1988 BGG rank #6854

Enemy in Sight

2–8 players 120 min Ages 10+ 1.7/5 complexity 5.7/10 rating

About this game

Enemy in Sight, originally called Cutthroats and Cannons, was two years in the making. It is a fast paced card wargame with a good mix of strategy and luck of the draw. Each player starts with a fleet of six ships and six cards. As your ships are destroyed your hand size diminishes as well. One of the most unique characteristics of the game is the walking disasters. The red cards in EIS move around the table from player to player until resolved.

What it feels like

Dice Rolling Take That Hand Management Napoleonic Wargame Nautical Card Game American Revolutionary War Age of Reason

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Setup

1. Each player is given a piece of paper or other barrier to conceal their Ship card placement from opponents during setup.\n2. Each player secretly places some or all of their 5th and 6th Rate Ship cards in a straight line before them in any order to form their Reserve. Only 5th and 6th Rate ships may begin the game in the Reserve.\n3. Each player secretly stations all remaining Ship cards in a straight line above the Reserve in any order to form their Line.\n4. Once all players have placed their Lines and Reserves, all players simultaneously reveal their Ship card stations.\n5. After reveal, each player may optionally move any Ship cards from their Reserve into their Line to create additional stations, or keep all Reserve ships out of their Line.\n6. Each player may also optionally relocate their largest ship in the Line to a different station once before play begins.\n7. When all players have finished revising their Lines, the dealer takes the first Action to begin play.

Turn flow

On their turn, a player MUST either: (A) play or discard one Action card of their choice, OR (B) transfer one or more mobile ships (not Prizes) between their Line and their Reserve. After completing one of these options, play passes to the next player. Key actions available via Action cards include firing Broadsides, Rakes, deploying Fire Ships, playing Additional Ship cards, Line Breaking, and Refusing Battle. Between hands, scoring and Line Maintenance checks are performed.

Scoring and victory

Players accumulate points across multiple hands. The player with the highest score wins. Negative scores are possible due to penalties. Scoring sources: Prize captures, Sinking enemy ships, Line Maintenance penalty: -15 points for having no Line at sea at the end of a hand

Source: Rulebook

Rules to know

The most useful rules for getting a first game right.

Setup

Players secretly arrange Ship cards into a Line and Reserve before play, then simultaneously reveal.

Every player is provided with a piece of paper or other barrier to temporarily conceal their Ship card placement from opponents. Each player secretly places some or all of their 5th and 6th Rate Ship cards before them in a straight line in any order to form their Reserve — only 5th and 6th Rate ships may begin the game stationed in the Reserve. They then secretly station all remaining Ship cards in a straight line above the Reserve in any order to form their Line. Once all players have placed their Lines and Reserves, all players simultaneously reveal their Ship card stations. After the reveal, a player may move any Ship cards from their Reserve into their Line to create additional stations, or keep all Reserve ships out of their Line. A player may also relocate their largest ship in the Line to a different station once before play begins. When all players are finished revising their Lines, the dealer begins play by taking their first Action.

Setup

Only 5th and 6th Rate ships may begin the game stationed in the Reserve.

At the start of the game during the formation phase, only 5th Rate and 6th Rate Ship cards may be placed in a player's Reserve. All other Ship cards (higher Rate ships) must begin the game stationed in the Line. This restriction applies only to initial setup; ships may move between Line and Reserve during play according to the transfer rules.

Resource management

Only ships in the Line count toward a player's Hand Capacity; Reserve, Port, struck, and Prize ships do not.

A player's Hand Capacity — the number of Action cards they may hold — is determined solely by the ships currently stationed in their Line. Struck ships, Prizes, ships in the Reserve, and ships in Port do not add to a player's Hand Capacity. Players should be aware that moving ships out of the Line and into the Reserve will reduce their Hand Capacity.

Turn structure

Each turn, a player must play or discard one Action card OR transfer one or more mobile ships between their Line and Reserve.

