Risk: 40th Anniversary Collector's Edition Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Equipment
• World Domination Risk
  • Object of the Game
  • Setup
  • Playing
  • Getting and Placing New Armies
  • RISK Cards
  • Attacking
  • Fortifying Your Position
  • Winning
• Variation: World Domination Risk for 2 Players
  • Setup
  • Attacking
  • Winning
• Variation: Capital Risk for a Shorter Game
  • Object of the Game
  • Equipment
  • Setup
  • Playing
• Secret Mission Risk
  • Object of the Game
  • Equipment
  • Setup
  • Winning
• Rules Variations for RISK Experts
• RISK Tournaments

Equipment

1 tri-fold game board, 5 dice (2 white and 3 red), a deck of 56 RISK cards, 6 sets of armies, each a different color.

The Game Board. The game board is a map of 6 continents divided into 42 territories. Each continent is a different color and contains from 4 to 12 territories. The numbers along the bottom (southern) edge of the board indicate the number of armies you will receive for a set of cards you trade in.

The Armies. There are 6 complete sets of armies, each containing 3 denominations of army pieces: Infantry (worth 1), Cavalry (worth 5 Infantry), and Artillery (worth 10 Infantry, or 2 Cavalry). Start the game by placing Infantry pieces; later in the game, you may trade in 5 Infantry for 1 Cavalry, or 2 Cavalry (or 1 Cavalry and 5 Infantry) for 1 Artillery.

The 56 RISK Cards. 42 marked with a territory and a picture of Infantry, Cavalry, or Artillery, 2 "wild" cards marked with all three pictures but no territory, 12 Secret Mission cards used only in Secret Mission Risk. (The Mission cards are removed for all other games.)

World Domination Risk

Object of the Game

To conquer the world by occupying every territory on the board, thus eliminating all your opponents.

Setup

Unlike most games, RISK demands careful planning before you actually start to play. This Initial Army Placement sets the stage for the battles you'll fight later on.

Initial Army Placement consists of these steps:

1. Select a color and, depending on the number of players, count out the "armies" you'll need to start the game.
   • If 2 are playing, see the For 2 Players variation below.
   • If 3 are playing, each player counts out 35 Infantry.
   • If 4 are playing, each player counts out 30 Infantry.
   • If 5 are playing, each player counts out 25 Infantry.
   • If 6 are playing, each player counts out 20 Infantry.
2. Roll one die. Whoever rolls the highest number takes one Infantry piece from his or her pile and places it onto any territory on the board, thus claiming that territory.
3. Starting to the left of the first player, everyone in turn places one army onto any unoccupied territory. Continue until all 42 territories have been claimed.
4. After all 42 territories are claimed, each player in turn places one additional army onto any territory he or she already occupies. Continue in this way until everyone has run out of armies. There is no limit to the number of armies you may place onto a single territory.

To complete game setup:

5. Shuffle the pack of RISK cards (remove the Mission cards) and place it, face down, by the side of the board. This pack forms the draw pile.
6. Whoever placed the first army takes the first turn.

Playing

On your turn, try to capture territories by defeating your opponents' armies. But be careful: winning battles will depend on careful planning, quick decisions and bold moves. You'll have to place your forces wisely, attack at just the right time and fortify your defenses against all enemies.

Note: At any time during the game, you may trade in Infantry pieces for the equivalent in Cavalry or Artillery if you need to, or wish to.

Each of your turns consists of three steps, in this order:

1. Getting and placing new armies;
2. Attacking, if you choose to, by rolling the dice;
3. Fortifying your position.

Getting and Placing New Armies

At the beginning of each turn, calculate how many new armies you'll add to your territories based on:

1. The number of territories you occupy;
2. The value of the continents you control;
3. The value of the matched sets of RISK cards you trade in;
4. The specific territory pictured on a traded-in card.

Territories. At the beginning of every turn (including your first), count the number of territories you currently occupy, then divide the total by three (ignore any fraction). The answer is the number of armies you receive. Place the new armies on any territory you already occupy.

Example: 11 territories = 3 armies; 14 territories = 4 armies; 17 territories = 5 armies.

