RISK: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy Edition

 

RISK: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy Edition

Review by Sonny Go

 

Risk The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy Edition - Box Cover

 
J.R.R. Tolkien’s masterwork was turned into a film trilogy that is now the standard in the high fantasy genre cinema, and it spawned plenty of crossovers and adaptations. The classic strategy board game RISK was no less different, and that is how RISK: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy Edition came to be.

At last, fans of either franchises can now partake in the epic battles between good and evil depicted in the books and the films. Whether you read the books or watched the movies, you should be able to envision yourself commanding either the combined armies of the free peoples of Middle-earth or the dark forces of Sauron through this game.
 

What is RISK: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy Edition?

 

Risk The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy Edition - Box And Board

 

RISK: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy Edition is the enhanced version of the first RISK: Lord of the Rings game that was released during the prime of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings film trilogy’s popularity back in 2003. It was designed for two to four players, with each game potentially lasting from two to four hours.

Set during the War of the Ring, RISK: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy Edition puts players in either the forces of good or the evil armies of Sauron to battle for Middle-earth as the One Ring is sought.
 

Rules and Gameplay Features

 

Risk The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy Edition - The One Ring And Army Pieces

 
The Classic RISK ruleset is augmented here by adding in Adventure cards, which are basically like objectives to add more dynamic elements to the strategic gameplay; and the Leader pieces, which are represented by three shield pieces for each team.

The Lord of the Rings film trilogy is the basis for all the included materials in the game, which are Territory cards, Battalions, Adventure cards, and rules for better team-based play. Nicely molded pieces, the game manual, and a pewter version of the One Ring top them off.

As Lord of the Rings fans are aware of, wearing the One Ring, even if it is just a replica, is ill-advised.

Leader pieces, which look like shields, give bonuses by adding +1 to the highest die roll for attacking or defending. This is a powerful effect, which is why only one Leader piece is allowed in each territory. In addition, a Leader piece can earn Adventure cards by having them enter Sites of Power. Due to this, Leader pieces are a focal point in the gameplay.
 

Risk The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy Edition - Assorted Cards

 
Each Adventure card contains either a mission that can be completed with a Leader piece, a special bonus for your troops, or special events that can be triggered by certain conditions. Much of the game is juggling between the taking and defending of Territories while completing Adventures.

Certain features of the map give players various targets that are desirable for control. For instance, to the west of the map, five Ports litter the coastline. They let you move your troops across the map quickly, letting you cover more area and easily outmaneuver opposing armies. For instance, if a territory is being taken that is far away from your troops, you can get them there easily through a nearby port to reach a port near the disputed territory.

The Gold Emblems on the map represent Strongholds. They provide an extra army for reinforcements and a +1 defensive bonus. Holding down Strongholds can prove decisive in this game, as they are much harder to conquer than territories without them. If you have both Ports and Strongholds, you will be nigh impossible to stop.
 

Risk The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy Edition - Evil Attacks Good In Mordor.

 
Players get 1 point from Territories, 2 points from Strongholds, and anywhere from 2 to 7 points from Regions. Whoever gets the most points is the winner, simple as that.

The aforementioned rules are mostly for games played between 2 to 3 players. However, when there are 4 players, you may choose to play either Alliance RISK or Team RISK. Both of them have two players for each team, but Alliance RISK is merely a team melee wherein players are still mostly out for themselves and don’t win as a tea.

In Team RISK, players do win as a team, and it is also where the One Ring comes into play. Trouble follows the Ring as it makes a journey towards Mount Doom. It is pretty much the timer of the game as the Ring either reaching Mount Doom or being found by an army of Mordor signals the end of the game.

Obviously, the forces of good want it to reach Mount Doom in order for it to be thrown into the fiery lava, while the forces of evil would want it returned to Sauron. This is the main gameplay feature that makes this game different from Classic RISK as it is like a timer of sorts in addition of being an objective, which adds more tension to the gameplay.

