Quantum Stratego

Quantum Stratego is an adaption of the classic board game Stratego. The twist is that it uses a quantum wave function as the start position of the board rather than placing all game pieces at start.

Play Requirements

In addition to the basic game of Stratego It requires 40 pennies and 40 nickels or equivalent double-sided counters. Red player gets the pennies, blue player uses the nickels.

Rules

Place coins tails up in the 40 starting locations for playing pieces. Then each player puts the regular playing pieces in a "pool" to the side of the board. The pieces should be oriented so the opposing player cannot read the type of each unit in the pool. Play begins as if the coins were regular units, a tails up coin represents any unit, a heads up unit represents a mobile unit that is not a bomb or the flag. If a coin is moved as if it were a piece it must be flipped to heads. If a coin is moved as if it were a scout it must be replaced with a scout from the pile on the side. The replaced coin is moved to the graveyard pile. If combat occurs with a coin the player may choose any piece if it is tails up or any piece except the bomb or flag if it is heads up. Both players replace their coins with their chosen piece and combat is resolved normally. Destroyed pieces are moved to the graveyard.

If a piece is on the board, it remains as that piece and acts as if it were playing the normal game of Stratego. Players have six bombs and a flag and must reserve enough unmoved tails up coins to place all remaining bombs and the flag or forfeit the game.

Winning the Game

The game is won by capturing an opponents flag. Under normal play this occurs when the last tails-up coin is challenged.

The Quantum Part Explained

Quantum superposition in way too many words means that the state of something is unknown until you observe it. When you start the game each coin will eventually be replaced with a playing piece, but at the beginning each coin is potentially every playing piece. Every time a coin is replaced with a playing piece the quantum state collapses. A physicist might say that observing the coin as a certain piece collapses the quantum state of the system, but I'm not a physicist.

Its a game, enjoy it. Heck, it might even be educational.