10 Games Better Than Stratego - with Tom Vasel

[@deacondavis5098]

There MAY be better games, but STRATEGO has that flavor, that vibe which still continues to have such a classic following!!

[@LatenightLyle]

Here's an idea, how about a video series about the history of some games? I would love to know how Stratego came to be. What was the story behind it's creation? What stories/issues/revisions has there been since its inception? This is something comic book channels do all the time and I bet there are some amazing stories behind the games we love.

[@Kurufinwe_Fayanaro]

Stratego was the first game I really got into when I was younger. I played with my Dad. I still enjoy it.

[@strategotacticsandtips5636]

Stratego is better once you understand how to play it at a high level.

[@Potato_1108]

Yeah

[@TheNerestro]

There is a game, german name is "Tod dem Tyrannen" where one side plays the king and guards, the other plays civilians and assassins. The king needs to reach the castle, the assassins need to kill the king. The king player doesn't know which civilian is an assassin and may only "kill" a certain amount of civilians. The assassin player does know who is the king but gets less moves per turn in general (it is decided how many moves a side gets by the choice of a card from a deck by the king iirc). That game playes more like stratego than some of this list.

[@benclarke5914]

that sounds really cool .. do you know the English name ?

[@DavidBroiles]

Generals electronic game was awesome. You could battle without showing your rank and the sensor would go through a series of climactic beeping before showing who won.

[@ExcalibursZone]

Thanks, Tom. Mentioning Love Letter and showing an image of the Baron got me spurred to figure out who that guy resembles. It's been driving me nuts for years now and I finally have the answer! Thanks for that push, man!

[@charleslatora5750]

Watching this again because I just discovered all the Stratego variants from a few years ago. did not know how different they actually are. and I've been ignoring them foolishly or at least the Waterloo one.

[@sawderf741]

You know for the time stratego came out it still holds up today.

[@FunkyJ_Az]

I'm really liking this "Better Than" series. I'm hoping LOTR Confrontation comes back into print

[@victorgonzalez2927]

I am happy to hear that Tom likes Stratego. I love Stratego and find it to be the modern day Chess.

[@dani.meisner]

I love the introductions to these types of videos

[@besaidblitzboi3430]

The Lord of the Rings version of Stratego was super fun!

[@EfrainRiveraJunior]

I still put Stratego in my favorite games of all time.

[@markostyn6490]

I've felt like Star Wars: Rebellion has a bit of an asymmetric Stratego vibe. When first playing, you think it's about armies, but then you realize it's about movements, bluffs, and ambushes.

[@morpher728]

So its about armies.

[@pallas100]

Rommel in the Desert, or in general Block War games are also really enjoyable and have that same fog of war effect that stratego has. Look 'em up!

[@jukka-pekkatuominen4540]

I would have also included Odin's Table. I have not played Stratego though, but to me that seems like a very similar game.

[@nshaw1299]

I love this '10 games better than...' series. Do you think you can come back to it and do at least one more? '10 games better than Talisman' I get this question so many times of 'what would you recoomend instead of Talisman' when I rave on about its limitations and I would love to hear your thoughts as well... Mainly because a lot of 'better games' in the realm of 'fantasy, non co-op, fighting' are very massive and heavy compared to Talisman...

[@Ataraxy123]

I know you haven't played many block war games, but I know you've reviewed the excellent Julius Caesar. Sekigahara is the best though. Arimaa has you set up the pieces any way you like like Stratego, plus there are traps in the middle of the board that remind me of the lakes in Stratego.

[@teeeeeveeeee314]

No game will EVER EVER be better than STRATEGO!!! EVER!!!!!

[@FoolsGil]

Even other Stratego Games are better than Stratego. Waterloo for example.

[@ojeylo]

Did you check shadows in Kyoto at gencon? It looks like a perfect game for this list!!

[@JIPunisherIL]

Was waiting to see how Tom would work Can't Stop into this but alas, I was wrong!

[@natelinhart114]

Ten games better than Yahtzee!

[@jhash2625]

Waaaay late but Space Base

[@D1770-y1i]

Game of the Generals / Salpakan

[@fwoostdam]

You insult the many fun times of capturing the marshal with offering a bom diffuser

[@nyankosensei5528]

This series is great.

[@teeeeeveeeee314]

Sorry Tom...NOTHING BEATS STRATEGO!!!

[@nesterquest2538]

This 10 games better than is a great

[@GaryPopejr]

Oh snap...never heard of "Confusion". Sounds like a game I'd like to own, but I have too many 1v1 games that I need to play instead.

[@dago6410]

I feel it would be good to make videos LIKE these, but about actually games you think are good and classic. As these wereclike "you are wrong to like chess scrabble stratego etc, here are better games like that" it would be cool to do sth like "yo you love Citadels? So do I, cant wait till you check out these 5 games that you should love too in that case!". Like "5 games you will love if you love Catan" or you know, TTR, Dixit, Carcassonne, whatever, Wingspan. Or maybe im dumb and this is not a cool format

[@KabukiKid]

At what point did they flip the numbers in Stratego to be opposite of what they once were?

