Stratego was introduced in the United States in the early 1960s. Offering strategic elements of chess on a familiar board game motif, it became a very popular game in American households during the 1960s and 70s. By 2000, no doubt caving to constant reports of how stupid American children were becoming, Hasbro changed the numbering system on the pieces, completely inverting the familiar 1-9 scale. Historically, the most powerful piece (Marshall) was marked "1" while the least powerful piece (Scout) was marked "9." More recent editions contain pieces marked in the opposite manner, with higher ranked (i.e., stronger) pieces displaying higher numbers. This decision was not met with universal applause, and in response (or perhaps it was planned all along to generate multiple streams of revenue?), Hasbro released a "Vintage" edition. So if you wish to own the same Stratego game you grew up playing, you are forced to find an older game or else purchase the more expensive Vintage edition. Another pitfall for would-be buyers is that Hasbro recently capitalized on the popular fantasy theme, releasing a version of Stratego which replaces the classic Napoleonic army with medieval themed pieces (i.e., dragon, dwarf, slayer). Confusingly, this version is NOT named Stratego--the D&D Battle or Stratego--the Fire and Ice Edition or any other moniker that might be helpful in distinguishing among them. Note also that this version also reduced the number of pieces from forty to thirty.