The concept behind Risk 2210 is very similar to classic Risk a global war for complete domination of the planet. In Risk 2210, however, the planet has been subjected to nuclear war, and mankind has expanded to the moon and to undersea colonies. Additional rules add to the random chaos of the game, and allow for a more reasonable time investment.
The Components
Just as with classic Risk, Risk 2210 comes with a large board representing the world, cards to represent territories, and several hundred army counters. However, there are several additions to the game that add both strategy depth and randomness.
The 2210 game board shows a map of the world, but this is not the world we all know and love (or at least know). For example, Greenland has been renamed the Exiled States of America, and South Africa is now Lesotho. In addition, the oceans are dotted with undersea colonies, and an additional map is included to represent the moon. Both the main map and the moon map are quite attractive, and the graphics reflect the technologically-advanced future of Risk 2210.
The army counters are no longer soldiers they are Machines of Destruction (MOD, for short). These MODs are mechanized troops, and come in three sizes one point, three point, and five point armies. The plastic figures are very cool, and stand on their own very nicely.
In addition to the MOD units, Risk 2210 comes with five commander figures for each player. These are the land commander, the naval commander, the nuclear commander, the naval commander and the diplomat. These figurines are colored the same as the MODs, but also have a dusting of metallic paint for quick recognition. While I thought these were cool, there were a little similar, and we kept having to check the descriptions to see which figures were land and which were sea. The diplomat and space commander are easy to spot the diplomat is unarmed and the space commander wears a winged jetpack but the others could only be told apart by how they held their firearms.
Aside from the standard deck of territory cards (which now includes cards for lunar territories and ocean colonies), there are five decks of cards, one for each of the commanders. These represent game-breaker actions that can seriously change the face of the game, and are well designed and attractive.
An assortment of cardboard tokens accompanies Risk 2210, representing anything from nuclear devastation to turn order. These counters are sturdy and attractive, and punch out easily from the page on which they come.
Risk 2210 also comes with the standard set of six-sided dice, plus a few eight-sided dice for use in battles involving the powerful commanders.
The Game
I recently reviewed Risk Godstorm. As I stated in that review, the real test for a Risk variant is how well it incorporates the well-loved rules of Risk with the thematic elements that add flavor and game play options.
In my review of Risk Godstorm, I provided a short treatise on classic Risk. In case you missed it, I am reprinting it here.
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 2210. The basics have not changed players send monumental armies stampeding across the landscape, rolling dice in cataclysmic battles until one player is triumphant.
The real difference in Risk 2210 comes in the new rules provided in this grand-scale variant. The military commanders allow players to roll eight-sided dice, the cards allow players to blast the snot out of the opposition without ever rolling a die, and the additional colonies provide new turf to be conquered, and thus allow for even larger armies.
The commanders in Risk 2210 all replace standard dice with eight-sided dice. A player still cannot roll more than three dice when attacking, or two when defending, but with a few strategically-placed commanders, those dice could all have eight sides instead of six, drastically improving the odds of success. Naval commanders get an eight-sided die when they are attacking to or from a water colony, space commanders get an eight-sided die when attacking a moon colony, land commanders roll the better die when on land, and nuclear commanders just plain always get the big guns.
Having commanders in play also allows players to buy or earn command cards. These vary in use, and can be used for anything from instant reinforcements to surprises for attackers. Nuclear command cards are arguably the most useful these often allow players to completely decimate their opponents in specific territories or blow up armies at random.
Space stations are included to allow players to get to the moon. Until a player has a space commander and a space station, he cannot send troops to the moon. Space stations also provide considerable defense, allowing all troops in their territory to defend with eight-sided dice.
Commanders, space stations and command cards all cost energy points. Each player gets at least three at the beginning of each turn, and can often get many more based on the number of territories they control. Some command cards allow players to earn extra energy, and players might find themselves with upwards of ten or more energy points. These are also used to bid for turn order, and can managing energy points can mean victory despite other setbacks.
The most significant alteration to the game of Risk, however, comes in the form of the turn tracker. After the end of five turns, the game ends and everyone counts up their scores. The player with the most territories, complete colonies and continents, and points provided by command cards wins the game.
The free-flowing energy points in Risk 2210 make the additional rules a lot more fun in comparison to the extra rules in Risk Godstorm. While the two games are very similar, Godstorm tends to be stingy with extra points, and players of 2210 will have a grand romp with the additional powers provided by command cards and commanders. The addition of ocean and lunar colonies adds a new dynamic to the game, and the ease with which players may purchase commanders allows everyone to exploit these new resources.
If purists hate Risk Godstorm, they will be absolutely distraught over the changes in Risk 2210. No longer is the winner automatically the player who controls Asia a triumphant seizure of the worlds largest continent can be destroyed by a single nuclear attack, and rampaging armies with powerful commanders can cut a swath of destruction through areas thought to be untouchable.
Happily, purists can still fall back on classic Risk, since all the components needed for the original game are included, as are the original rules. This new game is a treat for the eyes, even if you decide to use the same rules you used in sixth grade.
Observations and Summary
Risk 2210 is a gorgeous game, even by the high standards set by Avalon Hill games. While I have come to expect exceptional graphics and design from Avalon Hill, Risk 2210 exceeds those expectations and delivers with a visual appeal that will amaze.
If you can get over the random elements of the game, Risk 2210 is a blast. Players will be shrieking with glee on moment only to be moaning the next. The action comes faster and more furious than ever before, and the entire game can turn on a single card play. Risk 2210 manages to be a strategic masterpiece and a chaotic military romp at the same time.
Style: 5 Risk 2210 is one of the best-looking Avalon Hill games I have played to date, and everything just works incredibly well.
Substance: 4 I am not a big fan of having my strategic superiority destroyed by a random die roll, but this is still great big heaps of fun.
