Objective of the Game

Prepare for a thrilling underwater duel! In Captain Sonar, two submarine crews face off in a high-stakes naval battle. Your ultimate goal is to be the first submarine to inflict enough damage on the opposing submarine to neutralize it. This can happen in two exciting game modes:

• Sudden Death: The first submarine to take 1 damage (direct or indirect) immediately loses the game. Talk about intense!
• Hunt: You'll need to deal a total of 4 damages to your opponent to win.

No matter which mode you choose, expect a game where dialogue and coordination within your crew are absolutely crucial for victory. Get ready to dive in and outmaneuver your foes!

Preparation (Setup)

Getting your submarine ready for battle is straightforward. Follow these steps to set up your game:

1. Screens Up! Place both screens in the center of the table, end-to-end. These will separate the two teams.
2. Choose Your Battlefield: Select a Scenario (e.g., Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo). Each Captain and Radio Operator will take the corresponding sheet for the chosen scenario.
3. Game Mode Selection: Decide whether you're playing in Real Time or Turn by Turn mode.
   • For Real Time, use the dark side of your player sheets.
   • For Turn by Turn, use the light side of your player sheets. (For your first game, Turn by Turn is recommended!)
4. Team Formation: Each team sits on a different side of the central screens. Players should sit in a specific order for optimal communication.
5. Assign Roles: Distribute the remaining sheets based on your team size:
   • Teams of 4: The ideal setup! Each player takes a different role: Captain, First Mate, Engineer, and Radio Operator.
   • Teams of 3: One player will handle both the Captain and First Mate roles.
   • Teams of 2: One player will take on the roles of Captain, First Mate, and Engineer.
   Each First Mate and Engineer takes their corresponding sheet.
6. Radio Operator's Gear: Each Radio Operator takes a transparent sheet.
7. Grab Your Markers: Finally, every player takes an erasable marker pen.

Before you start, the Captain draws an "X" on the sea space of their choice on their map to mark their submarine's starting position (keep this secret from the enemy!). The Radio Operator also draws a cross in the center of their transparent sheet to begin listening. Once both Captains shout "Dive!", the game begins!

The Turn of Play

Captain Sonar is a game of constant communication and quick decisions, especially in Real Time mode. Here's a breakdown of how a round generally flows and what each role does:

Game Modes: Real Time vs. Turn by Turn

• Real Time: Captains announce their course at their own speed. This mode offers high stress and adrenaline!
• Turn by Turn: Captains announce a direction, and only after that can they activate a system. They must wait for their opponent to finish their turn before announcing a new direction. This mode is great for learning or in noisy environments.

The Four Different Roles Aboard the Submarine

The Captain (Navigate - Attack)

You're the leader, guiding the submarine and coordinating your crew. Your primary actions are:

• Announce a Direction: Move your submarine one dot (North, South, East, or West). You must announce your orders loudly and clearly (e.g., "Heading North!").
  • You cannot move onto an island or cross your own previous route.
  • After announcing a direction, you must wait for the First Mate and Engineer to complete their tasks and announce "OK" before giving a new order.
• Surfacing: Announce that you are Surfacing to repair your submarine and reset your route. This leaves you vulnerable!
• Activate Red Systems: You can activate Mine or Torpedo systems.
• Activate Yellow Systems: You can activate Silence or Scenario systems.
• Important: You cannot activate green systems (Sonar or Drone); those are for the First Mate.

Blackout! If you get stuck and can't move, you're in a Blackout and must surface immediately.

The Radio Operator (Synchronize)

You are the eyes and ears of your team, tracking the enemy submarine by listening to their Captain's announcements.

• Each time the enemy Captain announces a course, you report it on your transparent sheet. You don't know their starting point, so you can choose any starting position on your sheet.
• Slide your transparent sheet around your map to estimate the enemy's position, remembering they can't cross islands or their own route.
• Regularly update your Captain on the enemy's possible location.
• Drones and Sonars (activated by the First Mate) will help you narrow down the enemy's position.

Advice: Start your tracking in the middle of your transparent sheet to avoid running out of space too quickly. If you get confused, erase everything and start over!

The First Mate (Organize)

You manage the submarine's systems, loading gauges for weapons, detection, and stealth. You also handle damage control.

• Managing Gauges: Each time your Captain announces a course, you mark an empty space on the gauge of your choice (or as instructed by the Captain). Announce "OK" when done.
• When a gauge is full, announce it aloud (e.g., "Mine ready!").
• Damages:
  • In Sudden Death, 1 damage means game over.
  • In Hunt, you track damages. Your sheet has four damage spaces. If all four are checked, your submarine is neutralized, and you lose.
  • Direct Damage: A weapon hits your submarine's exact current position.
  • Indirect Damage: A weapon hits one of the eight dots next to your submarine's current position.
• Activating Systems: You are responsible for activating Drone and Sonar systems.
• Important: A system's gauge can only be refilled after that system has been used.

Shy Player Tip: If someone prefers a less stressful role, give them the First Mate, but transfer all system activations to the Captain. They'll just manage gauges.

The Engineer (Repair)

Your job is to track breakdowns that occur as the Captain moves the submarine.

