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

 

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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

 

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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

 

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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

 

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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

 

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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 Factions – Video Game

Risk Factions

Review by Sonny Go
(Independent Game Reviewer)

Risk-Factions-Game-Cover

Risk Factions – Now we are all familiar with playing Risk online using a computer, but if you ever do see a video game console version of a board game, it’s usually in a way that doesn’t account for bridging the gap between the mechanical differences between the two media, and how it accounts for multiplayer gameplay. Translating a video game into a tabletop game is something that tends to happen from time to time, with various tabletop versions of popular video games coming out seemingly in droves, but this is the other way around.

From role-playing games to strategy games and so on, there seems to be a collection of crossovers that flood the tabletop games market quite a bit. However, when it comes to the other way around, there doesn’t seem to be enough out there to really be substantial. But with Risk: Factions, much of that has been ironed out and more, making Risk reach an even bigger audience.

Overview

Risk-Factions-Map-Screen

 

Risk Factions is a translation of the classic Risk board game into video game console format, namely the Xbox Live Arcade service which was discontinued in 2014, and the PlayStation 3’s Network. It was also a reinterpretation to make it friendlier to a wider demographic. Unlike the classic Risk video game, the presentation isn’t as dry and there’s actually much to dig into other than the usual elements in classic Risk. There have been a few other Risk video games out there, but this one some attention for being different from the rest.

Being able to play Risk online with other players is what gives Risk Factions a big advantage over the classic Risk video game. You get to hone your strategic sense against other human players who are playing from other parts of the world with little to no worry about lag. You need not wait for friends to come over in order to play a game of Risk anymore, although this does have its vast differences from the classic Risk board game and it is not as versatile as playing Risk online at a proper gaming website like MajorCommand.com.

Gameplay and Rules

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There are different single players modes like skirmish battles against computer opponents and a campaign for players to progress through, although the latter isn’t long enough to be really substantial. On the other hand, it may be enough for players to get into the stuff that makes this particular Risk game unique from the others, from its unique setting and cartoon art style to the different factions that comprise its backstory and gameplay.

Instead of the same units for all players like with most other Risk games, Risk Factions stays true to its name and gives players different factions that both look and play differently, giving this game a surprising bit of depth. You also get other nice things in the overall presentation that a video game can have over a board game like nice background music and voices for the different characters in the game, which adds to the experience here.

Each game has three main objectives that must be achieved in order to get a lot closer to victory because only having to take control of everything can be rather bland and every other Risk game already has that. There are various other Risk games out there with their own objective-based gameplay as well, so this is nothing new.

The Factions

Risk-Legacy-Factions

There are four factions to choose from—Humans, Cats, Robots, Zombies, and Yeti. There’s a leader for each whose personality and unique abilities dictate the theme and capabilities of their respective factions.

The Humans have General William P. “Fatty” McGutterpants, a military type that likes to shout orders and stick his chin up at every chance he gets. The Cats have Generalissimo Meow, a communist leader with a penchant for revolutions and a hatred for General Fatty’s dog.

The Robots have Commandant SixFour, an artificial intelligence that’s like a science fiction nightmare due to its inability to tell ally from enemy. The Zombies have Colonel Clause “Stiffy” Von Stauffenberg, who is a result of Commandant SixFour’s weapon experiments gone wrong and looks like someone General Fatty would love to bomb out of the water.

The Yeti have the noble savage that is His Excellency Gary, who is like a monster version of the Dalai Lama that seeks to be neutral by fighting everyone else until they all give up and make peace, which may not be the best plan out there.

All these factions have their distinct strengths and weaknesses, and figuring out what strategies and play styles work for them makes up most of the fun in Risk Factions. If you have friends to play it with you, the better it becomes as you try to outdo each other with your chosen factions.

Conclusion

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This isn’t one of those decisions that become a source of regret for both the designer and the players as Risk Factions is indeed a good addition to the Risk library. It plays well enough and helps introduce a whole new audience to the tabletop gaming wonder that is Risk. It doesn’t have the variety of playing an online Risk game, but overall, this is a decent addition to any gaming console collection.

Hey, It’s Only a Game

“Hey, It’s Only a Game”… or is it?

by Redstorm
(Major Command Risk Game Player and Blog Contributor)

family playing only a game

Only a game… Many of us fondly remember those long hours spent playing those wonderful board games as a child. Sure, there were moments when we went savage about who gets what color or marker and most assuredly someone always probably cheated somehow. But we learned things as we played like cooperation, sharing, and sportsmanship. We also felt the thrill of winning and the crush of defeat. Most likely it was then that we first heard someone, probably Dad, say “hey, it’s only a game“.

Who doesn’t remember those young adult years spent chasing wine, women and song while really anticipating the next 27-hour board game marathon where the levels of testosterone were matched only by the mountainous pile of empty beer cans? All the while we were learning about comradery, establishing friendships, often for a lifetime, as we mostly stumbled our way to responsible adulthood. Meh, pass me a cold one since ‘hey, it’s only a game“.

