But first, in an effort to help you help me, let me tell you what sorts of games I DO understand, and play, and even enjoy playing.
Chess Cribbage Rummy (I used to play pool but that was aeons ago - prechild, as it were.) Trouble Monopoly Scrabble (When I was even younger, I played the OLD version of D&D)
Last year, you all nobly tried to help me play Yugeo.
The best piece of advice was let Nathan tell me the cards, the moves, and act suitably interested.
The new challenge?
RISK. (The board game.)
Okay. I have read the handbook. It is almost the worst piece of technical writing I have ever seen. Nathan and I sat down with pen and paper to create a step-by-step guide that was understandable. HAH!
What is the problem, you ask?
Dunno.
I like straightforward games. Clear Object. Clear Rules. A player that knows what they are doing teaching me how to play. My best beloved son plays the way the rest of his friends play - however they want within a smattering of the rules, which they change upon need, demand, or necessity.
*sigh*
So, anyone got a step-by-step, simple version of Rules for 2-Player Risk out there?
Gracias.
Posted by Hamson (Member # 7808) on :
Rules for 2 player risk:
SET-UP
1: Divide out the territory cards into 3 piles, and give one to each player (one goes to neutral).
2: With the 3 colors you are playing with (again, including neutral), take out 60(?) infantry (preferably, so you can split them up how you want) for each. Everyone places 1 infantry unit on each of their territories.
3: Take turns placing 3 units at a time(until everyones 60 infantry have been placed), divided in any manner you want, onto any of your territories. Ex. If you hold Eastern Australia, Afgahnastan, and Alaska, you can place 1 on each of them, or 2 on Alaska, and 1 on Afgahnastan, and none on Eastern Australia. etc...
4: Return all territory cards to a pile (face-down), and shuffle for later use.
Hmm. I don't know if that's simplified or not. Hopefully that helped. I have to go get ready for company, so I leave it to other people to explain what you do past the set-up.
Posted by GaalDornick (Member # 8880) on :
I used to play this alot with my friend. But I don't think either of us ever read the instructions, we pretty much invented our own rules from scratch. I like our version.
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
Start off in a corner, keep the entry points to your territory minimized as you spread out like a ravaging fungus, and watch your backside.
Posted by fugu13 (Member # 2859) on :
Part of the problem is, there are several variants. In fact, I can't necessarily tell you for sure what the rules are without knowing which version you bought.
However, I'm going to assume you bought classic Risk, so I'll fill in the basics of the rules for that. Note that these rules are relatively generic, and the owners of Risk don't seem to think they infringe their copyright (while they do pursue copyright and trademark violators, there are several commerical computer games out there using the basics of the rules).
I'm going to skip the setup stages of the game, there are lots of ways to do that.
Here's how your basic turn plays out (and players go in turns, like normal):
1. A player may turn in a risk set (more on that later).
2. A player gets armies based on what they control (more coming).
3. A player gets to attack other players' (more on this later, too).
4. A player may make a free move (more on this as well).
5. If a player took at least one country, he or she gets a risk card.
Risk sets:
If a player has three risk cards with the same symbol on them, or three with different symbols (and wilds count as any symbol and have pictures of all three possible symbols on them), that is a risk set, and the player may turn it in.
If the player has five cards at the start of his or her turn, he or she must turn a risk set in (its always possible with five cards). For countries on the cards that he or she has armies in, place three armies in each of those countries.
The player receives some additional number of armies (beyond the threes that might have been placed in countries), which usually increases quickly by number of risk sets turned in (though a fun variant involves having risk sets only worth five armies). These can be placed in any country the person has armies in already (distributed however).
Free armies:
Count your countries and divide by three. You receive that many armies, or if the armies would be fewer than three, you receive three armies. If you control an entire region (typically a continent; all the squares of similar hues, or surrounded by a border, or something like that), you receive a number of armies for that region that should be indicated on the board and in the rules.
You may place these combined armies you receive in any countries you have armies already, distributed as you desire.
Attacking:
The meat of the game. First, a player chooses one of his or her countries to attack some neighboring country owned by another player (or possibly empty in some variants, in which case the attacker just moves a few armies in for free). The countries must be touching or there must be a route on the board (sea routes, almost always) drawn between them for them to be neighboring.
Count the attacking players' armies. He or she can roll up to one less than this number of dice, to a maximum of three. Count the defending players' armies. He or she can roll up to that number of dice (not one less!), to a maximum of two. Both roll simultaneously.
Compare the highest die for each player. Remove one army from the country of the person with the lowest roll, defender wins ties. If the defender rolled two dice, compare the two second highest dice, same criteria.
