Alan, attached (I hope) is, at long last, my translation of the early Vae Victis issue game Moscou '41. I didn't translate the charts, as I no longer have the issue and so was simply updating an old translation. Roy Bartoo Moscou 1941: at the gates of the Kremlin A game by Walter Vejdovsky [translated by Roy Bartoo, translator’s notes in square brackets - RKB] Moscow 1941 simulates the last phase of the offensive of von Bock’s Heeres-Gruppe Mitte (Army Group Center) towards Moscow. The game retraces the period from 15 November through 15 December 1941, on the northern part of this battle where the Wehrmacht gets closest to the Kremlin. After the offensives of Panzergruppe 3 and 4 are exhausted, a vigorous Soviet counter-offensive, led by the 3rd Shock Army, ends German hopes of taking the capital. This game requires the use of a six sided die. One of the players controls the German units engaged in the final phase of Operation Typhoon, the other player controls the Soviet units which try to first resist the German offensive and then counterattack. 0 - General 0.1 - Game Scales A game turn in Moscow 1941 represents three days of real time. The distance form the center of one hex to the center of another is 2.5 km. German units are represented at the regimental level for infantry and armored infantry, and at battalion level for tank units. Soviet units are represented at brigade or division level for infantry, cavalry and ski troops, and at brigade level for tanks. 0.2 - Terrain The map, oriented north-south, represents the region to the northwest of Moscow. A hexagonal grid is superimposed on the map to govern movement and combat of units. The different terrain types are defined by the Terrain Effects Table (see p. 30), with their effects on movement and combat. For simplicity, the abbreviation ‘hex’ will be used in the rest of the rules for ‘hexagons’. 1- Game Sequence Moscow 1941 takes place over ten game turns. A game turn has two similar sequences, one for each player. The German is the first player in each turn. When a player is executing his game turn sequence (see inset), he is termed the active player, the other is the inactive player. Only the active player’s units may act. Once the Axis player has finished his game turn sequence, the Soviet player becomes the active player and executes his own sequence Once the Soviet’s sequence is finished, the turn is over. Advance the Turn (“Tour”) marker one space. [sidebar: GAME SEQUENCE The game sequence is as follows: 1. Reinforcements phase: the active player allocates his support points to his headquarters, reinforcing units are placed and replacements can be made. 2. First movement phase: Units may move all or part of their movement allowance. 3. First combat phase: Units may engage in combat with units of the inactive player. 4. Second movement phase: Entire new movement. 5. Second combat phase: New combat possible. (repeat sequence for the other player)] 2- Units and Organization The counter sheet contains the combat units and informational markers. [Unit explanations. For combat units, the unit identification (division or brigade) is in the top left corner of the counter. Combat strength is in the bottom left corner, Movement allowance in the bottom right. The circled number on one side of the counter (left for the Germans, right for the Soviets) is its stacking value, the total stacking in a hex cannot exceed 15 points (see Rule 4). If there is a small number in the bottom center of the counter (possibly on the back), that is the turn the unit enters the game. Armored units are identified by their combat strength being printed on a red rectangle. All mechanized and armored units have 16 movement points, and use a different movement table from other units. Headquarters counters are those with a commander’s picture. The background color of their unit identification box (top left of the counter) denotes the units under their command.] 2.1 - The Units Each counter in Moscow 1941 represents either a combat unit, such as an infantry regiment or a tank brigade, or a headquarters (HQ), which includes not just command but also logistical support and the artillery of the army or army corps. Each unit - troops and headquarters - has a combat strength and a movement allowance. 2.2 - Unit reduction All units have two strength levels: one on the front which represents the unit at full strength, and a back with a reduced strength. Exception: HQ counters and German tank battalions have only one strength level (they are eliminated by the first step loss). All units begin the game at full strength.1 2.3 - Headquarters (HQ) The German order of battle comprises two Panzergruppe (3 and 4). None the less the operative organizational level here is the army corps. All German units belong to a given army corps (represented by a HQ counter) for the entire game. This organization is taken into account for the support and supply rules. For the Soviets, the operative organizational level is the army and all units belong to the HQ of an army. HQ counters have the same characteristics as other units (combat strength and movement allowance) and can thus attack and defend normally. However, a HQ (which has no reduced strength and is this destroyed with a single step loss) cannot suffer a step loss if there are still non-HQ units in the hex (a HQ thus suffers losses last). HQ destruction If a HQ is destroyed while units that are attached to it are still on the map, it is replaced at the end of the second movement phase in the following turn of the owning player, on one of the units attached to it. While the HQ is absent, all of its attached units are automatically out of supply and cannot be supported, nor receive replacements. 