Fast forward twenty years to Risk Godstorm. Avalon Hill evidently felt that classic Risk needed a face-lift and a kick start. They added new rules, commanders, new cards, and cool plastic minis. And yet, with all this upgrading, they knew that fans of the old game still wanted Risk to be Risk – armies plodding across the face of the globe, conquering foes and seizing territory. The rules had to merge the old-school global rampage with the flash and complexity of a new game, to remake a classic game in a likeable style.
The Goods
There are so many changes to classic Risk in Risk Godstorm that it is difficult to say which is the most dramatic. The colored cubes are now plastic soldiers and elephants, gods stomp around the board creating havoc, and there are now a total of five decks of cards. If I had to say what most sets Risk Godstorm off from the classic game, though, it would have to be the board.
The playing board for Risk Godstorm no longer represents the entire globe. Since the game takes place in the early days of recorded history, it does not make much sense to include the Americas or the Far East. Only the northernmost segment of Africa is represented, but to mimic the legendary feel of the genre, Atlantis can be conquered as an additional continent. The board is beautifully rendered in subtle earth tones that help to lend the game an historic feel.
In addition to the standard playing board, Risk Godstorm also includes a side playing board to represent Heaven and Hell. When armies are defeated, they now go to their own heavens, and can launch conquests against the underworld. The underworld board contains different heavens for each player, with walls of flame separating territories once the battle goes to Hell.
The sturdy and handsome army figures are now spear-wielding warriors molded in very durable plastic. In addition to the soldiers, there are elephants to represent five armies, and each player also has four gods. There are several white plastic temples to add to the landscape, and while these are fairly simple, they are also well constructed. All of the plastic pieces in the game are well made and sturdy.
The cards associated with classic Risk are still present, showing each different territory on the world map. For those aficionados of the classic game who want their Risk unspoiled, the two wild cards are also included. In addition to these standard territory cards, Risk Godstorm comes with four decks of miracle cards corresponding to the different gods that each civilization can place on the field.
Several additional cardboard extras are in the box. There are reminders for each player that tell them what the various gods do, a turn counter, and a template to place over Atlantis, should that mythical island be sunk beneath the waves. Every playing component in the game is attractive and sturdy, simply begging to be played.
The Game
This is where the rubber meets the road. Can classic Risk still be viable with an assortment of extra rules and variations on the standard theme? The rules for the game are not exactly altered as much as they are supplemented, so purists may still find it in their hearts to forgive the alterations.
For those of you who have not played classic Risk, a short primer is in order. The basic goal of Risk is to take over the planet by invading your neighbors and bludgeoning them to death. Each player takes turns placing armies, and then sends those armies across borders to take more land. The more land a player owns, the more armies he can recruit, and when a player owns all of a single continent, he gets even more bonus armies. In short, there is a spiral of destruction that evolves as the game progresses, and Risk is a seriously long game that can easily consume an entire evening.
Battles in Risk are resolved with dice. When an attacker invades, the defender may roll as many dice as he has defending armies, to a maximum of two dice. The attacker may roll as many dice as he has attacking armies, to a maximum of three dice. High rolls are compared, then next highest, with defenders winning ties. Each die that loses costs a player an army. This die-rolling fiesta can go on for hours, especially when very large armies clash in hotly contested turf.
Of course, that is the short version of classic Risk rules, but it provides enough background to understand the changes made to Risk Godstorm. The basics have not changed – players send monumental armies stampeding across the landscape, rolling dice in cataclysmic battles until one player is triumphant.
Possibly the biggest problem that many people have with classic Risk is the huge time investment required to finish a game. Even when one player is the obvious winner, it can still take an hour or two to mop up the opponents. Risk Godstorm addresses this by adding a scoring system, and by limiting the game to five turns. Once everyone has had a chance to weather five turns, the players count up the territories, temples, and continents to find the winning total.
Another significant addition to Risk Godstorm is the inclusion of gods. Each player has a god of war, a god of sky, a goddess of magic and a god of death. While players only start play with the god of war in play, they can spend faith tokens to summon additional gods. The different gods provide different benefits – the god of war wins ties when he attacks, the god of death completely destroys defeated armies (as opposed to sending them to heaven), the goddess of magic rerolls ones, and the god of sky is a dangerous adversary in a battle between deities.
Aside from the tactical advantage gained by having a god in play, deities allow their players to earn or buy miracle cards. On his turn, a player may spend two faith tokens to purchase a miracle card for a god he has in play. If he can fulfill certain tasks, his gods also allow him to draw miracle cards without paying.
These cards have different effects for each god. The war god can twist a battle to his advantage, the god of sky can surprise his opponents with defensive maneuvers, and the god of death can cause incredible destruction to the entire board. The goddess of magic is a special case – her miracle cards are relics that stay in play, granting bonuses to the owner.
Players may also spend their faith points on temples. These buildings allow players to get extra armies to defend them, and they allow defeated armies to come back from the underworld. They add faith as well, and considering the rarity of faith tokens, they are a considerably good investment.
The bulk of Risk Godstorm is just like classic Risk – raise armies, invade your neighbors, and try to take over the world. The strategy remains mostly the same, with only minor additions when deciding when and how to spend faith tokens. The additional rules provide a considerable random element, destroying best-laid plans and creating unseen advantages out of thin air.
Purists will probably hate Risk Godstorm. The additions are very cool from where I am sitting, but they do alter the game considerably. After all, nowhere in classic Risk did I ever invade Hell in order to capture a gate back to the world. Fortunately, Avalon Hill considered this possibility and included rules for Risk the way it has been played for decades. The map is different, of course, and the figures are no longer wooden blocks, but the game is the same.
Observations and Summary
My main frustration with Risk Godstorm was in the stinginess of the game in delivering faith tokens. These little counters are critical to gaining advantages over your foes, and are the key to unleashing the added components of Godstorm. Unfortunately, the game allows players to earn very few of these critical pieces, meaning that most of the time you will not have any, and just play the game the way it was originally created. This limit tends to hamper the ability to enjoy the new features of Godstorm.
Happily, the game is just as much fun as it was when I was a boy. I loved running around the map, fighting bloody battles for important territories and having colossal dice-offs to settle them. The old strategy and risk-taking is still there, but with some additions.
The downside of the additions, unfortunately, is that they make the game quite a bit more random. They limit the strategy and tactics of classic Risk by allowing the underdog to pull out a surprise that destroys hours of careful planning. Add to this the random element of the turn limit, and the game becomes almost a question of catch-as-catch-can. The last turn decides the winner, and if the game enters turn five with no clear winner, the final game can end up going to someone who thoroughly does not deserve it.
In the end, Risk Godstorm is a good investment, despite the few design decisions that annoyed me. If the modifications to the game are too much, you can always revert to old-school Risk. The pieces are great and the board is beautiful, so I heartily recommend Risk Godstorm to any gamer in need of several hours of strategy play.
Style: 5 – Every element of this game is pretty, from plastic soldiers to the cardboard turn counter.
Substance: 4 – Risk is one of my favorite strategy games, but rare faith tokens and the abrupt endgame can make it less attractive to die-hards.
