the decades long troubles in Northern Ireland), the British military is one of only a few in NATO with combat veterans in its ranks going into the fight. They may not have the numbers or superpower status that they did in the glory days of the Empire, but as Argentina could tell you, they can still fight with the best of them. When the Warsaw Pact barged westward and brought war to Europe for the third time in a century, the British forces in West Germany stubbornly refused to give ground, forcing their enemy to bypass them rather than sacrifice the entire invasion's timetable. The rules for these tea-chugging bastards are found in “Iron Maiden” and updated rules can be found in "WW3: British".

The Brits lack the cutting-edge advanced technology of the other NATO forces (Advanced Stabilisers, Thermal Imaging except on the Challenger) but compensate with sheer firepower and ridiculously well-armoured tanks. Thanks to their Assault 3+ Infantry and abundance of units which benefit from staying still and taking potshots like the Chieftain and Milan, the British excel on the defence; sipping tea and destroying anything which strolls into their fields of fire. Should the enemy fix bayonets, you have assault 3+ on most infantry and vehicles, a lynchpin that makes the entrenched British rifleman one of the most resilient units in the game.

Also there is one other slight thing to mention with regard to the British during this time period: they are Troubled, the good Friday agreement which ended (or at least paused) The Troubles would not be signed for another 13 years (1998). What does that mean for team Yankee? well likely nothing but in real life you could bet your ass the Soviets would love to pour gasoline on that little fire to try and distract the Brits, so if we ever get a partisan list or something, maybe keep an eye open for that.

Defining Units: [[Chieftain]], [[Milan Section (Mechanized)|Milan Section]]

;Strengths
*One of the strongest factions on the defensive.
*Best infantry in the game with plentiful ATGMs on human (and armored) platforms.
*Ideal for defensive or infantry players.
*Has the almost invincible, if overcosted, Challenger.

;Weaknesses
*Lacks units that can effectively fight while on the move.
*Seriously struggles to damage heavy MBTs.
*Vulnerable to smoke and rushes; units rely on staying still to deliver the most firepower.
*Commonly seen as the seal clubber's favorite due to superior infantry stats and milan spam, which makes new players ragequit.
*Everything, absolutely ''everything'' stops for tea at four o'clock.

The Breakdown:
Infantry: Excellent defence and long ranged AT, poor offensive abilities. 4/5
Transports: Average APCs and IFVs alike. 3/5
Tanks: Expensive, armoured monsters with deadly firepower but incapable of mobile warfare. 4/5
Anti-Tank: Excellent options for dealing with previous generation tanks, struggles against 20+ armour. 3/5
Recon: Dangerous but squishy. 3/5
Artillery: Good mid-low caliber pieces. 4/5
Aircraft: Best bomber, overcosted helicopters. 3/5
Anti-Air: Excellent Rapier, ludicrously good Marksman, mediocre Spartan Blowpipe. 4/5

{{British Forces in Team Yankee}}

====West Germany====
''"We’re the Good Guys for once!"''

Difficulty: 4/5 (Challenging listbuilding.)

Following the complete destruction of Nazi Germany in 1945, about half of the country was occupied by the British, French and Americans, who merged their three occupation zones to form the Federal Republic of Germany. From its capital in Bonn, West Germany's leaders have focused their efforts on redeeming (West) German standing in the world through a restored representative democracy, a careful and conservative foreign and defense policy, and some truly outstanding cars, wurst and beer. And thanks to their longstanding membership in the NATO alliance, (half of) Germany gets to be the ''good guys'' this time!

West Germany was the first featured expansion in "Team Yankee," centering around the Bundeswehr's Heer, one of two current successors to the legendary German Army of the past. With their homeland invaded for a second time by their enemy from two previous world wars, the West Germans are intensely motivated and have all the tenacity, discipline and professionalism of their fathers and grandfathers. Their former countrymen, the East Germans, are among the leading forces of the Warsaw Pact, making the war especially personal as both German armies do their utmost to see that their cause triumphs. The West Germans are literally battling in their own streets, homes and fields, while the East Germans are leaping at their chance to forge a unified, socialist Germany. The Rules for the West Germans can be found in "West German", which replaced Leopard and Panzertruppen.

The West Germans have continued the famous German tradition of quality over quantity and then some: their units rank among the very best (and most expensive) in the entire game. The perfect example is the Leopard 2, a monument to armoured superiority that costs eleven points per tank, as opposed to a mere four per tank for the East Germans' T-72M. One exception is the Leopard 1; your budget tank at 3 points. In addition to Thermal Imaging, they field devastating units like the Gepard Flakpanzer and the Panavia Tornado fighter-bomber, which can make their points back over several times in the hands of an effective commander. A well-balanced army capable of different playstyles, but ultimately held back by its inability to sustain losses. Expect to be outnumbered 2-1 against NATO, or 3-1 or even 4-1 against PACT forces.

Defining Units: [[Leopard 2]], [[Leopard 1]]

;Strengths
*Strongest armoured units in the game.
*Soviet-equivalent morale.
*Ideal for aggressive or challenge-seeking players.
*Hard-hitting units that can punish your opponent's mistakes very harshly.

;Weaknesses
*Small units with some of the game's most expensive models.
*Poorly suited to attrition tactics.
*Ex-Nazis.
*Forgot their cold-weather gear AGAIN.

The Breakdown:
Infantry: Effective, but few and expensive. 2/5
Transports: Strongest transport in the game, but no built-in missile. 4/5
Tanks: Overcosted Leopard 2s, decent Leopard 1s. 2/5
Anti-Tank: ATGMs expensive and few. Role filled by Leopard 2s. 1/5
Recon: Cheap and dangerous. 3/5
Artillery: Solid NATO artillery. 4/5
Aircraft: Good bomber, overcosted helicopters. 2/5
Anti-Air: Versatile, competitive options. 4/5

{{West German Forces in Team Yankee}}

====France====
''"Going to war without France is like going hunting without an accordion." -- Jed Babben''

Difficulty: 3/5 (Beginner unfriendly, many glass cannons.)

The gall of those cultureless, crass Americans! We hate all of them! Our king bankrupted us to save them in their "Revolutionary War," and now they make memes of us on the internet!

Despite the many dank memes and jokes about French military incompetence on the internet today, France has a long, long history of kicking ass with one of the largest and most powerful armed forces in human history. It may seem funny to mock them now, but nobody was laughing as Napoleon stomped one opponent after another into the dust, and millions of French soldiers held the line against the Kaiser's armies in the Great War, whereas the Americans couldn't be bothered to show up until 1917. France also <s>let the Germans take everything</s> was one of the major Allied powers in World War II, and French soldiers repeatedly making last stands against the Germans bought badly-needed time for the British evacuations at Dunkirk, saving not only <s>those stupid English</s> their British allies from getting overrun by the Nazis, but maybe also the world.

As explained in "Free Nations," France sort-of left NATO under Charles de Gaulle, a... very complicated man whose egomania could well have one-upped Douglas MacArthur if they hadn't been kept on totally separate sides of the planet. To summarize, de Gaulle fought nails and teeth (and all the rest too) to keep ''his'' France independent: politically, economically and militarily. This lead to France having its own military industry and designs and also lead to it leaving-but-not-really-leaving NATO and expelling all non-French military forces stationed on French soil. Secret agreements were made, however, and France retained the right to declare its re-integration into the NATO military alliance if it saw fit to do so; i.e. in case of WW3/something grave enough that would threaten France directly. The reasons for de Gaulle's stubbornness are multiple but the two main ones were that he wanted no part in what he fully expected to be "League of Nations II: Incompetence Boogaloo" or being pressured into sending his soldiers into conflicts where France had neither cause to nor interest in participating. Early in the events of "Team Yankee", seeing that a major war in Europe was on the horizon for the third time in a single century, France officially rejoined NATO in full. The Communist hordes will not find us such easy prey <s>as the Germans did</s> as they may expect, ''mon ami''.

As of 1985, France is one of the few NATO nations with genuine combat experience after World War II, alongside the United Kingdom and the United States, and it has the third-largest number of atomic weapons in the world - a distant third behind USA and the USSR, mind you, but third-largest nonetheless. The French ORBAT is unlike any of the major military powers, with their early Cold War history covering the first and second Indochinese (Vietnam) wars and their different mission needs. The post-WWII/Indochine French army has a doctrine that can be summarized in one sentence: "Engage the enemy on your own terms; never his!". Lacking a tank capable of trading blows with any modern platform and near-universal <s>cowardice in the ranks</s> 5+ morale among French personnel, a French commander must rely on maneuver and a terrifying abundance of gun platforms with Brutal to cripple an enemy's force before taking significant damage. In fact, among the NATO nations, the French were the only ones to eventually adopt autoloaders for their main battle tanks (starting only with the Leclerc, though), but they also tend to come from the 'speed is armour' school of tank design, which made them a bit glassy both in and out of the game. While similar to the Canadians in their lists naturally countering BMP and infantry spam, they lack the moosemen's balls and require a different playstyle to excel. They do have Milan spam if that's your thing though (you powergaming ''bâtard'').

Defining Units: [[AMX-10 RC]], [[Gazelle Helicopter|Gazelle 20mm]]

;Strengths
*Strong firepower on even the lightest units
*Milan AT spam on par with the Brits.
*Ideal for aggressive or experienced players.

;Weaknesses
*Tissue-thin armour made from stale baguettes.
*<s>Cowards</s> Unreliable (seriously, do NOT expect Morale 5+ troops to stay in the fight.)
*Smell like bad cheese.

The Breakdown:
Infantry: Good firepower but unreliable morale. 3/5
Transports: You get what you pay for: very solid. 4/5
Tanks: Incapable of tanking damage for the army. 3/5
Anti-Tank: Milan spam just got stronger. 5/5
Recon: Deadliest 'recon' units in the game. 5/5
Artillery: Lacking in utility arty. 2/5
Aircraft: Fragile but VERY deadly when played well. 4/5
Anti-Air: Respectable, but expensive. 3/5

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="100%">
A Quick Note About the Morale Thing
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
Almost universally in Team Yankee, the French have ''shit'' morale, and this is a little weird at first glance. After all, the "ha ha, France = surrender monkeys" meme is about as nuanced and accurate as a company of Soviet motor rifles - especially by 1985. The French army has more actual recent combat experience than nearly any other playable nation, and previous morale crises have only improved the ''Armée de Terre'''s ability to deal with such issues. So, what gives?

