Archive for category Stratego
Stratego: Tips for Intermediate Players
Posted by oscar in Board Games, Stratego on January 15th, 2009
Sometimes people get dejected when they are not being able to master any game, even after playing it for months and months. These players are not really beginners; because they are familiar will all the rules, terms and regulations of the game. If you are among such people who have tried and failed, then this is the place for you. You need some exceptional tips to manage your stratego skills and improve on them.
Tip 1: Make quick decisions
If you want to become an expert, you should be able to have clear idea of what you want to do. Ask yourself a certain logical questions. What do I want to do? Am I trying to target my enemy’s flag? Am I trying to cut a swathe through the enemy’s ranks? If you want to destroy your enemy’s officials first, then you should first target to kill your enemy’s Majors and Colonels.
The best way to make early attacks in this game is making appropriate use of powerful officers like Majors and Colonels. It is because you can meet the expense of losing them early in this game. After that you can target the enemy’s Marshall’s and Generals. You can also afford to lose your own. It is not much of a sacrifice for the enemy’s pieces. Now you will have complete control over the game. After this, look for the flag details.
Tip 2: Find out the flag details
How can you find out your enemy’s flag details? “Play a little defensive. This is intentional defense that we are asking you to play. Let your enemy come out with attacks. Let him become active. His movement will indicate about his flag’s situation.
Tip 3: Save your Scouts till the end
Scouts actually prove useful in the end. After you have removed your enemy’s Marshall, your scout becomes as good as your Spy.
Tip 4: Have a fair idea of using different pieces at different stages in your game
You should first aim to slay your enemy’s Majors and Colonels. The best way to make early on attacks in this game is making appropriate use of powerful officers like Majors and Colonels. It is because you can manage to pay for losing them premature in this game. After that you can target the enemy’s Marshall’s and Generals.
You should use your own Marshall and generals to do so. Scouts actually prove useful in the end. Try to save your miners till the end, as losing them early can make you lose the game. On the other hand try to kill your enemy’s miners early on. You should place Sergeants next to your bomb to kill your opponent’s miners. And of course, you have to save your flag till the end to win the game.
Tip 5: Make use of more than one dummy Bomb net
You can also try to make two dummy Bomb setups, one in each corner of your side. Then bluff by putting all your important and powerful pieces in the center. You should place your flag in the middle. It is a general tendency of many people to attack in the corners. You flag will remain safe till the end.
Tips and Strategies for Experienced Players
Posted by oscar in Board Games, Stratego on January 15th, 2009
Experienced players need to read this article to take their game to a next level of excellence.
Tip 1: Sergeant can cause confusion to your enemy
Normally people tend to attack the extreme left and columns of the board. After the miner has moved, they would want
to diffuse the leftmost bomb. A normal player would never like to diffuse the central bomb. You can make full use of this situation. Be a little clever and kill the miner with your sergeant. Your enemy would not find this clever as he might take it to be a characteristic sergeant attack. This will lead him to pay no attention to that particular side of the board entirely. Imagine if this side of the board has some really powerful pieces like the miner or the Marshall.
You can easily puzzle the enemy’s force. By making effective use of this strategy, you can ignore the defense of your flag. Try to deploy all your powerful pieces in the middle rather than hiding them from your opponent. You will also sound easy about your flag’s defense.
Tip 2: Antagonism can be the key to success
The best way to guard your flag is to have a powerful molest. You should never play like coward. Play aggressively without any hesitation. We only recommend the beginners to show some patience. If you r are an experienced player, you will have no problems in attacking. It is only 1 out of a hundred times that your attack will tend to go wrong. But taking this much risk is worth it. Don’t fear exposing your powerful pieces to your opponent.
Situate your pieces in the front row. Make brutal attacks on your opponent’s miners. But make sure, you are not losing your own miners in such a situation. Take all his powerful pieces and at the same time, protect your own miners. The best way to make early attacks in this game is making proper use of powerful officers like Majors and Colonels. It is because you can meet the expense of losing them early in this game.
Tip 3: Short and effective instructions- Do not shift too often
Don’t make too much of movement very frequently. It can be fatal for your game. You will make your enemy to have an idea about your bomb situation and placement. This will in turn lead to the disclosure of your flag’s location.