You will always receive at least 3 armies on a turn, even if you occupy fewer than 9 territories.

Continents. In addition, at the beginning of your turn you will receive armies for each continent you control. (To control a continent, you must occupy all its territories at the start of your turn.) To find the exact number of armies you'll receive for each continent, look at the chart in the lower left-hand corner of the game board.

RISK Cards

Earning Cards. At the end of any turn in which you have captured at least one territory, you will earn one (and only one) RISK card. You are trying to collect sets of 3 cards in any of the following combinations: 3 cards of the same design (Infantry, Cavalry, or Artillery); 1 each of 3 designs; or any 2 plus a "wild" card.

If you have collected a set of 3 RISK cards, you may turn them in at the beginning of your next turn, or you may wait. But if you have 5 or 6 cards at the beginning of your turn, you must trade in at least one set, and may trade in a second set if you have one.

Trading In Cards for Armies. At the beginning of subsequent turns, you may trade in matched sets of cards and take additional armies based on the total number of sets anyone has traded in so far. For quick reference, keep traded-in cards face down under the bottom edge of the game board to mark the value (in armies) of the next trade.

• The first set traded in — 4 armies
• The second set traded in — 6 armies
• The third set traded in — 8 armies
• The fourth set traded in — 10 armies
• The fifth set traded in — 12 armies
• The sixth set traded in — 15 armies

After the sixth set has been traded in, each additional set is worth 5 more armies. Example: if you trade in the seventh set, you get 20 armies; if you trade in the eighth, you get 25 armies, and so on. "First" and "second" set, etc., refer to sets traded in by anyone during the game. Thus, if you trade in the third set in the game, you receive 8 armies, even if it's the first set you have traded in.

Occupied Territories. If any of the 3 cards you trade in shows the picture of a territory you occupy, you receive 2 extra armies. You must place both those armies onto that particular territory.

Note: On a single turn, you may receive no more than 2 extra armies above and beyond those you receive for the matched sets of cards you trade in.

Hints: No matter how many armies you receive at the start of your turn, deploy them carefully — either to prepare for an attack or to defend against one. It is good military strategy to move your armies to the front, heavily fortifying territories that border enemy territories.

Attacking

After placing your armies at the beginning of your turn, decide if you wish to attack at this time. The object of an attack is to capture a territory by defeating all the opposing armies already on it. The battle is fought by a roll of the dice. Study the board for a moment. Do you want to attack?

If you choose not to attack, pass the dice to the player on your left. You may still fortify your position, if you wish.

If you choose to attack, you must follow these rules:

• You may only attack a territory that's adjacent (touching) to one of your own, or connected to it by a dashed line. Examples: Greenland may attack the Northwest Territory, Ontario, Quebec and Iceland. North Africa may attack Egypt, Western Europe and Brazil. At the western and eastern edges of the board, Alaska is considered adjacent to, and may attack, Kamchatka.
• You must always have at least two armies in the territory you're attacking from.
• You may continue attacking one territory until you have eliminated all armies on it, or you may shift your attack from one territory to another, attacking each as often as you like and attacking as many territories as you like during one turn.

To Attack. First announce both the territory you're attacking and the one you're attacking from. Then roll the dice against the opponent who occupies the opposing territory.

• Before rolling, both you and your opponent must announce the number of dice you intend to roll, and you both must roll at the same time.
• You, the attacker, will roll 1, 2 or 3 red dice: You must have at least one more army in your territory than the number of dice you roll. Hint: the more dice you roll, the greater your odds of winning. Yet the more dice you roll, the more armies you may lose, or be required to move into a captured territory.
• The defender will roll either 1 or 2 white dice: to roll 2 dice, he or she must have at least 2 armies on the territory under attack. Hint: the more dice the defender rolls, the greater his or her odds of winning — but the more armies he or she may lose.

To Decide a Battle. Compare the highest die each of you rolled. If yours (the attacker's) is higher, the defender loses one army from the territory under attack. But if the defender's die is higher than yours, you lose one army from the territory you attacked from; put it back in your clear plastic box. If each of you rolled more than one die, now compare the two next-highest dice and repeat the process.

