Overview
Are you looking for a fun game to play that ALSO tests the drill abilities of your cadets AND the ability to command under pressure? Look no further! This is a great team-building exercise that also lets your team put into practice the skills they’ve developed!
Objective
Battleship involves two platoons/flights of cadets, each led by a cadet commander, marching into a designated drill area.
One platoon/flight is designated as OFFENSE and the other DEFENSE.
The formations maneuver throughout the drill area with the group on offense attempting to intercept the group on defense.
The formation on offense wins when they successfully “hit” the other platoon/flight. The group on defense wins when they successfully manage to outmaneuver and dodge the formation hunting them down for the designated time period!
Set-Up
To play Battleship, you need the following:
- A large drill area (we recommend going larger for less experienced groups but shrinking the size of the floor as the team improves!)
- A stop watch or time keeping device (we recommend setting the clock longer for less experienced groups and shorter for more experienced ones!)
- An objective referee (emphasis on “objective!”)
- Two formations of cadets each with their own cadet commander (choose wisely!)
The Rules
The rules of this game are simple:
The two formations will start on opposite corners of the drill area in LINE FORMATION with each cadet commander centered on their platoon/flight.
Cadet commanders will meet in the center of the area, shake hands, and use some objective method (i.e. coin flip, rock/paper/scissors, etc.) to determine who will be placed on OFFENSE and who will be placed on DEFENSE. The winning cadet commander may select which side to play.
When the referee has verified that each team is ready, they will count down and upon their signal, the cadet commanders of each team will command, “Right, FACE!” and “Forward, MARCH!” The referee will hit the stopwatch and the match has begun!
Cadet commanders may issue ANY VALID DRILL COMMAND to maneuver their formations on the drill area. This is really a “house rules” scenario since there are many variations of this game but here are a few common drill-related rules we like to use:
- Double Time is NOT a valid command.
- For the purposes of the game, flanks MAY be executed at ANY time even if it would normally be considered against regulation (i.e. you may command a To the Rear March and then a Left Flank, etc.)
- Column Movements MUST be executed with the squad/element leaders at the front of the formation.
- A steady cadence MUST be maintained; if cadets meaningfully speed up or slow down, the match ends with the other team being declared the winner.
- Cadets may not be caught shortening or lengthening their step; if cadets meaningfully adjust their step size without a valid command (i.e. Half Step), the match ends with the other team being declared the winner.
- Stepping outside of the drill area automatically stops the match with the other team being declared the winner.
- Cadets MAY take up a mark time automatically and without command to avoid going out of bounds but must be given a valid command to cease the mark time and move in a new direction.
The match ends in one of three ways:
- The team on OFFENSE intersects the opposing team. This happens when ANY of the offensive formation meaningfully crosses into the defensive one. Cadets may not lunge, reach, or otherwise break bearing when this occurs; this must happen as a result of a valid drill command.
- The team on DEFENSE survives without intersecting the opposing team for the duration of the specified time of the round.
- One of the teams breaks a rule or steps out of bounds. The referee should follow the teams and watch closely since they’ll have the final word on what happens. If a team violates one of the rules, the referee should stop the match and declare the other team the winner!
If there are any disputes and it’s “too close” for the referee to call, the ref may reset the teams apart from one another, reset the clock to the time remaining before the dispute, and resume the match when both teams are prepared!
With enough cadets, we highly recommend using a tournament-style bracket with the winning team advancing to the next round! We also recommend playing with color guard teams…it’s awesome!