Players face each other as either the USA or USSR and fight for prestige over the course of the Cold War (unless someone starts a nuclear war, which ends the game and the person who started it loses). Twilight Struggle: Actually I guess this is a board game but it plays out more like a card game, if that makes sense. This classic game has withstood the test of time because it is suitable to casual and avid gamers alike.Not board games, but card games (not of the trading or collectible variety either):
![buy a fancy stratego game buy a fancy stratego game](http://img.game.co.uk/ml2/6/0/0/3/600332_gen_a.png)
It is the perfect game to pull out when waiting for others to arrive or at the end of a long gaming session. Stratego is an enjoyable, quick playing, light game. There is no shortage of written material on initial placement of playing pieces and strategies for using these set-ups. It’s all about how you place and maneuver your playing pieces. Go figure, there is strategy in Stratego and minimal luck! There are no dice or card hands in Stratego. Similar to Chess, there is some strategy but Stratego is a fast paced play with virtually no downtime. I like to think of it as a rethemed, lighter version of Chess with hidden playing pieces. Stratego is an easy game to learn and play. The game immediately ends upon capture of a flag or if a player has no more playing pieces to move. If the Marshal attacks the Spy, then the Spy is eliminated. However, the Spy can only eliminate the Marshal if the Spy attacks the Marshal. The Spy is the only playing piece which can eliminate the Marshal, the highest ranking playing piece. The most complicated rule in the game is related to the use of the Spy. If both playing pieces are the same rank, then both are eliminated. The playing piece with the higher rank (lower number) is placed back on the board and the other is eliminated from the game. Each player reveals his playing piece and announces its rank. Players attack by moving a playing piece into a square occupied by an enemy playing piece. Scouts, the lowest rank playing piece, can be moved any number of open spaces in a straight line. Playing pieces can be moved only orthogonally within the grid of squares on the board. Players take turns moving a playing piece. Once the players are satisfied with the starting position of their respective playing pieces the game begins. Playing pieces are placed such that the rank is hidden from the opponent. Each player secretly places their army, bomb and flag playing pieces on the back four rows of their respective side of the board. Set-up for Stratego takes about 10 minutes and is easy. Some of the anniversary sets have special components such as a tin storage box or fancier playing pieces. The rulebook is only a few pages and very clear. The playing pieces depict images of soldiers along with a number which indicates the playing piece rank (1 through 9).
![buy a fancy stratego game buy a fancy stratego game](http://img.game.co.uk/ml2/6/4/4/3/644355_gen_a.png)
The components consist of a large mounted board with colorful artwork and plastic playing pieces. Stratego is for 2 players ages 8 and up and plays in about 45 minutes.
![buy a fancy stratego game buy a fancy stratego game](https://sc02.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1S9t_AkOWBuNjSsppq6xPgpXaw/225534913/HTB1S9t_AkOWBuNjSsppq6xPgpXaw.jpg)
![buy a fancy stratego game buy a fancy stratego game](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/91FMaq485TL._AC_SX425_.jpg)
The object of the game is to capture the enemy flag or eliminate all enemy army playing pieces. The original version of Stratego has a Napoleonic army theme however, this game has seen its share of reskins from Samurai to science-fiction themes. Stratego is a long time classic game that needs no introduction as almost everyone has heard about it or come across it in some way.