THE LONG GAME
Stratego, fixed. Six pieces. Every attack is a guess.
A chess-like 2-player abstract with hidden information. Each player has 6 pieces but they're placed face-down. You know your own pieces; you don't know your opponent's positions. Stratego suffers from the Marshal/Spy problem — The Long Game fixes it.
Every advance is a question. Every reveal is permanent. You're solving the same puzzle with shrinking information.
The Roles
Spy
Moves anywhere. Dies to anything.
Tank
Moves 1. Beats everything except Spy.
Diplomat
Cannot fight. Flips an enemy piece by occupying adjacent for 2 turns.
Sniper
Moves 2. Kills at range 2.
Mole
Looks like Tank. One-shot. Kills the attacker.
General
Must survive. Game over if killed.
How a Round Plays
Place
Each player places 6 face-down pieces on their half of the board.
Move
On your turn move 1 piece per its movement rule. No combat unless you advance into an enemy hex.
Combat
Reveal both pieces. Higher kills lower per the matrix. Mole kills its attacker.
Diplomacy
A Diplomat adjacent to an enemy piece for 2 full turns flips that piece to your side.
Win Conditions
Kill
Eliminate the General.
Hold
Control 4 of 6 center hexes for 2 turns.
Designer's Notes
Stratego suffers from "the Marshal/Spy problem" (degenerate strategies). The Long Game fixes this with the Diplomat (creates positional pressure without combat) and the Mole (every attack is risky). High skill ceiling, ~25 minute games.
Strategy
- 01Bait with the SpyPush the Spy forward — opponent must guess if it's a Spy or Tank.
- 02Diplomat the GeneralA Diplomat adjacent to a non-fleeing enemy can win without combat.
- 03Snipers control the centerPark snipers at range 2 of the center hexes early.
No Luck.
No Fog.
Only Cost.
Pass the device around the table, or open a remote room and play cross-device. Either way, every move is yours alone.