Playing board games has become an increasingly popular form of entertainment among young people. In this article, we will explore all the information about the Risk board game, a game that is known for its strong strategic element. We will learn about the rules, gameplay, as well as some tips and things to note when playing.
1. Introduction to the Risk board game
Introduction to the Risk board game
The Risk board game allows players to become military commanders, using their strategy and vision to create explosive battles and conquer the entire map.
Information about the Risk board game:
- First released: Year 1959
- Genre: Strategy – Conflict
- Number of players: 2 – 6 players
- Age appropriateness: From 10 years old
- Average playing time: 120 minutes
Components in the game include:
Components in the game
- Map: The game map consists of 6 continents and 42 territories marked with different colors and names. The map also contains numbers indicating the number of armies the player receives after exchanging a set of cards.
- Army: The army in the Risk board game includes 3 branches, with “Infantry” being the lowest rank, followed by “Cavalry”, and the highest rank being “Artillery”.
Conversion table of soldiers:
- 5 Infantry = 1 Cavalry
- 10 Infantry = 1 Artillery
- 2 Cavalry = 1 Artillery
- Set of 56 cards includes: 46 cards printed with territory images combined with various types of soldiers; 2 “Wild” cards – only printed with soldier images, without territory; 12 “Secret Mission Risk” cards containing secret missions.
For more information: Beginner’s guide
2. Read for 5 minutes to know the rules of the Risk board game
Read for 5 minutes to know the rules of the Risk board game
To win the game, you need to occupy all the territories on the map. There are 3 important strategies to achieve this goal:
- Conquer continents to build a strong and populous army (Not applicable to Secret Mission Risk)
- Monitor the enemy’s territory occupation strategy
- Build a border defense force to protect your territories from enemy attacks
Rules and regulations to note:
1. Choose color and distribute soldiers: The number of soldiers will depend on the number of players.
- 2 players: Each player receives 40 Infantry and chooses a color as the neutral army
- 3 players: Each player receives 35 Infantry
- 4 players: Each player receives 30 Infantry
- 5 players: Each player receives 25 Infantry
- 6 players: Each player receives 20 Infantry
2. Roll the dice: Players with the highest roll can place a soldier on any territory and occupy that position first.
3. Assert sovereignty: Starting with the first player and rotating to the left, each player continues to place soldiers on any vacant territory on the map until all 42 territories are occupied.
4. Deploy troops: Each player takes turns adding and upgrading their army for the territories they own, continuing until there are no more soldiers.
Note: The number of soldiers placed on a territory is unlimited
5. Select a card: Shuffle the card deck, do not use “Mission” cards, place the deck in the middle, and the first player to draw a card is the one who places the first soldier on the map.
3. How to play the Risk board game
How to play for a group of 3 – 6 people
How to play for a group of 3 – 6 people
1. Choose and place new soldiers
At the beginning of the game, players need to calculate how many soldiers they need to add to their forces based on the number of territories they are occupying, the value of the continents, and the value of the Risk cards they have.
Territories: Players receive a number of soldiers equal to the total number of territories they own divided by 3. For example, if a player owns 12 territories, they will receive 3 soldiers. These soldiers are placed on the territories the player is occupying on the map.
Continents: Each continent a player controls corresponds to a soldier they receive. The specific number of soldiers is provided on the map. To occupy an entire continent, a player needs to control all the territories on that continent at the beginning of each of their turns.
Card stacking: Players receive Risk cards at the end of each turn. The number of cards they receive depends on the number of territories they occupy. Players should aim to collect sets of 3 cards to exchange on their next turn.
Set of 3 cards for exchange
Players can exchange a set of 3 cards for soldiers. The total number of sets exchanged determines the total number of soldiers a player will receive. The exchanged card sets are placed in front of the player to keep track of the number of soldiers received.
The conversion table is as follows:
| Number of exchanges | Number of soldiers received |
|---|---|
| 1 | 4 |
| 2 | 6 |
| 3 | 8 |
| 4 | 10 |
| 5 | 12 |
| 6 (after the 6th exchange, +5 soldiers per turn) | 15 |
| 7 | 20 |
| 8 | 25 |
Note:
– If you are the 3rd person to exchange, you will receive 8 soldiers because the exchange order is continuous with all players.
– If one of your 3 cards has an image of the territory you are occupying, you will receive an additional 2 soldiers and must place these 2 soldiers on the correct territory. This rule only applies once per turn.
