" TYPHOON! ",    GMT

REVIEW
By Lodovico Badali

INTRODUCTION

Here we will analyse the military simulation “ Typhoon! “ like the first game of the Barbarossa  series: we will use the standard rules of the Barbarossa series and not the original ones.
We think that, even if  “ Typhoon! “ is part of a series of games covering the WWII on the eastern front, from the opening moves, it has its own particularities and a review of it should be different from a review of the series. Above these considerations, it is possible to link the other three games of the series ( AGS, AGC, AGN ) to simulate the German initial attack to Soviet Union in a unique Campaign Game. For “ Typhoon! “, the things are different: it is not possible to link it to the other three games; it covers the German operation to conquer Moscow in the autumn of the ’41 and when it starts, the other three games are already finished.
Having these considerations in mind, we will treat “ Typhoon! “ like a separate military simulation, even if we will often refer to the Barbarossa system.

THE GAME, A GENERAL VIEW

“ Typhoon! “ covers the German major offensive against Moscow in the autumn of the ’41. The game starts with the September 30 and ends in the December 23-24 for a total of forty-three turns. 
Each turn is divided in four segments ( Strategic Segment, Axis Player Segment, Soviet Player Segment and End Segment ); each segment is divided in some phases. Here we give a brief look to every segment and its phases.
STRATEGIC SEGMENT
Weather Determination Phase. The Axis player rolls a ten sides die to determine the weather condition for the current turn. There are five different climate’s conditions: Dry, Mud, Frost, Snow, Artic. According with the indications on the Turn Record Track the Axis player rolls on a column ( Dry, Mud, Frost, Snow and Artic ), in some turns there is a die roll modifier of +1. The progression of the climate’s condition columns is governed by the progression of the bad season in Russia. 
Supply Determination Phase. In this phase each player, the order is not important, checks the supply status for every unit on the map, then he notes how many Attack Supply Points he receives. The ASPs ( Attack Supply Points ) are used in an attack to avoid the malus of +2 on the die roll on the CRT and to put in general supply units that have not a LOS to a supply source. There are three routes for the supply: every friendly railroad of any length, a major road for a maximum of 21 hexes to a supply source or to a friendly railroad, across country for a maximum of seven hexes to a major road or to railroad or supply source. Only with the dry weather, the supply route can be of the maximum length ( seven hexes across country then twenty-one hexes of major road to a supply source or friendly railroad ). With all the other weather conditions, the length of a supply route is reduced: five hexes across country, fifteen hexes of major road, the railroad’s length remains the same.
Replacement Phase. During this phase, each player receives some Replacements Points to recover the losses. The RPs are divided in some categories: Infantry RPs, Armor RPs, Air RPs and for the Soviet player NKVD RPs plus the number of Strong points he can construct in a turn. The German player has RPs as it is showed on his Set-up Cards; the Soviet player rolls a die on the Soviet Replacements Table to know what kind and how many replacements he has in the turn. 
Reinforcement/Withdrawal Phase. Each player receives new units as it is indicated in his Set-up Cards; every unit has a hex on the map or a border of entry. Sometimes a player must withdrawal some of his units: the withdrawals can be cancelled, in this case he pays some VPs as indicated, or they cannot be cancelled, in the second case if the exact units are not on the maps he must withdrawal units of the same values.
Air Readiness Phase. The players first roll for every air unit in the Flown Box to see how many and which of them moves to the Ready Box and can be used in the current turn; then they roll for every air unit in the Damaged Box to move them in the Flown Box. The air units in the Destroyed Box can be recovered only using air replacements points. There are some die roll modifiers due to the weather ( mud, frost, snow, artic ) and for the Storm, which has an impact only on the air units, it has no effects on the ground units and the combats.
AXIS PLAYER SEGMENT
Movement Phase. The Axis player can move all his units on the maps up to their MPs’ allowance. A ground unit can move across country, use the roads or move by train along the friendly railroads. Each unit that enters in an enemy ZoC must stop his movement. A unit cannot move directly from one ZoC to another with the exception of the units with seven or greater MPs that have a special movement called “ Infiltration “, which allows them to move directly from one ZoC to another or in the same ZoC, only one hex, without exiting from it. A unit that use the Infiltration movement expends all his MPs. The weather condition has some great impacts on the movements. When it is dry there is not problem; but with the other kinds of weather’s conditions, the things change. The costs to move over every kind of terrain become major and the motorized units, above all the Axis ones, suffer other restrictions. In a country like Russia and in a season like autumn, the weather is truly the master of the movements of the ground units.
Attack Declaration Phase. The Axis player can make all the attack he wants, but he must declare them in this phase. The order in which the attacks ere resolved is decided by the Axis player as he wants, but when an attack is declared it cannot be cancelled and it is not possible to make an attack not declared. A marker upon the enemy units under attack signs a declared attack. It is possible to attack an enemy unit only if one of the following preconditions is met: the attacker can move in the hex where the defending unit is and/or the defending unit projects a ZoC in the hex where the attacker is. 