2.4- Markers The countersheet includes the markers used during the course of the game. Turn Marker [marker with a clock face superimposed on the national flag]: placed on the turn track, it punctuates the progress of the battle. Each turn represents three days. The Turn marker is placed with either its German side or its Soviet side up, depending on whose game turn sequence it is. The three other types of markers denote situations explained later. 3- Zones of Control (ZoC) All of the units in the game, HQ included, exert a ZoC which extends into the six adjacent hexes. Exception: during Extreme Cold turns (turns 8. 9. 10), German HQ and reduced German units do not exert ZoC. A unit which enters into an enemy ZoC must end its movement for this phase. Further, it is forbidden to move from one hex in enemy ZoC directly into another hex in enemy ZoC. At the start of its movement phase, a unit may leave an enemy ZoC without penalty but only into a hex which is not in an enemy ZoC. Enemy ZoC cut supply lines (see 6.1) and hamper the ability of friendly units to retreat after combat. Friendly units situated in an enemy ZoC hex does not neutralize the effects of this ZoC for movement restrictions, but does neutralize the effects of this ZoC on supply lines and retreat after combat. 4 - Stacking Each unit has a stacking value (number in a yellow circle), which represents its relative “size”. There cannot be more than 15 stacking points in one hex at the end of each movement and combat. The stacking limit does not apply during the movement phase. If the stacking limit is exceeded at the end of a movement or combat, the owning player must eliminate enough units to bring the total within the 15 points allowed. A friendly unit may never enter a hex occupied by an enemy unit. 5 - Movement Each unit may use its entire movement allowance (possibly modified for lack of supply) during each of the two movement phases of its side’s game turn sequence. Entering a hex uses a variable number of movement points, depending on the unit type (mechanized or not) and the terrain type in the hex. Movement points are not cumulative from one phase to another nor transferable from one unit to another. To get a road’s benefit on movement, a unit must move from one road hex to another hex linked by the same road. 5.1 - Leaving the map Any unit that leaves the map is permanently eliminated. Further, it is considered eliminated (for victory points) unless it is Axis leaving off the west edge, or Soviet off the east edge. 6- Supply All units benefit from either normal or supported supply, which has an affect on their movement allowance and combat. Supply represents a unit’s needs in ammunition, fuel and food. In order to be in supply, a unit must be able to trace a line of supply to the HQ to which the unit is attached, and that HQ must itself be supplied. 6.1 -Line of Supply In order to be in supply, a unit must be able to trace a path of hexes free of enemy units and enemy ZoC (unless occupied by a friendly unit), to its HQ. The unit which traces its supply line and the HQ which supplies it may however both be in enemy ZoC. The maximum length of the supply line of each unit is limited to seven hexes for German units and 14 for Soviet units. Further, in order to be able to supply its attached units, a HQ (Soviet or German) must for its part be able to trace a supply line of ten hexes maximum to a road hex that leads off the friendly map edge (west for the Axis, east for the Soviets). This road portion must not be ‘cut’ by enemy units or their ZoC. 6.2- Out of Supply [marker shows a gas can on a splash background] An unsupplied unit has its movement and combat strengths halved (fractions rounded up to the nearest whole number). A unit’s supply is determined at the moment of combat and at the start of the movement phase. As soon as a unit is unsupplied, it gets an ‘Out of Supply’ marker, but is back in supply as soon as the supply line can be traced normally (remove the marker). An unsupplied unit cannot allocate a combat loss to its corps reserve (10.1). 7- Support [marker shows an airplane flying over a stack of boxes] Support represents a HQ being allocated higher than normal quantities of munitions, air and artillery support, necessary for offensive operations. For the Axis, these points also represent a determined logistical effort to limit the effects of Extreme Cold (turns 8, 9, 10). Each side receives, at the beginning of the game, a certain number of support points which it can use on the HQ it wishes to support. A supported HQ uses one support point and allows all of the units attached to it to benefit for the entire turn. Exception: an unsupplied HQ or unit cannot be supported. 