When the Ring crosses an evil Territory on its way to Mount Doom, that is when it can be found. The owner of that Territory rolls 2 dice, plus 1 more if there’s a Leader piece there. If the total of the dice roll, including bonuses, adds up to 12 or more, then the Ring is “found” and the evil team wins.
 

Gameplay Experience

 

Risk The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy Edition - The One Ring Is Cast Into Mount Doom

 
RISK: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy Edition pretty much plays like the first release of RISK: The Lord of the Rings. However, that first version had only Middle-earth in its map, excluding the realms of Gondor, Mordor, and Haradwaith, which Lord of the Rings fans criticized. The Trilogy Edition then came to be, fixing most of the problems and adding some improvements to make it a better experience overall.

A thing worth noting is that while the idea for the One Ring reaching Mount Doom to end the game is indeed good on paper, it’s also reported that the mechanic makes for plenty of early endings, which may sometimes be undesirable when a game is starting to get good. While some may just do away with it, that is like taking away the essence of a Lord of the Rings game in the first place as the One Ring is a major narrative device in Tolkien’s works.

Nevertheless, that is actually what makes this RISK game good for more casual fans of the game. Since RISK is infamous for games dragging on for too long, this Ring mechanic in RISK: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy Edition makes for faster and more dynamic games that are meant to be more fun for those who are not deep into the Classic RISK game.
 

Summary

 

Risk The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy Edition - Game Piece

 
If you are indeed a fan of either RISK or The Lord of the Rings, then you will enjoy this game. If you are a fan of both, then that’s even better as you can experience RISK through the lens of Lord of the Rings, being able to imagine yourself commanding the forces of either good or evil in Tolkien’s magnum opus.

RISK: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy Edition can certainly look good in any RISK or board game collection, and can also look good when placed alongside the Tolkien books. Whether you are a collector, an avid board game player, or merely a fan of Tolkien’s works, then you should find this game to be a welcome acquisition.

RISK Game of Thrones

Review: RISK Game of Thrones

Review by By Chris Yeoh

RISK Game of Thrones Box Front

RISK Game of Thrones represents one of the newer acquisitions for the long-standing RISK board game franchise, and a near perfect symbiosis of a classic game with one of the most popular TV shows ever. If you are desperate to dominate the 7 Kingdoms, keen to become King of Westeros, or just looking to put your friends to the sword in your merciless quest for domination, then you’ve found the perfect RISK Game.

Working in tandem with HBO to develop the product, RISK Game of Thrones takes the best elements of the TV show, including all the characters you know and love (and some you love to hate), and puts them neatly in your hands. Combined with gorgeously rendered miniatures, a faithful representation of the world map, and the minute attention to detail as to what makes Game of Thrones so popular, this version of RISK has true universal appeal.

‘I Drink And I Know Things’: RISK Game of Thrones Overview

 

RISK Game of Thrones Cards

 

Spanning two continents, Essos and Westeros, RISK Game of Thrones allows games between everything from 2 to 7 players battle it out for supremacy. All the major houses from the show, you’ll be pleased to know, are represented: Stark, Lannister, Targaryen, Baratheon, Tyrell, and Martell, but curious also is the inclusion of a mystery, game-specific 7th. The Ghiscari are the representation of Daenerys’ mortal enemies, the masters of Slaver’s Bay, and provide an adequate foil for her in Essos as part of a 2-player mode.

The standard edition, skirmish, will be familiar to even the most casual fans who play RISK, as players build armies, roll dice, and take over one another’s territories for victory points. But in including extra cards and rules, RISK Game of Thrones also has a fascinating “Dominion” mode which will satiate the hunger of any player looking to get more into the political intrigue aspect of the show. “World At War” takes this further, including both continents and upping the number of players to 7.

‘You Win Or You Die’: Rules and Gameplay

 

RISK Game of Thrones Character Cards

As mentioned before, Skirmish is the most basic form of gameplay. It’s everything you love about the vanilla version of playing RISK, dressed up in Game of Thrones cosplay. Charmingly, there are some very Song Of Ice and Fire-style variations to this though – instead of just capturing territories, one must also capture ports and castles.