Air Interdiction Phase. The Red Army depends entirely from its Army HQs ( the German have not counter for its HQs ), the Soviet has several Army HQs that can give orders, active units and make more other actions. During this phase, the German player can use his air units to attempt to interdict one or more HQs: all kinds of air units are eligible to make an interdiction, either bombers or fighters. The German player puts one or more air units on a Soviet HQ for an interdiction ( the mission units can be escorted by fighters ): the Soviet player can intercept the enemy air units using its fighters. The German air units that survive the air combat and the anti-aircraft fire perform their mission: an interdicted HQ has its capacities reduced by the level of interdiction. 
Soviet Reaction Phase. At this point, the Soviet player can react to the German attacks. All the Soviet reactions depend from the presence of an HQ. He can react by giving orders to his units ( a combat unit can have three kinds of orders: No Order, No Retreat and Additional Retreat ), giving artillery support to the defending units and moving the motorized units not in enemy ZoC up to one half of their MPs. A Soviet HQ has a command range of four hexes and it command value goes from one to four ( for example, an HQ having a command value of two can give two orders, move two motorized units during the Reaction Phase etc. ). The orders are of three kinds. No Order means that the defending units suffer the combat result like it is written in the CRT and if they must retreat they retreats two hexes. No retreat permits the defending units to stay without retreat, but if the CRT calls for an R result, they must take two additional steps of loss. Additional Retreat allows the defending units to reduce their losses by one-step, but they must retreat three hexes and the other player decides the path of retreat. 
One friendly artillery unit in range can always support the defending unit, with the presence of an HQ, it is possible to allocate up to four artillery units to support. 
Moving motorized units serves or to strengthen the defender hex or, moving the units near the hex under attack, to maintain the chain of units on the front.
Combat Phase. In this phase, the Axis player resolves the Declared Attacks in any order he desires. Like the defender the attacker can give orders, allocate artillery units to support and then move air units in the attacked hex for having a bonus on the die roll ( like in the interdiction phase the Soviet player can intercept these missions and he can put air units to give a malus to the attacker ). Then there are the air combats and the AA fires. After these actions the attacks are resolved rolling a die on the CRT, modified by the terrain, the orders and more others modifiers. In order to attack with the maximum efficiency and without the malus of +2 the attacker must expend one ASP for each attack. If the defender vacates the hex, the attacker can move the attacking units, up to ten stacking points, in it. 
Motorized Movement Phase. The German player can move his motorized units up to one-half of their MPs, conduct overruns ( like in the Movement Phase ): but he cannot attack a second time.
Engineering Phase. The Axis player expends the Replacements points to recover his units from the taken losses: he can built strong points and destroy the Soviet ones if an engineering unit or a division is in the hex: he can convert the Soviet railroads to use them in the future turns. He can convert only a number of hexes of railroad as it is designated by the scenario instructions.
SOVIET PLAYER SEGMENT
Motorized Movement Phase. It is important to notice the difference between the German Sequence of Play and the Soviet one. The Soviet player has first the Motorized Movement, then the Movement Phase for all the units. 
In this phase, he can move all his motorized units plus the cavalry units ( only one-half of their MPs ). The Soviet HQs can activate a number of non-motorized units up their command value ( from one to four ) plus one Guard unit; these units cannot move a second time in the Movement Phase. The movements of the units are governed by the normal rules for the movement.
Attack Declaration Phase. The Soviet Attack Declaration works as the Axis one.
Axis Reaction Phase. This phase is identical to Axis 1. Note that there is not an Air Interdiction Phase for the Soviet. The Axis has no HQ and the air power of the Soviet is practically inexistent. A second important difference is that the Axis units can react without the limits of the Soviet units. 
Combat Phase. It is the same as the Axis one.
Movement Phase. The Soviet player can move all his units ( except for the non-motorized ones, activated during the Motorize movement ); the motorized unit can move up to one-half of their MPs, the cavalry units can use all their MPs. 
Engineering Phase. The sequence of the phase is identical to the Axis one; there is only one exception: the Soviet player cannot reconvert the railroads, he can destroy them instead. Each Soviet combat unit that is in a railroad hex converted by the Axis can destroy the railroad in that hex. 
Surrender Phase. During the first phases of the invasion, many Soviet units surrendered. In this phase the Soviet player, roll a die for each unit that is in enemy ZoC and that cannot trace a LoC of any length to a supply source; on modified die roll from one to two the unit surrenders and it is placed in the Eliminated Units Box.
GAME TURN INTERPHASE
At the end of each turn, both the players perform some actions: remove the activated markers from the Soviet units, remove the Overrun markers; and the Soviet player can attempt to recover the non-operational HQs or disband them ( the second action gives two VPs to the German for each HQ disbanded ). 