• Marking Breakdowns: For each direction order given by the Captain, you mark a breakdown in the dial corresponding to that direction (West, North, South, East). Then announce "OK".
• System Breakdowns: If at least 1 symbol of a system is crossed out, that system cannot be activated.
• Activating Broken Systems: If the Captain or First Mate tries to activate a system with a breakdown, you must immediately tick a Radiation breakdown.
• Self-Repairing Central Circuits: When all four symbols on a grey, dark blue, or light blue circuit are crossed out, they immediately repair themselves. Erase those breakdowns!
• Complete Area Breakdown: If all symbols in a single control panel (North, South, East, West) are crossed out, your submarine suffers 1 damage (First Mate marks it), and then you erase all breakdowns from the submarine. Shout "Damage!"
• Radiation Breakdowns: If all radiation symbols are crossed out, your submarine suffers 1 damage (First Mate marks it), and then you erase all breakdowns. Shout "Damage!"
• Repairing the Reactor: Reactor breakdowns are repaired when all Radiation symbols are crossed out (after taking damage) or when you Surface (the best option!).

Advice: Communicate with your Captain about dangerous directions and suggest routes for self-repair to avoid disasters!

Surfacing

Surfacing is a powerful way to repair your submarine and clear your route, but it leaves you vulnerable.

• To Surface: The Captain raises their fist and announces "Surface in sector X!" They must immediately tell the enemy the sector number.
• While Surfacing:
  • Your crew cannot activate any systems.
  • The Radio Operator cannot note enemy movements (they must memorize them).
  • The Captain resets their course, erasing all tracks except their current position and any placed mines.
  • The enemy continues to play!
• Turn by Turn Surfacing: The Engineer erases all breakdowns. The enemy team gets three turns in a row (three course announcements and three system activations). Then the game resumes normally.
• Real Time Surfacing: The Engineer secures the vessel by circling parts of the submarine and marking their initials. Other crew members do the same. The opposing Engineer checks the work. Once correct, all breakdowns are erased, and the Engineer announces "Ready to dive!" for the Captain to shout "Dive!" and resume.

Activating Systems

When a system's gauge is full, the Captain (for Mine, Torpedo, Silence, Scenario) or First Mate (for Drone, Sonar) can activate it.

1. Confirm with Engineer: Ensure no breakdowns affect the system. If there are, they must be repaired first.
2. Announce Activation: In Turn by Turn, you can activate after a move. In Real Time, shout "Stop!" and raise your fist (all players stop and listen).
3. Declare System: Announce which system is activated (e.g., "I drop a Mine!").
4. Resolve Activation: Follow the specific rules for that system.
5. Resume Play: Game continues as normal.

Important: You cannot activate two systems in a row. The Captain must announce a new direction between activations (surfacing is not an activation).

Weapon Systems

• Torpedo: The Captain fires a torpedo up to 4 dots away in a straight line or steps (no diagonals). Announce the impact point (e.g., "Torpedo launched, impact in C6!"). The First Mate clears the Torpedo gauge.
  • Clear: More than one dot away from enemy.
  • Indirect Impact (1 Damage): Adjacent to enemy.
  • Direct Hit (2 Damages): Exactly on enemy.
  • Self-Damage: If your torpedo impacts one dot away from your own submarine, you suffer 1 damage!
• Mine: The Captain draws an "M" on a space adjacent to their submarine (not on their path). Announce "Mine dropped!" The First Mate clears the Mine gauge.
  • To detonate a placed mine, the Captain raises their fist and shouts: "Stop, I'm blowing up the mine!" and announces its location.
  • Clear: More than one dot away from enemy.
  • Indirect Impact (1 Damage): Adjacent to enemy.
  • Direct Hit (2 Damages): Exactly on enemy.
  • Chain Reaction: If a Torpedo explodes adjacent to a Mine, that Mine explodes too. Resolve Torpedo damage first, then Mine damage.
  • Self-Damage: If you blow up one of your Mines one dot away from your own submarine, you also take 1 Damage!

Detection Systems (Activated by First Mate)

• Drone: Ask the opposing Captain if they are in a specific sector (e.g., "Are you in sector 5?"). They must answer yes or no truthfully. The First Mate clears the Drone gauge.
• Sonar: The opposing crew must give you two coordinates for their position (line, column, or sector). Only one of these two coordinates must be true, and they must be different types (e.g., "We are on the N line and in Sector 7" if they are at N12 in Sector 9). The First Mate clears the Sonar gauge.

Special Systems (Activated by Captain)

• Silence: Move your submarine freely, in a straight line, from zero to four dots, without announcing the order aloud. Indicate the direction to the Engineer with your thumb behind the screen. The First Mate clears the Silence gauge and marks an empty space on a gauge of their choice. The Engineer marks a breakdown.
• Scenario: Used for advanced scenarios with specific objectives.

End of Game and Scoring

The game ends immediately when one of the following conditions is met:

• Sudden Death: As soon as a submarine takes 1 direct or indirect damage, the affected crew immediately loses the game.
• Hunt: When a submarine takes its 4th Damage, it immediately loses the game.

The team that successfully neutralizes their opponent's submarine wins the game!

Tips for Winning

To emerge victorious in the depths of Captain Sonar, keep these tactical insights in mind:

1. Communication is Key: This cannot be stressed enough! Your crew needs to be a well-oiled machine of constant chatter. The Captain needs updates from the Radio Operator, the First Mate needs to know what systems to charge, and the Engineer needs to warn about dangerous routes. If no one talks, you're lost!
2. Master Your Radio Operator: A skilled Radio Operator, often called "Golden Ears," is crucial. The better they are at tracking the enemy's movements and deducing their position, the more precisely your Captain can strike. Don't hesitate to erase and restart your transparent sheet if you get confused; accuracy is paramount.
3. Strategic Surfacing: Surfacing is a double-edged sword. It's fantastic for repairing breakdowns and clearing your convoluted route, but it leaves you exposed. Only surface if your Radio Operator assures you the enemy is far away and you're safe. Conversely, you can use surfacing to bait the enemy into a minefield you've strategically placed, then detonate those mines as you dive back down!