Object: To capture your opponent's flag

An Army: Each army consists of:

33 movable pieces

• 1 Marshal
• 1 General
• 2 Colonels
• 3 Majors
• 4 Captains
• 4 Lieutenants
• 4 Sergeants
• 5 Miners
• 8 Scouts

• 1 Spy

 

 

7 stationary pieces

 

• 6 Bombs
• 1 Flag

 

Note: Your Marshal is usually ranked #1 or #10; likewise the General is ranked #2 or #9, the Colonels #3 or #8, etc. The ranking system depends on the set.

Setup

 

1. Place the gameboard between you and your opponent with the name Stratego facing each of you.
2. Hide a red army piece in one hand and a blue in the other. Your opponent chooses a hand and players with the color army that the piece designates.
3. Place your pieces on the gameboard with the notched end up. The labeled side faces you so that your opponent cannot see the rank of your pieces. Your opponent does the same.
4. Only one piece can occupy a square. Place them anywhere in the first four rows on your half of the gameboard. The middle two rows are left unoccupied at the start of the game.

 

Gameplay

You and your opponent alternate turns. The red army moves first.

On your turn you must do one of the following:

Move- one of your playing pieces to an open adjacent spaces.

Or

Attack- one of your opponents playing pieces.

Note: If you cannot do either action, the game is over and you automatically lose the game.

 

Rules for Movement

Remember, the Flag and Bombs cannot be moved and must remain on the squares where they were originally placed at the beginning of the game.

 

1. Pieces move one square at a time, forward, backward, or sideways. (Exception: See Special Scout Movement Privilege, Below.)
2. Pieces cannot move diagonally. They cannot jump over other pieces. They cannot move in to a square already occupied by another piece (unless attacking).
3. Pieces cannot jump over or move into the two lake areas in the center of the gameboard.
4. A piece cannot move back and forth between squares in three consecutive turns.
5. Only one piece can be moved on a turn.

Rules for Attack

Important! Flag and Bomb pieces cannot attack.

 

1. Attack Position: When a red and blue piece occupy adjacent spaces they are in position to attack.
2. How to Attack: To attack on your turn, take your attacking piece and lightly tap the defending piece. Then declare the rank of your piece. Your opponent does the same.
3. The piece with the lower number is captured and removed from the board. If the winner was the attacking piece, then it moves in to the spot formerly occupied by the defending piece. If the winner was the defending piece, it stays in the same spot.
4. When pieces of the same rank battle, both pieces are removed from the board.
5. Attacking is always optional.

 

Special Scout
Moment Privilege

A Scout can move any number of open squares forward, backward, or sideways to attack. Important! This movement will let your opponent know the value of that piece. Once it's rank is known, the piece is vulnerable to attack.

 

Special Miner
Attack Privilege

 

When any piece (except a Miner - ranked "3" or "8" depending on the game ranking system) strikes a Bomb, that piece is captured and removed from the board. Exception: When a Miner strikes a Bomb, the Bomb is defused and removed from the board. The Miner then moves in to the Bomb's previous occupied spot.

 

Special Spy
Attack Privilege

 

The Spy is ranked with the letter "S". If any piece attacks it, it is captured and removed from the board. But the Spy is the only piece that can capture a Marshal (ranked "10" or "1") provided the Spy attacks the Marshal first. If the Marshal attacks first, the Spy is captured and removed from the board.

Winning the Game

The first person to attack the opponent's Flag captures it and wins the game.

If all of your movable pieces have been removed and you cannot move and attack on a turn, you must give up and surrender.

Optional Rules

Here are three variations included for a player who wants a added challenge. Feel free to use any combination.

Aggressor Advantage

When pieces of the same rank battle the attacking piece wins.

Silent Defense

When an attack is made, the attacker is the only player who reveals his pieces rank. The defender resolves the attack by removing the piece with the lower number.

Rescue

When you move into a square in your opponent's back row, you have the option of rescuing one of your captured pieces. Pick any captured piece on your side of the board. This ends your turn.

Restrictions

• Scouts cannot make a rescue
• You cannot rescue a bomb
• Only two rescues can be made by each player

 

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