Stratego (Board Game)

Theme: War game of territorial acquisition.

Primary Mechanic: moving one space at a time and attacking the other player’s tiles so that his or her flag can be captured.

Supporting Mechanic(s): Each tile has a ranking with the higher rank being able to discard the lower ranking tile. The player also has a several bomb tiles which can never be moved once placed on the board. Finally, each player has a few Spy tiles that can take out the highest rank and a few troop tiles which can move as many spaces the player wants.

Dynamic: Arranging tiles to mislead the opponent from where the flag is located and finding his or her flag first.

Goal(s): Create a strategy of defense and outwit your opponent to obtain his or her flag.

Was it fun and briefly why/why not?: Not really, mostly because I was left waiting to make a move until my opponent attacked or moved. It quickly became a game of move and wait, but without the depth of strategy like Chess.

What is one thing you would change to increase the fun factor?: I would add a timer, that way the time to strategize would be managed and players would not feel bored until their next turn. There would be a rush to think of the best plan, a thrill to outwit your opponent before they got you. After all, timing is imperative in war.