The Risk (game) reference article from the English Wikipedia on 24-Apr-2004
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Risk (game)

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Risk is a copyrighted board game produced by Parker Brothers, a division of Hasbro. It shares many characteristics with wargames.

As wargames go, Risk is quite simplistic. It makes little attempt to accurately simulate military strategy. But it does convey a vivid sense of how large the world is, of how expensive the logistics of long campaignss 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.

Table of contents
1 Overview
2 Risk strategy
3 Alternate versions
4 External links

Overview

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.

It is possible to win by controlling all 42 territories on the board (and so eliminating all other players). However, this results in a very long game, with a drawn out and predictable end game. Therefore, 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 game of Risk lasts two to four hours.

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.

Risk strategy

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 an number of extra armies, which is dependent upon the continent.

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

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. Though if more than one player attempts to follow this strategy it can lead to a mutually destructive bloodbath.

Good strategies should also take into account the other players's psychology. In fact, you cannot win the game if all the other players attack you from the beginning of the game. This means you cannot win a game of risk by the sole mean of reasoning. An common example of a psycho-strategy is to keep a low profile until you are ready to make the ultimate attack. Having a low profile will prevent other players from attacking you.

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

Alternate versions

External links