As highlighted in a previous InsideGMT article, Bear Trap is primarily a two-player game—but one which will come with a rich solo mode developed by the GMT One team.

In this InsideGMT article, I want to quickly mention a few other things that make Bear Trap a complete package: two additional short scenarios, and tournament rules.

In medias res Scenario

Like any game, play time depends on how long players agonize over their decisions. In most cases, though, two experienced players will be able to complete a full game of Bear Trap in under 2-3 hours.

But there are occasions when you might have less time than that available. And, because it’s possible to win with an immediate victory before the end of the game, it’s possible that players will see more of the early-war and mid-war aspects of the game than the late-war aspects. With this in mind, I’ve designed a short scenario focused on the second half of the war. Instead of the normal setup process, this scenario positions the players to pick up where things were historically around 1985. After following the scenario specific setup instructions (including some variable deployment), play proceeds normally.

By 1985, the resistance in Afghanistan had started to dictate the tempo of the war in earnest, and Soviet operations were no longer conducted under the pretense of merely supporting the puppet regime. And by this point in the war, more than 5,000,000 Afghans had been displaced by the conflict, many having fled to neighbouring countries like Iran and Pakistan. Yet while there was an optimism in the air—owing to the fact that the new Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, had suggested that he wanted the war to end—an escalation aimed at quickly ending the war made 1985 the bloodiest year of the conflict. Within the next year, though, the US will have begun to supply the Mujahideen with Stinger missiles, enabling them to cripple the Soviet’s air superiority.

This scenario is designed specifically for experienced players, who should be able to easily dive into this scenario and play a complete game within 30-90mins. (Depending, of course, on how long they agonize over their decisions and when the end game is triggered.)

Introductory Scenario

Bear Trap will also come with a brief introductory scenario. This scenario is recommended only for new players, and only some new players. Bear Trap is not a complicated game, and while it is an asymmetric game, the asymmetry emerges without substantial additional rules overhead. So many players, I think, will be happy to dive straight into a ‘standard’ game of Bear Trap, learn through any mistakes made, and fumble through strategic uncertainties.

Nevertheless, the setup process for the standard full game does require players to make some strategic decisions—which can be difficult for players who haven’t played before. It’s also possible for early strategic blunders to leave a player in a difficult position to come back from. So we’re including an introductory scenario for players who worry about such things adversely impacting their experience. The introductory scenario takes away the few decisions usually involved in the game setup, making it easier for players to jump straight into the action.

The introductory scenario also includes a different (shorter) end game condition, granting players an opportunity to learn the game by trial and explore basic strategies without being locked in to playing a full game. Experienced players playing quickly could blitz through the introductory scenario within 20-45mins. But, of course, this scenario isn’t meant for them—and experienced players wouldn’t likely be interested in playing the introductory scenario. It’s harder to say how long two new players would need to complete the introductory scenario, since it’ll depend on how often they need to check the rules and how long players agonize over their decisions. But new players should be able to complete this Introductory scenario much more quickly than they would a full game. Thereby ensuring, hopefully, that when they then play a full/standard game, it will go quickly and smoothly.

Tournament Rules

Finally, Bear Trap will also come with tournament rules. While it’s likely most players would never play in a tournament setting, these rules will also be well suited to helping hyper-competitive players manage their games of Bear Trap to ensure maximal fairness. This includes, for instance, a bidding system to decide which player will take on which role (Soviets or Insurgents):

One randomly determined player nominates a side and enters a bid (e.g. “Soviet, 8”). The other player either accepts or rejects that bid. If its accepted, then the bidder will play the nominated side (Soviets, in this example), and the Insurgents player wins a decisive victory if the Soviet Fatigue reaches the number of their bid (e.g. 8, in this example). If their opponent rejects the bid, the opponent must then make a different bid (e.g. “Afghan, 7” or “Soviet, 9”). This goes back and forth until a player accepts a bid. Importantly, no player may repeat a bid previously made during this process by either player.

While tournament organizers are free to organize their event however they want to maximize the fun, the tournament rules include the following suggestions, some of which can also be used during more competitive regular games:

• Cards are placed in their discard pile face down, and discard piles cannot be examined by either player at any point during the game.
• Players are not allowed to use methods of tracking (e.g. app, pen and paper) which cards are in which discard pile or which blocks are in which areas.
• Players are required to reveal Lashkar/Armor blocks when using their special movement bonus.
• A tournament should consist of at least 3 rounds.
• Play of a match should be limited to 3 hours. If an outcome has not been reached by that time, the match should end in a loss for both sides.
• The following overarching scoring system can be used to determine tournament rankings:
• Win: 1 tournament points
• Bye: 0.5 tournament points
• Loss: 0 tournament points

Once all matches for the tournament have been played, the participant with the most tournament points wins. In case of ties, play tiebreaking matches.

A tournament could of course be a one-day event, or an event resolved over multiple gatherings.

So if you haven’t already done so, please consider pre-ordering Bear Trap now. You can find the rules and other game assets on its website (art not final), and if you’re keen to learn more about the game you can find the other InsideGMT articles here.

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