Who loves to play Risk?

[Frisco_Slug_Esq]

Here's an interesting take on the game!

Risk is a strategy board game of world domination where your armies must conquer the entire world to win. I've noticed there are 5 kinds of players of Risk, and strangely, the typologies describe pretty accurately America's ties with Russia, China, Iran and Venezuela.

The first kind of player is the Diplomat. This player doesn't stage their armies on key borders to protect their territory and to advance. They move them back a step, to show opponents nearby that they don't intend to invade, but will protect against an attack.

America represents this player. If the Diplomat proves timid and refuses to retaliate after individual opponents attack, they will soon be the feasting ground upon which all other players seek to expand their territories.

America is currently being tested by the four other types of Risk players. I call them:

Eurasia Dominator (Russia)
The Behemoth (China)
The Vassal (Venezuela)
Australasian Death Marcher (Iran)

The Eurasia Dominator, Russia, ambitiously tries to hold the largest, most reinforcement-rewarding territory in the game. The problem is, it's nearly impossible to conquer and hold early in the game. Players will actually stop fighting each other to prevent someone from getting the Eurasia territory.

The Eurasia Dominator generally hangs around causing trouble in that area until other players' reinforcements are too depleted from battling each other to stop him. Once he can hold the large Eurasia territory, victory is only a few turns away.

Russia aims to become an imperialist superpower again and wants to hold vast amounts of oil territories. Due to our unwillingness to drill domestically for oil and President Obama's premature alternative energy plans, Russia sees weakness in its former Cold War enemy. With America bogged down in two wars, Russia is moving boldly and unchallenged to consolidate power in their region to secure additional oil fields.

The Behemoth, China, builds its interests slowly and with heavy reinforcements throughout its territory and conquests. Their armies encroach slowly, deliberately onto a specified target. They're in it for the long haul, attaching themselves parasitically to an opponent and slowly consuming it. Losing to this guy is slow and painful.

China wants to become an economic superpower and sees an opportunity in America's need to sell its debt. Until Congress reins in spending and balances the budget, there will be no capped amount for American financial liabilities. It will continue to run until the nation is crippled.

China is consuming America through its debt. As the chief financier, China is now selling off holdings of U.S. debt as America is running deeper into the red. Dumping debt into a market unwilling to purchase it forces America to have to buy back its own debt by printing more money (monetization). Monetizing the debt inflates currency supply and devalues the dollar. This is causing the U.S. economy to shrink and in effect, China is "consuming" our economy.

The Vassal, Venezuela, is a weak player who either fought too much early on or who couldn't secure a whole territory. They are weak and have very few reinforcements. A Vassal pretty much does the bidding of the current winner to stay alive. He usually stays around by helping to take down his "Master's" opponents -- that is, until his usefulness is exhausted.

The Vassal cuts deals to hang around long enough to come in second place. He usually makes a nuisance of himself by attacking other embattled players. Vassals are the quintessential "dog pilers" and when the going gets tough for a player, they'll come out of the woodwork to attack.

Venezuela will dance with anyone that brings them to the (communist) party. Hugo Chavez is making nice with nearly every American enemy and appears to be willing to serve as a staging area for direct attacks on the US.

The Australasian Death Marcher is a weakened player, similar to the Vassal. He's the one who "kicks the board over" in defeat and ruins the plans of other players. Instead of doing the bidding of another player, he worms his way over to the smallest, easiest to defend, least rewarding territory on the board (Australasia) and builds his army.

Just as other players start to make their move, he combines his reinforcements into one big army and leaves a line of destruction across the board to disable players from earning troop bonuses for holding whole territories. He ensures his own defeat when doing so because he expends all troops in this last, vengeful act.

Iran, under Ahmadinejad, wants to hasten the emergence of the Twelfth Imam. To bring about this Armageddon, mass destruction and chaos must be created in the world according to Twelver Shi'as. So, naturally, they are developing weapons of mass destruction.

Iran is fighting a proxy war with America through Iraq. They are also securing nuclear weapons to hand off to terrorists and to vaporize Israel. It's hard to stop people like this because the threat of mutual destruction does not deter them. They're suicide merchants and they must be stopped from getting weapons of mass destruction because they will use them.

Andie Brownlow
The American Thinker

[veryblueeyes]

I love to play Risk. I am usually more to the Diplomat side, though some games, I am a typical Eurasia Dominator.

Which role do you play?

[Frisco_Slug_Esq]

Depends on what cards I'm dealt although I never try to do the latter two; I play to win, not to disrupt or kick over the board, so if I employ those two strategies, it's because it's the only possible way to win...

