''Enemy in Sight'' is a
card game for 2–8 players published by
Avalon Hill in 1988 that simulates
naval warfare
Naval warfare is combat in and on the sea, the ocean, or any other battlespace involving a major body of water such as a large lake or wide river. Mankind has fought battles on the sea for more than 3,000 years. Even in the interior of large la ...
in the
Age of Sail
The Age of Sail is a period that lasted at the latest from the mid-16th (or mid- 15th) to the mid- 19th centuries, in which the dominance of sailing ships in global trade and warfare culminated, particularly marked by the introduction of naval ...
.
Description
''Enemy in Sight'', designed by Neal Schlaffer and originally titled ''Cutthroats and Cannons'',
has two decks of cards:
* a deck of various sailing
ships of the line
A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed during the Age of Sail from the 17th century to the mid-19th century. The ship of the line was designed for the naval tactic known as the line of battle, which depended on the two colum ...
, ranging from 1st Rate (the biggest) to 6th Rate (the smallest and most lightly armed)
* a deck of action cards
Each player is dealt a fleet of six ship cards and six action cards. On their turn, the active player draws a number of action cards so that they hold the same number of action cards as they have ships. If a red action card is drawn — it usually affects the active player negatively — it must be played immediately. If a condition on the card means that it cannot be resolved by the player who drew it, the red card is moved to the next player, who must immediately resolve it if possible. If not, the red card continues to be moved from player to player until it is resolved.
Otherwise, the active player can use any card in their hand to attempt to sink or
capture
Capture may refer to:
*Asteroid capture, a phenomenon in which an asteroid enters a stable orbit around another body
*Capture, a software for lighting design, documentation and visualisation
*"Capture" a song by Simon Townshend
*Capture (band), an ...
enemy ships. There are also defensive and damage control action cards. If the active player chooses not to play an action card, they must discard a card.
Victory conditions
The player who is the first to accumulate 100 points in sunk and captured ships is the winner.
If the action deck is fully depleted before this happens, the player who accumulated the most points is the winner.
Reception
In ''
The General'' (Vol 25, Issue #4), Craig F. Posey noted that, "While primarily a fast, playable game capable of being enjoyed by a variety of individuals (even your non-wargaming family), ''Enemy in Sight'' has much to recommend it to the devout board-oriented wargamer too." Posey concluded that it can be "a most enjoyable game."
In the October 1988 edition of ''
Games International'' (Issue 1), Brian Walker gave the game an above-average rating of 4 out of 5, saying, it was "great fun to play especially with a large group of people
..who have a penchant for churlish acts of revenge."
In the August 1989 edition of ''Games Games Games'' (Issue 34), Paul Evans found the tactical considerations slowed the game down and removed it from the realm of a simple, fast "beer & pretzels". He concluded, " I find that the added complication detracts more from the flow of the game than it adds to my enjoyment of it."
References
See also
*
Wooden Ships and Iron Men
''Wooden Ships and Iron Men'' is a naval board wargame simulating naval combat during the Age of Sail that was published by Battleline Publications in 1974, then revised and republished by Avalon Hill the following year.
Name
The name should ...
Avalon Hill games
Card games introduced in 1981
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