Similarly, Captain Sonar looks good when set up and ready to play, but its actual table presence is incredibly simple and is really down to a pair of large dividing screens and the number of players. Published by Editions du Matagot, Captain Sonar is a cat-and-mouse game of co-operative hidden movement and deduction played in real time by two teams. Each team is control of a state-of-the-art submarine-and as the Captain, the Chief Mate, the Radio Operator, and the Engineer, you work together to manoeuvre your boat, keep it from breaking down, determine where the enemy is, and then blow it out of the water by launching torpedoes and dropping depth charges. It can be an incredibly tense experience, quickly switching from barked orders to whispered responses and back again, and if a team wants to defeat their rival submarine, they must co-operate, listen to each other, and listen to their rivals to locate exactly where they are.
Captain Sonar is designed for two to eight players, aged fourteen and up, and can be played in less than an hour. The components consist of two sets role sheets, two transparent sheets, eight erasable marker pens, and two screens. The role sheets are divided between the game’s four roles, with the First Mate and Engineer receiving the same role sheet each game, and the Captain and Radio Operator using a different one depending which scenario is being played. There are five scenarios in the game. In addition, each role sheet is double-sided, the side used depending on the game’s mode. One mode is for real time play, the other is for turn-by-turn play. The two screens are large, four-panel affairs and are illustrated with a scene on the bridge aboard a submarine. They are intentionally difficult to see over and their artwork really gives the impression of being aboard a submarine. Their combination of artwork and size is one factor giving Captain Sonar its presence at the table. The other is the number of players and the number of chairs they need and a reasonably sized table. Captain Sonar can be played with just two players, each controlling their respective submarines, or played with teams of two, three, or four players. With one, two, or three players on either side, some of the game’s roles have to be combined, and with fewer players, the game played turn-by-turn rather than in real time. However many the number of players, Captain Sonar has a presence at the table—and that only increases the more players there are.
The four roles in Captain Sonar are Captain, Chief Mate, Radio Operator, and Engineer. The Captain begins each turn by announcing out loud the direction in which the submarine is going to move—north, east, south, or west—one space and plots that on the Captain’s sheet. He cannot announce another move until both the First Mate and the Engineer have given him a verbal ‘Okay’. The Radio Operator’s sheet is identical to that of the Captain—on both teams—and it is his job to listen into the directions given by the opposing Captain on the other side of the screen and map them on a transparent sheet which is placed over his role sheet. By successfully marking down the directions and adjusting this overlay so that it ignores obstacles such as islands and mines, the Radio Operator may be able to deduce where the enemy submarine is.The First Mate’s task is to monitor the submarine’s equipment—Mine, Drone, Silence, Torpedo, Sonar, and Scenario specific item—and alert the Captain when it is ready to activate or launch. Each piece of equipment has a gauge and when the Captain announces the submarine’s movement, the First Mate fills in one space on one of the gauges. When one is full, he announces it as ready. Again, this done out loud. At any time, the Captain can launch a Torpedo or drop a Mine, and then later detonate a Mine. If a Mine or Torpedo detonates adjacent to the enemy submarine, it inflicts a point of damage, two on a direct hit. He can also activate the Silence and send his submarine up to four spaces away in any direction in a straight line. This also erases the track which the Captain has been tracing on his sheet, which is important the submarine cannot cross its track. The First Mate can launch the Drone and ask the enemy Captain if his submarine is in particular sector, and he has to answer truthfully; he can activate Sonar, which will force the enemy Captain to provide him with two pieces of information about his submarine’s position (either row, column, or sector), though one of them is false; and the Scenario varies according to the map being played.
Lastly, the Engineer is in charge of keeping track of the breakdowns which occur as the Captain orders the submarine in different directions. His sheet consists of the submarine’s systems indicated by various symbols—‘Mine + Torpedo’, ‘Drone + Sonar’, and ‘Silence + Scenario’, plus ‘Radiation’—divided across four boxes corresponding to the cardinal directions in which the submarine can travel. When the Captain declares a move, the Engineer must mark off one of the symbols in the corresponding box. If any ‘Mine + Torpedo’, ‘Drone + Sonar’, or ‘Silence + Scenario’ is crossed out, then none of the corresponding systems work. If all of the symbols in a box are crossed out, the submarine suffers a point of damage, and likewise, if all of the ‘Radiation’ symbols are crossed out, the submarine suffers a point of damage. It is part of the Engineer’s role to communicate this damage back to the First Mate and Captain, since it limits the direction in which the submarine can move and what systems can be used.
