Sea Battle or Cover Word?

Both games come with Gather. Here’s how they differ and when each one fits better.

The key differences

There’s no player count that suits both – Sea Battle and Cover Word are made for different groups.
From 3 players on, only Cover Word works: it goes up to 12 players, Sea Battle only up to 2.
Cover Word needs a TV, or an iPad or Mac as the table; Sea Battle also runs on phones alone.
Cover Word needs at least 4 players – with fewer people, only Sea Battle works.
Cover Word is louder than Sea Battle (loud vs. calm).
Only Sea Battle can be played against the computer – Cover Word needs real players.
Cover Word has more interaction than Sea Battle (constant debate vs. you react to each other).
Cover Word is played in teams; in Sea Battle everyone plays for themselves.

At a glance

At a glance	Sea Battle	Cover Word
Type	Board and dice games	Party games
Players	2 players	4–12 players
Length of a game	10–20 min	15–30 min
Age	ages 7+	ages 10+
Luck or skill	skill and luck	mostly skill
Noise level	calm	loud
Learning curve	explained in a minute	quick to learn
Interaction	you react to each other	constant debate
TV	not needed	needed
Against the computer	yes	no
Teams	no	yes
Bluffing	no	no
Reading needed	no	yes

Which one suits you?

Sea Battle

Each of you hides a fleet on your own phone, then you take turns firing into the other’s sea. A hit earns another shot – so a game can swing in a handful of moves.

Pick Sea Battle when two people want a tense guessing duel with a bit of tactics.

Cover Word

Two teams, 25 words on the TV, and only the clue givers know which belong to whom. One word and one number have to steer their team to several cards – and away from the trap.

Pick Cover Word when there are at least four of you and you enjoy lateral thinking.

What they have in common

In both, everyone has secret information on their own phone.
Both come free with Gather and need no account.