Turns out, much like a few other terms for various Battlefront franchises, "Morale" is a slight misnomer. To be precise, the poor roll value that the French have isn't to represent that they are somehow more cowardly (the parallel 3+ Courage roll indicates as much), but rather to integrate French doctrine into the game, since most nation-specific special rules have been removed in order to streamline the rules. You see, in older FoW versions there used to be a dozen different special rules indicating unique attributes that would modify the two base values for specific traits. Courage, Rally, Assault and Counterattack are all new, and were created so as to whittle down the truly obscene rules clutter that was starting to really drag down games of FoW.

But that still doesn't answer the question ''"Why are my goddamn frogs running away so much?"''. The answer is simple: <s>the chemicals in the water turned them gay</s> they're being ordered to retreat: the French just don't stick around for a slugging match they fully know they simply can't win! If the French learned anything from the various wars of the 20th century, it's that they have to be able to give ground for time and that they absolutely do not have the ability to engage in attritional slogs and trade casualties for the same. As they quickly realized going solo meant they would never be able to field armor in the same volumes the Soviets could, the French army doctrine evolved into a very mobile and elastic thing that put their entire emphasis on high mobility with lighter motorized units, creating a 1985 doctrine of maneuver warfare with lightly armoured units. [[skub|The more callous say they just mixed Guderian's ''blitzkrieg'' with Model's ''schild und schwert'']], however nobody can deny they are very efficient at what they do best: hit hard, fast and overwhelmingly where the enemy doesn't expect it then redeploy before they can strike back.

This is well-represented in-game by the French having good skill but poor morale scores. This is also why the Czechoslovaks, despite being far less motivated than the French in every respect, have a better Morale rating despite literally having worse morale. Such a broad and encompassing term as Morale isn't restricted to the one stat that shares its name, and is technically the collective sum of all the stats on the left half of the base section since it was broken into those three in the first place.
</div>
</div>
{{French Forces in Team Yankee}}

====Canada====
{{topquote|I know a lot of you are going through separation anxiety... but there's nothing I can do about getting a Tim Hortons in Kabul.|Col. Al Howard}}

Difficulty: 3/5 (Limited unit variety, technical playstyle.)

[[Imperial Guard|Cadians!]] Wait. Not quite. Though, they too have an amazing, cost-effective and plentiful tank option. As for their place in Team Yankee, the Canadians took one look at the current infantry spam meta, and they decided that they hated it. Where the US brought their meanest guns and the West Germans brought their biggest machines, the ''4th CMBG'' appears to have brought the devices specifically for turning BMPs and their contents into communist confetti.

While you're fairly limited in what you can take, the options Canada does have can be both versatile and extraordinary. Between a nearly-universal +3 skill roll and an abundance of options for laying down smoke, you can acquire the firing positions you require while denying the enemy any of their own. Agility is essential to Canadian lists, using evasion rather than armour in a naturally offensive force. In essence, the Canucks seem at their best in vehicles and on the move, shadowing the enemy line until it has been withered beneath a barrage of precise and overwhelming fire.

The Canadians apologize for borrowing American and German units, such as aircraft and heavy tank platoons.

<s>Defining Units</s> ''Standard List in BMP Meta'': [[ADATS]] and as many [[Leopard 1#Canada|Leopard C1's]] as you can take

;Strengths
*Units tend to be agile, multi-purpose or hard-hitting. Sometimes, all three.
*Ideal for offensive and maneuver-minded players.
*Actually pretty good at fighting.

;Weaknesses
*Glass cannons whose vehicles can cost a pretty pound of points.
*The Americans don't like you for some reason.
*Apologize every time they shoot at anybody.

The Breakdown:
Infantry: Jack-of-all-trades, master of none. 3/5
Transports: It's cheap, it's free! 3/5
Tanks: Best generation-two tanks, and you can take a LOT of them. 4/5
Anti-Tank: Enough TOW platforms to do damage, plus the spillover from AA. 3/5
Recon: Sneaky, but not much else. 2/5
Artillery: Some mortars, some howitzers. Nothing special. 3/5
Aircraft: Grounded by lack of parts. -/5
Anti-Air: Your primary AA platform also cracks open heavy tanks... for a price. 4/5

{{Canadian Forces in Team Yankee}}

====The Netherlands====
''"Lucas, get out of the lingerie!"''

Difficulty: 2/5 (Versatile units with some drawbacks. Beginner viable.)

The Netherlands! A country so friendly and fun to visit that when World War III finally kicked off in August 1985, the Warsaw Pact drove a spear right through West Germany and brought the party to them. High on weed and hookah, the Dutch wade blindly into battle with a combination of dated equipment from the early 60s and the cutting edge of modern weaponry.

Clearly influenced by the Wehrmacht of yesteryear, the Royal Netherlands Army boasts one of the toughest mechanized lists around. With the holy trifecta of Leopard 2s, IFVs and Carl Gustavs, Dutch lists have few weaknesses, with numbers and the ability to deal with armour from just about any range and IFV hordes.

They are less advanced than their alcoholic West German brothers (infrared), but are considerably cheaper.

The Dutch share many similarities with the Americans and the West Germans, playing as a middle ground between the two. Much of their equipment is West German in origin, from the terribly pricy Leopard 2 (with a 1 point discount, no less) to the terrifyingly effective Pantserluchtdoel PRTL, or "Dutch Gepard". Your units have training similar to the Americans rather than the underequipped West Germans.

The strength of the Dutch lies in their mechanized forces. While their tanks are mediocre compared to other NATO nations, they are unique in their ability to pump out infantry fighting vehicles while carrying full-sized platoons with some very scary firepower, unlike their French and German counterparts. The West Germans have also granted support units to your Dutch band of (definitely straight) brothers.

Defining Units: [[Leopard 2]], [[YPR-765]]

;Strengths
*Able to spam IFVs with infantry to boot.
*Ideal for mechanized players or jacks of all trades.

;Weaknesses
*Long ranged anti-tank capability only from Leopard 2s.
*Jack-of-all-trades faction without any overpowered units.
*Drug peddlers.

The Breakdown:
Infantry: decent, but made deadly by virtue of their transports. 4/5
Transports: It's cheap, and also the best NATO IFV. 4/5
Tanks: Not great, but you don't have any other AT options. 3/5
Anti-Tank: Expensive, fragile and mediocre. 2/5
Recon: Does the job, but nothing more. 3/5
Artillery: Below-average, but still passable. 3/5
Aircraft: Our pilots are still in rehab. -/5
Anti-Air: Weaker than the West Germans, but still very strong. 4/5

{{Dutch Forces in Team Yankee}}

====ANZAC====
''"Oi! Mate! Get off the fekkin' gun and stab the bloody cunt!"''

Difficulty: 4/5 (Beginner unfriendly. Vet recommended.)

Legendary for their daring, elan and professionalism, the armed forces of Australia have a long record of making somebody ''very'' sorry that they picked a fight with the Empire. Or with Australia. Or that there was a fight going on, and the Australians heard about it and showed up. Where Canada runs in circles around the enemy and France runs away from the enemy, the Aussies and Kiwis run ''at'' the enemy. By all accounts they really shouldn't be present, they aren't even officially part of NATO (due to that whole "North Atlantic" thing), yet here they are in 1980's Germany. Down-under magic? Down-under magic. The Queen calling for aid? Or maybe has something to do with the complicated system of alliances in the pacific that were thrown around very early on in the cold war. The Aussies and Kiwis both had actually signed a treaty referred to as the ANZUS with the US in the 50's guaranteeing defensive cooperation if any hostilities were launched against them or a number of allied states, hence their military presence in Vietnam and now, in Germany. (Though historically ANZUS was falling apart at the time due to New Zealand's Nuclear-Free stance putting it at odds with the United States).

Your PACT players are going to be wondering: "Wait, aren't ''we'' supposed to be ones who're invading?". This will occur just as several packs of foul-mouthed Bogans roll around the corner, firing on the move and charging into melee from their tanks to show the Gopniks how it’s really done. Keep in mind, this is during an era whereby that shit should '''not''' fly. But looking at their stats, that's specifically what they're here to do. Skilled, courageous, all while packing lots of tools designed for staring the dirty communist in the eyes as you kill him. Your infantry may not be amazing, but your scorpions and leopards can literally roll over the communists with assault 3+. The Australians may not actually be in NATO at all, but having decided to show up anyway, they're polite, they're efficient, and they have a plan to kill everyone they meet.

The ANZACS have British support units such as the Tracked Rapier and Harrier, thanks to their plea deal with the crown.

Defining Units: [[CVRT#Kiwi Variant|Scorpion]], [[AT Land Rover]]

;Strengths
*'Tank' units are nearly unmatched in close quarters, and set to win damn near ''every'' melee they enter.
*Ideal for you melee junkies out there.

;Weaknesses
*Suffers from yet another serious lack of organic support.
*Units are few as is, but a lack of variety can seriously limit flexibility.
*Can't handle cold.

The Breakdown:
Infantry: Average NATO infantry, but essential in any list. 3/5
Transports: It's free I guess.... 3/5
Tanks: Your tanks can shred light armor on the move while running infantry over. 4/5
Anti-Tank: Good against light armor, terrible against high-end tanks. 3/5
Recon: Kiwis go ''hard''. 2/5
Artillery: Mortars only, but the Brits can help you out! 2/5
Aircraft: They haven't discovered aviation yet. -/5
Anti-Air: It's bad. It's REALLY bad. 1/5

{{ANZAC Forces in Team Yankee}}

===Warsaw Pact===
{{topquote|The Communists disdain to conceal their views and aims. They openly declare that their ends can be attained only by the forcible overthrow of all existing social conditions. Let the ruling classes tremble at a Communistic revolution. The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains. They have a world to win.

'''''Working Men of All Countries, Unite!''
'''|Karl Marx, The Communist Manifesto}}

Unlike NATO, standardization was enforced in the Warsaw Pact at most levels of the military. From the caliber of firearms to the strategies used by commanders, each country only made the slightest of adjustments. Expect little variation in equipment compared to NATO. Tactics do vary of course, but always rely on numerical superiority to win the day. Most Pact nations have inferior equipment to the Soviet Union which was historically accurate: Soviet Union entries can generally be used for your own faction. The playstyles vary more on your army list than individual factions: an infantry list is going to play very similarly, whether there are Russians or Poles in their ranks. For budget players without care for bling and army decals, consider leaving all units in the standard Russian green and they can be Russians, Czechs or Russians disguised as <s>Ukrainians</s> Poles.