2. Invasion
Players can invade neighboring territories by rolling dice. The number of attacks and the number of territories invaded is unlimited. Players are not required to attack only one territory at a time.
How to roll the dice:
How to roll the dice
Step 1: Choose the number of dice corresponding to the number of soldiers used. For example, if a player has 3 soldiers, they need to roll 2 dice. The attacking side must have more soldiers than the number of dice, while the defending side must have a number of dice equal to the number of soldiers.
Step 2: Shake the dice and compare the highest values of the two dice from both sides. The losing side loses 1 soldier. Compare the results of the remaining dice in the same way. When the dice have equal scores, the defending side wins.
Occupying territories: When a player eliminates all soldiers on an enemy’s territory, they can move their occupying soldiers to that territory. The number of soldiers moved must be at least equal to the number of dice won in the last turn. Each territory must have at least 1 soldier guarding it. The player also draws 1 more Risk card when occupying a territory.
Eliminating players: When a player loses all their soldiers on the map, they are eliminated from the game. The Risk cards they are holding will belong to the last player who attacked them.
3. Defense
Players can move soldiers from one territory to another that they own to improve their defense capabilities. However, at least 1 soldier must be left in each territory.
4. Ending
The winner is the first person to occupy all 42 territories on the map.
How to play for a group of 2 people
How to play for a group of 2 people
1. Choose color and place soldiers
Step 1: Both players choose a color. Each player receives 40 soldiers, and one neutral color is chosen.
Step 2: Remove the “Secret Mission” cards and “Wild” cards from the deck, then shuffle the remaining cards.
Step 3: Divide the cards into 3 stacks and keep them face down. Each player chooses 1 stack of cards, leaving one stack for the neutral side.
Step 4: Each player places 14 soldiers on the territories indicated on their cards, placing 1 soldier on each territory.
Step 5: Both players take turns placing 1 or 2 soldiers on the territories indicated on their cards, and then the neutral side places 1 soldier on the territories indicated on their card.
Step 6: Add the “Wild” cards back into the deck, shuffle again, and continue playing.
2. Invasion
Players can invade neighboring territories. When invading neutral territories, dice rolling is required. The neutral side cannot add soldiers or attack the players’ territories, but can only defend by rolling the dice.
3. Ending
The winner is the person who occupies all of the opponent’s territories (excluding the territories of the neutral side).
Secret Mission (Secret Mission Risk)
Secret Mission (Secret Mission Risk)
This gameplay variant depends on the Mission cards. Players need to complete the mission in their Mission card to win, instead of occupying all the territories on the map like in traditional gameplay. This variant is suitable for a group of 3-6 people. The steps are as follows:
Step 1: Choose color and receive soldiers corresponding to the number of players, as in traditional gameplay.
Step 2: If there are fewer than 6 players, remove specific Mission cards that are only used for a specific color.
Step 3: Each player selects a Mission card and places it face down in front of them. The remaining cards are put in the box and kept hidden.
Step 4: Remove the “Wild” cards, shuffle the deck, and distribute the cards evenly to each player. If there are extra cards, continue distributing until there are no cards left.
Step 5: Based on the cards, players determine the territories they occupy and place soldiers on them. They continue to do so until they run out of soldiers. There is no limit to the number of soldiers that can be placed on each territory.
Step 6: Collect the cards, put 2 “Wild” cards back into the deck, shuffle again, and place the deck facing down for players to draw.
Step 7: Continue playing using the same rules as in traditional gameplay.
Note: In this variant, players can unintentionally help or hinder others in completing their mission. For example, if your mission is to eliminate all the green soldiers, but another player unintentionally eliminates them, you will still be the winner.
4. Where to play the Risk board game online?
Where to play online Risk board game?
You can play the Risk board game online by downloading the “RISK: Global Domination” app, which is available on both CH Play and AppStore. The online version of the game retains all the features and gameplay of the traditional board game, with enhanced graphics and an attractive interface.
For more information: Beginner’s guide
5. Tips and things to note when playing the Risk board game
Tips and things to note when playing the Risk board game
Reinforce defense: It is advisable to move soldiers from one territory to another that you own in order to improve your defense capabilities. However, be mindful that each territory can only contain a maximum of 12 soldiers. If you don’t have enough territories to place additional soldiers, you will lose the soldiers you receive.
For more information: Beginner’s guide
We hope that this article has provided you with valuable insights into the information, rules, and gameplay of the Risk board game. We wish you memorable experiences when playing this strategic board game!
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