Captain Sonar

2016

Captain Sonar is an intense, team-based board game. Players control a high-tech submarine, strategize with teammates, track enemies, and launch attacks. Immerse yourself in underwater warfare!

60
minutes

2 - 8
player(s)

14+

Medium

About the game

Captain Sonar is a thrilling, team-based board game that transports you into the high-stakes world of submarine warfare. Set in the tense underwater landscape of the modern age, two teams face off in a deadly duel where strategy, teamwork, and sharp decision-making are key to survival.

Each team operates a state-of-the-art submarine, with players stepping into the critical roles of Captain, First Mate, Engineer, and Radio Operator. Each role is unique, requiring different skills and offering a different way to interact with the game. This creates an immersive, collaborative experience where communication and coordination are just as important as individual skill.

Game components Unboxing the fun!

Captain Sonar is a thrilling naval warfare game where two teams operate a submarine to locate and destroy their opponent. Each player takes on a unique role and must coordinate with their teammates to be successful. Here are the components included in the game, their functions, and how they interact with the gameplay:

1. Two Submarine Sheets:

Each team gets a submarine sheet. The submarine sheet is divided into four sections, each section corresponding to a different role: Captain, First Mate, Engineer, and Radio Operator. The Captain plans and announces the submarine’s movements, the First Mate charges the submarine’s systems, the Engineer manages the submarine’s damage, and the Radio Operator tracks the enemy’s movements.

2. Two Transparent Sheets:

These are used by the Radio Operator to track the enemy submarine’s movements. The Radio Operator marks the enemy’s announced movements on these sheets and overlays them on the map to deduce the enemy’s location.

3. Eight Erasable Marker Pens:

Players use these to write and erase on the submarine sheets and the transparent sheets.

4. Two Screen Dividers:

These are placed between the two teams to prevent them from seeing each other’s sheets. The game relies heavily on listening to the enemy’s announced actions and deducing their location, so visual information is restricted.

5. Four Scenario Maps:

Each map represents a different ocean environment with different islands and obstacles, making each game unique. The Captain must navigate these obstacles without announcing them to the enemy.

6. Rulebook:

The rulebook provides detailed instructions for setting up and playing the game.

7. Four Role Armbands:

These are worn by players to identify their roles: Captain, First Mate, Engineer, and Radio Operator.

8. Two sets of twelve System Tokens:

These are used to keep track of the submarine’s systems and their charge levels. When a system is fully charged, it can be used for special actions like launching torpedoes, deploying mines, or using silence to move without announcing.

In Captain Sonar, each component plays a crucial role in the gameplay and enhances the exciting and cooperative experience.

Game setup Lay it out, line it up, let’s go

Setting up ‘Captain Sonar’ involves a few key steps: player role assignment, board placement, initial resource allocation, and handling of random elements. This guide will walk you through each of these steps to ensure a smooth start to your game.

Step 1: Player Role Assignment

Divide the players into two teams, each representing a submarine crew. Each team must include one Captain, one First Mate, one Engineer, and one Radio Operator.
The Captain is responsible for moving the submarine and launching attacks.
The First Mate charges the submarine’s systems.
The Engineer manages the submarine’s damage and repairs.
The Radio Operator tracks the enemy’s movements.

Step 2: Board Placement

Each team takes a screen and places it in the middle of the table, creating a divider between the two teams.
Each member of the team takes their respective role’s board and places it in front of them. The Captain and Radio Operator take a map board each.

Step 3: Initial Resource Allocation

The First Mate places all system gauge pieces on the ‘uncharged’ side of their system board.
The Engineer places a marker on the ‘active’ part of each system on their board.
The Captain takes a marker to track the sub’s position on the map.
The Radio Operator takes a transparency to track the enemy ship’s movements.

Step 4: Handling Random Elements

Each Captain should choose a unique starting point on the map and mark it with their marker.
Remember that the other team cannot see this choice due to the screen divider.

With these steps complete, you are ready to dive into your underwater adventure in ‘Captain Sonar’. Good luck and happy gaming!

Game flow Round and round we go

In the exciting board game of ‘Captain Sonar’, you and your teammates control a state-of-the-art submarine and are trying to locate an enemy submarine in order to blow it out of the water before they can do the same to you. The game is played in real time, but can also be played in turn-based mode for a more strategic, thoughtful game.

Setup: The game is typically played with two teams of four players each. Each team takes on one of four roles: Captain, First Mate, Engineer, or Radio Operator. The teams sit on opposite sides of a barrier that divides the table and play area. Each player has their own console that they use to perform their role’s duties.

