GDW's Harpoon

The era of modern naval warfare began on October 22, 1967 - Egyptian missile boats launched three Soviet-made Styx surface-to-surface missiles and sank the Israeli destroyer Elath at a range of nearly twenty miles. The face of naval warfare was changed forever.

Harpoon is the pre-eminent naval wargame for the modern era. This page refers to the GDW miniature wargame rules and its expansion modules and scenarios. It handles all aspects of maritime combat: surface, sub-surface, and air. Harpoon 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 also achieves realistic results with hypothetical scenarios. Harpoon can provide answers to questions like...

• Can transatlantic convoys survive in a modem wartime environment?
• In the cat-and-mouse game between a Soviet and a US submarine, which one has the advantage?
• Are US carriers powerhouses or sitting ducks?

But Harpoon is more than a detailed simulation of modern naval tactics: it is an award-winning game which provides hours of enjoyment and recreation. Its treatment of modern naval warfare follows in the tradition of Jane's pre-dreadnought Naval Wargame of the 1890's and Fletcher Pratt's Naval Wargame of the 1940's. For a few hours, players command a naval task force cruising the high seas and braving the dangers of modern naval warfare.

Links:

• Harpoon on Boardgame Geek.