How to Play Stratego on Rankfall

Two players share one device on Rankfall. Each player commands an army with hidden ranks, and the goal is to capture the other player’s flag. The board is ready as soon as you open the game. Play on Rankfall

Start Your First Game

Choose who will play Red and who will play Blue. Rankfall places an army of 40 pieces on each side, and Red takes the first turn. You can use the starting positions as they are and make a move right away.

If you want to arrange your own pieces, choose Customize setup before the first move. Red and Blue take turns arranging their armies privately. Once both sides are ready, Red moves first.

Read the Board and Select a Piece

Check the turn indicator above the board. The active player can see the numbers and symbols on their own pieces. A ? marks an opposing piece whose rank is hidden. The two lakes in the middle are impassable.

Tap one of your pieces to see its legal destinations. A dot marks an available empty square. An outline around an enemy piece marks an available attack. If no squares light up, try another piece.

What you see	What it means
A number, `B`, or `F` on your piece	Its rank or type
`?` on an opposing piece	Its identity is hidden
A dot on an empty square	You can move there
An outline around an enemy piece	You can attack it
Striped blue tiles	Lake squares

Keep the rank chart handy until you recognize the numbers. Piece ranks and symbols

Make a Move and Pass the Device

Suppose Red has a Captain on E4 and E5 is empty. Tap the Captain, then tap the dot on E5. The Captain advances one square and Red’s turn ends.

Rankfall covers the board and displays Pass to Blue. Hand the device over while the board is covered. Blue taps I’m Blue — continue to see Blue’s own pieces and take a turn. Follow the same handoff after each move.

Make Your First Attack

When an enemy square is outlined, tap it to attack. For example, a Red General (9) attacking a Blue Colonel (8) wins and takes the Colonel’s square. The status line below the board names the two pieces and where the battle happened.

You will often attack an enemy whose rank you do not know. A higher number usually wins, but Bombs and the Spy have special rules. How battles are resolved

Finish the Game and Start Again

Capturing the opposing flag ends the match immediately. You also win if your opponent starts a turn with no legal move or attack. Rankfall announces the winner and reveals the ranks of the remaining pieces.

Choose New game for a rematch. If a match is in progress, Rankfall asks you to confirm before replacing it. Refreshing the page also starts a fresh game. Read the full rules