Module:Battle for Moscow

Publisher	Web	Era	WWII
Year	1986	Topic	Eastern Front
Players	2 to 2	Scale	Operational
Length	90 mins	Series	Campaigns in Russia

Files and Module Information

Filename	Filetype	Size	Date	Compatibility	Developer	Other Contributors
Original
BattleforMoscow.vmod	Module	166 KB	2005-09-30	2.1
Original (ch)
BattleForMoscow-ch-1.2.1.vmod	Module	3.62 MB	2024-11-15	3.6	Christian Holm Christensen
BattleForMoscow-ch-1.0.vmod	Module	2.54 MB	2023-01-23	3.6	Christian Holm Christensen
VPG version 2 (Operation Typhoon 1941)
BFM.vmod	Module	5.46 MB	2011-04-06	3.1.12
BFM-1.0.1.vmod	Module	5.45 MB	2021-03-05	3.5	Olivier
BFM-1.0.2.vmod	Module	5.46 MB	2021-10-21	3.5	Abordes
BFM-1.0.3.vmod	Module	5.46 MB	2022-08-14	3.5	Abordes
Expansion to VPG version 2
Battle_for_Moscow_Expan_and_Winter_Off_2.0.vmod	Module	42.74 MB	2022-05-10	3.5	json99	json99, Olivier,Davejm

Comments

Period	WWII
Theatre	Eastern front
Level	Operational
Hex scale	40km (25 miles)
Unit scale	Corps (xxx)
Turn scale	1 or 2 weeks
# turns	7 (14 with What happens next and C3i expansion)
Unit density	Medium
Complexity	1 (2 for C3i expansion) of 10
Solitaire	8 of 10

The original Battle for Moscow was designed by Frank Chadwick as an introductory-level wargame.

Original game
BoardGameGeek page
Operation Typhoon expansion BoardGameGeek page

There are 4 versions of this module

Original A simple module that uses the PDF package from grognard.com.
Original (ch) The original game, but revamped. This has more features, including automatised combat.
Version 2 The Victory Point Games version of the game.
Expansion Expansion to the VPG version (nicknamed Version 2) also published by VPG

Original

This implements the original game. The module simply contains the map and counters from PDF package at grognard.com. Note that this adds 2 extra hex columns to the very east of the map, relative to the original map.

Original (ch)

This implements the original game, but with new graphics and text. It is based on a Print'n'Play version of the game available from the BoardGameGeek file pages.

Includes

Rules in the Help menu
A tutorial (see also this video)
Automatic battle and odds markers
Automatic combat resolution and result markers
Reminders on available replacements and ground conditions.
Possible What happens next scenario

Concerning combats

Select attacking and defending units, and press Odds (Ctrl-Y) button
- Adds battle markers
- Calculates odds, including terrain and ground condition effects, and adds marker
Select odds marker and select Resolve (Ctrl-X) from context menu
- Rolls dice and looks up result
- Replaces odds marker with result marker
Factions must implement the result (retreats,losses,etc.)

See also the Help->More information for more.

Changes

1.2.1
- Better graphics
- Various bug fixes
1.0
- Initial release

Victory Point Games version 2

Implements the 2009 version of game as published by Victory Point Games.

Properly speaking this is a different game (called Battle for Moscow: Operation Typhoon 1941, or sometimes Battle for Moscow, version 2) from the original. This has a different set of rules than the original version

The Soviet setup is different (compare f.ex. VPG to original screenshots)
Tula counts as a city (odds reduction for German defender too)
On Mud turns, only armoured (panzer and tank) units' Combat Factor (CF) are halved (in the original, all units' CF is halved)
The Soviet 1S (10-4) infantry army arrives at full strength
All edges hexes east of the Moscow and Ora rivers are Soviet replacement hexes
An additional half hex-row at the bottom of the map
Some additional forest set-up hexes in the German set-up zone.

This version was later republished in C3i Magazine issue 25 (2011).

There is a web-version of this game available, including AI (computer opponent), by the same author as version 1.0.1 of this module.

Change log

1.0.1: Adds a chess clocks to help with tournament play.
1.0.2: Includes the following enhancements:
- Select multiple pieces and add battle markers with single click
- Use shortcut keys to place battle markers example "Ctrl+1"
- Improved moved piece markers
1.0.3: Fix to grid

Known Bug for future version existing in v 1.0.1, 1.0.2, & 1.0.3

The clear-attack-marker function should deselect all units as its final function. At the moment, it leaves all units that had an attack marker selected, so an incautious player will find themselves moving a lot of units while expecting to move just one. [The workaround is to click on the map after clearing the attack markers.]

Expansion

This is an expansion of the Victory Point Games (VPG) version, also published by VPG. The VPG version 2 and expansion rules are included via the Help menu of the module.

The module uses the map and terrain effects chart graphics from the C3i reprint of the VPG version 2 game, but otherwise most graphics is from the VPG game and expansion kit.

Though version is sometimes called Version 2 of Battle for Moscow, it should not be confused with ETO's Battle for Moscow II which is yet another, completely different, game.

The expansion

changes the victory conditions of the game,
allows stacking of 2 friendly units,
introduces a Stalin counter,
introduces a Stavka headquarter unit,
introduces Soviet mechanised cavalry,
introduces airborne assaults,
allows movement of infantry units in German panzer and Soviet rail movement phases,
expands the game to 14 turns,
- or two 7 turn scenarios, one of operation Typhoon and one for the Soviet counter offensive,

All-in-all, the expansion is an entirely different game (of slightly higher complexity) from both the VPG and original games.