At the beginning of the game, every player gets the same number of territory cards (from The Wall all the way down to Dorne), and must place armies in each territory. Then follows the standard phases, namely: Reinforcement (and trading in territory cards for various bonus armies), Invading (and rolling the dice), Movement, and Drawing a Territory Card (if you have successfully captured a territory that turn).

In a somewhat unique twist, you can also invade across the sea. If you hold a port, you can attack any other port on that same coastline (and be attacked!) meaning you can never be too cautious in leaving yourself exposed.

 

RISK Game of Thrones Board Set Up

 

The most notable difference is the end game phase. Somewhere within the reshuffled deck of territory cards lies the card ‘Valar Morghulis’ (aka ‘All Men Must Die’). When this comes into play, every family dies apart from the player who holds the most aforementioned territories, castles and ports, who then becomes in the winner. The addition of the random element means you can never truly know who will be on top when the smoke clears.

Undoubtedly the most interesting aspect of playing RISK Game of Thrones is the addition of the Dominion mode, which requires around 6-7 people to play properly (and if you want to play across the entire world). In order to make the game represent the plot-driven nature of the show, there are a lot of additional features. For instance, territory cards can be traded in for armies but also for gameplay assets like favourable dice rolls. Also new are further Objective Cards, and the Seats Of Power, which function as sort of capital, and must be retained (or re-captured) to win.

 

RISK Game of Thrones Territory Character Objective Cards

 

Gold represents a driving resource. With this gold (which you can get from holding ports among other things), you can buy special cards and abilities. One of these cards is the Maester card, which are powerful ‘special’ abilities that can snarl up an attack from even the largest army, providing a player with any number of temporary special abilities.

Paying gold also activate the Character Cards, welcoming familiar faces of the show (divided along house lines, of course) into play, and providing everything from an additional defence die (provided by Stannis Baratheon), to the ability to look at the top two cards of the deck and discard one (Tyrion Lannister).

Small quirks like this, while paying homage to the spirit of the show, also mean that a player must work more tactically than in the vanilla skirmish version of the game, as having the biggest army no longer guarantees an easy win. Indeed, the correct cards, played at the right time can really turn the tables.

‘Power Is A Trick’: Pros and Cons of playing RISK Game Of Thrones

Perhaps the most wonderful and most notable aspect are the miniatures that come with the game. Stunning rendered, each one is as true to the major houses as possible, doing a fine job of representing each sigil.

RISK Game of Thrones Game Board and Army Pieces

Some complaints have been made, including given the size of the board, you do not receive enough playing pieces to amass a significant enough army across the whole world if needs be. Colour schemes are also a little similar in certain areas, and given the intricacy of the map (which holds a lot of amazing detail), it can be sometimes hard to see where some territories begin and others end. Perhaps they could have stretched the map to fill right to the edges of the board, and defined a few armies a little better (maybe with some more stand out colours).

Any Game Of Thrones fan worth his or her salt is going to want to play the most accurate representation of the TV show they love, and the Dominion feature allows them to do that. The nature of Dominion, as well as the special cards and characters demands that you not just aim towards having the biggest army, but rather world tactically. But because of its relative complexity, and the fact it needs upwards of 6-7 players to run, be ready for the game to span a whole evening – though you might be having so much fun you won’t notice or care.

RISK Game of Thrones: Conclusion

 

RISK Game of Thrones Set Cards

RISK Game of Thrones is a very fine adaptation of a TV show. In starting with the basic mechanics of how to play RISK, they have added a lot of unique strategy to maintain the flavour of the show, while being easy to learn all the same.

As a strategy game, it has all the makings of a classic RISK game. With the licenses from HBO and the inclusion of favourites like Tyrion, Brienne, and more, this version of RISK is sure to be a hit amongst the most avid Game of Thrones watchers and RISK board game fans alike.

