1-4 players, ages 12+, 120+ minutes
by GMT Games
We are happy to present the long-awaited second edition of this fascinating game. It stands as the first in its series to benefit from a full system overhaul. We have rewritten all first edition game rules for clarity and simplification and then reorganized it for readability. Some old rules details were dropped, others added. We then thoroughly reviewed the orders of battle in light of considerable information that has come to light in the years since the first edition was published. Likewise, the charts and tables have benefitted from some small adjustments. Overall, the whole game system is greatly improved for your enjoyment.
June 1941 -- Army Group Center hurls itself through the Soviet border defenses, and its two Panzer groups race headlong toward Minsk. Behind them lie the remnants of the Soviet Western Front -- almost a million men in four armies. The Soviets are stunned by the German blitzkrieg. Their responses are slow, confused, and governed by pre-war contingency plans made obsolete by the speed of the German advance. In little more than a week, the German panzer spearheads meet east of Minsk. Though isolated units continue to fight, the entire Soviet Western Front has ceased to exist!
The Germans' next target is Smolensk, but the Soviets resist more effectively. Entire armies are dispatched from other parts of the Soviet Union as the true scope of the Minsk pocket disaster and the magnitude of the German threat become known. Soviet counterattacks, especially around Lepel, are thrown back with horrific losses. Once again the Panzer Groups charge eastward, creating yet another huge Soviet pocket west of Smolensk. The Soviets resist savagely. Smolensk falls on July 13th, but the pocket does not close. Many Soviet units escape to fight another day.
Hitler now makes a fateful decision and overrides his generals. Over half of Army Group Center's panzer and air formations are diverted south to take Kiev or north to isolate Leningrad. No longer under heavy pressure, the Soviets gain time to form solid fronts around Vyazma and Bryansk. Did Hitler's decision cost the Germans the war? Play Army Group Center and find out for yourself.
• Eight scenarios allow players to vary their level of involvement, complexity, and starting point, from introductory to full campaign
• An asymmetrical sequence of play that highlights Axis armored breakthroughs and Soviet difficulties in combined arms warfare
• Detailed air rules which integrate with land combat and weather rules
• Incredibly detailed Order of Battle, including special coverage of artillery, rocket artillery, engineers, bridge units, armored trains, and much more
• Modifications to the proven Typhoon system include revised overrun and Soviet surrender procedures, as well as a new non-op Soviet HQ system to simulate the rigid, yet fragile, Soviet Command structure
• Extensive bibliography and design/historical notes
Contents:
• 1,120 multi-coloured die-cut counters.
• Four 22x34" full-colour mapsheets
• One 10-sided die
• 36-page Rule Book
• 40-page Play Book
• Player Aid Cards: five two-sided Set-Up cards, Soviet Status card, Axis Status card, two 11x17 two-sided game chart cards, three cards of additional charts and tables.
TIME SCALE: 2 days per turn
MAP SCALE: 5 miles per hex
GROUND UNIT SCALE: Division/Regiment
AIR UNIT SCALE: 40-80 aircraft per counter
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: One to four
