The Bear: Russo-Georgian War in 2008 2018

The Bear: Russo-Georgian War 2008 portrays the 5 days war between Russia and Georgia at the epicenter of the conflict: South Ossetia. The game starts at the midnight of 7 August, and ends on 12 August when the ceasefire was signed. Each turn roughly represents 8 hours, units are mostly battalion and company sized and each hex represents about 1.5 km. Game includes various rules to show the unique features occurred during the war: Georgia drones and electronic warfare, Russia cyber-attack, helicopter insertion of special forces.

The game includes a unique set of rules for the artillery units: each artillery and HQ unit have a corresponding marker for use on the firepower management chart. After firing, units would first enter the exposed state, where they will be prone to counter-battery fire from the opponent’s artillery assets, only after another recovery segment they will be concealed again. This combined with the sequence of play showcases the difference between Russia and Georgian military doctrine, and highlights how modern conflict requires artillery assets to be used in an effective way, rather than simply massing firepower.

The game not only includes the historical scenario, but also includes “what-if” scenarios: a small-scale intervention from Russia utilizing only air force, special forces and North Ossetia volunteers, and NATO intervention, either with only air and special forces, or the deployment of US rapid reaction forces. Totaling 4 different playable scenarios.

Components: 1 Rulebook 3 Player Aids 1 594x420mm Map 259 Counters 2 Dice