Risk
by Hasbro Games
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Toys and Games Reviews of Risk
Customer Review: Risked Renewed
Summary: 5 Stars
I used to hate Risk. A couple of my friends back in high school tried to get me to play a few times and I absolutely hated it. Seriously... playing with little tiny men, cannons, and horses; rolling dice to take over the world? NO thanks! But a funny thing happened. Fast forward 20 years and someone breaks out Risk at a small gathering. Begrudgingly I accept the offer to play, and wonder of wonders, I had a great time! After that night, a small group of Risk fans began to gather once a week to play Risk together. During one of our sessions, we discovered some rule variations in the back of the instruction manual, things like "Commander Roll" and "Capital Conquest" mode. We incorporated these rules and a few others and Risk only got better!
We were all quite excited when we recently saw a commercial on TV for a new version of Risk. It had a fresh new look to it and had new rules for playing that promised to speed up the game. So I bought it. Some of the new rules are the same as the rule variations from original Risk. The new guide book doesn't mention anything about "Commander Roll" but it does have new objectives and a very unique reward system that compliments the objectives. Rewards range from an extra attack dice, extra defense dice, an airfield, a guaranteed country card at the end of your turn, extra strategic maneuver at the end of your turn, and my personal favorite, an extra strategic maneuver at the START of your turn (can you say surprise attack!?).
Visually, the new game board is dramatic. Everything is a little darker but very bold. Gone are the soothing blue oceans and seas. They're now blood red with subtle stripes radiating from the bottom corner. Most of the countries have remained the same but a few names have changed. There also appears to be a few extra land bridges connecting some territories, which is helpful (unless you reside in that territory!). The playing pieces have changed. Gone are the diminutive soldiers, cannons, and horses. They are replaced with simple flat arrows, a short one indicating one troop and a longer one with three stripes on it indicating, that's right- three troops. They're roughly the same color as earlier versions of Risk but they are a lot harder to pluck up off the board during skirmishes and I don't think there's enough of a difference between the two arrows. This new version of Risk also has cities that are randomly placed about the board at the start of the game. If you control a territory with a city in it, you get to add a "+1" to your territory count before you divide by 3 to see how many troops you draft at the start of your turn.
Another change I really like is the country cards you receive at the end of your turn (if you defeated a neighboring territory). They no longer have soldiers, horses, or cannons on them. Instead they have either one or two stars. When you have at least two stars you can turn them in for troops. You can also collect as many cards as you want and turn in a larger number of stars for exponentially more troops. (2-stars=2 troops, 3-stars=4 troops, 4-stars=7 troops, etc).
There's a few other minor differences, but overall we all loved the new and improved Risk. I can't say that the game went any faster. It still took 4 of us over 2 hours to finish a game. Granted it was our first time playing this version and it will probably go faster next time. I think that next time we'll add some of our older rules to the mix which will help speed things up. Here's one of our favorites--the Country Card Re-Roll: when you receive a country card for winning a territory, if you later attack the country on the back of one of your country cards, you are allowed to re-roll one of your attack dice on each roll. It doesn't work when defending, but it can really help you overcome the defender advantage. And in case you don't have original Risk and have never heard of the Commander Roll, you must try it at least once! Once PER TURN (not per attack) you are allowed to change one of your attack dice to a six. This is kinda symbolic of your commander being present at that particular battle and helping deliver a more decisive defeat. It's great when you just wanna pop over to a neighboring continent and take one of your opponent's territory so they don't get the continent bonus at the beginning of their turn!
For more info on this new version of Risk, be sure to click on the "Watch it in action" link at the top of this page to see a great Flash overview.
UPDATE: Having played this new version of Risk many times since I wrote this review, I have to say I'm still a big fan! The game does go a lot faster (especially using our rule variations described above) and it's a lot more fun. Still don't like the little arrow pieces presenting soldiers. We still pull out an old version of Risk and use the soldiers, horses, and cannons from it. Parker Brothers: please change the army pieces!
Customer Review: Some good rule changes, many bad ones
Summary: 3 Stars
This review is mainly for fans of the original game who are wondering what the rule changes are. If you've never played Risk before, by all means go ahead and buy this version, it's certainly not a bad game.
