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Win at Risk by using systems thinking

thesystemisdown.substack.com

201–210 of 242 posts

Re: Win at Risk by using systems thinking

#201

In our gaming group, we decided Risk just isn't that good of a game. It's old and clunky and extremely long, there are 100 other better board games now. Our main plays have been Dominion, DnD, Gloomhaven, Wingspan, and Crokinole, all of which we greatly prefer.

To be fair, we're in a golden age of table top games. I really love Dominion and Inn Fighting. If you can find a copy of Inn Fighting, you'll learn to love its shortcomings because of its rapid pace, dynamic battles, and comic theme.

OK someone explain the downvotes?

Re: Win at Risk by using systems thinking

#202
post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Up to 3 dice for defence is the standard rule. I think the standard game has several different types of victory, but the one you describe is in there in the British version.

> Up to 3 dice for defence is the standard rule. The standard rule is up to 3 for attack, up to 2 for defence. https://www.hasbro.com/common/instruct/risk.pdf

Doh! Thanks.

Re: Win at Risk by using systems thinking

#203
post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In my experience players are happy to unite against me. Usually I take Australia and move into Asia when I’ve amassed enough forces. Then my strategy moves to holding asia at 3 points, while I disrupt the continental bonuses of my opponents between turns. Africa, Europe and North America can be disrupted from this position.

So take it from a young man who spent way too much of one summer playing Risk on the computer, you don't want to take Australia, the problem with Australia is that there is no good way to go from Aussie to anywhere else because the only thing next to you is Asia so someone else can solidify gains somewhere else, and Aussie only gives you 2 more reinforcements, not enough to get you a decisive enough edge to move out…

Australia plus something else is good though as it both gives you easy to protect reinforcements in Australia plus the ability to influence the board elsewhere. For example Australia plus South America.

Re: Win at Risk by using systems thinking

#205
post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Might just be a friend group thing but I will also add on that very few games of risk I ever played didn’t involve some level of ‘meta’ strategy like a husband/wife not attacking each other or that guy that doesn’t like you refusing an obviously mutually beneficial alliance.

I hate hate HATE that behavior. Games are games. Obviously you can be unnecessarily rude or cruel in a way that will sour someone's taste for playing with you or playing the game again. But the point of games is to win. When people refuse to act in their best interest or are "nice" its so frustrating because it makes the entire game pointless. edit: In a way, it feels like people who wave you on when they have the ri…

The kind of "nice" in board games that is bad is when a player is willing to lose in order for another player to win. When you play a game, everyone has to play to win for the rules to make sense (I'd argue almost definitionally for a competitive game.) Playing a board game with someone who is not playing to win is like playing tag with somebody who refuses to run away and won't chase you. You should be working on a puzzle together or writing a song instead. Maybe make up new rules every turn and pantomime playing the game, that's fun.

The kind of "nice" that is good in multiplayer board games is strategic. Being "nice" isn't necessarily being nice. If a subset of players collaborate, they eliminate the other players from the game. It's one of the ways most multiplayer games naturally handicap based on the reputations of good players - other players assume that they will get the short end of any deal with a good player, so refuse to collaborate with them.

Re: Win at Risk by using systems thinking

#206
post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Might just be a friend group thing but I will also add on that very few games of risk I ever played didn’t involve some level of ‘meta’ strategy like a husband/wife not attacking each other or that guy that doesn’t like you refusing an obviously mutually beneficial alliance.

I hate hate HATE that behavior. Games are games. Obviously you can be unnecessarily rude or cruel in a way that will sour someone's taste for playing with you or playing the game again. But the point of games is to win. When people refuse to act in their best interest or are "nice" its so frustrating because it makes the entire game pointless. edit: In a way, it feels like people who wave you on when they have the ri…

If you can't beat people who are "nice", doesn't that mean your strategy is bad?

Whoever wins the game is the person who played the right strategy.... you have to account for other people not playing optimally when designing your strategy, whatever the reason for their suboptimal strategy (whether it is them trying to be nice or just not knowing the best strategy)

If you know a player is always nice during a game and won't attack anyone, incorporate that info into your strategy. Part of game strategy is knowing your opponents.

Re: Win at Risk by using systems thinking

#207
post #142

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My experience is that capturing and holding smaller continents early on is best. Capturing and keeping North America, Europe or Asia early on tends not to work well when I play.

Agreed! There's often a little jostle during the starting land grab to get Australia: easy to defend and those extra reinforcements really matter in the early game.

Australia and South America, because Australia can be defended in a single territory (Indonesia), against a single territory (Siam) and South America can be defended in two territories (Venezuela and Brazil), each against a single territory (Central America and North Africa respectively.)

In South America, you can get lucky and take North America in 1 or 2 turns. Since North America shares a front with South America, you end up with the same number of fronts you would have if you possessed North America alone, and in a very defensible position. The fewer fronts you have, the more interior you have that doesn't need to be manned with troops.

Re: Win at Risk by using systems thinking

#208

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When a game is "evolving" in the sense that the rules (or some element of the game which in effect alters the rules, such as player classes or unit compositions and their statistics) are changed periodically, the meta can influence that, mostly in an unfortunate way. If the general perception is that Bears are too powerful while Geese aren't powerful enough, developers may subsequently alter the game to reduce the po…

> If the general perception is that Bears are too powerful while Geese aren't powerful enough, developers may subsequently alter the game to reduce the power of a Bear's attack, or allow Geese to fly further. These are often called "balance tweaks" but it's almost unavoidable that they'll focus on the meta, rather than addressing a proven flaw in the game itself because most of these games aren't subject to any theor…

This only happens for games that are popular online (or for games that are just wildly popular, like Chess.)

Re: Win at Risk by using systems thinking

#209
post #161
post #139

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Risk Legacy (2011) is ranked in position 368. So if that list is of any use, then this variation of the classic Risk must be immensely better! To be honest I'm curious. The description of the game seems to imply that the game itself changes every time you play it, because some of the cards used should then be destroyed and thrown away from the game box, never to be used again. That, and the game concept covers comple…

Do people actual follow those Legacy game rules that try to trick you into destroying the game?

I normally am very much against the "Legacy" thing, but definitely make an exception for Risk. If you want a copy of Risk that you can play forever and never changes, spend the $2 with your local thrift store or Craigslist seller.

Re: Win at Risk by using systems thinking

#210

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah this title is clickbait. No strategy wins every time, especially if everyone's cognizant of your one style.

So this strategy is working for the author until we know the author's name and reputation.

Or play against them two or three times.
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