Rules

Battleships will take place on Küüni Street, in the area between Kaubamaja and the Playtech building, on April 26th 2026 from 16:00 to 19:00. Participants must arrive at 15:40 latest.

To register for Battleships, participants are required to complete the registration form, which can be found on the website www.studentdays.ee and under the Facebook event. Registration opens on April 7th 2026 at 18:00

Participants must be at least 18 years old.
Participants must be sober.
A team consists of 4 participants.
At least one team member must be a higher education student.
It is strongly recommended that participants bring a change of clothes or a costume that may get wet during the event.

EVENT DESCRIPTION:
The event is a life-size game of Battleship, featuring various bonus mechanics. The competition operates on a tournament bracket basis, with two teams competing on one court at a time. The objective of the game is to sink the opponent’s ships before they sink your team’s ships. The winning team advances in the tournament bracket until the winner of the event is determined.

EVENT RULES:
GENERAL RULES:

• Participants are strongly advised to bring a change of clothes or a costume that may get wet during the event.
• The event is governed by a tournament bracket, with team placements determined by a draw prior to the start of the event.
• Four teams compete simultaneously on two courts; each court consists of two grids separated by a dividing wall.
• Participants are allowed to leave the event premises if they are not currently playing. Participants must be back for their next scheduled game, if they are not present they will automatically forfeit that game.
• A ship is sunk when all of its squares have been hit.
• The preparation phase consists of selecting and placing ships. During the game phase, participants throw the ball (bomb) over the wall, complete various short challenges to earn abilities, and use ability cards.

PREPARATION:

• Each game begins with an advantage draw. The team that wins the draw receives the right of choice – they may choose either: A) to begin selecting ships during the preparation phase, or B) to choose their side of the court and take the first throw in the game phase. The team that loses the draw receives the remaining advantage.
• Following the draw, ship selection begins:
• A pool of 8 ships is available to both teams, varying in size (small, medium, large), shape, and abilities. Each team must select 1-2 small ships, 1–2 medium ships, and 1 large ship, for a total of 4 ships per team.
• The team with the ship selection advantage picks first, after which selection alternates between teams until all 8 ships have been chosen and each team has their 4 ships. Both teams are then given the ability cards corresponding to their selected ships.
• Teams then place their selected ships on their grid. The sides of ships may not touch; corner contact is permitted.
• Each team then assigns captains, designating which team member will remain in which ship throughout the game.
• Teams also agree on a throwing order.

GAME:

• The team that received the game phase advantage takes the first turn. The game phase consists of turns; each turn may comprise either A) completing a challenge, or B) playing one or more ability cards. In addition, every turn ends with a throw.
• Challenges are short tasks that become available during the game and may be completed voluntarily by a team in order to earn an ability card. Challenges become available at random intervals during the game, when the referee offers one team the opportunity to attempt a challenge. That team may decide whether to complete the challenge themselves or to force the opposing team to attempt it. The referee does not disclose details of the challenge prior to this decision.
• Upon successful completion, the team earns one ability card, which is handed to a captain of their choosing. In the event of failure, the ability card is awarded to the opposing team, who likewise assign it to a captain of their choosing.
• To activate an ability, the participant hands the ability card to the referee before throwing.
• The throw is made by the captain from within their ship. Following the throw, the landing position of the ball is recorded on both sides, along with whether the throw was a miss, a hit, or a hit-and-sunk.
• A captain may not jump up in his ship with the deliberate intention of seeing over the dividing wall. If the judge finds that the jump was deliberate, that captain’s ship is automatically at the bottom.
• Each turn has a time limit of 20 seconds, which begins from the moment the participant is handed the ball.
• If the ball lands on a square that has already been hit, no re-throw is granted.
• A captain is part of his ship and may not dodge an incoming throw.
• When a captain is hit, the square they are standing on is also considered hit. If that square has already been hit previously, the nearest unhit square on their ship is marked as hit instead.
• If the ball lands on a line or corner, the referee determines which one of the squares will be marked hit. If a ship’s hull gets physically hit, then that square is hit. If multiple ship squares get hit, the referee determines which one will be marked as hit.
• When a ship is sunk, all unused ability cards held by the ship captain are lost.
• The game ends when all ships of one team have been sunk, or when the 15-minute time limit is reached. If the time limit expires before all ships of one team have been sunk, the team that has sunk more of the opponent’s ships wins. If both teams have sunk an equal number of ships, the percentage of hit squares out of the total number of squares across all ships is compared.
• The winning team advances in the tournament bracket.

• Participants are required to review the competition rules and sign a personal liability waiver.
• The event organisers accept no liability for any injuries or health damage sustained by participants during the event. Each registered participant is solely responsible for their own safety and wellbeing.
• By registering for the competition, the participant confirms their agreement to all competition rules.
• By registering for the competition, the participant consents to being photographed and filmed by photographers and videographers present at the event.

The organizers of BATTLESHIPS reserve the right to modify the rules and terms of the contest. All participants will be notified of the changes before the start of the competition.