7.1- Support effects For the Axis: Support negates the German attack penalty (two column leftward shift, see 8.3) during the turns of normal weather. During the turns of extreme cold (8, 9, 10), support no longer negates the attack penalty, but does allow the establishment of the effects of normal supply, which no longer exists automatically. For the Soviet: support, regardless of weather, gives an attack bonus of two columns rightward shift. 8- Combat 8.1 Combat principles During the combat phase, the phasing player can decide to conduct attacks against the non-phasing player’s units. Combat takes place between adjacent units but is never required. However, if the phasing player decides to attack a hex, all of the units of the passive player (the ‘defender’) in the hex must be attack as one. A units cannot be attacked more than once per combat phase and each unit of the active player cannot attack more than once per combat phase. A unit cannot attack two hexes at once. The active player is not required to declare all of his attacks ahead of time, he can resolve a combat before deciding to make other attacks. A combat passes through the following stages: 1. Calculate the initial odds ratio (comparison between the combat strength of the attacker’s and defender’s units). 2. Modify the initial odds by the effects of support, terrain, armored bonus and divisional integrity. 3. Resolve combat by checking the final odds ratio on the Combat Results Table (see p. 30), with a die roll. 4. Allocation of losses and possible advance and retreat of the units involved. 8.2 Odds ratio To determine the results of an attack, the active player designates the units which he wishes to have attack and sums their combat strength, as adjusted for any modifications. This total is compared to that of the units in the hex being attacked (with terrain modifications) to obtain an odds ratio, rounded in favor of the defender. Example: Two unsupplied units, each with 5 combat strength, attack a unit with 2 combat strength, located in a fortification hex. The attack strength is 5 (5+5 divided by two for lack of supply = 5) against 4 (2 multiplied by two for the fortification), or 5 against 4 which gives 1.25 to 1, rounded to 1:1. Odds ratios higher than 10:1 or lower than 1:2 are not rounded to these columns before applying odds ratio modifiers. 8.3 Odds ratio modifiers • Terrain The terrain of the defender’s hex can affect the combat. Terrain effects may: -either modify the combat strength (in doubling or halving combat strengths) -or generate column shifts (example: a shift of one column to the left means that a ratio of 2:1 becomes 1:1). Terrain which modifies the combat strength (rivers, fortifications) is taken into account when determining the initial odds ratio, before any column shifts. Further, some terrain (forests, cities) limits or reduces the combined-arms bonus (see below). All of the terrain effects are summarized on the Terrain Effects Table, p.30. Fortification hexes only benefit Soviet units. For simplicity, these fortifications have no facing and cannot be destroyed. • Combined-arms bonus By combining the attack of armored units with infantry units, thus creating a combined-arms force, the active player can benefit from a two column bonus (+2 to the right). This bonus applies if the attacker includes at least on armored unit and at least one non-armored unit, stacked in the same hex, and only if the defender is either only armored or only non-armored. This bonus cannot be claimed against a city hex and is reduced to one column against a forest or village hex. Fortifications do not affect the application of this combined-arms bonus. Regardless of the number of attacking units that meet these conditions, the combined arms bonus only applies once. This bonus also only applies for the attacker. • Divisional integrity (Axis only) When all of the regiments of a German division (three for infantry, two for armored infantry) attack the same hex or defend together in the same hex, they benefit from a one column shift in their favor. Unlike the combined-arms bonus, this bonus is cumulable when several divisions attack together in the same combat (1 column per division). Tank battalions are not considered when determining this bonus. The divisional integrity bonus is lost during the turns of extreme cold (8, 9, 10) if the army corps is not supported. • Inter-corps and inter-army coordination penalty When units of different corps (for the Axis) or armies (for the Russian) attack together, a penalty of one column per different corps or army is applied, to a maximum of two (three different corps+ -2 columns) • Support When supported Soviet units attack, they benefit from a bonus of two columns. When unsupported German units attack, they suffer a penalty of two columns. During turns 8, 9, and 10, German units that attack, even if supported, automatically suffer a penalty of two columns (see Support effects, table p. 30) • Artillery and Aircraft Artillery and aircraft are not included in the game in counter form. Their effects are integrated into the support and division integrity rules. 