Risk

Risk is a great board game, a battle for world domination which challenges you to defeat your opponents and win offensive and defensive campaigns. It is a strategic game and you have to take risks in order to dominate, spread yourself too thin however and the balance of power can quickly swing the other way.

It was actually invented by a French film director called Albert Lamorisse in 1957 and released in France under the name The Conquest of the World. It was later produced by the Parker Brothers and became one of their bestselling titles across the globe. It was the first war-game to meet with tremendous financial success.

I used to play this as a kid against my dad and granddad and to say they schooled me is an under statement. It would not be uncommon for me to be in a hopelessly losing situation within a few turns of the game starting and then consigned to the sidelines as the two of them battled ferociously for bragging rights.

The game is played on a board divided into six continents and forty-two territories in all. The idea is to win control of them all which you do by invading adjacent territories with your armies and rolling dice. There are also other modes in which you have a specific secret aim and they allow people to have fast games. The world domination mode can last several hours depending on the players involved.

Each round sees players placing reinforcements (with the amount determined by the number of territories they hold and any cards they have), then attacking, and then fortifying their position and then picking up a card which can be used the following turn. You get bonus armies for holding entire continents and much of the strategy comes down to where you place your armies and where you decide to attack your opponent. The combat is determined by dice roles with advantage going to the defender if they have equal numbers. You can attack as many times as you want each turn but if you end up leaving yourself light on numbers for defensive purposes then the counter attack can be devastating and the game does tend to go back and forward.

There are a number of choke points on the board and control of these is imperative if you want to win outright. Some continents are easier to defend than others but you always have to remember to defend your borders or risk disaster. There is no official truce or alliance mechanic in the game but people often form loose agreements and the vulture rule applies to any player who gets too weak.

It is a terrific game and there have been various versions through the years, including a computer game. They have also made branded Lord of the Rings and Star Wars versions. The original board game is the best and it has the right mix of complexity and simplicity to make it accessible and relatively deep. It is also a good mixture of pure luck and tactical skill.