[@deanmuramoto4796]

KabukiKid It was in the year 2000 it changed. Have you ever played Stratego Legends?

[@KabukiKid]

Ah! Thanks, Dean. No, I haven't played Stratego Legends; I have only ever played vanilla Stratego... prior to the numbering change.

[@peperui96]

You should do a 10 better games than Rummikub!!!

[@benclarke5914]

what does he say at 4:00 ?? something like " the yarrow " ?

[@mikemalley1909]

Jarl

[@ccggenius]

Maybe don't recommend Batman Love Letter? The license expired, so it's out of print, likely indefinitely since it's licensed. Other out of print editions include Archer and LotR (and Adventure Time, now that I google it...) Right now it looks like it's just the base edition, and Lovecraft Letter, the latter of which isn't likely to have the same fate as those other ones because that stuff is all open domain now.

[@vangelis.gavalakis]

Love Letter is not even remotely relevant to Stratego.

[@LatenightLyle]

@Tom: I wonder if Tom completely forgot what list he was doing by the final 3. It’s like he was given a dare to see how far off the rails he could take the list and keep a straight face. Stratego uses a system where certain numbers have special abilities; but not every number. A game just like that is Uno! If you want a game just like Stratego only better where only you know what your pieces are, you need Rumble in the Dungeon! In Stratego, you set up your pieces on the board in a pattern you choose...an updated better version would be Cottage Garden.... ...none of these seem any less ridiculous than the number 3, 2, and especially 1 on this list.

[@juddpth]

Glad to see a nod given to Mr. Jack. It's not everyone's cup of tea, but the Stratego feel is definitely there.

[@daliafaisal3975]

Tom, What are those four games on the left of Dominion? They looks so attractive!

[@johnkennedysmith]

Looks like Descent to me.

[@daliafaisal3975]

John Smith One of them have Shark or Big Tuna picture I think

[@LookAtTheBacon]

Dalia Faisal Yup, all Descent 2.0 with expansions.

[@fwoostdam]

I won mstr Jack the last time in the fastest way possible from our shared co improvement of a logic way to use the 1% extra energy for rendering out CD/CI Pipelines with PoH concepts (wich compete to the stupid proof of work non-nonsens to create) Little tip try to minimize power, make or invest your time or value-transition-stuff in non-powered air-constructions to cool the overheated big buildings. Maybe research thorium more... just suggesting nothing is already melting in your mind except your taboos.

[@Rb-hm5mliu]

I thought you didn't like Mr jack .. :)

[@HT-ey4bb]

16 cards in love letter!!!!!

[@jamespinkston4118]

Could have included fury of dracula and last Friday, both games are similar to Whitehall.

[@boardgamefangirl]

Fury is almost OP--can't really get it anymore.

[@llyrghmnghyll]

I think Kenjin or 7 Ronin would be a better fit than a lot of those choices. Kenjin is all about selecting attacks based on what you think your opponent is up to. 7 Ronin has the same thing going on.

[@NPDGX]

Hammer of the Scotts!

[@KSweeney36]

I have never heard of this game. Does it have a different name in the UK, like Cluedo?

[@mikemalley1909]

L'attaque

[@kublakhan1747]

You can't do a ten better than Liberty or Death. There aren't any.

[@custersword7746]

I love love letter :D

[@HainishMentat]

I'm pretty sure it only has 16 cards, though....

[@lemmingrad]

Double that if you add Love Letter Premium.

[@qyu_2917]

Game of the generals

[@shaneannigans]

BATTLELORE 2ND EDITION IS AWESOME!!!!! 😊😊😊

[@kirestus]

sorry to be that guy, but in thunder and lighting one person plays as odin one as loki, i think you confused it with Hera and Zeus

[@LookAtTheBacon]

Ryan Fry Thunder and Lightning is a reimplementation of the game Hera and Zeus, so that is where he came from. Totally legit to mix that up (as it should have been Hera and Zeus again anyway!). Regards

[@Lortelars200]

herra and zues? I am pretty sure that is thor and loki :p

[@JJ-jd2uc]

Tom mixed up Hera and Zeus (the version that he owns) with Thunder and Lightning (Hera and Zeus reimplemented ). Same game different theme.

[@Lortelars200]

okie dokie did not know that there were another version of that game rethemed like that, just thought it was a silly mistake (which is still kinda is but to a lesser degree)

[@JJ-jd2uc]

Tom has played and reviewed a lot of games over the years, so you gotta forgive him when he mistakes an older version of a game with the new one. He probably has some great memories of playing Hera & Zeus.

[@philheaton1619]

2227 games are better than Stratego, according to BGG.