Stratego: Legends
A Stratego variant set in a mythical world of good versus evil.
Stratego: Legends is a strategy board game from Avalon Hill, released in 1999. It takes place in a fictional realm called the Shattered Lands, where one player commands the forces of good (with beige-backed pieces) and the other leads the forces of evil (with gray-backed pieces). The gameplay shares similarities with the original Stratego and also has some resemblance to chess. Avalon Hill stopped producing the game in 2004.
The game’s backstory describes an ancient alliance between the Valorians and the Ancients, who used their powers for good, and a rival alliance between the Manes and the Gargans, who used theirs for evil. These groups fought for decades until a mythical race called the Celestia used magic to create a barrier known as the Divide. This barrier separated the lands of good and evil and could not be crossed by any means. The wars stopped, and the Celestia vowed to return and fight anyone who destroyed the Divide. They then vanished. Later, the Gargans and Manes discovered the Qa’ans, an underground race with new magic. The Qa’ans agreed to destroy the Divide and join the forces of evil in exchange for a share of conquered land. When the Divide fell, the Valorians and Ancients prepared for war, and the Celestia returned as promised. They allied with the forces of good against the Qa’ans. With both sides having new allies, the wars resumed, and the battles of the game represent these conflicts.
The objective is to destroy the opponent’s castle, similar to capturing a flag in the original game. A player wins when the opponent cannot move any pieces. The mechanics are close to the original Stratego: players take turns, and when a piece moves into an occupied space, a battle occurs. The piece with the higher number wins; ties remove both pieces. Magic pieces function like Bombs from the original—when attacked, they are destroyed and trigger a magical effect. Higher numbers are stronger, as in Stratego editions from 2000 onward. A standard army consists of one piece with strength 10, one with 9, three with 8, three with 7, three with 6, three with 5, three with 4, three with 3, three with 2, one with 1 (which, like the Spy, can only destroy 10s and sometimes 9s), five Magic pieces, and one Castle.
Several changes distinguish Legends from the original Stratego. In the original, a piece moves whether or not it attacks; in Legends, only the attacke
- released
- 1999
- discontinued
- 2004
- publisher
- Avalon Hill
- setting
- The Shattered Lands
- teams
- Forces of Good (beige-back) vs. Forces of Evil (gray-back)
- armies
- Six armies: Valorians, Ancients, Celestia (good); Gargans, Manes, Qa'ans (evil)
Lore & Background
The backstory of Legends describes an alliance between the Valorians and the Ancients for good, and the Manes and Gargans for evil. Constant war raged until the Celestia created a magical barrier called The Divide, which isolated the forces of good from evil. The Celestia swore to fight anyone who brought down The Divide, then vanished. Eventually, the Gargans and Manes discovered the Qa'ans, a race dwelling deep underground with new magic. The Qa'ans promised to destroy The Divide in exchange for conquered land, and the forces of evil accepted. When The Divide fell, the Celestia returned, allied with the forces of good against the Qa'ans, and the wars resumed.
Reader's Guide
Stratego: Legends is significant as a thematic expansion of the classic Stratego formula, introducing a fantasy setting with six distinct armies, each with unique lore and piece types. The game retains the core combat mechanics of Stratego—higher-numbered pieces defeat lower ones, ties remove both—but adds Magic pieces that activate abilities when destroyed, and terrain that affects piece strength. Unlike the original, all pieces have special powers (Innate, Action, Ability, or Death Curses), and armies are set up randomly to prevent invincible configurations. The game was discontinued in 2004, but its detailed backstory and faction system have made it a notable entry among Stratego variants. Its legacy includes an expansion pack, Celestia Vengeance, and another, Qa'ans Resurgence, which expanded the lore of the Celestia and Qa'ans respectively.
Did You Know?
- The game was discontinued by Avalon Hill in 2004.
- The Celestia created a magical barrier called The Divide that could not be flown over, dug under, gone around, or forced through.
- In Legends, only the attacker moves after a successful attack, unlike the original Stratego where a piece moves whether or not it attacked.
- The Qa'ans are made up of giant Insectoid-like beasts, living Molds, monstrous Worms, and Mutant beings.
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