So, we got to play Captain Sonar on Sunday.
The game turned out every bit as good as it seems to be in the reviews. We finished the first game, talked excitedly about the hunt and dove right back into a second one with shuffled crews. Good times.
There were 7 of us playing and I think a group of 6 is pretty much perfect, unless 2 in the group prefer a stress free experience focused more on coordination (i.e. want to play the First Mate, like my youngest did). In that case, 8 is awesome too.
I was worried before the game that it would be too stressful, frantic or devolve into an unintelligible shouting match. But the game is cleverly designed. It imposes a rhythm that’s steady, rather than frantic (with the sequence of 1 order, 2 acknowledgements). And yet, there are times when you are closing in on the other submarine where both the hunter and hunted are caught up in the excitement. Then the game is paused and a torpedo is launched. Everybody holds their breath waiting for the coordinates and the result.
The themes comes out so well in this game.
It’s not a heavy game. But if you want a team based experience where all roles are collaborating to deliver victory, this seems like it.
Each crew won once. All players left the table satisfied and looking forward to more.
Wendelius