Stratego: Transformers Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Contents
• Object
• The First Time You Play
• Setup
• The Two Games
• Game 1: STRATEGO TRANSFORMERS
  • On Your Turn
  • Rules for Movement
  • Rules for Attack
  • Captured Pieces
  • Special Attack/Defense Rules
  • Strategy Hints
• How to Win
• Game 2: STRATEGO TRANSFORMERS with Special Powers
  • Guidelines for Using Special Powers
  • Changing Modes
  • Guidelines for Changing Modes
• Special Powers Reference Sheet
  • AUTOBOTS Special Powers Reference Sheet
  • DECEPTICONS Special Powers Reference Sheet
• Storing Your Game

Contents

• Gameboard
• 30 Red Pieces
• 30 Gray Pieces
• Display Tray
• Label Sheet
• Special Powers Reference Sheet

Object

Capture your opponent's Flag before he/she captures yours.

The First Time You Play

Remove the game parts from their wrappings, and discard the wrappings.

Apply a label to each piece as follows: apply the AUTOBOT labels (OPTIMUS PRIME, etc.) to the red pieces, apply the DECEPTICON labels (MEGATRON, etc.) to the gray pieces. See Figure 1.

(Figure 1 shows a label being applied to a game piece.)

Setup

1. The red pieces represent the AUTOBOTS, and the gray pieces represent the DECEPTICONS. Hide a red piece in one hand and a gray piece in the other. Your opponent chooses a hand and takes the color army of the piece in that hand. The other army is yours.

2. Place the gameboard on a level surface between you and your opponent, with the STRATEGO TRANSFORMERS logo facing each of you. Make sure the pictures on the end of the gameboard match the pieces in your army. Note: You only use the Special Power references if you are playing Game 2.

3. Place each of your pieces on a gameboard square in the first three rows in front of you (see Figure 2). Make sure the labeled side faces you, and is hidden from your opponent. Your opponent sets up his/her pieces the same way.

(Figure 2 shows the gameboard with the DECEPTICONS and AUTOBOTS sides and the Forbidden Zone.)

After you've played a few times, you'll start to develop your own strategy. For now, take a look at the rules for moving and attacking, and read the STRATEGY HINTS on page 6. They'll help guide your decisions.

The Two Games

Stratego TRANSFORMERS Edition features many of the characters from the TRANSFORMERS Motion Picture in a classic battle between good and evil. There are two ways to play:

1. STRATEGO TRANSFORMERS: This game uses the same rules as the classic game of STRATEGO.

2. STRATEGO TRANSFORMERS with Special Powers: This is the same game, but with additional powers granted to certain pieces.

Game 1: STRATEGO TRANSFORMERS

On Your Turn

You and your opponent alternate turns. The player controlling the DECEPTICONS goes first.

On each of your turns, you must do one of the following:

• Move one of your pieces; or
• Attack one of your opponent's pieces.

In a case when you cannot move or attack, the game is over and your opponent wins.

Rules for Movement

The only pieces that cannot move are your Flag and your Liquid Nitrogen Traps. Move your other pieces according to the rules below.

(The illustration shows the Flag piece and the Liquid Nitrogen Trap piece.)

• Move only one piece on a turn.
• Move your pieces one square at a time to an open adjacent square (a square next to it). Pieces can move forward, backward or sideways, but not diagonally. Exception: See Scout Movement, below.
• You cannot jump over other pieces, or move a piece onto an occupied square (unless attacking; see Rules for Attack on page 4).
• You cannot jump over or move onto the Forbidden Zone spaces (see Figure 2).
• You cannot move a piece back and forth, between the same two squares on three consecutive turns.

Scout Movement – Scouts (pieces ranked 2) have special movement rules. Scouts can move any number of open squares forward, backward, or sideways in one direction. They cannot move diagonally, nor can they pass over or move onto the Forbidden Zone squares. Before moving a Scout more than one square, you must first reveal it to your opponent. (You may wish to move a Scout only one square at a time, to deceive your opponent.)

