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Saul Tarvitz

2020-09-16T17:31:33Z

2A02:1811:5180:A200:94A7:E663:AD95:18E2: /* Tabletop */

[[Image:Saul_Tarvitz_Honour_of_Legion.jpg|right|thumb|300px|]]

{{Topquote|Our names may be forgotten, and our bones crumble to dust, but our deaths will echo through the millennia to come.|The man himself, getting ready to die like a legend during the final stages of the Istvaan III Massacre}}

'''Captain Saul Tarvitz''' was a loyalist member of the [[Emperor's Children]] and one of the most bro-tier Space Marines ever to exist. In a legion which defined itself by the relentless, obsessive pursuit of perfection, Saul Tarvitz stood out by virtue of the fact that he was one of the very few Emperor's Children who had reached this goal. He was a very good line officer, knew that he was a very good line officer, and was content to serve Fulgrim and the Emperor as a line officer for the rest of his life, rather than striving to reach ever-higher ranks within the Legion and become something he was not suited to be. This meant that he was marked for death when the III Legion found a new [[Slaanesh|master to serve]], and he was chosen to form part of the speartip assault that opened the [[Battle of Isstvan III|Istvaan III Atrocity]].

==Biography==

===Great Crusade===

Tarvitz was a line captain throughout the Great Crusade, during which he racked up an impressive tally of victories and earned the respect and admiration of many Astartes within and without his Legion. At some point, he became honour brothers with [[Nathaniel Garro]] of the [[Death Guard]], a bond which would prove to be key to the Imperium's survival in the future. Toward the end of the Crusade, Tarvitz was one of the Emperor's Children who landed on the planet Murder and got into a tangle with the [[Megarachnids|gigantic arachnids]] who lived there. His decision to blow up some giant spiky trees with corpses impaled on them led to the Astartes on the ground being able to reestablish contact with the forces in orbit, but he was such a bro that he refused to openly contradict Lord Commander Eidolon when the glory-boy took all the credit for that idea.

===Horus Heresy===

By the time of the Istvaan campaign, Tarvitz had been marked out by Fulgrim and the other traitors in the III Legion as one of those who would never follow them in their new campaign against the Emperor. He was therefore assigned to join the speartip assault on Istvaan III. Tarvitz realized something was up, however, when he learned that Eidolon wouldn't be joining the first wave, a highly uncharacteristic move for the glory-obsessed Lord Commander. He finagled his way into remaining on one of the ships in orbit, where he learned that the Warmaster's fleet was preparing to bombard the planet and kill everyone on the surface. He immediately stole a fighter and took off for the surface to warn the loyalist forces there. Along the way he warned Nathaniel Garro on board the frigate ''Eisenstein'', after which Garro fled the system to bring word of the betrayal to the rest of the Imperium. Tarvitz managed to make landfall and successfully convinced the majority of the loyalists to take cover, which helped them survive the initial bombardments. After that, he assumed command of the Emperor's Children contingent on the ground and directed a successful defense of the Precentor's Palace for two months, inflicting twice as many casualties as he sustained. By this time, he'd assumed general command of all remaining loyalist forces on the surface of Istvaan III, with even Garviel Loken, Tarik Torgaddon, and Solomon Demeter all deferring to him. This made his fellow captain [[Lucius]] jealous, and so Lucius decided to sell Tarvitz and the other loyalists out in exchange for being welcomed back into the III Legion's fold. Despite that, Tarvitz was able to defeat Lucius in a duel and successfully ruin Eidolon's plan of attack. Finally, however, Horus had had enough and ordered an all-out assault on the Precentor's Palace, so Tarvitz buckled down for the last stand. It is generally believed that he died as hard as he could in that last great battle, though his body was never found . . .

==So, Is He Actually Dead?==

That's a good question. He is most certainly dead by the time of the 41st-42nd Millennium, but his body was never recovered from Istvaan III, and so there are some who believe he might have somehow escaped the planet and gone off to be a cool renegade [[Blackshield]]. Even Warhammer Community, upon announcing his model for the Horus Heresy character series, wondered if he was really dead. (Then they said that yes, yes he was.)

==Tabletop==
[[File:Saul Tabletop Mini.jpg|thumb|right|250px|]]

Saul Tarvitz is a weird character on the tabletop. He comes with WS 6 BS 4 S 4 T 4 W 3 I 5 A 3 Ld 10 Sv 2+/5++, a customized bolter that works exactly like a sniper rifle, a bolt pistol, frag/krak grenades and his Charnabal Blade (S+1, AP5, Two-Handed, Rending, Duellist's Edge (+1 init in challenges)). He is an Independent Character, has the Emperor's Children Legion trait, Master of the Legion and a special rule that allows him to be taken as an ally by loyalist and where he gains Preferred Enemy (Emperor's Children Astartes).

He is... actually pretty bad, since his shooting is anecdotal and without any reliable way to get AP 3 or 2 (Rending helps, but not enough) and lacking Eternal Warrior he's at a very real risk of being one-shotted into the ground by anyone wielding a [[Power Fist]] having merely scratched his opponent's armor. The plus side? He only costs 135 points. Which isn't much for a Master of the Legion and his Rites of War. But, unless you want to exploit his gimmick of a small loyalist detachment of EC's as allies to your loyalist Legion, there are better choices. Fucking rad' mini, though!

[[Category:Warhammer 40,000]]

Darklord

2020-09-16T11:27:47Z

2A02:1811:5180:A200:94A7:E663:AD95:18E2: /* Maligno */

{{Topquote|They say, 'Evil prevails when good men fail to act.' What they ought to say is, 'Evil prevails.'|Yuri Orlov, ''Lord of War''}}

The '''Darklords''' are the rulers ''and'' prisoners of the plane of [[Ravenloft]], from the D&D setting of the same name.

You might be wondering "How are they both rulers and prisoners at the same time?" The reason for this is simple: each Darklord was pulled into the plane by the nebulous forces known only as the Dark Powers after an especially heinous deed (known in-universe as a "Act of Ultimate Darkness"), which reshapes a part of the plane into a realm tailored to each Darklord's defining crime. In its own realm a Darklord is a BBEG to rule over all other BBEGs, with absolute power over everything except whatever they desire most - whatever thing that might be, it is always dangled ever so slightly out of their reach by the dark Powers to amplify their torment further. They have no mouth, and they must scream.

=Common Characteristics of Darklords=
The exact abilities and backstories of Ravenloft's Darklords have varied from edition to edition, but almost all exert considerable control over their individual domains, and many Darklords also rule their domains (assuming the domain has a population to rule), either openly or behind the scenes. Many Darklords are also extremely dangerous to confront in open combat, or otherwise have hidden powers up their sleeves that can neutralize entire groups of player characters even without combat.

Keeping in line with the Gothic Horror theme of Ravenloft, the presence and persistence of insidious evil on this plane is the rule and not the exception. By contrast, lasting triumphs of good are vanishingly rare possibilities. As such, PCs aren't really supposed to go toe-to-toe with Darklords and expect to come out on top like your average group of [[murderhobos]] in other D&D settings. Trying to storm through Castle Ravenloft or Castle Avernus (not the Avernus of [[Baator]]) and expecting to put Strahd's or Azalin's skulls on a pike by the end of the play session will most likely either end in a [[Rocks fall, everyone dies|total party kill]] or a fate worse than death, assuming the Dungeon Master is at all trying to run the game in a thematically appropriate way. At most, the PCs' efforts might preserve a bit of light in the ever-present mists and hope their activities stay beneath the local Darklord's notice. [[Grimdark|Heroes in this benighted plane are not guaranteed a peaceful death in bed surrounded by family and friends, or a life of glory and deeds well remembered.]] Openly going up against a Darklord is one of the surest ways of ending your character's life and career for good.

A few things about Darklords have remained constant throughout Ravenloft's editions, however. First, unless the Dark Powers will it, Darklords are completely unable to leave their own domains (note that certain "pocket domains" are in fact mobile and can travel between larger domains, but the Darklord within is still powerless to leave its own pocket domain as any other). If PCs manage to leave a Darklord's domain, that specific Darklord is usually powerless to personally come after them (but see "Closing the Borders" below). Second, almost every Darklord has a weakness, usually in the form of something or someone they desire above all else that they would risk anything and everything for, or a personal vulnerability tied to its curse that is usually well-hidden and hard to figure out. Discovering and exploiting these weaknesses are one of the only ways to accomplish some good in spite of a Darklord's efforts, but if it comes to that you've likely already attracted (or will very soon attract) a Darklord's attention and are in deep trouble. A couple other abilities common to Darklords are discussed below.

===Closing the Borders===
The vast majority of Darklords have the ability to force others to share in their imprisonment by supernaturally closing the borders of their domains, usually leaving no way out even with the aid of magic. Trying to leave a closed domain border will just result in a grisly death or automatic failure, and teleportation magic won't work past a closed domain border either. As Ravenloft was an early AD&D product, the designers gave this handy tool to DMs so as to stop players from just up and leaving without going through the DM's plot. Improperly used it can smack of railroading, but it fits well within the Gothic Horror genre convention of having characters get trapped in sinister and dangerous locales with no safe passage out, until a situation is resolved (or the Darklord opens the borders again, as in the case of Ravenloft).

The few Darklords who cannot supernaturally close their borders either lack that ability as part of their curse, or are unable to do so as part of their nature. Vlad Drakov of Falkovnia for instance disdains magic and the supernatural, and in line with this attitude gained no supernatural ability to close his domain's borders upon becoming a Darklord. However, even these Darklords have more mundane ways of barring escape from their domains, such as sending their numerous lackeys to patrol the borders, though thankfully this doesn't impede magical methods of escape. An even smaller number of Darklords are completely unable to close their domain borders in any way, such as Haki Shinpi of Rokushima Taiyoo who was cursed to become a powerless geist upon becoming Darklord (rather than becoming a Death Knight as he originally planned) and was doomed to watch everything he built in his life's conquest literally sink into ruin through the squabbling of his sons.

