“Band Battleship” the “Seek and Destroy” Game for Band or Orchestra Class:

Setting Up:

          “Battleship” is a classic game adapted for the “Rhythm Masters” book series some thirty years ago. I used to play it in my middle school band classes, after a concert, or sometimes right before a rhythm test (which is another great use for “Power Grids”). I adapted “Band Bingo” from this game, but since several directors thought “Bingo” was fun, I thought I would bring “Battleship” back as well. It is a team game, normally dividing your class into two teams. The teacher “pre-sets” the game by drawing in the “fleet” of ships on a “Battleship” playing card. Example #01 (see attached) is a PDF of a blank playing card, and Example #02 is what a playing card(s) would look like filled out. The game is played using the “Rhythm Masters” Power Grids, where the students must play the given rhythm correctly (twice in a row) for their team’s “shot” to count. The “Battleship” grid is set up in rows and columns that coincide with rows and columns on the “Power Grids.” There are two versions of playing cards because, with more involved rhythms, there are only six rows and columns rather than eight.  

Game Play:

            I assume you have played or heard of the “Battleship” game at some point in your life. Two possible fleets can be used for game play: four ships for a six-row and column grid and five for an eight-square grid. All four or five ships are placed on the playing card in consecutive squares horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. In this game (unlike Bingo), the students select which square they wish to target (so “strategy” comes into play). After choosing your two teams, a player on the first team selects a square on the grid by designating a row (using a number) and a column (using a letter). They will then be asked to play the corresponding rhythm on the same square represented on the Power Grid chosen by the teacher. It is best to use a metronome (60 BPM is suggested), and the performing player must play that rhythm twice consecutively. ONLY IF the soloist is correct, both in the rhythm being played and in a consistent and steady tempo, will the teacher accept that student’s shot and identify it as a “hit.” If the performer is unsuccessful, they will be “buzzed,” and the next shot goes to the opposing team. The square recently attempted is still in play and may be selected by either team once again later in the game.

            After a player “takes their shot,” the teacher will identify if it was a hit or miss. NOTE! If the shot was a hit, the teacher DOES NOT identify which ship in the fleet was hit, ONLY that their shot was successful. The other team takes their turn if the shot is a miss. If it was a hit, that same team gets a second shot and continues to fire until they miss or the ship under attack is sunk. Once a ship is sunk, then the teacher identifies its classification to both teams. When this happens, the other team gets to take their turn, and so on. The team that finally sinks each ship is the team that gets the point credit for the “kill.” It is up to the teacher whether the players with a successful shot will continue to “fire” or if the second shot goes to the next teammate in line. Team sizes and class length will probably be factors to consider.

Game Scoring and VICTORY!!!!

            Each square taken up by a ship is worth one point. The team that SINKS each ship gets those number of points. It does not matter which team “hit” the ship first or found its location. The game is over when the battleship is sunk. At that point, the points are added, and a winner is declared. However, it is possible to win the game without sinking the battleship. If the other team has more points by adding the point totals, they are declared the winner instead.

Epilog:

“Band Battleship 2024” (using “Power Grids”)

            As I have been experimenting with the game with local middle school students, I have revised certain rules allowing the original “strategy” of the game to be more prevalent with this new “Power Grid” performance version.  In this game, the director will also need two team “Band Battleship” cards and will need to pre-set up these two cards before gameplay (see the attached examples).  There is a short and long version of the game depending on the class time available, but both can usually be played in a regular period.  In addition, copies of the correct “S.A.S” sheet are copied and passed out to all participating game players.  As you will see, “Battleship” is also a game of strategy and each student will need to keep track of the correctly and incorrectly played “grid” squares performed by their teammates.  I suggest leaving the square blank if correct, an “X” if incorrect, a “?” if not sure, and circling any “grid” squares where a “hit” has been confirmed by your director.   A big difference between the two games is that in “Battleship”, each performer can CHOOSE which line or column they wish to play.  The goal in “Band Battleship” is to find the location of each ship in their opponent’s fleet, with the winner being determined by the team that sinks the other’s battleship first.  One team could get lucky, so it’s a good idea to be ready to play multiple games. 

               The director is the only one who knows FOR SURE which “grid” squares were played correctly or not, the students also judge as their teammates take their turn and the better counters are normally more accurate with their assessments, but the students don’t know for sure.  The director (or game show host) must acknowledge any “hit” grid squares where a full (submarine) or part of a ship was hit but DOES NOT REVEAL the ship type. That is what each team must figure out on their own using their detective skills and game strategy.  The director also uses two “S.A.S.” sheets (one for each team) to mark the correct and incorrect measures played by each performer.  After each performance, the director needs to check that team’s “Band Battleship” game card and mark an “X” over any square played correctly and identified as a part of a ship in their enemy’s fleet.  When a team member is called on to take their turn, they can choose any line or column to perform.  They can even REPEAT one that was already performed if they (or their team members) feel that a key “grid” location(s) may have been incorrectly played earlier by another teammate.  The director can only identify a grid square as a “hit” if it has been played correctly, other than that ship part still exists and remains on the game board.  Once ALL square locations of a ship have been hit, the director will be required to identify it as “sunk” and then he and the students on that team will draw a line through the corresponding grid coordinates to verify the kill and to confirm that ship’s exact location.

Final Scoring and Winners:   As mentioned earlier, the winning team is normally the one that sinks their opponent’s battleship first.  Since luck has a lot to do with it, the nice thing is that both teams are always “in the game”.  If you have decided to do a very challenging “Power Grid” students may have to cover several lines and columns more than once to try to reveal all of the grid locations needed for the win.  Keep an eye on the time (or use a timer) to call the game early if no team has sunk the other’s battleship.  In that case, the winning team will then be determined by the team with the most number of “fleet grids” identified (the most number of verified “hits”).  If that number is the same, the final “tie-breaker” is the team that sunk the largest ship.  Each member of the winning team should then get a candy.  To make the game more fun, you could add the optional bonus of the student responsible for hitting the final grid location of each ship of their enemy’s fleet, also getting candy.  I called this the “kill shot” bonus and found that it helped get the students more involved with the “strategy” aspect of the “Band Battleship” game.  I think it is cool when you can take a rhythm performance game and tie it in with strategy and team collaboration.  You might even consider doing these games with a substitute, if you have a student(s) you can trust as a “game show host”.  Thank you for checking this out, I know your students will love either game.  HAPPY HUNTING!  

Power Grids, Units 1 – 20 can be found at:  https://garagebandrhythmmasters.org/power-grids-units-1-20-pdfs/

 For an “at a glance” overview of the vocabulary rhythms used (listed by units) visit:  https://garagebandrhythmmasters.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/RhythmVocabularyUnits1-27.pdf

Sincerely,

Rich Moon