Human Stratego
An active, team-building, wide, camp game
- Outdoors
- Multiple Teams
- Long (45 mins +)
- No cost
- No Mess
- Active
- Team Building
- Wide
- Camp
- Night
- Large Groups
Added by
Sam Lavender
on
How To Play Human Stratego
Materials Needed
Equipment: Wide open playing field (preferably in the woods or obstacles); two different colored flags; game cards
How to play: 1. Divide the group into 2 teams. 2. Each team goes to the opposite end of the field where their flag is located. 3. One person on the team distributes the cards before and during the game. This person is called a team captain. 4. Each team gets a stack of cards with the same cards as the other team. 5. No person may have two cards at any one time. 6. A person may swap the cards out for strategic purposes. The only one who cannot switch cards is the General. 7. When a person comes into contact with an enemy, they can tag them. 8. The higher card takes the lower card. Cards of equal value must be exchanged. 9. Points are on each card. So the exchange allows for points to be awarded. 10. Bombs are used against anyone except a bomb squad and the General. However, a bomb cannot tag, but must be tagged. 11. If a person looses his card he must retreat from the field of battle to obtain another card. 12. They may then turn and immediately attack the person they just challenged or were challenged. 13. The game will be played in 10-15 minute rounds. 4 rounds are played. 14. The object is to get the General. If the general is defeated, the round is over. OR If the flag is obtained and taken back to your side the round is over. 15. Points are then totaled. The final score is not announced till the end of the 4th round. -Feel free to announce the score of each round, but not the cumulative total of each round.
Ranks and #’s Each team gets half of the # in parenthesis. The # in parenthesis is the number of cards you should have of each rank for your record keeping. Feel free to up the # of cards of a particular rank or # to suit your desires.
(2) General 500 pts (4) Marshall 300 pts-this is just a point card (4) Colonel 250 pts-this is just a point card (4) Major 200 pts-this is just a point card (8) Bomb 50 pts Can destroy anyone except a General Can only be destroyed by a bomb squad A bomb cannot tag anyone, but they can be tagged to be in effect. (6) Bomb Squad 100 pts Can disarm a bomb (4) Assassin Only player that can destroy the General Can only be destroyed by a bomb If General attacks 1st, then the General gets assassin card (2) Atomic Bomb Can destroy anyone on the field except the General (this card is just for fun. This card can be used towards the end of the game for a team to get lots of points really fast. Can only be destroyed by the atomic bomb. (2) Hydrogen bomb Can destroy anyone including the atomic bomb. Cannot be destroyed by anyone. This would be used just for fun. It has a lot of power. Pt cards: a higher pt card destroys a lower pt card whether they have a rank on them or not unless they have a specific task or can only be killed by a certain card (4) 50 (4) 100 (4) 200 (4) 250 (4) 300
Make your own cards. Laminate them. Have two sets of cards with different colors so each team knows the difference between their cards and the enemies cards they've captured.
Use or don't use the cards you want. Create your own idea of cards. The concept is that my bigger card defeats your smaller card. You could just use playing cards, or Uno cards for that matter.
Added by
Sam Lavender
on 28 March 2017
17 Comments
Add a commentwere can I buy the game? I have looked a ton of places and can't find it for sale.
Team captain always has and distributes cards.
2 teams 8 players. 30 cards per team is plenty.
Enjoy the Netherlands.
Dear Sam! Greetings from the Netherlands! So the Team Captain always has cards to distribute? How many cards should I make for 2 teams of 8 people?
Isabelle
Really it doesn’t matter how many cards the captain of the team has when the game starts. I would just say if u have 25 players per team 60 or so cards might be a good number. 50 number cards. 6 bombs. 4 bomb squad. 1 general. 3 assassins.
If I’m tag someone or they tag me and I get their card I’ll hang on to their card till that round is over. I’ll hand my team captain the cards I have collected from the other team. The captain will total all cards collected including the general of captured by an assassin. Then I’ll tell the game director my total. I’ll hand the director the enemy cards I’ve captured and the director will hand them to the other captain and vise vets.
Thanks Sam.
Will play 1 vs 1 instead, but implement boundaries around the water body for safety. Could i clarify on the approximate number of cards per team for about 25 players? When a team wins the enemy card, do they pass it to their Team Captain for score taking? And should these collected cards be given back to respective teams mid game so there will be enough cards flowing?
Beach sounds fun. Beach in the dark sound funner....
4 teams could be complicated. I would get the teens used to two teams first in a safe setting. Just my advice. It's kind of a complicated game for the first 2 rounds. Then...they've got it. It's best if there's a team captain passing out cards at the beginning and then as people have their cards stolen by other teams. Boundaries are up to you. I say no boundaries. But, the flag needs to be in an open visible place on the ground.
Hi, that's a great game idea.
I was just wondering if a beach would not be as challenging as it does not have many obstacles?
Also, say I have 80 players with 4 teams, for each team of 20, would it be too complicated if they can have a deck of 30 cards, and the team captain chooses strategically to distribute the roles? But with boundaries such as 1 Flag and 1 General only etc.
I first learned this game at bob jones university at a weekend for prospective college students. There were a bunch of high schoolers and college students playing.
Point being, as long as you have equal amounts of cards the size of the group shouldn’t matter.
As far as four groups I think it could work. Just be clear on how to play. Make the first round a practice round but don’t tell them that till that round is over.
Be clear on how to play. Make each team clear with wristbands or something.
Good luck!!
Can you play with a large group of about 80 kids and divide up into four teams?
You would return all your cards to the team captain at the end of that round. Make sure your team empties their pockets that they captured from the other team. Total the points up and let the score keeper know the total points. If you captured the flag that’s 1,000 on top of the points you have from the other team. Make sure the other team gets all there cards back and vice versa.
The one who wins in a buttle against the anemy takes his card and returen it to the other team captain?
If you’re on the opposite team as your friend you don’t want them to know. You want to beat them.
how to prevent the players to told their friends about their number so they get to know what number they get
Wristbands. Yes
Woods. Yes. Just check for holes and sticks.
In the dark. I would be careful. Someone could get a face full of tree limbs. Long as it’s safe.
I think 8 is good. I played with 5 teens per team and it was all right. Really the more the better. But 8 should be competitive. Let the furs round be practice.
I don’t use name cards anymore that don’t mean anything like the marshal or colonel. Too confusing. Number cards. Assassin. General. Bomb. Bomb squad. That’s about it. If the flag is captured first the roun is over. Of the general is killed by an assassin first the round is over. Really fun.
Dear Sam, How many players should 1 team at least have? I have 8 and 1 card giver: is that enough And can you play in the woods at night to make it more challenging for adults for instance with glow in the dark wrist bands?
KR, Laura
No. You just want to kill the general or capture the flag. In the end whoever gets the most points wins after the fourth round.
Hi Sam, I'm hoping to get some claification. Are you trying to collect all the opponents cards?