Risk -- A Hasbro game of world domination
Written: Jan 15 '05
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Pros: great for elaborate strategies, easy to learn, very fun to play
Cons: slow players can make game take forever
The Bottom Line: Risk is a great game of strategy that every family should own.
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| three_ster's Full Review: Hasbro Risk Board Game |
Risk is a board game that has been out for some years. Its main goal is to conquer the world, on a map that has been broken up into 42 territories, on 6 different continents. In order to do that, you place your armies, build them up, and declare war on neighboring territories. You then battle with your opponent using the armies that you have on those two territories. The winner claims the territory, and the loser takes his pieces off of it. When one person has destroyed every other army on the board, then they are declared the winner. It boils down to those few explanatory steps, but in order to get there, we have the many nuances of the game.
Setting up our Board
Each player is assigned a number of "armies" that they place based on the number of players in the game. 3 players = 35 armies each, 4 players = 30 armies, 5 players = 25 armies, and six players = 20 armies. Those armies are depicted by 3 different game pieces that you place on the board: cannon, cavalry (horsemen) and the infantry. The infantry count as 1 army, as if they are one soldier, the cavalry counts for 5 armies, and the artillery represents 10 of them. All players take a turn rolling the dice, and play is determined by the highest roll. That player places 1 army first on the country of their choice. The next player then does the same, and this continues until all of the territories have an army on them. A variation on this is to just deal out the cards, and have everyone place their armies on the corresponding territories.
The Risk cards add another dimension to the game as well. These you can attain on each turn that you take a territory. On the cards are pictures of cannons, cavalry (horsemen) and the infantry. When a player gets a combination of 3 cards with the same symbol or three different symbols on them, they can then be turned for armies. The number of armies that the player attains is based on the number of times cards already have been turned in. For example, the first person to turn in cards gets 4 armies, and then the next person gets more armies, and the increase incrementally throughout the game. This is kept track of on the bottom of the Risk board as people turn in their cards. It thus becomes a good strategy to attain the risk cards in order to help your army grow. The bonus is that if you turn in a card that has your territory on it, you are awarded 2 additional "armies" to be placed on that territory.
The Start of Play
Player 1 starts by receiving a number of armies based on the territories possessed. You are awarded an "army" for every 3 countries you control, plus you receive a certain amount for each continent you control: Asia = 7, America = 5, Europe = 5, Africa = 3, South America = 2 and Australia = 2. Player 1 then places the additional armies where he chooses, and the attacking phase of the turn begins. Under this, the player can choose any territory that is bordering one of theirs, and declare that they are attacking it. Using as many dice as attacking armies, you attack by rolling the dice. Both players role the dice at the same time, and then remove fallen armies based on what the dice say. The player can continue to attack for as long as they wish, or until armies are exhausted on either side. The attacks are based on what the dice say, and the higher number wins the head to head battle. If there is a tie, it goes to the defender. An army is removed after each "battle", and the player then decides to attack again or move on.
Following the battles, when the player has finished doing everything, they then have a placement stage, where they can move as many armies as they want from one territory to an adjacent territory. This can be used as a defensive play, or as a way to show a stronger force offensively. If a territory has been claimed, they get a card at the end of their turn, and we continue around while everyone gets a turn, before it comes back to player 1. In that time, a lot on the board can change, which makes it so exciting if a lot of people are playing the game at the same time.
The challenge of the game
Risk is a game that involves a lot of strategy that you can only learn through playing the game a lot. You learn which territories are the best to attain, which continents you want to have, and when you should attack or play defense. It teaches a lot about waiting out your opponent, or knowing right when the best moment to strike is. Being such a wide open game, they are many different ways that people can play the game, and it remains interesting for a long time. It is basically a very simple game to learn, but some people tend to take long time thinking through a play, and that can add to the overall time of a game. This game is extremely fun to play, and I highly recommend it for all ages and families. The only thing to watch out for are that it comes with a lot of small pieces. That being said, this game is a must have in any family’s collection.
Contents of Box
Risk Gameboard
Deck of 72 Risk Cards
6 Sets of Military Miniatures: With Infantry, Calvary, Artillery, and Golden Calvary
5 Dice
Instructions
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 24.99
Type of Toy: Game
Age Range of Child: Whole Family
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