Beginner: Bluffing

Bluffing is a very useful tactic in Stratego. There are many different ways you can bluff.

Bomb/Flag Bluffing
For bluffing the location of your flag with bombs, see bombs, subsection Decoy strategies.

You can also bluff that non-bomb pieces are bombs, as to make your opponent waste their miners, or just not attack them with a higher-ranking piece.

This can be done by simply not moving them, especially if they are already conveniently placed so that your opponent may think that they are bombs anyway, such as in the corner, as shown below, where the yellow-tinted square represents an opponent's piece.

Spy Bluffing
Spy bluffing could refer to bluffing with the spy, or bluffing a spy.

Bluffing with the spy
You may think that it would be too risky to bluff with the spy, but it is actually a very useful piece for bluffing with.

If you send the spy up to a known high-ranking piece such as a colonel or major, it may cause your opponent to send their marshal, in which case you can capture them, but this is quite risky, as they may attack with a scout. You can also send a piece diagonal to the opponent's marshal, then move your spy up to their marshal as to make them think that the other piece is the spy, and you are trying to lure them into a trap, which may cause them not to move, in which case you can capture them with your spy. This works best if the other piece is either a piece that you want to get past the marshal, or your marshal, in case they attack your spy. Also, if your opponent's marshal has already been defeated, you have practically nothing to lose by bluffing with the spy, as it can only defeat your opponent's spy, or their flag.

Bluffing a spy
Bluffing a spy can be a very useful tactic for stalling as your opponent sends other pieces in to capture it.

Bluffing a spy can be done simply by keeping any piece adjacent to a known high-ranking piece, usually a general, or sometimes a colonel, and protecting this piece from any other piece, even if it can beat the other piece. You can also just move several pieces around randomly if you know the location of your opponent's marshal (including or not including your spy), as to confuse your opponent as to where to attack.

Marshal Bluffing
Marshal bluffing could refer to bluffing with the marshal, or bluffing a marshal.

Bluffing with the marshal
Bluffing with the marshal can be a useful tactic to get higher-ranking pieces to attack the marshal if it has not been revealed yet.

You can bluff that the marshal is a lower ranking piece by going after a lieutenant or a sergeant, as your opponent may think that it would be a major, captain, or lieutenant, and send a higher-ranking piece.

Bluffing a marshal
Bluffing a marshal can be a useful tactic for getting your opponent to reveal a possible location of their spy, or just to keep away other pieces.

Bluffing a marshal is quite easy if you know the location of your opponent's general. All you have to do is send any piece up to their general, but pretend to be cautious if there are other pieces near it. Your opponent's general will most likely retreat as to not risk being captured, also possibly revealing a likely location of their spy.

Miner Bluffing
Miner bluffing could refer to bluffing with a miner, or bluffing a miner.

Bluffing with a miner
Bluffing with a miner can be a useful trick for getting to where a bomb is (or where you think one might be) without sending in higher ranking pieces in to clear out other movable pieces.

All you have to do is send the miner after any moveable piece in the way, and your opponent will probably assume that it is a high ranking piece, and move out, or maybe even reveal their marshal, which is good anyway.

bluffing a miner
Bluffing a miner is a useful tactic later in the game, when you think you might know where your opponent's flag is, but it might be behind bombs, and you only have one or two miners left.

You can use a high-ranking piece to bluff a miner to try to get other pieces to attack you, or you could just send multiple pieces, one or multiple of them miners, so that your opponent will not know where to attack.

Other bluffing
There are many other ways in which you can bluff in Stratego, and in general, you can bluff that higher-ranked pieces are lower-ranked to try to get other pieces to attack you (Although this can sometimes be risky), or bluff that lower-ranked pieces are higher-ranked to keep other pieces away or get your opponent to reveal a high-ranking piece.