Harpoon 4: Modern Tactical Naval Warfare

About the game

What is Harpoon 4: Modern Tactical Naval Warfare?

Harpoon 4 is the fourth edition of the Harpoon game-series originally published by Adventure Games. The era of modern naval combat began on October 21, 1967 when Egyptian missile boats launched four Soviet made Styx surface-to-surface missiles and sank the Israeli destroyer Elath at a range of 13.5 nautical miles. The face of naval warfare changed forever! Harpoon 4 handles all aspects of modern maritime combat: surface, sub-surface, and air. Harpoon 4 is a system of detailed but comprehensible rules covering the many facets of modern naval actions. Consistent rating systems and evaluations of the capabilities of modern naval vessels, aircraft, submarines, and helicopters make it possible to achieve realistic results when simulating known situations, by extension Harpoon 4 also achieves realistic results with hypothetical scenarios. Harpoon 4 can answer questions like: Are carriers powerhouses or sitting ducks? Can transatlantic convoys survive in a modern wartime environment? In the cat-and-mouse games between US and Russian submarines, which is better? Extensive examples in the rules book actually take you through mini engagements that span less than a page of text. The set of die-cut counters included in the game, along with the Quickstart rules, make it possible to take this game home and play a scenario in an evening.

How it plays

Mechanics

On the shelf

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Questions players ask

Questions to bring to BoardGameBrain

• How do setup and the first turn work in Harpoon 4: Modern Tactical Naval Warfare?
• When does scoring happen and what ends the game?
• How should the table resolve an unusual timing or rules interaction?