Draft:Sonar (game)

Sonar

Publishers	Matagot, Foxgames
Publication	2017
Genres	Deduction, Fighting, Nautical
Players	2-4
Playing time	30 minutes
Age range	8+
Skills	Strategy

Sonar is a game created by Roberto Fraga (ɹˈɒbətˌə͡ʊ fɹˈɑːɡə) & Yohan Lemonnier (jˈə͡ʊhan lˈɛmənə) with the goal of destroying the opponent's submarine with torpedoes.

Sonar has multiple maps, a divider, plastic transparent sheets, markers and a manual. It is produced by Matagot and Foxgames, and is for ages 8+, for 2-4 players and an average of thirty minutes.

Each player gets one turn to perform an ability (see abilities heading), and the starting of the game is when the captains draw an X on a coordinate dot on one of the maps where they will draw their submarine paths from.

Pros and Cons

Like all games, Sonar has pros and cons. This will be noted in depth as we go along

Pros:

1. Simple to Learn: Sonar has no complicated instructions, having abilities that are simple to activate. Sonar only requires the player to use what is available to them, and not multiple complex functions.
2. Real-Time Action: Sonar contains the use of shouting out commands and using energy and abilities. The game, being fast-paced, gives the player the need for strategy and time usage.
3. Strategic Depth: Sonar is based totally around strategy, with the player needing to coordinate their moves on the information gathered by the Radio Operator.

Cons:

1. Limited Roles: Unlike Captain Sonar (see quick information at the bottom) , Sonar only has two roles per team on four player, and that goes down to one twin role for two player. The absence of a larger role count makes Sonar a bit less enjoyable due to the reduction of complexity.
2. Dependence on Teamwork: Sonar requires a large amount of teamwork with the Radio Operator or the Captain, which may seem a pro, but when you take into account that the information given by the Radio Operator may be unclear, or the Captains moves clearly a blunder that gets miscommunicated with the Radio Operator to clarify, it reduces the enjoyable nature of Sonar.

Objective

The objective of Sonar is to guess the opponents coordinates on another map (which is either done by the captain or radio operator, see roles heading) and use the torpedo ability to damage one out of two damage markers on the other players map. If hit, the opponent will say "Hit", but if no torpedo hits the target, no answer will be delivered which will represent failure to hit. The one firing the torpedo must say "Launching torpedo, [coordinate]". If the player hits the opponent with a torpedo two times, then the player wins.

Elements

The elements of the game Sonar include one divider, two transparent plastic sheets, five captain and radio operator sheets, and four markers. The divider is used to prevent the player's location from being revealed, the transparent sheets are used for the radio operator to attempt to figure out the opponents position, the maps fitted with different terrain and coordinates, and the markers to write paths the submarine is estimated or is going.

Abilities

There are five abilities the opponent or player may use, Sonar, Silence, Torpedo, Surface and Move.

If you chose any ability other then move, that is your turn and you cannot move.

Sonar is the ability for the captain (see in the roles heading) to make the opponent reveal his or her position in return for two energy gauges to be filled in (energy guages are what allows the player to initiate abilities, and if for example you have three energy gauges filled in and you want to activate sonar, you cannot as that requires two unfilled ones). The captain must say "Activating sonar", and the opponent to either say the column (letter) or the line (number) he or she is on.

Silence is the ability for the captain to move without having to tell the player the direction he or she is going in (when a player moves his or her submarine on a map, he or she must tell the opponent what direction he or she is going in). The ability costs three energy gauges, and the captain must say "Activating silence" to initiate it.

Torpedo is the ability for the captain to make an attempt at filling in one of the opponents damage gauges, and costs all four energy gauges. The captain must say "Launching torpedo to [coordinate]", and if the opponent is hit, the opponent must say "Hit" and fill in one damage gauge. If the opponent is hit twice and both damage gauges are filled in, the opponent loses. If the opponent is not hit, there will be a silence which would represent that the submarine was not hit.

Surface is the ability for the captain to restart his or her entire path. It costs zero energy gauges. If you reset, you must tell the opponent your coordinates that you reset your path on and erase your path until the starting point.

Move is the ability for the captain to move, and costs zero energy gauges. When moving, you must tell the opponent which direction you moved to.

Roles

The roles of Sonar include the captain and radio operator, who move the submarine and attempt to find out the opponents position in order to use the torpedo ability on it.

The Captain is a player that moves the submarine on his map, using his marker to create the path on the coordinate dots.

The Radio Operator is a player that attempts to get the opponents position, and torpedo that position and hit them.

Maps

There are four maps, Archipelago, Volcano, North Pole and Open Waters, with three of them green islands and one of them, the North Pole, being white islands.

Archipelago is a group of sixteen islands, three of which are split islands.

Volcano is a group of eleven islands, two of which are split islands.

North Pole is a group of seven islands, all white, with one split island.

Open Waters is a group of four entirely whole islands.

Setup

The game setup includes the use of maps, transparent plastic sheets, markers and the divider.

The divider is placed on the middle of the table, shielding the captain's coordinates from being leaked.

The maps are placed in front of the radio operator and captain and are used to move, fill in energy gauges and damage gauges.

The plastic sheets are, for four player, for the radio operators to draw on, and for two player, for the radio operator sheets to be drawn on.

The makers are to draw on the captain sheets or the plastic sheets, and are equipped with an eraser at the lid.

Captain Sonar (quick overview)

Captain Sonar

Publishers	Matagot
Genres	Strategy
Players	2-8
Playing time	45
Age range	12+
Skills	Strategy

Captain Sonar is a varient of Sonar made by Roberto Fraga (ɹˈɒbətˌə͡ʊ fɹˈɑːɡə) and Yohan Lemmonier (jˈə͡ʊhan lˈɛməniə), designed by Piotr Forkasicwicz (pˈɪətə fˈɔːkɐsˌɪkwɪkz), and published by Matagot. Captain Sonar includes the roles of the Radio Operator, Captain, First Mate and the Engineer. The game is won when the opposing team suffers four damage points.

Roles

There are four roles in Captain Sonar, the Captain, Radio Operator, First Mate and the Engineer. These roles will be quickly overviewed in points.

1. The Captain: The Captain yells out commands to the engineer and first mate, such as HEAD NORTH, among other directions. At the start, the Captain yells "DIVE".
2. The Radio Operator: The Radio Operator has the same functions as it does in Sonar, to attempt to figure out the opponents position with a marker, transparent plastic sheet and a map.
3. The First Mate: The First Mate, when the Captain yells out a direction, marks an empty space on the gauge of his choice. Once all spaces on the gauges are marked, the First Mate yells "MINE READY", which lets the captain know he or she can drop a mine when needed.
4. The Engineer: Each time the Captain announces a direction, the Engineer crosses out a symbol corresponding to the announced course, signifying a breakdown. He or she can cross out any symbol in the Central Circuits or in the Reactor, as long as it is in the correct panel.

References

"Captain Sonar Rulebook" (PDF). CDN. CDN. 2024-11-05.