====Soviet Union====
-''What should a Soviet soldier do if he finds himself in an immediate vicinity of a nuclear explosion?''

-''Stretch out his arms and hold his assault rifle in such a way that no molten metal get on state-issued boots.''

- Soviet army joke

Difficulty: 3.5/5 (Tough to learn, easier to master.)

Massive, heavily armed, and with a record of Nazi-stomping in World War II that makes the whole Western front pale in comparison, the Soviet Armed Forces were a force to be reckoned with through the entire Cold War. Far outnumbering their adversaries and their own voluntold allies, the Soviet military possessed enough tanks, artillery, aircraft, automatic rifles and machine guns to make all of NATO's vaunted quality-over-quantity ideas count for absolutely nothing in a real war. Rules for the Soviet Hordes can be found in the Team Yankee Rulebook, “Red Thunder”, and, most recently, the "Soviet" book.

In addition to the mechanized forces of the Red Army, Red Thunder gives you the rules for running an Air Assault Battalion from the VDV. They have a totally different list from other PACT factions and are the best infantry that the PACT can buy.

As a Soviet player, you are the proud owner of the most advanced army among REDFOR, rivalled only by the US (in games without allies, that is). Point for point, few armies can equal your ability to bring reliable firepower. Near universal 3+ Remount and Morale ensures that your glorious Communists will (probably) never falter against the Capitalist pigs. While their 3+ to hit ensures that they suffer losses at a far greater rate, the USSR has viable units in almost every archetype. Whether it's a tank battalion, an air assault list, artillery spam or half of a motor rifle brigade, the USSR is cost-effective enough to make most archetypes work. An ideal army for the experienced or the powergamer, although you must be prepared to counter your low skill ratings.

Defining Units: [[Motor Rifle Company]], [[2S1 Carnation|2S1 Gvozdika]]

;Strengths
*Cheap, cost-effective units for all roles but tanks. Excellent morale.
*Ideal for veterans to Flames Of War, horde and powergamers.
*Communism.

;Weaknesses
*Reliant on effective combined arms tactics.
*Units will lose 1-on-1 confrontations against most NATO counterparts.
*Communism.

The Breakdown:
Infantry: Cheap and insanely cost-efficient. 5/5
Transports: Meta defined by BMP parking lots. 5/5
Tanks: Cheap but mediocre. 3/5
Anti-Tank: Cheap, but tiny unit sizes. 2/5
Recon: Acceptable, but not amazing. 3/5
Artillery: Unreliable, weakest PACT artillery. 2/5
Aircraft: Good; only competitor to the US. 4/5
Anti-Air: Cheap but deadly. 5/5

{{Soviet Forces in Team Yankee}}

====East Germany====
''"For the protection of the workers' and the peasants' power" ''
-Motto of the Volksarmee

Difficulty: 4.5/5 (Weak units and weak list. Vets only.)

After getting stomped into oblivion by the Soviets during World War II, half of Germany has been rebuilt in the Soviet image. Founded in the mid-1950s, the armed forces of the German Democratic Republic, known as the Nationalvolksarmee (National People's Army), combine Prussian heritage, iconic German military discipline, and Soviet mass-unit doctrine to forge one of the most formidable enemies NATO will ever face on the battlefield. Even though they must make do with downgraded Soviet export equipment, they fight with a tenacity that rivals that of their forefathers. NATO military officers have consistently rated the NVA as the best force in the Warsaw Pact based on its discipline, thoroughness of training, and the leadership ability of its commissioned officers. Following Soviet tradition, the Volksarmee lends the names of various Communist heroes to regimental-sized units and above, such as Panzerregiment 23 "Julian Marchlewski", one of the three armored regiments of the 9th Panzer Division. Rules for the East Germans are found in “Volksarmee.”

As the Volksarmee you stare enviously at USSR-Sempai and employ 30-year-old tanks with such reckless ambition that an Imperial Guardsman would question your value for human life. Your soldiers are as zealous as your Soviet counterparts and have more skill than <s>the illiterate peasants in the Red Army</s> your honored Soviet allies. The downside you might ask? You are using whatever even the ''Soviet Union'' thinks is too unsafe for their soldiers, using all the hand me downs with gusto. The majority of the Volksarmee gets the T-55AM2, which is great at exploding, and the first-rate armored regiments get the T-72M, which is also great at exploding but shoots better. You may be (mostly) bringing tanks from the mid-50s, but you can bring 30 of them for a little less than the cost of 2 West German tanks. Hell, even if you fight against the Soviets, you will outnumber them more than 2 to 1 (Even with both of you bringing T-72s). If you want the discount of non-Soviet PACT nations without the lopsided characteristics of the Poles or the Czechs, the National People's Army stands ready to invade capitalist-occupied West Germany at your order.

Defining Units: [[Motor_Rifle_Company#Mot-Schützen Kompanie|Motorschützen]], [[T55AM2]]

;Strengths
*Second cheapest units in the game, with rather decent stat lines.
*Ideal for horde players with too much money, or tactical geniuses.
*Sweet spot between the elite Poles and the conscript Czechs.

;Weaknesses
*Units outmatched by most NATO equivalents; West Germany has much, ''much'' better Panzers.
*Players must rely on superior planning to win games due to the VAST technological gap.
*Communist Prussians (almost as bad as Communazis).

The Breakdown
Infantry: Soviet numbers with low-end NATO stats. 3/5
Transports: Like the Soviets, but slightly worse. 3/5
Tanks: Useless in head-on engagements, good as flanking units. 3/5
Anti-Tank: Tanks do it better than these pieces of crap. 1/5
Recon: On par with Soviet Recce (AKA pretty bad). 3/5
Artillery: NATO skill and Soviet arty? Pretty good! 4/5
Aircraft: Decent air force. 3/5
Anti-Air: Cheap but lacks high-end anti-air missiles. 3/5

{{East German Forces in Team Yankee}}

====Poland====
''"When the Red Army makes a mess, why do we always have to clean it up?"''

Difficulty: 4.75/5 (Specialized units and weak list. Vets only.)

Coming from a background of militarism, Poland has had a fairly shitty history in the 20th century. They've been stuck in wars since the Great War (despite not being a nation), and Poland has become a plaything for the powers of Europe. Poland was the first country the Nazis occupied (as opposed to annexing), and thanks to the Soviets "liberating" them 40 years ago, by 1985 the original Polish government has been waiting to return home for nearly half a century. Yay. There's some division on that, however, as the Polish People's Army was first organized in 1943 and fought well on the Eastern Front against the Germans before establishing themselves as Poland's official armed forces for the next 40-plus years. Florian Siwicki, the Minister of Defence under the Polish People's Republic in 1985, first joined up in 1942 and has thus shot at (West) Germans before.

The Polish People's Republic has one of the largest and strongest armies in Eastern Europe short of the Soviets (complete with their own 6th Airborne Division and a specialized amphibious landing division), and possesses its own arms industry, manufacturing more cheap tanks and guns than anybody except the USSR. Their foreign customers include the East Germans (a lot of those commie Panzers are, ironically, from a Polish factory) and those fun guys in North Korea. They've kept the old Polish national anthem, and, bizarrely for a Soviet bloc state, the Polish People's Army provided chaplains to its troops throughout its existence. The Polish People's Army is large, well-armed, and well-trained; going into World War III, they can dish out and take plenty as the Warsaw Pact and NATO have a frank exchange of ideas over the fate of Europe and the world.

In Team Yankee, the Poles are troops with 4+ skill, 3+ courage and 3+ rally, giving them the determination of Soviets with the skill of the NVA. Second only to the Afgantsy VDV veterans, the Poles are some of the best-trained forces of the Warsaw Pact. Despite costing almost as much as the Soviets, they have even less equipment than the East Germans with the same downgrades by PACT forces, except for a handful of special units to even the balance. Boasting the best trained motorized infantry of the PACT armies, Polish battlegroups rely on the superiority of their infantry to win the day, while vehicles serve in support roles.

Defining Units: [[Motor_Rifle_Company|Zmotory Kompania]], [[T-72M]]

;Strengths
*Reliable units unlikely to get pinned or bailed.
*Best PACT infantry at firefighting and attacking.
*Ideal for players who want a horde of morale-resistant units.

;Weaknesses
*Poor anti-tank capability.
*2nd tier equipment with near-Soviet costs.
*Will carjack your vehicle wrecks.

Infantry: The best PACT infantry in firefights, at a cost... 3/5
Transports: Like the Soviets, but slightly worse. Few BMP-2s. 3/5
Tanks: Good at flanking, bad at tanking/killing tanks. 3/5
Anti-Tank: Your tanks do the job better than these things. 1/5
Recon: Cheap but bad. 3/5
Artillery: It kills, it's reliable! 4/5
Aircraft: Passable. 3/5
Anti-Air: Pretty solid, actually. 4/5

{{Polish Forces in Team Yankee}}

====Czechoslovakia====
''"To be honest, I'd rather fight for NATO. <small>please don't kill us</small>"''

Difficulty: 5/5 (For hardened vets only.)

Ah, yes, Czechoslovakia, the Reluctant Conscript of the Warsaw Pact. Lied to and annexed by the Nazis, then brutally occupied for years, then "liberated" and forced to join the Soviet Union in the Warsaw Pact. What fun! A year ago, someone wrote (rather accurately) that the NVA were the enthusiastic conscripts taking the equipment that the Soviets were afraid of using. Now, imagine these same conscripts, but terrified of death and shivering in their boots. As of October 20, the German goblin hordes have been dethroned by the Czechs! Second-line, underequipped, cowering Slavs being shoved into battle by the Soviets and marching in hordes that would make the Chinese blush (seriously, you'll outnumber the damn East Germans in most scenarios.)

The Czechs take the hordes concept to the next level, with their armies outnumbering the other PACT armies. As the least willing participants of the conflict, virtually all their stats are 5+ apart from 4+ skill and 4+ morale. They might have the least trustworthy men in the game, but their discounts allow you to bring enough 125mm cannons and RPGs that a pinned/bailed unit won't save your opponent from the wall of firepower you can produce. The Czechs favour two playstyles: an aggressive list with enough T-72Ms to ignore losses or a defensive list that literally buries your side of the table with men.

