If You Like Battleship, You Might Like...
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Battleship is a classic two-player board game of nautical combat. Originating as a pen-and-paper game around World War I (possibly even sooner, as it seems it was based on much older games), Battleship was published in its pen-and-paper form by a few different companies up until 1967 when the plastic version that we all know and love was first published. Battleship is a simple guessing game where you secretly place your ships on a grid and you take turns taking shots (guessing grid positions) and seeing if you hit. Probably most famous for the phrase ‘You sunk my battleship!’ I do not think I have ever met anyone who did not know of the game.
There is plenty to enjoy in the game. It is a two-player game unlike most of the classic board games, the hidden positions of the ships are intriguing and it feels good when you successfully hit your target, and some people just like the thought of ship-to-ship combat. However, the board game industry has changed a whole lot since then and there are all sorts of options these games so if you are tired of Battleship but are looking for something similar then we have some suggestions for you!
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If you like Battleship as a quick two-player game, then you might like…
Then you might like Fugitive! Fugitive is a compelling two-player game where one player takes control of an escaping fugitive and the other plays the marshal hunting them down. When boiled down, this game is actually very similar to Battleship. The Fugitive is playing numbered cards but can only play cards up to three higher than their last card. The Marshal is guessing numbers that the fugitive has been to. If the Fugitive makes it to 42 they escape, however, the Marshal can guess multiple numbers at once but has to get every number they guess at a time correct or less they just get told that they are wrong. Fugitive is a quick and interesting back and forth game that really gives a very similar feeling as Battleship but with cards, and on top of that it is one of our favorite two-player games!
If you like Battleship for the satisfying feeling of finding where your opponent is hiding, then you might like…
Then you might like Specter Ops! Specter Ops is a one versus many cat and mouse game where one player is sneaking into a facility trying to complete objectives before escaping while the rest of the players are working together trying to hunt down the intruder and stop them. If you like trying to out-think your opponent in Battleship or if you like the deduction of trying to figure out where they could possibly be, then Specter Ops is the game for you. As the Agent infiltrating the facility you will constantly go from feeling super smart after expertly dodging the other players to incredibly nervous as they discuss where you could be and they mention the exact spot you are standing on. As the Hunters, you constantly get more information on where your prey is and where they are going, so when you move around and finally find the agent trying to sneak through a hallway it feels even more satisfying than when someone shouts “You sunk my battleship!”.
If you like Battleship for the nautical ship-to-ship combat, then you might like…
Then you might like Captain Sonar! Captain Sonar is an intense team versus team submarine battle in a box. Much like Battleship, in Captain Sonar you are trying to sink the other opponents’ ship by shooting at grid positions on a board. Unlike Battleship, you control a single submarine and get to move around. Each member of your crew controls different things such as the Captain who controls where your submarine moves, activate special powers, and fire your weapons or the Radar Operator who is listening in on your opponents and tracking what directions they have moved but doesn't know where they started. Each of the four roles is critically important to success, but on top of everything the game is not played in turns: it is real-time. This game is frantic, chaotic fun but feels so rewarding when your team works well together and manages to sink your rival submarine.
If this sounds interesting but you are not sure about the frantic real-time nature of it, You can also check out Sonar. This was made to be a turn-based version of the game but only plays up to four.
