Favorite Board Game

[Kain]

That's new to me also and I've been playing Chess since I was really young.

[bluecommander]

They sell it at gamers paradise around me anyway. The board is the standard size (maybe slightly bigger i don't know) in the middle but not a piece starts on that area. There are (on each side) 2 more rows for each color to setup (black,white,gold,silver). I love the game

[Reno]

I'll have to try this someday.

[bluecommander]

That can sure be arranged: i still have mine

[General Zod Von Doom]

Gamers, Friends, Countrymen!!

Lend me your ears, eyes, arms, legs, spleens, livers, and kidneys!

For if not, I will take them all as I TOTALLY DESTROY YOU at Risk! :o)

On a less playful note, tho...

I like war strategy games, Risk being one..but thats mostly fluff...Axis & Allies is where its at for the more hardcore strategy player...personally, I dont care for the newer pop culture versions of Risk, but more so the classic...I also used to play it online too, and had a high rank on Case's Ladder back then...

I have also played the *future* one, and contrary to popular belief "Risk 2210" is not a new game...it is however, a newly updated game...the futuristic one was originally released around the mid sixties, as I understand...I forget exact dates

I have also played Shogun (also known as Samurai Swords), and many other old out of print classics...I'm quite the gaming buff..

I also tutored my nephew at chess, as he was/still is? in the chess club at his school....alonh with all that, i am also a skilled dominoes player as well as a master at backgammon and play well at many other fun time tested strategy games

currently, my vice is heroclix :o)

[Reno]

The problem I have with standard Risk is that control of Australia grants too much of an advantage. As there are only four countries it doesn't take much to dominate it, and unlike any other continent, even South America, there is only one way in. Once you control the four nations of Australia, you have only to take Siam and you get a guaranteed 2 extra units every turn, which will over the long term add up. Unfortunately, Risk is bound by the Earth's natural geography, as well as at least token deference to historical countries. Therefore they can't create another country that has access to Australia, since Antarctica was never settled and there is nothing else close by.

[General Zod Von Doom]

Well, yah...that's the Austrailia stronghold...every good Risk player knows to grab for that if they can...sometimes you can't tho, and it doesnt always mean victory...spread your armies too thin, or crappy dice rolls, and there goes your island paradise

I play it a lot by myself lately, or with friends...renewed interest, since I picked it up in the last 2 months for my ps2...playing against 5 computer opponents on hard is very tough to win, but feels very rewarding when you do...I love earning medals and special unlockables...

I was originally supposed to get it on gamecube...I had found a pre-order for dirt cheap once, but the game was cancled on that system, I think, as well as delayed for at least a year...so I was pretty pissed off...but I got it on sale at one of the last Toys R Us's for almost what I got it the first time...actually free, cause my girlfriend bought it for me (how sweet) cause I couldn't afford it, as I was buying Rumble Roses and Athens 2004 for my ps2, and Rocky Legends for my XBox all on that same lovely afternoon...

In retrospect, I really wished I could have found Rocky 2 for my cube cause it just plays better on that...part 1 was perfect...or at least my ps2 since its a year and a half or so newer (I got that new tiny one last x-mas) and my XBox runs some stuff funky and choppy and glitches up more than the other two systems...funny tho...my cube is the oldest by another year and a half and has run solid until recently, when it didnt wanna spin the discs to read...I can get it to work though...don't know its situation now tho...havent used it in a while

[General Zod Von Doom]

as a note to risk, for computer/console versions, I almost always pick random territories and army placements, which is an available option...it just seems more fair and makes it that much more interesting...also, for a quicker game, sometimes I'll play secret mission risk...haven't tried capital yet for the console, so I can't comment on that...I'm sure the AI still acts like total bitches to you, tho

[Reno]

Speaking as somebody who only plays the board game version (never tried the PC versions), I've never gotten to play Secret Mission Risk. But we always do random territory placement. But unless you were to mandate even spread of the starting forces, somebody is bound to put all their forces in that one Australia territory they started with, and from there it all goes south.

[General Zod Von Doom]

Aha...but see, thats just it...its still not random...random is technically impossible to play on a regular board, unless a non playing person was to set up everyones starting territories and armies for them

Austrailia, or not...it doesn't really matter...last night I choked out 4 computer opponents...and starting from South America I blanketed the world, eventually forcing Robert Clive's confinement on his little island he just NEEDED to have...then I simply stormed in with my two 20+ armies and flicked his goofy English ass off of Austrailia

Yes...yes, I felt good...and I also unlocked Shaka Zulu afterwards...that's gonna be fun later on...another war for another time

[Reno]

Well you can't have random starting armies on the board. The closest you can get is some sort of even build rule. But you CAN have random territories. That you just do by shuffling the cards together and dealing them out.

And South America is the next best place to hold after Australia. It has only two choke points and the same number of territories, so it's not much harder to hold on to. Holding onto Africa or North America is relatively possible but almost impossible to hold against a dedicated assault. Europe and Asia are not really possible to hold until the end of the game when your opponent is beaten already. Trying to hold all of Asia from the get-go is a sure-fire way to commit suicide.

[leviathan]

i never heard of four way chess how does it work

[General Zod Von Doom]

Europe is just a pain in the butt to hold...I always go for that one last...I like Asia tho...only need to hold 3 points when you yank Austrailia away...plus it gives you the biggest build bonus, which is always good

[Kain]

In God Storm Risk I prefer to take Germania if enough of it is given to me at the beginning. Otherwise, that continent can be a pain to try to invade.

[Arkhon Arkhozh]

I find I prefer using the term Germania over Germany.