THE STARTING POSITIONS

“ Typhoon! “ uses three maps ( M,N,P ), which are linked together in this way:

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On the map N there is the northern and part of the central sector of the front line. On the map P there is the other part of the central and the southern sector of the front. The map M, where Moscow is located, is behind the starting front line, and ( at start ) there are only Soviet units. 
Map N is covered by wood for the most part, with some lakes and minor and major rivers; the Highway Smolensk-Moscow starts in it. Map P is clearer with less wood-hexes. The map M is similar to map N ( with the highway that divides it in two parts ) and it has in the centre of it the five hexes of the city of Moscow and its suburb. 
The front line goes from the northern-western corner of map N to southern-western corner of map P; in the centre, the front line is some hexes eastern of Smolensk with the German units that point towards the city of Moscow along the highway. 
THE GERMANS
In the northern sector there are few units; for the most part infantry, some artillery units and some other kind of combat units. 
In the centre of the front there is the most part of units; infantry, panzer and motorized divisions, artillery plus various kinds of other combat and combat-support units. Here the German has his more powerful strength; not only in number but also in quality. 
In the south, there are many infantry units and a great motorized strength: the Panzergruppe Guderian ( historically leaded by the Feldmarschall Guderian ).
As if it is easy to understand the major, effort comes from the centre and the south of the German lines. 
SOVIETS
The Soviet has, in the northern sector of the front, good positions, all the HQs operational, the advantage of the woods, marshes, swamps, lakes and river and, although his forces are not irresistible, on the other side the German is too week to be a serious danger.
In the centre the Soviet has the most part of his forces, but two great troubles too: all the HQs are non-operational ( a real tragedy for the opening moves, a non-operational HQ often is worst than a German Panzer division ) and the tremendous power of the German.
In the south, the Soviet units are few and pathetic in front of the German formations and in this sector the non-operational HQ become like an allied for the enemy. Here the Soviet is easy overwhelmed and surrounded by the German units. In this sector, the terrain is open and the German motorized units can show all their capacities.