[John Doe]

Originally Posted by veryblueeyes

I love to play Risk. I am usually more to the Diplomat side, though some games, I am a typical Eurasia Dominator.

Which role do you play?

You realize this thread isn't actually about Risk, right?

[veryblueeyes]

Originally Posted by John Doe

You realize this thread isn't actually about Risk, right?

*smacks forehead* I should have known, though tis early in morn. I do play Risk with a much strategy as I can, though.

/carry on with the thread, as is.

[Frisco_Slug_Esq]

Originally Posted by John Doe

You realize this thread isn't actually about Risk, right?

It is about the games we play and how we play them...

[Frisco_Slug_Esq]

Originally Posted by veryblueeyes

*smacks forehead* I should have known, though tis early in morn. I do play Risk with a much strategy as I can, though.

/carry on with the thread, as is.

No, don't go, I've left the Ukraine with but one army...




An army of iWon!

[albertaboy]

Risk is a great game and I am always reminded of the difficulty in fighting a multi front war.

I usually win when I play and almost always start from Australia or South America, let the others beat each other up, advance one country at at time and them make a move when the others have weakened each other.

[Frisco_Slug_Esq]

I wish it had navies too...

[veryblueeyes]

Originally Posted by Frisco_Slug_Esq

I wish it had navies too...

Gimme Bombers... LOL

[mark197205]

I dont play Risk, I'm only here to stalk Veebs..

[veryblueeyes]

Originally Posted by mark197205

I dont play Risk, I'm only here to stalk Veebs..

You don't play Risk? For shame. It's the kids version of chess with added obstacles of dice thrown.

Stalk me? I am flattered.

[mark197205]

Originally Posted by veryblueeyes

You don't play Risk? For shame. It's the kids version of chess with added obstacles of dice thrown.

Stalk me? I am flattered.

Nope, never played...

You're very stalk-worthy my little sugar plum..

[veryblueeyes]

Originally Posted by mark197205

Nope, never played...

You're very stalk-worthy my little sugar plum..

Guess, I am a geek. I played Risk pre puberty. Then again, I also played DnD.


Risk is a fun game, though does use some chance and skills.


Sorry to hijack your thread, AJ.

[TikkaT3]

Originally Posted by Frisco_Slug_Esq

I wish it had navies too...

Try Axis & Allies. It is just like Risk only different....

[veryblueeyes]

Originally Posted by albertaboy

Risk is a great game and I am always reminded of the difficulty in fighting a multi front war.

I usually win when I play and almost always start from Australia or South America, let the others beat each other up, advance one country at at time and them make a move when the others have weakened each other.

Really? That's a different strategy, starting from the south. I now see my next risk game being set up differently. Thanks!

[Frisco_Slug_Esq]

Really?




I started my kid on Chess first...



Bad Dad! BAD!!!

[kato675]

Risk is too long to play, is not it? I drink 5 beers, and never can remember how it ends

[veryblueeyes]

Originally Posted by Frisco_Slug_Esq

Really?




I started my kid on Chess first...



Bad Dad! BAD!!!

Bad AJ, bad bad... Really, I learned chess at an early age, though the strategy was developed over time. There is not the factor of rolls of dice.

Really, I think it's great that you taught your kids chess. My FIL and my Daddy and my hubbie and I love the game of chess. Three moves ahead is what I was taught.

I have a most awesome chess set that I picked up last time that I was in the UK. I also have one that I picked up when surfing in Mexico made purely of soapstone. Pretty rad.

[Frisco_Slug_Esq]

I started her on a little game called tic tac chess which was not much more than learning to move the pieces, no rules, no winning...



We have a glass set that we use to play chess in the pool.




Taught her battleship and stratego too in order to develop her thinking skills.

[Frisco_Slug_Esq]

Originally Posted by kato675

Risk is too long to play, is not it? I drink 5 beers, and never can remember how it ends

Gunny used to make us play it when we had the weather nightshift...

He'd make Marine-Corp coffee and order us to eat Jalepeños all night.




If you started to win, he'd send you to the end of the runway to make the weather observations by hand.

[veryblueeyes]

Originally Posted by kato675

Risk is too long to play, is not it? I drink 5 beers, and never can remember how it ends

You dominate the land.

Now, as AJ pointed out, you cover the borders to the seas, so in essence, you dominate a sea, though without Naval and Marines.

Am I saying that right AJ? It's not like battleship.

Which, was a cool assed gamed when I was a kid.

[Frisco_Slug_Esq]

My strategy?





Control the Middle East and hope like hell no one gets North America...

[Bert Notorius]

We always talked about adding ICBM cards, and the implications.

[Frisco_Slug_Esq]

I just knock over my bourbon when I need to nuke the Aussies...








iPlay!