===Immortality===
Another reason to avoid going up against Darklords is that many of them have ways of returning from death, rendering all of your hard work moot. Even those who don't have explicitly mentioned methods of cheating death, like Strahd, generally have many contingency plans to avoid ever being at risk of getting truly destroyed. To make a bad situation worse, the Dark Powers appear to get occasionally "attached" to their playthings, and frown harshly upon attempts to take their toys away. In game terms, this means that certain Darklords are truly indestructible and can ever only be put out of commission temporarily, and even the attempt at doing so may end up drawing the Dark Powers' attention to whoever tries such a feat. Mercifully, these individuals are the exception, not the rule.

By contrast, some Darklords are fairly ordinary people with no significant combat skills and no more resistance to being killed off for real than their subjects. However, as mentioned above, even these seemingly vulnerable BBEGs often still have the means or minions to deal with a bunch of murderhobos, and most of these non-combat-focused Darklords are still savvy enough to be wary of any potential threats to their survival, and to nip those threats in the bud via underhanded means.

Outside of these extremes, permanently destroying most Darklords requires either killing one in a very specific manner and/or destroying a Darklord's means of cheating death (which in some cases might be nigh-impossible, such as killing every specimen of a very numerous type of creature in a domain before confronting the Darklord). Finding out this information is likely to require a good deal of questing and research to find out, but can make for a great campaign if properly handled. However, even accomplishing all this does nothing to stop the Dark Powers from "promoting" someone in the realm evil enough to assume the mantle of Darklord, possibly leaving the realm and its inhabitants in [[Not as planned|a worse situation than before]]. In fact, not a few of the "current" Darklords assumed their positions by killing the previous ones. In other cases, the title and sometimes even the personality of the Darklord is immediately passed down to another being on the moment of the Darklord's death, thus ensuring that their position is never lost.

===What happens if you permanently destroy a Darklord somehow?===
It's likely that some of you action-oriented elegan/tg/entleman reading this are just champing at the bit to claim a Darklord's skull for your trophy rooms, but as noted above, the odds and the themes of the setting itself are decidedly against you. Or maybe you're a DM who wants to run a Ravenloft campaign where good really can make a difference and want to know what happens when these Gothic Horror BBEGs finally bite the dust for real and no one takes their place.

Unfortunately, the rulebooks have historically been rather ambivalent and lacking in detail about the answer to this question and the resulting implications. Some Ravenloft rulebooks say that once a Darklord is permanently destroyed and no successor is forthcoming, the destroyed Darklord's associated domain might simply disappear, leaving open the question of what happens to all the people who were living there. If the people there simply disappear as well, were they never real in the first place, instead being undispellable illusions made up whole-cloth by the Dark Powers to torment the Darklord? That might work out just fine if your group stuck to playing [[Weekend in Hell]] style adventures in Ravenloft, but what would it say about PCs native to Ravenloft, or even native to the domain now without a Darklord? Or were the people in the Darklord-less domain no more real (and therefore no more morally troubling to harm in any way) than characters in a video game, making the whole "Powers Check" mechanic moot with regards to harming innocents? Is there now a gaping misty void where the previous domain used to be?

Canonically, the answer might be found in how two domains (Arkandale and Gundarak) where the Darklords lost their darklordship were absorbed by neighbouring ones, essentially meaning the people inside those domains just exchanged one insidious tyrant for another. This solution is probably the smoothest way to incorporate the plot element of Darklords being permanently destroyed in your campaign. On the other hand, geographically isolated domains (such as one of the numerous "Islands of Terror" that are completely surrounded by the Mists), or mobile pocket domains with no notable population of sentients can just disappear back into the mists with no larger consequences to other domains upon the permanent death of their Darklords. It still leaves open the question of what happens to the population of sentients in domains situated in the middle of nowhere that suffer a sudden lack of a Darklord, though.

Strahd himself is explicitly mentioned to be a special case with regards to permanent destruction, most probably due to his status as the posterboy of the entire Ravenloft setting (even in universe, it's noted that the Demi-Plane of Dread didn't seem to exist until Strahd's damnation). In 5e's Curse of Strahd module, it is said that in the absurdly unlikely event he is permanently killed with all of his failsafes destroyed or deactivated, the Dark Powers will intervene to resurrect him within a month [[Grimdark|because they refuse to allow the possibility of ending his torment]]. They're "possessive" about their favourite playthings like that.

Players crying foul about this should note that the Dark Powers are mighty enough to bar the gods themselves from coming to Ravenloft. In light of that, something like bringing a Darklord back to life looks like a trivial feat by comparison.

Bottom line? Hash it out with your DM beforehand, or if you're a DM yourself, make sure you have a sensible plot thread lined up if you choose to allow the permanent destruction of Darklords, while keeping in mind how important Darklords are to the themes of Ravenloft.

=Notable Darklords=

==The "Hammer Horror" Darklords==
With the horror films by [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hammer_Film_Productions Hammer Film Productions] officially cited as a major source of inspiration for the setting of Ravenloft, the Darklords who are patterned after the horror monster archetypes featured in those films will be listed here.

===Strahd von Zarovich===
{{main|Strahd von Zarovich}}
Darklord of Barovia, and the first Darklord to be introduced to the setting--in fact, it's named after his own castle. He is the archetypal vampire darklord in the setting, though by no means the only one, and his appearance is clearly based off of Christopher Lee's portrayal of Dracula in the 1958 ''Dracula'' film by Hammer Film Productions.

Originally the conqueror of a region called Barovia that he claims was the ancestral home of his family, Strahd came to lust after a woman called Tatyana who rejected him in favor of his younger brother Sergei. Strahd took this very badly; badly enough that at some point he made what he called "a pact with Death" that turned him into a [[vampire]] in a desperate attempt to restore his youth. This too failed to win her over, and on the day Tatyana was to be married to Sergei, Strahd killed him and drove her to suicide.

His realm is a copy of Barovia from the Prime Material plane (the original apparently still exists but nothing is said about its current condition or even which D&D setting it originated from), which he has absolute power over to the point where he can enter any private home uninvited in spite of the fact most vampires are unable to do so (since as he boasts, "I am the land"), and he can ignore the standard vampiric weaknesses to mirrors, garlic or holy symbols, none of which ordinary vampires can do. He isn't even "killed" when staked through the heart like ordinary vampires are (though he is effectively paralyzed while staked) and can resist up to ten rounds of sunlight exposure before being destroyed, though he has always a contingency spell cast on himself that will teleport him away to a hidden mountain sanctuary should he ever be exposed to sunlight or staked by a prepared party, much like Bram Stoker's own Dracula had many coffins to sleep in to make his final destruction more difficult. However, Strahd's curse is to have the events leading to his damnation repeat themselves forever--once every generation he will encounter a woman who he believes to be Tatyana's reincarnation, only to be rejected by her in spite of all his vampiric mind control powers, and become responsible for her death once more, all while being unable to simply give up on trying to win her love.

===Ankhtepot===
Darklord of Har'Akir, partially based on the monster from the 1959 film ''The Mummy'' by Hammer Film Productions. He is the archetypal Mummy-based Darklord in the setting, but he is not the only "Ancient Dead" (i.e., a preserved corpse animated into undeath) who happens to be a Darklord.

Ankhtepot in life was a hubristic ruler of a land also named Har'Akir, patterned after Ancient Egypt and sharing the same pantheon of gods. As the head priest of the sun god Ra, the chief god of his land, Ankhtepot was [[Nagash|obsessed with death and became consumed with the desire to live forever]]. Despite sparing no expense (nor quite a few lives, for that matter) his efforts were in vain, and in his rage he razed several temples, stormed into the greatest one and cursed the gods for withholding his heart's desire. For this blasphemy, Ra contacted Ankhtepot directly and said that Ankhtepot would indeed live after death, though he might wish otherwise. Anhktepot was confused about this, but later discovered that he had received a dire curse (making him one of the few outlander Darklords to have received the majority of his curse ''before'' being taken into Ravenloft); anyone he touched was dead by nightfall, and those he killed in this fashion rose from their tombs to serve him absolutely as undead mummies, because apparently Ra considers having mindless servants a punishment. Taking this in stride despite killing many of his relatives, he used his new undead servants to tighten his grip over Har'Akir, but his fellow priests rebelled, killed Ankhtepot in his sleep, and mummified him, little knowing he was still conscious and going insane inside his sarcophagus during his month-long funeral. After being entombed in a remote area with one small village named Mudar, the mists of Ravenloft claimed Ankhtepot, his tomb, and the nearby village, leaving no trace of them in Ankhtepot's home plane.

As Darklord, Ankhtepot spends most of his time in a deathless dream of better days in his tomb, but he can be roused from this state in a few ways, such as if his tomb is disturbed, or if the people of Mudar are anxious or otherwise distressed. His hubris and pride followed him into undeath, and similarly his greatest torment is his desire to be human again, as the god-king of a great empire he once was, while in reality he "rules" over a barren patch of desert with naught but a small mud-hut village. To frustrate him further, the Dark Powers granted Ankhtepot the ability to regain his human form and mortality by draining a human of moisture and life force in a dread sunrise ceremony, but this reversion to mortality lasts only from dawn to nightfall, and during those few daylight hours "under Ra's gaze" he loses all his supernatural powers, once again becoming a normal human with no appreciable abilities until nightfall, whereupon the transformation is undone. Knowing that he would face an eternity of solitude were he to sacrifice everyone in his domain to fleetingly experience mortality again, Ankhtepot generally prefers to wait and dream until he might rule a larger population, a time he seems unaware will never come.

With respect to his crunch, Ankhtepot can be an unholy terror in his Greater Mummy form. He retains much of the high-level spellcasting ability he had in life, his touch-delivered Mummy Rot is both more virulent and harder to cure than almost any other Ravenloft Mummy's, and those who become infected and are mummified alive become Greater Mummies under his total control. Other aces up his sleeve (or rather, his bandages) are the fact that he commands virtually every mummy in his domain, so if sufficiently provoked he can summon up an entire shambling army of mummies to do his bidding, and the fact that a certain item on his person allows him to heal lost hitpoints very quickly, even if reduced below zero, unless that item is removed from him or his downed "corpse." Ankhtepot can, however, easily be killed during his bouts of mortality (even though doing so might attract the attention of the Dark Powers since he poses no real threat during these times), but if he is killed while an ordinary human he can reanimate if he is mummified and entombed again. As a result of a possible oversight by the writers, no mention is made of how Ankhtepot might be able to return to unlife should he be defeated in his Greater Mummy form nor how he might be permanently destroyed, though he can simply reform in his tomb in the case of the former and the latter might simply require that both his tomb and his physical body be completely destroyed, resulting in the village of Mudar returning to its home plane and Ankhtepot's desert joining an adjacent domain.

