Battleship
Hide your fleet on the grid and sink the enemy's by calling out coordinates.
Who it's for
You are looking for a simple head-to-head with a naval theme, for yourself and a child or friend. Fine for travel versions and an easy way to practice coordinates.
Not for you if…
You want strategy you can really sink your teeth into. After you learn a decent search pattern, most of the game is luck of placement.
Vibe's take
A tense guessing duel punctuated by the satisfying (or heartbreaking) call of hit or miss. It is half luck, half pattern-hunting, and the best moments are the groans when your carrier gets found.
About this game
Each of you secretly places a fleet of ships, from a two-square patrol boat up to a five-square carrier, on a square grid. Then you take turns calling out coordinates, and the other player answers hit or miss. Plastic pegs on your own grids track every shot so you can work out where the enemy is hiding. The first player to sink the whole fleet wins. The concept began as a pencil-and-paper pastime, and Milton Bradley turned it into the plastic board game most people know in 1967. A box variant called Salvo lets you fire several shots at once. It is a guessing game with a little deduction, and children and grown-ups play it on the same level.
Get it
By the numbers
Players
Duration
30 min
Ages 6+
Complexity
1.2 / 5 — Very LightBGG Rating
4.8/10
Rank #31,463
12k ratings
Published
1931
Designed by
Clifford Von Wickler
Published by
Hasbro, Korea Boardgames, Schmidt Spiele, Piatnik, (Unknown) and 99 more
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