The tag line on the Risk box is ‘the game of strategic conquest’. It’s one of the most played and well-known mass-market war games. That’s in part due to the simplicity of the goal and the rules within. The aim is to conquer the world! This current edition by Hasbro comes with updated mini-figures and new Mission Cards.
The board is a map of the world, split into territories. These range across six continents (sorry, Antarctica, you don’t make the cut!). Players start with the same number of troops, which they place out into territories. You can attempt to invade and attack territories adjacent to ones where your troops sit. Combat gets resolved with the rolling of dice. It’s a simple attack-versus-defence mechanism!
At the start of your turn in Risk, you count how many territories you control. You’ll also get bonuses if you control every single territory in a single continent at the start of your turn. Gaining extra troops is the reward for this. Place these reinforcements in territories that you control. Now, decide which neighbouring territories you want to attack!
You can do this as much as you want – providing you have enough troops. You need to have at least one member of your army present in your territories. Careful not to spread yourself too thin! In Risk, defeat can come around as quick as victory…
Risk rewards players that favour the, erm, risk of attacking over the caution of sitting still. If you’re successful in claiming a territory on your turn, you earn a bonus card. You can save matching cards in a set collection manner, and cash them in for extra troops. Your turn ends by moving your armies to adjacent territories that you own. Do you bluff for your next attack? Or reposition to defend the inevitable backlash?
As well as taking over the world, you can deal out Mission Cards to players, each with a different win condition. No two games of Risk are ever the same! This is large in part due to the numerous betrayals and alliances that fly all over the place. Watch out for the quiet ones, we say…
