Sonar
Sonar Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Overview
SONAR is an exciting submarine battle game in which two teams operate a different submarine. Each player plays a crew member: the Captain or the Radio Operator.
The Captain's role is to move the submarine and activate its systems.
The Radio Operator's role is to find the enemy submarine to destroy it.
Winning the Game
The first team whose submarine suffers 2 damage loses the game. The surviving team wins!
Components
- 4 Double-sided Captain Sheets
- 4 Double-sided Radio Operator Sheets
- 2 Transparent Sheets for the Radio Operators
- 4 Erasable Markers
- 1 Screen
- 1 Rulebook
Game Setup
- Place the screen in the center of the table. Each team sits on a different side of the screen.
- Choose a map (see Scenarios). Each Captain and Radio Operator takes the corresponding sheet and places it in front of himself.
- Note: For your first game, we recommend using Map 1: The Archipelago.
- Each Radio Operator takes a transparent sheet.
- Each player takes an erasable marker.
- Randomly pick a team to start the game.
Each sheet has a space for the player's name and the name of the submarine (team name).
Note: Throughout this document, male pronouns are used to refer to the players. In each instance, the rules are meant to include players of any gender.
Team Lineup
- 4 players: 2 teams of 2
- 3 players: 1 team of 2 and 1 player alone
- 2 players: 2 teams of 1
Role Assignments Depending on the Number of Players
- Teams of 2: Each player plays a different role.
- Teams of 1: One player plays both the Captain and Radio Operator.
Playing the Game
At the start of the game, the Captain draws an "X" on the sea space of his choice to determine the starting position of his submarine. This is not shown to the enemy team. Then both Captains shout "Dive!" to signal the start of the game.
Note: For your first game, use the suggested starting position shown on Map 1: The Archipelago.
Over the course of the game, the two team Captains take turns playing until one team wins.
On his turn, the Captain must do one of five actions:
- MOVE the submarine
- Activate SONAR
- Activate SILENCE
- Launch TORPEDO
- SURFACE the submarine
Move the Submarine
The Captain
To move the submarine one space, the Captain announces one of the four directions out loud. The four directions are: UP, DOWN, LEFT, and RIGHT. Then he draws a line on his map that connects his previous position to his new position, following the direction that he just announced.
Each time the Captain chooses to move, he crosses out an empty space of his energy gauge.
Important Movement Restrictions:
- You cannot move your submarine across or along its own previous path. In other words, you cannot move into a space where a line is already drawn.
- You cannot move your submarine across an island.
- You can erase your submarine's path only by doing the Surface action (see Surface).
Example: The Captain cannot move up because there is an island. She announces "Moving left!", draws a line on her map, and crosses out a space of her energy gauge.
Example: The Captain has now crossed out 3 spaces of her energy gauge. On her next turn, she can activate the sonar or silence.
Note: If all four spaces of the energy gauge are crossed out, the energy gauge is full: you can still move the submarine but simply cannot cross out a space until you activate the sonar, silence or torpedo.
The Radio Operator
Each time the enemy Captain announces a direction, the Radio Operator draws it on his transparent sheet (starting anywhere, since he does not know the enemy's starting position).
By sliding his transparent sheet around his map, the Radio Operator tries to find the enemy submarine's position, keeping in mind that the enemy submarine cannot move across islands or its own path.
Example: The Radio Operator knows that the path he has drawn is not possible because it crosses an island. He must slide his transparent sheet until he finds a possible position for the enemy's submarine.
Activate Sonar
To activate the sonar, the Captain must erase 2 spaces of his energy gauge and announce "Activating sonar!" Then the enemy Captain must give him information about his current position: either the column (letter) or the line (number) the submarine is on.
Example: The Captain activates the sonar. She announces "Activating sonar!" The enemy Captain, located in F2, answers "We are on Line 2."
Activate Silence
To activate silence, the Captain must erase 3 spaces of his energy gauge and announce "Activating silence!" Then the Captain must move the submarine one space without telling the enemy team if he moves UP, DOWN, LEFT or RIGHT. Movement restriction rules still apply.
Example: The Captain activates silence. She announces "Activating silence!" and draws the path on her sheet without announcing the direction.
Launch Torpedo
To launch a torpedo, the Captain must erase 4 spaces of his energy gauge and announce "Launching torpedo!" followed by the coordinate of any one space inside his current zone.
If the enemy submarine is on that space, it suffers 1 damage: the enemy Captain announces "Hit!" and crosses out an empty damage space on his sheet.
Example: The yellow submarine launches a torpedo. It can target any space in its zone and chooses D4. The Captain announces "Launching torpedo—D4!" The enemy submarine, located in D4, is hit and suffers 1 damage.
Surface the Submarine
When the Captain chooses to surface, he announces "Surfacing!" followed by his submarine's current coordinates. Then the Captain resets his path by erasing the drawn line on his map, except for the submarine's current position.
Example: The Captain announces her coordinates "Surfacing—H7!" and erases her path (in red), keeping her current position on the map.
Note: Surfacing is the only way you can reset your path. If you are stuck and cannot announce a valid direction due to movement restrictions, you must surface before you can move or activate silence.
End of the Game
When a submarine suffers 2 damage, it is destroyed and the game ends immediately. The other team wins!
Scenarios
Map 1: The Archipelago
Welcome to the Naval Academy. This map will give you the opportunity to train in real combat conditions. Good luck!
Map 2: The Volcano
The split island on the map is an ancient volcano. Navigate these shallow tropical waters cautiously to locate and sink your enemy.
Map 3: North Pole
In the icy waters of the Arctic, plot your course carefully between the icebergs and use the silence system to lure your enemy.
Map 4: Open Waters
Very few islands here. Use your sonar skillfully to track the enemy submarine before it tracks you.