Fortunately, a submarine can be repaired. When all of the symbols in a box or the ‘Radiation’ symbols are crossed out, repairs can be carried out, the damage is erased and the submarine can use all of the systems and movement directions again. The submarine still suffers a point of damage in either case. Alternatively, the Captain can command that the submarine will surface. This erases all damage, but to do that, the Captain, the Chief Mate, the Radio Operator, and the Engineer has to take in turn to draw around one of the four sections of the submarine marked on the Engineer’s role sheet, making sure to remain in the white border. Once done, the enemy Engineer must verify it has been done correctly, and if so, the damage is erased, the submarine can dive, and begin hunting for the enemy and start a new track. If not, everyone has to do it again until it is…
In the meantime, what is the enemy submarine doing? Since Captain Sonar is played in real time, the enemy submarine is steaming towards the very sector where your submarine is on the surface effecting repairs. So no hurry then… Or rather try not to panic, because that enemy submarine could be really, really close and have a mine or torpedo ready! This is when Captain Sonar gets really tense.
Play continues like this until one submarine has suffered four damage—whether from Mines, Torpedoes, or that inflicted on its various systems, and is destroyed. In which case, the other submarine and its crew (and thus the players) are the winners.
Captain Sonar can be played in two mode—turn-by-turn or real time. Both are fun, and turn-by-turn can be used as means of teaching the game if necessary, but the game comes alive when played in real time. For that, you need a minimum of five players, but really—really—Captain Sonar comes alive with the full crew complement of eight players. Not only that, it comes alive and you can really imagine yourself in a submarine, having turned the light down low and have some submarine noises playing in the background, not knowing where the enemy is, but hunting them, and knowing they are in exactly the same situation.
This though, is only the standard game, played on the basic map. Captain Sonar includes five maps of increasing complexity. Most open up the space between the islands, because having more islands restricts movement and makes it easier to track the enemy submarine, but the more advanced maps have the submarine hunt play out under the ice pack with only limited holes through which either submarine can surface, effectively restricting where a submarine can conduct repairs or lace the map with a network of mines ready to detonate.
Physically, Captain Sonar is comprised of relatively few components. All though are of good quality. The screens are sturdy, the maps and role sheets easy to use, and the rules are easy to read and come with plenty of examples to help understand the game. If there is a downside to Captain Sonar, it is that whilst both enjoyable and playable with fewer players, it really delivers its best playing experience at eight, the maximum number of players. For which of course a sizeable playing area is required.
Captain Sonar is on one level, a party game—especially given the number of players it is designed for, but that hides the sophistication of play behind its simple concept and rules. This does not mean that you could not take this game and introduce it at that level and then pull everyone into its taut little game play and the nervousness of the situations it sets up. It could also be described as a game of team Battleships and on one level it is, but it is much, much more than that. First, it is a clever development of that base idea, of hunting for enemy vessels (or vessel), but having them constantly moving and then turning it into an experience that can be shared. Second, it is a game of co-operation and in particular of communication, as the players need to listen to each other and work together in order to use their submarine effectively and find and destroy their enemy. Third, it is an amazing means of playing out and telling an incredibly tense story, just like the submarine films. Captain Sonar is a great game and a great playing experience, and short of joining the navy together, this is the closest you and your friends are going to go on a submarine hunt.
Captain Sonar is designed for two to eight players, aged fourteen and up, and can be played in less than an hour. The components consist of two sets role sheets, two transparent sheets, eight erasable marker pens, and two screens. The role sheets are divided between the game’s four roles, with the First Mate and Engineer receiving the same role sheet each game, and the Captain and Radio Operator using a different one depending which scenario is being played. There are five scenarios in the game. In addition, each role sheet is double-sided, the side used depending on the game’s mode. One mode is for real time play, the other is for turn-by-turn play. The two screens are large, four-panel affairs and are illustrated with a scene on the bridge aboard a submarine. They are intentionally difficult to see over and their artwork really gives the impression of being aboard a submarine. Their combination of artwork and size is one factor giving Captain Sonar its presence at the table. The other is the number of players and the number of chairs they need and a reasonably sized table. Captain Sonar can be played with just two players, each controlling their respective submarines, or played with teams of two, three, or four players. With one, two, or three players on either side, some of the game’s roles have to be combined, and with fewer players, the game played turn-by-turn rather than in real time. However many the number of players, Captain Sonar has a presence at the table—and that only increases the more players there are.
The four roles in Captain Sonar are Captain, Chief Mate, Radio Operator, and Engineer. The Captain begins each turn by announcing out loud the direction in which the submarine is going to move—north, east, south, or west—one space and plots that on the Captain’s sheet. He cannot announce another move until both the First Mate and the Engineer have given him a verbal ‘Okay’. The Radio Operator’s sheet is identical to that of the Captain—on both teams—and it is his job to listen into the directions given by the opposing Captain on the other side of the screen and map them on a transparent sheet which is placed over his role sheet. By successfully marking down the directions and adjusting this overlay so that it ignores obstacles such as islands and mines, the Radio Operator may be able to deduce where the enemy submarine is.The First Mate’s task is to monitor the submarine’s equipment—Mine, Drone, Silence, Torpedo, Sonar, and Scenario specific item—and alert the Captain when it is ready to activate or launch. Each piece of equipment has a gauge and when the Captain announces the submarine’s movement, the First Mate fills in one space on one of the gauges. When one is full, he announces it as ready. Again, this done out loud. At any time, the Captain can launch a Torpedo or drop a Mine, and then later detonate a Mine. If a Mine or Torpedo detonates adjacent to the enemy submarine, it inflicts a point of damage, two on a direct hit. He can also activate the Silence and send his submarine up to four spaces away in any direction in a straight line. This also erases the track which the Captain has been tracing on his sheet, which is important the submarine cannot cross its track. The First Mate can launch the Drone and ask the enemy Captain if his submarine is in particular sector, and he has to answer truthfully; he can activate Sonar, which will force the enemy Captain to provide him with two pieces of information about his submarine’s position (either row, column, or sector), though one of them is false; and the Scenario varies according to the map being played.