Tip 4: Enemy’s miners can change your game
Create situations that your enemy has no other option but to lose his miners. This is the essential regulation to start with. You should always try to target all the miners in the opposite teams and slaughter them.
Tip 5: Bamboozle your opponent from time to time
Always confuse your opponent in different ways. Make use of Bomb nets. It is used at the cost of two forward pieces. It creates a false impression of weakness in the forward line. The opponent then tends to move a piece in the net of bomb.
Stratego: Tips for Beginners
Posted by oscar in Board Games, Stratego on January 15th, 2009
Little tips can make you win the game. As a beginner if you are playing with an experienced player, he or she will definitely have an edge over you. To play as good as you opponent, you should try and focus on the basic areas of utmost importance. Here are some of the basic tips especially for the beginners.
Tip 1: Placement of your flag is of supreme importance
Since the ultimate goal of the game is to win the flag of the opponent; therefore your placement of the flag plays an important role. It is normally being placed in the backward row. It is a common practice to surround the flag with two or more bombs. But such locations are quite approachable. Think a little different. Your experienced opponent might place his flag near the lake. This is one place you would not even be able to guess and locate his flag. After all, no body would place his or her flag in an unprotected region.
Tip 2: Don’t be over defensive
If you are a beginner, do not get extra cautious of your flag. You will in turn screw up your game by giving indirect hints about your flag to the opponent. An experienced person will take no time in guessing where your flag is lying. Over defensive mode can get harmful at times.
Tip 3: Hide your spy
Maintain a hidden spy identity for as much time as possible. If you disclose it at an early stage of your game, you can in turn make the opponent’s Marshall more powerful in the game. Your spy can become a causality of battle. Don’t just let your game go like that.
Tip 4: Keep your miners safe till the end of the game
You should try to place your miner safe and sound. Put them in the foster of your armed forces. You should expose them or bring them into play only when you think that the opponent’s piece is at risk and there is an obvious path to a recognized bomb. You should for all time make an attempt to target all the miners in the opposite teams and kill them. Let’s explain to you why. Generally, people prefer to situate their flag in the corner.
Also it is a common practice to put two bombs around it, vertically and horizontally, in order to protect it. This implies that your opponent can win the game with the help of miners. You can assume that your opponent is using the same strategy. Don’t leave any of his miners or he will win the game easily.
Tip 5: Disclosure of opponent’s Marshall calls for a Scout to follow
This is a great bluff you can learn to do as a beginner. When ever there is a disclosure of Marshall by your opponent, you should make your enemy believe that the scout is your spy. You can then trap the Marshall easily. Only after you have attacked this Marshal, you will reveal the identity of this Scout.
Stratego Variants and Variations
Posted by oscar in Board Games, Stratego on January 15th, 2009
Many variants have been introduced in this game over a period of many years, in order to make the game more interesting.
1. One-Time Bombs
As a rule, whenever any piece happens to come in contact with the opponent’s bomb, just the piece gets destroyed and eliminated away. In this variation of the game, if any of your piece strikes the opponent’s bomb, it can cause both the bomb and the piece to explode.
This variation lessens the importance of miners in the game. Miners as you already know are very important in game. Miners can decide the game to a large extent. It is a frequent observation to put two bombs around the flag, upright and parallel, in order to defend it. This implies that your enemy can win the game with the aid of miners. You can take for granted that your enemy is using the identical plan. Don’t leave any of his miners or he will triumph the game easily.
2. Reduction in the number of pieces in the game
Barrage stratego is a good example of this variation. This is an online version of this game. It makes us of only eight pieces unlike the normal stratego that makes use of 40 pieces. These pieces are the Marshall, the General, the Miner, two Scouts, the spy, bomb, and the Flag. This alternative is also called as mini stratego. This game is flexible. You can play with as many numbers of pieces you want. This game never gets boring because the time duration is quite short.
3. Variable power stratego
This can make the game more speedy and interesting. Normally, what happens is that when ever to pieces face each other, the higher raking officer is only allowed to make an attack. Here any body can attack. In the end the higher number of possession player wins the game. This game depends a lot on the luck factor.
