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Sonar

A two-team submarine duel where you track your opponent's moves and deduce where they are hiding.

Published by
Matagot
Editions by
FoxGames

Sonar is an underwater cat-and-mouse game for two teams, and it plays a lot like a deduction duel between submarines. Each team gets its own map, a divider hides your moves, and the first side to deal two points of damage to the other wins on the spot. Teams can be one or two players, and in a pair one is the Captain and one the Radio Operator. The Captain calls out a move, say one space north, and marks the new location, while the other team's Radio Operator tracks the sub's path on a plastic sheet and tries to work out where it is. It is bluff, logic and good listening in a compact box, for two to four players and about half an hour.

Captain and Radio Operator rolesTrack enemy moves on a plastic sheetFirst to deal two damage wins

Who it's for

You like deduction duels with a hidden-movement twist, and you can bring two or four people for teams.

Not for you if…

You do not enjoy being outsmarted by careful listening. It rewards focus and silence more than chatter.

Vibe's take

Tense and quiet, with sudden bursts of triumph. You listen to a stream of directions and slowly realize where the other sub is.

#3,144 on BGG

of over 30,000 ranked board games

Published 2017 Β· 9 years ago

older than 54% of games

In 5,744 collections

collected more than 63% of games

2–4 players Β· ages 10+

Best with 4 Β· publisher: 8+

about 30 min

shorter than 69% of games Β· typical 30–90 min

Complexity: medium

One warm-up round Β· 1.9 out of 5 Β· lighter than 57%

Opinions: broad agreement

Most people rate it similarly

Language: no text

Playable without the language

Play style: in teams

Theme & categories