Battle for Moscow

Battle for Moscow

Battle for Moscow is a two-player hex-and-counter wargame recreating Operation Typhoon — the German drive on Moscow in the autumn of 1941. One player commands the German Wehrmacht, trying to seize Moscow before winter. The other defends as the Soviet Red Army, trading space for time and rushing reinforcements to hold the capital. Seven tense turns decide the fate of the Eastern Front.

Objective

The game lasts exactly seven turns. Victory is checked only at the end of Turn 7:

• German win — Germans control Moscow.
• Soviet win — Soviets control Moscow and at least one other city.
• Draw — any other result.

A side controls a city when one of its units was the last to enter it. The Soviets start controlling all cities except those occupied by German units during setup.

Units

Each counter represents an army-sized formation. It shows a combat strength and a movement allowance. Units have two states: full strength and reduced strength (the flip side). One step loss reduces a unit; a second step loss eliminates it. Only German units include panzers (armored formations) — they move farther and hit harder.

Turn Structure

Each of the seven turns runs through these phases in order:

1. German Replacement — Germans may bring reduced units back to full strength.
2. German Panzer Movement — German panzer units move (up to their allowance).
3. German Combat — Germans declare and resolve all attacks.
4. German Movement — remaining German units move.
5. Soviet Replacement — Soviets restore reduced units or bring in reserves.
6. Soviet Rail Movement — Soviet units may move along railroads.
7. Soviet Combat — Soviets declare and resolve all attacks.
8. Soviet Movement — remaining Soviet units move.
9. Housekeeping — advance the turn marker; check for game end.

Movement

Units spend movement points to enter hexes. Forest costs 2 points; all other terrain (clear, city, Moscow, fortifications) costs 1. Rivers do not impede movement. A unit may not enter a hex occupied by an enemy unit — it must stop adjacent and attack instead.

Enemy units project a Zone of Control (ZOC) into adjacent hexes, costing extra movement to enter and preventing moving through ZOCs without stopping.

During the Soviet Rail Movement phase, Soviet infantry units may move along railroad hexes at an accelerated rate, allowing rapid redeployment across the front.

Combat

The attacking player totals the combat strengths of all units attacking a single defending hex, then compares that sum to the defending unit’s strength, calculating the best column on the Combat Results Table (CRT). A die is rolled and the result applied:

• NE — No Effect.
• EX — Exchange: both sides take one step loss.
• DR — Defender Retreat: defender must retreat one hex.
• DRL — Defender Retreat and one step Loss.
• DE — Defender Eliminated: defender is removed.
• AL — Attacker Loss: attacker takes one step loss.

After a successful combat (any result except NE or AL), attacking panzer units may advance after combat into the vacated hex.

Special Rules

• Soviet reserves — The powerful 1st Shock Army is unavailable until Turn 4, representing late-arriving reinforcements.
• Stand Fast — a defending unit may refuse to retreat, absorbing an extra step loss instead.
• Retreat through ZOC — a unit forced to retreat into an enemy ZOC takes an extra step loss for each such hex it enters. Friendly units do not negate enemy ZOC for retreat.
• Moscow — Moscow hex has special fortification bonuses for the defender.

How to Win

Germans must capture Moscow. They have seven turns and more armored power, but face stiffening Soviet resistance and a shrinking window before the winter mud slows everything down. Soviets win by holding Moscow while keeping at least one other city — falling back too far hands the Germans a draw even if Moscow holds.

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