
- BGG rank
- BGG #22,479
- BGG rating
- 5.9
Code Name: Sector
- 1–4 players
- 30 min
- Complexity 1.8/5
- 1977

1977
Rules assistance for Electronic Battleship
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

For 2 players
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Electronic Battleship is a board game released in 1977 for 2 players, 30 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Robert Doyle and its main mechanics are Secret Unit Deployment.
The same game as "classic" Battleship, but instead of your opponent telling you whether you have hit or missed, you enter the coordinates for your shot into the computer and it either flashes a red light and makes an explosion sound if you hit or a whistling sound if you missed. Later versions added a "code book" with 100+ different ship layouts to speed up the initial setup of the game (in the original version you had to program in the coordinates for all of your ships manually).
Electronic Battleship supports 2 players according to the catalogue. This is the publisher’s listed player count, so the game is designed for exactly that number of participants. Variants for other group sizes, if any, are described in the rulebook of your edition, so check it before setting up a different configuration.
The listed playing time for Electronic Battleship is 30 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 Electronic Battleship for ages 8 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.
Electronic Battleship has a complexity rating of 1.2 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.
Electronic Battleship belongs to these categories: Deduction, Electronic, and Nautical. Its main mechanics are Secret Unit Deployment. 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 Electronic Battleship are: Robert Doyle. 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 Electronic Battleship 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.