Given the relative lack of sex appeal for mummies compared to the far more famous vampires and werewolves (unless you're a fan of the [[Tomb Kings]] or [[Mummy: The Curse]]), Ankhtepot and his domain more or less dropped off the face of Ravenloft canon after the AD&D version, and even in AD&D he was fairly passive. Even so, he did affect Ravenloft and D&D at large in one way by creating the first Greater Mummies (AKA "Children of Ankhtepot") to ever exist in a D&D system, though they have since significantly changed from their original incarnation. Ankhtepot has also been known to send his Mummy and Greater Mummy servants outside of his domain to track and kill grave robbers who defile his tomb and other unfortunates who incur his wrath.

Ankhtepot and his domain made his first appearance as the star villain of the classic ''Touch of Death'' Ravenloft module in 1991.

===Alfred Timothy===
Darklord of Verbrek, and the archetypal werewolf Darklord of the setting, though by no means the only lycanthrope Darklord in Ravenloft. Alfred Timothy was born to Nathan Timothy (former werewolf Darklord of Arkandale) and an unknown mother. Disdained by Nathan for being frail and sickly in his human form, Alfred in turn disdained his father for his "overly human" interest in ferrying cargo and passengers with his paddleboat (in truth, Nathan was cursed as Darklord of Arkandale to become cripplingly nauseous with "land sickness" anytime he tried to set foot on dry land, but instead of suffering from this curse, Nathan grew so accustomed to boating and the company of his human passengers that he unknowingly lost his Darklordship during the Grand Conjunction, despite still being confined to river waters and remaining an unrepentant serial killer).

Leaving to find his own way and to escape the perpetual treatment as the runt of the litter, Alfred happened upon villagers in his father's domain who regularly made sacrifices to appease a savage being they called [[the Wolf God]] in the hopes of relief from continual attacks by bloodthirsty wolves. Taking inspiration from the sight of humans propitiating a lupine deity and perhaps indulging more than a little megalomania at the prospect of being an object of worship or leading a werewolf-centric religion, Alfred wandered the domains and interrogated clerics he met, sometimes lethally, on how he could become a cleric of this "Wolf God" and use its granted powers to inaugurate a werewolf-led reign of terror over humans. Unfortunately, his efforts and sacrifices were fruitless in provoking any response from this "deity," and he began to take out his frustrations on any clerics and religious buildings he could find whenever his latest interrogation target failed to provide the missing ingredient to contacting and receiving spells from the Wolf God. After [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=425913 one such iconoclastic rampage], Alfred incautiously fell asleep near the mutilated corpses and smouldering wreckage of his latest failure. Not content to "let sleeping dogs lie," Alfred was discovered, chained, and about to be burned at the stake by vengeful villagers, were it not for a mother-daughter pair of prescient Vistani who purchased his freedom and told Nathan that for this stay of execution, he must allow all Vistani safe passage in the future. Enraged at the possibility of being bound by a bargain struck with "mere" humans, Alfred promptly killed the Vistani mother, and the mists of Ravenloft claimed him for this betrayal, leaving him within his new domain of Verbrek, which eventually grew to encompass his father's former domain of Arkandale.

Now a Darklord, Alfred was initially delighted at having truly become a cleric of the Wolf God, receiving divine spells and being able to "converse" with it (assuming it exists, but if you decide to play with a nonexistent Wolf God, Ravenloft's Dark Powers have been known to grant divine spells and Alfred might just be hearing voices in his head). The price, as ever with Darklords, was an insidious curse. Alfred wants nothing more than to revel in the bestial fury and passion he once enjoyed as a werewolf, but as Darklord he is forced to transform back into his human form should he ever succumb to any kind of base passion: fear, rage, or lust. Having built a cult of savagery, wanton bloodshed, and debauchery among a large pack of werewolves as the chief priest of the Wolf God, his uncharacteristic unwillingness to practice what he preaches by frequently refraining from hunts and hesitance at finding a mate means his position is growing increasingly precarious. Realizing that widespread knowledge of his weakness would spell his doom (because [http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=262657 "being an alpha means proving it every full moon"]), Alfred is trying to divest himself of his humanity by commanding and occasionally participating in ever-greater acts of slaughter, dedicating and offering them to his god who has remained silent on this one pressing issue, with the only exceptions to his wrath being the Vistani as he still remembers what happened the last time he killed one.

Crunch-wise, Alfred is rather conventional as lycanthrope BBEGs go, aside from his cleric levels and being forced to fight in a calculating and tactical manner unlike most werewolves lest he be forced to return to his much weaker human form. He doesn't cast a shadow (since his domain is effectively the shadow he casts on Ravenloft), and can even teleport from shadow to shadow within his domain whenever the moon is visible. As an ironic reminder from the Dark Powers of his fundamental weakness, Alfred cannot even supernaturally close the borders of his own domain, short of sending his dire wolf and werewolf minions to patrol them, though the true nature of this additional curse is likely lost on him, since he probably doesn't know about other Darklords and their ability to close their domain's borders supernaturally. Though not specifically mentioned, Alfred's fluff implies that even ''[https://youtu.be/ZxcljnLb95M?t=1m8s harsh language]'' might be one of the most potent weapons against him; if PCs can recognize him in either his wolf or hybrid forms and manage to enrage him through taunts, he will be forced to return to human form and at a minimum be robbed of the natural weapons of his alternate forms, or even be forced to kill any wolf or werewolf witnesses to his weakness with his clerical powers before turning his attentions to the PCs. However, even if Alfred is killed (and his crunch does not mention any method through which he could cheat death), it is likely the Darklordship (and possibly even Alfred's curse) will simply pass to whichever werewolf in his domain is evil enough for the Dark Powers' liking, preserving Verbrek as a separate domain unless every werewolf in the domain is killed or driven out before the current Darklord's death. Even then, the Dark Powers can always make more Darklordship candidates, though a more darkly ironic postmortem fate for Alfred's cult and domain might be for the Wolf God cult to scatter to the winds after Alfred's death, in essence metastasizing and spreading its cell members and evil elsewhere, while Alfred's father returns to Arkandale just in time to resume his old Darklordship and hear about his son's death, saying only ''"So that self-righteous runt finally bit off more than he could chew. No matter. Runts have always thought themselves to be bigger than they are."''

On a side note, players who want to play a Ravenloft campaign set in Verbrek, but who also want to use [[Dungeons_%26_Dragons_5th_Edition|D&D 5e]] rules instead of relying on older books, might opt to use the official Magic-the-Gathering-to-D&D-5e conversion [[Innistrad|''Plane Shift: Innistrad'']] book, using its rules to play a campaign set in Innistrad's Kessig province. Kessig is thematically similar to Ravenloft's Verbrek as both are "werewolf country" locations, minus Darklords and other Ravenloft-exclusive mechanics. Until the Ravenloft setting is more fully adapted for D&D 5e, the Innistrad conversion is probably the best foundation for playing Verbrek in 5e.

===Dr. Victor Mordenheim/Adam===
Co-Darklords of Lamordia, of a sort. Like the character of Victor Frankenstein (best known for creating Frankenstein's monster) he was based on, Dr. Victor Mordenheim sought to create life and was certain that a soul was not necessary for it to exist. To show him the error of his ways, the gods saw fit to endow the doctor's creation with a soul--specifically, an irredeemably evil soul. The newly created dread flesh [[golem]] was dubbed Adam, and he soon grew jealous of the love that his maker's wife Elise and adopted daughter Eva had for him. Adam's plan to kidnap Elise failed, and instead he killed Eva and wounded Elise so badly she went into a vegetative state. It was at that time that the doctor and his creation were taken together into Ravenloft.

The doctor himself resides in his own mansion named Schloss Mordenheim, spending most of his time obsessively trying to revive his comatose-but-alive wife (who has herself long since gone mad due to her life support system causing her constant pain simply by being active), up to the point of continually constructing new bodies out of exhumed or painlessly-killed female corpses for her, but is cursed to never succeed and to never stop trying. Note that this is not out of love, though Mordenheim still believes that it is--it has become nothing more than a compulsion that has become his only reason for living. Meanwhile, Adam is now the "ruler" of an inhospitable island aptly dubbed the Isle of Agony in the middle of Lamordia inhabited solely by himself, forever cut off from the acceptance that he sought, cursed to feel the doctor's pain as his own, and rejected by the very land that he supposedly controls (as it is influenced by Mordenheim and not Adam). Adam's only form of solace comes from sabotaging Dr. Mordenheim's attempts at reviving Elise just to spite him. Player characters who meet Adam and treat him without pity or revulsion may be able to get some useful information out of him or even get him to open the borders of Lamordia, but he is very prone to anger and is virtually unstoppable once enraged.

So strong is Mordenheim's disbelief in magic that his own domain also (potentially) interferes with divine magic of any kind, making it unreliable, and may even block any magical attempts to heal Elise. Worse still, Mordenheim's attempts at training apprentices over the years in the vain hope that they might just achieve the necessary breakthrough to restoring Elise has unleashed quite a few mad scientist villains, or monsters born of mad science (such as the Living Brain, a disembodied brain in a life-support jar that uses its psionic powers to direct and dominate a major organized crime ring), onto Ravenloft at large.