8.4- Combat Results (Table p. 30) Combat results are expressed in losses or the obligation to retreat. Both the attacker and the defender can suffer a combat result. • Step losses Each player apportions his losses as he chooses among his units but he cannot give any unit a second step loss (that is to say eliminate it) unless all of the other units have lost one. Losses can also be absorbed by the army corps reserve (see Rule 10). The defender applies his losses first. • Retreat after combat An R result indicates that the defender must retreat one hex. The attacker may, if he wishes, convert this retreat into an additional step loss for the defender on condition that one of the attacking units also suffers an additional step loss (for both sides, corps and army reserves cannot be used here). If retreat is chosen, the defending units must retreat one hex. The passive player decides into which hex each unit retreats. A unit cannot retreat into an enemy-occupied hex nor into a hex in enemy ZoC, unless a friendly unit is already in this hex. A unit that is unable to retreat is eliminated. If a retreat after combat creates overstacking, the retreating units must continue their retreat (with the attendant effects) to a hex that can accommodate them. A stack of units which extends its retreat in this fashion must lose an additional strength step (allocated as the passive player chooses) per additional hex retreated. If a unit retreats into a hex which is subsequently attacked in the same combat phase, the unit which retreated is not included when calculating the combat but it must itself lose as many steps as the other units, and this loss is not counted as part of the defender’s combat results. 8.5 Advance after combat If the defender retreated or was completely destroyed, the active player may advance the units of his choice which took part in the combat into the vacated hex, within stacking limits. This advance is limited to one hex. Retreats and advances after combat do not use up movement points, do not depend on the terrain or the presence of enemy ZoC and have no effect on the subsequent ability of units to move. 9- Weather Weather conditions have a marked effect on the course of operations during this campaign. 9.1 Neutralizing of waterways Rivers freeze from turn 5 inclusive and have no effect on the game. Similarly, lakes freeze from turn 8 inclusive and are treated as clear terrain, without other modifiers. 9.2 Attrition (turns 5 through 10) From turn 5 onwards, the German player rolls two dice at the beginning of each turn, during his reinforcements phase. The total divided by two (rounded up) indicates the number of steps immediately lost. These steps are allocated as he chooses between steps in reserve (see Rule 10) and combat units that are still at full strength. A unit cannot lose more than one strength step each time. 9.3 Extreme cold (turns 8 through 10) During turns 8, 9, and 10 only, the following special rules apply: • Supply German units are no longer automatically in supply, even if they are able to trace a supply line normally. Their movement allowance and combat strength are thus halved. Units whose HQ is supported are supplied normally. • Support The support rules are modified for German units (see Rule 7). • Hedgehog [counter shows an overhead view of a triangular entrenchment] At the start of each movement phase, German units can decide to entrench. The unit cannot move during this phase. Place a hedgehog marker on the unit which keeps this status so long as it doesn’t move. A unit in a hedgehog loses its ZoC but its defense strength is doubled. It cannot attack. At the end of a movement phase, units in hedgehog cannot be stacked with normal units. If they are, remove the Hedgehog marked. • Divisional integrity The bonus is not applicable for units whose HQ is not supported. • Combined arms bonus The German player can no longer claim the combined arms bonus for attacks but the joint presence of a tank battalion and another unit in the same hex still neutralizes the Soviets bonus potential. • Zone of Control Reduced units and German HQ no longer have ZoC. 10- Replacement points Each side has replacement points, for each Axis corps and Soviet army, which represent corps-level reserves, as well as the application of reinforcements dedicated to these formations (see Table p. 30). 10.1- Reserves and combat After a combat, each player may allocate one step loss, and only one (regardless of the number of corps or armies involved) to the reserves of the corps or army of one involved unit rather than having this unit suffer the loss. 10.2- Replacements During the Reinforcements phase, the active player may spend a point of reserves to raise a normally supplied unit from reduced to full strength. Naturally, only one point may be allocated to a unit but a HQ is not limited in the number of reserve points it uses on its units during its reserve phase. An eliminated unit may not be reconstituted in this manner. Each player keeps track of the progressive use of his reserve points throughout the game for each corps or army, in relation to the maximum given by the reinforcements table. These points are not transferable from corps to corps or from one army to another. Remaining reserve points at the end of the game have no effect. The use of a point after a combat is limited to one step loss, regardless of the number of corps or armies involved. Again, at the start of a player’s turn, a HQ may distribute as many replacement points as it has remaining, to units which are both attached to it and which can trace a normal supply line (seven hexes for the Axis, 14 for the Soviets). 