"What Versions of Risk Do You Own?" Topic

Yeah, I know. But you all have at least one copy somewhere!
Here are the current versions I'm aware of (we'll ignore various reprints/editions of essentially the same game):

Classic Risk!— Map, territory cards, armies, dice. No Secret Missions, etc.
Secret Mission Risk!— Classic contents, but includes Secret Mission cards.
Castle Risk
Risk: 2210 AD
Risk: Godstorm
Risk: The Lord of the Rings (two editions, one with an expanded board and more cards, but essentially the same game.)
Risk: Star Wars— Attack of the Clones
Risk: Star Wars— The Original Trilogy Edition
Star Wars Risk— not really Risk, but a reimplementation of The Queen's Gambit for the RotJ setting.
Risk Reinvented
Risk Black Ops
Risk Legacy
Risk Europe
Risk: Doctor Who— The Dalek Invasion of Earth
Risk: Halo Wars
Risk: Halo Collectors Edition (fought on a map of the Halo ring world)
Risk: The Walking Dead
Risk: The Game of Thrones
Risk: Plants vs. Zombies (not really Risk)
Risk: Metal Gear Solid
Risk: Narnia
Risk: Rick and Morty
Risk: Star Trek

I may be missing a few, so add ‘em if you know ‘em. (But like I said, if it's just a reprint of same game, one listing is enough— the exception being licensed product versions.)

Classic risk is the only one I have ever owned.

Classic – with wood blocks.

Classic, wooden blocks, from about 1971. It is still in great shape.

Mike

Classic with plastic pieces in odd shapes. I don't own it any more however – lost it years ago. I do plan on getting the Dr. Who Dalek one for the Daleks.

You'd have to pay me to play Risk or A&A. I own neither.

I have over 20++ set of the Napoleonic edition for the Miniatures to gaming with. All bought at 2nd hand store over the last few years.

Who is this "all" of whom you speak? You'd have to actually play Risk to have a copy around. I'll confess to experimenting with board games in my teen years, but even then I never sank to Risk.

A lot of tricorne and shako figures from Risk sets have camped out in the garage. But the game itself? Never.

Own? I haven't even heard of most of those.

I own Classic Risk from about 1970, with wooden pieces.

Classic. I've had three different versions in my life. My current one is the one in the wood bookshelf box.

Classical and Europe

Classic with wood blocks from college, 2 copies of classic with 3D plastic, I just got a copy into my store of Game of Thrones risk to take to conventions.

Won't work as a poll, since the formats are 'pick one' and 'pick five'.

Europe
Classic
2210

There's more than one?

@robert: Risk has been a part of many enjoyable gaming experiences for me. I'm sorry it was never that for you. But I'm sure you would agree "too each his own."

@etothepi: I like your photo!
I forgot about The Transformers Risk and the Starcraft version.

I forgot another "Risk" branded game which isn't Risk at all— Risk: Battflefield Rogue, which is a essentially a tactical squad game.

@The Editor

Okay— make it a top five favorite Risk variants poll.

Wood block classic from the early 70's.

I would agree, Parzival. It wasn't the game that set me off, but the calm assurance that, since I play miniatures, I MUST own a game that has nothing to do with them. People continually tell me I must surely know or do something I don't and haven't.

Play and enjoy.

I forgot another "Risk" branded game which isn't Risk at all— Risk: Battflefield Rogue

It's actually behind the light. But, as you point out, it really isn't a Risk! game, just branded as such, I didn't retake the picture.

I forgot about The Transformers Risk and the Starcraft version.

These two are not bad. They do have flavor which makes them something other than just Risk! in different clothes.

The Onyx bourgeois version is pretty cool to put on the table, but SWMBO and I grew up playing the classic one, so we were happy to find a wood blocks version at a garage sale.

None. Never did. Played the first version once, decades and decades ago.

Tom

the calm assurance that, since I play miniatures, I MUST own a game that has nothing to do with them

Risk! is a wargame (and a boardgame), but not a miniatures game. Most people who don't game wouldn't know the distinctions among those things any more than I would expect people here to know the difference between cumbia, plena, and chachera (or even to recognize those as dances). I think you have to assume noble intent when people are trying to relate to something with which they have no experience. Assuming noble intent is all about letting go of frustration and persevering against the seemingly eternal onslaught. I'll let you know if I figure out how to do it well …

I think it was mentioned on the other thread where Parzival and I were going back and for about Risk!, but that game (which is not a miniatures game) can be nice quick-and-simple campaign structure for miniature wargames. Risk! is basically strategic movement, strategic objectives, strategic replenishment, and strategic decision on where and when to take the initiative. The tactical end is resolved with a series of abstract dice rolls that are framed by the strategic choices. The outcome of the "battle" then changes the resources you have for your next round of decisions. It's pretty easy to substitute a miniature wargame where the terrain and initial conditions are determined by the Risk! strategic situation for the dice rolls.

Again, it's not a rich campaign structure, but its prepackaged and simple, thus very useful if you are more interested in playing a series of related tabletop engagements and not interested in a detailed PMESII background for them.

The biggest challenge in doing this is that Risk! does not have different unit types, but rather an aggregate force strength that is assumed to be relatively homogeneous in terms of capability across the different forces and players. There are a number of relatively simple approaches to overcoming this deficiency.