Notes:

• In case of a tie, the defender always wins.
• The attacker can never lose more than 2 armies on a single roll.

Capturing Territories. As soon as you defeat the last opposing army on a territory, you capture that territory and must occupy it immediately. To do so, move in at least as many armies as the number of dice you rolled in your last battle. Remember: in most cases, moving as many armies as you can to the front is advantageous, because armies left behind can't help you when you are attacking. Also remember you must always leave at least one army behind on the territory you attacked from. During the game, every territory must always be occupied by at least one army.

Ending Your Attack. You may end your attack(s) at any time. If you have captured at least one territory, first take the top RISK card from the draw pile. (No matter how many territories you've captured on your turn, you may take only one RISK card.) Your last step is to fortify your position, if you wish. Finally, pass the dice.

Eliminating an Opponent. If during your turn you eliminate an opponent by defeating his or her last army on the game board, you win any RISK cards that player has collected.

• If winning them gives you 6 or more cards, you must immediately trade in enough sets to reduce your hand to 4 or fewer cards, but once your hand is reduced to 4, 3, or 2 cards, you must stop trading.
• But if winning them gives you fewer than 6, you must wait until the beginning of your next turn to trade in a set.
• Note: When you draw a card from the deck at the end of your turn (for having won a battle), if this brings your total to 6, you must wait until your next turn to trade in.

Fortifying Your Position

No matter what you've done on your turn, you may, if you wish, end your turn by fortifying your position. You are not required to win a battle or even to try an attack to do so. Some players refer to this as the "free move."

To fortify your position, move as many armies as you'd like from one (and only one) of your territories into one (and only one) of your adjacent territories. Remember to move troops towards borders where they can help in an attack!

In moving your armies from one territory to another, you must leave at least one army behind.

Winning

The winner is the first player to eliminate every opponent by capturing all 42 territories on the board.

Variation: World Domination Risk for 2 Players

Read the complete World Domination rules first.

This version is played like regular RISK with one important exception: along with your armies and those of your opponent, there are also "neutral" armies on the board that act as a buffer between you and your opponent. This feature gives the 2-player version much the same strategic flavor as the regular RISK game.

Setup

Initial Army Placement. You and your opponent each select a complete set of armies. Then either of you selects a third set to be "neutral." Take 40 Infantry pieces from each of the 3 sets and claim territories in the following manner:

1. Remove the Secret Mission cards and the 2 "wild" cards from the RISK card deck. Shuffle thoroughly and deal the cards, face down, into 3 equal piles. Both you and your opponent choose a different pile. The remaining pile is "neutral."
2. Place one of your Infantry onto each of the 14 territories shown on the RISK cards in your pile. Your opponent does the same. Then place one "neutral" Infantry onto each of the remaining 14 "neutral" territories.
3. After every territory on the board has been claimed, you and your opponent take turns placing your remaining armies: place 2 Infantry onto any 1 or 2 of the territories you occupy. Then place 1 "neutral" army onto any "neutral" territory you want, placing it to block your opponent's possible advance.

To complete game setup:

4. After all the armies have been placed on the board, return the two "wild" cards to the RISK card deck, shuffle the deck and start to play.

Attacking

On your turn, you may attack any territory adjacent to one of your own. Whenever you attack a "neutral" territory, your opponent rolls to defend that "neutral" territory.

"Neutral" armies cannot attack and never receive reinforcements during the game.

Winning

To win, be the first to eliminate your opponent by capturing all of his or her territories. You do not have to eliminate the "neutral" armies.

Usually, all "neutral" armies are eliminated before the end of the game. If this happens, don't worry. Play continues until one player defeats the other.

Variation: Capital Risk for a Shorter Game

Object of the Game

To capture all opposing Headquarters — while still controlling your own territory.

If you wish, you may shorten the game even further:

• 4 players: capture any 2 opposing Headquarters while controlling your own.
• 5 or 6 players: capture any 3 opposing Headquarters while controlling your own.

Equipment

Same as in World Domination Risk. Remember to remove the Secret Mission cards.

Setup

1. After deploying your armies at the beginning of the game, select one of the territories you've claimed and make it your Headquarters. Then, without revealing the territory you've chosen, find its matching RISK card and place it face down in front of you.
2. After everyone in turn has selected a Headquarters, all players turn their cards face up, thus revealing the location of their Headquarters.