11- Reinforcements Each side receives reinforcements which enter from the west board edge for the Axis and the east board edge for the Soviets (exception: the units of the 30th Army may enter through the north board edge, but no further west than the most advanced German unit). The turn of entry of each unit is indicated by a little number on the back of the counter. Reinforcements cannot enter via hexes in enemy ZoC and may be delayed if the owning player wishes. Special Soviet reinforcements During the full campaign and the hypothetical scenario (see Rule 13.3), the Soviet player may, in addition to the basic reinforcements, recover a maximum of five units for the entire game, from among his destroyed units. These reconstituted units do not cost replacement points and are placed on or adjacent to a HQ at the beginning of the reinforcements phase, at full strength. 12- Victory conditions Each side accumulates victory points for the control of certain geographic objectives and as a function of the forces remaining at the end of the game. Once each player has totaled their victory points, the Soviet player’s total is subtracted from the German total. The difference is compared to the victory levels given in each scenario below. For a competition game, this difference can be used as a bid, the player who bids the highest taking the Axis side. Control of a hex is judged at the end of a game turn, after both sides have played. A hex belongs to the side that last occupied it (even temporarily) or, by default, to the side that possessed it at the start of the scenario. The German player scores one point per city or village hex (each hex of Moscow counts as one city hex and the Kremlin counts for 10),and for each hex marked with the Red Army flag held at the end of each turn. Further, he gains one point at the end of the game for each German division that still has all of its regiments (three for infantry, two for mechanized infantry). At the end of the game, the Soviet player scores three points per hex marked with a Wehrmacht flag that he controls, two points for every ten Soviet units remaining, including HQs (round fractions up) and one point per German division which has had all of its regiments destroyed. As was the case in reality, it is difficult, in playing the historical scenarios between two equal players, for the German to obtain a ‘real’ victory, that is taking and holding Moscow. The German player can thus win the historical scenarios by getting a result slightly better than in reality, even if a difficult retreat has begun for the Axis. Scenarios Moscow 1941 offers three possibilities: a scenario on the final phase of the offensive, the complete historical campaign and lastly a hypothetical scenario. 13.1- Short scenario The final assault (27 November - 15 December). This scenario last from turn 5 through 10 inclusive. • Setup Before the start of the scenario, the Russian player must assign 60 steps of losses (of which a maximum of 30 to the army reserves) among the 5th, 16th, 20th and 30th armies. Similarly, the German player must assign 35 steps of losses among his units (with a maximum of 10 steps of loss per army corps). The HQ of each side are placed in the following hexes. Axis units: 56th Panzer-Korps: 1402 5th Armee-Korps: 1307 41st Panzer-Korps: 1205 46th Panzer-Korps: 1013 40th Panzer-Korps: 0917 9th Armee-Korps: 0619 7th Armee-Korps: 0225 Soviet Units: 16th Army: 1922 5th Army: 1628 1st Shock Army: 2411 20th Army: 2226 30th Army: 2408 26th Army: 2324 The Soviet units set up first, within 14 hexes of their HQ, east of the front line (red line), the German units set up within seven hexes of their HQ, west of the front line. The German has 15 support points, the Soviet has 14. • Special rules In the base scenario and the historical campaign, rules simulate the strategic restrictions imposed by the Soviet High Command on the 20th and 1st Shock Armies. The units of the 20th Army cannot move more than two hexes from a hex of Moscow until turn 8, except for seven of them (total and not at any one time). The units of the First Shock Army cannot move further west than the first three rows of hexes before turn 8. This restriction is lifted if the German approach within two hexes of the Kremlin. • Victory conditions (see Rule 12) The German wins with a differential of 40 victory points. 13.2- Historical Campaign (15 November 15 December) • Setup The HQ are placed first, in the following hexes. Axis units: 56th Panzer-Korps: 0203 5th Armee-Korps: 0206 46th Panzer-Korps: 0211 40th Panzer-Korps: 0217 9th Armee-Korps: 0420 7th Armee-Korps: 0226 Soviet Units: 16th Army: 0911 5th Army: 0926 1st Shock Army: 2417 20th Army: 2125 The Soviet units set up first, within 14 hexes of their HQ, on and east of the line of fortifications that runs from 0401 to 0329, the German units set up within seven hexes of their HQ. The German has 33 support points, the Soviet has 14. The special rules of the short scenario apply to the campaign game. • Victory conditions (see Rule 12) The German wins with a differential of 70 victory points. 