In a curious twist, Adam is the Darklord and is the one with the power to close Lamordia's borders, but both Adam and his creator are effectively immortal and ageless, and Mordenheim even shares his creation's immunities and regenerative properties. If either is killed and their corpse completely destroyed by fire, acid, or even disintegration, either will simply reincarnate into the nearest most recently deceased male corpse (for Mordenheim) or flesh golem corpse (for Adam, and there are a quite a number of these running around Lamordia, made either by Mordenheim as failed bodies for Elise and futile attempts to recreate Adam's "success," or Adam's frustrated attempts at making sympathetic company for himself), and will shortly thereafter shape their new bodies into looking just like their previous selves. The only way to destroy Adam and Mordenheim for good is to destroy them together at the same time. If DMs decide to allow the permanent destruction of Darklords (see above), then the fate of Elise and Lamordia itself is up to them; one appropriate denouement could be that the permanent deaths of Adam and Mordenheim might just be the spark Mordenheim's machinery needs to briefly restore Elise long enough to rise up and forgive their long-suffering spirits before leading both to their afterlives, just before the land suddenly twists and shifts to reflect the curse and nature of its new Darklord.

Adam and Dr. Mordenheim first appeared in the one-shot adventure in a 1994 boxed set named "Adam's Wrath," intended for outlander PCs to undertake a [[Weekend in Hell]] adventure.

===Sir Tristen Hiregaard/Malken===
The "Jekyll & Hyde" Darklord of Nova Vaasa. Sir Hiregaard is a staunch, gruff but sincerely righteous man who is dedicated to his people and his land. However, he also plays host to Malken- an alternate personality that takes over Tristen's body, warping it into [[Caliban (Ravenloft)|a form so hideously ugly one can't recognize they're the same person]] and who delights in killing anyone who stands in the way of Hiregaard's repressed desires.

Strangely, Tristen did nothing at all to earn the position of Darklord; Malken is an entity born from a curse that was placed on Tristen's ''father'' by Tristen's mother Romir that compelled him to kill every woman he loved and any man who crossed him; Hiregaard Senior was an intensely jealous man and killed his wife and the man teaching her how to waltz in a fit of rage, thinking she was having an affair with him. When he killed himself to escape the curse, the curse passed to Tristen instead. Six years and nine killings after the curse first manifested itself in him, Tristen was taken into the mists and the secret jealousies and angers born from the curse coalesced into the being known as Malken. Tristen is only partially aware of Malken's existence, just enough to have his guards lock him into his personal chambers when he feels a fit of jealousy or anger coming on. For years he has assumed this has kept Malken in check, but as of late he is starting to suspect that Malken is too clever to be thwarted by mundane confinement despite the latter's attempts at keeping his influence a secret. Were he to discover the whole truth, he would be willing to do anything to end the curse.

This curse is the key to Malken's immortality; if Tristen is killed, then Tristen's eldest living male descendant will be possessed - and Malken will keep going down the chain each time his host dies, meaning that unless you find "the right way" to kill him, Malken can only be stopped by massacring Tristen's entire family line... which the players could potentially belong to. However, if Malken's host is killed by a woman genuinely in love with that man, then Malken will be dragged screaming into whatever hell-hole awaits him. And given that this would be a massive act of betrayal on that woman's part, she would likely end up becoming the new Darklord herself.

It should also be noted for DMs that "the struggle within his soul" prevents Malken from achieving the proper focus to Close the Borders of his domain, so if you want to run a session or campaign focussed around Nova Vaasa, you had better have a compelling in-universe reason to keep the PCs from simply up and leaving, since canonically DMs can't force the issue and simply lock the PCs into Nova Vaasa like they can with most other Darklords. It's possible that if Malken possesses a more evil host, he might just be able to Close the Borders then, but the form such a closed border would take has never been revealed in canon.

==Other Darklords==

===Addar===
{{main|Addar}}
The father of [[Shadow Unicorn]]s and a Darklord of questionable canon. More info on his page.

===Azalin Rex===
Darklord of Darkon. A powerful mage who inherited the rule of the city-state of Knurl, his draconian rule culminated in the execution of his son when he was caught freeing political prisoners. Soon afterward, Azalin became a [[lich]] and devoted himself to searching for a spell that could resurrect the dead; he believed that his son's sense of compassion was due to a mistake in his upbringing and assumed that if he could be revived that mistake could be fixed.

As soon as he was taken into Ravenloft he lost the ability to learn any new magic at all- a terrible thing for any magic user, and even worse for a lich like him who became undead for the sole purpose of gaining more knowledge. This power over memory affects anyone else who enters Darkon as well; staying there for more than three months at a time causes a visitor's memories to be erased and replaced with false ones of spending one's whole life in Darkon. Originally an ally of Strahd when he first entered the mists, their relationship soured quickly after a failed attempt at escaping the Demi-plane of Dread temporarily split the former into two separate beings and they've remained enemies ever since. Another ill-fated attempt at breaking free in which he planned to become a demilich backfired even more spectacularly. Instead of allowing his essence to be freed from Ravenloft, it dispersed his essence across Darkon and destroyed the domain's capital. It took five years for him to reassume a corporeal form and take control of his realm again.

===Baron Urik von Kharkov===
Considered one of the goofier Darklords, albeit not as bad as Tristen ApBlanc, and with a much more usable domain in Valachan. Baron Kharkov is basically half-Blacula and half-Werepanther; he was a black panther that a Red Wizard of Thay turned into a human being to use as an assassin. The Red Wizard arranged for him to fall in love with his rival, and then undid the transfiguration spell on him while they were together so he would tear her apart as a panther. When he was turned back into a human, he freaked out and ran off into the Mists. He found himself in Darkon, where he spent 20 years as a member of Azalin's secret police (turning into a Nosferatu in the process). He later escaped and subsequently became the Darklord of Valachan after entering the Mists again. We don't know what he did that turned him into a Darklord, in part due to his own fuzzy memories of what happened during that time, but he claims he killed many people while in the mists, including the Red Wizard that transformed him the first time.

Anyway, he's a blood-drinking black vampire cursed with yellow eyes (that turn into cat's eyes when he's pissed off) and with hands that resemble paws, being covered in fur and bearing retractile claws. He can still turn into a panther, in which state his bite turns people into werepanthers, and controls panthers instead of the normal wolves. His curse is to basically relive his most traumatizing event over and over again; he's constantly seeking a human bride, but once he has one, he can never trust her not to find out that he's not human, and inevitably murders her in a fit of paranoid fury. (He should try dating a [[Furry]] fan, that would solve it.)

===Bluebeard===
A rare darklord actually ''liked'' by his subjects, Bluebeard rules over Blaustein (German: "Blue Stone"), a small nation from an unknown world. His rule was considered just and fair, and as a ruler he was considered to be quite generous. Unfortunately for him, he was an incredibly ugly man -- a blue-tinted beard and all -- which to his credit, he overcame with his own charms and being incredibly wealthy didn't hurt either. Despite all of his good qualities, however, Bluebeard could not achieve a lasting marriage.

He would find a woman to marry, and soon after the wedding he would leave the castle for a time, handing its care over to his new wife. He would give her a set of keys to every door in the castle, and pointing out the one special golden key which opened a room at the very top floor. His instruction was to never open that particular door, with vague consequences. So far none of his wives have been able to overcome this temptation; and when they did open the door they found his grisly collection of former wives, hung up by meat-hooks with their throats slit. By opening the door, the key -- which was magical in nature -- would have a bloody mark that would appear that could not be removed except by Bluebeard himself. He would return to the castle soon after, and demand to see the keys. If the woman had given into temptation (which each invariably did), she would then share the fate as the other women in the room. Marcella was his fourth wife and victim. Her death was not the final, but eventually Bluebeard's repeated murders brought Blaustein into Ravenloft.

After becoming a darklord, Bluebeard was gifted by the Dark Powers with a minor charisma increase, which does not make him handsome by any means but does not leave him as ugly as he once was. He is also able to perfectly detect any lie. Even after the Mists took hold, Bluebeard is still the de facto leader of Blaustein, although his rule was twisted to be even more sadistic. Simply displeasing him is a death sentence, yet the populace still holds him in incredibly high regard. This is because he also has complete control over their memories, and freely erases or rewrites their recollections of his atrocities.

He is unable to marry any woman native to Blaustein, as their visages always twist to the posthumous appearance of one of his dead wives. This curse does not affect women who were born foreign of Blaustein, and Bluebeard along with this subjects are always on the constant lookout for any attractive women who fit this criteria. Lorel, an outlander he grabbed through the Mists, was his latest wife (and victim).

Bluebeard is also haunted by the ghosts of the wives he killed. Every third night must be spent in his castle in order to sleep, and he always awakes to the frightening caress of the specters of his murdered wives. Like his subjects, they are utterly devoted to him, yet in the most twisted way possible. While he considers this distressing, it has not stopped him from sending another wife to the same fate.

It is currently unknown if he has any dealings with any other nation or darklord, at least beyond welcoming in his harbour ships including those engaged in piracy.

===Captain Pieter van Riese===
Darklord of the Sea of Sorrows. Originally from Gothic Earth's version of the Netherlands, Pieter was a ship's captain obsessed with finding the legendary Northwest Passage. When his ship was sunk in an encounter with an iceberg, he offered his own life along with the lives of his crew to any being who could help them forward, and the Dark Powers answered him. Naturally, they didn't actually give him what he wanted.

Pieter is now a ghost, and the captain of the ghost ship ''The Relentless''. He has the power to summon the ghosts of those who killed others and then were killed in the Sea of Sorrows to crew his ship, and can sail anywhere in his domain. However, he can no longer explore as he wishes, since the island domains in the Sea of Sorrows move around and he can only sail to land that he's chartered to go to.

Pieter is Ravenloft's answer to the legends of the ''Flying Dutchman'', a ghost ship that is unable to make port and sails the seas forever. Most versions say that the curse is because of her captain, Hendrick van der Decken, refusing to go to port while crossing the Cape of Good Hope, declaring that he would not make port "though I should beat about here till the day of judgment". He got shipwrecked in a storm, and the ghost of his ship is now bound by his curse to never be able to rest at port.

===Councilor Dominic d'Honaire===
The darklord of Dementlieu. Originally born in Mordentshire, Dominic is not the domain's temporal leader but does serve as an adviser for Marcel Guignol, Dementlieu's head of state. However, Dominic has much more power than his official position would suggest. The darklord's power is domination over the minds of other people on a prodigious scale. A great many in the land, including its recognized head, are his obedients and through this network he knows whatever goes on in his land.

