"1.1 Background
This game depicts modern naval warfare using equipment of the 1970s up to the present day with a few projected weapons. The information in this game is as accurate and up-to-date as possible, but hard data like weapon kill probabilities, exact ranges, and number of rounds carried is always classified. Even prestigious books like Jane's All the World's Ships and Combat Fleets of the World must sometimes publish best guesses on a weapon's or a ship's performance. Information is suspect in any case because it is based for the most part on test firings made under ideal conditions. There is only a small body of combat data by which to judge effectiveness. All information used in this game has been drawn from unclassified Navy or civilian sources listed in Annex O, Sources.
1.2 Scope
The rules simulate surface, submarine and air attacks on naval units and aircraft. They include modules on surface gunnery, cruise missiles, surface to air missiles, and electronic and antisubmarine warfare. The annexes provide characteristics for ships of the United States, France, the United Kingdom, the Federal Republic of Germany, Italy, Canada, the People's Republic of China, and the Soviet Union. The ships of other nations can be added to the game by using Annex Q, while their weapons can be drawn from other annexes. The rules do not cover amphibious assaults, ballistic missile submarines, or towing, due to the time required for these evolutions or to tactical doctrine that would tend to not involve them in a sea fight."

1984 ... AGI 020

Harpoon -- in its most recognizable form -- was released in its 3rd edition by GDW in 1987, designed by Tom Clancy and Larry Bond. -W

CONTENTS:

* 180 counters
* Game Rules Book
* Data Annex Book
* Scenario Book
* 2 Player Charts

"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. 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.

PLAYING HARPOON
Harpoon simulates modern naval warfare. Its rules tell how ships and aircraft move, detect enemy contacts, and attack them. Weapons inflict realistic effects, and proper naval tactics produce accurate and believable results. The die cut counters included in the game make it possible to take this game home and start playing tonight.

Harpoon: The Naval Wargame Series
Harpoon is the basic rules set for the Harpoon Naval Wargame Series. Additional titles in the series will include —
Battles of the Third World War- a collection of naval warfare scenarios.
Convoy —gaming out the problems of crossing the Atlantic under wartime conditions.
Blue Water Navy—a grand strategic boardgame of global naval operations in the Third World War which serves as a scenario generator for Harpoon.

SCENARIOS
Harpoon's rules provide an assortment of modern naval situations to demonstrate the tactics and strategies that win and Ion battles at sea. Each is a lesson in an aspect of naval warfare - submarine encounters, ASW operations, air-to-air combat, and surface actions. Among the scenarios in this game are-
'The Hundred Fathom Curve,' taken from a chapter of bestselling The Hunt for Red October, and
'Keflavik Turkey Shoot,' originally used to game out part of the best-selling Red Storm Rising.'"

1987, 1990 ... GDW 710 ... ISBN 0943580129

1990 ... GDW 0717 ... ISBN 1558780548

This book of 15 naval wargame scenarios for Harpoon provides modern naval wargame players with ready-made encounters to test their own naval strategies in contemporary situations. The subject matter is wide-ranging and intriguing:
* Tattletale - NATO in the North Sea on a submarine hunt.
* Surface Contacts - ASW patrol aircraft on the offensive.
* The Russians Are Coming - A Soviet task force rounds North Cape.
* Bear Hug - NATO operations against a Soviet amphibious landing in Norway.
* Ambush - Sometimes prewar practice turns real.
* Power Sweep - Cat and mouse in the Norwegian Sea.
* Whose Minefield? - The battle for a snorkeling haven.
* Incoming Mail - A Soviet air strike against a NATO convoy.
* Get The Kiev! - Any aircraft carrier is a prize worth seeking out.
* The Experiment - What are the best tactics for submarine patrols?
* Icepick - Hide and seek under the icecap.
* Reinforcements - The Soviet defense of a captured Iceland.
* Hammer and Anvil - Support of an amphibious operation.
* Bastion - Searching under the ice, in a mine field, for a submarine that wants to kill you.
* Lone Wolf - One submarine against a coastal ASW group.

To provide greater realism, this anthology of Harpoon scenarios includes additional materials that expand on the situation, as well as provides additional details and information.

* History of the Third World War - The political, diplomatic, and military history of the background for these Harpoon scenarios.
* Secret Weapons - New weapons (for both NATO and Soviet forces! that explore the potential of advanced technology in naval warfare.
* More Ship and Weapon Data - Selected new ship and weapon specifications for use in the scenarios.
* Strategies and Tactics - Essays on the naval strategies of each side, as well as a discussion of naval tactics that is applicable to both sides.

Battles of the Third World War is a collection of Harpoon naval warfare scenarios written to provide hours of enjoyment and interesting naval wargaming. Using the scenarios requires that you have Harpoon."

Design: Larry Bond
Development: Marc W. Miller

1987 ... 48 pages ... GDW 711 ... ISBN 0943580439

This book is published to provide materials to make both the chase and the battle easy-to-produce and easy-to-play parts of Harpoon. It does so by providing two things: Prepared ship and aircraft forms, and a scenario generator."

Design: Marc W. Miller

1988 ... GDW 712 ... ISBN 0943580617

Design: Marc W. Miller

1989 ... GDW 713 ... ISBN 155878019X

1990 ... 136 pages ... GDW 0715 ... ISBN 155878053X

Design: Marc W. Miller

1990 ... GDW 716 ... ISBN 1558780572

* 24 accurate scenarios
* Over 60 pregenerated ship and aircraft status sheets.
* Detailed historical background
* Full orders of battle.

Design: Ed Kettler

1990 ... GDW 718 ... ISBN 1558780645

* 40 new Ship Data Forms
* 10 new Aircraft Data Forms
* 10 new scenarios.

Design: Chris Carlson and Larry Bond

1992 ... GDW 750 ... ISBN 155878098X

1993 ... Dave Schueler ... 160 pages ... GDW 0751 ... ISBN 1558781552

1996 ... three-hole-punched loose pages ... Clash of Arms Games 9604-57A

1996 ... 30 pages ... Clash of Arms Games 9604-57B

1996 ... Clash of Arms Games 9604-57C

1997 ... 28 pages ... Clash of Arms Games 9610-63

1997 ... 96 pages ... Clash of Arms Games 9708-71

1998 ... Clash of Arms 9709-72