This Week’s Topic: Risk

While most family board games like Monopoly, Sorry and Trouble require a large amount of luck, Risk favors strategy and careful planning. Depending on which edition is bought the game can range from the standard edition to the future and even popular movie, video game, and TV show franchises.

Unlike other board games Risk requires thinking ahead and being one step ahead of the other players. Without a proper plan, a player can expect to lose the game. Also, depending on the edition played and the amount of players, the way the game is played changes.

How to Play: Setup 

Players start the game by choosing which color army they want to play. After all players choose their color, army players then proceed to roll the dice to decide which player claims the first territory. After the first player claims the first territory, all the other players continue to claim territory until all territories are claimed. Then players take turns placing the rest of their troops on their claimed territory until all the pieces that remain are cavalry and cannons.

How to Play: Mid game

Players start their turn by placing new soldiers; to calculate the amount a player receives they must add the total amount of territories and divide amount by three. If the amount comes out as a decimal, round the number to the smallest integer. Then, a player adds the point value of an entire continent, but only if the player controls all the territories in the entire continent. After placing all troops, players start their turn by attacking opposing player’s territories. During a battle, the attacking player rolls the red dice while the defending player rolls the blue dice. A player can only attack with three troops at a time while the defending player can only defend with 2 troops at one time. Victories are determined by the highest number on the dice. After taking a territory the winning player takes a territory card from the pile; these cards show a troop type and players much match three of the same type so they can turn these cards in at the beginning of their turn. The game ends when one player takes the entire board.