4. Variation in the board
Now this change can make the game very interesting and challenging. Imagine if a ten cross ten square boards makes a game this challenging, how much would a hexagonal board make! The game will reach a new dimension of fun and challenge. Each hexagon will have six sides to it. This will make more permutation and combinations. You will have to think in six possible directions for each hexagon. It will also make each piece more vulnerable to an attack and more difficult to protect. The flag will be difficult to safeguard.
5. Introducing a change in the number of players
Normally, this game is played between two players. In case of four players, each player will set the pieces in all the 4 sides of the board. Now, the game will have four lakes instead of two lakes. The game can work clockwise or anticlockwise. Winning strategy is also simple. The last player who has captured the flag of the second last player wins. If no one is able to capture, then the player with immovable pieces loses or the player with higher number of pieces wins the game.
Playing Stratego Online and Offline
Posted by oscar in Board Games, Stratego on January 15th, 2009
Playing stratego online and offline is quite simple. You can play online stratego on the website www.metaforge.net
The website has great graphics with friendly user interface. The rules of the game are clearly mentioned. Beginners can start playing stratego very easily over here. Everything explaining the game, board, pieces, moves, layout and ranks is clearly mentioned. You will find a menu on the left side of the website. Exciting features like game play and game chat are also available. You can also join chat rooms for discussions.
You can join the play and create a player profile. You can also submit your scores. Post your score on the forum, or reset your record. A monthly subscription would only cost you $6.99. an annual subscription is very viable as it would cost you only $ 34.95. You could use Paypal to make your payments and it also renews your subscription unless you cancel it. Along with the player profile, you will get a username and a password. You can also download webstratego software. Webstratego is available in version 7.0.9.
For this software, you must install java if you do not have it already. It is available from Sun Microsystems or metaforge. It works on all platforms like Win98, WinME, WinNT 4.x, Windows2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows2003, Linux, and Mac OS X. You can also subscribe for unlimited play. You would just need a Java virtual machine and an internet connection. The whole setup will only take a space of 4676 Kb on your hard disk. You can check out the link for the screenshots of this game.
You will love to play with people from all over the globe with the help of webstratego. The software uses the enhanced version of the conventional board game. It has a lot of extra features like barrage, super spy, economy, four player mode, etc. this online community also arranges for annual tournaments.
Many stratego tournaments have been organized all over the globe. The World Team cup is played on an annual basis. This event is played on a large scale. It is a four player. Many teams participate. Each team represents their country. In the year 2007, Germany got defeated by Holland. The World Championship is another major event for this game. The stratego Olympiad is a very popular event for stratego players. The Stratego World Team Championship is a three player event. Teams from all over the world compete for their country.
There are many computer Stratego events available. The Computer Stratego World Championship is a world famous computer challenge. These software games are highly challenging as these are framed with the help of artificial intelligence using many scheduling algorithms. The effective use of Artificial Intelligence makes full use of knowledge representation to look out for all the winning moves. And therefore it gets very tough to win this game. In the year 2008, i.e. the recent Computer Stratego World Championship was held in December 2008. This tournament was online. U.S.A had hosted this tournament.
Stratego Terms and Terminologies
Posted by oscar in Board Games, Stratego on January 15th, 2009
Lakes – the stratego board is divided in to a grid of measurement ten cross ten. Eight rows are filled with pieces of both the players respectively on both the sides. The area in the center that can not be entered, consisting of two rows, is called the lakes. The lakes are the gap rows placed between the armies of the two teams.
Flag – It is the main objective of the game. Flags are present in both the teams. Total number of flags per team is one. Flags have no rank. Flags are immovable.
Bomb – These too have no ranks. They are no less in importance. They can destroy ant piece other than miners. These are immovable pieces like flags.
Spy – The spies are rank one piece. Rank 1 is the lowest rank in this game. These are one per team. Spies can kill the marshals.
Scout – The scouts are rank two pieces. They have unlimited movement but only in straight line direction. They can not move diagonally. They are eight per team.
Miner – the miners are rank three pieces. They have the capability of removing the bomb. They are five per team.
Sergeant – the sergeants are rank four pieces. These are the seventh most powerful pieces in the game. They are present four per team.
