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Harpoon 4: Modern Tactical Naval Warfare
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- 7.9
Expansion for Harpoon (Third Edition)
Harpoon: Troubled Waters – Data Sheets and Scenarios for Middle East Operations
1992
Rules assistance for Harpoon: Troubled Waters – Data Sheets and Scenarios for Middle East Operations
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–8 players
- Complexity 3.3/5
Rules assistant for Harpoon: Troubled Waters – Data Sheets and Scenarios for Middle East Operations
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Harpoon: Troubled Waters – Data Sheets and Scenarios for Middle East Operations is an expansion for Harpoon (Third Edition) released in 1992 for 2–8 players. It was designed by Chris Carlson and its main mechanics are Simultaneous Action Selection.
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About the game
Patrol troubled waters in search of enemy forces in this Series: Harpoon (GDW & Admiralty Trilogy Group supplement. Troubled Waters covers the turbulent Middle East since 1973 and showcases the introduction of antiship missiles as a dominant factor in modern naval combat. Modern antiship missiles allow fearsome striking power to be carried in tiny vessels. As commander of one of these "eggshells armed with sledgehammers", it will be your task to strike first and strike hard at the enemies of your nation, whether they come in the form of fast, vicious craft like your own, or as a huge carrier battlegroup. As commander of a carrier battlegroup, you must contend with tense, portentous confrontations short of war. A nerve-wracking game of cat-and-mouse, full of posturings, threats and test of intent, must be played before the order can be given: "Weapons free". To assist you in your mission, Troubled Waters contains: - 40 new Ship Data Forms, from tiny patrol boats to a venerable aircraft carrier. - 10 new Aircraft Data Forms, from special operations helos to Mach 2 interceptors. - Missile and radar data for Soviet exported SA-2, SA-3, and SA-5 SAM systems. - Detailed carrier air wing compositions for 1986-1991 operations. In order to recreate the dramatic events of this period, Troubled Waters presents 10 new scenarios covering Middle East naval clashes from 1973 to the present day: - 1973 Arab-Israeli War - Iran-Iraq War, 1980 - Persian Gulf Tanker War, 1984-88 - "Line of Death," 1986 - US reprisals against Iran, 1988 - Operation Desert Storm, 1991 In addition, six scenario generators allow players to create and fight hypothetical battles with accurate forces from the coast of North Africa to the Strait of Hormuz. With Harpoon and Troubled Waters, the possibilities of the last 18 violent years of Middle East history are laid before you. The risks are yours to confront. The decisions are yours to make.
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Game Designers' Workshop (GDW Games)
Questions and answers
Harpoon: Troubled Waters – Data Sheets and Scenarios for Middle East Operations supports 2–8 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
Harpoon: Troubled Waters – Data Sheets and Scenarios for Middle East Operations has a complexity rating of 3.3 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-weight game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Harpoon: Troubled Waters – Data Sheets and Scenarios for Middle East Operations belongs to these categories: Wargame, Nautical, and Modern Warfare. Its main mechanics are Simultaneous Action Selection. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Harpoon: Troubled Waters – Data Sheets and Scenarios for Middle East Operations are: Chris Carlson. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Harpoon: Troubled Waters – Data Sheets and Scenarios for Middle East Operations as an expansion for Harpoon (Third Edition). Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need Harpoon (Third Edition) to use it. Check that your edition of Harpoon (Third Edition) is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.