Stratego is a strategy board game created by Dutchman Jacques Johan Mogendorff sometime before 1942 and was originally published in the Netherlands. In 1982, a digital version of the game was also designed under the name “Electronic Stratego.” What makes this game appealing to players is its seamless blending of strategy-based abilities and thoughtful planning.
Stratego is a game for two players. It has 40 pieces and is played on a 10 by 10 square board. The 40 pieces represent the various officers and soldiers in an army. As the game begins, both players place their 40 playing pieces in any desired starting formation while remaining initially concealed from one another.
One of the pieces in Stratego is the bomb. In Stratego, bombs are immovable pieces that can blow up any attacking piece except for miners. Bombs placed in unexpected places are most likely to blow up unsuspecting high-ranked pieces, thus benefiting the opponent. In this blog, we will talk about the various bomb rules in the Stratego Board Game.
Bomb rules in stratego
It is undeniable that knowing the rules of a game is the true essence of it, as without knowing them, playing and being a master at the game would not be possible at all. Rules in Stratego help a player in understanding how the game works and also assist the users in comprehending the various scenarios and situations that the game puts them through.
Here are a few games related to the bombs in Stratego, which can also be called the Bomb Rules:
- Bombs are totally immovable. These always stay in the same spot, hence, users who are trying to move them will be disappointed as these would be immobile during the entire game. However, the same rule does not apply to all pieces of the game. Each piece might have its set of different rules.
- Bomb strategies are never fixed. However, one thump rule is to always remember to place the bombs in a way that they do not hamper the movement of the movable pieces.
- For those wondering how the bombs can be taken off from the board, this is not possible unless and until the opponent’s miner attacks, and removes them from the board. In all cases, the miner can then move to the bomb’s square, and in a way, acquire it.
- As expected, bombs are used to attack and capture pieces.
- Every player is allotted 6 bombs each. However, 2 or 3 of these are often used to defend the flag. These bombs are given at the start of the game.
What happens when you hit a bomb in stratego?
Rules of Stratego state that only a miner can attack a bomb, and only then would it be diffused and removed from the gameboard. Furthermore, when a player attacks a bomb, the attack pieces are lost, but the bomb remains in its place, as it is immovable and immobile.
Then, the Miner advances to the board’s Bomb space. Unless they are defused, bombs stay in the same spot for the entire game. Bombs can’t move or make attacks.
What kills a bomb in stratego?
Simply put, a bomb can only be killed if the other team’s miners attack it. Hence, this is the only way to take the bomb from the board. If this happens, the miner then moves to the space which was occupied by the bomb. Many consider the miners to be weak. However, being weaker than bombs does not undermine their potential to diffuse the bombs. Furthermore, some players prefer to keep bombs “unexploded” for as long as possible, especially if they restrict an opponent’s movement.
The mobility of the opponent may be hindered by sophisticated players who detect opposing Bombs but leave them in place for a longer time. It is essential to commit to memory where each of the opponent’s Bombs are located in order to do this.
Conclusion
Stratego is a game of incomplete information, unlike chess and go, because players cannot see the names of their opponent’s pieces up close. It’s a game of bluff and strategy, of gathering data and deft maneuvering. Additionally, because the game is zero-sum, any gain made by one player is equivalent to a loss suffered by their rival. The rules of board games like Stratego might, at first, seem a little complicated to the players. But once you start playing and get used to the game, you will realize that the rules are pretty easy to comprehend.