Stratego Rules

How to play Stratego

At the start of the game, both players secretly arrange their army on their own side of the board. Once play begins, players take turns moving one piece at a time.

Most pieces move one square horizontally or vertically. When a piece moves onto a square occupied by an enemy piece, a battle takes place and the lower-ranked piece is normally removed.

The game ends when one player captures the opponent's flag or leaves them with no legal moves.

Setting up the board

Each player chooses one side of the board and secretly places all of their pieces in the four rows closest to them.

The rank or identity of every piece must face towards its owner so the opponent cannot see it.

This setup stage is already an important part of the game. You need to decide where to hide your flag, where to place bombs and how to position your strongest pieces without making your plan too obvious.

The lakes

The board contains two lake areas in the centre.

Pieces cannot move onto or through these spaces, so the lakes create narrow routes through the middle of the board and make positioning more important.

Stratego piece ranks

Most pieces are identified by a military rank. Higher-ranking pieces normally defeat lower-ranking ones.

The exact number printed on the pieces can differ between editions, so it is better to learn their relative order rather than rely only on the numbering.

A turn step by step

1. Choose a movable piece
   Select one of your pieces that is allowed to move. Bombs and the flag must stay where they were originally placed.

2. Move the piece
   Most pieces move one square horizontally or vertically into an empty space.

3. Attack if the destination is occupied
   If an enemy piece occupies the square, both pieces are revealed and their ranks are compared.

4. Resolve the battle
   The higher-ranking piece normally remains on the board while the lower-ranking piece is removed.

5. Hide the surviving piece again
   After the battle, the surviving piece remains in play with its identity facing its owner.

6. Pass the turn
   Your opponent now chooses a piece and plays their move.

How battles work

When you attack an opponent's piece, both pieces are revealed.

In a standard battle, the stronger rank wins and the weaker piece is removed. If both pieces have the same rank, both are removed from the board.

There are, however, several important exceptions involving the Spy, Miner and Bomb.

Special pieces in Stratego

There are many special pieces in this board game, below we explain them.

The Spy

The Spy is one of the weakest pieces in normal combat, but it has one extremely important ability.

If the Spy attacks the Marshal, the Spy wins and the Marshal is removed.

If the Marshal attacks the Spy instead, the Marshal wins normally.

This makes the Spy dangerous even late in the game, especially if the opponent's Marshal has already been identified.

The Miner

The Miner is the only regular piece that can safely attack and remove a Bomb.

Because bombs are commonly placed around the flag, keeping at least one Miner alive can be vital if you still do not know exactly where the flag is hidden.

The Scout

Unlike most pieces, the Scout can move more than one square in a straight horizontal or vertical line.

It cannot jump over pieces or lakes.

The Scout's long movement makes it useful for exploring the board and attacking exposed pieces from a distance, but making a long move also immediately reveals that the moving piece is a Scout.

Bombs

Bombs never move.

If most pieces attack a Bomb, the attacker is removed and the Bomb remains. Only a Miner can successfully defuse and remove it.

Bombs are therefore particularly useful for protecting important areas of the board.

The Flag

The Flag cannot move or attack.

If an opponent successfully moves a piece onto the Flag's square, the Flag is captured and the game ends immediately.

How do you win Stratego?

The main way to win is to capture your opponent's Flag.

You can also win if your opponent reaches a position where none of their remaining pieces can make a legal move.

Capturing the flag usually requires a combination of exploration and deduction. You rarely know its position early in the game, so identifying bombs and immobile pieces can gradually reveal where it is likely to be hidden.

Strategy for Stratego

Good Stratego strategy is less about attacking constantly and more about protecting information, remembering what has been revealed and keeping the right pieces alive for the endgame.

• Protect your Flag without making its position obvious: Bombs are excellent for defence, but surrounding one corner too neatly can reveal exactly where the Flag is hidden. Use decoys and varied defensive patterns.
• Keep your strongest pieces hidden when possible: The Marshal and General are powerful, but once identified they become much easier for your opponent to avoid or target with a plan.
• Remember every revealed piece: When a battle exposes an enemy rank, keep track of where that piece moves afterwards. Knowing the location of a Marshal, Miner or Spy can shape several future turns.
• Do not sacrifice all your Miners early: Miners are the only pieces that can remove Bombs. Losing them too soon can make a protected Flag extremely difficult to reach.
• Use Scouts to gather information: Their long-range movement is useful for probing suspicious areas and forcing battles, but moving several spaces immediately reveals that the piece is a Scout.
• Think before taking an easy battle: Winning one enemy piece is not always worth revealing one of your important ranks. Sometimes preserving uncertainty gives you a bigger advantage.
• Watch for pieces that never move: An unmoving piece may be a Bomb or the Flag. As the game develops, patterns of stationary pieces can help you narrow down where the Flag is likely to be.

Stratego rules summary