Battleship has always been a popular game among kids. It is fun and interesting to play especially ever since it was changed into a board game by Milton Bradley in 1967.
Ever since it has been one of the most well-known children’s board games.
Let’s learn how to play battleship with this easy guide.
Components
- 2 game units with 2 grids each
- 10 plastic ships
- 4 runners of white pegs
- 2 runners of red pegs
- Label sheet
- Number of Players: 2
- Ages: 8+
- Length: 30 minutes
- Difficulty: Easy
- Similar To: Battleship Card game, Connect Four, Clue
Composition of each player’s fleet
Each player has the following different types of ships.
Each ship has a set number of holes.
- Carrier (5 holes)
- Battleship (4 holes)
- Cruiser (3 holes)
- Submarine (3 holes)
- Destroyer (2 holes)
Objective of the Game
The goal of playing this game is to be the first one to sink all your opponent’s ships.
Setup
First, each player will pick a game unit or a battleship box.
Each player will then sit opposite each other so that neither will see the other player’s ocean grid.
Then, players will place their five ships anywhere on the grid horizontally or vertically.
Here are some simple rules to help you place your ships on the grid correctly.
- Place ships either horizontally or vertically but not diagonally.
- Pay close attention to the letters on the grid to avoid any overlapping with other ships’ letters, numbers, or even the edge of any other ship.
- Positions of ships are fixed once the game starts.
Players will have to decide who goes first. After this, gameplay starts.
Playing Battleship
Players will change turns attacking each other. To attack another player, you will use coordinates on the ocean grid to target and attack your opponent.
If it’s your turn to shoot, choose a number and letter on the grid corresponding to the coordinates of your opponent and call it out.
When you call out a shot, the opposing player will tell you whether you missed or manage to hit your target.
From what we have seen so far, you can either hit or miss the target.
If you hit the target
If you name the location you’re targeting and it is a hit on your opponent’s grid, your opponent will inform you of the type of ship you have hit.
Then, you will place a red peg on your grid which shows you made a hit on your opponent’s ship.
If you miss the target
You will indicate your miss by inserting a white peg in the corresponding coordinates or hole on your grid. This means that based on the coordinates you selected for targeting your opponent, you will place the peg in the same hole on your grid to ensure you don’t forget.
Sinking a Ship
To sink an opponent’s ship, you have to fill all the holes in the enemy’s ship.
End of Game
You win the game if you are able to sink all of your opponent’s fleet of ships.
Video Tutorial
Here is a video walkthrough of this wonderful board game.
Over To You
Battle all the way for fun. If you love having fun with your kids, check out our board game page for more ideas.
Don’t own the game yet? Buy it here on Amazon.