If on a roll the defender loses his or her last army in a country, the attacker moves in, and must move in at least as many armies as he or she rolled dice. One army must also be left behind in the attacking country.
Repeat these attacking steps until the player chooses not to attack any more.
Free move:
There are two principle variants on free moving: neighboring free moves and distance free moves. The rules specify neighboring free moves: move any number of your armies, provided you leave at least one in the country being moved from, from one (and only one) country to any neighboring country you already have armies in (same rules for being neighboring as when attacking). In distance free moves, the move can be from any one (and only one) country to any other country you control that is connected to the first by successive neighboring countries you control.
Now, back to a topic I left earlier.
Setup
I'm just going to tell you two good ways to play. One variant is, deal out all the Risk cards (except the jokers). First, each person places one army on each of the countries he or she holds (this can be done all at once). Then, players go around the board placing a few armies (I suggest two or three, makes it go faster, but some people only do one) at a time on any of the countries they control. Shuffle the Risk cards together, after, for handing out as the game progresses.
Another variant is, people go around the board and place one army in any empty country in turns, until all the countries have at least one army. You can then do the few armies placing thing as described above.
edit: oh yeah, forgot one important part of setup. How many armies you get at the start depends on how many players there are. That'll be specified in your copy of the rules.
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
Ah, tactics. I was loping off straight to the strategy. *sheepish grin
Posted by Shan (Member # 4550) on :
Ahhh, Sara - you are priceless. I love the image of a ravaging fungus. *grin*
fugu - I think it's classic RISK. His dad (yes, my ever thoughtful ex-husband) purchased it for Nathan.
*wonders about possible motive of ex-husband*
*goes back to careful reading of responses*
Posted by Shan (Member # 4550) on :
Questions - for the brave:
How do you get a risk set?
What's the difference between the army and whatever you were using to "claim" territories with earlier?
I can keep attacking over and over again until I choose not to? How is this a turn? Isn't there something that defines when a turn begins and ends?
How do you determine which countries you "hold" during set-up? Do you just take turns choosing? Do you flip a coin? Roll the die?
Am I hopeless case? *grin*
Posted by fugu13 (Member # 2859) on :
You get a risk set by collecting risk cards, which you get at the end of your turn if you captured at least one country.
The little counters all represent armies (you likely have several shapes; some shapes just represent more armies than others), whether they're being used to allocate board space or attack countries.
Yep, you can keep attacking. You'll find, though, that for most of the game a player only attacks a few countries each turn at most. The turn ends when you're done attacking, take your free move if you want, and take a risk card if you've earned one.
Setup has the most variants, I detail two above, where they're either decided randomly by dealing risk cards or you take turns claiming them.
Posted by human_2.0 (Member # 6006) on :
Lessons I learned from Risk:
1. Australia is heaven. 2. Be liked by all so you can ally early to take down the unliked person. 3. Be mean enough to stab your allies in the back by being the first to take down the unliked person. 4. When you are with people and you are the least liked, when you are the first to die, kick the board and knock all the pieces off so people have a real reason not to like you.
Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :
quote:Originally posted by Shan: (I used to play pool but that was aeons ago - prechild, as it were.)
You were a fetus? Posted by Blayne Bradley (Member # 8565) on :
You mean Yu-Gi-Oh! right? Great game, shame no one can play it with me I was pretty good. I had a "King Dragon" deck, where basically I had a small amount of super storng dragons, Blue Eyes White Dragons, Tyrant Dragon, Spear Dragon etc and the rest of the deck was dedicated to suporting those dragons and getting them out quicxkly and protecting them once they were out.
Posted by Blayne Bradley (Member # 8565) on :
I hate the classic risk rules, I hate collecting risk cards I only use them to determine territory, I hate aussies (not in real life I just mean people who camp it) and crush them ASAP. I used to play with a retreat rule but it was a failure and could be exploited.
Posted by Shan (Member # 4550) on :
"You were a fetus? "
Silly girl.
Prechild = before I had a child. Y'know - back in the days of staying up late to stay out late, rather than staying up late to change diapers and nurse and clean up messes. Back when I had the energy to stay up late after working all day, and I could still make it in to work the next day in a functioning manner after partying most of the night.
*Sigh*
Those were the days . . . at least in my memories. No one need correct my fancies, thank you. Posted by Shanna (Member # 7900) on :
I played RISK last night with my family.
My roommate has the game at school but we've yet it play it. Why? Because I prefer the Lord the Rings version more.
I hate Tolkien but I'll take the pretty map and the fun of commanding Orcs over the classic game anyway.
