Risk (board game)

Risk is a commercial board game produced by Parker Brothers, a division of Hasbro. It shares many characteristics with wargames, yet relative to other wargames, Risk is simple and abstract.
It makes little attempt to accurately simulate military strategy. It does, however, convey a vivid sense of how large the world is, of how expensive the logistics of long campaigns can be, and of how good or bad luck can turn the tide at crucial moments of a close-fought military campaign. It conveys the psychology which leads nations to invest so heavily in armies to protect against their rivals.

Overview and most common rules

Risk is a turn-based game for 2 to 6 players. It is played on a board depicting a stylised political map of the world, divided into 42 territories, which are grouped into 6 continents. To start, each player rolls one die. The player who rolls the highest number plays first and the sequence goes clockwise. Each player in turn places one unit of "army" on the territory to claim land until all armies are placed.

The game is played by allocating armies to the territories that you control, and then attacking neighbouring territories in order to conquer them. The outcome of battles is decided by rolling dice. A player is eliminated if they lose all of their territories.

Each player receives reinforcement armies at the beginning of their turn - the number of reinforcements depends on the number of territories controlled, with bonuses for controlling all territories in a continent (see table below). A large part of the strategic skill of the game lies in deciding how to deploy these reinforcements.

While it is possible to win by controlling all 42 territories on the board (in so doing eliminating all other players), this results in a very long game, with a drawn out and predictable end game. Some versions of the rules specify a lower winning target (typically 24 territories), or allocate a random, secret, "mission" to each player at the beginning of the game. Possible missions include gaining control of all territories in two or three specified continents, or eliminating another specified player; the first player to achieve their mission wins the game. With missions, a typical boardgame of Risk lasts two to four hours, but in the competition Internet versions there are time differences for many different combinations of the rules.

Since playing Risk with fewer than three players isn't always as engaging as games with more players, some versions of the rules recommend having some territories occupied by "neutral" armies to give the same strategic value and fun factor as an actual three-way game.

Rules and differences

Risk was designed by Albert Lamorisse (a French film maker) and released in France in 1957. From the pre-1959 version, Parker Brothers and Hasbro have included many different rules for the game. There are many computer and Internet versions which have different rules, and hundreds of Risk clubs which also have their own "club rules" or competition-adjusted rules. It is very difficult to line up all different rules and combinations, and about every rule or goal is different or not used from place to place.

Risk strategy for the basic Board game with common rules

Continent	# of Extra Armies
Africa	3
Australia	2
Asia	7
Europe	5
North America	5
South America	2

The strategy of Risk is to have the most number of armies in the place where they will do the most good. One of the easiest ways to gain armies is to hold continents. If you hold an entire continent for an entire turn, you receive a number of extra armies, which is dependent upon the continent (see the table to the right).

A common strategy is to secure Australia or South America early in the game and sit back and build up armies, letting the other players kill each other off. Then, when the others are at the weakest, strike. If more than one player attempts to follow this strategy it can lead to a mutually destructive bloodbath.

Another rule of thumb is to never try to take Asia early in the game; it's the largest continent and the least defensible, and trying to hold it would leave the player open on too many fronts.

Politics and alliances

Whenever there are more than 2 players remaining in the game, alliances will be an important, perhaps the most important part of Risk strategy. There are no rules restricting the formation or break-up of alliances. A good Risk player will use diplomacy to arrange alliances to take down stronger opponents and will similarly attempt to use diplomacy to avoid alliances being made against him/herself.

The importance of this should not be underestimated. This "meta-game" is perhaps the single most important factor determining the outcome of Risk games amongst players who have already grasped basic Risk tactics and strategy.

Many good examples of powerful strategies can be found in the external links section.

Alternate versions

• Risk 2210: a futuristic version of Risk. It is produced by Avalon Hill, another division of Hasbro.
• Castle Risk can be found on the reverse side of the board of a particular edition of the game. It focuses on Europe only, and each player's goal is to protect their castle from attack.
• Risk: Lord of the Rings Trilogy Edition: a version of Risk with entities inspired by the hit movie series. Instead of the world, the game board consists of Middle-earth.