On their turn, a player must take exactly one of the following options: (A) Play or discard one Action card of their choice, OR (B) Transfer one or more mobile ships (not Prizes) from their Line to their Reserve, or from their Reserve to their Line. These are mutually exclusive; a player cannot both play an Action card and transfer ships in the same turn. The turn then passes to the next player.

Restriction

Ships in a player's Reserve may not be fired upon as long as that player maintains an unbroken Line.

Ships stationed in a player's Reserve are immune to being targeted by enemy fire, provided that the player maintains an unbroken Line at sea. If the player's Line is broken (see Rule 7.121), this protection is removed and ships in the Reserve may be targeted. Prizes held in the Reserve also lose this protection when the Line is broken.

Restriction

Only damaged mobile ships may move from the Line to the Reserve; a Dismasted ship requires a mobile 5th or 6th Rate ship in the Reserve to tow it.

When a player uses their turn action to transfer ships from their Line to their Reserve, only damaged mobile ships are eligible to make this move. An undamaged ship may not be transferred from the Line to the Reserve. A Dismasted ship may only be moved from the Line to the Reserve if there is at least one mobile 5th or 6th Rate ship already in the Reserve to tow it. Prizes may not be transferred using the turn transfer action.

Turn structure

Any mobile ship in the Reserve (except Prizes) may enter the Line and take any station; Dismasted ships in the Reserve may not enter the Line.

Any mobile ship currently in a player's Reserve, except a Prize, may be moved into the player's Line during a transfer action and may take any available station within the Line. A Dismasted ship that is in the Reserve may not enter the Line under any circumstances.

Combat

Ships must fire on their corresponding station in the opponent's Line; lead fires on lead, rear on rear, with specific rules when Lines have unequal numbers of ships.

Before a player fires a Broadside and/or Rake during their turn, they must declare which ship in their Line is firing and which ship in an opponent's Line they are targeting. The following targeting restrictions apply based on Line composition: - If each Line has the same number of ships: each ship may only fire on the ship at the corresponding station in the opponent's Line (1st fires on 1st, 2nd fires on 2nd, etc.). - Regardless of Line size: the lead ship in a player's Line may only target the lead ship in the opponent's Line; the rear ship may only fire upon the rear ship in the opponent's Line. - If one Line has more ships than the other: a ship in the middle of the longer Line may target any ship in the middle of the opponent's Line that it could lay opposite while keeping its station. For example, if Line A has 4 ships and Line B has 5 ships, Ship #2 in Line A may target Ship #2 or #3 in Line B, but not Ship #4 because Ship #3 in Line A must have a ship to lay opposite. - If either player's Line contains only one or two ships: any ship may fire upon any ship in an opponent's Line regardless of station.

Strategy briefing

Reserve as a Shield for 5th/6th Rate Ships

Keeping mobile 5th and 6th Rate ships in the Reserve serves dual purposes: each one applies a -1 penalty to any Fire Ship die roll against your Line, and they remain protected from standard broadside/rake fire as long as your Line is unbroken. This makes them valuable defensive assets even when not in combat.

Hand Capacity Management

Since only ships in the Line count toward Hand Capacity, moving ships to the Reserve shrinks your hand size. Be deliberate about Line composition — transferring damaged ships to safety may cost you Action cards, weakening your offensive options.

Protecting Against Line Break

A broken Line is catastrophic: it exposes your Reserve ships (including Prizes) to all mobile ships of the breaking nationality across all players. Prioritizing Line integrity protects your valuable Prizes and damaged ships sheltering in the Reserve.

Pre-Game Line Positioning

The simultaneous reveal and the one allowed repositioning of your largest ship create a brief window of strategic adjustment. Use the simultaneous reveal to assess opponent line lengths — if a Line has only 1–2 ships, any of your ships can target any of theirs, which can be exploited for focused fire.