STRATEGIES

THE GERMAN PLAYER
When you see the maps and the initial positions, it is clear that all the effort must be directed in the centre and in the south of the front line. Your panzer and motorized divisions, with the infantry units, can destroy, using the overrun and their bonuses, the week Soviet units in the first turn and then the way is open to run towards Tula ( a major city to the south of Moscow ); in the meantime the other units surround the remaining Soviet units, which will start to surrender. In the southern sector, the mobility of your units is the most powerful weapon. Remember that the first two turns are automatically dry and it is easy that the good weather continues for other three turns. In addition, the non-operational HQs give you an aid; the Soviet player will be incapable to move the great part of his units and the rigidity of the chain of commands in the Red Army is very interesting for you. It is not a problem if your motorized units go out of supply, the most important thing is that the initiative remains yours reaching the objectives before the Soviet and prevented that the enemy constructs a coherent line of defence with strong points and reinforcements and replacements. 
In the centre, the struggle should be more hard and expensive. The German has the major part of his power in this sector, but the Soviet units are at the same time numerous and better than in the southern sector; above this there are several fortified lines and the terrain is covered by woods and marshes for the most part. On the other hand, the non-operational HQs make their job and give a great aid to the German. Here, during the first seven turns when the German player receives twelve ASPs per turn, he has to attack using all his units in order to inflict the greatest losses to the Soviet. The battle will be bloody and hard, but it is the only way to destroy the Soviet defensive line and to pocket several Soviet units. The German has a powerful air army ( the Soviet one is at the best only decorative ) and it gives a great support to the ground units. Like in the southern sector in the first turns the German player must advance as much as possible, when the mud becomes the most frequent weather condition, everything becomes more difficult and in the favour of the Soviet.
The northern sector is another story. The German forces are few and week ( except near the city of Staraya-Russa ) and the terrains are only wood, marsh and swamp with lakes and river ( major and minor ) that help the defenders. In this part of the front the best thing is to stay on defence; the Soviet forces will retreat after the breakthrough in the centre of the front line if they do not want to be surrounded by the advancing German units. We think it is a nonsense to spend ASPs, air and ground units in attacks without the possibility of fast advances and the problems due to the lack of roads, railroads in a very difficult terrain. 
The German player has these great advantages: the mobility of his troops, the total dominion of the air, the great number of non-operational HQs. And he has these problems: the weather conditions that become a problem during the game, the terrain features, the great number of reinforcements and replacements which the Soviet has, the attrition and the Victory Plans, which are a great uncertainty and do not allow to plan a general strategy starting with the first turn. 
It is not easy to give some general suggestions on the German strategy; but we try! 
The two first turns are automatically dry and there are great chances that the turns from third to five should be dry. During the first seven turn the German receives twelve ASP per turn ( in the eighth turn the number drops to seven ) and the Soviet has great problems with his non-operational HQs, which are often two or three hexes behind the front line. We think that during the first five turns the German player has to attack in force, at least fifteen attack declarations per turn, in order to destroy a great number of Soviet units, to advance, in the southern sector, as possible towards Tula and Moscow and to create a great number of pockets. It is important to remember that a Soviet HQ values two VPs and each step of Guard rockets units one VP. The German player has eighty per cent of possibility that the final Victory Plan considers the steps lost by the Soviet ( there are