2210 AD
Lord of the Rings

I plan on using the 2210 minis for a really large Alpha Strike game. "Plan" may be a bit strong, it's on the project list.

Just the classic one,presently.

Interesting etotheipi. I'd have said the biggest challenge would be creating the board. But, again, nothing that couldn't be overcome. If all you want is an abstract battle generator, though, why not Chess? Get 64 maps--or dice for maps when you have a battle--assign an army list to each piece, and there you are.

Personally, I gave up on campaigns a long time ago in favor of canned scenarios. The additional "realism" of campaign-generated scenarios was balanced by battles I didn't want to fight out, and campaigns were always time sinks.

Fact remains, Parzival is one of us, and should know we don't "all" do anything except play with miniatures. (And come to think of it, there are probably a few collectors and dioramists at that. We all own miniatures? We are all interested in miniatures, perhaps?)

*Sigh*

Robert, the "all" was offered as light humor, indeed facetious humor. No, I do not actually assume that everyone here owns a copy of Risk, but I *did* assume that those who would be interested in this thread, given that the title is exceptionally clear, would probably own (or have owned) at least one version, if not more. (Alas, I did know that there would be replies of negation, though I had hoped otherwise.)
In any case, the simple addition of "I do not own a copy of Risk" as a suggestion in the poll selections would have sufficed to cover the rest.

It was, however, a reasonable assumption of mine that Risk would broadly have been some part of most wargamers' experience, even if it no longer is, and also that the numerous variants might intrigue someone in to taking a look at a gaming system that has altered beyond their childhood experiences. In any case, there was never anything condescending or rude about what I posted, and I find it rather odd that anyone would go so far as to assume that there was, or to take it in such a manner, or much less to be dismissive in reply.

*Sigh* It never ceases to sadden me when people jump into a discussion on TMP to attack someone else's passtime. It's one thing to state a preference; it is entirely another (and lesser) thing to disparage someone else's.

The original was the only version I ever owned … Wooden pieces and all.

I didn't know there were so many other versions. But I have seen some of newer version plastic detailed pieces. Which I thought were very nice and good for keeping the game around for so long.

I have Risk: Doctor Who— The Dalek Invasion of Earth.

Thematically it's one of, if not the best version of the game I've played.

Daleks invading Earth just so fits the game.

If all you want is an abstract battle generator, though, why not Chess? Get 64 maps--or dice for maps when you have a battle--assign an army list to each piece, and there you are.

Chess could certainly work like that. I used to love the 80's Archon video game.

It basically runs "fantasy monster" chess by resolving one on one duels.

The Risk! board game does come with a reasonable world map, divided into areas for which it doesn't take a lot of geographic knowledge to put together a battlefield. We never formally designated each territory's schema, but we also never fought over what the landscape would look like (even though in the large regions, where you could easily propose multiple environments).

The other thing is that you do have force size and logistic/natural reinforcements built into Risk!. So you don't have to generate armies or track casualties externally as you go along. Armies can retreat, fall back, and fortify the other territories as opposed to chess (even Archon) where it is an all-or-nothing win or loss.

The real advantage of Risk! as a campaign management system is that it provides enough campaign structure without requiring tons of overhead.

WRT the battles you didn't want to fight, we did allow the side with fewer forces to opt in to just rolling dice like Risk! instead of setting up a whole tabletop just to lose quickly. So if one player "broke through the line" and was facing a large number of occupied, but minimally resourced territories, you could resolve this quickly and move on to the point where it got interesting again. The traditional Risk! dice rolling mechanism was basically the abstract tier of a multi-resolution modeling schema.

So, for the type of easy campaign for casual players it wasn't too light or too heavy. It was just right and we ate it all up. Now … whose house is this and what is that growling sound at the door?

Classic with wooden blocks (although a replacement and not my original set from the '70s)

Lord of the rings.

ARCHON!

Fond memories of a sleepover where five of us hotseated Archon all night.

Classic Risk (a 70s copy, long gone)
Risk: The Lord of the Rings (sold)
Risk: Star Wars— Attack of the Clones
Risk: Star Wars— The Original Trilogy Edition
Risk: Legacy (unplayed)

The two Star Wars games are actually good implementations. The OT is a three-player game that works well, while the Clone Wars has a very clever and thematic Order 66 play clock. Both have good asymmetric goals for players.

Classic, although it was my brother's.

Looking that list over I have to admit I own nearly all of them. I have too many games.

I have too many games.

Sorry. I am familiar with all of these words in the English language, but when you put them together in that order, I don't know what it means.

Last year, some husbands of my wife's friends found out that I was a wargamer and went to conventions and stuff like that, and they invited me to come over and play Risk with them, which they'd been playing since probably elementary school, and playing with one another for at least 15 years.

I wasn't particularly lucky with initial placements, the dice, or getting card sets to turn in, but I still wiped them all off the map over the course of an hour and a half. I guess all my years of miniatures and hex-map-and-counters games have been worth beyond just pleasure and camaraderie.

They haven't invited me back for a rematch.

Classic, wooden pieces, dating from about 1966

Classic with plastic shaped pieces.
Secret Mission.
One with figures in tricorn etc (not at home so not sure the version)
LoTR

When looking at some I think that I am a piker in comparison.