His personal curse is that any woman he woos sees him as more repulsive the more he is attracted to her. Also, for some time his rule is challenged by an entity who is called (and virtually is) the Living Brain (re: ''Sherlock Holmes''' Moriarty), the last remains of Rudolph von Aubrecker, the youngest son of Lamordia's political ruler.

==="Death"===
Darklord of Necropolis (formerly Il-Aluk, the capital of Darkon). Originally a clone of Azalin made by him as part of a convoluted scheme to bypass his curse, he was transformed into a negative energy elemental by the prototype version of the "Doomsday Device" Azalin thought would make him into a demilich. When it backfired, the massive surge of negative energy it released killed the whole of Il-Aluk's population. "Death" then claimed the ruined capital and its remaining undead inhabitants as its own, and after Azalin reconstituted himself Necropolis became its own domain. A shroud of negative energy still remains over Necropolis, which instantly kills all non-undead which attempt to enter its borders.

===Dr. Frantisek Markov===
Darklord of Markovia. Originally a pig farmer from Barovia, he grew increasingly obsessed with the anatomy of the pigs he butchered and began to perform bizarre experiments on them that wouldn't be out of place in a [[Haemonculus]]' laboratory. When his "subjects" inevitably died, he simply sold the meat without telling anyone what he had done to it first. Eventually his wife discovered his gruesome hobby and threatened to expose him, at which time she ended up becoming one of his experiments as well. After three days of vivisection, she finally expired- her corpse was so horrifically mangled that when it was first discovered it was mistaken for the remains of a monster. When Markov's involvement in her death became clear, the mists claimed him and made him a Darklord.

Fittingly, Markov's curse allows him to shapeshift into any animal form he wishes (save for his head, which remains human), but is incapable of assuming his original human form. As a result, he normally takes the shape of a gorilla in order to continue his increasingly deranged experiments without being impeded by a lack of thumbs. Said experiments culminated in the creation of the "[[Broken One]]s"- animals (and the occasional unlucky human) that have been surgically mutilated into a human-animal hybrid form and given a semblance of intellect, similar to the Beast Folk of ''The Island of Dr. Moreau''. Like said Beast Folk, they too are highly prone to reverting to their primal instincts and bestial appearance after only a few days.

===Easan the Mad===
Darklord and ruler of Vechor. Easan has the power to reshape the land, and even reality itself, within his domain. Combined with his capricious whims, his power makes the realm a place of constant change.

Easan is a short wood elf and former agitator for a war against Iuz the Evil. For his efforts, he was seemingly driven mad by the possession of a fiend. Now Easan only looks for a cure to his madness, but he is willing to tear many innocent lives apart, and maybe even reality itself, to find a cure. His vile research has focused on souls and soul transference. Among other monstrosities, his research created the dread mechanical golem from fellow outlander Ahmi Vanjuko.

It all started on the outlander world of Oerth. Easan argued the cause for war to his colleagues among the rulers of a tiny elf kingdom bordering Iuz's empire. To make an example of the upstart elf, Iuz ordered his agents to kidnap Easan. With Easan rendered helpless before him, Iuz bound a fiend to Easan.

The presence of the fiend within Easan began eating away at his mind. Many magical means of expulsion failed, including the divine magic of [[St. Cuthbert]]'s followers. In an effort to find a way to free himself from the fiend, Easan visited a far-off island of mystics. They managed to suppress the fiend for a time, but eventually the monks and their island were rent asunder by a disaster of mysterious circumstances. Only Easan came out of it alive. The cause of the incident was Iuz's visit to the island and his ensuing frustration at Easan's seeming mastery over the fiendish spirit within. Iuz brought about the magical destruction that wiped out the entire island.

Whereas Easan emerged from the disaster with his body intact, his mind had only deteriorated further. The fiend had returned, but Easan did not give up hope. Where religion had failed, Easan resolved to find a way to banish the fiend with perverse experiments. Easan sacrificed many lives in his pursuit for a cure before he was taken in by the Mists.

Eventually, Easan noticed he was in a foreign, if familiar, land where he was viewed as a god. Indeed, he now had the power to warp reality (albeit slowly) within his own domain. Although he enjoys this from time to time, for the most part he remains obsessed with finding secrets of the soul. For all his power, he cannot seem to best his own inner demons, for he has all but forgotten the reasons why he began his foul research.

In truth, Easan never had a fiend implanted in him at all. It was all merely a deception to throw him off balance. Still, Easan's mind locked onto it, and when others couldn't detect the nonexistent affliction, Easan turned to his own methods for finding a cure.

===Ebonbane===
First introduced in the Darklords sourcebook, Ebonbane is a villainous character strongly associated with the mythos surrounding the Shadowborn Family and the Shadowlands cluster. In universe, Ebonbane is a source of horrific evil that has been opposed by Lady Kateri Shadowborn and her kin for almost two centuries, going back to the Heretical Wars on the Prime Material Plane. Once a powerful fiend known as Lussimar, Ebonbane was conjured and trapped inside a sword by mortal spellcasters. Ebonbane struck back at its summoners and enslaved them. After Ebonbane killed Kateri Shadowborn, it became darklord of Shadowborn Manor, the former residence of its nemesis.

===Elena Faith-Hold===
Darklord of Nidala. Elena was a [[Paladin]] of the god [[Belenus]] that acted as a guardian of a land also called Nidala, but her devotion to Belenus was tainted by her fondness for the adoration of the masses. Following a great crusade against the forces of evil, the people began to scorn those who did not worship Belenus. The more zealous members of the clergy appealed to her vanity and drive to please Belenus, and soon she grew so fanatical that after the "non-believers" were wiped out, she turned on followers that she deemed unworthy, always finding some new target for her purges. For this, Belenus withdrew his support, but Elena never realized that she fell because her formerly [[Lawful Stupid]] tendencies had blossomed into full-fledged self-righteousness- thus leaving her incapable of even considering that she might have gone astray from her god's teachings.

Believing her fall to be only a test of faith, she grew ever more ruthless in purging those who she deemed unclean, until she was eventually drawn by the Mists into the Demiplane of Dread. She didn't actually become a Darklord until later, when she started slaughtering entire villages because she saw more evil than good in them (not knowing that she was only looking at the worst parts of each town). At that point, she was given the domain of Nidala, which she runs as a dour police state, forbidding all practices she sees as evil while allowing her cult of personality to reach new heights. When she considers a town to be too corrupted, she and her followers destroy it, blaming the deed on the fictional [[dragon]] Banemaw. Ironically enough, in her domain the true dogma of Belenus is considered [[Heresy]], and her servant/"spiritual guide" Theokos (a fiend-like entity masquerading as a [[Cleric]] of Belenus) strives to wipe it out entirely.

As a Darklord, Elena has her paladin powers back, except they're from the Dark Powers, so they're warped in ways that Elena is in severe denial about. Her unicorn steed is now fiendish, she commands undead instead of turning them, her Aura of Courage is an Aura of Despair, she can only heal herself or her steed, and most notably her Detect Evil power instead directs strong emotions that others feel towards her (any emotion works, so someone who genuinely loves her will still be detected as "evil" with predictable results), leaving them vulnerable to her version of Smite Evil. Naturally, Elana refuses to believe that her Detect Evil power doesn't actually work as it's supposed to and insists that the inability of anyone else to use Detect Evil in the Demiplane of Dread is proof of their spiritual impurity. She is also able to "convert" foes to her side as loyal servants who will gladly die for her, which functions like an enhanced humanoid-only version of Charm Monster.

She is cursed with bouts of self-doubt, and once every week she must take a midnight ride as a chorus of voices denounce her for becoming one of the forces of evil she once fought against.

===Gabrielle Aderre===
Darklord of Invidia. A [[half-Vistani]] whose mother was raped by Drakov and was rejected by her fellow Vistani, she had always fantasized about her father's identity and resented her mother's unwillingness to speak of him, as well as her warning that if she bore a child it would end in disaster for everyone around her. When her mother was attacked by a werewolf, Gabrielle refused to aid her until she revealed the truth about her father. But when her mother did so, Gabrielle refused to believe it and left her to die. The mists took her after that, and she came to be cursed with an inability to cause direct harm to the [[Vistani]], either physically or magically. Soon afterward she came to become the temporal leader of Invidia as well as its darklord, an opportunity that allowed her to begin persecuting the Vistani in spite of her curse.

She took many lovers as Invidia's ruler, though she only truly loved one of them, a wolfwere called Matton Blanchard. However, she was later seduced by the incubus calling himself "The Gentleman Caller" and left pregnant by him. Her son Malocchio soon proved to be one of the Dukkar- one of the rare males of Vistani blood with The Sight. On its own this would be a cause for concern among the Vistani, as the Dukkar is effectively the Vistani equivalent of the Antichrist; however, Gabrielle went even further and taught him to hate the Vistani as much as she did. Ultimately she taught him too well, as Malocchio betrayed Gabrielle and took the position of Invidia's temporal ruler for himself. She survived due to the intervention of Blanchard, but since then Malocchio has been the ruler of Invidia, persecuting the Vistani far more effectively than Gabrielle ever could have done. The only reason he has yet to kill her is because he knows that if she dies, he will inevitably inherit her title of Darklord, which he has no interest in gaining.

===Haki Shinpi===
Darklord of Rokushima Táiyoo. He's a powerless [[Geist]] that, in life, was a powerful [[samurai]] and clan leader whom forged a big and powerful empire. He felt pride in the fact that his clan and lands held together while others fell to discord, despair, and war, which he helped to instigate via manipulation and betrayal. Haki Shinpi somewhat lived by the code of Bushido but abused and exploited it to manipulate his nemeses, play them against each other, run their hopes into the ground.

Shortly prior to Haki's death, he made it known that each of his six sons would inherit part of his conquered lands evenly. As expected, this went swimmingly for everyone involved. After his death, his children turned to bickering and then all out war against each other. Two of his children met their doom, and their islands were leveled by earthquakes before Rokushima Taiyoo was brought into the Demiplane of Dread.

Far from the influential and powerful man he was in life, Haki Shinpi can now do little to keep his sons from tearing his land apart in civil war.

