Stratego is the first real strategy game. Chess and Go are really just more complex games in the vein of Tic-Tac-Toe. Whichever player has a better grasp of the principles will always win, assuming neither player makes a mistake. They aren't quite as dull as tic-tac-toe, only because the number of possible board configurations is too large for the average person to work out a surefire road to victory. Stratego on the other hand mixes things up without using any random factors. Each player begins on completely even footing, but has the ability to keep information hidden from their opponent, in turn placing more emphasis on deducing your opponent's strategy, and making for a more surprising game. The only other games to touch upon this concept are computer strategy games. Sneak Attack! therefore exists to broaden the genre, using only common household items.
Step 1: Place three shoe boxes upside down between the players, and label them as shown in Fig. 1. These shoe boxes are referred to as Fronts.
Step 2: Each player takes a standard deck of 54 playing cards (13 of each suit and two Jokers), and sorts them out into four piles by suit. These piles are referred to as Barracks. Jokers may be placed in any Barracks. The cards in each Barracks may be ordered however the player chooses. Each Barracks is then along the edges of the playing field as shown in Fig. 1. The open area framed by the Fronts and your Barracks is known as your Base.
Players take turns with the inactive player facing away from the game until the active player announces the end of the turn or a Skirmish. Each player's turn is divided into three phases:
Attack: Lift up any front you choose to, and move cards from it into your opponent's Base to launch a Raid. (See below)
Advance: Take any cards you wish from under Fronts or in your Base, and place them either in your Base, or under an eligible Front. Spades (♠) and Hearts (♥) may not be placed under The Forest. Clubs (♣) and Diamonds (♦) may not be placed under The Mountain. After choosing which each card is to be placed, lift up each Front you are placing cards under. If any Front contains cards of your opponent, a Skirmish takes place. (See below)
Train: Take either the top three cards of one Barracks, or the top card of two Barracks, and place them face down in your Base.
Train: Take either the top three cards of one Barracks, or the top card of two Barracks, and place them face down in your Base.
Players continue alternating turns in this fashion until one player no longer has cards left in any Barracks. At this point, whichever player has more cards left in play, including cards in Barracks, is declared the winner. In case of a tie, the player whose Barracks have not been emptied is the winner.
Skirmishes: A Skirmish occurs whenever both players have cards in the same Front. Each player takes their cards from the Front into their hand. The player who began the skirmish by moving into an occupied Front then plays the lowest card in his hand on the table, and may declare a Retreat if he wishes. Then players alternate playing the lowest card in their hand which can beat the last card played by their opponent, and optionally declaring a Retreat. If a player declares a Retreat, his opponent may choose to play one last card, or also Retreat. Once a player has Retreated, or a player cannot play a new card, the last card played on the table is withdrawn, and the rest are removed from play. Cards in hand are then placed back under the Front, or in the Base if a player chose to retreat. If both players still have cards in a Front after resolving a Skirmish, either may begin a new Skirmish by playing his lowest card on the table.
Raid: A Raid follows the same rules as a Skirmish, with a few changes. At the start of a Raid, the Attacking player may flip over the top card of one of his opponent's Barracks three times. All cards flipped over in this manner are removed from play, but if a Joker is flipped over, all of the Attacker's cards in the Base being Attacked are also removed, and the Raid ends. Only the Attacker may Retreat, and in that eventuality cards are withdrawn to the Front they were under at the beginning of the phase. After resolving a Raid, either player may begin a new Raid by playing his lowest card as with a Skirmish. Such secondary Raids do not begin with cards being flipped and removed from Barracks however. Once all Raids have been resolved, the Attacking player may flip and remove an additional card for each card of his still in play at the base, as with the beginning of a raid. The Attacking player must withdraw every card from his opponent's base to a Front in the following Advance phase.
In general, any card with a number greater than or equal to the last card played can beat it. There are however a number of exceptions to this rule.
There are a number of variants to Sneak Attack! which can provide for more risky or conservative games.