Lieutenant – These are rank five pieces, hence, sixth most powerful pieces in the game. These are also four per team.
Captain – these captains are rank six pieces, i.e. the fifth most powerful pieces in the game. They are four per team.
Choke points – they are the narrow points that force attacks. This is where the divider resides.
Major – The majors are rank seven pieces, i.e. the fourth most powerful pieces in the game. They are 3 per team. You must have realized, by now, that as the rank increases the power of a pieces also increases.
Colonel – The colonels are the rank eight pieces, i.e. the third most powerful pieces in the game. They are two per team.
General – The Generals are rank nine pieces. They are the 2nd most powerful pieces in the game. They are present one per team.
Marshall – the Marshall are the rank one pieces and hence the most important and powerful pieces in the game. They are also present one per team. All the pieces from rank one to rank ten are movable in nature.
Scout movements – any number of vacant squares.
Red attacker – It is the attacking piece of the red tem.
Blue defender – It is the piece that is being attacked in the blue team. If the blue defender is weaker in rank than the red attacker, then the red attacker takes the position of the blue defender and the blue defender is removed from the board.
Bomb net – It is used at the cost of two forward pieces. It creates a false impression of weakness in the forward line. The opponent then tends to move a piece in the net of bomb.
FAQs about Stratego
Posted by oscar in Board Games, Stratego on January 15th, 2009
Here are some of the most frequently asked queries about this game. You can get to learn a lot from these questions.
Q. What does taking a flag actually mean?
A. We can make you understand this with the help of an example. After the flag has been located by the player of the blue team, it becomes vulnerable to all the pieces of the blue team, after the attack has been launched. The blue piece can now tap the flag and win.
Q. What is a bomb net?
A. Bomb net is a clever use of bombs. Instead of wasting you bomb in protection of your flag you can fool your opponent cleverly. It will provide the same security. It is used at the price of two forward pieces. It generates a forged feeling of Achilles’ heel in the forward line. The opponent then tends to move a piece in the net of bomb. It is a smart way to tempt your opponent. Your opponent will definitely throw his pieces, without any doubt, in the so called bomb net created by you.
Q. How is dummy important?
A. A red dummy can fool the Marshall and then be taken by the spy hidden by the water’s edge of the lake.
Q. What is attacking and defending?
A. A move can either consist of attacking or defending. You can attack your opponent’s piece if your piece is standing straight away, in frontage of it or in the rear of it. You can also attack from left to right or from right to left. Any piece can attack the opponent’s piece other than the flag and the bombs. You have to rise up your piece with which you have to attack and tap the opponent’s target piece i.e. the piece to be attacked. After that you are supposed to declare the rank of the attacking piece.
After that the piece that has been attacked is shown for its rank. The lower ranking piece between the two pieces is then removed from the board. If the attacker has a higher ranking piece, his piece takes that position other wise the target remains at its spot and the attacker’s piece is eliminated. For example, the piece that is being attacked in the blue team; If the blue defender is weaker in rank than the red attacker, then the red attacker takes the position of the blue defender and the blue defender is removed from the board.
If there is a clash of rank, no body wins the move and both the pieces are eliminated from the board. Therefore, attacking is not always a good option. Therefore you should be careful before attacking.
Q. How many squares can a scout move?
A. Only scouts are eight in number. Scouts are the largest number of pieces you can find in this game. They can move any number of squares. They have unlimited movement but only in straight line direction i.e. forwards, backwards, from left to right or from right to left. They can not move diagonally.
Stratego: Introduction for the Beginners
Posted by oscar in Board Games, Stratego on January 15th, 2009
Before you commence the game you should have a fair idea about the rank of each piece you use. Go through the list of the ranks of all the pieces stated in the format
(Piece name – Rank)
Marshal – 10
General – 9
Colonel – 8
Major – 7
Captain – 6
Lieutenant – 5
Sergeant – 4
Miner – 3
Scout – 2
Spy – 1
Bomb- no rank
Flag – no rank
These pieces are not equal in number. The Captains, lieutenant and the sergeants are four each in number. The scouts, bombs and miners are eight, six and five respectively. Flags, Marshals, Spies and Generals are one each in number. There are two colonels and three majors.
