Risk Europe

Before I go into my reasoning, first let me state that I have played ten different versions of Risk, i.e. Risk Classic, Risk: Urban Assault (PS4), Risk: Legacy, Risk: Star Trek 50th Anniversary Edition, Risk: Godstorm, Risk: 2210AD, Risk: Metal Gear Solid, Risk: Dr. Who, Risk: Star Wars Clone Wars Edition, and Risk: Europe. Suffice to say, I know and love me some Risk! Risk: Europe takes the basic idea of Risk and blends it with more modern elements of war gaming, e.g. reinforcements can only happen from one space to another two spaces away. We see this best in the combat where there are up to four rounds of combat--first the siege weapons get to each roll two dice and score automatic hits if they roll 3 or higher; then come the archers who also hit automatically on rolls of 5 or 6; next is the cavalry which hit on 3 or higher like the siege weapons, although they only roll one die each; the last round of combat is when we get back to old school Risk where the attacker rolls 3 dice and the defender rolls up to 2. Then the whole cycle repeats until one or BOTH opponents are completely wiped out. The game is set as a series of two-turn rounds. You have a hand of eight cards from which you draw two cards before the start of each round. Those cards are the actions which you will be taking on your two turns. Combat occurs at the end of each round and you can reinforce your troops during the round which can turn what looks like an easy victory into a humiliating defeat. The beauty is that the game allows for proper strategizing unlike Classic Risk where a plan can be undone by one opponent stubbornly rolling 6s despite only having a single troop in the space! I cannot recommend this game highly enough. I have only just scratched the details of the rules, but if you love Risk, then you will love this game.

This version takes everything you love about Risk and tightens up the design, and throws a few extra twists and turns into the formula. Games are much more dynamic as a result. Sure the faction powers are a little unbalanced but it keeps the game interesting.