Stratego: History and Miscellaneous Details

Believe it or not, Stratego is a game that has been around for many years. Although it may not have been in the same form as you see it today, it has been played nonetheless. The beginnings of the game can be traced back to a Chinese game known as Jungle. Many also refer to this game as Animal Chess, Game of the Fighting Animals, and Dou Shou Qi.

The main difference between Stratego and Jungle is that animals are used as opposed to military figures. But although the images are different, the actual point of the game is still quite similar. Another difference between the two is that the pieces are not kept hidden in Jungle, and the setup at the beginning of the game is fixed.

The game as you see it now was produced for the first time in the early 1960's, receiving a Trademark in 1960 and actually released in 1961. It was produced by Jumbo in the Netherlands, and licensed to Milton Bradley of the United States so that it could be distributed in other regions of the world. In addition to the American version that is released by Milton Bradley, Jumbo also does the same in the European market. Although the games are not entirely different, there are some differences that you would notice between the two.

Early on, pieces for the game were made out of cardboard. In the late 1940’s, wood pieces were used, but this practice stopped in the 60’s. At that time plastic pieces were introduced, and this is the way that things are today. In today’s version of the American game images are put onto stickers which are the placed on the plastic pieces. The early plastic pieces had the portraits engraved or sunken into the plastic.

Although Stratego is popular in the United States, this is actually more true in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany. In fact, championship tournaments are organized in these countries on a regular basis.

As you can see, the game of Stratego has been around for quite some time. Although changes have been made over the years, the original meaning of the game is the same today as it was many years ago.