Information about the game of Ultimate Lightning.

How to play U.L.

Tips & Strategies:

Rules

Rule for the complete beginner

Analogies to other games:

The Pieces

Numbering of the pieces

Where can you learn the game?

History of Stratego

History of the International Ultimate Lightning Association

How to play U.L. :

Rules and a brief introduction about the game for people who have never played "Stratego".

"Stratego" is a strategic game played between 2 players on opposing sides. Each player controls an army consisting of different ranked pieces. The basic aim of the game, is to capture your opponents flag.......thus winning the game. You can also win the game by capturing so many pieces, so the opponent cannot move at all.

The game is played on a game board consisting of 10 x 10 squares. Two zones in the middle of the board, each 2 × 2, cannot be entered by either player at any time. They are shown as lakes on the battlefield and serve as choke points to make frontal assaults less direct.

As the back of the box declares:

Your army has taken the field against your opponent’s army. Soon, a battle will rage that will decide your fate. You must plan your strategy, advance your forces, and capture the opponent’s Flag before he captures yours! The identity of your forces is hidden from your opponent until either of you attacks. Your forces range from the powerful Marshal (who can only be defeated by the enemy’s spy) to the lowly Scouts. Scouts can move rapidly to discover your opponent’s forces, and they can also disarm the deadly Bombs your opponent will likely place to protect his Flag. The Lightning Version of ULTIMATE STRATEGO® plays quickly because each of you have only 20 pieces on the board, which leads to more "wide open" play. Skilful planning, a good memory, and clever deception are key to your success. Every time you play, the battle will be different!

Tips & Strategies:

Try and save 1 or 2 scouts till near the end of the game, as they are very useful for disarming bombs.

Remember attacking without thinking is suicide. Probe an opponents strength with low ranking officers before deciding where and with which piece, to attack. Information is very important when making a strategic decision about where an opponents weakness lay.

Remember the power of the captains is quick movement. They are great for rescuing and hard to capture!

Try not to put bombs on the front row.

Remember it is a thinking game, so with careful planning you should be able to out think your opponent. No dice in this game. Chance is at a minimum if you think wisely about what strategy to use.

Analogies to other games:

In contrast to chess, Stratego is a game with incomplete information. In this respect it resembles somewhat such chess variants as Kreigspiel or Dark Chess. Collecting the information, planning, and strategic thinking play an important role in Stratego.

"Ultimate Lightning" is a cross between "Classic Stratego" and "Chess".

The original "Classic Stratego" resembles "Chess" in many ways, BUT this hybrid version of  Stratego (Ultimate Lightning) takes this game even  closer towards the "Chess" game.

After the "key" pieces are revealed......the U.L. game becomes a virtual game of chess.

The Pieces

Various different styles of pieces are available. Here are just 3 of the styles you might find while playing Stratego.

New Style Euro      Old Style Euro      American version

Numbering of the pieces

Traditionally European pieces were ranked 10= highest piece and USA pieces were ranked 1= highest piece.

But now ALL current pieces are ranked 10=highest piece.

10 = Marshall,  9 = General,  8 = Colonel,  7 = Major,  6 = Captain,

5 = Lieutenant,  4 = Sergeant,  3 = Corporal (Miner),  2 = Scout,  1 = Spy

Where can you learn the game?

You can play online at either Metaforge or Gravon. Both sites accommodate for Ultimate Lightning players and anyone wishing to try out the game would plenty of willing players willing to show you the ropes.

Other Info: