New Tanks = New Playing Style

New Tanks = New Playing Style

New Tanks = New Playing Style
With Scott McCorley
Hi all and welcome to another round of tactical flexibility in the combined arms world for all things Warsaw pact or warpact for short. So with the new book comes new toys and namely the new T72b. This tank brings some much need armour to the warpact forces in that it comes with FA18 and ERA so it is now useful in assaults, so no longer do warpact forces need to fear NATO infantry.  So let’s look at some option with all the new gear for the warpact forces. I’ll give 3 examples of lists for each nation with uses of the new T72b, while each of these lists my share some similarities with each other it will be focused on the 2 battle missions stances of manoeuvre and attack. So on to the first list East Germans.

New Tanks = New Playing Style

So that’s our East German list, this list is prime example of an attacking list for East Germans, while not as spamming as the usually T55 list that East German players love so much. This list focus on more of being able to utilise the skill of the East Germans and the new T72b as assault tank. So as you can see this list has some new additions in the form of the RM70 and the SU-22 I’ll talk about these soon, but first what about the tactics for this list.  So East Germans are usually the go to for min max spam, however with the addition of the new T72b we can now move away from that stigmata. The new T72b is a great addition to East Germans as it means we no longer have to rely on soviet allies to get better tanks.  

New Tanks = New Playing Style

This play style with the new tanks means we have to play conservatively a lot like our NATO foes as the pts cost on the new T72b is higher than a soviet T64 but it does come with ERA and the 4+ skill which at times can pull off a cheeky blitz every now and then.  While I haven’t taken them in this list the T72b also gets access to the Songster missiles for 2pts per unit which does give it some extra range but at a lower AT of 21. In this list I went with 3 units of 4 T72bs as this will form the core of our list but also provide some decent capability to our list. The Bmp1 infantry will be good to ether hold or attack objectives and support the T72s in their offensive push. The RM70 and 2S1 give the list so much need smoke and arty to dig out enemy infantry. The addition of the RM70 gives a better survivability against high output low AT weapons like the 50. Cal. The new SU-17 fitter’s provide some new cheap air support that comes with a nice arty template of AT7 2+ FP which will come in handy against NATO tier 1 MBTS like the challenger, M1A1 and Leo 2A5. While I haven’t upgrade the aircraft it does have the option of swapping out the 240mm rockets for Kh-25 AT missiles’ for 3pts for 2 aircraft this does make them cheaper than the soviet SU25. However with the skill of the SU-17 the b250mm rockets do make for a cheap threating unit to the NATO heavies. In all the New and improved East Germans should now provide a more balanced force that does not rely on spam to win games. 


 

Moving on to the Czechs. This time I will add a few changes as Czechs do get some neat discounts for a poor remount trade off.

New Tanks = New Playing Style

So the Czech list has got a similar feel to our East German list however because of the Czech discount I was able to get 5 tank is a unit plus the songster missiles. The added missiles gives these T72b units the ability to attack and defend objectives as the missiles allow for long range shots on enemy MBTs and also have a good flanking feel without the need to get up close and personal. The new Praga AA gives a very cheap AA with a 30mm that is capable of taking out light AFVs, arty and scouts. Danas are a reason for taking Czechs as it give a good arty unit that once ranged in will give a better chance to hit due to autoloader. Again I’ve taken the SU-17 as it’s a good deterrent unit against NATO mbts straying to far from AA support nut at the same time can give your T72bs an opportunity to flank them as you can force them to move where you want them to go. Czechs will give you more bang for your buck, however you must remain aware of their poor remount which can prove challenging at times.

New Tanks = New Playing Style


 

Now onto the poles, now the poles are the rich man’s version of the warpact forces as there remount can be worth it especially with the new T72b. 

New Tanks = New Playing Style

So this list is a little bit different in that it is geared to a more defensive nature in that you can chose to pick any of the 3 battle stances. While picking attack is the most preferable as this will hopefully allow everything on the table. This list will be able to push forward early with the inclusion of 2 scout units  also we have to be mindfully that our MBTs while decent are fragile due to numbers. The SU-17 will become a mainstay in warpact force as you can see so far.  Poles are the elite of the warpact forces as their stats allows for some nifty assaults especially with the new T72bs as it has the best counter attack out of all the warpact forces.

New Tanks = New Playing Style


Next up is the soviet T72b yes you heard that right the soviets get them too. However the soviets gain more of their own support options and formation support like bmp3s. 

New Tanks = New Playing Style

To sum it all up the Warsaw Pact book has expanded support options for all the Nations in the book with their own air support option comparable to the SU-25 and the new tank formations give you more options than ever
~Ryan