 

END OF REVIEW

 

Just in case you were interested, I’ve added some links.


Risk: Godstorm Strategy Guide

Risk Godstorm Strategy

Review by Nikola Brankovic
(Independent Game Reviewer)

Risk-GodStorm-logo

If you are reading this, then you already know about all the various online RISK game options. But when it comes to a challenging Risk board game, RISK: Godstorm holds a very high position on any list of RISK games, and for good reason too! Here’s a strategy game that has only 5 “turns” and yet shows complexity many other games can’t reach.

If you are not familiar with RISK: GODSTORM, then read our game review first!

Risk Godstorm game review

Once you’ve read our review, then continue on with this RISK: GODSTORM strategy guide!

So, how exactly do you come up ahead during a Risk Godstorm battle? How do you assure your triumph (and potentially lose a few friends in the process)? Godstorm allows you several different playstyles, and they can be defined by the Gods you can summon and control in the game. From my experience with my gaming group the two playstyle sets most commonly used, aggressive and reactive, have excellent chances of bringing you to the end of the game successfully.

Risk Godstorm Offensive Guide

 

Risk-Godstorm-Board-and-Pieces

I’ll start with the explanation of the offensive tactics because they are considered stronger, but that doesn’t mean the other approach to the game is inefficient. This method is the least costly when it comes to faith (in-game currency that is used for summoning gods, purchase and activation of their miracles and bidding) because everybody starts with the God of War already summoned, so you don’t need to expand resources on getting him on the board.

Pure God of War Strategy

 

Risk-Godstorm-Set-Board-Pieces

You can play the game with no other God joining your side other than the God of War, but you should consider getting at least one more God for your defending army. His passive power is extremely potent – when attacking with GoW, he counts any draws as a victory for himself, instead as a loss. The difference is critical, especially since this god is often used to attack large stacks of units and break enemy armies.

What you want to be doing is focus on securing a major continent asap. Europe is too hard to hold, but Africa or Asia can be conquered and held with relative ease (especially if you already have a majority of territories somewhere, and plague token has been merciful enough to block one of the approaches to the continent).

Fulfilling this god’s mission is easy, that brings you one miracle card, and if you decide not to summon another God in first few turns, you can focus on getting absolute military dominance on board, since his miracles are cheap to cast and are mostly used to swing fights in your favor. Prevent enemies from taking a continent, make an ally of someone who borders you but holds a weaker continent. Expect to be backstabbed around turn 3.

God of Death Strategy

 

Risk-Godstorm-Cards

I find this strategy most fun, but is a bit riskier as you need to make two different attacking armies – you won’t stack it all on God of War. This makes both of your offensive gods slightly weaker, but you still want to try and fulfill GoW’s quest to get his miracle card as well as use God of Death to eliminate your opponent’s presence on the map.

God of Death passive removes any units killed in battle with him from the game instead of sending it to the Underworld. Your losses from both of your attacking armies end up downstairs, which would usually not be a good thing, but if you can keep the enemies away from relics and portals in the Underworld, you can keep bringing them back in the game with minimal effort. You want to be building another temple as soon as possible, to be able to provide reinforcements around the map.

CHECK OUT OUR RISK GODSTORM GAME REVIEW

Playing this way will leave you starved for faith, and if you lose a God, you will be sorely pressed to get back in the game. Keep him away from God of Wind, and try to invest in Death miracles. They are expensive to enact, but they are extremely potent, with the ability to place additional plague tokens or strike the largest armies in half – you will not be a popular player if you are using God of Death. If you have the ability to sink Atlantis, feel free to move in there and make yourself home, or try to lure someone to bring their army there, so you can drown them.

You will rarely be playing first, as Faith will be scarce, so you will need to plan your moves carefully.

