- BGG rank
- BGG #1,633
- BGG rating
- 6.6
Pick-omino
- 2–7 players
- 20 min
- Complexity 1.2/5
- 2005
- BGG rank
- BGG #27,583
- BGG rating
- 5.5
Battleship Express
2007
Rules assistance for Battleship Express
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 20 min
- 7+
- Complexity 1.1/5
Rules assistant for Battleship Express
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Battleship Express is a board game released in 2007 for 2–4 players, 20 minutes per game, and ages 7 and up. It was designed by Reiner Knizia and its main mechanics are Take That and Dice Rolling.
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About the game
COMPONENTS 20 Ship tiles (4 aircraft carriers, 4 submarines, 4 destroyers, 4 battleships, 4 patrol boats) 8 attack dice Battleship Express comes with two different games: The Captain’s Game and The Admiral’s Game. The Captain's Game ignore the ships powers on the cards. Each player receives 5 ship tiles, one of each ship: Battleship, Destroyer, Aircraft Carrier, Submarine, Patrol Boat. Each player places them in front of them in any order to make up their fleet. On a player's turn they choose one of the ships in their Fleet to attack with and move it to the front of their line. Next the player chooses a ship of an opposing player to attack. The attacking player can only choose one of the first 2 ships in the line to attack. The attacking ship tile shows how many dice to roll. Roll that number of dice and check for hits. Each of the 8 dice is the same. 5 of the sides match the colors of the 5 ships, and the sixth side is a “burst” or “wild”. IF the player does not sink it, the dice are passed to the next player. Set aside any hits and then re-roll based on the attacking ship’s powers. Once the number of hits equals or exceeds the defense number on the ship that's defending, it is sunk removed from play and the attacking player gets a point. The first player to an agreed number of set points wins. Here’s a breakdown of the individual ship powers: Battleship: Declare target. Roll all 8 dice a total of 4 times. Bursts do not count as hits. Destroyer: Declare target. Roll 6 dice a total of 2 times. Bursts count as 2 hits. Aircraft Carrier: Roll 6 dice THEN declare your target, then roll 1 more time. Bursts count as 1 hit. The Aircraft Carrier can also attack from anywhere in your line, so you don’t have to move it to the front where it is vulnerable. Submarine: Roll 3 dice a total of one time. A single Burst will sink whatever you are attacking. Submarines can attack any ship at any place in a Fleet. Patrol Boat: Roll 5 dice a total of 3 times. Bursts count as 1 hit. Part of the Hasbro Express Line.
Editions
- Battleship ExpressenHasbro, Parker Brothers2007
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Parker Brothers
- Hasbro
Questions and answers
Battleship Express supports 2–4 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Battleship Express is 20 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Battleship Express for ages 7 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Battleship Express has a complexity rating of 1.1 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Battleship Express belongs to these categories: Dice and Travel. Its main mechanics are Take That and Dice Rolling. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Battleship Express are: Reiner Knizia. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Battleship Express as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.