Gamehelpcaptainsonar

Captain Sonar — Rules Summary

Overview

Captain Sonar is a cooperative and competitive game for 2 to 8 players, ages 12 and up, designed by Roberto Fraga and Yohan Lemonnier. Two submarine crews face off in a reimagined naval battle, where each member holds a specific station. Communication and listening are the keys to victory.

Goal of the Game

The game is played in Hunt mode: you must deal 4 damage to the enemy submarine to win. Some advanced scenarios may impose special objectives.

Team Composition

The game supports 2 to 8 players, split into two crews of 1 to 4 players each. Teams do not need to be even — any split is allowed (1v3, 2v4, …), though balanced crews make for a fairer fight.

Whatever the crew size, the four roles — Captain, First Mate, Engineer and Radio Operator — are always covered on each submarine:

• 1 player: fills all four roles alone.
• 2 players: one player handles Captain, First Mate and Engineer; the other is a

dedicated Radio Operator, free to track the enemy at all times.

• 3 players: one player combines Captain and First Mate; the other two each take a

single role.

• 4 players: the ideal setup — one role per player.

Role Assignment

The Role assignment table option decides how crews are formed:

• Random within team (default): players are split into two teams — kept even whenever

possible (e.g. 5 players → 3v2) — and roles are dealt randomly within each crew.

• Manual: before the match, players freely organize themselves on a shared board —

pick a submarine, then claim one or more roles on it. The match starts once every submarine has at least one crew member and every player is seated and Ready.

• Pick your submarine: you only choose which submarine to board (up to 4 per side);

roles are then dealt randomly within each crew, following the table above.

Game Mode

The game is played in Turn-by-Turn mode (sheets, light side). This mode is well suited to first games as well as noisy environments, with each team acting on its turn.

The Four Stations

The Captain (Navigate, Attack) is the heart of the crew. He moves the submarine one point North, South, East, or West and acts as the link between all the stations. He can never write on the same point twice, cannot cross his own path or pass through an island, and only erases his trail by surfacing. If he becomes stuck, it's a Blackout: he must surface immediately. He activates the Torpedo, Mine, Silence, and Scenario systems.

The Radio Operator (Track) listens to the enemy Captain and plots each announced heading on his transparent sheet in order to locate the enemy. He starts by marking a point at the center of his sheet, then slides it across the map to deduce possible positions, knowing that one cannot cross one's own path or pass through islands. He regularly reports his progress to his Captain and refines his search using Drones and Sonars.

The First Mate (Organize) fills the system gauges. With each heading order, he checks one box in the gauge of his choice, then announces "Ok." When a gauge is full, he announces it out loud. A gauge can only be refilled after its system has been used. He is the only one who can activate the Drones and the Sonar.

The Engineer (Repair) checks off a breakdown with each heading order, in the corresponding quadrant. Breakdowns are repaired either when all the Radiation indicators are checked (after taking 1 damage, all breakdowns are then erased), or by Surfacing, by far the best option. If a symbol causes both damage and a self-repair, the repair takes priority and no damage is taken.

Surfacing

Surfacing effectively repairs the submarine and resets the route, but leaves it vulnerable. The Captain raises his fist while shouting "Surfacing in sector x!", immediately revealing the sector number to the enemy. Instead of announcing a heading, he uses his turn to surface, the Engineer erases all breakdowns, then the opposing crew plays three moves in a row, meaning three heading announcements as well as three system activations, before play resumes normally.

Activating Systems

When a gauge is full, the First Mate announces it and the system becomes triggerable. Before any activation, you must check with the Engineer that no indicator of the corresponding symbol is broken down. A system can only be activated after a move; it is not possible to activate one before moving.

Torpedo travels up to four squares. A direct hit deals two damage, an adjacent hit deals one. If the point of impact touches your own submarine, you take the damage.

Mine is dropped on an adjacent square then detonated later. A direct hit deals two damage, an adjacent hit one damage, including on your own submarine if it is within one point. A torpedo exploding next to a mine triggers a chain reaction.

Silence allows a straight-line move of zero to four points, without announcing it out loud. The Captain indicates the direction to the Engineer with his thumb behind the screen.

Sonar forces the opponent to give two coordinates (row, column, or sector), one true and one false, both different.

Drone lets you ask the opponent whether they are in a given sector, answered yes or no (the map is divided into four sectors).

Scenario is only used in certain advanced scenarios, with a gauge of four or six boxes.

End of the Game

A submarine loses the game when it takes its fourth damage