Reactive Guide

 

Risk-Godstorm-Game-Pieces-(2)

I planned to call this “defensive” section at first, but that doesn’t apply here – it’s still a risk game and you want to be attacking even if you don’t plan to be hyper aggressive. Goddess of Magic and God of Air have miracles and abilities that can remove the advantages other people may want to use against you and to make themselves as a less attractive target. I’ve never been a fan of these tactics, but I can’t deny they’re effective – I prefer going head on against another aggressive god then having to wonder what kind of ace do the reactive players have up their sleeves if I attack them.

Goddess of Magic Guide

 

Risk-Godstorm-Game-Cards

If you want to live and let live as much as possible and want to give yourself best odds in defense, Goddess of Magic is a pretty solid choice. Her ability allows you to reroll any 1’s when she attacks or defends increases the odds of you defending successfully, and she’s got handy relics that increase Faith gain or reduce your Faith losses, leaving you more resources to dedicate to buying War miracles or building additional temples. Her relics are active even if she perishes, as they are permanent bonuses. You want to hold up on a continent with a choke point and prevent anyone from invading you while slowly securing yourself more territories. Try to avoid fighting against God of War, and try to have too large armies for God of Death to consider attacking you. You will make yourself less attractive target, and will be left alone.

God of Air Guide

 

Risk-Godstorm-Game-Pieces

Displacement, deception, and subterfuge are characteristics of God of Air, and he fulfills his purpose rather well. This guy is all about turning the Godstorm game into a regular Risk game by running around and removing other player’s Gods from the map. You want to identify where the opponent’s vectors of attack are, what they plan to conquer and place your god and army near, but not too near. You also want to play after your intended target, so don’t spend too much Faith (if any) bidding during play order phase. When your victim attacks his goals (sustaining his losses in the process) you want to be two easily conquerable regions away, charging in and deleting the God from the map.

This places other players in a deadlock – do they risk go after their intended targets with you nearby or do they turn against you and lose armies in fights that won’t bring them bonuses they want so they win after the 5th turn. If you manage to remove a God from the game do they re-summon him so they can use his miracles, or do they cut their losses and try to win in another manner. The advantages God of Air has when attacking other gods can be overwhelming, and a large number of troops the enemy have can quickly turn into massive army losses with Air miracles, but you do need to read other people so you can undermine them at the right time.

Do not fall into the trap of overinvesting in God of Air; he’s good for God fights only, you will still need to have your God of War conquering for you.

Final Thoughts on Risk Godstorm

 

Risk-Godstorm-Complete-Set-(2)

These four guide show how Aggressive and Reactive strategies work, pick the one that suits you the best and have a good game! What did you know about Risk Godstorm?

END OF REVIEW

Some people ask about prices, so I’ve added a link to Amazon.
This one is a lot cheaper then the $500 price tag for RISK: Black Ops!

 

Risk: Godstorm

RISK Godstorm Game Review

Review by Albert Bassili
(Independent Game Reviewer)

Risk Godstorm Box Cover

Risk Godstorm is another variation of the classic Risk game. There’are lots of other Risk board game variations out there, especially in the Risk online gaming world, but very few which bring the pantheon aspect as RISK Godstorm. Released in 2002 by Avalon Hill, Risk Godstorm brings in a cart load of new features, including a secondary board and timed gameplay. Your ultimate goal is to have the highest points when the clock strikes zero, or more technically when the round counter reaches 5.

Overview of RISK: Godstorm

Risk Godstorm Game Pieces

One of the biggest new mechanics in this Risk game variation is how troop death is handled. Instead of being completely removed from the game board, they are instead taken to heaven, which is represented by a second and much smaller board. Each civilization has its own area in the heaven, which is great because that means that you can attack and take over each other’s territories.

Not only that, but the heaven game board has special crypts which, if you hold them, allows you to resurrect troops from the secondary board to the main board. Alongside the crypts, there are alters which give you an extra die to roll during a special phase of battle called Godswar. So really, you want some of your troops to die so that they can head over to the underworld and start conquering.