===Hazlik===
Darklord of Hazlan. A gay [[Forgotten Realms|Red Wizard of Thay]] who was publicly humiliated and stripped of his status by his female rival and her boyfriend, the latter of which he lusted after. As revenge, he murdered the guy, made his girlfriend eat his corpse, then tortured her to death as well, at which time he was then swept up by the mists. His curse is to suffer from nightmares of his now-inaccessible rivals defeating him with impunity and generally humiliating him every night, which has made him even more fixated on getting revenge against the Red Wizards. So he's crafting plans to cast a spell that will genocide all members of his race, the Mulan, throughout the multiverse. To escape being killed by said genocide spell himself, he's prepared to bodysnatch his female Rashemani apprentice when he's ready to use it.

===Illithid God-Brain===
The darklord of Bluetspur is an [[illithid]] [[Elder-brain]], a massive conglomeration of the brain of every dead illithid, merged together into a new, living, entirely alien entity. This creature has the memories and psionic strengths of every brain joined to it, but it is trapped; powerless to do anything but float in its subterranean saline pool, surrounded by the slithering forms of barely sentient illithid tadpoles. It is a vast intelligence robbed of the ability to directly experience the world around it. The Elder-brain tries to feed this craving by searching the minds of those around it. The Elder-brain can read the mind of any creature in its domain, and on rare occasions it can sense the minds of individuals beyond the borders of Bluetspur. It can only sense the most powerful of these minds, those of characters with psionic abilities. If the Elder-brain senses such a mind, it may decide to try and integrate this mind into itself.

===Inza Magdova Kulchevitch===

The current Darklord of Sithicus, replacing Lord Soth. She was born in Gundarak, on the night Duke Gundar was assassinated, and two years later, her caravan wandered into Sithicus, where they were trapped, although her mother Magda managed to bargain for protection with Soth.

Inza's dark mindset showed from a very early age. Even as a child she loved thieving and manipulating the giorgio of Sithicus, and for the most part stood aside from her tribe. Her only friend was Piotr, a boy 1 year her senior, and this wasn't such a good thing as Inza pushed him to join her in both emnity to the giorgios and bullying a boy named Nikolas for his kindness towards non-Vistani. Their friendship eventually came to an end when Inza allowed Nikolas to be brutally beaten and pinned the blame on Piotr. Inza also hated animals, since they were not fooled by her facade of innocence, and would torture and kill them on the sly. None of this disturbing behavior ever reached Magda, who doted on her daughter, but by adulthood her rampant kleptomania and unlikeable personality had alienated most of the other Vistani.

Inza became Darklord of Sithicus after betraying her mother and caravan to Malocchio Aderre, breaking the caravan's oath to Lord Soth in the process. She attempted to usurp Soth's power, but was foiled and as the surviving members of her caravan hunted her down, she leapt into a chasm to escape. The darkness within the chasm surrounded and embraced her, turning her into the new Darklord.

As Darklord, Inza exists as a force of corruption. Her curse is twofold- first, her form has become a mass of shadow, and she has to concentrate to look human. Second, she stole, manipulated, and was a general bitch because of her philosophy that everyone was as evil as her at heart. The presence of true heroes in her domain (to say nothing of the redeemed spirit of Lord Soth himself) has shaken her to the core, and despite all her efforts to stomp out the forces of good in her domain, they still exist as thorns in her side.

===King Crocodile===
Yes, Ravenloft even has Darklords that are talking animals! No, you cannot [[Furry|play as one yourself]].

King Crocodile is the savage and bestial Darklord of the equally savage and bestial Wildlands, which is based on Rudyard Kipling's ''Just-So Stories'' and ''The Jungle Book''. This talking crocodile was so bloodthirsty and ferocious to his fellow talking animals in the jungle, they begged the hairless apes (i.e. humans) to come and kill him, but instead of holding up their end of the bargain, the hairless apes just started destroying the jungle for resources and colonizing it. This drove the other talking animals into pleading for King Crocodile to kill the hairless apes, and he agreed on the condition that the other animals all loan him their powers, which they did with the exception of the Python (the "wisest of the animals") and the Fly (whom King Crocodile thought was too insignificant to matter).

King Crocodile did slake his bloodthirsty appetite on the hairless apes and drove them out, but instead of returning the other animals' powers when he was finished as he had promised, he instead returned to his old ways of gorging himself on the animal population even more wantonly and gluttonously than before. It was at this point that the Python told King Crocodile a prophecy, which was that King Crocodile would either be killed by one of the hairless apes or by something he thought was pathetic and beneath him. With this done, the Python and his fellow snakes left King Crocodile's jungle to its fate at the hands of Ravenloft's Dark Powers, who quickly claimed the land as their own.

True to the Python's words, King Crocodile is slowly dying of the sleeping sickness spread by the flies, and the only thing that might help him are the hairless apes. But he is unable to keep himself from attacking any who might cure his affliction, and might attack them even if they do help him. The other talking animals still live in fear of King Crocodile and will implore any player characters they meet to dispose of him, but the cycle of betrayal in this land is only doomed to repeat itself. As a result, even if the player characters succeed in killing King Crocodile none of the talking animals will honour their words and the other crocodiles will fight to the death to assume King Crocodile's crown (and his cursed fate), as "''gratitude is not a quality well-known in the jungle.''"

===Lord Soth===
{{main|Lord Soth}}
The infamous Death Knight of Krynn was for a time the Darklord of Sithicus. More details can be found on his page, but suffice to say that the Dark Powers grew tired of him, and he was succeeded as Darklord by the [[Vistani]] Inza Kulchevitch.

===Lord Wilfred Godefroy===
Darklord of Mordent (the same place from the old Ravenloft II module). A nobleman who murdered his wife when she was unable to produce a son for him as an heir and then murdered his daughter for trying to stop him, and then framed their deaths as an accident. Their ghosts came back to haunt him for a year until he killed himself to make it stop, and when Azalin and Strahd inadvertently drew Mordent into the mists Godefroy (now a ghost himself) became its darklord. His curse is to be continually tormented by the ghosts of his wife and daughter just as he was in life, who tear him apart every night as they curse him for murdering them.

While he was formerly known to be rather passive as a Darklord, in recent times he has taken to enslaving other ghosts to do his bidding. In particular, he's had the mayor of Mordentshire under his thumb for years by holding the ghost of his wife hostage.

===Maharaja Arijani===
[[Rakshasa]] darklord of Sri Raji, Arijani attained his position after betraying both his kind and his father, Ravana (or rather, the Avatar of Ravana), having received the scorn of the rakshasa for most of his life. Although Ravana is a deity venerated by the rakshasa, Arijani's mother was Mahiji, then high priest of the hated goddess Kali and a leader of the Dark Sisters. To compound things, the Avatar of Kali delivered Arijanni to a home of low caste rank. He lived as a pariah shunned by his fellow rakshasa and languished in a position of low social importance. This alienated Arijani from his own kind, such that he arranged the death of many rakshasa in the conflict with humans. Gradually, Arijani's manipulations became so great that the people of Bahru began hunting their former hunters.

Arijani's depredations climaxed with rakshasa retaliatory siege against Bahru. Although the city fell, the cost was massive casualties on both sides and the city left in ruins. Angered and disgusted by Arijani's actions, Ravana sent his avatar to dispatch his prodigal son. However, Arijani conspired with Mahiji and lured the avatar into a trap. Thus rendered helpless, Ravana offered Arijani a wish in return for his release. Ravana accepted the offer, wishing to become immune to the attacks of rakshasas. The wish was granted, but Arijani slew the avatar anyway. Such was the level of his treachery that the Mists brought Sri Raji into the Demiplane of Dread.

The Maharaja's curse is that, although he is a talented illusionist, Arijani cannot disguise himself in a pleasing form, as most rakshasa do. Instead, he can only assume despicable aspects, such as that of the viewer's worst enemy. Maharaja Arijani resides in Mahakala, in Bahru. There, he is served by the Dark Sisters, whom through him, must provide to Kali daily human sacrifice.

Beyond the threat of an all weretiger cult called "The Stalkers" that were huge fans of his dad trying to kill him, Arijani's greatest fear is the very weapon he used to kill the avatar with, knowing full well it's somewhere in the jungle and very likely to be used on him just like Ravana.

===Maligno===
Darklord of Odiare. In the same vein as Pinocchio, he was originally a marionette brought to life through his toymaker "father" Giuseppe's wishes for a son. Though beloved by the children of Odiare, the adults of the village did not consider him to be a "real" boy. He soon grew bitter over the discovery that he wasn't truly alive, and after terrorizing Guiseppe into making more [[carrionette]]s like himself he had them kill every adult at one of his performances. It was this act that drew Odiare into the Mists as an Island of Terror.

Later on, he planned to have the carrionettes steal the bodies of every surviving adult there so they would be forced to love him, but due to the intervention of the PCs in the module "The Created" he was forced to simply kill the adults off instead. The children now adore him only out of fear, and as they grow older they wonder when Maligno will come for them as well.

Maligno's curse is that he can never be human as he craves, as he alone among the carrionettes is unable to steal the bodies of others. Furthermore, he cannot kill Guiseppe because any injury he suffers is inflicted on Maligno himself. Instead, the old toymaker was driven insane and now exists solely to create more toys for his "son" to command. Should Maligno's body be totally destroyed, Guiseppe is compelled to rebuild it, with the foul puppet's spirit claiming the new body as its own.

===Sisters Mindefisk===
Darklords of Tepest, and based on hags in myth or "the three wicked witches" from folkloric stories. Three sisters who were left as babies for a humble farm wife who wished for daughters, but from their birth displayed mysterious traits. Most notably, after their mother died from the strain of caring for the three sickly girls (or possibly because they drained her life), their father (who had often voiced his dislike of "weakling daughters") tried to leave the three 2-year olds for dead repeatedly, but they always came back. Eventually he let them stay as long as they cooked for him and his sons. Growing up dissatisfied with their surroundings, they took to seducing, murdering, and eating travelers to build up a stockpile of money so they could ultimately leave the farm. This worked until one final traveler tried to turn them against each other, only to be murdered so none of the sisters could claim him as theirs. This was what ultimately led to their being taken into the Mists and stuck in the depths of a forest full of [[goblin]]s and witch-burning, faerie-chasing bumpkins. They still lure in any unwary travelers to their cottage, taking advantage of the locals' blaming the goblins for their victims' deaths.

