Stratagem is an abstract simulation of international conflict. You control a country in a specific historical period and use its resources to accomplish certain objectives. You earn Victory Points by reaching these objectives. The player with the most Victory Points at the end of the game wins. Stratagem is played in Game-turns. A Game-turn proceeds as follows: First, up to 10 minutes per turn are allocated for negotiation among the players. Then the first player receives Resource Factors (RFs) and deploys them. The number of RFs each player receives is specified in the Scenario Instructions. The player then conducts attacks against other players' RFs. This completes the player's turn. The remaining players receive RFs, deploy RFs, and then make attacks with their RFs in the sequence given in the Scenario Instructions. When all of the players have taken their turns, one Game-turn has been completed. Each game lasts for a specified number of Game-turns. The game is over after all of these have been completed. The players total their Victory Points and the winner is determined. Stratagem is based on Jim Dunnigan's Origins of World War I and Origins of World War II games. Not to be confused with: StrataGem (2004) Stratagem (2014)