Lastly, the Engineer is in charge of keeping track of the breakdowns which occur as the Captain orders the submarine in different directions. His sheet consists of the submarine’s systems indicated by various symbols—‘Mine + Torpedo’, ‘Drone + Sonar’, and ‘Silence + Scenario’, plus ‘Radiation’—divided across four boxes corresponding to the cardinal directions in which the submarine can travel. When the Captain declares a move, the Engineer must mark off one of the symbols in the corresponding box. If any ‘Mine + Torpedo’, ‘Drone + Sonar’, or ‘Silence + Scenario’ is crossed out, then none of the corresponding systems work. If all of the symbols in a box are crossed out, the submarine suffers a point of damage, and likewise, if all of the ‘Radiation’ symbols are crossed out, the submarine suffers a point of damage. It is part of the Engineer’s role to communicate this damage back to the First Mate and Captain, since it limits the direction in which the submarine can move and what systems can be used.
Fortunately, a submarine can be repaired. When all of the symbols in a box or the ‘Radiation’ symbols are crossed out, repairs can be carried out, the damage is erased and the submarine can use all of the systems and movement directions again. The submarine still suffers a point of damage in either case. Alternatively, the Captain can command that the submarine will surface. This erases all damage, but to do that, the Captain, the Chief Mate, the Radio Operator, and the Engineer has to take in turn to draw around one of the four sections of the submarine marked on the Engineer’s role sheet, making sure to remain in the white border. Once done, the enemy Engineer must verify it has been done correctly, and if so, the damage is erased, the submarine can dive, and begin hunting for the enemy and start a new track. If not, everyone has to do it again until it is…
In the meantime, what is the enemy submarine doing? Since Captain Sonar is played in real time, the enemy submarine is steaming towards the very sector where your submarine is on the surface effecting repairs. So no hurry then… Or rather try not to panic, because that enemy submarine could be really, really close and have a mine or torpedo ready! This is when Captain Sonar gets really tense.
Play continues like this until one submarine has suffered four damage—whether from Mines, Torpedoes, or that inflicted on its various systems, and is destroyed. In which case, the other submarine and its crew (and thus the players) are the winners.
Captain Sonar can be played in two mode—turn-by-turn or real time. Both are fun, and turn-by-turn can be used as means of teaching the game if necessary, but the game comes alive when played in real time. For that, you need a minimum of five players, but really—really—Captain Sonar comes alive with the full crew complement of eight players. Not only that, it comes alive and you can really imagine yourself in a submarine, having turned the light down low and have some submarine noises playing in the background, not knowing where the enemy is, but hunting them, and knowing they are in exactly the same situation.
This though, is only the standard game, played on the basic map. Captain Sonar includes five maps of increasing complexity. Most open up the space between the islands, because having more islands restricts movement and makes it easier to track the enemy submarine, but the more advanced maps have the submarine hunt play out under the ice pack with only limited holes through which either submarine can surface, effectively restricting where a submarine can conduct repairs or lace the map with a network of mines ready to detonate.
Physically, Captain Sonar is comprised of relatively few components. All though are of good quality. The screens are sturdy, the maps and role sheets easy to use, and the rules are easy to read and come with plenty of examples to help understand the game. If there is a downside to Captain Sonar, it is that whilst both enjoyable and playable with fewer players, it really delivers its best playing experience at eight, the maximum number of players. For which of course a sizeable playing area is required.
Captain Sonar is on one level, a party game—especially given the number of players it is designed for, but that hides the sophistication of play behind its simple concept and rules. This does not mean that you could not take this game and introduce it at that level and then pull everyone into its taut little game play and the nervousness of the situations it sets up. It could also be described as a game of team Battleships and on one level it is, but it is much, much more than that. First, it is a clever development of that base idea, of hunting for enemy vessels (or vessel), but having them constantly moving and then turning it into an experience that can be shared. Second, it is a game of co-operation and in particular of communication, as the players need to listen to each other and work together in order to use their submarine effectively and find and destroy their enemy. Third, it is an amazing means of playing out and telling an incredibly tense story, just like the submarine films. Captain Sonar is a great game and a great playing experience, and short of joining the navy together, this is the closest you and your friends are going to go on a submarine hunt.
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