Bear Trap: The Soviet-Afghan War, 1979-1989 (2022)

Bear Trap: The Soviet-Afghan War is a quick-playing, low-complexity game simulating the Soviet-Afghan War (1979-1989). Bear Trap adapts the game system from Sekigahara to this new setting.

One player takes command of the ruling Democratic Republic of Afghanistan and its forces, supported by the Soviet 40th Army. The other player takes command of the local tribal rebels (the Lashkar) and Mujahideen guerrilla fighters. The Soviet player seeks to prop up the sympathetic local government and “solve the Russian Ice-lock Problem” while the Insurgent player seeks to expel the foreign invaders and secularist government.

Gameplay consists of alternating turns playing cards to replenish, activate, and move units on an area-based map of Afghanistan, with battles occurring whenever units from both sides end up in the same space. Bear Trap adapts the core mechanics from GMT Games' classic Sekigahara, allowing for the possibility of betrayal and defections, but also adds several new aspects, such as hidden unit stances, powerful strategy cards, and a unique card-assisted solo mode for either side.

Bear Trap is first and foremost a 2-player game, but it also includes rules for solo play (which utilizes a card-assisted flowchart bot).

Time Scale: 16-20 months per Reshuffle
Unit Scale: 1 Block = 500 - 8,000 soldiers
Number of Players: 1 to 2
Play Time: 2 to 3 hours
Complexity: Low (3/9 on GMT's scale)