RECESS: Stratego the Board Game...LIVE at Sawyer Point

Details

I am really psyched about this event. As a kid, I probably played this board game with my friends about a thousand times. Just like in the board game, you and your fellow game pieces will form an army that must use both defensive and offensive strategies to rein supreme or become battlefield carnage.

Core Concepts of the game:

Hidden Identities: The key to Stratego is that you don't know the rank of your opponent's pieces. This needs to be maintained in a live-action version. Each player will be given a rank. Keep it Secret: Players must keep their rank hidden at all times until an "attack" occurs.
Movement: Pieces/Players move across the battlefield in one step or pace at a time signaled by the attack horn.
Attacking: When two pieces/Players meet, their identities are revealed, and the lower-ranking player must leave the battlefield
Special Pieces: The Spy, Miner, Scout, Bombs, and Flag all have unique rules.
Objective: Capture the opponent's Flag.

Movement Rules:

Battlefield Boundaries: Attacks, retreats and all players still breathing must stay within the marked boundaries of the battlefield.
Step-by-Step Movement: Most pieces (Marshal to Sergeant, Miner) should move one step (a normal walking pace/distance) at a time in any direction (forward, backward, sideways). No diagonal movement.
Scout Movement: The Scout can move any number of unoccupied spaces in a straight line (forward, backwards or sideways) in a single turn. Basically, a Scout player can move in a straight direction until he or she runs into another player or decides to stop. As in the game the Scout is useful in attacking from a far to reveal a enemy's piece. Of course once you move more than one pace at a time the other team will know you're a Scout. Scouts are basically similar to pons in chess, designed to be thrown into the meatgrinder.
Immobile Pieces: Players designated as Bombs or the Flag cannot move from their starting positions.

"Attacking" and Revealing:

Initiating an Attack: A player can "attack" an adjacent opponent by physically tagging them or verbally declaring an attack. Players must be within one pace from each other for an attack to occur.
Rank Revelation: When an attack occurs, both players involved must reveal their rank simultaneously.
Determining the Outcome:
Higher Rank Wins: The lower-ranking player is "captured" (out of the game or must go to a designated "captured" area), and the higher-ranking player moves into their space.
Lower Rank Attacks Higher: The lower-ranking attacker is captured.
Equal Ranks: Both players are captured.
Spy: The Spy is the only piece, besides a bomb, that can defeat the Marshal (10 ranking). This only happens if the Spy attacks the Marshall first. If the Spy is attacked by any piece/player, it is defeated.
Any Piece vs. Bomb: The attacking piece is captured (except for the Miner).
Miner vs. Bomb: The Bomb is "defused" (captured/out of the game). The Minor plays a vital role in this game. Most people will at least partially surround their flag with bombs. So it's vital to ensure you have enough Minors that survey so they can be used to defuse these bombs.
Any Piece vs. Flag: The attacking piece captures the Flag, and that team wins. An alternative way to win is if your team massacres the opposing army until they cease to exist.
John's added Strategies to Live By
Assigning a General (doesn't need to be high ranking): You can
assign an overall commander or even a few sub-commanders to
help your army move forward in a more strategic way. This
General or team of commanders can come up with winning
strategies, such as:
* Player placement on the battlefield based on rank
* Shouting out movement commands to players to position
them toward areas that may be hiding the flag. Or to give
retreat commands to cover your own flag.