Game Phases:

1) Planning Phase: During this phase, the Captain decides on the course of the submarine, while the First Mate charges the systems, the Engineer maintains the submarine, and the Radio Operator tracks the enemy’s movements.

2) Action Phase: After the planning phase, the Captain announces a direction and speed, the First Mate announces which systems are charged, the Engineer indicates which parts of the submarine are damaged, and the Radio Operator uses the information they’ve gathered to narrow down the possible locations of the enemy submarine.

3) Resolution Phase: Once all actions have been announced, they are resolved. If the submarine has moved, the Captain draws the path on their map. If a system has been used, the First Mate discharges it and begins recharging it. If a part of the submarine is damaged, the Engineer marks it on their console. If the enemy submarine’s location has been deduced, the Radio Operator marks it on their map.

4) End Phase: Once all actions have been resolved, the game enters the end phase. If a team has successfully located the enemy submarine and has a torpedo system charged, they can announce a torpedo launch. If the torpedo hits, the enemy team takes damage. If a submarine’s damage reaches 4, it sinks and the other team wins.

Remember, communication is key in ‘Captain Sonar’. Each role is important and you must work together as a team to locate the enemy submarine and sink it before they can do the same to you.

Players'turn One turn to rule them all

The game Captain Sonar is a thrilling maritime exploration where two teams, each representing a submarine crew, compete against each other. The game is played in turns, with each player having a specific role to play. During a player’s turn, there are a variety of actions and strategic choices that can be made. Below is a breakdown of the possible actions.

1. The Captain

The Captain’s role is to lead the submarine and make major decisions. The Captain announces the submarine’s course of direction, but must ensure the direction chosen does not cross a previously taken path or an island. The direction announced should be traced on the map by the First Mate and Engineer.

2. The First Mate

The First Mate’s role is to manage the submarine’s systems. The First Mate checks off a box in one of the systems each time the Captain announces a new direction. These systems include torpedoes, sonar, silence, drones, and scenario-specific systems. Once a system is fully checked, it can be activated at the Captain’s command.

3. The Engineer

The Engineer’s role is to manage the submarine’s damage. Each time the Captain moves, the Engineer must mark off a component of the submarine. The component marked off must correspond to the direction of the move. If all components in a section are marked off, that section is broken and the corresponding system cannot be used. The Engineer needs to strategically choose which components to mark off to minimize harm to the submarine’s operation.

4. The Radio Operator

The Radio Operator’s role is to track the enemy submarine’s movements. The Radio Operator listens to the opposing Captain’s directions and traces these on a transparent sheet. This sheet can then be moved over the Radio Operator’s map to try to locate the enemy submarine. The Radio Operator’s strategic choices can greatly impact the game by accurately predicting the opponents’ location.

These are the primary roles and strategic choices that each player can make during a turn in Captain Sonar. It’s important to note that while the game can be played in turns, it is also possible to play in a real-time mode where all players perform their tasks simultaneously, leading to a fast-paced and thrilling gameplay experience.

End of the game All good games must come to an end

A game of Captain Sonar ends when one submarine’s damage track is filled, indicating that the submarine has been sunk. This is the main victory condition: the team that sinks the opposing team’s submarine wins the game.

There are two main ways to inflict damage on the opposing submarine:

Torpedoes: A team can fire a torpedo if it is ready (meaning the Engineer has repaired it and the First Mate has charged it). When a torpedo is fired, the Captain announces the coordinates. If the opposing submarine is in the targeted sector or an adjacent sector, it takes damage. The amount of damage depends on the proximity to the target: two points if the enemy is on the targeted square, and one point if it’s in an adjacent square.
Mines: A team can lay a mine if it is ready (meaning the Engineer has repaired it and the First Mate has charged it). At any point later in the game, the Captain can choose to detonate a previously laid mine. The effects are similar to those of a torpedo: two points of damage if the enemy is on the mine square, and one point if it’s in an adjacent square.

Additionally, a submarine may also take damage from surfacing. When a submarine surfaces, it has to announce its sector. If the opposing team guesses the correct sector, the surfacing submarine takes one point of damage.

Before the final scoring and the end of the game, players must complete a few steps:

Confirm damage: Teams must confirm that all damage inflicted has been properly tracked and that the game-ending damage was legal (for example, that a torpedo or mine was actually ready to be fired or detonated).
Check for ties: If both submarines have their damage tracks filled at the same time (for example, due to a mine detonating), the game ends in a draw.

Once these steps are completed, the team with the undamaged or less damaged submarine is declared the winner of the Captain Sonar game.

Scoring Did you outsmart your rivals?

