Don’t Risk Skipping These Five Different Versions of ‘Risk’
There’s a lot of risk in the world today, but let’s not think about that. Instead, let’s think about Risk.
This list is presented in no particular order because I don’t want to have to choose. But there are a ton of versions of Risk, so if you’re favorite isn’t listen, shout it out in the comments!
1. Risk: Warhammer 40,000
Okay, maybe I’m pandering to the BoLS audience a little here, but I stand by the statement that ‘Risk: Warhammer 40,000’ Greatly Improves the Classic. This edition adds Objective cards and special characters and abilities.
The core gameplay remains mostly the same, but even just a few rules tweaks and a much more dramatic theme give this version of Risk a place on the shelf.
2. Risk: Lord of the Rings – Trilogy Edition
Yet another version of Risk that we’ve already seen, but the best part of this one is that ‘Risk: Lord of the Rings’ Comes With Its Own One Ring. But it’s more than just a precious piece of jewelry, it’s part of the game as well.
Throughout the game, the ring will move along its own path towards Mount Doom. Once the ring reaches Mt. Doom, the game is over. The main aspect of Risk that drives a lot of folks away is the duration of play. Games of classic Risk works pretty similar to Monopoly.
Games are a slow burn of the other player slowly engulfing everything you own, while you helplessly watch it happen, knowing there’s nothing you can do to slow or stop your inevitable end. Fun stuff. But at least in this version, you do know when your end will come.
3. Risk 2210 A.D.
This was the first edition of Risk to really try something different. This is noticed even during setup, where several regions of the board are nuked, making them wholly inaccessible throughout the game. Even this fairly small adjustment to the rules ensures players can’t always try the same strategy over and over and might have to work around the fallout.
Additional rules updates like a 5-turn limit, resource management in the form of energy, a bidding and auction section, and commanders all add new twists and turns to the staple classic wargame.
4. Risk: Legacy
Risk: Legacy deserves a place among other products like Band-Aid, Jacuzzi, Tupperware, Crock-Pot, Chapstick, Q-tip, Popsicle, and plenty of others because it created the term Legacy game. It wasn’t the first game to have a campaigning element, but it was certainly the first board game to use those elements to such a degree.
5. Risk: Star Wars
Out of every version of Risk, this version might be the most divergent from the original. There are multiple theaters of war, the objective is to destroy the Death Star, there’s action planning from a hand of cards, and enough more that it barely resembles anything about Risk.
It’s so different, in fact, I hesitate to even call it a full version of Risk. Are board games in the same series still considered the same series, even if they have nearly nothing in common, even if they still have the series name? I don’t know. Those questions are beyond my pay grade.
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