The sisters consist of Laveeda, an Annis Hag, Leticia, a Sea Hag, and Lorinda, a Green Hag. Though they can shapeshift, they are cursed to always see themselves and each other as their true forms no matter which shape they take.

===Vecna===
{{main|Vecna}}
Yes, THAT Vecna, the Maimed God; the guy whose eye and hand are still around for PCs to mess (and ''be'' messed) with.

The whole tale of Vecna's ascension to godhood is complicated, but at one point where he was 'merely' a demigod, he and Kas were pulled into the Mists after a bunch of meddlesome adventurers thwarted one of his plans. Not one to be contained for long, Vecna has the dubious honor of being the only Darklord to force his way out of the Demi-Plane of Dread after being drawn in by the Mists. On top of that, he managed to get himself 'promoted' to full-fledged minor God in the process, which is how he got the Dark Powers to kick him out due to their ban on allowing gods to influence Ravenloft. (The full story is recounted in the modules ''Vecna Lives!'', ''Vecna Reborn'' and ''Die Vecna Die!''.)

===Vlad Drakov===
Darklord of Falkovnia. He was originally the leader of a mercenary band called the Talons of the Hawk in [[Dragonlance|Krynn]]. For their wanton brutality and bloodlust, they were taken into Ravenloft and claimed Falkovia for themselves (after a failed invasion of Darkon that was repulsed by Azalin's undead).[[Berserk|If this seems familiar]] then good, you're paying attention.

This rivalry with Azalin has since become part of Drakov's curse, though he seems unaware of it. While four other countries (that have themselves agreed to an alliance should Falkovnia ever attack one of them) surround him, Drakov considers them "women and fops" not worth the effort of invasion, obsesses over an enemy he has no way of defeating, and is forever unable to gain the approval and respect of the great military leaders that he has sought all his life. And even if he did somehow conquer Darkon, [[fail|no Darklord can ever leave his own realm]] so he would never actually get to conquer it himself. Another factor in his defeats is that his way of doing war is distinctly and doggedly medieval (no gunpowder, no magic), so on the rare occasions he decides to try his luck at conquering other neighbouring domains than Darkon (all of which are at a higher technological level than Falkovnia) his forces almost always get shot to pieces by firearms or, more rarely, blown to pieces with magic. Oddly enough, his realm may in fact be, on the whole, a net ''benefit'' to the other domains of the Core, as his penchant for overworking his peasantry/slaves (when he's not busy having them impaled for his entertainment, of course) means that his realm produces large amounts of grain and foodstuffs which he sells for funds to equip and train his forces, unintentionally making Falkovnia "the breadbasket of the Core."

In addition, Drakov may be unique as the one of the most "conventional" Darklords in Ravenloft in the sense that he is statted like a run-of-the-mill fighter-class BBEG, and much like this archetype he has no magical abilities aside from a few magical weapons and armour at his disposal, coupled with no ability to cheat death, and no supernatural ability to close his domain's borders (all of which are in line with his disdain for magic and the supernatural), except for a good amount of inherent magic resistance that will also work against beneficial spells (so if he's ever in a tight enough bind to require magical healing, he's screwed). However, PCs and DMs shouldn't mistake his one-dimensional combat abilities as a sign that Falkovnia would be easy to liberate from his iron-fisted rule via a [[Raven Guard|simple decapitation raid]]; the totalitarian and thoroughly abusive nature of his rule means that those he trusts enough to carry out his orders are all likely evil enough and think enough like him to instantly assume his mantle of Darklord should Drakov ever be killed, just like similar totalitarian regimes in real life can survive the deaths of multiple successive leaders. Truly liberating Falkovnia in a thematically appropriate way would require the PCs to either engineer a full-scale revolution, or otherwise ensure the complete destruction of his regime, much like truly destroying a cancerous tumour in real life requires removing or destroying every last cancer cell. And all of this says nothing about which neighbouring realm would end up absorbing Falkovnia on the off-chance it ever gets truly liberated, though at this point even Azalin would be a better ruler than Drakov given that the lich dispenses harsh but fair justice and otherwise leaves his subjects alone to continue his arcane pursuits.

===Yagno Petrovna===
Darklord of G'Henna. The Petrovna family was one of those taken by the Mists when Barovia was absorbed into Ravenloft, and although they avoided Strahd's attention by hiding away in the mountains this in turn led to inbreeding. As Yagno grew up, it became clear to all that he was insane- he conversed with imaginary people and cowered from beasts that weren't there. One day, he was locked out of his family's home and had to take shelter in a cave for the night. When he woke up, he saw the name "[[Zhakata]]" scrawled on a wall.

Yagno concluded that Zhakata was the name of the god that had protected him when he slept that night and created a shrine to his savior. (In reality, the name was written by his brother as a prank and meant absolutely nothing.) At first he merely sacrificed animals to Zhakata, but then he moved on to sacrificing people. When he was caught trying to offer his sister's newborn baby to Zhakata, he was chased out of Barovia by his family. The Mists welcomed him to the domain of G'henna, where he became the Darklord.

Yagno is cursed to constantly suffer doubts about whether or not Zhakata is real. No matter how many sacrifices he makes or how many people he commands to starve themselves in the name of Zhakata, he can never quite get rid of his nagging disbelief and the worry that all his devotion has been directed towards a lie. This eventually led Yagno to call upon a wizard who claimed he could summon Zhakata; as he could not summon a nonexistent god, a nalfeshnee by the name of Malistroi answered the summons instead and told Yagno that Zhakata was just a figment of his imagination. The Darklord immediately flew into a rage and killed the wizard, while Malistroi later escaped to ravage G'Henna. Since then, he has merely redoubled his fanaticism in a futile attempt to dispel his doubts.

[[Category:Dungeons & Dragons]][[Category:Ravenloft]]

British Mechanized Company

2020-09-16T09:46:50Z

2A02:1811:5180:A200:94A7:E663:AD95:18E2: /* IRL */

[[File:Brit Mech platoon.jpg|right|300px|thumb|'Ain't I killed you before?' Literally all PACT players]]
{{topquote|England expects that every man will do his duty.| Lord Horatio Nelson }}

By 1985, the British infantryman has evolved into a mechanized unit, riding FV432s onto the battlefields of Europe. Platoons number around 35 men, composed of 4 Rifle sections and a command section. As with all NATO armies, the platoon is led by a 2nd Lieutenant (pronounced “Leff-tenant in the British English) and a Sergeant (or Colour Sergeant) as his second in command. The Rifle sections have 6 riflemen with L1A1 Self Loading Rifles (SLRs), 2 riflemen manning an L7 GPMG, an anti-tank gunner with a Carl Gustav 86mm Recoilless Rifle and a Squad leader with an SLR. In real life, disposable 66mm Anti Tank rockets would be issued by Battalion depending on the mission and are not part of the standard loadout. More importantly, they are disposable and not carried like tic-tacs the way it's represented in the game.

==In Team Yankee==
[[File:TB105.jpg|300px|left|thumb|The Stat Card]]
The British Infantry are represented in Team Yankee by the Irish Guards as part of the 4th Armoured Brigade. It is composed of 3 or 4 infantry sections; made up of a support fireteam (with a Carl Gustav or a 2" mortar) and a GPMG team with a LAW. Compared to other NATO infantry Platoons, the Brits field a greater number of teams and anti-tank armaments, making them far deadlier against enemy entrenched infantry, main battle tanks and even other infantry in assaults, since the Gustav fireteam can fight equally well in close combat as any rifle base. Another base of note is the mortar team, capable of destroying enemy infantry but ideal for blinding key enemy units with smoke, such as heavy weapons. Their <s>alcohol rations</s> Irish heritage grants them 3+ Assault.

Despite all their strengths, they suffer from the same weaknesses as other infantry, such as vulnerability to being pinned. While the M113 and Marder feature .50 cal MGs and autocannons capable of fighting light armor, the FV432 features a comparative peashooter with AT 2, limiting it to fighting enemy infantry or unarmoured tank teams like BM-21 Grads. A key difference is that they retain a moving ROF of 3 and have 1 armor all round, so expect these things to die way faster than the infantry they are supposed to protect. Another weakness is their inability to defeat entrenched infantry with a piddly FP 6+ on their rifles, encouraging their role as defensive troops.

===Options===
You may purchase 2 Milan teams for 2 points, giving them the ability to RELIABLY destroy enemy tanks at range. When the enemy comes close, these Milan sections can be excellent sacrificial lambs to try bouncing shots towards in order to protect your far more valuable Carl Gustav teams.

You may also purchase a GPMG team for 1 point, providing the effective fire of two MG teams with 6 shots stationary and 2 shots on the move at FP6.

In the triangle of survivability, firepower and close combat the British stand proudly as the best infantry in the game in literally every category except shooting entrenched infantry. Expect to paint many of these Leprechauns if you wish to play a tournament level British list.

==IRL==
[[File:37279b9e.jpg|300px|right|thumb|It's a long way, to Tipperary....]]
The vast majority of British infantry are equipped with FV432 APCs, with Armored Divisions transitioning to Warrior Infantry Fighting Vehicles from 1988 onward; exceptions include the Territorials and the Parachute Regiment. Today, the infantry operate a variety of transports for different missions, including the Warrior, the Bulldog (a modernized FV432) and Cougar Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles.