How is Stratego played?
After the board is arranged and all the pieces are deployed, the game begins. The red player will have the first turn. Now in one turn, you can either move apiece to defend it or attack your opponent’s piece. The movement of these pieces is restricted. You can only move one piece at a time from one square to another. The direction of movement is also restricted. The pieces can move in a straight line only i.e. backwards, forward, from left to right or from right to left. Diagonal movement is prohibited. You can’t make jumps in your moves. At a time one piece can move one square and no two pieces can occupy the same squares.
You can move the pieces backwards and forward, only for a maximum limit of five times, between any two squares. Flags and bombs do not have the capability to move. The two middle lakes can not be crossed or even entered. But scouts act a little differently. They can move across any number of vacant squares in any direction forward, backward, from left to right or from right to left but not diagonally. Scouts are the only pieces to make long attacks in this game. Scouts can not jump over the middle lakes.
How can one attack the opponent’s piece?
You can attack your opponent’s piece if your piece is standing immediately in front of it or behind it. You can also attack from left to right or from right to left. Any piece can attack the opponent’s piece other than the flag and the bombs. You have to pick up your piece with which you have to attack and tap the opponent’s target piece i.e. the piece to be attacked. After that you are supposed to declare the rank of the attacking piece. After that the piece that has been attacked is displayed for its rank.
The lower ranking piece between the two pieces is then eliminated from the board. If the attacker has a higher ranking piece, his piece takes that position other wise the target remains at its spot and the attacker’s piece is eliminated. If there is a clash of rank, no body wins the move and both the pieces are eliminated from the board. Therefore, attacking is not always a good option. Therefore you should be careful before attacking.
Stratego Tips and Strategies
Posted by oscar in Board Games, Stratego on January 15th, 2009
Going through the rules will not be enough for you to crack the game. You will require a lot of practice to get acquainted with the basic concept of the game. To understand how to strategize better and faster, we have certain tips for you.
Tip 1: Target Miners
This is the basic rule to start with. You should always try to target all the miners in the opposite teams and kill them. Let’s explain to you why. Generally, people prefer to situate their flag in the corner. Also it is a common practice to put two bombs around it, vertically and horizontally, in order to protect it. This implies that your opponent can win the game with the help of miners. You can assume that your opponent is using the same strategy.
Don’t leave any of his miners or he will win the game easily. At the same time, you should also place your miner safely. Put them in the nurture of your army. You should expose them or bring them into play only when you think that the opponent’s piece is vulnerable and there is a clear path to a known bomb.
Tip 2: The spy can get worthless at times
Always keep in mind, the delicacy of the spy’s only capability makes it a worthless piece. Any effort to plan or plot a single piece towards the Marshall contained by the striking range can be rapidly marked by any upright foe. Don’t discard it instantly.
Tip 3: Make a bomb shelter
Making a bomb shelter guarantees your win in this game. Situate your game in the corner of the board. After this, place two bombs on both the sides of the board. Now, place three lieutenants in the subsequent diagonal. After you have placed the lieutenants, situate the remaining bombs on the next diagonal.
Your opponent will definitely have to break this line with at least two miners. He can also take three miners to break this line. Kill all his miners as explained in the first tip and the game is completely yours. You can lose this game under any circumstances now, provided your planning and arrangement was accurate.
Tip 4: Sending a piece in the opponent’s territory can be fatal
You should never send your piece in the opponent’s area with out any support or backup. This can weaken your game in the form of loss of a piece.
Tip 5: Attacking, forever, is not a good option
After an attack is made, the lower ranking piece between the two pieces is then eliminated from the board. If the attacker has a higher ranking piece, his piece takes that position other wise the target remains at its spot and the attacker’s piece is eliminated. If there is a clash of rank, no body wins the move and both the pieces are eliminated from the board. As a result, attacking is not always a first-class alternative. For that reason you should be cautious prior to attacking.
Stratego: Rules of the Game
Posted by oscar in Board Games, Stratego on January 15th, 2009
You will have to understand the basics of the game before you begin with it. This game is quite simple if you go through the rules meticulously. Let us help you to understand this board game in a better manner.
