Risk Board Game Strategy. How To Win Playing Risk

Risk Board Game Strategy.

Risk is a classic board game that introduced many players to the genre of wargames. The roll of the dice means a lot in Risk, but so do strategy and intelligent tactical decisions.

Here's How To Win Risk:
Know what rules you're using. There are various editions and versions of Risk, so be sure that you're not playing one game while everyone else is playing another.

Australia is a good continent to control at the beginning of the game, since it's easy to hold (it only has one point of attack from outside the continent) and get the continent bonus. South America, with only two points of attack, is almost as good.

When you control a continent, position your armies to protect the points of attack much more so than the less vulnerable interior countries.

Don't bother conquering an entire continent unless you think you can hold it for at least a full turn, because controlling a continent makes you an attractive target for other players to attack.

Try not to let other players control continents, but don't weaken yourself too much in the process.

Whenever possible, attack with a large group or armies rather than a medium-sized one.

If you're playing with mission cards, it's generally better to start by going after a full continent. Once you have armies to work with, go after your mission.

When trying to complete a mission, take steps to make sure that you don't make it obvious what your goal is. If you don't mask your intentions, your opponents will catch on.

If you're playing with increasing card redemption values (the standard rule in most versions), hold on to your cards as long as possible. This is particularly true near the beginning of the game.
Hold on to wild cards as long as possible at any point in the game.

If you're defending a country, and you have an option of how many dice to roll, always roll as many as possible. This increases your chances of a successful defense.

Tips:
Risk is not a team game. Alliances, if they exist at all, are always temporary.
Don't spread yourself too thin. Other players could sweep through and capture all of your one-army countries quite easily.

Your country ownership and turn position are key factors when starting the game of Risk and the strategies you employ. Playing out of position is a sure-fire way to get blown out and put in a crippling predicament within the first couple turns. For the examples discussed, assume a three-person game.

Placing your additional armies is influenced by your turn position. If you are first, which is considered an advantage in general, you can afford to take a more aggressive starting position. Since you are opening, the other players will probably get three reinforcements instead of four because they will lose countries before their turn. In addition, you can establish your stronghold before your opponents have a chance to undermine your game plan.

Regardless of the turn order, Risk is simply game of math. Your best chances at battle victories with in a 3-1 dice situation. Establishing your stronghold in a location where you can gain an early continent and your opponents have weak positions is vital. This maximizes your chances with take over the most countries with the fewest casualties. In that same line, if you are third to act, you must be more conservative in your first-turn expectations. Most of your 1-army countries will be gone and taking over a continent on your first turn (besides Australia, if you have a chance), may not be possible.

Other than preventing an opponent from getting a continent bonus on their second turn, acting third doesn't required being really aggressive. Fortifying your position and branching out slower will be better in the long run. Find a location, like North America, where you can hold an area with few access points (it has three), so you can easily defend it. A place like Asia would be difficult to defend and fortify from third position because of its sheer size and accessibility.

A main way to get ahead early in Risk, regardless of position, is to stay out of the way. The more you can avoid being attacked, the better. Saving your armies for when you are attacking and expanding is the only way to grow at a fast rate with enough protection to defend yourself. Placing your armies in territories where the opponent has 1-army territories sounds elementary, but, like I said before, it's simple math. 2 vs. 2 and 3 vs. 2 battles aren't a big advantage for the attacker, but a 3-1 battle gives you a 2-1 advantage in terms of odds. Part of Risk is the chance of the dice, but you minimize your risk (no pun intended) by finding as many 3-1's as possible early in the game.