Rules for Attack

The only pieces that cannot attack are your Flag and your Liquid Nitrogen Traps. Attack rules are as follows:

1. Attack Position: When a red and gray piece occupy adjacent squares (back-to-back, side-to-side, or face-to-face), they are in Attack Position (see Figure 3).

2. How to Attack: Take your attacking piece and lightly tap your opponent's piece. Reveal your attacking piece; your opponent then reveals his/her defending piece. The piece with the lower rank is captured and removed from the gameboard. If the pieces are of equal rank, both are captured and removed from the gameboard. (See Captured Pieces, below.) Note: Pieces not ranked by number have special rules; see Spies and Liquid Nitrogen Traps, on page 5.

3. If the attacking piece wins, it moves onto the square formerly occupied by the defending piece.

4. If the defending piece wins, it stays on its square.

5. Attacking is always optional.

(Figure 3 shows a grid of squares around a piece, marked "Not in range" and "In range", to show which squares a piece can attack.)

Captured Pieces

Any piece that is captured is immediately removed from the gameboard. Players can either place the captured pieces near the gameboard, or they can fit them into the notches provided in the cardboard display tray (shown in the Storing Your Game section on page 8). Before the game begins, both players should agree on how captured pieces will be treated. The options are as follows:

• Open Play: New players may want to place all captured pieces where both players can see them. This will help you keep track of which pieces are still in play.
• Prisoner Play: The player who captures a piece takes it and keeps it secret from the other player.
• Secret Play: The player whose piece was captured takes it and keeps it secret from the capturing player.
• Stealth Play: ALL captured pieces are kept facedown, hidden from BOTH players. This forces both players to keep track of all captured pieces.

Special Attack/Defense Rules

Some pieces have special attack or defense rules. Using these pieces strategically can mean the difference between victory and defeat!

Spies: The pieces ranked S are the spies (AllSpark and FRENZY). A Spy has no defensive power, so it is captured by any piece that attacks it. Likewise, it is captured by any piece that it attacks, with a few exceptions:

1. A Spy may capture a 10-ranked piece! For example, if AllSpark attacks MEGATRON, AllSpark captures him (a huge loss for the gray army).

2. A Spy may capture a Flag.

3. A Spy may capture another Spy. Keep in mind that if you attack your opponent's Spy with your Spy, both pieces are removed from play.

Liquid Nitrogen Traps: If a Liquid Nitrogen Trap is attacked, the attacking piece is captured. Exception: see Sector Seven Agents Attack Privilege, below.

Sector Seven Agents Attack Privilege: Sector Seven Agents (pieces ranked 3) are the only pieces that can disable a Liquid Nitrogen Trap. When a Sector Seven Agent attacks a Liquid Nitrogen Trap, the Liquid Nitrogen Trap is disabled and removed from play. The attacking piece then moves onto the square that was occupied by the Liquid Nitrogen Trap.

Scout Attack Privilege: This privilege applies only to Scouts (pieces ranked 2). They can move any number of open squares forward, backward, or sideways. A Scout using this special movement may end its move on a square occupied by an opponent's piece, thereby attacking it.

Strategy Hints

Flag/Liquid Nitrogen Trap placement: When setting up your pieces, place your Flag somewhere in the back row, and place Liquid Nitrogen Traps around it for protection. Another strategy is to place Liquid Nitrogen Traps in the back corners as decoys, and hide your Flag in the middle of the back row with a high-ranking piece near it, for protection. Important: It is not usually a good idea to place Liquid Nitrogen Traps in the front row, or in any other place where they can block your pieces.

Protect your Sector Seven Agents: If your opponent's Flag is surrounded by Liquid Nitrogen Traps, you'll need a Sector Seven Agent to open up a pathway.

