Making Battleship Fun...for grades 6-10


Battleship.... pretty boring.

The Hasbro game from your childhood
Photo by Marco Verch via https://foto.wuestenigel.com/

When I tutor MS and HS students I try to take older games from my childhood and use them in a learning context. In this case, coordinate geometry and Analytic Geometry.

"Battle of Midway"
File:Battle of Midway.jpg
"Photo # 80-G-701870 Bell Geddes diorama of Battle of Midway, 4 June 1942" from Wiki-Commons

Objective: Sink or Destroy all other ships or bases.

Setting: Imperial Japanese Navy vs. The United States Navy 4–7 June 1942. The battle for Midway Island and control of the Pacific. Each side has a variable number of ships and bases. Each ship type has and the base has specific abilities that can help you gain an advantage.

How to play...

  1. Hide ships on a cartesian plane (Max -5 to +5) in parallel or perpendicular to the x or y-axis.
  2. Draw sides.
    • US Navy
      • 1 x Island of Midway (visible to both parties)
        • 2 x "Scout planes" - choose a flight plan that is a right angle quadrilateral on the playing surface, if any enemy ships are passed over, the opposing player must reveal the coordinate on the flight path. (all lost if midway destroyed),
        • "Naval Intelligence" if an attacking player scores a hit during their turn, take a single bonus shot anywhere on the map. Only if Midway is active.
        • quadrilateral on a coordinate plane
      • 1x Cruiser
        • "4 Shot Barrage" - 4 shots in a vertical or horizontal row, or one-shot reflected in each axis anywhere on the map.
        • points on a coordinate plane
        • reflection in the x and y-axis
      • 1 x Carriers
        • 1 x Scout plane
      • 2 x Destroyer 
        • "Anti-Aircraft Fire" if any scout plane passes over the destroyer, the destroyer is revealed but the scout plane is destroyed. 
        • "Wolf-hunter" if the destroyer is struck by a torpedo, the location of the attacking submarine is revealed.
      • 1 x Submarine
        • "Torpedo" - a torpedo may be fired along any line with the slope 1 or -1 beginning from any point on the map. If the torpedo strikes a ship, the ship is revealed and the torpedo's path is stopped. If a torpedo strikes a destroyer, the location of the submarine is revealed.
        • the gradient of a line
    • Imperial Japanese Navy
      •  3x Carriers
        • 1 x Scout Plane/Carrier
      • 1 x Cruiser
        • "4 Shot Barrage"
      • 2 x Destroyer
        • "Anti-Aircraft Fire"
      • 2 x Submarine
  1. Turn-based combat
    1. "Choose ability" and state where you are attacking, players read out the path of the shot, plane, or torpedo.
    2. The opposition states whether there is a hit or miss at each location or if there is a counter ability.
    3. The turn ends when the ability is finished and all counter abilities are played out or if the attacking player misplays his ability (wrong co-ordinate based on his ability)
  2. If a ship receives its maximum hits, the player declared the ship sunk. Example "you've sunk my cruiser" that play can no longer access its ability.
  3. This continues until all of a player's ships are sunk or bases destroyed


Notes:

  • I used a similar cartesian setup except that we allow all 4 quadrants.
  • Adjust the size for the number of ships allowed or time (I usually play -5 to +5) for 5 ships (100 total spaces)
  • Adjust allowable quadrants for the skill level of the class.
  • Add or remove your own abilities to include more co-ordinate plane skills and please share them in the comments.

Drop me a note in the comments...


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