
2016Roberto Fraga, Yohan Lemonnier
Some reviews. Captain Sonar is covered on BoardGameVideo.com by 35 reviews, 15 how-to-play guides, 17 recorded sessions, 8 unboxings, and 15 other videos.
From BoardGameGeek
At the bottom of the ocean, no one will hear you scream! In Captain Sonar, you and your teammates control a state-of-the-art submarine and are trying to locate an enemy submarine in order to blow it out of the water before they can do the same to you. Every role is important, and the confrontation is merciless. Be organized and communicate, because a captain is nothing without his crew: the Chief Mate, the Radio Operator, and the Engineer. All the members of a team sit on one side of the table, and each takes a particular role on the submarine, with the division of labor for these roles being dependent on the number of players in the game. Roles include the Captain, who is responsible for moving the submarine and announcing some details of this movement; the Radio Operator listening to the opposing captain's orders and try to decipher where that sub might be in the water; and the Engineer working in the munitions room to prepare torpedoes, mines and other devices that will allow for combat. Captain Sonar can be played in two modes: turn-by-turn or simultaneous. In the latter set-up, all the members of a team take their actions simultaneously while trying to track what the opponents are doing, too. When a captain is ready to launch an attack, the action pauses for a moment to see whether a hit has been recorded - then play resumes with the target having snuck away while the attacker paused or with bits of metal now scattered across the ocean floor. Multiple maps are included with varying levels of difficulty.
Captain Sonar has 90 videos from 68 creators: 35 reviews, 15 how-to-play guides, 17 playthroughs, 8 unboxings and 15 other videos. They date from 2016 to July 2026.
To learn the rules, start with "How to play Captain Sonar in 7 minutes" by Teach The Table, which runs 7 min.
For an opinion before you buy, start with "Captain Sonar - Shut Up & Sit Down Review" by Shut Up & Sit Down. 34 creators have reviewed it. To see it played, watch "Captain Sonar | Tantrum House 360 Playthru" by Tantrum House, one of 17 playthroughs.
If you like it, try River Dragons, Gimbap and Star Trek: Space Hunt, also by Roberto Fraga, or Critical: Foundation – Season 1, also by Yohan Lemonnier. It appears in convention videos from Gen Con 2016.
8 of 68
2022Yohan Lemonnier, Kristoff Valla
2 - 5 players30 - 300 minMedium weight
2023Roberto Fraga, Yohan Goh
2 - 4 players15 - 30 minLight weight
2026Roberto Fraga, Yohan Lemonnier, Delphine Lemonnier
2 - 4 players25 - 40 min
From BoardGameGeek:
At the bottom of the ocean, no one will hear you scream! In Captain Sonar, you and your teammates control a state-of-the-art submarine and are trying to locate an enemy submarine in order to blow it out of the water before they can do the same to you. Every role is important, and the confrontation is merciless. Be organized and communicate, because a captain is nothing without his crew: the Chief Mate, the Radio Operator, and the Engineer. All the members of a team sit on one side of the table, and each takes a particular role on the submarine, with the division of labor for these roles being dependent on the number of players in the game. Roles include the Captain, who is responsible for moving the submarine and announcing some details of this movement; the Radio Operator listening to the opposing captain's orders and try to decipher where that sub might be in the water; and the Engineer working in the munitions room to prepare torpedoes, mines and other devices that will allow for combat. Captain Sonar can be played in two modes: turn-by-turn or simultaneous. In the latter set-up, all the members of a team take their actions simultaneously while trying to track what the opponents are doing, too. When a captain is ready to launch an attack, the action pauses for a moment to see whether a hit has been recorded - then play resumes with the target having snuck away while the attacker paused or with bits of metal now scattered across the ocean floor. Multiple maps are included with varying levels of difficulty.
Designers
Roberto Fraga, Yohan Lemonnier
Artists
Ervin, Piotr Forkasiewicz, Sabrina Tobal
Publisher
Matagot
Categories
Mechanics