Risk Godstorm Staregy Guide

So what is this mysterious Godswar that we mentioned? Well, there are four gods that you can call to your army and control, and these act as modifiers to the mechanics of the game. For example, the god of war allows you to win any tie in dice rolls, whereas the god of death forces any troops lost in battle to go directly to the player’s pool, rather than heaven. So really, having a god on your site is pretty helpful.

Of course, their passive abilities aren’t the only thing that affects the mechanics of playing RISK Godstorm, as each god can also draw from a set of miracle cards unique to each of them. To draw a card, certain requirements must be met, such as killing another god, or rolling the same numbers three times. Each card has some kind of game changing effect, rather than a battle specific one, so they can be offensive, defensive or a mix of both.

Since there are gods involved, whenever a battle comes up, they have to be the first ones who fight. The way it works is that both players roll a dice, and then sum the value, add the total number of units and the player with the highest total wins. It’s both complicated and straightforward, but hey, whoever wins gets to kick the other player’s god out, and once one side doesn’t have any left, the battle goes on as normal.

Bringing On The Storm!

 

Risk Godstorm cards

So here’s the rub: unlike the classic Risk game, in Risk Godstorm there’s no domination victory, but instead, the game is played over five turns, and whoever has the most points at the end wins. At the begging of each turn, players bid the in-game currency, faith, to see who actually gets to go first, a very important strategic advantage. Whoever bids the most gets to go first, and then in descending order from next highest bid to lowest.

Once the turn order is decided, players receive whatever faith they are owed, and are allowed to deploy troops to their respective territories. Once done, players get to play out their strategy by attacking territories, buying a temple which gives extra units and the ability to reroll one die in defense, buy a magic card, or use a magic card. There’s quite a lot to consider, especially when taking into account the in-game currency and other mechanics.

CHECK OUT RISK GODSTORM STRATEGY GUIDE

Of course, there’s always a spanner being thrown into the works, and in this case, it’s plague markers. If your army is on a tile with a plague marker, your army must lose half its units. Luckily that’s rounded down, not up!

Finally, it would be a good point to talk about the RISK Godstorm game map, which covers Europe and North Africa. Of course, there’s the typical fair of mountains which block access, as well as the water tiles that you have to contend with. There’s also a territory called Atlantis, which can be ‘sunk’ using a special magic card that the god of death has.

Covering these territories are five civilizations you can pick from Babylonians, Celts, Egyptians, Greeks and the Norse, all of which are of the ancient variety. So really, you can just pretend you’re all rulers of empires and do a bit of roleplaying, which is probably what you’d do in a normal Risk game anyway.

Final Thoughts on RISK Godstorm

Risk Godstorm Complete Set

While this isn’t the typical fair you would find in the classic Risk game domination, there’s lots of fun to be had. The gods and buildings that are layered on top of the original Risk game mechanics add an interesting twist and whole new way to play a game of Risk. The time factor of having only 5 turns to win adds the pressure, and gives the game a much faster pace and dynamic, as opposed to the traditional risk game that can be played over several hours.

If you aren’t a fan of Risk game franchise tie-ins, but want to add a bit of new stuff to your Risk gameplay, then Risk Godstorm should be up your alley. Otherwise, you can always enjoy the many variation of playing Risk online here at Major Command. 🙂

END OF REVIEW

Some people ask about prices, so I’ve added a link to Amazon.
This one is a lot cheaper than the $500 price tag for RISK: Black Ops!

 

Risk: Star Wars 2015 Edition

Risk: Star Wars 2015 Edition

Review by Nikola Brankovic
(Independent Game Reviewer)

RISK Star Wars 2015 - Box-K150

Star Wars Risk 2015 – I sure hope you’re in the mood for something fun, because we’ve discovered Hasbro has released a board game to complement their release of the latest Star Wars movie. In the hype for the movie itself I missed the board game, but a friend pointed it out to me, so it’s time to have a look at it and see if it’s any good.

