The Risk board has 6 continents — North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Australian Archipelago — that contain a total of 42 smaller territories. Variation: If you want to play with the Secret Mission cards, randomly give each player 1 Mission of each of the 4 types. Keep the cards a secret from the other players.
6 players - 20 troops each 5 players - 25 troops each 4 players - 30 troops each 3 players - 35 troops each 2 players - 40 troops each (this varies between editions, and you must use “neutral” armies that aren’t controlled by either player) Cavalry and Artillery troops are a way to let you consolidate multiple troops on the map. For example, if you have 5 Infantry in 1 territory, you could trade them in at any time for 1 Cavalry so the map is easier to see.
After the first player, take turns clockwise around the table.
Any territory with your pieces in it is considered under your control. Variation: Remove the 2 “wild” cards from the draw pile and deal out the cards evenly to each player. Each player places one of their troops in the territories listed on the cards they have. Always deal out cards to claim starting territories during a 2-player game.
Some variations of Risk give each player secret missions they need to complete as an alternate way to win. A game of Risk usually takes around 2 hours, but it could take an hour or two longer if you’re playing with all 6 players.
Example: If you had 11 territories, you would receive 3 troops. For 13 territories, you would receive 4 troops. Receive 3 troops for controlling Africa, 7 troops for Asia, 2 troops for Australia, 5 troops for Europe, 5 troops for North America, and 2 troops for South America. If you ever gain fewer than 3 troops at the beginning of your turn, round up to 3 troops.
First set: 4 troops Second set: 6 troops Third set: 8 troops Fourth set: 10 troops Fifth set: 15 troops For every set after the fifth set, add 5 more troops to the total. If you have 5 or more cards at the beginning of a turn, you must turn at least one set of them in. If one of the cards you turn in has a territory you control, place 2 bonus troops in that territory. You can only do this once per turn. Some editions of Risk have stars on the cards instead of troops. You gain troops based on the number of stars on the cards you turn in.
Example: If you gained 16 troops, you could place 16 Infantry; 3 Cavalry and an Infantry; or 1 Infantry, 1 Cavalry, and 1 Artillery. Try to place your troops in territories that border your opponents so you can perform a strong attack or defend yourself. [9] X Research source
Example: You may say, “I’m attacking Eastern United States from Western United States. " Attacking during your turn is always optional. If you’d rather save your troops and keep your defenses strong, you can skip straight to fortifying your troops.
Since Cavalry or Artillery are worth 5 and 10 troops, you can’t use the pieces in an attack. Trade Cavalry or Artillery pieces in for Infantry before you make your attack.
If the red die is higher than the white die, remove 1 troop from the defending territory. If the red die is lower or equal to the white die, remove 1 of the attack troops from the board. If you rolled more dice than your opponent, ignore the extra results. Example: John decides to attack Jane. John uses 2 troops to attack and Jane has 1 troop to defend. John rolls as a 4 and 3. Jane rolls a 3. Since John’s highest die was a 4 and Jane’s was a 3, John wins the battle and removes Jane’s troop from the board.
If there are still enemy troops left in the territory, then move your troops back into the territory they came from. As soon as you run out of troops on the board, you’re out for the rest of the game.
Pay attention to how many troops you have left on the board before you declare an attack. It may be smarter to save your troops for a strong defense so you don’t wear yourself too thin.
If you manage to wipe out an opponent by destroying their last troop on the board, you gain all the cards they had in their hand.
Hold off on trying to control all of Asia since it has too many borders to fortify and will quickly lead to over-expansion and spreading your troops thin.
Example: “Alex has a lot of pieces in Europe. Sammy, I won’t attack your troops if you help me attack him on your turn. " You can say your alliances out loud or you can keep them secret.
