Category: 1-2 Player Games

Battleship

| T3d-1978

Battleship was originally a pencil-and-paper public domain game known by different names, but Milton Bradley made it into the well known board game in 1967. The pencil and paper grids were changed to plastic grids with holes that could hold plastic pegs used to record the guesses.

Each player deploys his ships (of lengths varying from 2 to 5 squares) secretly on a square grid. Then each player shoots at the other’s grid by calling a location. The defender responds by “Hit!” or “Miss!”. You try to deduce where the enemy ships are and sink them. First to do so wins.

The Salvo variant listed in the rules allows each player to call out from 1 to 5 shots at a time depending on the amount of ships the player has left (IE: players each start off with 5 ships, so they start off with 5 shots. As ships are sunk, the players get fewer shots). This version of the game is closer to the original pencil-and-paper public domain game. Many versions of the pencil-and-paper game have different amounts of shots based on the ship (IE: Battleship: 5 shots. Destroyer: 3 Shots, Etc.).

Game Mechanics:

  • Deduction
  • Paper and Pencil
  • Secret Unit Deployment

Game Specifications:

  • 2 Players
  • 30 – 45 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 1.20

A Game of Cat & Mouth 🔵

| T3d-1978

A Game of Cat & Mouth is a two-player game in which players use a magnetic cat’s paw to shoot balls at one another.

In more detail, to set up, you lay the box open on the table, place the “cat head” dividing screen upright in the center of the board, place the black “nose” ball in the center of the cat’s face, set the three white “teeth” balls in the cat’s mouth, divide the eight yellow balls between the two players, and lock the magnetic cat’s paw into place on each side of the game board.

In a round, you use your cat’s paw to shoot balls through the cat’s mouth at your opponent, or you aim for the nose and teeth to knock them out. As soon as all the balls of one color — the one black ball, the three white balls, or the eight yellow balls — are on one side of the board, the round ends and the other player scores a point. Reset the board and start shooting at one another once again!

Game Mechanics:

  • Dexterity

Game Specifications:

  • 2 Players
  • ~10 Minutes
  • Difficulty Weight 1.00