Playing

All World Domination Risk rules apply, with these additions:

• If you capture an opposing Headquarters, place the Headquarters card you've won face up in front of you to prove you've captured it.
• If at any point your Headquarters is captured by an opponent, you are not eliminated from the game. Simply give your card to that opponent and continue playing.
• You may not use a Headquarters card as part of a matched set of RISK cards. Be sure to keep all Headquarters cards out of the way during the game.

Secret Mission Risk

For 3 to 6 players. Read the complete World Domination rules first.

Object of the Game

To be the first player to complete the Mission described on your own Mission card. This game is suitable for from 3 to 6 players.

Equipment

Use all the equipment of the World Domination game, plus the 12 Mission cards. These cards give each player a different mission; when that mission has been completed, that player automatically wins the game.

Setup

Initial Army Placement.

1. Select a color and, depending on the number of players, count out the "armies" you'll need to start the game.
   • If 3 are playing, each player counts out 35 Infantry.
   • If 4 are playing, each player counts out 30 Infantry.
   • If 5 are playing, each player counts out 25 Infantry.
   • If 6 are playing, each player counts out 20 Infantry.

To complete game setup:

2. Before play begins, elect one player to be the General. If fewer than 6 are playing, the General removes the Mission cards that refer to the unused colors.
3. The General shuffles the Mission cards and, starting to the left, deals one card face down to each player. The remaining Mission cards are put back in the box; no one, including the General, may look at them.
4. The General removes the 2 Wild Cards from the deck of RISK cards, shuffles, and deals out all the cards, starting with the player to the left. (In a 4- or 5-player game, 2 players will each receive one extra card.) These cards determine which territories each of you will occupy at the beginning of the game.
5. Each player places one army on each of his or her territories. When you've done this, go around the table in turn, placing another army on each of your territories. There is no limit to the number of armies that can occupy a single territory. Continue until all troops have been deployed across the map.
6. The General now collects the RISK cards, replaces the 2 Wild Cards, shuffles the deck, and puts it to the side, face down.
7. Game play continues as in the standard World Domination game.

Winning

The player who completes his or her mission first — and reveals the Mission card to prove it — wins.

Important note: In Secret Mission RISK, it is possible that you will accomplish your mission with the aid (usually unintentional) of another player. For example, if your mission is to destroy all the yellow troops and another player actually removes the final yellow armies from the board, that player has helped you complete your Secret Mission.

Rules Variations for RISK Experts

Experienced players like to reduce the role of luck in the game. Feel free to use any or all of these rules variations to add skill (and length) to both the World Domination and Secret Mission games.

The Value of Matched RISK Card Sets. Instead of increasing the value of each matched set as stated in the rules, increase its value by only one. Thus, the first matched set is still worth 4 armies, but the second is worth 5 armies, the third is worth 6 armies, and so on.

Fortifying Your Position. At the end of your turn, you may move armies from one or more territories to any number of your other territories. However, before you can do this, you must occupy all the territories in between. Example: if you want to move armies from South Africa into Brazil, you must first occupy the Congo and North Africa, thus forming a connected chain of territory. A single territory may not have more than 12 armies placed on it in this way; if you are unable to place some armies, you lose those armies.

Advantage When Attacking. If you have a RISK card that shows either the territory you're attacking from or the territory you're attacking:

• You may, if you wish, re-roll any one die on each battle involving that territory. To do so, place the card face up in front of you and roll the die again.
• You may use more than one card on a turn, but only one card per battle. Once you stop attacking the territory in question, put the RISK card back into your hand for future use.
• You may not use a RISK card in this manner when defending a territory.

Commanders. Once per turn while attacking you may change one of the dice you've just rolled so that the number "6" is showing. This represents the influence of your "Commander" at the scene of the battle.

RISK Tournaments

To receive an information kit describing how to hold your own RISK tournament, write to us at the address below.

We will be happy to answer questions about this game. Write: Consumer Relations Department, Parker Brothers, P.O. Box 1012, Beverly, MA 01915.