Correcting for the first-player advantage in Risk

#1

Post by cwan » Thu, Sep 17, 2009, 4:05 PM UTC

Correcting for the first-player advantage in Risk
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Re: Correcting for the first-player advantage in Risk

#2

Post by petemack » Thu, Sep 17, 2009, 4:49 PM UTC

This was actually addressed in the newer version of the game, Risk 2008 Revised edition, states in the rules:

Player 3 receives an additional card Player 4 receives an additional card Player 5 receives two additional cards

In the games we play, this usually neutralizes the first players advantage.

Re: Correcting for the first-player advantage in Risk

#3

Post by Novash » Thu, Sep 17, 2009, 4:58 PM UTC

petemack wrote: post #2

This was actually addressed in the newer version of the game, Risk 2008 Revised edition, states in the rules: Player 3 receives an additional card Player 4 receives an additional card Player 5 receives two additional cards In the games we play, this usually neutralizes the first players advantage.

Wonder if they will do anything similar with the War game. The last players certainly also suffer an unfair advantage there.

Re: Correcting for the first-player advantage in Risk

#4

Post by msluyter » Thu, Sep 17, 2009, 5:01 PM UTC

Most modern eurogames make this sort of correction. Caylus, for example, gives the the second and subsequent players extra money.

Re: Correcting for the first-player advantage in Risk

#5

Post by fizx » Thu, Sep 17, 2009, 5:03 PM UTC

What if you auctioned first move? I'll take first move, but give each other player a 2 army advantage. Then, proceed with a 2nd move auction.

Re: Correcting for the first-player advantage in Risk

#6

Post by fugue88 » Thu, Sep 17, 2009, 5:04 PM UTC

We adjusted by changing the order to count, attack, place (cf attack, count, place, as I remember). If the 1st player goes on a major offensive their first turn, they end up spreading themselves thin, so this balanced things out a lot.

Re: Correcting for the first-player advantage in Risk

#7

Post by gthank » Thu, Sep 17, 2009, 5:05 PM UTC

Not having played Risk in ages, I have a few questions:

* Is there a statistically significant first-mover advantage?

* How big is it?

* What is its mechanism?

Re: Correcting for the first-player advantage in Risk

#8

Post by mcantor » Thu, Sep 17, 2009, 5:12 PM UTC

Remember when you were a new coder, and sometimes you'd see an off-by-one error that for the life of you, you couldn't track down? And after a long enough time searching, you just gave up and added or subtracted one from the variable? I don't mean to badmouth these suggestions, because I have none that are better, but they all feel like that to me. Voo-doo fixes.

Just a thought.

Re: Correcting for the first-player advantage in Risk

#9

Post by pavel_lishin » Thu, Sep 17, 2009, 5:12 PM UTC

msluyter wrote: post #4

Most modern eurogames make this sort of correction. Caylus, for example, gives the the second and subsequent players extra money.

There's money in Risk?

Re: Correcting for the first-player advantage in Risk

#10

Post by gaius » Thu, Sep 17, 2009, 5:22 PM UTC

That is remarkably content-free. Where's the maths?