Avoiding the Line Maintenance Penalty

Losing all ships in your Line triggers the automatic Reserve-to-Line conversion — but only if the Reserve has non-Prize ships. If your Reserve holds only Prizes, you have no Line and face a 15-point penalty. Ensure at least one non-Prize ship survives (in Line or Reserve) to avoid this costly end-of-hand deduction.

Dismasted Ship Handling

A Dismasted ship in the Line is a liability — it grants a +1 bonus to Fire Ship rolls targeting it and cannot be moved to the Reserve unless a mobile 5th or 6th Rate ship is there to tow it. Plan ahead by keeping a tow-capable Reserve ship available when you expect sustained combat.

Fire Ship Targeting Timing

Fire Ships are most effective when the opponent's Reserve is empty (no -1 modifiers) and when targeting a Dismasted ship (+1 modifier). Combining both conditions gives you +1 net on the die roll, maximizing your chance of a sink. Conversely, filling your own Reserve with 5th/6th Rate ships is a strong counter-strategy.

Common questions and edge cases

Can ships in a player's Reserve be targeted while their Line is broken?

Yes. Ships in a player's Reserve are normally immune to attack while that player maintains an unbroken Line. However, once the Line is broken, all mobile ships of the breaking nationality (of all players) may fire at any ship in the broken Line OR its Reserve, regardless of station or Reserve placement.

Can a Fire Ship be played against a ship that is in an opponent's Reserve?

No, not unless that opponent's Line is broken. A Fire Ship may only be played against ships in an opponent's Line (or Port). If the opponent's Line is broken, the Fire Ship may then target ships in the Reserve.

Can a Fire Ship be used against a player who has played a Refuse Battle card?

Partially. A Fire Ship cannot be played against ships in an opponent's Line if that opponent's Line is refusing battle this turn. However, a Fire Ship CAN be used against that player's ships in Port even if a Refuse Battle card is in play.

Can a Dismasted ship be moved from the Line to the Reserve?

Only if there is at least one mobile 5th or 6th Rate ship already in the Reserve to tow it. Without such a ship in the Reserve, the Dismasted ship cannot be transferred out of the Line. Additionally, a Dismasted ship already in the Reserve may not enter the Line.

Does moving ships from the Line to the Reserve reduce my Hand Capacity?

Yes. Only ships stationed in the Line count toward Hand Capacity. Ships moved to the Reserve no longer contribute to Hand Capacity, which may force a player to discard Action cards if their hand exceeds the new lower capacity.

A player's Line is destroyed, but their Reserve contains only Prizes. Do the Prizes automatically become their Line?

No. The automatic Reserve-to-Line conversion does not apply if the Reserve contains only Prizes. The player has no Line and will be penalized 15 points at the end of the hand.

Line A has 4 ships and Line B has 5 ships. Which ships in Line B can Ship #2 in Line A target?

Ship #2 in Line A may target Ship #2 or Ship #3 in Line B (any ship in the middle that it could lay opposite while keeping its station), but it cannot target Ship #4 in Line B because Ship #3 in Line A must also have a ship to lay opposite.

Does having mobile 5th or 6th Rate ships in my Reserve protect my Line ships from a Fire Ship attack?

Yes, partially. Each mobile 5th or 6th Rate ship in the defender's Reserve applies a -1 modifier to the attacker's Fire Ship die roll, reducing the chance of a result of 6 (which sinks the target). This makes maintaining Reserve ships a defensive consideration against Fire Ship attacks.

Is a Prize in my Reserve safe from attack?

A Prize in the Reserve is protected from attack as long as the capturing player maintains an unbroken Line. If the Line is broken, all mobile ships of the breaking nationality may fire at any ship in the broken Line or Reserve, including the Prize.

If my Line is broken, can my ships still fire on opponents?

Yes. Ships in a broken Line may still keep stations and attack their opposites in any opponent's Line. They are not limited to attacking only the ships that broke their Line, and they may themselves be used as Line Breakers against any opponent.