Rule number 1: Understanding the goal of the game
You can win the game in two scenarios. Either you take hold of your opponent’s flag or you take as many pieces of your opponent in the restricted time. But actual winning is when you take hold of the opponent’s flag. You also succeed if your competitor is not able to move i.e. he or she only has the bomb and the flag. But your bomb can not capture the flag.
Rule number 2: Understanding the layout of the game
You can play this game turn by turn only. There is no random chance for any player. Each player is provided with forty pieces on each side respectively. As already explained these pieces are meant for representing soldiers. These forty pieces include the flag also. It is basically a game of assault and guard. The game is very interesting because it has a lot of surprising elements in it. The troop is set out secretly, prior to the game starts. The red player begins the game.
Rule number 3: Understanding the pieces
Each piece has its own rank. For example the Marshal has the tenth rank in the game. To find out the rank of all the pieces, read the introduction for beginners section. Also not every piece is equal in number. Only scouts are eight in number. Scouts are the largest number of pieces you can find in this game. Ranks represent the value of these pieces in the game. The flags and Bombs have no ranks. They have special importance in the game. The spy has rank 1. Rank 1 is the lowest rank in this game. Don’t confuse the priority of the number with the priority of the rank.
Rule number 4: Understanding the board
There is a screen put in the center of the board. There are two teams i.e. Red and Blue. The red player arranges the red pieces and the blue player arranges the blue pieces. Cardboard ranks are attached to the figures. The screen helps to keep secrecy of deployment. Normally the screen also states help in the form of ranks of all the pieces along with the number used.
Rule number 5: Arranging the pieces
The pieces are positioned on the first four rows of each player. The board measures 10 by 10. One piece is put in each square. Both players occupy 8 rows in total (4 each) and the central 2 rows are kept empty. Arrangement of you pieces can determine your entire game. Therefore you will have to be extra careful while arranging your board. The screen is then removed. Now both the players can clearly see the rules and the names of all the ranks.
Stratego: History and Introduction
Posted by oscar in Board Games, Stratego on January 15th, 2009
Stratego is board game that requires proficiency, preparation, strategy and action. Stratego, the game that is played today, was first introduced around 1960’s. It was first introduced in Netherlands. It was highly appreciated in European markets. Immediately, this game got distributed all over the U.S. also.
This game was not so different but it was introduced with slight differences in different parts of the world. This game is so popular all over Europe that people visit Europe for regular tournaments. Netherlands along with Belgium and Germany are famous for organizing championships for this game. U.S. too is no less in fondness for this game.
Not many people really know that stratego is a very old game. The game has seen many changes; in fact the game we play in today’s time is quite different from the original version. Chinese claim the origin of this game. It was believed that this game was first introduced with the name “jungle”. With time, the animal pieces got replaced with military pieces and the name changed to stratego. But the layout of the game is quite similar.
The positions of these pieces haven changed since then. Stratego has been known for many names like animal chess because of animal figures, Dou shi Qi and the game of animals. Stratego is definitely different from jungle. The pieces are not hidden as in jungle. Also, the layout remains fixed.
Very long ago, the game pieces were formed with the help of card board or thick paper. Later when the game had started to gain a lot of popularity, the pieces were carved out of wood. This added class and poise to the game. The game was no more, just enjoyed by the common people.
Wealthy people started playing it as it became a status symbol for many. Although no official gambling has ever been reported but people loved playing it for standing. This practice was then put to an end and standard plastic version of this game was introduced. Everybody could afford this game. This game is now available in attractive versions.
This board game is played on a square board. It is a two player game. The game is restricted by time limits. You can play this game one by one. There is no random chance for any player. Each player is provided with forty pieces on each side respectively. As already explained these pieces are meant for representing military or soldiers in the army just the way the pieces represented animals in the ancient game of jungle.
Winning the game is simple. You can win over your opponent in two ways. Either you take hold of your opponent’s flag or you take as many pieces of your opponent in the restricted time. The most interesting part about this game is that there is a lot of guess work required. Therefore a lot of practice, expertise and skill are required. You will not come to know about the rank of your opponent’s pieces. For that reason, you will have to keep on discovering!
Oscar
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