Defining Units: [[T-72M]], [[Dana SpGH]]

;Strengths
*Units are 20-33% cheaper than Soviet counterparts.
*4+ skill for aggressive tank pushes and artillery spammers.
*Ideal for horde players and rich blokes.

;Weaknesses
*Least reliable units in the game, vulnerable to pinning and morale shock. They ''really'' don't want to be there.
*Units without support are almost guaranteed to lose any engagements.
*Constantly hungover.

Infantry: You get a horde...but they won't listen to your orders. 2/5
Transports: Like the Poles, with untrained crews. 2/5
Tanks: THE cheapest tank hordes in the game. Good for alpha strikes. 4/5
Anti-Tank: No missiles that can reliably beat heavy tanks, but your T-72s fill the gap. 1/5
Recon: Cheap but bad. 3/5
Artillery: Cheaper, but just as deadly! 4/5
Aircraft: Passable. 3/5
Anti-Air: Cheaper and scarier. 4/5

{{Czech Forces in Team Yankee}}

===Middle Eastern Powers===
{{topquote|The whole melodrama of the Middle East would be improved if amnesia were as common here as it is in melodramatic plots.|P. J. O'Rourke}}
What's that, the folks in Europe are shooting each other again? The War To End All Wars ended up getting another sequel?! Time for a renewed surge of violence in the Middle East!

Apart from Turkey, which did join NATO, nobody anywhere near the Middle East (except maybe the various Soviet "Stans" depending on where exactly your draw the middle east's borders) ever actually joined NATO or the Warsaw Pact. Both of those coalitions made overtures to the various nations in that region, partly because they knew the other was going to, and partly because some of those Middle Eastern countries are absolutely loaded with oil. Iran, Iraq, and Israel are the three major players as World War III in Europe inevitably spreads into the Middle East, and the one thing they agree on is they all hate each other with pretty much equal intensity. Iran is a Islamic republic, Iraq is a one party totalitarian dictatorship, both practice different sects of Islam, and Israel is a democratic-religious nation state whose majority religion is a minority everywhere else, and all three of them hate each other equally. With Iran and Iraq both practicing different sects of Islam along side concerns of the ones government being a threat to the the two sides came to hate each other. Meanwhile both also hate Israel in a conflict going back centuries, while Israel has staked out a claim for a Jewish homeland and will give it up for ''nobody''. The Saudi's, Egyptians and Turks are (for the moment) sitting WWIII out which is especially notable for Saudi Arabia, who hate Iran, and are friendly to the America (well, the King is). Lebanon meanwhile is still licking their wounds from the just ended 1982 Lebanon War with Israel, in fact by Team Yankee start that war would have ended less then two months ago.

World War III may have started, but as far as the Middle East was concerned the war had already begun. You see, Team Yankee starts in 1985, and by 1985 the Iran/Iraq war is still raging, in our timeline it ended in 1988. Calling it 'middle eastern world war' may not be accurate, but it's close with most of the middle east involved in someway, either with foreign volunteers joining with the Iraq army or with selling gear to one side or the other, or both at once. Hell: ISRAEL Supported Iran on the sly (while the Saudis openly backed Iraq), but in Team Yankee it's with Iraq taking NATO formation against Iran and Syria. Speaking of Israel, in 1985 they're still technically at war with most of the countries they fought in 1973. Meanwhile the Soviets gave guns to Iraq during the war but are now shooting at them and being shot back with those same guns. Meanwhile the second,American played both sides and gave open support to Iraq and tried to do so secretly to Iran, using Israel as a middle man during Iran–Contra! To be blunt, the middle east is a mess in either timeline. This mess and fluidity in allegiance is why they are a category unto themselves: not quite apple pie, not quite vodka.

In terms of equipment, Middle Eastern powers use a strange mix of stuff from both sides of the Iron Curtain. Iraq, for example, has Western aircraft but Eastern tanks, while Iran flips it. Meanwhile, Israel has a few homemade vehicles; lots of Western stuff, and the odd [[Looted|Soviet vehicle]], captured from one of its many wars in the past.

====Israel====
{{topquote|Let me tell you something that we Israelis have against Moses: He took us 40 years through the desert in order to bring us to the one spot in the Middle East that has no oil.|Golda Meir}}

Difficulty: 2/5 (Good for beginners and vets alike!)

Forged by near-constant war since State of Israel declared its independence in 1948 (instantly starting a war as its enraged Muslim neighbors all attacked), the Israel Defence Forces stand as one of most effective armies in 20th-century history. They are an army of Jews, sworn to act as the sword and shield of the long-dreamt-of Jewish homeland, and they are both well-trained, battle-hardened, and fiercely motivated. The IDF have lived with a "backs to the wall" mentality since the beginning; they know that losing once in the wrong time and wrong place could well mean losing Israel. But they also know that they're safer being feared; eighteen years before Team Yankee, Israel fought the Six Day War against all its neighbors and won, virtually obliterating the Egyptian and Jordanian air forces while taking the Sinai, and six years later held their gains in the Yom Kippur War.

Driven by constant pressure and the endless threat of danger and defeat, the IDF has been extremely innovative and adaptable with their equipment right from the start. They deliberately use literally ''anything'' they can get their hands on, with an array of weaponry ranging from World War II-vintage Sten SMG's, Soviet-made Shilkas captured from their not-so-friendly Muslim neighbors, purchased American tanks and a handful of home-grown items. While the WW2 tech has been passed to the reservists by now, Team Yankee's IDF options largely ignore this ramshackle history beyond a few looted wagons, which is a shame because M50 "Super Shermans" would be fun to use. You could, if you really wanted, use "Flames of War" and "Fate of a Nation" units to put together an IDF reservist force, but that would require extra work. The IDF in any format are well-trained and well-motivated. No matter what they're driving, flying or shooting, they are skilled and brave, making them a formidable enemy to anyone who goes up against them.

Israeli battlegroups have one of the deadliest anti-infantry arsenals with napalm bombers, tanks with Brutal and ROF 2 on the move, and infantry that could outfight the Americans' legendary 82nd Airborne. Anti-armour is a clear weakness, and you only have a handful of specialized units capable of punching through Leopard 2s and M1IP Abrams. IDF units have nearly identical stats to the West Germans: 3+ stats across the board, except for 4+ assault and courage.

The Israelis may take allied NATO formations in their battlegroups.

Defining Units:
[[Merkava]], [[Pereh]]

;Strengths
*Deadliest anti-infantry weapons currently in the game.
*Infantry platoons which can beat tanks, and excel at firefights.
*Ideal for combined arms players with some experience.

;Weaknesses
*Extremely few units which can penetrate 3rd generation tanks.
*Mediocre anti-air arsenal.
*Can't recognize American ships, mistakes them for Egyptian ones.
*Terrified of shellfish.

The Breakdown:
Infantry: Good at firefighting with strong stats but not much else. 3/5
Transports: The metal box of the free world...again. 3/5
Tanks: Great fire support, terrible tank killer. 3/5
Anti-Tank: Seriously lacks tools to deal with heavy tanks. 2/5
Recon: Mediocre, but cheap. 3/5
Artillery: 3+ skill, and you have an artillery piece for every mission. 4/5
Aircraft: Slightly weaker anti-armour, excellent anti-infantry. 4/5
Anti-Air: Solid SPAAGs, but suffers against NATO aircraft. 3/5

{{Israeli Forces in Team Yankee}}

====Iraq/Syria====
''Why are we on the same side as Israel?...and why are those Abrams giving me Déjà vu?"''

Difficulty: 4/5 (The challenge of a WARPAC list, made easier with NATO allies)

Universally feared in the Middle East as the strongest conventional military force in numbers and technology, the Iraqi Armed Forces boast a mix of Western and Soviet equipment and the largest military in the region. Despite being bested by the Israelis during the Six-Days War, the 80s Iraqis were a very respectable force in the context of a head-on conventional war. By 1990, they were the 4th largest army in the world with over 900,000 troops in the military with one of the largest tank fleets in the Middle East, though take that statement with a grain of salt about their effectiveness since by [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_War 1991 they had the second largest army in Iraq]. That being said, this all took place well after 1985, when back in 1979, despite Iraq being in the Soviet sphere of influence, the US gave some material support to Iraq during the Iraq-Iran war. You can make an argument for Iraq being on either NATO's or PACT's side in this conflict.

Iraqi lists are 'constructed' at the Division level, meaning that you have access to support units that would usually be found at the company level in other armies. While you do have a few French units, your combat troops have Soviet equipment and can be expected to perform like poorly trained PACT troops. Iraqis have 4+ stats across the board, except for 5+ assault and 5+ skill. They also operate at the company level like other PACT armies.

Uniquely for a faction with as much soviet gear as they do, Iraqis may take NATO allied formations in their battlegroups, if you've ever fantasized about a functional Iraqi-US coalition force. In game terms, this lets you have cheap conscript horde working alongside the best of the West. If you want a tarpit of conscripts protecting objectives while your Leopard 2s or Merkavas tear things up, this is the faction for you. You also have the USAF providing air cover with Warthogs and Harriers.

The Syrians are an official modification to the Iraqi list, losing the AMX AuF1, VCR/TH, AMX Roland, AMX-10P, US air support and all NATO allies. In exchange, they get access to the SU-25 and PACT allied formations.

Defining Units: [[T-62M]], [[Motor Rifle Company]]

;Strengths
*Large unit sizes with a point cost between East Germans and Czechs.
*Access to NATO tools like the AMX-AuF1 and the Gazelle HOT.
*Ideal for WARPAC commanders dabbling in NATO equipment and allies.

;Weaknesses
*Almost all support units at the divisional level.
*[[Planetary Defense Force|Units have the morale of WARPAC troops and the training of Russian conscripts.]]
*Addicted to nerve agents.

