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View Full Version : Enjoying Risk 2210 A.D.


FrankOz
02-02-2003, 05:07 PM
Alright all you avid Risk Players. I am hoping to get a little feedback from you guys!

I love the game Risk 2210. I have been playing it almost everyweekend since I got it this Christmas. In fact I have played it so much, that my cards are bent and dying.

Now here is my problem. I have been watching all the games very closly that I have played. If I lost, I figure out why, if I won, I ponder how. And this is what I have discovered.

Who ever is very passive, and unagressive wins. I know that sounds absolutley absurd in a war game but that is how it has become. If you just go for your continent at first, then stop there, not becoming to powerful or greedy, and then through out the rest of the game you just collect empty water territories and free lunar territories you continue to build up and become strong. If you keep doing this with out making anyone mad, or have a reason to go after you, by the time the game ends, it is too late.

I was very much bored with this strategy. It is no fun so in my last game I was very aggressive and did serious damage. I was not greedy and I kept my possitions very well fortified. But I had made two enemies. One was a girl, whom loves to play and enjoys the game very much. She was my nieghboring enemy and early in the game she had become an emperoress. On the second year she collected 15 men and 15 energy (base bonus not included) So natural I knew she need to be taken down. She was well fortified and I struck from S. America through vital points across her African continent and to her European Continent. That destroyed her Empire and all 4 of us playing, were now all pretty equal. I had made an allience with my buddy in North America and I had taken both the South and North Atlantic Water Territories to keep the tension nutrual between myself and the larger continent of N. America. So even though my attacks were for the good of everyone playing, but the girl, she of course was very ****** off at me and would not cease to get her revenge for the remainder of the game. And indirectly her boyfriend, who controlled much of asia and all of australia was sort of againt me (boyfriend/girlfriend ties) but luckily he was not in possition to get me for the entire game. My friend in the North was passive the entire game. (He too had realized the importance of keeping a low profile and not making enemies).

In the end, even though I played quite wisely and had a good number of cards, a crucial Cease Fire was played on me from the girl, and she played an even more crucial frequecy Jam on me during the last round. Controlling much of the moon, S. America, my water territories and haveing 4 colonly influences I was in good shape for a win. Not being able to play my defensive cards in the end, and not being able to weaken my enemy as I had taken the turn before her,(in the last year) I was nearly wiped out and came in last Place

My friend, the pacifist, of course won the game.
He had no enemies and was able to keep all of his lands and commanders.

Now please, I would very much like to hear everyone's input. I am terribly annoyed that this great war game may become a game of "tip toe around your neighbor so you are still friends" kind of deal. It is a game, you should have fun and not be offened if someone kicks your ass. You are suppose to do that!

I am thinking about taking away the 5 year timer marker. Play until someone controls the entire world. Yes this would take a very long time, but I hope to play more aggresive games, and maybe as an insentive to take out a player, who ever conquers or wipes out an oppenent, gets four of thier command cards and 2 energy.

I am not quite sure. How do you fellow players out there keep your games aggressive. How do you hurt pacifists, or do you have friends that are just naturally inclined to fight and you dont have to worry about such things.

Thanks for your time

Apprentice

rochs77
02-03-2003, 10:02 AM
Very interesting comments. I have just picked up Risk 2210 and have read the rules, but have not had a chance to play yet. I would like to see if I run into the same issues that you have. And although I haven't played Risk 2210, I have played quite a few games of Diplomacy (if not familiar, check it out on this site, it's a fantastic game).

Diplomacy is centered around alliances, enemies, and backstabbing, so I think that it relates very closely to your current problem. One of the things that you learn very quickly in Diplomacy is that you never want to be the strongest player (until the endgame, of course smile.gif ). This is because everyone will quickly gang up on you to whittle you down, then one of the weaklings will become the strongest...so on and so forth. What I think you need to do is convince everyone else that your powerful yet passive friend is the biggest threat and that they must at all costs help you to whittle her down, or she will surely run away with the game.