Firstly, I feel a little cheated that this was never labeled as a Risk variant. I ended up calling it "Four-Star Risk" to my friends due to the box design even though that's not its official title. I would have preferred "Risk: Revised Edition" a la "Axis and Allies: Revised Ed"
The map is the same with the exception of minor changes (ie Ukraine is now Russia, and Eastern Africa and the Middle East are definitely connected now). The general mechanics are the same as well: attacker rolls three dice, defender rolls two, defender wins in a tie.
Anyway, the rule changes:
The Good:
Cities: Some territories now have cities, which essentially make the terroritory worth 2 instead of 1 when you count up how many territories you have. This makes Western Europe worth more than Siberia, and makes Europe in general a lot more desireable to conquer. The only strange thing is that instead of printing the cities on the map, the players are given city tokens to place on the territories. This is odd since the rules state that cities cannot move and the game gives you the territories to place the cities on.
Card Trade-In: The troubling thing about classic risk was that late game was basically a race to get a card set to gain 40+ troops and wipe out your opponent. The infantry-cavalry-cannon system is gone; instead different cards are worth either 1 or 2 stars, and how many stars you turn in decides how many troops you get according to a chart. Some fans of classic Risk may find this new feature disappointing, but personally I think it's a good revision to a huge flaw in the orginal game.
The meh:
No More Infantry: Instead of men, horses and cannons, we are given arrows to represent units. Short arrows represent one unit, long arrows represent three. This was strange at first, but after I got used to it, it wasn't a hinderence to gameplay. I still prefer actual military units though.
Optional Missions: There is an optional system where players can complete objectives (ie be the first to conquer two continents) and get rewards (ie rolling an extra attack die for the rest of the game). It's an interesting variant, but you run the problem that the rewards make a player who is already ahead even more powerful than the other players.
Capitals: Each player begins with a capital. Capitals can be conquered. For each capital you own, you get one extra reinforcement. Like cities, they give no value to attacking or defending.
The bad:
No More Choosing Territories: Who doesn't remember the classic Risk opening where players took turns choosing territories? Well, that's gone now, instead the game lists a set-up map for 3, 4, and 5 player games. It doesn't just tell you which territories each player owns, but also how many units are on those territories. One player in my dorm put it aptly when he said, "This is like Axis and Allies now." Of course, you can still play with territory choosing or even random territories via cards (we did), but I can't understand why the game designers felt the need to assign territories to players.
Only 3-5 players: Granted, 6 player games were rare, but 2-player games were quite common. In classic risk, there were rules for a "buffer state", a neutral player who did not attack or gain reinforcements. This prevented 2-player games from becoming just a war of attrition between the two players. In this version they decided to have no 2-player rules at all. Also, despite the fact that 6-player games were rare, I rather liked them when they did occur. The more the merrier (and the 42 territories were divided evenly too).
No more 5-man unit: As stated earlier, there is a small arrow to represent one man, and a long arrow to represent 3 men. The units in Risk have gone through a number of changes: at first an infantry represented one man, a horse five men, and a cannon ten men. The game designers later changed this to 1-3-5 since having ten units on a single territory was rare. However, in this game you get more units due to the inclusion of cities and capitals, and having more than 5 units on a territory is quite common, so why they left out the 5-man unit is beyond me.
All in all, it's still a good game. I recommend playing it without the assigned territories; Risk is more fun that way. The reason I gave this a 3-star instead of a 4-star is that even though the board is new, it is already breaking down. I don't care how shiny it is, board games should hold together.
Customer Review: Risk gets better with age, and widens its audience, too.
Summary: 5 Stars
I've been a big Risk fan for decades now.
I first bought the game and played it with from friends in junior high school....then I bought my first Risk variant "Castle Risk" in 1987...while I was in high school. I still have both of those version in my game collection. Castle Risk was a blast and probably still my favorite of all time. It was just a map of europe....circa the 1650s.
and there were ships and castles and flags and all that good stuff.
overall it was an awesome game.
Then they stopped making castle risk by itself about one year later...they bundled it with regular Risk for a while and then it disappeared entirely. Only the regular old Risk survived.
That was pretty boring and occasionally there'd be an update and I'd buy it. My original "Roman Numeral" shaped army men were replace with a horse, a canon, and a soldier, then later a series of multi-pronged star shapes, then still later some wooden cubes and ovals (which were "retro" pieces).
