Date: Mon, 2 May 1994 17:45:24 -0500
Reply-To: SCOUTS-L Youth Groups Discussion List <SCOUTS-
L%TCUBVM.BITNET@pucc.
From: Norman J MacLeod <normac4101@AOL.COM>
There has been quite a lot of mail in my "in-box" asking for the rules to Stratego as played for a wide game. I adapted the rules that are here from a mixture between the rules I learned with a Dutch Group in combination with the rules played by the Benelux District, BSWE County of the UK Scout Association.
The game can be played with any number of teams. This way you can keep the interest level high, and you can key the number of teams to the number of players. The teams should be small enough that you can have at least three lives per person (although this can be helped along by increasing the number of chits available.
The Team Token can be a flag, however we played with colour coded letter-size pages #60 paper, which is pretty stiff, and kept it in a ZipLoc freezer bag. This set-up is stiff enough that it can't be folded without the coloured token still showing in a player's hand. We got a variety pack of super-bright coloured #60 paper at an office supply centre that didn't cost a whole lot, and made one set from each colour (we still have more than enough for the next time). I used a Windows word processor and a laser printer to make the tokens and chits. Set up the chits in numbers that are fairly reasonable for the game's organisation (1 Field Marshall, 2 Generals, 3 Colonels, 4 Majors, 6 Captains, 10 Lieutenants/Leftenants (your choice), 15 Sergeants, 25 Corporals, 10 Engineers, 40 Privates, 5 Bombs, and 5 Spies make a pretty decent set, but you can decide how you want to set it up.
Provide the adult administrators with a set of the game rules and brief them before the Scouts arrive at your game's centre point. We divided the teams after the Scouts had picked up all the litter on the activity field (inducement to get a good clean-up done quickly and more or less willingly, though a few Scouts left the area when they learned that this was the "admission fee" to the game...).
We first placed the four adult administration teams in four corners, away from the herd, and made certain the Scouts knew which team was which number (and we still had Scouts asking which was which after the count). Then we had the Scouts form a single line, and went down the line making the teams by counting, "One, Two, Three, Four" to divvy them up. I find the swiftest and least confusing way to do this is to actually move down the line, nudging each Scout in the general direction of the team corner he or she will belong to...
ESSENTIAL! - Make sure you have a whistle that can be heard all over the area of play (I used an asynchronous referee's whistle that will put out a good 100 decibels or so of extremely piercing sound), and establish FIRM boundaries.
These are the game instructions as we gave them to the Patrol Leaders on Friday evening (to ensure they had time enough to go over the rules and reduce the time required to get the game going.
Stratego is a wide game that can be played with two or more teams. Each player has a coloured chit that identifies who he or she is in the game. We are giving you the game play rules early so that you will have every opportunity to study them and get to know the game before you play.
Please follow all instructions immediately. The sooner you do what you need to do, the more time you will have to play.
We will play the game after the Scouts' Own service on Sunday morning. All areas of the facility are fair play zones with the following exceptions:
You will be given a token for your team that the other teams will be attempting to capture. This token will be placed wherever your team decides to place its administrative area. (You don't want the other teams to know where this is.)
Two adults will supervise your administrative area.
Teams will be selected by counting off. Please co-operate with this process, because the sooner your teams are chosen the sooner we can begin.
Your team's administrators (the two adults) will have a bag of chits for your team.
The Game Leader will give you a start command. From this point you have five minutes to hide your administration area and the two adult administrators. The token has to remain in the administrative area within 20 feet of the administrators, who are not allowed to move the position. Once the game begins, you are not allowed to move your administrative area. As soon as you are in position, you will reach into the administrators bag to get your first chit. (Administrators will do something to make sure there is a fairly good mix of ranks for the start of the game.) You can use any spare time to come up with a strategy for finding the other administrative areas.
The Game Leader will blow a whistle once. This is your signal that the game will begin in two minutes.
When the whistle blows again, the game begins.
The Game:
You are trying to capture the tokens from opposing teams. You are also trying to gain points for your team by "capturing" other players. A "capture" begins when one player TAGS another. Tackling is NOT allowed! When you tag a player from another team, both players show each other their chits. If you are "captured", you have to give up your chit.
"Capture" rules are:
When you are "captured", you give your chit to the other player. You DO NOT give up any chits you have "captured".
If you have been "captured", you have to return to your administrative area for another chit. You are NOT allowed to try to find another team's administrative area while you do not have your own team's chit.
Remember that you are trying VERY hard not to let anyone from another team know where your administrative area is and sneak back accordingly. You are OUT OF PLAY until you have another chit in hand. This means that you cannot chase other players while you do not have a chit (although you CAN allow them to waste time by chasing you).
When you return to your administrative area, turn in any "captured" chits to your administrators. Get a new chit and go out again. Remember that other teams will be trying to find your administrative areas by looking for the area everyone is coming from, and plan your route back into play accordingly.
If your administrators are out of chits, you are required to sit quietly in your administrative area until the game is over.
If you find another team's administrative area and token:
Token "Capture":
The Game Leader will blow the whistle two times (two long blasts) to signal the end of the game. When this happens, all players and administrators return to the game start area immediately (on the RUN, guys!).
The Game leader will end the game if:
When you are all at Game Centre, you are required to turn over the chits you have "captured", along with your own chit.
All the "captured" chits are counted up to arrive at your total score for the game. Once counted, all the chits will be turned back to their teams. Once we have the scores figured out, we play again! The more time you dally, the less time you will have to play!
Norm MacLeod
Date: Thu, 5 May 1994 01:53:45 -0500
Reply-To: SCOUTS-L Youth Groups Discussion List <SCOUTS-L%TCUBVM.BITNET@pucc.
From: Carl Persson <carl@SMAB.SE>
The description of the widegame stratego was very good. Our troop often play a similar game called Frontiers.
You divide the boys in to teams. Each team is given a small "home base". In the "home base" each team is given 10 - 15 tokens (flags).
The playing field is divided in to parts with a home base on each. (The game is best played in a area with trees and bushes).
The goal of the game is to sneak into the other teams area and capture a token. If someone from the other team is being able to tag you on thier side of the field you are taken as a prisoner to thier "home base".
Now when a member of your own team reaches the "homes base" he is able to free you insteed of taking a token.
If you have a token or a "free" prisoner you are free to go back to your own home base.
The game lasts for a specified time and the team with the most tokens wins.
I hope this description is understandable, if not feel free to mail me any questions.
YIS
Carl Persson Troop Leader SKOGSLOPARNA Utby NSF Gothenburg Sweden.
Date: Tue, 3 May 1994 08:48:51 -0500
Reply-To: jansen@strw.LeidenUniv.nl
From: David Jansen <jansen@STRWCHEM.STRW.LEIDENUNIV.NL>
Norman J MacLeod gave a very nice description of the Stratego wide game. In our Pack we have used a couple of variations to keep the game interesting :
David Jansen [Cub scout leader in The Hague, the Netherlands]
--
_/_/_/_/ _/_/_/ David Jansen Internet: jansen@strw.leidenuniv.nl
_/ _/ _/ Leiden Observatory Bitnet: djansen@HLERUL51
_/ _/ _/ Mail : P.O.Box 9513, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands
_/_/_/_/ _/_/_/ Phone : (31) 71 275877 Fax : (31) 71 275819
Last edited: February 22, 2004
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