Scouts: Place some of your Scouts (pieces ranked 2) in the first two rows, and use them to reveal enemy pieces that are moving towards you. Keep some Scouts safe, then use them later in the game to capture your opponent's Flag.

High-ranking Pieces: Place some high-ranking pieces in the front row, to capture Scouts and other low-ranking pieces.

Do not move your highest-ranking pieces into unknown enemy territory. You don't want to lose them to Liquid Nitrogen Traps.

If you know that you own the highest-ranking piece on the board, you also know that you can capture any piece that moves! Try to keep track of which pieces move during the game, and be wary of those that don't: those pieces are probably Liquid Nitrogen Traps and the Flag.

Spy Strategy: Try to keep your Spy (AllSpark or FRENZY) near your 9-ranked piece. If the enemy's 10-ranked piece is nearby, you might be able to lure it over to capture your 9-ranked piece, then attack with your Spy to capture it!

How to Win

The first player to capture his/her opponent's Flag wins the game. If all of your movable pieces have been captured and you cannot move or attack on your turn, you must surrender and declare your opponent the winner.

Game 2: STRATEGO TRANSFORMERS with Special Powers

This game plays similar to Classic STRATEGO with a few added twists. Some pieces now have Special Powers, and in some cases, two Special Powers, which add a whole new level of strategy to the game.

The characters with their Special Powers are shown on each end of the gameboard near the logo. If a piece has two powers listed, the first is its ability in Vehicle Mode; the second is its ability in Robot Mode.

Guidelines for Using Special Powers

• Pieces with Special Powers may either make a standard move/attack, or use their Special Powers.
• Always reveal a piece to your opponent before using its Special Power.

Changing Modes

The AUTOBOT and DECEPTICON pieces, in the upright position, are "under cover" in Vehicle Mode. During the game you may choose to change your piece to its Robot Mode. To do this, lay the piece down, faceup, on the board revealing its identity. You can't hide when you are a giant robot! IMPORTANT: Only pieces with two Special Powers have the ability to change modes.

Guidelines for Changing Modes

The game begins with all of the pieces in the upright position (Vehicle Mode), with the labels hidden from your opponent.

You can change a piece's mode at the beginning of your turn. You CANNOT change back at the end of your turn.

After changing modes, the piece can make a normal move/attack OR use its current mode's Special Power. REMEMBER: If a piece has two powers listed, the first is its ability in Vehicle Mode; the second is its ability in Robot Mode.

For a complete description of the Special Powers, refer to the separate Special Powers Reference Sheet. To help you remember what your pieces' Special Powers are, cut the reference sheet in half along the dotted lines. Each player takes their appropriate side and refers to the sheet during gameplay.

Special Powers Reference Sheet

The printed sheet is in two halves, one for the AUTOBOTS and one for the DECEPTICONS. The powers they share are written out under each side. Copyright lines on the sheet are omitted.

AUTOBOTS Special Powers Reference Sheet

Detect Enemy – Identify an Opposing Piece. A player may use Detect Enemy to identify other pieces. To use Detect Enemy, you must first reveal the piece with this power. You may then command an opposing piece up to two squares away (horizontally, vertically, diagonally, or any combination) to reveal its identity.

Speed – Move Two Squares Instead of One. While driving in "vehicle mode" or running in "robot mode," many AUTOBOTS and DECEPTICONS can move at impressive speeds. Speed allows these pieces to move two squares vertically, horizontally, or any combination (except diagonally). If the first square on which the piece lands is occupied by an opponent's piece (causing an attack), it forfeits its second move. It may not jump over pieces or pass over Forbidden Zone squares. It may end its move on a square occupied by an opponent's piece, thereby attacking it.