The Breakdown:
Infantry: Tanned Pact troops with Ruskie training videos. 3/5
Transports: Many mediocre options for versatility. 3/5
Tanks: Inferior to Pact tanks, in training and tech. 2/5
Anti-Tank: Very fragile, but you can beat 3rd-gen tanks. 3/5
Recon: Cheap scout that can't kill anything. 2/5
Artillery: High-tech, average cost, low skill. 2/5
Aircraft: Nothing overpowered, but you have a solution for every problem. 4/5
Anti-Air: Plenty of options for the perfect AA net! 5/5

{{Iraqi Forces in Team Yankee}}

====Iran====
{{topquote|Throw away your prayer chain and buy yourself a gun. For prayer chains keep you in stillness while guns silence the enemies of Islam.|Ayatollah Khamenei}}

Difficulty: 4/5 (Excels in the hands of veterans, unfriendly to beginners.)

Formerly an American ally of convenience, and already at war with Iraq before World War III started in August 1985, the Islamic Republic of Iran has wound up as a de-facto ally of the atheistic Warsaw Pact. The underdogs of the Middle East, the Iranian military lack the generations of combat experience of the Israelis or the raw numbers of the Iraqis but compensate through sheer fanaticism. By the Iran-Iraq War, the Iranian military was only able to repel invading Iraqi forces thanks to foreign equipment and local militias slowing the initial Iraq advance.

Iranian armies featured iconic Soviet platforms but typically used Western vehicles - without the latest upgrades, of course. It’s strange to see Iran side with the Soviet Union in this scenario, if only because they were one of the major backers of the Mujahideen in the Soviet-Afghan War. But politics can make for strange bedfellows indeed, and this fiercely religious state's alliance with the explicitly atheist USSR and its client states in Eastern Europe is far from the only unusual partnership of the 20th century.

The Iranians play with NATO vehicles using PACT doctrine (holdovers from the last regime, when the Americans propped up Iran as a buffer state against the Soviet Union), operating M113s and Chieftains as the backbone of their force. The Americans and British are obviously no longer supplying spare parts, but the Iranians manage somehow, running their bizarre mishmash of NATO and WarPac machines and weapons, some of which are still in service today. Statwise, the Iranians are more fanatical than Soviets with 3+ across the board, but with 5+ assault and skill. Your illiterate hajis won't understand orders but are guaranteed to outlast nearly any foe on the battlefield in a contest of attrition.

Iranian armies operate at the platoon level much like NATO's forces except for the Basij, and may take allied formations from the Warsaw Pact despite the communist hatred of all things religious. If you like NATO tanks, painting desert camo and <s>unironically saying Allahu Akbar </s> getting placed on FBI watchlists, boy do I have the army for you.

Defining Units:
[[Chieftain]], [[Basij Infantry Company]]

;Strengths
*Insanely cheap platoons that let you bring several companies easily.
*High morale means units can practically disregard pinning/bails/losses.
*Beige.
*Literal jihadists.

;Weaknesses
*Extremely squishy armour formations capped at 3 tank platoons.
*Atrocious anti-armour capability.
*I hope you like painting beige.
*Literal jihadists.

The Breakdown:
Infantry: Good balance between infantry spam and mediocre infantry. 4/5
Transports: Average transports with quite a bit of choice. 3/5
Tanks: Soviet tanks and outdated Chieftains. 2/5
Anti-Tank: Your strongest AT platoons can't penetrate an M1IP. 1/5
Recon: Passable: not bad, but not great. 3/5
Artillery: A calibre for every target and every list. 4/5
Aircraft: Passable anti-tank, lacks a bomber. 3/5
Anti-Air: Nearly identical to PACT anti-air. 4/5

{{Iranian Forces in Team Yankee}}

===Unofficial Rules - Alternative Nations and Special Forces===

Unlike the Swedish, who will undoubtedly get their own rules in years to come, you can follow the link below to play as one of the following nations: Spain (which actually joined NATO in 1982), Greece (joined NATO in 1952), Ireland, Yugoslavia, Albania, Denmark, Belgium, Romania, Switzerland, Finland, Italy, Austria, Norway, Sweden, Turkey, Hungary, Bulgaria, Portugal, Mexico, Kuwait, Luxembourg, Malta, and Cuba.

You can also find unofficial rules for US Army Rangers, British Royal Marines, ANZAC SAS, Polish Spec Forces, Canadian Airborne, Iranian Spec Forces, East German Paratroops, Czech Airborne, French Foreign Legion, Soviet Naval Infantry, Iraqi and Syrian Republic Guard, Israeli Commandos and West German and Dutch Marines. You can even play now as Terrorists/ Guerrillas!

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/344587741_TEAM_YANKEE_UNOFFICIAL_RULES_COMPENDIUM_-_NATIONAL_AND_SPECIAL_FORCES_RULES

===The Neutral Powers===

(Only mentioned at the BF open so far, but don’t let that get your hopes down)

====Sweden====
Maintaining a policy of armed neutrality (leave us alone, we have guns) since 1814, Sweden never joined NATO despite its neighbors Denmark and Norway being among the first to sign up. However, it is extremely likely that in the event of a war, the Swedes would have broken their long-standing neutrality to support their Scandinavian comrades against the Communist threat to their way of coffee breaks every 2 hours.

This actually happens in Sir John Hackett's novel ''The Third World War: The Untold Story'', which Harold Coyle's ''Team Yankee'' is set within- the Swedes don't take kindly to the Soviet Air Force repeatedly invading their airspace to bomb Norway, and Sweden becomes a de facto NATO ally when they attack the Soviet bombers and the Soviets retaliate. So far that hasn't been made canon in Team Yankee: The Tabletop Game, but Battlefront Miniatures could change that at any time.

The Swedish military of 1985 was armed with some of the most distinctive weapons of the Cold War thanks to their homegrown defence industry. Designs, like the Stridsvagn 103 (or 'S' tank) and the Saab 35 'Draken' and 37 'Viggen' were strange even for the time. The Draken was of the first aircraft to successfully implement a delta-wing configuration and Viggen the canard delta layout; the design used in modern interceptor aircraft like the Rafale and the Typhoon fighter jets.

As with other Scandinavian armies, their forces were rather small. This meant that their funding per soldier was almost equal to other Western European nations, giving them a small force of well-trained and equipped troops that constantly stink of pickled herring.

Defining Units:
[[Strv 103]]

;Strengths
*Free shipping for orders above $50.
*Excellent cars and fishes.

;Weaknesses
*Has [[Munchkin|min-maxed tanks]]
*Screwdriver sold separately.

The Breakdown:

{{Swedish Forces in Team Yankee}}

==FAQ/General Bulletin==
*There are three kinds of teams: Tank Teams, Infantry Teams, and Aircraft Teams
**Tank Teams include every type of ground based vehicle, not just literal tanks. It is further broken down into Armoured, Unarmoured, and Transport types
**Infantry Teams include all units made up of men fighting on foot
**Aircraft Teams are comprised of Strike Aircraft and Helicopters

*For most units moving will lead to worse shooting (or not being able to shoot at all)
*Tactical Speed allows you to shoot after moving
*Dash speed prohibits shooting and the maximum distance depends on the unit and the terrain
*Tank Teams must roll higher than their Cross value when moving into or through terrain or immediately end their movement
*Movement can be enhanced using various orders based on Skill or Motivation
*Friendly Tank and Infantry Teams can move through each other
*Tank Teams can never move through other Tank Teams (except wrecks)

*Units are hit based on their own Is Hit On value and not the shooting team's skill
**A unit's Is Hit On value is modified by Concealment, Smoke, and other factors
**Remaining in place and not shooting will make your units Gone To Ground
**Units that are Gone to Ground and also Concealed are even harder to hit
*Infantry, aircraft, and soft skinned vehicles that are hit must make a saving throw or be destroyed
**If the infantry unit is in Bullet Proof Cover the shooting team must also pass a Fire Power test
**Armored vehicles take the armor value (AV) on the card, add a d6, and compare it to the shooting weapon's anti-tank (AT) value
***If the total is less than the shooting weapon's AT then the target fails their Armour Save (if the weapon's AT exceeding your AV by 6 or more you will automatically fail)
***If the total is the same as the shooting weapon's AT then the target also fails but the shot does limited damage
***Failing an Armour Save does not mean automatic destruction. If the shooting unit then fails a Firepower roll the target stays alive (but is possibly Bailed Out)
***The hull and turret are considered separately. Roll a d6 if both are exposed. On a 4+ the turret (if there is one) is hit instead of the hull
****This only matters if the shooting unit is flanking the target (behind a line drawn across the front of the hull or turret)
*Long Range shooting carries a penalty to hit and AT (but this is often negated by rules for Laser Range Finders or Guided Missile technology)

*You will find the rules on the back of cards, but just in case you're simply browsing, here are what they all mean
**Brutal: Forces infantry units to reroll saves against this weapon
**Laser Rangefinder: Negates penalty of shooting at longer range
**Advanced Stabilizer: Increases the units maximum Tactical Speed
**Stabilizer: Increases the units maximum Tactical Speed, but adds a penalty to shooting when moving beyond the standard Tactical Speed
**Dedicated AA: Allows you to use full ROF against air units instead of just one die
**HEAT: Negates Firepower penalty for Long Range
**Guided: Negates hit penalty for Long Range
**Thermal Imaging: Allows unit to ignore smoke, friendly or foe

==Books==
<gallery>
File:Team-Yankee-cover.jpg|Da Big Rulebook
File:Iron Maiden Cover.jpg|Iron Maiden
File:Leopard Cover.jpg|Leopard
File:Panzertruppen Cover.jpg|Panzertruppen: sort of an addendum to Leopard
File:Volksarmee Cover.jpg|Volksarmee
File:FW909.jpg|Red Thunder
File:Stripes cover.jpg|Stripes
File:Freenationscover.jpg|Free Nations
File:Czech book.jpg|Czechoslovak Peoples Army
File:Polish book.jpg|Polish Peoples Army
File:Oilwar.jpg|Oil War
File:WWIII-BRITISH-cover.jpg|British Book II
</gallery>

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:McPizza_King.jpg|Ramirez! Defend the <s>Burgertown</s> McPizza King!
File:Lynx & Btr-60s.jpg|''Gott im Himmel'' there's hundreds of them!
File:Marinecorps AAVP7.jpg|ONE TWO THREE FOUR, I LOVE THE MARINE CORPS!
File:CheiftainvsT64.jpg|Take that you dastardly Russians!
File:Afgantsy Choppers.jpg|Like a swarm of angry hornets.
File:Cheiftain on the road.jpg|Yes, the might of Great Britain has arrived.
File:New Bradley Mini.jpg|
File:Desert Bradley.jpg|

