Risk is a game unlike any other, fun to use in the company of friends, but at the same time extremely strategic and suitable for professionals from all over the world. The aim of the Risk is to reach your goal, established by the homonymous card that each player must choose at the beginning of the game. Each goal is different and must remain secret until it is achieved. Not being able to conquer the world in real life why not do it in a board game? Read on to find out what the rules and strategy are at the basis of Risk (this guide deals with the original edition of the game. Over time others have been published with slightly different rules and equipment).
Steps
Part 1 of 5: Preparing to Play
Step 1. Understand the purpose of the game
The fundamental aim of the game is to achieve the objective described on the card of the same name that you have chosen at the beginning of the game. To this end, you can attack the territories owned by other players and then occupy them with your army in case of victory. In addition to taking on this offensive strategy, you will have to make sure that all your states are well defended to prevent them from being conquered by your opponents.
Step 2. Check the game equipment
Before starting a new game, make sure the game is complete with all tools. The Risk is composed of a foldable board, a set of 58 cards and 6 armies characterized by six different specific colors.
- The game board is divided into 6 continents: North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania (which includes Australia, Indonesia and New Guinea). In total, 42 territories are available.
- The 6 armies present in the game are characterized by six colors and two types of units (defined armies): the classic tanks that represent one unit each and the flags that represent 10 units.
- You'll also find a 58-card deck included. 42 cards in the deck are linked to the territories present on the board and are characterized by a symbol that corresponds to an infantryman, a knight or a cannon. There are also 2 "Joker" cards and 14 "Goal" cards which represent the goal that each player must reach in order to declare the game won. There are also 6 dice: 3 red to attack and 3 blue to defend.
Step 3. Determine how many players will take part in the game
Before starting, you need to know the total number of players. The total number of armies that are distributed at the beginning of the game depends on the total number of participants:
- 6 players: 20 armies each;
- 5 players: 25 armies each;
- 4 players: 30 armies each;
- 3 players: 35 armies each;
- 2 players: 40 armies each (the latter figure varies according to the edition of the game in use).
Step 4. Initial distribution of territories
This step determines each player's starting point. For the duration of the game, each territory on the board must be occupied by at least one army. There are two methods to perform the initial distribution of territories:
- Free choice (Standard rule of the American version). Each player rolls the dice, the one who gets the highest score is the first to occupy any free territory at will, placing a single army there. At this point, clockwise and in turn, all the other players choose a free territory to occupy. The procedure for assigning territories ends when all the States on the board are occupied by an army. The final phase requires each player to distribute all of his remaining armies on their territories.
- Using the "Territory" cards (Method adopted by the official regulation of the Italian version). All the territory cards, deprived of the wild cards, are distributed equally among the players. At this point, each player, in turn, places a single army on each of their states, based on the cards received.
Step 5. Determine which player will start the game
To determine the first turn of the game, all players will have to roll the dice, the one with the highest score will be the first to play. The order of play will follow clockwise, starting with the player who started the game. The game can only start after the order of play has been determined.
Part 2 of 5: Getting and Setting Up New Armies
Step 1. Additional armies
The game of Risk rewards players who adopt an offensive and expansionist tactic. To this end, at the beginning of their game turn, each player can collect additional bonus armies, which can be used to strengthen the border territories by preventing an enemy attack or to try to expand by conquering a new state, thus guaranteeing the right to a card. territory, a key element for obtaining additional armies in the next round.
Step 2. At the start of the game turn, you must redeem your number of new armies
Each turn the player will receive new armies, in a number determined by the following criteria:
- Number of territories owned. Every 3 occupied territories entitles you to an additional army. For example, if you currently own 11 territories, you will be entitled to 3 new armies, while if you have 22 you will be entitled to 7 new armies.
- Territory cards. The aim is to accumulate three territory cards characterized by the same symbol (for example three cannons) or by three different symbols (footman, knight and cannon) or two territory cards with the same symbols and a Joker card in order to redeem additional armies. The number of units that can be obtained from card combinations is as follows: 3 cannons entitle you to 4 new armies, 3 infantry with 6 armies, 3 knights with 8 armies, 1 infantryman, 1 knight and 1 cannon with 10 armies and one wild card and two cards equal to 12 armies.
- Continents owned. If fully owned, each continent on the game board entitles you to an additional number of armies. Owning all of Africa you will receive 3 armies, you will instead receive 7 for Asia, 2 for Australia, 5 for Europe, 5 for North America and 2 for South America.