13.3 What if? (hypothetical) (15 November- 15 December) This scenario simulates a German offensive which takes place with better preparation against the cold, milder weather and good logistics. These elements would undoubtedly have permitted von Kluge’s 4th Armee to attack in the south and draw off some of the Soviet reinforcements. The following modifications explore this hypothesis. Weather: none of the special weather rules apply to the Axis. Movement: The Soviet has no movement restrictions but, for each supplied German strength step exited off the east map edge, the Soviet must eliminate a strength step from one of his units (30 strength steps maximum). Reinforcements: The Soviet receives no reinforcements on turns 7, 8, and 9, as von Kluge is energetically attacking in the south after the 15th of November. The players, before choosing sides, decide together which options they will use. Each of the players then secretly notes how many support points he thinks the German side needs to achieve its victory conditions. This number will be between 0 (no support throughout the game) and 68 (all of the corps supported for 10 turns). Whoever bid the least is the German player (in case of tie, the players can roll a die or decide among themselves). The Soviet has 14 support points. Victory conditions (see Rule 12) There is no calculation of victory points as in the other scenarios. To win, the German player must have a supplied unit in the Kremlin hex and in Klin at the end of turn 10. Otherwise the Soviet player wins. Our thanks to the motivated players who playtested Moscow 1941: Denis Acquarone, Omar Jeddaoui, Nicolas Pilartz, Nicolas Stratigos and Kevin Zucker. Equal thanks to Yves Buffetaut and Eric Lefevre for clarifications to the order of battle. EXAMPLE OF COMBAT [refer to the illustration in the original rules] Three German regiments from the same division (situated in hexes 1025, 1026 and 1126) plus a mechanized regiment of a Panzer Division (hex 1026) belonging to the same army corps, attack a Soviet armored brigade (hex 1125) located in a fortification hex in clear terrain. The German corps is supplied as is the Soviet army to which the brigade is attached (but the Soviet support will have no effect on the combat). As the German corps is supported, the two column attack penalty does not apply. • Calculate the odds ratio One of the three regiments (the northern one) is attacking across an unfrozen river: it’s attack strength is reduced by half. The four German units are within seven hexes of their HQ, with unblocked supply lines, they are therefore supplied (supply is determined as needed). Similarly for the Russian unit. The total German attack strength is: 2.5 (unit across the river) +5 +5 +12 = 24.5. The defense strength of the Russian unit is 3x2 (fortification effect) = 6. The raw odds ratio is 24.5:6, rounded to 4:1. The modifier is +1 (divisional integrity bonus for the three regiments of the same division attacking the same target). Thus the modified odds ratio is 5:1. • Combat result The die roll is 5, for a result of 1/2R. The German player decides to allocate his loss to his corps reserve, which is not yet at 0. The Soviet player does likewise for one loss, but not having the right to do more, he reduces his unit to absorb he second loss. The retreat result remains. The German has a choice between forcing the retreat or giving both sides an additional loss. As the Soviet unit has a retreat hex available (1225) and as this additional loss could not be given to the reserves, the German player decides to have the opposing unit suffer an additional step loss, which eliminates it, and reduces one of his own infantry units. If this attack took place in the first impulse, breaking through the defensive line and exploitation into the enemy rear is now possible. • Combined arms bonus If you add a tank battalion (of the same corps) to the German forces in the preceding example, the attack strength is increased by 2 (26.5) which does not change the initial odds ratio, but shifts the final odds ratio by two columns thanks to the combined arms bonus. The ratio thus becomes 7:1 (the Russian unit is in clear terrain, even with the fortification, and it includes only tanks). • Encirclement (situation above) Another possibility for the same example: suppose that, thanks to another attack, a German unit was previously able to advance after combat and encircle the Russian brigade by advancing into 1124, and that there are no Russian units in 1225 or 1226 to neutralize the enemy ZoC, the Russian armored brigade is immediately unsupplied. Its defense strength drops to 3 (3x2 [fortifications]/2 [unsupplied]). Further, the unit can no longer allocate losses to its reserve and is eliminated if a R result appears. Moscow 1941: Designer’s Notes The principal goal of this game is to recreate the historical spirit of the battle. Here, it is a question of extreme attrition for the Germans whose offensive is becoming more and more costly (even senseless?) and who expose their troops to violent riposte. An army at the finish line This