Stratego

Customer Reviews

The Mass Market Intro to strategy games. Review by Anthony Santiago

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Stratego is one of those classic boardgames along side Monopoly, Clue, Battleship etc.. that a lot of people (like myself) grew up with. It’s a game, in my opinion, that still stands the test of time.

It should be noted that the version I currently own is from the early to mid 1970s and the rules have changed a little bit since then.

Now don’t get me wrong, this is not Hannibal: Rome VS Carthage, but for what it is, it still is a fun light strategy game to play. Stratego is a two-person “Capture the Flag” wargame. The main mechanic being that the strength of your army is kept hidden from your opponent until they battle one another. There are no dice for movement or battle.

Your “army” is comprised of soldiers with different ranks (the highest being the General, the lowest the Spy), a few bombs (immovable once placed) and a flag. Some pieces have special abilities, for example the Miner can destroy bombs, the Spy is the only piece that can eliminate a General by “striking” first and the Scout can move any number of spaces in one direction either horizontally or vertically. All pieces, with the exception of the Scout, can only move 1 space horizontally or vertically. Combat is fairly simple, when your piece is orthogonal to an opponent’s piece you tap the piece and announce your rank. The higher ranked piece wins the battle (A General beats a Major, a Miner beats a Scout.). The loser removes the piece and combat ends. Be the first to “strike” your opponent’s flag and you win the game.

Playing times range from between 30 and 45 minutes. It’s a fantastic exercise in deduction, some strategic thinking and a nice change from the traditional roll and move games many of us have played and still play. This is also one of the first games I introduced my children to, after Candyland and Snakes and Ladders, and I’m proud to say that they enjoy playing it as much as I did at their age (and still do)!
(Posted on 12/10/08)