Flashpoint: Taiwan!

Taipei is a hypothetical game of a future invasion of Taiwan by the Peoples Republic of China. The conflict is covered from the point of initial PRC landings through several weeks of war thereafter (each turn is roughly 3.5 days). The game incorporates land, sea, and air elements with the land element having the most emphasis, the air war getting a good treatment as well and the naval aspect is heavily abstracted and reflected in sea lift points available for each player. The game has both political and military victory conditions and offers two main options for the PRC player: intervention or full invasion. From the Republic of China perspective, there is the possibility of support from NATO or the Pacific Rim nations as well as American action which can come in one of four ways: no support, covert support, limited support or full support.

Playing Time: This will take, on average, 4-6 hours depending on the combination of options that the two sides choose. A simple combination (PRC intervention, no help for Taiwan at all) could last as short as 3 hours whereas a full PRC invasion coupled with NATO, Pacific Rim and full USA commitment could last in excess of 6 hours.

Map: The map covers all of Taiwan and the surrounding sea as well as a few major islands lying between the PRC and Taiwan. The map also has charts on it to use the air power units as well as charts for terrain and combat results. There is also charts for sea lift and air defense levels. The map also contains an off map air field and port box for each side. The map is clear and easy to use, although the amount of game items on it does make it a little busy and makes the map seem small, but this was an S&T game, so the option to make extra cards for these items as found in other games is not really practical.

Counters: The counters depict the land and air units of both sides. Each land unit has three number on it: combat, movement, and 4CI. The air units have counterair, strike and electronic warfare values. The counters are nicely done and easy to read. It is obvious from a quick glance which counters belong to which country or coalition of countries.

Rules: The rules for Taipei really focus on two aspects of warfare: air combat and 4CI (command, control, communications, computers, and intelligence). Each turn of Taipei begins with air operations phase in which players assign air units to tasks and battle for air superiority. Results from the battle for control of the skies can be handed out both in damaging and destroying air units or engaging in SEAD (Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses). Some air units, such as ground support or air transport, will have their missions carried out later, if they survive the carnage of air combat The game turn then moves into a standard move fight sequence with a notable difference. Each move/fight sequence actually has two parts to it an initial part in which any combat units may participate and a second impulse in which only units in 4CI command may move and fight so players will need to use their HQ units carefully as some units may not be able to exploit their success from the first impulse if one is careless. Combat is resolved using one of three CRT: probe, assault, and air-land. Air-Land usage has specific requirements regarding units involved in combat, but the choice of the other two is influenced by the 4CI and it is possible for the defender to get to choose the CRT to be used if the attacker does not watch his 4CI step! Results on the CRT range from retreats to elimination to elimination of disrupted units to bloodbath Once all the fighting is completed, the logistical phase kicks in as well as the recovery phase where disrupted units can be restored and air units damaged can return to play. Each country has its own recovery table which is a nice touch. Along with all these standard rules there are advanced rules for information warfare, intensive attacks, and special weapons. The game does a nice job with the rules of reflecting modern warfare without being too overwhelming, although a newbie might feel intimidated by the amount of detail involved. The system is smooth once you get the hang of it and the only real drawback is the amount of time one spends on referencing charts. My suggestion: make copies of them to save time flipping through pages!

Things I like about the game:
● The air combat system. It does a nice job without getting too technical.
● Second impulse. This is nice and reflects the idea of momentum and exploiting initial successes.
● The various options. There are a number listed in the back of the rules for both sides to use ranging from PRC upgrades the military to Pacific Rim forces coming in. I also like the various options for USA involvement as it gives the players an idea of how much an impact the US would have on such a conflict.
● Variety of CRT. This is cool as it reflects how generals plan offensives and what their objectives might be.

Things that can be annoying:
● The amount of page flipping for charts.
● The ability of the PRC to land ANYWHERE on the island. Surely, not all of Taiwan is suitable for landings.
● The military situation may be a bit outdated now as China has upgraded forces in the intervening years (game was made in 2000) but it is still, IMO, the best game I have played on the subject.

Overall evaluation: = I’d rather staple my tongue to the wall for a month! = wargamer heaven

Map= The map works, but it is a bit drab. The only splash of color is the cities which are yellow. Still, it gets the job done.
Counters= These are nicely done. Easy to read, clear colors regarding who is who.
Rules= The amount of detail is very cool, but the rules are demanding in that they are covering air, land, and sea operations. That being said, they are well organized and easy for the experienced wargamer to understand. The plethora of options and CRT choices are also nice touches.
Playing Time= The bare bones intervention scenario goes quickly, but a full invasion with full USA support will take time.
Deployment of Forces= This is a little cumbersome as the initial force deployments as well as the reinforcements are in text rather than chart form.
Overall= I have recently revisited this game and it still holds up, although it is not among the elite of my gaming collection. The topic is one that needs to be covered more and the wide variety of options is enough alone for an interested gamer to revisit this game on a yearly basis. For those who enjoy playing with endless “what if” scenarios, this game is very rewarding. Other wargamers will enjoy the effort made to give a nice, overall treatment to this potential flashpoint of military conflict in the modern world. This is a game worth playing for anyone who has an interest in modern warfare.