goal of ‘realism’ had to be combined with constraints on the number of counters and above all the desire to offer an accessible game (quick setup, avoid ‘making change’ with counters, and no special rules for elements that had only minor effects in reality). Finally, it was desirable if the game could be used in a competition (short game length, shared or alternating strategic initiative and victory conditions subject to bidding). The system is built on the double impulse structure, one of the most noted precursors of which is The Russian Campaign from Avalon Hill (1976). This double phase of movement and combat allows the recreation of the attack and exploitation movements characteristic of the Blitzkrieg, without needing complicated or ambiguous rules. On this base, we needed to show the fatigue and attrition inherent in this campaign. This explains the choice of a combat results table where the losses are very often shared. The attrition rule puts the emphasis on the deplorable condition of the German armies in the historical weather conditions (no winter equipment in -30º C and no special lubricants for the vehicles). Beyond the problems of the weather, the logistical situation isn’t good for the Wehrmacht. This constraint is translated by the support rules which are the heart of the game. In effect, the decisions on allocation of support will doubtless be the most decisive in a game, particularly for the Axis. Support represents a heightened logistical effort (more available ammunition and fuel) dedicated to a sector of the front. The effects of greater air support are also integrated into the effects of support. It seemed useless to make special rules for aircraft because in this period, considering the weather and relative strengths, neither side got an overall advantage from the skies. At the unit level, in parallel with the choice of the combat results table, it is a presentation by ‘strength steps’ which can account for the attrition. In order to avoid choosing between two bad solutions, either having units represented by several counters with the attendant unit management problems that that brings, or have a written record unit by unit, we took the option of double-sided counters with the existence of reserve steps at corps or army level. The fact that in each combat, you can only use a single step from the reserve to avoid losses to the combat units underlines the difference between reinforcements sent in haste and a more thorough recovery made after the battle. Ideal for Competition Thanks to this loss structure, we were able to translate, both at the level of the individual unit and the corps-army level, the initial resistance to losses followed by rapid reduction in combat value beyond a certain threshold. A fighting unit is rarely totally engaged in the front lines. The units of which it is composed are divided among those in the front lines and local reserve units, which plug gaps, reinforce, relieve or exploit. This is also true at the smallest scale because the firepower of a squad remains roughly constant (particularly in defense) as long as its heavy weapons are functional. Further, it seemed important, even if it rarely appears in other historical games, to simulate divisional integrity and the problems of inter-corps and inter-army coordination. When all of the regiments of a single German division attack, concentration and coordination of the divisional artillery is maximized. Similarly, military realities, which are less flexible than the movement of little cardboard pieces, show that you can’t forget the rigidities of command structures. When two divisions of two different corps attack the same target, attack coordination is less evident. In the game this also forces a great deal more realism in the organization of units and penalizes the player who mingles his corps or armies. Of the three scenarios provided, the campaign scenario provides the best historical ‘feel’, but can be frustrating for a German player accustomed to the glory days of the Blitzkrieg. The short scenario lends itself well to tournament play, as games should take less than three hours, both sides have the initiative, and the victory conditions can be bid upon. The hypothetical scenario should satisfy players frustrated by always approaching Moscow without being able to take the Kremlin (even while technically winning the game), and shows what the epilogue to Barbarossa could have been with better logistical preparation. Remarks on the Soviet order of battle: It is extremely difficult to give a precise and reliable order of battle for Soviet units from 1941-1945, particularly at the start of the war and for a battle as chaotic as that for the defense of Moscow, some units having been successively attached to several armies during the month of December. We relied on the works of Colonel Constantini and on the book The Red Army Order of Battle (Robert Poirier and Albert Conner, Presidio 1985) but these two sources are often contradictory and incomplete. For simplicity, some units such as those of the Moscow defense, have been artificially attached to a specific army. A Tramway to Moscow Here is the ‘instant ticket’ for Moscow 1941, the game in this issue. Up to you to make