I also have to say that I have to re-read the rules everytime cause I forget them between games. It shouldn't be so complicated but its worth it.
Posted by Dan_raven (Member # 3383) on :
How to play Risk?
The same way you do everything else. You try to take over the world.
Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :
Narf!
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Tante?
Posted by Primal Curve (Member # 3587) on :
If you're really looking for a project, try explaining the rules and stratigem for Axis and Allies.
Posted by Beren One Hand (Member # 3403) on :
You can't play Risk by the actual RULES. Of course you hate it. It's all about dice and cards that way. Duh.
Ditto with Scrabble. Dull dull dull. It's a game only for people who memorized the dictionary.
CHANGE THE RULES till the GAME IS FUN!
For instance, with Scrabble, play with an open dictionary. Or five dictionaries. Everybody has access. No challenges allowed. Just a time limit.
Then play with a wraparound board. You can make a word that goes off the bottom of the board and continues from the top down, in the same column; or goes off the right side of the board and continues on the left.
This is so cool because it allows you to get double triple word scores all the time. You multiply by three and then by three again, and so you win! Seven-letter words are passe when you can get double-triples. Points out the wazoo!
As for Risk, the best rule change is: You can leave countries empty. So nobody can just attack your guys and keep rolling the dice till they wipe you out. They can only move in using their move at the end of the turn. Then YOU can attack THEM. Which is way more like the real world.
You collect for a continent as long as you're the only person with any armies on the whole continent. Somebody invades by just moving in, and you can't collect for the continent next time.
And NO CARDS. Cards are for wimps. Cards are all about chance.
If I could find a way to eliminate the dice I would. It should be more like when you're playing war as a kid. You just aim your finger at the other guy and say "Ka-pow! You're dead" and if you said it first or loudest or you're bigger, then he has to be dead and you won the battle.
Or maybe not.
Posted by Shan (Member # 4550) on :
*pat pats Beren* Thanks for the link - that thread reminded me of some other fun games I love to play, Balderdash among them.
I haven't forgotten your cookies, m'dear. Really.
*************************************************
Okay - Nathan's bud Nicholas is going to visit this afternoon. I'll watch closely while they play . . . and when Nathan and I come up with a step-by-step concise list of rules, we'll post 'em. And then y'all can critique. Great mom/son project, no?
Posted by Beren One Hand (Member # 3403) on :
You're such an awesome mom. Posted by Shan (Member # 4550) on :
You're cookies are packaged and ready to be mailed tomorrow. No peanut allergies, right? Posted by Beren One Hand (Member # 3403) on :
Shan.
Posted by Lupus (Member # 6516) on :
Rule #1 Never play with a couple. They will work together, and will turn on you in order to help eachother.
Rule #2 If you violate rule #1 make sure that everyone else gangs up on the couple to eliminate them at the start of the game.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
I quite agree Shanna, it is much better to play the LOTR version, but with heavily modified rules.
I like cards, but I prefer to play with set values. So, three infantry is 4, three cavalry is 5, three creatures/cannons is 8 I think, and one of each is 10. That way you don't get the silly 30 army trade ins, and it has less to do with luck and more to do with skill.
I think there is merit to the idea of leaving a country empty. Once the borders are defended, you should be able to bring troops to the front, but there's no way even real life that you can subdue the hinterland and then just abandon it. Ask Rome and Carthage, it doesn't work like that.
There are variant rules you can play with. You can use Leaders, which give you a +1 defense and +1 attack, or use capitals, which is a nation that gives you more armies per turn, and that you must defend from others or you lose.
RISK is actually fairly simple. Randomly deal out the territory cards evenly. It's more challenging than letting everyone pick their own, and it's much MUCH faster. Everyone puts down an army on the territories with their cards on it, you have to count out however many total starting armies you have based on what the instructions say.
Then place the rest of your armies, and leader if you are playing with one, then have at it. If you are attacking, you can only use 3 dice if you have 4 armies on the territory you are attacking from. One army for each dice, and one to hold the territory should you leave. If you have 3 armies, you get 2 dice, and so on. Defenders always win ties.
When you attack with 3 dice, you MUST move three armies into that country. At the end of the turn you can fortify, but only from one country to one other country through line of sight. As in, you must own all the countries from Point A to Point B in a clear line of sight.
Get LOTR RISK, I could explain it a lot faster and easier.
Posted by Shan (Member # 4550) on :
I like the idea of randomly dealing the territory cards . . . hmmmm.
Posted by Dan_raven (Member # 3383) on :
Oh, and any game can be enhanced by rules involving the removal of clothing--with your lawfully wedded signifigant other, of course.
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Shan.