Takes RISK to a new level.

Fans of the classic game Risk are undoubtedly delighted whenever they see different variations of their favorite game. We’ve had Star Wars Risk and Lord of the Rings Risk to name a few, and these different versions have their very own set of rules intertwined with those of the original game. Well, today’s discussion is going to be about one such variation. It’s called Risk 2210 A.D. and is set in the futuristic year of……..well, you know.

The theme of this game is that war has gone super high-tech, and rather than sending legions of men and women to kill each other just to satisfy the whims of their power hungry leaders (us), there are now M.O.D.s (Machines of Destruction) that meet on the battlefield. Each M.O.D. in this game is equal to one “Army” unit in classic Risk. But there are a scant few humans who do in fact engage in warfare on our behalf. They’re Commanders, and you can hire them out if you have the money to. There are Land Commanders, Naval Commanders, Space Commanders, Nuclear Commanders (as the name suggests, they’re quite dangerous) and Diplomats. You can also buy Commander Cards to play over the course of the game. Each Commander Card corresponds to a specific Commander, and you can only buy a Card if you’ve got the proper Commander enlisted in your army. Commanders can also fight in battles, counting as one unit, but they often attack or defend with eight sided dice, rather than the usual six. If your Commander dies in battle, you can always hire a new one to replace him (unless the game ends first).

In addition to all the land territories you can fight over, there are also undersea colonies, as well as moon colonies. But you’ll need a Naval Commander in your army to navigate the depths of the ocean, just as you’ll need a Space Commander to allow your M.O.D.s to roam the moon.

The M.O.D. Squad

Each round of turns counts as one year in Risk 2210 A.D., and the war lasts for five years. So, unlike classic Risk, where the game goes on and on until there’s only one army left on earth, each player will only have five turns. Then players score points based on how many territories (whether land, sea or moon) they control and whether or not they control whole continents (or oceans, or moon regions), plus they can play Cards at the end of the game to score even more points (they can only play the Cards if their corresponding Commanders are still alive).
Whoever’s got the highest score in the end wins, and is declared ruler of the planet earth (and its moon).

One of the perks to this version of Risk is that it’s got a definite limit, and you won’t have to worry about a ten hour long affair (although this game is known to last a good couple of hours). Plus, if you are interested in playing classic Risk, you don’t have to buy a separate game. Just play this game without the play money, Commanders or Commander Cards, and ignore the ocean and moon colonies. It’s just that simple.

Oh, one other thing: In Risk 2210 A.D. the game always has to have four land territories that are impassable, due to some nuclear battle sometime in the past. The four territories vary from game to game, because they’re randomly determined by turning up four cards. Next time you see your own home country get nuked off the globe, just remember, it’s only pretend.

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