| Designers |
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|---|---|
| Illustrators |
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| Publishers |
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| Publication | 2016 |
| Genres |
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| Players | 2–8 |
| Playing time | 45 minutes |
| Age range | 12+ |
Captain Sonar is a strategy board game about submarine warfare designed by Roberto Fraga and Yohan Lemonnier, and published in 2016 by Matagot. Teams of players attempt to locate the map coordinates of the opposing team's submersible, and damage it using their weapons systems in order to eliminate the other vessel.
Two teams sit on either side of a screen divider placed in the middle of the table. Each is composed of up to four roles:
A scenario (Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, or Echo) is chosen, and the corresponding maps are placed in front of the Radio Operator and Captain to track movement, and energy and damage gauges. Clear plastic sheets are given to the radio operators to record the opposing submarine's movement, so they can be overlayed on the maps. There are two modes of play: turn-by-turn or real-time. [3]
Each turn, the Captain chooses one action to take: either to move, use a system ability, or surface, each of which must be announced for both crews to hear. The submarine can move one space at a time in a direction chosen by the Captain and announced to the opposing crew, but cannot move onto a space it has already been to, a space with an island, or a space with its own mine. Surfacing allows restart their entire path and refresh their energy gauges, but they must announce their sector to the opposing team and skip three turns. If a submarine cannot move to a valid space, it must surface. There are six system abilities, each of which cost energy gauges to use:
All system break downs can be fixed either by surfacing or taking one damage, and all system types corresponding to direction are self-repaired if they all become broken down. If a submarine suffers four damage, the game ends and the other team is the winner. [4]
The real-time mode functions much the same as turn-by-turn, but rather than waiting for the opposing team to complete their actions before starting theirs, a team takes their turns one after the other, at any pace, without waiting. If a submarine surfaces, that team must pass around a map of the submersible with each person outlining a section of the ship until all have been before they may begin resetting their path and energy gauges. [4]
Dicebreaker included Captain Sonar in their list of the "best hidden movement board games," with contributor Sean Weeks praising its gameplay and roles, but noting that the high player requirement and fast-paced turns may not appeal to all. [2] Luke Plunkett, writing for Kotaku , described the game as "an almost peerless example of the medium, its interaction, teamwork and conflict." [5]
Captain Sonar was recommended for the 2017 Kennerspiel de Jahres. [6]
Published in 2017, Sonar is a reimplementation of Captain Sonar designed for smaller groups of 2–4 players. Unlike Captain Sonar, only turn-by-turn mode is offered, and there are only two roles: the Captain (a combination of the roles of the Captain and the First Mate) and the Radio Operator. On a team's turn, their submarine can take one of five actions: Sonar, Silence, Torpedo, Surface, or Move, which draw from a shared energy pool that is recharged by movement, rather than individual gauges needing repair. Torpedos deal a single point of damage on a direct hit, and a submarine is sunk if they take two points of damage. [7]
Sonar Family is a simplification of Captain Sonar designed for families with children that was published in 2018; it removes submarine operation mechanics and roles, and reduces movement options. [8]