Another thing that you learn in Diplomacy is to never become an ally to a very strong nation. This will inevitably lead to your demise unless you are a very good tactician or negotiator. But, this works in reverse. Always try to pick an ally that is weaker than you are. By picking a weaker ally, it allows you to take the lion's share of your passive friend's territories. When you screw over your weaker ally, just try to explain how it helps the alliance as a whole, or some crap like that. Or, you could just attack them outright and take them for all they are worth.

Now, once you become the strongest nation, you have to keep everyone from ganging up on you. This is usually done by enlisting the help of the weakest player in the game. Although the weakest player really doesn't have a chance at defeating you, it's one less player you have to worry about trying to take your position. They are usually more than happy to gain your assistance, especially if you can help them to gain some ground. And unless its a very close game, you could help them quite substantially without compromising your position as leader.

You can also try to convince other players that you are the best choice for a leader in the game because you have been "good" to them. Tell them that whoever is in the best position to take your place is a ruthless tyrant that will stop at nothing to wipe the floor with them. Of course they probably won't listen to you, but its always worth a try ;) .

You can also try fibs, fabrications, and outright lies to get people fighting. I don't know if its allowed in tournament rules, but playing with friends I am sure you could just pull one of them out of listening range and talk to them alone. Then pull another one aside and tell them that the first player is planning an all out attack on them. This should get tempers and dice flying.

And if none of this works, just try cursing people. This will at least get them to attack you.

Hope this helps.

[ February 03, 2003, 01:06 PM: Message edited by: rochs77 ]

FrankOz
02-03-2003, 10:57 PM
Ah, good deal. Thank you very much for your help. I will definatley look into Diplomacy and try many of the ideas you gave me. I have always tried to talk to indivduals alone, but sometimes that is hard with out arousing the suspicion of all the other players, but again thank you. I am off, to try and conqeror the world as an aggressor, wish me luck and I will keep all posted.

mxpxboy288
02-05-2003, 03:10 PM
In a way, I have noticed that as well, me and my friends play 2210 every weekend, and I would say we have had atleast 20-30 games played. I think the winner is the person who best mixes attacking, alliances, and just sitting around. The key is to be very friendly with one player, and not make enemies with others. Then, when you are poised to become the most powerful you strike, especially if your ally has left his border with you empty for far too long. We have done as you mentioned, and eliminated the five turn rule before we even tried it. We just did not like that idea, as everyone wanted 'risk:the game of global domination' to stay that way Obviously, this extends the games, but when we do not finish, we revert to five turn scoring methods, while adding a bit of our own touches (who has the most men, who wwas poised to strike, etc.) and determine a winner. hope this helps you

CEKT
01-29-2007, 06:47 PM
ya me and my friends are a bunch of war mongers. We scrap the five year thing, and in a five person game it usually ends between 8-13 turns

StrikeAnywhere
02-09-2007, 04:55 PM
The passive strategy is good if you can get a continent bonus on the first turn or take the moon early to stockpile armies, but I have to disagree with that strategy winning every time. I have twice taken control of the entire board (land, water and moon) by being very agressive from the very start. If you don't want the pacifist to win then don't let them be a pacifist - bring the fight to them.

The group I normally play with doesn't really do alliances though, and that probably changes the way the pacifist strategy will work. We save our alliances for when we are playing Civ. Risk is all about total destruction. There may be peace on a border for a turn or two... but I'll be damned before I go a whole game without setting a massive army loose to stomp my best friend into next week.

tweekend
03-08-2007, 12:06 PM
Two of my friends and I have been playing this game almost as long as it's been out. Granted, we've now played each other close to 500 times so we know what the others like to do, but I have to honestly say, passive or aggressive, you have the same odds. Aggressive may fail a little more often, but they are pretty close. One thing we've done to make the game even more interesting is adding 2 Nuclear Wastelands on the Moon, 2 in the Ocean and 1 more on Land.

wavex
05-04-2007, 06:28 AM
It always boils down to what kind of players are around the table. I've played a lot of games with the same group and there you can find a sort of strategy which can improve your probability of winning.
I also played a few tournaments and with 'new' people it is very important to size them up... there are so many different tactics or players (you have the moonjunkie, the waterplayer, the landplayer, ...the aggressor, the pascifist, the nuke man, ...).
See what other players are doing and adopt. Don't settle for a specific tactic - see what others are playing.

WaveX