</gallery>

==External Links==
[http://www.team-yankee.com/ The Official Team Yankee website]

[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrwatpGKP655UI1CjcmKQrcY5uiO_HHB7/ A somewhat outdated starter guide]

[[Category:Wargames]]
[[Category:Battlefont Miniatures]]
[[Category:Team Yankee]]
[[Category:Flames Of War]]

Flames of War

2022-02-09T06:37:47Z

2001:8003:1D0D:301:EC88:79BC:281C:41DE: /* Armies */ Maybe this will stop the snide comments from /pol/

{{Game Infobox
|name = Flames of War
|picture = [[File:FOW-Logo-Color2.jpg]]
|type = [[Miniatures]]-based [[Wargame]]
|system =
|playno =
|time =
|publisher = Battlefront Miniatures
|authors =
|year = 2002
|books = Flames of War: Fourth Edition and Flames of War: Forces
}}

'''Flames of War''' is a tabletop [[wargame]], first released in 2002, by the New Zealand company Battlefront Miniatures. It recreates the fighting in the European and North African theaters of World War II using 15mm scale models. There are also expansions that cover Vietnam, World War 1, and the Arab-Israeli Wars. Play simulates combat between company-level forces, with each stand of infantry typically representing half a squad. In the mid-2010s its popularity outside its homeland has skyrocketed, and it is moving rapidly on its way to joining <s>[[Warhammer Fantasy Battle]]</s> (Lol dead), [[Warhammer 40,000]] and [[Warmachine]]/[[Hordes]] as one of THE big-name tabletop wargames. Also like those games, it is quickly developing a strong community of whiny, sophist 'YouTube War Expert' players. Still, most players are quite friendly and welcoming to newbs, newbies, noobs, and nubs. Even if they often make typos. Also developed by a team of mainly very nice gentlemen.

Battlefront Miniatures itself has become fairly popular in comparison to [[Games Workshop|other well-known companies]], as they have given their blessing for players to use other company's products in games, even allowing them in tournaments; and for making many of the army lists available on their website. Also the prices from the company aren't that high ($52.00 USD is pretty good for 2 Rifle platoons, a weapons platoon, a Company command squad and a few bazooka teams), and in addition to that, most of the stuff you own can be mix-and-match as those infantry platoons you own can be used with your armoured companies and vice versa. Also, as infantry don't really change much, and since at 15mm it's hard to tell what they are equipped with anyway, you can use your infantry platoon/company throughout all war periods, and can proxy them as mechanized (provided you have the transports), paratroopers, ect. with ease.

==Rules Basics==
If you've played any other tabletop wargame, you should be halfway to knowing the rules for FoW, its just a matter of the squirrelly parts. Some of the major points are:
*Unit ratings- Units are rated on two stats, their motivation and their training. Ratings are typically applied across and entire army list.
**Motivation- How happy and ready for fight your units are. Keeps troops in the battle and helps them keep moving and fighting. There are three ratings (barring special snowflake rules): Reluctant, Confident and Fearless. Note that Fearless is not as good as it is in 40k, although it's still pretty damn great as it stops your platoons and companies pissing out at a moment's notice.
**Training- How skilled at combat your troops are. Keeps them alive and helps with things like moving through rough terrain, digging in, hitting the enemy in Close Combat, and a whole range of other things. Gives protection against being shot at (because unlike other contemporary games, the likelihood of a unit being hit is due to '''their''' skill, not the unit shooting at them). There are three flavours of training: [[Imperial Guard|Conscript]], Trained and Veteran.
*Motivation tests- There are numerous situations when Motivation checks are required. Think of them like Leadership tests in 40k. The most common check is when a platoon is below half strength, it has to take a motivation test or be removed from the game. Following from this, when your entire army is below half strength, your Company Commander has to take a motivation test or (if he's copped it) you lose the game automatically <strike>as your troops run away like little girls </strike> bravely tactically retreat to fight for Freedom and hamburgers another day.
*Shooting- one rule that confuses a lot of new players is that when one unit shoots at another, the chance to hit is based on the target's skill rating, not the firer's. The reasoning being that any moron with one arm and two brain cells to rub together can spray machine-gun fire at people, and what really counts is how good the people being shot at are at taking cover and not bunching up like a flock of sheep.

==List Building==
Note that all lists are based off historically based equipment at a specific point of time, even if that equipment was unique or incredibly rare.

Army lists come in three different flavours: Infantry, Mechanized, and Armoured. Each "codex" will normally feature multiple nations, and each nation will usually have different organization charts that let them take any of the three flavours of list. The differences between organization charts is that they dictate the base requirements of a list, the motivation and skill level of your list, and the "weapon" and "support" options your list can take.

*The HQ: Your force will always have an HQ. For infantry lists, this will be a stand of a Company Commander (who allows units he joins to reroll motivation), a 2nd in Command (honestly not that good, although depending on your nation he gives bonuses to your troops. The main use for him is that he can "appoint" a platoon commander if their commander died previously.) Some HQs let you bring along extra goodies, like Bazookas and Mortars that can be attached to platoons. Mech HQs are the same as Infantry HQs but will come with transports (and unlike 40k, transports can be a real disadvantage, although more recent rules have removed a lot of their downsides.) Tank Commanders will be exactly that: Tanks. Usually one or two tanks make up the HQ, and the tanks can vary a lot. For some Russian lists, you don't actually take one, you just nominate a tank from one of your platoons (actually called companies but they function as platoons) to be your Company Commander. '''HQS usually DO NOT count as platoons for Company strength.''' They function like 40k independent characters do. If I have 3 infantry platoons and a company commander, I count as only having 3 infantry platoons for my force strength.

*The Combat Platoons, AKA Troops choice: Same with 40k, each organization chart will have a minimum requirement of a platoon or two with the option to have more. Infantry lists will have infantry platoons as their combat platoon requirement, mech will have mechanized platoons, etc. Here you choose the size of the platoon (for example, an American Rifle platoon from a Mid War Africa army will be able to have either 7 stands or 10 stands in their platoons) as well as any additional stuff like bazookas, machines guns, mortars, ect.

*The Weapons Support: Usually encompasses stuff like mortar platoons, engineer platoons, and other platoons that come from a battalion level. This would be historically the assets that the division gave to the battalion, such as a machine gun company, that the battalion spreads out through the other battle companies. For example, A Panzer Battalion would have a Company of Engineers attached to it. Therefore, a weapons support option for a Panzer Company would be one or two platoons of Engineers. In a 40k codex, this stuff would come right after the Troops entries in each organization chart, or comes from another organization chart's army list.

*The Divisional/Corp support: This is elements that exist at a Divisional level. Historically, it would be things like air support that is allocated to a division/corps. In game, these options usually give your army some much needed diversity/support. Unlike the troops, HQ and weapon options, these guys aren't restricted to a singular organization chart. This means that multiple lists have access to them. This stuff includes the aforementioned air support, artillery, self propelled guns, and specialist troops. Also the Motivation and Skill ratings of Divisional support can differ from your Troops and Weapon support options. Note that air support is generally "invisible" except that it can either launch a "bombardment" in a similar way to artillery or it can be used to drive off enemy air support. It does not count as a platoon.

However it should be noted FOW tends to allow and even promote ahistorical parings and combinations. This includes allowing indirect artillery to be present on board and act in an anti tank role as well as artillery function. Quantities tend to be over exaggerated. For example a company of infantry can have access to tank or artillery resources that would usually be assigned to a battalion or brigade in real life. There is also no limitations in terms of forces assigned so your company may end up being supported by units from multiple other formations regardless of historical practice.

===Sample Army===

Let's say you want to build a force from the Army book "North Afrika." This book comes from the Mid War period, which means you can only use it against other Mid War lists. You would then pick a nation, in this case we will pick Americans. You then go to the American section of the book to see which organization charts you can pick from. Here you can choose from an Armoured company which uses Sherman Tanks, a Mechanized Company in armored half-tracks, an Infantry company, or a paratrooper company. Here we choose the Infantry company. This means that you must now adhere to the organization chart that comes with this company. Choosing the Infantry company means that your force is Confident trained (it will say this in the book)

Next, you pick the platoons for your force, starting with the required ones. You must take a Company Commander with a 2iC, and two infantry platoons. An average game of Flames of War is about 1500 points, so this is what you will plan for. You look at the first entry, and the Company HQ has the option to take two bazooka teams with him for a few extra points. The extra firepower seems useful, so you take him and the two bazooka teams. You now look at the combat platoon requirements. You MUST take Two Infantry platoons, with the option to take a 3rd. Now you look at the Infantry platoon entry. There is option of taking the infantry platoon with either 6 rifle teams plus a platoon command rifle team, or 9 rifle teams plus the command rifle team. You also have the option for a bazooka. Since you will want a solid foundation for your army list (and so you can get your platoon count up), you take the two minimum infantry platoons PLUS the extra platoon, all at full strength. You also take the optional bazooka teams for added anti-tank capability.

Next you look at the optional weapon platoon options. The organization chart says that you can take one mortar squad, one mechanized platoon, one truck platoon, one machine gun platoon, one weapons platoon (this platoon comprises of light machine guns and light mortars), 2 anti tank platoons (armed with light anti tank guns, although one can be medium according to the entry) and 1 engineer platoon. Since you will want your list to have a barrage template for pinning down the enemy or launching smoke, you choose the mortar platoon. After looking at its entry you see that you can either take 4 mortar teams plus a command rifle team and an observer rifle team, or 6 mortar teams plus a command rifle team and an observer rifle team. It has the option to take two bazooka teams and a car for the observer. However, since the mortar platoon would sit further back, you pass on the bazooka teams, which are only effective at close range. You also pass on the car as the observer needs to be stealthy and hidden, which is harder to do with a jeep or car.

Lastly, you look at the Divisional Support options. You can choose Air support, Artillery support, another medium anti-tank gun platoon, a tank hunter platoon, a Sherman platoon, a paratrooper platoon, an anti-aircraft platoon, a mobile anti-aircraft platoon, an engineer platoon, and a scout platoon. You choose the artillery platoon since the Americans get nifty special rules that boost the effectiveness of their artillery. You then pick limited (which is actually the medium option) air support to drive off enemy air support. Noticing that your army is lacking anti-tank, you take a Sherman Tank platoon to add a punch to your force, and a unit of medium anti-tank guns, which you could have also taken in the Weapon platoons section.

