Seven Days to the Rhine: A Team Yankee Narrative

Here at NDNG, we like to listen to the gamers in our community and provide them with events we consider fun and challenging. For the last few HMGS conventions, we have been hosting Team Yankee events which include the North American Nationals each July during Historicon.

Based on the comments we got from gamers during Fall-in in November 2018 we wanted to host a narrative doubles event that will test you as a gamer and throw some wrinkles into the game that players will love. which will be held on 15 March 2019 in Lancaster PA will be the site of our first linked narrative event.

We came up with Seven Days to the Rhine (7DTTR) which was the name of actual Soviet plan to attack NATO. The goal of 7DTTR was simple, overwhelm NATO and reach the Rhine in a week. While developing the outline for 7DTTR we added rules and created unique missions that really immerse the gamer in the environment of the WWIII battlefield.

We really put some thought into what would be a good points level for a doubles event. From past events, we knew that once you get over the 80-point range you run the risk of ending the game in a tie. Knowing that the points levels for each game would rise to 100 points or over we looked to creating missions that would alleviate ties and still let players make lists in a decent points range.

We arrived at 55 points per list with some restrictions. Each list could only be made up of one formation with support from that single formation. Since we knew that a lot of gamers have tons of models in their collection, we wanted to let players bring multiple 55-point lists that they could swap out during each round as long as they remained with the same side, NATO or Warsaw Pact.

This means you can play Canadian tanks in one round and then play French Infantry in the next, the choice is yours. It also gives you the ability to put the best force on the table that suits the mission. This will give you a lot of tactical flexibility if you desire it.

Another interesting aspect is that players do not need a partner to sign up, they will either be assigned a partner by their team leader or can partner up with different teammates each round based on what mix of lists would work best during each mission.

We want to see lists we seldom see; so, gamers with Soviet Afghansty or British Air Assault lists would have missions that would be tailored made for the inclusion of these rare lists.

Missions
The missions for 7DTTR are all brand new and look at how the war would be progressing on days 1, 5 and 7 of the conflict.

The first scenario is the only one that I can guarantee you will be played. The Red Thunder mission covers the initial WP attack and the rules will favor them to a certain degree.

Instead of objectives, TOs will place victory point chips on the table after both sides set up. NATO will control them on turn one, so it’s a race to see how many they can hold during the short (2-hour) round. So, NATO will be swamped but if they can hold onto enough VPs, they can slow the WP attack.

The number of VPs each side holds at the end of round one determines the next mission. Because the attack will lose steam as NATO forces make it to the battlefield, the levels of victory will be weighted for each round.

The result of a round can lead to the next mission being the continuation of the WP attack or if NATO can control enough VPs they can counterattack and turn the tables on the WP. We also weighted the victory point levels to reduce the likelihood of any mission being played twice.

Rules
A modern battlefield is a dangerous place. In order to bring this to the table, we created rules that cover subjects such as chemical weapons, electronic warfare, air superiority, psychological operations, and special operations forces roaming around in your rear areas. We also gave the TOs some events to put into the game such as refugees clogging up roads, air superiority and the possibility of a release of nuclear weapons.

The goal we had when writing these rules was to not let them take over the game. It is our hope that they enhance the playing experience while infusing some flavor into the event.

Details
If this event sounds like its something you want to take part in then all you need to do is contact us at to reserve a spot. If you are a NATO player and sign up with a Warsaw Pact player you will be given priority placement since we have to make each matchup red vs. blue. We are also using larger tables for this event to include a 3-table city to fight in so we will have less spaces for players than in past events. Within a few hours, we had eight players sign up, so gamers know this will be an event you wouldn’t want to miss.

We also wanted to make this event friendly to new players, so you can sign up and we can lend you forces to use and will ensure that we partner you with a player who can teach you the game as you play. Forces we lend out will be given out on a first come first serve basis and we will place you on a team that evens out the two sides and we will make the lists for you. All you need to do is bring dice and a measuring tape.

We also have placed the rules in our forum . We wanted gamers to use them before the event to practice and to also let players who can’t make it to Cold Wars in March to enjoy the narrative event with their friends and local gaming clubs.

I look forward to seeing you in March at Cold Wars.