Robot Rumble – Attack Up to Three Pieces at Once. Using advanced robotic weapons and technology, some AUTOBOTS and DECEPTICONS can engage in an attack with up to three adjacent opposing pieces simultaneously. To use Robot Rumble, move your piece one square onto an unoccupied square and reveal its identity. The attacking player then selects up to three adjacent opposing pieces to attack simultaneously. This can include pieces that are diagonally adjacent! To resolve a Robot Rumble, the ranks of the three adjacent pieces are revealed. Any attacked pieces that are ranked lower than the attacking piece are defeated and removed from the gameboard. If an attacked piece is of equal rank, both the attacker and the attacked piece are destroyed and removed from the gameboard. If any of the attacked pieces are ranked higher than the attacking piece, the attacking piece loses and is removed from play. NOTE: The Flag is not vulnerable to a Robot Rumble attack.

Distance Strike – Attack a Piece Up to Two Spaces Away. Using advanced robotic technology, some of the AUTOBOTS and DECEPTICONS can attack an enemy piece without moving onto the piece's square. Distance Strike pieces may command any one opposing piece up to two squares away (in a straight line vertically, horizontally or diagonally) to reveal itself. If the revealed piece is of a lower rank, it is destroyed and removed from the gameboard. If it is of equal or greater rank, nothing happens. NOTE: Pieces with Distance Strike CANNOT shoot THROUGH or AROUND the Forbidden Zone or other pieces. The attack must be made without any obstacles between the attacker and the target, as shown on the sheet. You cannot use Distance Strike to attack around obstacles.

(The sheet shows a grid of squares around a Distance Strike piece, marked "Not in range" and "In range".)

Magnet – Move a Piece to You. A piece with Magnet can use this power to pull an enemy piece up to two squares away (vertically or horizontally, but not diagonally) to its square, thereby attacking it. If the opposing piece is of a lower rank, it is destroyed. If the opposing piece is of an equal rank, then both pieces are destroyed. If the opposing piece is of a higher rank (or if it is a Liquid Nitrogen Trap), then the attacking piece is destroyed and the piece that was drawn over, moves onto its square on the gameboard. NOTE: The flag is immune to Magnet.

Sneak Attack – Move Over/Under Multiple Other Pieces. By tunneling, flying, or leaping, some pieces have the ability to move over or under other forces, and suddenly appear in the middle of a hectic battlefield. To use this special power, first reveal the identity of your piece, then move the piece over any number of adjacent pieces or the Forbidden Zones, landing on the first empty square. This must be done in a straight line horizontally or vertically (not diagonally).

Once the piece has landed on an empty square, it may then immediately go on to attack an adjacent opposing piece.

Call BUMBLEBEE – Move Bumblebee to Sam. Due to their close friendship, Sam can call for BUMBLEBEE and (if there is an unoccupied square adjacent to Sam – horizontally, vertically or diagonally) BUMBLEBEE will immediately come to his side. If Sam calls BUMBLEBEE, first reveal the BUMBLEBEE piece, then move it to a square adjacent to Sam. BUMBLEBEE will not be able to attack until your next turn, if you choose.

DECEPTICONS Special Powers Reference Sheet

The DECEPTICONS sheet lists the same powers as the AUTOBOTS sheet: Detect Enemy, Speed, Robot Rumble, Distance Strike, Magnet and Sneak Attack, with the same text as written above, except for the Speed power. On the DECEPTICONS sheet, the Speed text reads: "Speed – Move Two Squares Instead of One. While driving in 'vehicle mode' or running in 'robot mode,' many AUTOBOTS and DECEPTICONS can move at impressive speeds. Quickness allows these pieces to move two squares vertically, horizontally, or any combination (except diagonally)." The rest of its Speed text matches the AUTOBOTS sheet. The DECEPTICONS sheet has no Call BUMBLEBEE power.

Storing Your Game

Done playing for now? For easy storage, fold the gameboard and place it (and these rules) under the cardboard platform. Then fit each piece into a notch in the platform, as shown in Figure 4.

(Figure 4 shows game pieces being fitted into the notches of the cardboard platform.)