it an experience accelerator. By Walter Vejdovsky • Stacking discipline The rule penalizing each mixed corps or army imposes discipline in the placement of units. It is therefore useless to go hunting for an additional strength point at the other end of the map to gain an extra odds column. This gain will be offset by the coordination penalty if the unit doesn’t belong to the same corps or army. • Encircle to destroy With a very bloody combat results table, the decision is realized often once you have managed to outflank the opponent and are able to prevent his retreat. In this case, the defender fights at half strength, any retreat (the attacker will of course choose this option) is fatal and, in case of step loss, the defender is forbidden to use his reserves, which accelerates the reduction of the pocket. It is important therefore to think in your first impulse of encirclements achievable in the second. German strategy • Support The German dilemma resembles the fable of the grasshopper and the ant. Should you use all of your support to breakthrough and capture Moscow or save it for the turns of extreme cold? Both, General! With an average of 3.3 support points per turn in the historical campaign, it is in the German’s interest to divide his effort throughout the game. During the first turns, you can use five support points per turn, which lets you break through the Russian defense. However, it is advisable to spend virtually none during ‘regrouping’ turns where, after the initial breakthrough, the Wehrmacht is advancing and reducing pockets of resistance. As the army approaches Moscow, it becomes more and more tempting to use an extra point to advance just a little bit farther. But the German player who has already lived through the trauma of the last three turns where unsupported corps (which are thus at half movement and strength) become easy prey, will know to avoid any waste during the first seven turns to keep at least 8 to 10 points for the last three turns. Note that the German player can decide to stop the offensive before turn 7 if he decides that the marginal cost of his potential gains is out of proportion with the support points needed. • Planning For the action schedule, the German can expect to take three of the first four villages in two turns. The first defense line (hexes 1920-1119) can be flanked from turn 3 if the Russian hasn’t put up excessive resistance (which will reduce his long-term ability to resist). On turn 5 or 6, it should be possible to attack a hex of Moscow, in order to be prepared for maximizing victory points in turns 6 and 7. • The two axes of the attack Besides the allocation of his support points, the German (including in the short scenario) is confronted with a strategic choice. The first option is ‘Moscow above all’ with an offensive that focuses completely on Moscow after the capture of Klin. This in not forgetting to cut in 2318-2419 any possibility of rescue to the Russian forces which will be unable to reinforce combats in the city. The second aims, at the price of a lesser effort against the capital, to cross the canal between 2201 and 2215 to control the victory hexes in the eastern part of the map. This should be possible with the participation of an armored corps and two infantry corps. One of the advantages of this option is the fact that by controlling hexes in the far east (2401-2415 for example) on turn 7, the entry area of the Soviet reinforcements is much more limited and the defensive frontage is greatly reduced because reinforcements cannot enter the map in enemy ZoC. The choice between these two options must of course depend on the Soviet setup. Soviet strategy From a tactics point of view, the Soviet should never pass up the chance to stack an armored brigade with an infantry or cavalry unit, both in attack and defense (it is pointless in cities because the combined arms bonus doesn’t apply). Further, in using the flexibility of the two movement-combat phases, it is possible for the Soviet to launch local counterattacks during the first seven turns, by doing so in the first impulse against German units that are too far advanced or encircleable. Even if the attack which aims at the defender’s retreat and elimination fails, the Soviet troops still have a movement phase to get back into the defense. Further, the use of a support point can be decisive, even more so because it is often unnecessary to keep them all for the last three turns, where an excess of support points is possible. During the first turns, the Russian player should not hesitate to reflect on the structure of the road net and the time he can gain with just a reduced unit in a good place. This is equally true during the counterattack, where a ski brigade can cut retreat routes of German units that, when they move unsupported at half movement, will need them badly. In conclusion, we strongly advise the Russian player in the short scenario to deploy immediately in his fortifications, leaving garrisons in the cities left uncovered. There is much more to be lost than gained in trying to hold the length of the German start line. As an aside, this Russian strategy simulates a historical Russian withdrawal to their fortifications at the end of turn 4.