The game Captain Sonar is a team-based game of submarine warfare where two teams, each represented by a submarine, try to locate and destroy each other. The scoring system is straightforward – the first team to successfully hit the enemy submarine four times wins the game. However, there are some specifics to understand:

1. Awarding Points:

Points in Captain Sonar are awarded in the form of successful hits on the enemy submarine. Each successful hit awards one point to the team that made the hit.

Direct hit: If a team correctly identifies the opponent’s position and launches a torpedo, they score a direct hit, which counts as one point.
Mine hit: If a team successfully detonates a mine in the vicinity of the enemy submarine, it counts as a hit, earning them one point.

2. Tie-breaking Rules:

In the unlikely event that both submarines are hit for the fourth time simultaneously, the game ends in a tie. There are no official tie-breaking rules in Captain Sonar.

3. Winning the Game:

The team that first scores four points wins the game. This means they have successfully hit the enemy submarine four times with their torpedoes or mines. It’s important to note that points in Captain Sonar are not cumulative over multiple games – each game is scored independently.

4. Penalties:

While not a direct part of the scoring system, teams must be aware of penalties. If a team makes a mistake in their movements or actions, such as moving through an island or launching a torpedo more than four spaces away, they receive a penalty. Penalties reveal their position to the enemy, making them vulnerable to attack, which could effectively grant the opponent a point through a successful hit.

Particular Cases and Exceptions Wait… is that legal?

In the game of Captain Sonar, there are several unique rules, exceptions and clarifications that are crucial to the gameplay. Here are some of them:

1. Radio Operator’s Map:

The Radio Operator is not allowed to mark the enemy captain’s course on their map. They can only draw the route, but the starting point should always be uncertain.

2. Movement Rules:

The submarine cannot move diagonally. It can only move North, South, East, or West. Moreover, it cannot cross its own path or the island borders on the map.

3. Breaking the Silence:

Breaking the Silence can be used by the Captain to move the submarine in silence to a new position without revealing the direction or the number of moves. However, the new position must be within four cells of the original position.

4. Damage and Repair:

When a submarine suffers damage, the corresponding system becomes inoperative until it is repaired.
Systems can be repaired by surfacing or using the engineer’s repair action.
When surfacing, the team must announce it, their opponent gets a free action, and they must trace a route to a new location.

5. Drone Use:

The use of a drone reveals whether the enemy submarine is in the same sector as the drone or not. It does not reveal the exact location of the enemy submarine.

6. Sonar Use:

The sonar provides either the exact sector or the exact row or column (chosen by the opponent) of the enemy submarine. This is a powerful tool but it provides incomplete information.

7. Torpedo Firing:

The torpedo can be fired to a location within 4 cells of the submarine. If the enemy is in the target cell, they take 2 damage. If they are adjacent to the target cell, they take 1 damage. Firing a torpedo reveals the firing submarine’s location.

8. Scenario and Armament Cards:

The game can be varied by using scenario cards which provide different map layouts and armament cards which provide different weapons and abilities.

Tips and tricks Play smarter, not harder!

Advanced Strategies

As the Captain, it’s important to manage your sub’s systems wisely. Use silence to make unpredictable moves and confuse the enemy.
The First Mate should communicate frequently with the Engineer and Captain to keep them updated on the system’s status. Prioritize charging systems based on the team’s strategy.
The Engineer should strategically break systems that are least likely to hinder the sub’s current strategy. It’s a good practice to break systems in patterns that allow you to repair other systems quickly.
The Radio Operator should use different colored markers to track suspected enemy positions and use the process of elimination to pinpoint the enemy’s location.

Beginner Tips

Communication is key. Every role depends on the others, so keep your team updated on your status and challenges.
Practice makes perfect. The more you play, the more familiar you’ll become with the maps and movements. This will help you predict your opponent’s actions and plan your own more effectively.
Pay attention to the direction of the enemy’s moves. This can give you clues about their location.
Don’t forget to use your drones and sonar to gather information about the enemy’s location.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Don’t neglect the Engineer’s role. It may seem less glamorous than the others, but a good Engineer can make or break your game.
Avoid moving in predictable patterns. This makes it easier for the enemy to track you.
Don’t let your systems get fully damaged. If this happens, you’ll be unable to move, making you an easy target for the enemy.
Avoid using your weapons unless you’re sure of the enemy’s location. Missed shots give away your position and waste valuable resources.

Ways to Optimize Gameplay

Use teamwork to your advantage. Coordinate your movements and actions to outmaneuver and outsmart the enemy.
Balance your use of systems. Overusing one system can leave you vulnerable in other areas.
Use your weapons wisely. Torpedoes can be used not only to attack but also to mislead the enemy about your location.
Manage damage intelligently. Sometimes, taking damage to a system can be a strategic move if it allows you to make a critical hit or escape from the enemy.