Stratego Rules

Rules for the Stratego Board Game

The game of Stratego is not one that is hard to learn. Although there are some rules that govern this board game, they are nothing that you should not be able to figure out in a short time. For this reason, Stratego is rated for ages 8 and up. As you can imagine, if an 8 year old can figure the game out, there is no reason that an adult should have any problems getting started. But with that being said, you do need to know the rules of the game if you expect to have a good time while playing. And of course, when you know the Stratego rules you are also giving yourself the best chance of success.

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To start off, each player gets 40 pieces; this includes 33 military figures, six bombs, and one flag. You will have to decide which player will use the red pieces and which ones the blue. When it comes down to it, this does not really matter. All of the pieces are the same, the only difference is the color used. Of course, if you have a favorite color of the two you may lobby to use that one.

The ranks of each piece are placed on one side so that your opponent cannot see what you are doing; and vice versa.

To play, each player moves one piece at a time. If a piece is moved to a square that is occupied by your opponent, they will be turned around so that each player can see the other’s piece. At that point, the weaker piece is removed, and from there the next player makes their move. Keep in mind that if both pieces are equal in rank they will both be removed from the board.

The rank of pieces is fairly straightforward with a couple exceptions. Except for the special pieces listed below, the lower the number on a piece, the more powerful the piece is. So a one knocks out a two, a six knocks out an eight, etc.

Once you place your flag and bombs, they cannot be moved. This means you must place a great deal of thought into the placement of these pieces.
You may be able to determine where your opponents bombs and flags are by watching which pieces they don't move.
Any piece that runs into a bomb is knocked off the board except for the Miners, which are eights.
The Spy, marked with an S, will knock out the number one piece, the Marshal, but lose to everyone else on the board.
The only other ways to knock out a Marshal is by losing your own Marshal against it or if it runs into a bomb, so it is very important to find where your opponents Marshal is and to protect your Spy.

You will notice that there are two, 2 x 2 squares in the middle of the board. Neither player can enter this area as it is meant to deter direct frontal attacks on the opposition. On most boards these are portrayed as ponds or lakes.

As a player in the game of Stratego, you need to work within the rules, while also putting your strategy to good use. As mentioned above there are a total of 40 pieces, and you will have 40 squares in which to put them before the game starts. As you can imagine, the strategy that you use while placing your pieces will greatly affect the overall outcome of the game.

Finally, make sure that you discuss any unofficial rules of the game before getting started. Many players have adopted these rules, and add them to the game from time to time.

The rules of Stratego are easy to learn, and even easier to follow once you become familiar with the game.

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