As jobs became careers, girlfriends became wives and children followed seemingly too soon, we often lacked any spare time and struggled to keep the boat steady and on the course. Somehow we and the kids managed to play a few games even as the board games morphed into an ever-changing digital mystery to us. Did we give enough of ourselves? Sadly, after too many excuses, we all heard “it’s ok, Daddy”, “hey, it’s only a game”.

computer game

Comes to the worldwide networks gushing an explosion of connected and online goodness. For the aging gamer, it appears as manna from heaven. Once again discovering the games of our youth while meeting people from all over the Earth on sites like the awesome MAJORCOMMAND.COM all while sitting in our most comfy chair. Total bliss? hmmm. My adorable grandson asked me just the other day, “Papa, why you yelling at your ‘puter?”. Slightly embarrassed, I realized that after all these years I could still learn about myself and my dealings with those around me. Laughing in the way young children do, I can just imagine him saying “Papa”, “hey, it’s only a game“.

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.


Risk Junior: Narnia

Risk Junior: Narnia by Hasbro

Review by Albert Bassili
(Independent Game Reviewer)

Risk-Junior-Narnia-Front-of-Box

Risk Junior: Narnia, is an interesting entry into the Risk franchise, focusing more on introducing the game Risk to children more than anything else. Released in 2006 by Hasbro, this entry gives parents and family members to introduce Risk to them in an easy a simple manner, without devolving into the complex strategy of classic Risk. Overall it’s an interesting concept, and there is the added benefit of knowing your kids won’t be exposed to the unpredictable behavior of adults who sometimes take their online Risk games too seriously.

Unfortunately, Risk Junior: Narnia, didn’t see a big release in the US, but it was big in the UK and Europe, so if you’re ever on holiday over there, keep your eyes open!

The Introduction

 

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Now, you might not be expecting this, but Risk Junior: Narnia actually has more complex rules than classic Risk, ostensibly to remove the deep strategy and make it easier to play. For example, attacks are decided by drawing turns, and how many armies you have doesn’t matter, every player rolls either two or three dice. Winning is also based on rolling a 5 and 6, rather than having a higher number.

The game also adds a bit of a good vs evil interplay, with the forces of evil (The White Witch) which are controlled by one player, fighting against the forces of good (Aslan) which is controlled by many. Ultimately, this makes the game a 1 vs team affair, without any chance for alliances or free-for-alls, instead, you know who your enemy is and that’s that. To add to this, the map is rather small, probably one of the smallest, with several bottle necks that make the game a bit more fluid and dynamic.

Of course, this all might sound a bit strange and out there for a Risk game, but it’s an interesting concept for introducing the series to kids. Without the complex strategy, and the standardization of attacks and the map, it’s much easier for a child to grasp. Don’t worry, though, it’s still fun for adults!

Playing Narnia Risk

 

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While there are two different sides, the troops are pretty much the same, with the main difference being that The White Witch’s forces can turn troops into stone, and Aslan’s forces can cure them. Turns are started by drawing an event card, each that has a variety of effects that aren’t too powerful, yet can alter the game slightly to the advantage of one side.

Within those event cards are three special ones: “Always Winter & Never Christmas”, “Father Christmas” and “The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe”. If one of these is drawn, the game is paused and points are awarded based on territories and camps up to that point in the game, after which the game continues as normal. “The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe” is even more special than the other two, as after the points are calculated the game actually ends and whichever side has the most points wins.

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Once an event card is drawn, the player must then draw a territory card which tells them where they must attack. If the territory is friendly, then the player can choose to attack any adjacent territory, otherwise, the battle ensues. The battles themselves are pretty straight forward and are proceeded by a troop placement phase.

After the territory to be attacked has been selected, and troops have been placed, the actual fighting begins. The defender rolls 2 dice and the attacker rolls 3 unless they’ve used a bridge to reach the territory, its hard work crossing a river after all! As mentioned earlier, the roll relies on either a 5 or a 6, with a 5 removing a weak minion, and a 6 removing either a strong or a weak minion.

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Of course, all the numbers between 1 and 4 aren’t irrelevant, because that’s where the characters of Narnia Risk come into play. Each of these characters has a special ability that kicks in if a specific number is rolled. For example, The White Witch can freeze minions on a roll of 2, and Lucy can revive them on a 4, 5 or a 6. Doubles kick characters back to the pool, so watch out for those!

Winning Risk Junior: Narnia is either a matter of domination or being the leader in points. Given the fact that there’s a high chance to draw “The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe”, it usually means that the game is going to end on seeing who has the most points. It’s a bit of a letdown in comparison to classic Risk, but hey, if you’re strong and smart enough, maybe you can get a domination win yet.

Narnia Risk – The Conclusion

 

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The biggest problem with Risk Junior: Narnia, is that it’s quite a ways away from what seasoned Risk players might be used to. The hamstringing that the rules apply to the gameplay might be a bit frustrating for some, and yet, it will make it easier for younger gamers to play. Of course, the complexity of the rules is a bit strange, but having an experience Risk player around will help to get kids into it and understanding the ruleset.

Of course, another main point is that the game is much shorter, which if you know how kids are, is actually a good thing. The smaller map and the way the game dictates where player’s attack means you won’t be spending a lot of empty time thinking, a time where kids might get restless or lose interest. So while it may be strange overall, it’s well adapted for kids.

Overall, if you have kids and you want to introduce them to Risk without overtaxing them with the traditional game, this is a great game to pick up, and a solid entry into the franchise. Though it might not quite prepare them for the world of Risk online, it will give you and them some solid family time. 🙂