Battleship
Battleship Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Object of the Game
Be the first to sink all 5 of your opponent's ships.
Contents
- 2 game units
- 10 plastic ships
- 4 runners of white pegs
- 2 runners of red pegs
- label sheet
The First Time You Play
Apply the "Battleship" labels from the label sheet to the lids of the 2 plastic game units. Separate the 10 plastic ships from the runner (each player's fleet contains 5 different ships). Twist the red and white pegs off their runners and place them in the peg storage compartments of each game unit.
Your fleet of 5 ships:
- Carrier — 5 holes
- Battleship — 4 holes
- Cruiser — 3 holes
- Submarine — 3 holes
- Destroyer — 2 holes
Prepare for Battle
You and your opponent sit facing each other, with the lids of your game units raised so neither of you can see the other's ocean grid.
Secretly place your fleet of 5 ships on your ocean grid. To place each ship, fit its 2 anchoring pegs into 2 holes on your ocean grid. Rules for placing ships:
- Place each ship in any horizontal or vertical position, but not diagonally.
- Do not place a ship so that any part of it overlaps letters, numbers, the edge of the grid, or another ship.
- Do not change the position of any ship once the game has begun.
How to Play
Decide who goes first. You and your opponent alternate turns, calling out one shot per turn to try to hit each other's ships.
Call Your Shot!
On your turn, pick a target hole on your upright target grid and call out its location by letter and number. Each target hole has a letter-number coordinate that corresponds with the same coordinate on your opponent's ocean grid (find the letter on the left side of the target grid and the number on top). For example, a shot might be "D-4." When you call a shot, your opponent must tell you whether it's a hit or a miss.
It's a Hit!
If you call a location occupied by a ship on your opponent's ocean grid, it's a hit! Your opponent tells you which ship you hit (cruiser, submarine, etc.). Record your hit by placing a red peg in the corresponding target hole on your target grid. Your opponent places a red peg in the corresponding hole of the hit ship on their ocean grid.
Example: You call "D-4." Alex answers "Hit. Cruiser." You place a red peg in D-4 of your target grid; Alex places a red peg in the hole of his cruiser directly over D-4 on his ocean grid.
It's a Miss!
If you call a location not occupied by a ship, it's a miss. Record your miss by placing a white peg in the corresponding target hole so you won't call that shot again. (It's not necessary to record each other's misses with white pegs on the ocean grids.) After a hit or a miss, your turn is over.
Play continues in this manner, with each of you calling one shot per turn.
Sinking a Ship
Once all the holes in any one ship are filled with red pegs, it has been sunk. The owner of the ship must announce which ship was sunk. Keep track of how many of your opponent's ships you sink by placing a red peg for each ship sunk in one of the five holes at the top of your game unit.
Winning the Game
If you're the first player to sink your opponent's entire fleet of 5 ships, you win the game!
How to Play Salvo
The SALVO variation is recommended for more experienced players. Use the same rules as the basic game except:
- On your turn, call out 5 different shots. As you call each shot, mark it with a white peg in your target grid. At the end of your salvo of 5 shots, your opponent announces which shots were hits and which ships were hit.
- If any shots are hits, change their corresponding white pegs to red pegs on your target grid. Your opponent places red pegs in the holes of the ships that were hit.
- Whenever any one of your ships has been sunk, you lose one shot when you fire your next salvo—the more ships sunk, the fewer shots you get. (For example, if 1 of your 5 ships has been sunk, you call out only 4 shots on your next turn.)
- For a more challenging SALVO game, don't disclose which of your ships have been hit.