First of all, there are two editions of Risk Star Wars on the market. Well, actually three if you consider the Star Wars Original Trilogy Edition which we reviewed a couple months ago. But right now we’re strictly speaking about the Star Wars 2015 edition in this article, and there are two variants. There is the regular pack, and the Black Edition. The difference between the two is the box art, as well as some of the miniatures – capital ships, death star and Millennium Falcon, are cardboard cutouts in the regular version, while they are detailed miniatures in Black Edition. The game rules are a bit more detailed and refined in Black Edition as well, avoiding some potential confusion (although you can find the rules online).

RISK Star Wars 2015 - Full Set-K150

Let’s start with the box art. The main box boasts Kylo Ren in the corner, but that’s a marketing ploy that obscures the fact that the game is actually set in Return of the Jedi, you’re re-creating the Battle of Endor and the dogfight that finalizes with the destruction of Death Star. The game map itself is divided into neat sub-sections that represent each part of the fight for the Death Star. Its X-Wing shape represents the parts of the battle, with wings being their separate fights and center part being the space fight around the Death Star.

The game is designed for two players, although it can be played in two teams. The Rebellion and the Empire clash off around the Death Star, with Empire trying to wipe out the attacking fleet and the rebels trying to bring down the Death Star shields before blowing it up. The winning condition seems simple enough.

Center – Death Star

RISK Star Wars 2015 - Center Death Star

Center part of the map is probably why the game carries “Risk” name at all, as the mechanics and the overall style of the game, have very little to do with your classic Risk. The space around Death Star is divided into sectors that you can navigate through, moving your squadrons out of the fire’s way and attacking the opponent ships. Dogfight is very simple, you use the number of dice equal to the number of the number of ships on the field you are attacking from and compare against the difficulty to destroy the defending ships – Rebels have more ships but they’re easier to destroy, while the Empire has fewer ships per squadron but are harder to defeat. The rebels must hold a space next to the Death Star when the shields go down and then roll a 6 on the attack to blow it up, while the Star itself can fire back once its shields are down and wipe out everything in the field it fires on.

Left Wing – Battle of Endor

RISK Star Wars 2015 - Left Wing

How do the shields go down? Well, that’s what the left side of the map is for. It represents the Battle of Endor, with rebels slowly climbing the progress tracker and Empire trying to slow down their progress by throwing stormtroopers in their way. The progress becomes more difficult higher the progress tracker is, but the fight is generally in favor of the Rebels (unless they roll their dice really poorly).

Right Wing – Skywalker vs Vader

 

RISK Star Wars 2015 - Right Wing

The right side of the map is fully optional, with objectives that can bring advantage to one side or another. It represents the fight between the Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader, with them exchanging lightsaber swings and powers until one of them keels over, with an additional option of redeeming the Vader instead of flat-out killing him that brings even greater benefits.

The players take turns drawing cards which represent “orders”, each card letting you select from one of the several listed orders. For each turn, you select three of the card and select orders from them to be executed. Winning optional objectives allows for bigger card pool to select from or more orders to be executed.

Conclusion

 

risk star wars 2015 pieces

The games last for about 40 minutes to an hour, which may sound like a short time but remember, this is a 2 player game only. There’s plenty of decision making and strategizing to go around to keep you occupied for the most of the time, there were no complaints of the game growing boring. That being said, I wouldn’t call this a Risk game, and I’m really stumped as to why would they brand it as such when it could have been a pretty fun game to play on its own. It’s far from a Risk re-skin I expected when I first laid my eyes on the box, but with the different shape of the map, different goals and overall turn mechanic, only the center of the map makes this a risk game, and that’s only nominally. It’s a good game, for sure, but not a good Risk game, so if you feel like going out of your comfort zone and you’re a fan of Star Wars franchise, this is a good game to try. Otherwise, playing Risk online at Major Command is always a solid choice!

END OF REVIEW

 

Some people ask about prices, so I’ve added a link to Amazon.
Remember to look for used versions. Some as low a $16.