They all sorts of Risk variations popped up. Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Risk 2210, Risk Godstorm, etc. all really fun games really, but suited for advanced gamers and not really suited for family get-togethers and causal gaming encounters. I've played them all either dozens or hundreds of times and I have to assert that my wife, my neighbors, my non-gaming friends, etc. don't really enjoy complicated rules or long drawn-out gameplay.
The new Risk accomodates their need for a shorter, more accessible game.
Games typically last about an hour and 15 minutes with four players.
the rules are slightly more complicated than classic Risk, but the payoff is that more people will play the game with you.
In addition, there's no long, tortuous boring time for those who are out of the game early and are stuck watching the near eternal battle of attrition between the final two titans....and the hard part is that just when you think the game was mericfully about over, someone would turn in a set of cards for another huge pile of armies and that would extend the game by another 45 minutes.
This new version of Risk has rules which are already detailed by other reviewers, but I wanted to use this forum to mention how the new rules affect the gameplay versus older versions of the game.
I think it will greatly widen the audience for this great game.
Customer Review: Good variation, but limited
Summary: 4 Stars
I enjoy the new variations in this Risk (looks like Parker Brother's bought the rights from Hasbro and decided to rework it), however I miss the secret missions from the older version. I enjoy the new style where the objectives are laid out for anyone to complete (get 3 to win) and the bonus rewards for completing objectives (bonus attack or defensive die, etc). It really changes the dynamics of the game. You must be very aware of the available objectives and not get too preoccupied with controlling continents. I lost the first time I played because while I was getting fortified, my opponents were actually achieving objectives. Plus, some of the objectives, for example "Conquer Europe", only require the one time achievement. Once you do that, it is often necessary to forget the continent to go towards an entirely different task. This is good and bad. It ends the type of games where the players get caught in an 'arms race' of building armies and finally having it out hours later. But then again, I enjoyed those old school games also. That is where I am perplexed. The game doesn't include any variations to play the old ways of either secret missions or capitals, or the traditional world domination battle. Why not include all the styles? Instead, now I must hold onto my old beat-up Risk board, cards and set to play secret missions (which is very fun when you are trying to figure out what the opponents are up to, and you have to be cautious of wiping out an opponent because that might be someone's mission...it makes for better suspense). The games do go by much faster though. We have not topped 90 minutes yet, even with 4 players. One could say that the games are too short sometimes as we had one completed in 30 minutes when 2 players kept obliterating each other and paid no heed to the other guy who won in 4 turns! All in all though, the game succeeds in capturing your attention and providing a good time just like the old version. And the classic dice wars never get old, especially when the defender keeps rolling sixes and ruining the attackers plans. Many a curse word has been hurled when that last soldier just will not perish. Enjoy!Customer Review: Risk Reinvented - a better, bolder version of the classic game
Summary: 5 Stars
One of my resolutions for 2009 is to relax and socialize more, and to that end I have revived my interest in board games. Risk is a classic pastime that I enjoyed during the Jurassic period; i.e. during my high school days in the 1980s. When I decided to get a new copy, I researched the various versions available and finally decided on this one.
I'm glad I did. This game captures all of the fun and challenge of the original, with some fantastic improvements:
1.) The board has been totally redesigned. Gone is the quaint, pre-modern war look of the original. The new design is heavy on black and red hues, reflecting its martial theme. The old Roman numeral pieces have been replaced with lightning strike-style markers. The result is an overall feel that says "this is war, in all it's dark, bloody glory and horror." Very cool.
2.) There are three modes of play, from a "basic training" version designed to span an hour or so to the extended global conquest theme long time players are familiar with. One of the downside of the classic version is that it could last for many wearisome hours. The new innovations eliminate that problem for those lacking the desire or stamina for a lengthy campaign.
3.) The role of luck has been reduced, and the game provides additional rewards for success on the battlefield. Features such as cities and capitols to defend bring the game more in line with the realities of real life warfare. Those who bemoaned the lack of strategy needed in the classic version will find these changes most welcome.
It's true that the official rules don't have a two player option. However, this is easily remedied by altering the division of forces during game setup.
So all in all I highly recommend the reinvented version of
Risk, both to avid gamers as well as those new to the hobby. With a great combination of realism, strategic reward and a dash of luck, you'll find this game can be a great way to spend an evening or a rainy afternoon. Enjoy!