Hind & Seek: Rules for the Soviet-Afghan War 1979 - 1989



Hind & Seek is a ruleset all about asymmetrical warfare and is aimed at company to battalion sized games, in 6mm or 3mm scale. Larger scales can be used just as easily, from 10mm and 15mm, up to 1/72 scale.

The goal has been to provide a game where a small, poorly armed force can stand on even terms with a larger, better armed one. Hind & Seek tackles this in two ways: firstly, with a 'strength' system. Each faction has a strength value, which can be used to purchase forces on the table, or assets. Assets include recon, weapons caches, roadside mines, pre-prepared firing positions, escape routes, air-drops of anti-personnel mines, air blocking elements, night-time insertions and various other options, tailored to each faction. For example, only the Mujahideen (Afghan resistance fighters) have roadside mines and weapons caches, while only the Soviets have air blocking elements and aerial insertions or mine drops.

In this manner, a small force could have a large number of assets allowing it to stand against a larger force. A small Mujahideen force might have prepared firing positions, weapons caches and escape routes, allowing it to strike and run against a larger Soviet force. Likewise an elite Soviet force might have all the bells and whistles of an extremely detailed and well-planned operation - extensive training, night-time insertions, blocking escape routes with helicopters and so on, to allow a small group of airborne elites to cut off and destroy a larger Mujahideen force. Assets also have a dual purpose where they can counter enemy assets. The Mujahideen keep ambushing from that village? Bulldoze it. The Soviets are using helicopters to block off your escape routes? hit them with anti-air fire to drive them off!

Hind & Seek also implements a reputation system: Certain actions will cause a faction to lose reputation with the locals and other actions will cause them to gain it. If the Soviets drop anti-personnel mines near a village, the local population will be more inclined to help the Mujahideen in future. Lose enough reputation and the enemy faction will start to gain strength, making the fights even harder.

In this way Hind & Seek suits a kind of campaign play where each battle influences the next. One-off Scenarios are also provided for and just as fun. 5 Scenarios are included which can be used for one-off games or campaign play.

These rules are based on the real-life accounts of actual combatants, largely from the books The Bear Went over the Mountain and The Other Side of the Mountain. Care has been taken to make the game feel like a Soviet-Afghan wargame; The Soviets may be able to take lots of tanks and helicopters, but when the enemy is ambushing from hidden positions on high ground, the tanks wont be able to target them and the helicopters wont even know where they are. Tanks will need to back off from areas of high ground in order to get a shot and helicopters will have to spot the hidden ambushers, or rely on information from the ground in order to work out where the Dushman (Enemy) are.

In the end this game is all about asymmetrical warfare and providing the feel and tactics of the period. The game naturally encourages real-life tactics and unit organizations (although example soviet organizations are also provided) and each faction has its own unique tactical choices and challenges to overcome.

Rules are provided for Infantry (both regular squads and specialist teams like spotters and heavy weapon teams), vehicles (from the humble transport truck to the various BTRs, BMPs, BMD and heavier armor of the soviets.) and helicopters. Vehicle and anti-vehicle rules have been streamlined to be as simple as possible and allow the focus to be on infantry. Rules for suppression, morale and infantry quality are all part of the package. Helicopters and vehicles can transport troops and helicopters can land and take off in-game, or be called in by spotters, provided there are enemy targets around...

Games take anywhere from an hour and a half to 2 hours for larger games and a variety of markers are provided with the rules for ease of play. A 6' X 4' or 4' X 4' table is recommended.