- Note: the American version of the game rules provides that the minimum number of additional armies to which one is entitled at the start of one's game turn cannot be less than 3. This rule, at the discretion of the players, can also be applied to the Italian version.
Step 3. Place your armies
At the start of the game turn, you can place the new armies received on any territory in your possession and in any proportion. If you wish, you can place a single unit in each of the occupied states. Alternatively, you can place all units in a single territory. The choice is yours alone.
If at the beginning of the turn you want to redeem a combination of territory cards, you will receive 2 additional units for each card that corresponds to a territory currently occupied by your armies. The American version of the game requires these additional units to be placed on the territory indicated by the relevant card
Part 3 of 5: Attack
Step 1. Attack neighboring territories
The rules of the game require that you can only attack the territories bordering or connected by sea with one of those already occupied. For example, you cannot attack India from the Eastern United States, because the two states are not neighboring.
Step 2. It is possible to attack one of the neighboring territories as many times as desired
You may therefore want to attack a certain territory more than once within the same game turn. Alternatively, you can decide to attack different territories. Furthermore, you can attack the same territory multiple times, from different neighboring states or always from the same one.
Remember that the attack is only one of the possibilities available to you. During his turn of the game, the player can decide not to attack anyone, limiting himself to strategically place the new armies received
Step 3. Declare which state you want to attack
When you want to attack a territory, you must first state your intentions aloud, for example by reciting a sentence like this: "I attack the Eastern United States from the Western United States".
Step 4. Choose how many units you want to launch the attack with
The basic rule states that each territory must always be occupied by at least one unit, this factor therefore determines the maximum number of armies that you can use in the attack (for example if the territory is occupied by 3 armies, you can attack with a maximum of 2). In turn, the number of armies in use determines the number of dice that can be used during the attack phase.
- 1 army = 1 die
- 2 armies = 2 dice
- 3 armies = 3 dice
Step 5. Roll the dice
Depending on the size of your armies, you can attack your opponent using up to 3 red dice. The defending player will roll a number of blue dice based on the number of armies present on his territory (in the American version of the game the defender can use a maximum of 2 dice).
- Match the attacker's die with the highest value with the one with the defender's highest value, then repeat the step with the second die and possibly the third. In case the defender has rolled only one die, you will have to match it with that of the attacker who has obtained the highest score.
- If the defender's die score exceeds or equals the attacker's die score, the attacker will have to eliminate a unit from the territory with which he launched the attack.
- Conversely, if the attacker's die score is higher than the defender's die score, the defender will have to eliminate a unit from his territory.
Step 6. If you win, you will be able to occupy the new territory
If you manage to eliminate all opposing armies, you will need to occupy the new territory with a number of armies equal to or greater than that used to launch the attack. For example, having attacked with 3 dice (therefore with three armies), you will have to occupy the new territory with at least three units. However, it will be possible to move all the desired armies to the newly annexed state.
Step 7. If possible, try to get a territory card every turn of the game
If at the end of an attack you have managed to conquer at least one new territory, you have the right to draw a card. You can obtain a maximum of one territory card per game turn. Your goal is to obtain combinations of three cards that give you the right to redeem additional armies.
If you can finally defeat an opponent by eliminating his last army from the game, you will have the right to take possession of all his territory cards
Part 4 of 5: Fortifying the Territories
Step 1. One of the rules of the game is that you cannot move your armies until the next game turn
In case your territories are not well defended, they will be vulnerable to the attacks of the opponents. For your territories to be safe from a hypothetical enemy attack, your last move at the end of each game turn must be to move the desired number of armies to the territory you want to fortify.
Step 2. Fortify the defenses of your territories
At the end of each game turn, make a move by moving the desired armies into the territory that needs more defense. Note that it is in your best interest to only increase the defenses of those territories that border those of other players. There are two basic rules on how to move:
- Standard rule: You can move the desired number of armies from a single territory to a contiguous one already occupied by you.
- Alternative Rule: in other versions of the game it is possible to move the desired number of armies to any territory already occupied by your army, as long as it can be reached by crossing a series of adjacent territories already under your control.
Step 3. Remember that each territory must always be occupied by at least one army
In order to maintain control of the State from which you are moving your armies, it is necessary that at least one unit of your army remains in its defense, therefore you must necessarily leave at least one army on each of the territories you have occupied or conquered.
