Web-Based Risk

[Tairnyn]

If anyone here loves Risk I found a decent web-based version that you can play with friends and/or strangers at http://www.conquerclub.com . Premium membership is $20 per year, allowing you to make private games with a password (which isn't really necessary to play with friends if they join your non p/w private game relatively quickly) and play more than 4 games simultaneously, but otherwise it's free to play.

They allow quite a few different game formats and maps and there's a decent core of good players to provide a challenge. The community tends to be a bit young and I feel there's some minor problems with how they handle deadbeat players in games, but overall I've really enjoyed it so far. I probably sound like a mole with my glowing recommendation, but I figured there were some turn-based strategy lovers like me here that might find it to be a fun distraction during those slow work days. You're given 24 hours per turn so you can get by checking your games once per day when you get a chance. My account name there is Chalupacabra should you run into me.

[Morat20]

Eh, I dunno. I can't use my favorite Risk strategy in a web-game. I've found that intimidating everyone else into losing is really easy. First, you loudly announce which territory you plan to take, and suggest heavily that the poor sap currently holding it might want to remove his troops before your turn. You assure everyone that you "Just want Australia/Africa/South America/whatever" and that'll you'll be happy there. You then -- and this is critical -- inform everyone that you will take it as a personal affront should anyone deny you your chosen lands, and that you will then devote yourself 100% to taking that person out of the game....even if you lose in the process.

Generally, you only need to do the suicide/berserker/grudge assault once, and then everyone believes you. After that, they all start playing for second place.

It's pretty funny.

Can you tell I miss Diplomacy?

[Samwise]

I've seen that same type of strategy employed in online games.  It tends to work until everyone starts doing it.

[Paelos]

I always gave those people the finger and told them to come get some. I never really cared about winning at Risk though. It's not exactly the height of "OMG Intelligent Strategery!"

If you want that, play chess.

[Morat20]

I've seen that same type of strategy employed in online games.  It tends to work until everyone starts doing it.

If you convince them you're crazy and will hold a grudge through multiple games, it helps. You've got to out-crazy them from the get-go.

We also had a habit of creating names/bios for our Risk Generals -- so it's really fun when I start out as Generalissimo Son of Last Generalissimo, hater of the Pink Army People!

I prefer Shogun (called Samurai Swords now, I think) to Risk myself.

[Tairnyn]

I never really cared about winning at Risk though. It's not exactly the height of "OMG Intelligent Strategery!"

Very true. Even with Flat-Rate or No Cards and adjacent fortiification it still often comes down to blind luck with rolls. If I could find a web-based version of Axis & Allies I'd be all over it.

[Mortriden]

I've seen that same type of strategy employed in online games.  It tends to work until everyone starts doing it.

If you convince them you're crazy and will hold a grudge through multiple games, it helps. You've got to out-crazy them from the get-go.

We also had a habit of creating names/bios for our Risk Generals -- so it's really fun when I start out as Generalissimo Son of Last Generalissimo, hater of the Pink Army People!

I prefer Shogun (called Samurai Swords now, I think) to Risk myself.

Samurai Swords is fricken great.  On a not entirely related note... I'm a huge Settlers Fan.

[Morat20]

Samurai Swords is fricken great.  On a not entirely related note... I'm a huge Settlers Fan.

It's Risk done right, is what it is. Just enough extras -- fortifications, Ronin, Ninjas, and the Armies/Leader mechanic -- to make it about far more varied without adding too much extra time into settling things.

Hell, just the "Ranged  defenders get a free shot if you're attacking over water" bit changes things, and fortifications are lots of fun. :)

[MrHat]

Link to this samurai swords? Silly actual samurai sword query returns.

[Morat20]

Link to this samurai swords? Silly actual samurai sword query returns.

Wikipedia has your back. Best parts of the game -- your armies are (you might get only one army -- not sure) commanded by Daimyos (you can only have a certain number of armies). These daimyos get better for each battle they partake in, and as they get better they can move further and attack more often in a single turn. Can only have a certain number of units in a territory unless they're part of your army.

So one thing that's common is for a player to bid on the ninja (blind bid -- player with the high bid wins, everyone else loses the cash they had up that turn) to off the Daimyo. Killing him paralyzes the army for a turn, and he's replaced with his son (first level, so to speak).

You can hire ronin -- everyone knows you've hired them, but which of your territories they are in is unknown. They can make a huge difference -- powerful units, second only to Daimyos in combat.

There's a game limited number of fortifications. Forts let you summon a number of spearmen when you're under attack. You can upgrade a fort, and it'll summon more powerful swordsmen.

In addition to spearmen and swordsmen, you have archer and rifleman units -- there's some simple rules on ranged units. There some more simple rules concerning attacking over water (the equivilant of attacking Africa from South America), that are basically "all ranged units get a free potshot at you before the battle starts", etc.

It's not nearly as complex as Axis and Allies, and represents a pretty good balance between the simple rules and playibility of Risk and the complexity and strategic depth (such as it is) of Axis and Allies. Fun board game. Anyone into Risk or Axis and Allies should have it.

[Tairnyn]

I'd buy that for a dollar, but none of my friends in the local area have the will or patience for such a glorious strategical board game. Axis & Allies sits in my closet unused for more than a decade now. Poker (and noodling) is the best I can get out of them so I rely on the interwebs for true gaming bliss.

[naum]

Has anyone given this a whirl?
http://triplea.sourceforge.net/mywiki

About TripleA
A turn based strategy game based on the classic axis and allies board game.

Network, play be email and hot seat play are supported. Various maps and rulesets included.

For Mac & PC.