While the L1A1 is their primary rifle in Team Yankee, by 1985 the British army had started adopting the SA80/L85 to replace it. Designed by people who hadn't fired a gun before, based off a reverse engineered AR18 (a system that was still under patent protection when they initially intended to start production before delays) that they didn't really understand or reverse engineer too well, then poorly converted to bullpup form the L85 never had much of a chance of being a good rifle. This disaster was made worse when workers at Royal Small Arms Factory learned they would soon be laid off after making the things and proceeded to not give a damn ''en masse''. Rather than a light, compact weapon, the resulting rifle was actually ''heavier'' than its contemporaries with conventional layouts. Soldiers literally couldn't fire a full magazine in any moderately adverse conditions without failure, earning the rifle the nickname "Civil Servant" since it didn't work and you couldn't fire it. The only part that worked as expected were the second wave of mags, which were all made by Colt in the United States, and even then had the issues expected of early, black follower ("If it's black, send it back") STANAG mags. After several redesigns and modifications done by German company H&K (that wound up costing more than buying new rifles!) and American made EMags the L85A2 works, albeit at the cost of being even heavier than it originally was. Unloaded without optics the SA80A2 is already the heaviest 5.56 rifle adopted and weighs over 132% of an M16, a full ''two pounds'' heavier. ''Allegedly'' the rifle was more accurate than others, but the test to obtain this result was based on scoped SA80 compared to everything else with iron sights instead of a proper test of mechanical accuracy, so it ultimately amounted to the conclusion "scopes have better practical accuracy than iron sights". Since those fixes did not begin till 1992, didn't actually start till 1998, and in this scenario Germany is on the front lines, those redesigns would never happen, so its reasonable to assume that the Brits would've stuck with the tried-and-true L1A1 for the time being.

Aside from not working, being heavy, and being a bullpup, the L85 is notable for optical sights being standard, since low sight radius makes irons on a bullpup pretty sub-optimal, yet ''not'' making them even semi-integral. The first optic was the 4X SUSAT scope which was... OK. It actually worked, which was more than could be said for the rifle it was attached to, but had a very narrow field of view that rendered it unsuitable for close range engagements (you know, the place where you might actually ''want'' a bullpup) and was before scopes were nitrogen purged so it would fog up a lot. Since the rifle was adopted a decade before the adoption of picatiny rail as standard for optics mount, it uses a proprietary and heavy mounting solution. In 2007 American ACOGs were used an interim solution for a few years followed by replacing the SUSAT with a picatiny mounted 4X ELCAN optic (made in Canada, to ''further'' outsource fixing the rifle) with a small red dot (made in the US) on top of it, which works though is a heavy optic setup on an already heavy rifle.

{{British Forces in Team Yankee}}
[[Category:Team Yankee]]

Team Yankee

2020-09-16T08:54:00Z

2A02:1811:5180:A200:94A7:E663:AD95:18E2: /* France */

[[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 off historically based equipment at a specific point of 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: armoure 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 in their respective pages.

NATO armies to 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) 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 like 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 listbuilding 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 table top. [[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 20mm|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 [[Rapiers|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====
''" 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.

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====
''"For Queen and Country!"''

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, 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”.

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.

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

;Strengths
*One of the strongest factions in firepower when 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.
*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: Milans, Swingfire and Harriers can ruin any tanker's day. 5/5
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 “Leopard” and the subsequent expansion “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
*<s>Strongest armoured units in the game.</s> Not anymore!
*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.

The Breakdown:
Infantry: Effective, but few and expensive. 2/5
Transports: Overcosted for what you get. 3/5
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. 3/5
Anit-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 their own military industry and designs and also lead to them 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 they saw fit to do so; i.e. in case of WW3/something grave enough it 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 "Society of Nations II: Incompetence Boogaloo" or being pressured into sending his soldiers in conflicts where France had neither cause 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 only 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!". Realizing they would never be able to field armor in the same volumes the Soviets could, the 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 their good skill but poor morale scores: the French don't stick around for a slugging match they know they can't win.

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. 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 trade casualties for the same. Consequently, French army doctrine evolved into a very mobile and elastic thing, focusing on being able to outmaneuver the enemy while staying away from engaging in attritional slogs. 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 apologise for their borrowing of American and German units, such as aircraft and heavy tank platoons.

Defining Units: [[Leopard 1#Canada|Leopard C1]], [[ADATS]]

;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, less advanced than their alcoholic West German brothers but 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
*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, in exchange for spending their jail time in combat.

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.)

The Armies of the Soviet Union were some of the most feared in the west. The thought of thousands of Soviet tanks storming the border backed up by thousands of APCs carrying hundreds of thousands of the noble sons of the motherland was almost enough to make any NATO strategic thinker quake in his books. Rules for the Soviet Hordes can be found in the Team Yankee Rulebook and “Red Thunder”.

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.

;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.
*Wehrmacht-influenced Communists.

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. The People's Republic of Poland has one of the largest and strongest armies in Eastern Europe short of the Soviets, and possesses its own arms industry, manufacturing more cheap tanks and guns than anybody except the USSR. Their foreign customers include the East Germans and those fun guys in North Korea. The People's Republic of Poland has been highly aggressive in its preparations for doing battle with the armies of NATO; Polish war plans feature almost no details for a defense of Poland at all. If the assault into western Europe goes well, no problem, but this lack of defensive planning could come back to haunt Poland if NATO's forces do not fall to the Communist hordes.

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, 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 there 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. 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, used "Flames of War" and "Fate of a Nation" units to put together an IDF reservist force, but that will 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.
*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. By the Iran-Iraq War, the Iranian military was only able to repel invading Iraqi forces thanks to foreign equipment. 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. It's safe to assume the Americans and British are no longer supplying spare parts, but the Iranians manage somehow, running their bizarre fleet of NATO and WarPac machines and weapons. Statwise, the Iranians are even more fanatical than Soviets with 3+ across the board, except for 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. You won't outnumber the Soviets, but you have a chance to outnumber the infidel Westerners more often than they'd like.

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.

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

;Strengths
*Basiji infantry which can assault by turn 1 most of the time.
*Insanely cheap platoons that let you bring several companies easily.
*Units will almost never break after taking casualties.

;Weaknesses
*Extremely squishy armour capped at 3-4 vehicles.
*Atrocious anti-armour capability.
*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}}

===The Neutral Powers===

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

====Sweden====
Officially a neutral faction in the 20th century, the Swedes weren’t members of NATO despite their neighbours 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.

The Swedes fought with some of the most distinctive weapons of the Cold War thanks to their homegrown military industry due to that aforementioned Neutrality. Designs, like the Stridsvagn 103 (or 'S' tank) and the Saab 35 'Draken' were strange even for the time. The Draken was of the first aircraft to successfully implement a delta-wing configuration; 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]]

Team Yankee

2020-09-16T08:44:23Z

2A02:1811:5180:A200:94A7:E663:AD95:18E2: /* France */

[[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 off historically based equipment at a specific point of 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: armoure 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 in their respective pages.

NATO armies to 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) 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 like 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 listbuilding 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 table top. [[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 20mm|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 [[Rapiers|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====
''" 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.

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====
''"For Queen and Country!"''

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, 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”.

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.

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

;Strengths
*One of the strongest factions in firepower when 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.
*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: Milans, Swingfire and Harriers can ruin any tanker's day. 5/5
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 “Leopard” and the subsequent expansion “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
*<s>Strongest armoured units in the game.</s> Not anymore!
*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.

The Breakdown:
Infantry: Effective, but few and expensive. 2/5
Transports: Overcosted for what you get. 3/5
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. 3/5
Anit-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 their own military industry and designs and also lead to them 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 they saw fit to do so; i.e. in case of WW3/something grave enough it would threaten France directly (what de Gaulle didn't want was being pressured into sending his soldiers in conflicts where France had neither cause 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 only 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!". Realizing they would never be able to field armor in the same volumes the Soviets could, the 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 their good skill but poor morale scores: the French don't stick around for a slugging match they know they can't win.

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. 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 trade casualties for the same. Consequently, French army doctrine evolved into a very mobile and elastic thing, focusing on being able to outmaneuver the enemy while staying away from engaging in attritional slogs. 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 apologise for their borrowing of American and German units, such as aircraft and heavy tank platoons.

Defining Units: [[Leopard 1#Canada|Leopard C1]], [[ADATS]]

;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, less advanced than their alcoholic West German brothers but 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
*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, in exchange for spending their jail time in combat.

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.)

The Armies of the Soviet Union were some of the most feared in the west. The thought of thousands of Soviet tanks storming the border backed up by thousands of APCs carrying hundreds of thousands of the noble sons of the motherland was almost enough to make any NATO strategic thinker quake in his books. Rules for the Soviet Hordes can be found in the Team Yankee Rulebook and “Red Thunder”.

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.

;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.
*Wehrmacht-influenced Communists.

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. The People's Republic of Poland has one of the largest and strongest armies in Eastern Europe short of the Soviets, and possesses its own arms industry, manufacturing more cheap tanks and guns than anybody except the USSR. Their foreign customers include the East Germans and those fun guys in North Korea. The People's Republic of Poland has been highly aggressive in its preparations for doing battle with the armies of NATO; Polish war plans feature almost no details for a defense of Poland at all. If the assault into western Europe goes well, no problem, but this lack of defensive planning could come back to haunt Poland if NATO's forces do not fall to the Communist hordes.

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, 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 there 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. 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, used "Flames of War" and "Fate of a Nation" units to put together an IDF reservist force, but that will 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.
*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. By the Iran-Iraq War, the Iranian military was only able to repel invading Iraqi forces thanks to foreign equipment. 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. It's safe to assume the Americans and British are no longer supplying spare parts, but the Iranians manage somehow, running their bizarre fleet of NATO and WarPac machines and weapons. Statwise, the Iranians are even more fanatical than Soviets with 3+ across the board, except for 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. You won't outnumber the Soviets, but you have a chance to outnumber the infidel Westerners more often than they'd like.

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.

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

;Strengths
*Basiji infantry which can assault by turn 1 most of the time.
*Insanely cheap platoons that let you bring several companies easily.
*Units will almost never break after taking casualties.

;Weaknesses
*Extremely squishy armour capped at 3-4 vehicles.
*Atrocious anti-armour capability.
*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}}

===The Neutral Powers===

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

====Sweden====
Officially a neutral faction in the 20th century, the Swedes weren’t members of NATO despite their neighbours 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.

The Swedes fought with some of the most distinctive weapons of the Cold War thanks to their homegrown military industry due to that aforementioned Neutrality. Designs, like the Stridsvagn 103 (or 'S' tank) and the Saab 35 'Draken' were strange even for the time. The Draken was of the first aircraft to successfully implement a delta-wing configuration; 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]]