Playing capture the flag is a physically grueling and strenuous game, and I get tired just thinking about it. But what if you can still play the game without all the running around and feeling like you are out of shape? This is where Stratego comes into play, a board game from Milton Bradley.

I introduced this game to my son who loves anything to do with the military and warfare. What better way to keep him from getting hurt than having a mock warfare of our own without getting hurt at all? (This is, of course, if you refrain from throwing the pieces at each other).


Plays Just Like Chess… Only Not

Stratego is not a hard game to grasp. The objective is quite simple: capture the opponent’s flag. The trick is finding out exactly where it is.

The game consists of 80 pieces and a 10x10 game board. Out of the 80 pieces, 40 are marked red and the other 40 are blue. These game pieces represent the different officers and soldiers that make up your army. Because there are only two armies, it is by default that this is a two-player game.

Within the 10x10 board, each side occupies a 4x10 section closest to the player when setting the game pieces. Each piece has an officer printed on one-side. This is a key element to the game because the printed side will be facing you and not your opponent. It makes it more difficult for the opponent to navigate through the board in hopes of finding your flag. Once this is all done, the fun begins.

Each player has the following ranking officers on its side:

• #1 Marshall (one piece) — The most powerful piece in the game but can still be eliminated in two ways: either by running into a Bomb or getting captured by the Spy.

• #2 General (one piece) — The second highest ranking piece that can be eliminated by either the Marshall or a Bomb.

• #3 Colonels (two pieces) — Can be eliminated by the Marshall, General or a Bomb.

• #4 Majors (three pieces)

• #5 Captains (four pieces)

• #6 Lieutenants (four pieces)

• #7 Sergeants (four pieces)

• #8 Miners (five pieces) — These pieces are the only ones that can eliminate a Bomb on the field

• #9 Scouts (eight pieces) — These pieces are great for doing what their namesake suggests… scouting the area… as they are the only piece that can move more than one space at a time.

• #S Spy (one piece) — The Spy is the weakest piece or the strongest piece depending on how its used in battle. Any piece, even the Scout, can eliminate the Spy without a problem; however, the Spy is very special as it can eliminate the Marshall. The trick is that the Spy has to make first contact with the Marshall in order to kill him. If it happens in the opposite order and the Marshall gets the first strike, then it’s all over for the Spy. This is the one piece that is usually held back in reserve in order to sniff out that pesky Marshall.

• #B Bombs (six pieces) — Can only be taken off the board, without any loss to your army, by a Miner. Otherwise, all who come in contact with a Bomb will be pushing up daisies.

• #F Flag (one piece) — The ultimate object of the game that must be protected at all cost. Once the flag is captured, the game is over.


Becoming the Master Strategist

Since each opponent is going into the battlefield as blind as a bat, it becomes a matter of trying to think like your opponent and really observing what is happening on the board.

Players alternate turns and can only move one game piece with each turn. With the exception of the Scout (who can move more than one square at a time), the Flag and Bomb (who cannot move at all), each piece can only move one square, either up, down, left or right; diagonal play is not allowed at all.

When a player comes into contact with an opponent’s piece in the adjacent square, a battle takes place with each player determining the rank of the pieces in play. The lower ranked piece gets eliminated, unless they are of equal value. If that is the case, then both pieces are taken off the board. Only one piece can occupy a given square, and no game pieces can jump over another. To make it a bit more difficult, there are two 2x2 squares in the middle of the board. These squares are to indicate that they are two lakes that cannot be occupied in any capacity. Game pieces have to maneuver around these lakes to get to the other side and capture the opponent’s flag.

Since the opponent cannot see the printed part of your piece, memorization becomes a huge factor in this game. It’s easy to lose track of what piece is what if you don’t pay close attention. In the end, this negligence can come back to haunt you.

The ultimate strategy to the game is misdirecting your enemy away from your flag. This is easier said than done. And that’s the beauty to Stratego. Unlike chess, where all the pieces start out in the same position, a player can place pieces anywhere on the starting side of the board.

No dice, no other recorded information, or any extra paraphernalia is needed for this game. Just the game pieces, the board and your strategic mind are required. Oh, and maybe a little “rock, paper, scissors” action to determine who starts the game. And these rounds never take too long at all, usually between 20-30 minutes each. The set-up and clean-up take up no time at all, something that I really appreciate.

I have played Stratego for years and have never gotten tired of it. The game is marketed for ages 8 and up but I have played with 6 year olds who, incidentally, have beaten me. No wait, I never said that. Ah nuts, there goes my strategic front. I just blew my cover. And I would have gotten away with it if it weren’t for those meddling kids and their mind games.


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Clue: The Movie is based on a board game which... surprise, surprise... is exactly what Stratego is. Wow, I made a connection. This is the next part in my “Connecting the Dots” write-off. I hope you all can participate.

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 19.99
Type of Toy: Game
Age Range of Child: Whole Family