Doing this, your force consists of:
*HQ with 2 bazooka teams
*3 x infantry platoon with 9 rifle teams, a platoon command rifle team, and a bazooka team
*A mortar squad with 6 mortar teams, a platoon command team and an observer
*A tank platoon of 5 Sherman tanks
*An anti tank platoon of 3 57mm anti tank guns with a platoon commander
*An artillery platoon with 4 105mm gun teams with a staff team, platoon command team and observer team
*Limited air support

You have 7 platoons, 3 of which are combat, 1 of which is a weapons platoon, and 3 of which are divisional support platoons.

==Organization==
Rather than try to balance, say, the German army that invaded Poland in 1939 against the Russian army that rolled into Berlin 6 years later, the game is divided into three periods:

In this respect, it is significantly more intelligently designed than its retarded cousin, which shall remain [[Bolt Action|nameless]]. It is still lacking in historical accuracy, and was slowly becoming subsumed by the same special rule bloat that affected most popular miniature wargames. Thankfully, 4th Edition took a flammenwerfer to those, though 3rd was still a better game.

==World War Two==

===Early War===
Covers everything from the beginning of the war until the end of 1941. Available forces are Germany, Great Britain, the USSR, Imperial Japan, Finland, Italy, France and Poland. Typically most forces are less experienced and so there are very few forces (outside of the Germans, Finns and Japanese) who have "veteran" units. It's actually one of the most "balanced" periods of the game, and so is actually fairly popular (except among Americans for some reason). While most of the overall game is balanced, and each period is balanced, in this period every tank has a reasonable chance against other tanks (unless you're those British, Soviet or French cunts who take Matildas, T-34's or B1s- but then you'll have 4 models on the table, TOPS, and they can be easily beaten in assault by engineers). When the Germans get the later Panzer IIIs they can easily take out the allied heavy/infantry tanks, if you're willing to pay a boatload of points for a glass cannon.

===Mid War===
Covers 1942-1943. Poland becomes a British force while America comes in. Probably the most balanced period, with the only real cheese being the [[RAGE|T-34 spam]] that the Russians can use, as amusingly enough they can almost take more tanks than you can get bases of each nation's commando/paratrooper equivalent. Lack a lot of flexibility due to the rules for Russian tanks.

===Late War===
Covers 1944 to the end of the war in May 1945. Includes most of the 'Iconic' battles of the war, like the invasion of Normandy, capture of Paris, Operation Market Garden and the Battle of the Bulge. The Soviets destroyed what was left of the Germans' ability to actually stop them in summer 1944, and finished the job in 1945, so there's plenty going on in the Eastern Front as well, from Operation Bagration in June 1944 to the Battle of Berlin in April-May 1945.

Lots of hilarious units like the Kingtiger and Panthers, both of which are too complicated and expensive for their own good, and virtually infinite opportunities to field last-ditch efforts to prevent the inevitable as the Allied powers advanced into Germany, like the Hitlerjugend child soldiers and the Volkssturm militia.

The large number of special rules makes this period somewhat more "gamey" than mid-war.

==Vietnam==
What started off as a few army lists published in wargames illustrated evolved into the newest period expansion, with the current book being 'Nam. NVA list is pretty standard guerrilla stuff but there is an option to run an ironclad battalion (tank battalion) with soviet make tanks and apcs, despite these kind of forces being extremely rare and only really utilized once the Americans withdrew combat forces. South Vietnam, on the other hand, had its supply of parts and new hardware cut off after the US withdrew, meaning the ROV armed forces rapidly lost all mechanized capability after 1973.

The American/ANZAC/South Vietnamese lists have access to helicopters as well as tank, mechanized cavalry, and infantry lists. Basic rules also change somewhat, and it seems like company-level combat doesn't really work that well for this conflict. Very few players, and the original boxes for units have become quite hard to come by.

==Arab-Israeli Wars==
Currently focused on tank battles during the Six Day War in 1967, which pits upgraded WW2 American tanks versus upgraded WW2 Soviet tanks as well as more modern vehicles such as M48 pattons, centurions, and T-54/55s. No helicopters here, but it does have rules for jet aircraft and night-vision equipment. A lot of people like it because it just takes some tan paint to turn a Late War or Vietnam unit into one that fits this setting. The rule set was first released in 2013 as a wargames illustrated supplement called Fate of a Nation, with tank company lists for Israel, United Arab Republic (Egypt), and Jordan. In late 2014/early 2015 it was re-released as a theater book with revised points and additional lists for Israeli Sayaret (Recon) and paratroopers, and UAR and Jordanian infantry fortified infantry companies. It has been expanded to include the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Plays like a mix of Team Yankee and FoW; with the aircraft and range of Team Yankee but only a little more lethality than your granddaddy's Shermans.

==Great War==
Currently only one book, focused on the final offensives of 1918. Army lists exist for the British Empire, France+Belgium, the United States and Germany, with sides having access to the first tanks, better known as "landships" back then. August 2014 saw the release of German and British army boxes, supporting kits, and terrain, including craters and a trench-line system. August 2015 saw a full book with German, British, French, and American lists as well as new missions. The most recent edition, 'Great War', makes stat updates in the veins of V4 Flames of War and gives you even more ways to send young men to die aimlessly on the battlefields of Europe.

Unsurprisingly, this is the 'safest' game by Battlefront. You may have tanks that literally delete anything else from the table, but the strategy of hiding in trenches and depressing charges into machinegun fire defines the period, and the game as a whole. It is also worthy of note that machine guns have the ability to delete certain tanks, and artillery is far less important than in regular Flames.

==[[Team Yankee]]==
After the eponymous book by Harold Coyle, the newest addition to BF's expanding list of non-WWII theaters, focusing on a hypothetical WWIII with the Warsaw pact vs. NATO in the Fulda Gap and the North German Plains. On the NATO side are the Americans, British, West Germans, French, Canadians, Dutch and the ANZACs. On the Warsaw Pact are the Soviets, East Germans, Poles and Czechs.

The 2019 book Oil War saw an expansion of the war into the Middle East, featuring lists for Irael, Iraq, Iran, and Syria. This was also the first book to slowly but surely advance the timeline of Team Yankee to cover the late eighties and early nineties, allowing for more modern (and lethal) kit to be introduced.

Team Yankee uses a ruleset based upon standard Flames of War, but is different in many details and noted to be quicker and more violent than standard Flames of War. No word yet if that means that one side nukes the other if they lose, something that NATO actually was planning to do.

THE most popular offshoot of Flames of War, but still a smaller game than its daddy (just ignore the fact that it has the largest presence on 1d4chan). [[Team Yankee|Check it out here.]]

==Armies==
FoW supports most of the major military powers that fought in WWII. The following is an absolutely completely unbiased list of those that are currently available.

'''United States of America'''

They may have shown up two years late, but once in the war the Americans brought with them one of the largest war industries ever heard of, and by 1945 fielded one of the largest and most powerful armed forces ever seen in history. Built around vehicle spam, heavy artillery, and a seemingly endless supply of bazookas. Technology like stabilizers, AOPs, and semiautomatic rifles make your troops great at maneuver warfare and help make up for generally average or poor hard stats.

In Midwar, the US has some of the most powerful technology, with some of the heaviest armed and armored medium tanks of the era, massive amounts of bazookas (which are waaay scarier in this era), and capable artillery. What's the tradeoff? You have some rather poor crew stats that limit your flexibility and give you discounts on your troops, so they are still relatively spammable, and your special rules still make your troops decently flexible despite that. Even though your options aren't huge, you have a tool for every job and the US represents a capable force.

Late War depicts the Americans as a force to be reckoned with due to their probably the most powerful artillery in game, higher training, and insane list building flexibility. These capabilities help you overcome your glaring weaknesses: you don't have access to the level of armor and penetration that the Soviets, Germans, and British can bring in numbers. This doesn't mean that your units are much cheaper though: the top level M4 mediums are similar in price to Soviet heavies and SS panthers. This means that you have to play a bit smarter, using smoke, artillery, terrain, and your special rules and training to out maneuver and out think your freedom-hating adversaries. Played well, it's a beautiful sight to see, but you will be punished quite readily if you lose your luck or wits.

{{US Forces in Flames of War}}

'''Great Britain'''

The old saying goes that the British Army loses every battle in every war except the last one, and Britannia certainly got the last laugh in the 1940s. Jollie olde Anglaterre and her Commonwealth mainly field bland looking masses of brown and drab paint. They are good all-rounders, and are especially good in assaults. One of their biggest draws is that Great Britain isn't just England- you can also field Scots, Irish, Indians, Canadians, Nepalese, Australians, New Zealanders, and Maoris. The British are tough in defense and <s>favour drowning their enemies in dead colonials</s> tend to have a small, elite core supplemented by special forces. They are best in defense however, due to their special characters and special rules that favour a mainly static war (unless you play an armour company, in which case the British rules are made to let you [[Orks|charge in guns blazing]]).

{{British Forces in Flames of War}}

'''Soviet Union'''

The only army a true fa/tg/uy should ever play, even if they were second to the Nazis in 20th century evil. The Red Army also taught the entire world that no technological advantage beats '''A LOT''' of men equipped with simple, sturdy and easily mass-producible tools of war... as long as you are willing to take and replace '''A LOT''' of losses in the process (which they were). The Red Army's units are a mess of contradictions, with decent hard stats but some significant weaknesses that allow you to field them in large numbers. The Soviets suffer from a near complete lack of artillery smoke, a -1 to hit if they move on nearly all their vehicles, a lack of careful units, and sparse infantry AT. What this means is you can field a massive number of units that, when used together right, can mitigate their weaknesses and do a lot of damage. When used wrong, however, they tend to die in droves. To give you an idea of how much you're going to be outnumbering your opponent, most other armies are a 'Company' made up of 'Platoons'. [[Tyranid|The average Soviet army fields 'Battalions' made up of 'Companies']]. Chances are you will fill up your side of the table with your forces, so I hope you enjoy assembling and painting those little basta- {{BLAM|'''*BLAM!*''' fearless defenders of the motherland}}. Despite this, the Late War Soviets also bring a good amount of highly skilled and capable units, helping mitigate the weaknesses of their regular brethren. That or you could just spam T-34 and T-70s like a mad lad and [[Just as planned|take so many throwaway tanks that the amount of burning wreckage they make is an acceptable replacement for the smoke you don't have.]] Either way is fun.

