Welcome to a new game of 'RISK Domination'! Six generals will battle it out to defeat their opponents and conquer the entire United States; using strategy, smarts, brute strength, and a healthy dose of 'risk'.
The six generals who will be playing in this game are:
Gustaf,
Josh22,
Sensei,
Fezzyfestoon,
Lewis Trondheim and
HappyWarrior. The winner will be permitted to stay on and defend their championship title in the next game.
There are only a few main differences between this version of RISK and the traditional version, which will be detailed below.
The mapThe biggest difference is clearly the map we'll be using. Instead of 42 territories in the world, our map is based on the 50 states of the US. This difference has forced a few more rules to change; e.g. the number of initial deployments, the number and layout of the regions, etc.
The red lines signify a border that either doesn't already exist between two states, or is ambiguous. For clarification, no border exists between Utah and New Mexico and between Arizona and Colorado (the 'Four Corners'), and there
is a border between Delaware and New Jersey (check a map; it's there).
Here is the map showing the layout and value of the regions (which will be explained later):
Starting the gameThe states will be distributed randomly, and the method by which the battalions are deployed will be explained in one of the next few posts.
To begin with, all players will be given
25 battalions each to deploy among their states at the start of the game. All battalions must be deployed, and each state must contain at least 1 battalion (at
all times throughout the game).
So that each player will start with an equal number of states (eight), two states will be neutral, and will start with 3 battalions each. That number will increase by 1 after every round. For all intents and purposes, treat them as "up for grabs" for whoever conquers them first.
Taking a turnAs in the traditional game, each player's turn is divided up into three stages, which must be performed in order:
1. ReinforcementsEach player will receive a number of battalions equal to their number of states divided by three, rounded to the closest whole number. A minimum of three battalions is granted even if that formula would equal less than three. So, for example, if a player controls 11 states, they'll get 4 reinforcements (11/3 = 3.7).
For easy reference:
10 states or fewer = 3 reinforcements
11-13 states = 4 reinforcements
14-16 states = 5 reinforcements
17-19 states = 6 reinforcements
20-22 states = 7 reinforcements
And so on.
Players will also receive a bonus number of reinforcements if they control any of the regions as shown in the map above at this point of their turn. The number of reinforcements they'll receive depends on which region(s) they control, and those numbers are given in the table in the map itself.
Players may also trade in any sets of cards at this point too. Cards will be explained in more depth later. This is the only stage of your turn in which you may trade in cards.
2. AttackSince this is a message board based game, I've had to employ a slightly different method to ensure that attack phases are performed efficiently and as quickly as possible. Those who played in or followed the original games I ran should be familiar with it already.
Basically, all you need to do in this stage is post how many battalions you're sending to attack a neighboring state, how many of them you're willing to risk losing before calling a retreat, and how many battalions you want to leave in that state if you conquer it.
On that last part, you'll need to leave a minimum of three battalions there; if you attacked with less than three battalions, then you'll just have to keep however many battalions you used there. Unless you specify how many battalions you're putting in your conquered state, I'll assume you want the maximum there. If you say that your attack order is to "do or die", then there will be no retreat and the maximum number of battalions will be left in the conquered state.
You may attack as many states as you want during this stage, or none at all if you wish. But always remember to leave at least 1 battalion in each of your states at all times.
If you conquer at least one state during this stage, you'll receive one card. You will not receive any more than one card per turn, unless you destroy an opponent; in which case you receive any cards they were holding as well.
The dice rolls are performed using an online random number generator, found
here. You'll just have to trust me that I'll do it fairly.
3. Tactical MoveOnce you've finished your attack phase, you may perform a tactical move if you wish. You can move as many battalions as you want from
one of your states to
one neighboring state (remembering to leave one battalion behind, of course). You may only perform one tactical move each turn.
CardsCards work on exactly the same principle as in the traditional version. In this version, each card contains a state seal (which represents one state on the map), and a figurine (either an infantryman, cavalry, or cannon). There is one card for each state (i.e. 50) and two wildcards.
Once you've collected a 'set' of three cards, you may trade them in at your next turn for more reinforcements. A set of cards can be: three infantrymen (worth four extra battalions); three cavalry (worth six extra battalions); three cannons (worth eight extra battalions); or one of each (worth ten extra battalions).
On trading in your cards, you'll receive an additional 2 battalions for each card that depicts the seal of a state that you control. Those battalions will only be placed in that particular state.
The wildcards do not represent any state, and are simply a stand-in figurine in order to make a set of three cards.
Cards are dealt randomly, and the state seal on each one will not have any deliberate connection with states you conquered during that turn.
Your cards will be sent to you by PM, and it is your responsibility to keep them secret. I'll be keeping a record of who has what card, for organization's sake.
Clarifications of rulesI've tried to make sure everything is clear here. However, if you want me to clarify any of the above rules, I'll be happy to do so.
