Your setups are all wrong. My Stratego game has the Marshal with a numeral ranking of "10" not "1".

You must have a copy of the current version of Stratego, sold by Hasbro. All of the tips, setups, and discussions on this site refer to the numbering system that was in use for the first 37 years - the Marshal is the strongest piece and is numbered with a "1". The General is numbered with a "2", etc. To me, and to many, many others who have written to me, the change in the numbering system is a huge disappointment... and I refuse to acknowledge it here. Dozens and dozens of people have written to me and told me they agree.

Note: This site has been up since the year 2000. In 2002 Hasbro came out with Nostalgia Stratego and with this version the numbering system is back to its original format. It's very possible someone from Hasbro found this site and saw the number of people who were disgusted with the change!

Your guess is as good as mine. The only thing I can think of is that Hasbro must have thought the intelligence of today's "kids" couldn't handle understanding the fact that a "lower" number means a "higher" rank... so they reversed it. That, the cheap, see-through plastic, and the decals make the new version worthless to me.

If the Spy attacks an officer, but it is not the Marshal, does the Spy die?

I have a question regarding the Spy.  Can the Spy attack and capture pieces on the board other than the Marshal? For example, if my Spy attacks a General, who wins, the Spy or the General?

Is the Spy the only piece capable of defeating the Marshal?

Can the Spy defeat any piece other than a Marshal?

What are the rules for the Spy?  Can any piece kill them including a Scout? Can a Spy kill any piece?

It really amazes me that I get asked this question so frequently, because the rules (to me) are very clear!

I'll answer this here, one more time.

• If ANY officer ever attacks the Spy, the Spy is defeated.

• If the Spy attacks ANY officer (except the Marshal) the Spy is defeated.

The only time the Spy EVER wins a battle is if the Spy attacks the Marshal. If this happens the Spy is the winner and the Marshal dies.

Still not clear? Okay, I'll rephrase it. The Spy is the lowest ranking piece. Every time an enemy officer strikes it, the Spy dies. Every time the Spy strikes an enemy officer, the Spy dies... unless this officer is the Marshal. If this happens, the Spy wins.

And yes, if one Spy attacks another Spy, both die.

Note: The Spy can capture the enemy Flag.

I've been looking for either an online version of stratego where I can play against my friends, or something I can play on my network.

I'm only aware of two commercial Stratego games - the 1990 Accolade Stratego program and the 1999 Stratego program by Hasbro, both of which are mentioned in my History Section. Both of these play a terrible game of Stratego - the artificial intelligence is very poor.

I'm not aware of any other Stratego programs, of any kind, although I'm sure several freeware and shareware programs must be out there. A search at some of the better shareware sites should turn up something. I recall seeing a few Stratego clones several years ago. They had very poor graphics, few options, and a weak AI.

It is pronounced Struh-TEE-go or Stra-TEE-go. (The accent is on the second syllable.)

Do you know where I can play Stratego online, for free?

I'm looking for a site where I can play Stratego against others?  Do you know of any?

For awhile you could play online at the MSN Gaming Zone, assuming you had a copy of the 1999 Stratego PC game, by Hasbro. However, I understand at this time MSN is no longer supporting Stratego at their gaming site.

The only other places to play online that I know of, are listed in my LINKS section, near the top of the page. That's it. I'm not aware of any other site. Sorry.

I have a Stratego game but I've lost the _____________. (Fill in the blank.) Do you know where I can purchase a replacement piece?

No, but I have a suggestion... simply purchase another full set on eBay. Usually eBay has DOZENS of Stratego sets for sale, in good condition, often for just a few dollars.

I don't own either of those two games and I know almost nothing about them. They may be very fine games but this site is primarily devoted to the original Stratego game I grew up with. I'll let someone else put together a website devoted to all of the recent Stratego spin-offs.

I can't get my 1990 Accolade program to run. Can you help?

I'm very sorry but I probably will not be able to help with any of these questions. I've never owned a copy of the 1995 Hasbro program and when my hard drive crashed earlier this summer I lost my only copy of my 1990 Accolade program. I'm also not familiar with the error messages of the various Windows operating systems.

I don't mind people asking these questions, but in all probability I will not be able to help.

Thank you for sending them, but I receive many tips and setups each and every week... and I simply don't have the time (or the energy) to post all of them.

The reason for this confusion is because there were TWO sets of rules printed. On some sets, the very last sentence in Rule #8, in the RULES of MOVEMENT section, reads:

"The Scout may not move & strike in the same turn."

However, other sets do not include this sentence at all, which (to me) infers it is possible for the Scout to "strike from afar."

Before playing a game, it would be wise to agree on which rule you wish to use.

Yes, dozens and dozens and dozens of people have told me about that "trick." 

The truth is, only very weak players fall for it and strong players don't need to use such tricks.