The Polish People's Army seen in Team Yankee originated in the Soviet Union in 1943, so there is the possibility to field them using selections from the Mid-to-Late-War Soviet lineup as well, like the T-34/85.

{{Soviet Forces in Flames of War}}

'''Germany'''

The Nazi state might have produced some of the most horrific evil ever seen or done by man, but they also forged a war machine with enough discipline, training, equipment and fighting spirit to seize and hold virtually all of Europe and take on most of the world, basically by themselves, for over five years. German forces feature the Heer (Army), Luftwaffe (Air Force), Kriegsmarine (Navy), the Waffen-SS (Armed-Protection Squadron), the Hitlerjugend (Hitler Youth) and the Volkssturm (People's Assault). Their quality ranges from extremely good to extremely bad, with the latter becoming more common in Late War, when the German military was rapidly running out of guns, bullets, fuel, vehicles, time and ability to train new troops, etc. and were generally just throwing together whatever they could. The stern discipline and tenacity of the Heer is plenty visible, as is the skill and daring of the Luftwaffe's airborne troops and the extreme Villainous Valor of the Waffen-SS. The Volkssturm, a pitiful last-ditch effort to stave off defeat, is just a bullet-sponge militia, and the mobilized boys of the Hitler Youth have been soaked in Nazi propaganda for years and just don't know any better.

German forces were driven to extraordinary lengths by Hitler's decision to try taking on basically the entire world at once, but the upside is that snazzy German engineering; there are literally over a hundred different vehicles to choose from. Most German units will win one-on-one with their Allied counterparts, but will usually be outnumbered by a noticeable margin. Also, there's several lists that lets you field an army of [[Awesome|nothing but Tiger or Konigstiger tanks]], so that's cool too. Germans have great tactical flexibility and firepower but don't stand up to attrition very well. Their special rules are very newbie-friendly as they pretty much ignore the rules about platoon command teams, since if one dies, they can "appoint" a new platoon commander without having to have the Company commander or second in command there.

{{German Forces in Flames of War}}

'''France'''

If you enjoy sitting back and dragging out battles, France is the country for you. Usually they field a static army of soldiers with low morale, able to blow the shit out of the enemy with their special snowflake artillery. Enjoy laughing in the face of your opponent as you pore over complicated tables every time you shoot something. In addition, you can also take giant indestructible tanks, or get your Fearless Trained African soldiers to do your dirty work for you. Their special rules '''REALLY''' favour the defense, as both infantry and armour alike are unsuited to attacking. One special rule allows your servant to move your objectives closer to you, and another gives all colonial troops an advantage in assaults so you can sit back in your trench and enjoy your wine and cheese.

Those collaborating Vichy surrender monkeys don't really appear, and for that matter, neither do Free French, either. The former was relegated to a support role at best and the latter had no ability to produce updated French-designed and made uniforms or equipment and thus pretty much would be American units on the tabletop anyway.

{{French Forces in Flames of War}}

'''Italy'''

Ah, yes- the Italians. The ally Germany asked for but wound up wishing they'd never gotten. Italy shares the massive numbers of weak troops with the Soviets, but lacks the supporting equipment. Don't expect any decent tanks unless you take German allies (Semoventi are one of the few Mid-war SPG Artillery units the Axis can take as a core Formation, and just happen to not be subject to the whims of the Dice Gods when determining just how bad they could be, cuz Italian Arty are Veterans). The only tanks in the entire war that were definitely worse were those fielded by Japan (and theirs were basically made of paper). The Italians could fight extremely well when they wanted to, but the Italian people as a whole were not as fired up for an all-out war as Mussolini wanted them to be, and so the motivation and skill of Italian forces varied widely. Hence the special rules that give random motivation/skill ratings to their platoons, which can lead to hilarious lists where you either have elite hordes of Fearless Veterans or untrained masses of Reluctant Conscripts. Depending on the table you roll on, it's usually geared towards Confident Trained or Reluctant Trained. Still, absolutely hilarious for both sides when rolling.

{{Italian Forces in Flames of War}}

'''Japan'''

<s>Dishonorably only available in Early War for now.</s> New Pacific Book 'Banzai' has came out. Now you can field Japanese army for Pacific supplement rules, and also for good ol' Late-War rules. They have the best morale in the game, even refusing to listen to the player when they fail their company morale check. At points where the even the Waffen-SS and those crazy Nazi kids in the Hitler Youth would decide they'd had enough, the Imperial Japanese Army's soldiers fought on, often literally until every last man on their side was dead. They were trained and taught to fight ferociously and die gloriously for Empire and Emperor, and they were ''extremely'' good at both. Their vehicles are somewhat lacking- an understatement, given how machine gun fire proved capable of breaching Japanese tank armor- but they make up for this by taking the steel that would have otherwise been used on those tanks and turning it into the enormous balls that are standard issue for their soldiers. No surrender. NO SURRENDER. Their average infantryman has a rifle and a banner that gives him a hard-on for death, and their anti-tank weapon of choice is a [[Awesome|bomb-thrower who would put the Taliban to shame.]] If you were looking for a sane game of Flames of War, look elsewhere. You don't play Japan for their competitiveness or survivability, you do it because every single unit is foaming at the mouth to charge the enemy and start murdering. [[Emperor|For the Emperor!]]

Tactics for V4: [[japan flames of war]]

'''Finland'''

One of Germany's best allies until circumstances forced them to switch sides late in the war, Finland was driven into German arms by Stalin's shameless (and Pyrrhic) war of aggression that robbed them of a good chunk of territory in the Winter War. They joined in the invasion of the USSR in the hopes of getting revenge, and fielded a professional army that benefited considerably from the use of modern German equipment. They made use of captured Soviet hardware as well, and slapped swastikas on every vehicle to ensure that the Stukas didn't come after them.

Despite lacking the equipment and vehicles of the other powers, the Finns are still a force to be reckoned with. They get a huge advantage in Winter and Forest terrain (which the Soviets learned about the hard way in the Winter War), and are usually rated Veteran, even in the early war. They field a mix of Soviet, German, and WW1-era equipment. You need balls to play these guys, as you can't rely on numbers or special rules to win the day. Their armored company is considered one of the most challenging lists to play.

The Finns were on the Axis side until a ways into the Late War period, when they would appear fighting the Germans if you were to field them.

{{Finish Forces in Flames of War}}

'''Hungary'''

<s>The poor man's Germans</s> Very similar to Germany, but with unique organization and equipment. Have useful special rules that provide advantages in both attack and defense, and can take a lot of German equipment in the Late War. Their most famous vehicle is the kawaii-as-fuck Zrínyi assault gun.

{{Hungarian Forces in Flames of War}}

'''Romania'''

Mainly focused on infantry and cavalry, with hilariously underpowered vehicle options. They get random motivation like Italy, and can also take a lot of allied equipment. They are unique because they switch sides after being conquered by the Soviets in Late War, so Romanian players can choose between German or Soviet allies, while quietly wondering why they're using Early War equipment in 1944. Historically it is because, while there was an assistance agreement in place, [[That Guy|Germany handed them their cast-offs and captured Russian materiel while keeping the updated stuff for their own units]]. The Romanians, while having decent technology lacked the heavy industry to equip their entire army on their own, so they were actually relatively thankful for said cast-offs. Later on after they switched sides, the Reds didn't trust the lukewarm enthusiasm the Romanian king showed for [[Communism]], so they didn't want to heavily arm someone they already knew they would eventually have to deal with. Which happened two years later: the king was booted out, Romania became a full satellite of the USSR and (ironically) at that point received the same better materiel other USSR allies did.

{{Romanian Forces in Flames of War}}

'''Poland'''

The poor Poles have it even worse than the Finns. They have okay equipment, especially for Early War, but you will find yourself stretching to get your units to fit all the roles you need. You can try to impersonate the Soviets with masses of weak infantry, but their real advantage is in the great balance of their units. They can hold their own in assaults, and tend to excel in defense. In Late War, they have the legendary Armia Krajowa, which beats the Finnish armour company for the position of hardest list in the game. It's literally a bunch of armed civilians with whatever German stuff they could get their hands on, and it would come as no surprise if Sun Tzu himself couldn't win a game with them.

{{Polish Forces in Flames of War}}

NOTE: The game balance in this game is actually really good. There is no "best army," just strong lists. Lists are usually strong against one type of list and are countered by others. Eg: Commandos are an elite British list that are awesome against raping shit in melee, and are fearless veterans, but they are expensive and you can't take many of them, meaning you get absolutely raped by horde tank lists like the Russian lists.

==Homebrews==
[[Media:Abyssinia.pdf|"It Will Be You Tomorrow", covering the Second Italo-Abyssinian War in 1935-36.]]

[[Media:Them.pdf|"The Army of Man", a fun book that lets you pit your Flames of War army against some 1950s B-movie monsters.]]

Supposedly there is also a Falklands War homebrew in the works.

There is also a [[ Girl und Panzer ]] homebrew which is seriously in need of a new revision, which is designed to be it's own separate game. However, depending whether you are a truly pure-blood historical gamer or if you don't mind [[anime|animu]] this could be extra heretical.

There is a project to update V3 with some of the good rules changes from V4, and fix some of the jank (arty park). [https://jovianarchiver.com/v3-redone/ Link here.]

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Image:Pacific.jpg|soviets actually have veterans now, which makes this one all the better. They also announced a release for the Pacific Campaign, which means this will all become true in 2016 March.
Image:Usarmoredrifles.jpg
Image:Germanartillery.jpg|what it's like using German tube artillery in-game.
Image:Zrinyi.jpg|damn those hungarians and their pancakes of death!
</gallery>

== External Links ==

* [http://www.flamesofwar.com/ Flames of War homepage]

[[Category: Wargames]]
[[Category:Battlefront Miniatures]]

Paragon Warsuit

2022-02-09T06:36:34Z

2001:8003:1D0D:301:EC88:79BC:281C:41DE: Fuck off

Militarum Tempestus

2022-02-09T06:36:21Z

2001:8003:1D0D:301:EC88:79BC:281C:41DE: Undo revision 810131 by 178.191.251.54 (talk) Fuck off