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Stratego Card Game

Stratego Card Game Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

  • Contents
  • Object of the Game
  • Set Up
  • Playing the Game
    • Attacking an Enemy Card
  • Special Ranks
    • Spy (1)
    • Scout (2)
    • Bombs
    • Flag
  • The Winner

Contents

23 Red Army Cards, 23 Blue Army Cards.

Object of the Game

To capture the enemy Flag.

Set Up

One player will use all the red cards, the other will play with the blue.

Shuffle your army deck thoroughly and place all your cards face down in a pile in front of you. Without letting your opponent see, pick up the top 8 cards. Choose 5 cards from those 8 to make up your front line. Place those 5 cards face down in a row on the table. The 3 cards that remain will make up your hand.

Playing the Game

Red goes first. On your turn, carry out the following steps in order:

  1. If necessary, pick up cards to make your hand back up to 3 cards. Always pick from the top of the card deck in front of you.
  2. Using a card in your front line, attack your enemy's front line (see below).
  3. If there are gaps left in your front line, fill them with cards from your hand.

Your turn is over. Note: you can study the cards in your front line at any time.

Attacking an Enemy Card

Choose one of the cards in your front line, turn it over and use it to 'tap' a card in your enemy's front line. Your opponent must turn over the card that was tapped: whichever of the two cards has the highest rank wins and returns to its position, face down, in the front line. The card that lost is out of the game. If both cards are of equal rank, both are taken out.

Special Ranks

Spy (1)

If the Spy attacks the Field Marshal (10), the Spy wins. But if the Spy is attacked by another piece, including the Field Marshal, the Spy will always be defeated. If you have a Spy in your front line, instead of attacking on your turn, you may reveal your Spy to your opponent and look at the cards in your opponent's hand. Once used in this way, turn your Spy card face down, ready to use again later in the game.

Scout (2)

If you have a Scout in your front line, instead of attacking on your turn, you may reveal your Scout to your opponent and look at two cards in your opponent's front line. Once used in this way, turn your Scout card face down, ready to use again later.

Bombs

If a bomb is tapped in an attack, the attacking card loses and is out of the game. The bomb stays where it is, face down. If you tap a bomb with a Miner (3), the bomb is out of the game. Bombs cannot be used in attack.

Flag

The first player to capture the enemy Flag wins the game.

There's an extra exciting rule for the Flag. If you have placed your Flag in your front line, instead of attacking on your turn, you may reveal your Flag to your opponent then pick up all the cards in your front line, your hand and your deck, shuffle them and deal them out again as described in the Set Up section above. Anything your opponent may have discovered about your cards up to this point will now be lost! By placing your Flag in your front line, you take quite a risk, but you may decide the risk is worth it!

The Winner

You win if:

  • you capture your enemy's Flag

OR

  • your opponent cannot carry out an attack on their turn, because they only have bombs and/or their Flag in their front line.