five chits for four VPs, obviously the Hitler’s plan has two chits, and only the von Bock plan does not consider the Soviet steps lost ). In “ Typhoon! “ it is not easy to reach the geographical objectives due to the weather conditions, the terrains and the uncertainty on the final Victory Plan. However, the losses inflicted to the Soviet are sure and the VPs awarded in this manner cannot be cancelled. In a single turn under the pressure of the Werhmacht, the Soviet can lose over sixty steps; too many even for the great number of replacements of the Soviet. There are forty-three turns, the German wins if he reaches the thirty VPs: we think it easy to achieve the victory in “ Typhoon! “ than in any of the other three games of the Barbarossa series. The easiest way to win, for the German of course, is to attack without any stop, like in a simulation on the WWI. To try other way, like manoeuvres, blitzkrieg or others we think is too difficult and too often the faith can destroy even the most well done plan. 
THE SOVIET PLAYER
In addition, the Soviet front line can be divided in three parts: northern, central, and southern. 
In the northern part, the Soviet player has few problems: his strength is at least equal to that of the German, all the HQs are operational and the terrain’s features are favourable to the defender. If he must retreat, this fact is due to the pressure made by the German in the central part of the front not to the few and sporadic attacks made in the northern sector. For the Soviet player it is important to avoid the possibility to be surrounded by the German advance in the centre. The best way to avoid this catastrophic possibility is to retreat ( not too much, naturally ) when the central sector of the Soviet front line breaks down under the pressure of the German advance. 
The things change in the centre. Here the Soviet has too great problems: the tremendous power of the German units and the non-operational HQs. For the first one the Soviet player can do little or nothing; he must see his units destroyed in great number and the terror of the German advancing units. He can only hope that the weather condition becomes mud as soon as possible. For the second he must retreat his non-operational HQs as soon and as far away as he can; every turn that a non-operational HQ remains near the front line is a gift for the German. Then, when a HQ becomes operational, the Soviet can easy move it back, by railroad for example, to allow it to do its duty. The number of the non-operational HQs is great and the possibilities to recover them are few, as consequence many turns are necessary to recover all the HQs. Surely some HQs will be destroyed by the German, the most important thing is that their number will not become too great ( each HQ values two VPs ). 
When the Soviet player watches at the situation in the southern sector, it is clear for him that in few turns the German will overwhelm the Soviet defences and destroy all Soviet units. Here the terrain is favourable to the high mobility of the German troops and the scarcity of Soviet units with the presence of the non-operational HQs makes the resistance impossible. With these considerations, the Soviet has only one thing to do: to move some units along the main roads to slow up the German advance. In the meantime, he can create a second defence line along the river of the city of Tula and then a third and stronger line behind the major river to the south of Moscow. It is clear that the third line must be so strong to be capable to stop the German advance; if the German units should penetrate it, the city of Moscow will not be defendable and the final result is obvious. 
The Soviet player has one great problem, his non-operational HQs and a great ally, the weather. The unique way to resolve the first is to remove them from the front line as soon as possible; naturally one or more of them will be destroyed by the German, but if the number of the HQs lost is not too great ( three, four at maximum ) the damage can be sustained. 
The weather becomes the most powerful weapon in the Soviet hands as the game goes on. If the dry and even the frost conditions are good for the German, when the weather becomes mud the German units suffer a lot; with the snow it is a party for the Soviet: the artic condition can occur only at the end of the game and it is better not to count on it.

