Lord of the Rings Stratego- Trilogy Edition is a two player board game based on the original Stratego game. It was developed in 2004 by Hasbro and Milton Bradley with a Lord of the Rings theme and three different types of gameplay: {"classic" (original Stratego), "special powers" (certain characters have powers based on special abilities they possessed in the movie), and "Destroy the Ring" (if Frodo Baggins gets to a certain square, most of the pieces on the gray side die). (See also: Lord of the Rings: The Confrontation.)
Object of the game[]
The object of the game is to attack the other side's flag, or to kill all of the other side's movable pieces. Pieces are faced inward, so that the opposing player cannot see the opponent's pieces. These pieces are ranked with different numbers, and the higher numbers kill the lower numbers with a few exceptions. These include the Spy (Éowyn or Gríma Wormtongue) which can be killed by any piece except the ten (Gandalf or the Witch-king). If the Spy attacks the ten, the Spy wins or if the ten attacks the Spy, the Spy dies. Also, pieces called Strongholds, which cannot move, can kill any piece except 3's (Soldiers of Gondor or Orcs). If a three attacks a Stronghold, then the Stronghold dies. The pieces ranked 2 (Riders of Rohan or Wrag Riders) can move unlimited spaces until meeting an opponent and attack.
Gameboard[]
The board in which the game is played is a 10x10 board, containing a total of 100 squares. Forty beige (good side) pieces go on one side of the board and forty gray (bad side) pieces go on the other side of the board. In between, there are two 4x4 forbidden zones in which no piece is allowed to go. Also, the board is depicted as a map of Middle-earth, with a mug and candle covering the forbidden zones.
Pieces[]
White Pieces[]
The white pieces consist of the good characters in the Lord of the Rings and include the following:
- Gandalf (ranked 10)
- Aragorn (ranked 9)
- Legolas (ranked 8)
- Gimli (ranked 8)
- Théoden (ranked 7)
- Éomer (ranked 7)
- Faramir (ranked 7)
- Boromir (ranked 6)
- Arwen (ranked 6)
- Treebeard (ranked 6)
- Haldir (ranked 6)
- Elf (group of four pieces ranked 5)
- Frodo (ranked 4)
- Sam (ranked 4)
- Merry (ranked 4)
- Pippin (ranked 4)
- Soldier of Gondor (group of five pieces ranked 3)
- Rider of Rohan (group of eight pieces ranked 2)
- Stronghold (group of six non-movable pieces that can kill every piece except 3's)
- Éowyn (ranked Spy, meaning that she can kill the 10 on the other side, but any piece can kill her, also called rank 1)
- Flag (a non-movable piece depicted as a flag with the White Tree of Gondor on a blue background which, if attacked, wins the game for the gray side)
Gray Pieces[]
The Gray Pieces consist of the bad characters in the Lord of the Rings and include the following:
- The Witch-king of Angmar (ranked 10)
- Saruman (ranked 9)
- Ringwraith (group of two pieces ranked 8)
- Gothmog (ranked 7)
- Lurtz (ranked 7)
- Sharku (ranked 7)
- Uruk-hai (group of four pieces ranked 6)
- Berserker (group of four pieces ranked 5)
- Haradrim (group of four pieces ranked 4)
- Orc (group of five pieces ranked 3)
- Warg Rider (group of eight pieces ranked 2)
- Stronghold (group of six non-movable pieces that can kill any piece except 3's)
- Gríma Wormtongue (ranked Spy, meaning that he can kill the ten on the other side, but he can be killed by any piece)
- Flag (a non-movable piece depicted as a flag with the eye of Mordor on a black background, which, if attacked, wins the game for the white side)
Types of Gameplay[]
Classic[]
The classic mode of playing is that each piece moves one space to attack a piece of a different colour. Higher pieces kill lower pieces, with certain exceptions stated above.
Special Powers[]
In the Special Powers mode of playing, certain pieces can perform special moves.
Beige Side[]
On the beige side, pieces that have special powers include the following:
- Gandalf (10)- Flight (with the help of the Great Eagles, Gandalf can go over other pieces and forbidden zones and land on an empty space)
- Aragorn (9)- Detect Enemy (with his Ranger skills, Aragorn can look at pieces up to two spaces away)
- Legolas (8)- Longbow and Detect Enemy (with his elven skills, Legolas can shoot and look at pieces up to two spaces away)
- Gimli (8)- Dwarven Axe (with his dwarven skills and axe, Gimli can attack three adjacent pieces at once)
- Faramir (7)- Longbow (with his Gondorian bow, Faramir can kill pieces up to two spaces away)
- Théoden (7)- Swift Speed (with his horse from Rohan, King Théoden can go two spaces at once)
- Elf (5)- Longbow (with their elven skills, the (elves can kill enemy pieces up to two spaces away)
Gray Side[]
On the gray side, pieces that have special powers include the following:
- Witch-king (10)- Flight (with his Fell Beast, the Witch-king can go over other pieces and forbidden zones and land on an empty space)
- Saruman (9)- Detect Enemy (with his wizardry skills, Saruman can look at pieces up to two spaces away)
- Uruk-Hai (6)- Repeat Attack (with their advanced training in warfare, the Uruk-Hai can attack one piece after another until they die)
- Berserker (5)- Rampage (with their fierce techniques in fighting, Berserkers can kill all adjacent pieces next to them [including strongholds], but die in the process) Berserkers are also immune to Longbow attacks.
- Haradrim (4)- Longbow (with their bows, Haradrim can kill pieces up to two spaces away)
Destroy the Ring[]
In the Destroy the Ring mode of playing, Frodo must go to the top-left corner of the forbidden zone, from the good side's point of view. When he gets there, all pieces ranked 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8 on the bad side die. However, flag must still be reached after the Ring is destroyed, though. In Destroy the Ring mode, Frodo has one special power: Ring-bearer. Ring-bearer makes Frodo impossible to kill except by the Witch-king (10) or the Ringwraiths (8).
External link[]
- Lord of the Rings Stratego- Trilogy Edition at toysonfire.com