Part 5 of 5: The Strategy
Step 1. There are three basic strategic models in the Risk game
Since this is a game in which strategy plays a fundamental role, the player who adopts a more tactical approach and manages to outwit his opponents is always rewarded. In order to win the current game, the game rules provide the participants with three basic strategic tips:
- Try to conquer the entirety of one of the continents to receive additional armies at the start of the turn and use them as a reinforcement for attack or defense. The strength of an army is measured by the number of additional armies received as a bonus at the start of each turn. Trying to get as many reinforcements as possible, to use for offense and defense, is a great strategy.
- Constantly observe what happens in neighboring territories. An accumulation of enemy armies in a neighboring territory could signal an impending attack by an opponent.
- Ensure that their border territories are defended by an appropriate number of armies. It is good to try to deploy most of the additional armies received at the beginning of each turn along the border territories to complicate an eventual attack by the opponents.
Step 2. Try to attack as much as possible in the early stages of the game
One way to increase your chances of winning is to use an extremely offensive tactic, attacking your opponents whenever you have the chance. This strategy will allow you to gain new territories more quickly, which translates into more additional armies at the start of each turn. An attack-oriented tactic also allows you to weaken opposing armies and scale their empires, granting them fewer bonus armies each turn of the game.
Step 3. Defeat weaker players who have a large number of territory cards
This strategy gives you two key benefits: taking out an enemy force and taking over its territory cards. Never lose sight of the number of cards in possession of each opponent and note their respective weaknesses on the game board; in this way you will be able to determine which of them can be definitively defeated and ousted from the game.
Step 4. Understand the importance of owning some specific continents
Those who try their hand at Risk more often know that some continents are easier to conquer than others. Conquering all the small continents, made up of a smaller number of territories and therefore easier to control and maintain, certainly means guaranteeing an advantage. Here are some strategies related to continent management:
- Oceania strategy: seeks to gain complete control of Oceania (consisting of Australia, New Guinea and Indonesia). This move will entitle you to two additional armies at the start of each game turn. Having a single point of access, this continent also lends itself to becoming a real fortress and an excellent starting point from which to launch an expansionist offensive towards Asia.
- North American strategy: seeks to conquer the entirety of North America, then fortifying its borders with Europe and Asia. Then you can proceed to conquer South America, from which you can then invade Africa to land in Europe and Asia. This strategy is based on the important assumption that those who control the territories of these last two continents are fighting for their own expansion.
- Africa strategy: seeks to conquer the entirety of Africa, then fortifies the borders to South America and Europe. Then you can try to conquer South America and then proceed to North America and attempt to invade Asia from Alaska. This tactic is based on the assumption that the other players are busy fighting each other for control of Asia, North America and Europe.
- Try not to focus on total control of Asia (unless that is your game goal): being the continent with the most territories, Asia is very difficult to both conquer and maintain. A conquest attempt could lead to a rapid dispersion of armies over a large number of territories, making them an easy target for enemy attacks.
Step 5. If you want to maintain control of a group of territories spread across multiple continents, take a more defensive approach
Instead of just voting for attack, you can opt for a defensive tactic that involves fortifying border territories and amassing large numbers of armies. While not receiving the additional armies generated by total control of a continent, you can create strong defenses, discouraging opponents from launching an attack on you.
Step 6. Create alliances
While not officially provided for in the game rules, you can decide to forge alliances with other players, joining forces to oust a common opponent from the game. Don't forget though, that once you've achieved your alliance's goal, you'll still have to attack each other to try and win the game. An example of a verbal agreement could be the following: "None of us will try to conquer the whole of Africa until we have removed Alexander from the game." Such an agreement will allow you to focus your forces on other goals.
Advice
- There are several ways to play Risk, this is just one among many. Over time, numerous variations of the game have been produced, including one in which you can choose a capital to defend.
- Once you have accumulated 6 territory cards, you will be forced to play them. This restriction is to prevent players from waiting too long before playing their cards thus gaining a disproportionate advantage over their opponents (this rule only applies to the US version of the game).
- Among the most strategic territories to own we can include: Madagascar, Japan and Argentina, which having only two borders are very difficult to attack and at the same time very simple to defend. For the latter purpose, it will be sufficient to place a considerable number of armies on the territory, moving them from an adjacent State or using the additional ones received at the beginning of one's turn.
Warnings
- At the beginning of the game you may be tempted to acquire the most territories on the whole board, but note that the most effective tactic is to focus on a specific area (respecting what is your goal).
- While it is true that a territory with few borders is much easier to defend, it is also true that adopting an expansionist policy starting from this point can be much more difficult.
- If one of your states borders that of other players, make sure it is defended by at least three armies, otherwise it will be a weak point easily exposed to attacks from opponents.
