This is the first edition of the Harpoon Modern Naval Miniatures Rules was published in 1981. It explained the basics of modern naval combat and allowed players to take on the role of a ship captain or formation commander. It received the H.G. Wells award as the best miniatures game of 1980. Because it described the technical aspects of naval warfare in an easily understood manner, an insurance agent in rural Maryland used it as one of his many data sources when he wrote a novel about modern submarines, titled The Hunt for Red October. The book did well.