SOME GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS ON “ TYPHOON! “

Here we want to give some our considerations on the game “Typhoon! “: what we write is based upon our experience of the game ( using the Campaign Scenario ) either in command of the Germans and of the Soviets. 
“ Typhoon! “, although it can be considered in the Barbarossa series, is very different from the other three games. 
The military situation it describes is changed from the first moves of the German invasion of the Russia; the German troops start to suffer the great difficulties of a war in a country like Russia and the Soviet Army is more powerful and skill than in June ’41, even if it is inferior to the German. The objective of the German offensive is the centre of power of the Soviet Union: in AGS it is Kiew and in AGC Smolensk; nothing respect to Moscow: only in AGN the objective for the Germans are so important. The number and the strength of the Soviet reinforcement are increased from the start of operation Barbarossa and the first Guard units are very difficult to attack. Above these things, in “ Typhoon! “ the weather condition is really worst than in all other three games and surely it is not easy to conduct offensive operations with several turns of mud or snow. 
However, what we think is the difference more evident is the presence of a great number of Soviet HQs, the most part of which is non-operational. A non-operational HQ is really a tremendous trouble for a Soviet player who cannot do anything during the first turns. Even if he successfully moves them far away from the front line, it takes many turns to recover all of the HQs; the greater part of the HQs has a recovery value of two, this means twenty per cent of possibility to recover an HQ. In the meantime the German can destroy a great number of Soviet units and a coherent line of defence; then considering the time for recovery, the time to move the recovered HQs to the front line and the time for the reconstruction of a coherent line of defence the Soviet player has only a hope: the mud! 
The system of the non-operational HQs is good to simulate the inability of the Soviet commands to respond coherently to the German invasion, but we think that it works well in the other three games and less in “ Typhoon! “. We see two great differences between “ Typhoon! “ and the other games of the series: the number of HQs in “ Typhoon! “ and the fact that in “ Typhoon! “ the greatest part of them start non-operational. 
In “ Typhoon! “ the number of HQs is so great that it allows the German player to achieve his minimum level of victory destroying six or seven Soviet HQs plus other VPs due to the armor or artillery steps lost ( by the Soviet, naturally ) and some geographical objective, not difficult to conquer. The German player has the eighty per cent of possibility to have as final victory plan one that considers the steps lost by the Soviet. There are four victory plans: von Bock, Hitler, Compromise and Hoepner; each victory plan has one chit, two for Hitler’s plan, only the von Bock’s plan does not consider the Soviet steps lost; as consequence four possibilities on five to draw a plan that considers the Soviet steps lost: exactly eighty per cent!. The German player has on one side the uncertainty of the final Victory Plan and as consequence the uncertainty about the value of the geographical objectives ( for example with Hitler’s plan the city of Moscow values nothing ), on the other side the eighty per cent of possibilities that the Soviet steps lost count. As it is easy to image the German opts to destroy as many as possible HQs and Guard rockets units ( one point for each step ) than to win conquering objectives on the map: it is not important the cost of this operation ( only German armor or/and artillery steps lost count ). In the other three games, a German player must achieve his victory on the ground; the destruction of HQs or armor and artillery steps is only an aid and nothing else. In “ Typhoon! “, it is easier to win without great conquests and original strategies applying the old war of attrition; in this case by the German. We think that this situation makes a game static and similar to the old battles of the WWI: not only, in this situation it is clear that a good dice roll counts more than a good idea: the faith before the intelligence. 
If we make a confrontation between “ Typhoon! “ and the other three games of the series, we see that in the other games a Soviet HQ becomes non-operational due to a successfully overrun on it: it is naturally that a HQ, which suffers an overrun, loses a great number of its personal and the confusion is obvious. Sometime a HQ enter non-operational as a reinforcement and also in this case it is clear, due to the rigidity of the chain of command in the Red Army, that it is necessary several turns before the new HQ could act without creating difficulties to the other HQs already on the map. However, in “ Typhoon! “ what kind of reason can justify the fact that two third of the HQs start as non-operational? Perhaps the majority of army commanders are double agent or too drunken to do their duty! After three month from the invasion, even in the Red Army something has changed; if the HQs of the other three games start operational, even if they are interdicted and most of them cannot move for one or two turns, for more reasons in “ Typhoon! “ they have to be operational. If the intent of the designer was to simulate the confusion and the fear for the German troops approaching to Moscow we think there are many other instruments more suitable, like interdictions, restrictions of movements and special rules for this game. In the original version of “ Typhoon! “, there are not the rules about the effects of a non-operational HQ; when it was adapted to the Barbarossa series the easier way was to place several HQs on their non-operational side. We think that this way is surely the easiest, but not the best and it is a pity that an interesting simulation on a great war fact is treated with too imprudence.