An exciting "battle" will help to brighten up the wait or have fun. We will tell you how to play naval combat correctly and what strategies to use to win.
Correctly positioning the ships and guessing the opponent's strategy - the game will not take much time, but it will be a good training for the brain. In this article, we will understand in detail how to play battleship and share useful life hacks.
What is Battleship?
This is a board game for two people, but there can be more participants. The rules are simple, you only need paper and a pen. Participants simulate a naval battle and take turns naming the coordinates on the enemy's map. The goal is to destroy each other's ships.
History of the game
There are two versions of the origin of the game. The first is associated with Pyotr Kondratiev, who lived in the second half of the 19th century. Legend has it that he was a barge hauler in the Urals, a worker who pulled ships against the current of the river, and dreamed of water battles. Kondratiev never managed to visit the sea, but he came up with an exciting game that simulates a ship battle. It quickly spread among barge haulers throughout the country, and later became known in the world.
According to the second, documented version, the naval battle was invented during the First World War. The board game was popularized by American engineer Milton Bradley in the 1930s. Then his company began to produce notebooks specially drawn for naval battles. Later, in the 1960s, a version of the game appeared with plastic boards, toy ships, and special chips to indicate hits.
Objective of the game
The winner is the one who destroys the enemy fleet first.
What You Need for a Battleship Board Game
It's one of the few board games that doesn't require you to buy inventory for. You will need:
two pieces of checkered paper;
Two pens (pencils will work too).
The rules of the game of battleship on a piece of paper
It is easy to master them, below is a detailed algorithm of actions during the game.
Draw a playing field
It is most convenient to play battleship on checkered notebook sheets. If you don't have them on hand, regular ones will do. Each player draws a square measuring 10 by 10 cells. On the left side of the square, you need to number the rows of cells from 1 to 10, from top to bottom. From left to right, above the top edge, write the letters from "A" to "J". These will be the column names.
Next to it, another similar square is drawn — a model of the opponent's field. In it, players will mark moves: if they hit the opponent's ship, then they put a cross in the cell, if not, a dot.
Place Ships
Each participant's fleet consists of 10 ships.
Ships are placed on the field in any order, they can be placed near the borders of the square, but there are a few rules. The deck cages are arranged strictly horizontally or vertically, the vessel cannot be diagonal or curved at right angles. Two ships standing next to each other do not touch each other. The distance between adjacent vessels is not less than one cage.
Find your opponent's ships
Before the start of the battle, the participants randomly determine who makes the first move. The player names the coordinates of the "strike" on the fleet - a letter at the top and a number on the left, for example, "E6" or "A9".
If he misses, the opponent says, "Miss." The attacker places a dot on the corresponding cell of the opponent's field (on his own sheet).
If the player hits a single-deck ship, the enemy says, "Killed." Both participants mark the "sunken" ship with a cross. After that, the attacker has the opportunity to make a second move.
If a player hits one of the squares of a multi-deck ship, the opponent says: "Wounded." In this case, the attacker also makes the next move to finish off the ship. If this fails, the turn passes to the second participant. A sunken multi-deck ship is marked with crosses by both players. The game ends when one of the participants destroys all the enemy ships.
How to Play Battleship to Win
We share life hacks that will help you win a naval battle.
1. Mark the area around dead ships
According to the rules of the game, there cannot be less than one square between two adjacent vessels. Therefore, if you "kill" or "wound" an enemy ship, mark the space around it with dots. This way you will save time and moves - there are definitely no other ships in these squares.
2. Hit diagonally
Shoot so that the lines of attack cross the field diagonally. This way there are more chances to "hook" one of the enemy ships.
3. Don't put ships in the center
This advice applies to cruisers and battleships. It is better to place them near the borders of the field or in the corners. If the enemy "floods" one of them, he will mark fewer dots around it. This will prevent you from quickly detecting other ships. It is better to place single-deck ones in the center of the field, because it will be more difficult for the enemy to find them.
4. Don't Use the Same Lineup
Usually, the first game in a naval battle is followed by the second, and then the third. Try to place the ships on the field in a different order each time.
5. Keep an eye on your opponent's actions
If you play several games in a row, then watch the actions of your opponent. How does he attack: does he start from the corners or from the center? Does it arrange ships differently? By figuring out his tactics, you'll win faster.