Risk: The Book

By Dave Shapiro

Risk has been published since 1957 and is one of the most commercially successful games ever produced. For the first time, there is an opportunity to learn about the 60 plus published versions of the game and the history Risk. It is an opportunity to examine many aspects of Risk that have been debated for decades by players around the world. Every one of the published versions of the game has been examined from Risk in North America to Risiko! in Italy; from War in Brazil to TEG in Argentina. These are the games that have been played by generations; fathers taught sons, brother played brother and each game has a story. From a mathematical examination of the map board to interviews with a national champion and several designers - this is a compendium of Risk.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dave Shapiro
• Release date: Apr 29, 2018
• ISBN: 9780463970003

Dave Shapiro

Dave Shapiro is an Applied Mathematician that has taught and implemented Statistical Process Control in a variety of corporations and has written manuals on quality assurance. He was the CEO of DesCon Inc. for 13 years. In his spare time he published articles on Astronomy and Mathematics. As an avid gamer, he has published articles in game journals and magazines, designed a dozen games for Games Magazine and play tested games for several designers and publishers.

Book preview

Preface

Persons attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot.

- Mark Twain

I enjoy Risk. Since I was first introduced to the game (by my girlfriend) while in college until today, over four decades later, it has provided a tremendous amount of pleasurable experiences. The core system is extremely clean and simple to learn but the strategic possibilities are near infinite. As I write this, there are more than 60 commercially published versions of the game with all but a few being distinct adaptations of the system. Star Wars Risk is a different gaming experience from TEG Independencia or War: Mythological Battles or S.P.Q. Risiko! yet all of these games are based on the core system. Admittedly there are a few other systems that have been introduced that provide a similar experience such as Borg’s Command and Colors tactical system however, no other system has grabbed the attention of so many players, in so many countries around the world. (I am not including Monopoly as, though there are more than 200 different editions, the games are merely cosmetically different.)

In many ways Risk can be compared to Go. Both games have a clean, simple set of rules. Both games are confrontational. There is a learning curve for Go; a novice will rarely win against a seasoned opponent and the same holds for Risk. I have passed many a tournament Risk board and was stunned to see the obvious mistakes of a novice - a chain of single armies strung across the map with no control of any strategic area. I have heard the arguments of those players with some experience that foolishly believe Australia to be the key to winning every game of Risk. And I have played with players so cunning they appear to playing almost randomly, with no strategy that I could fathom until that proper moment when they strike and dominate.

Risk is one of the few games where metagaming is not only permitted, it is encouraged. The negotiating, the whining, alliances, backstabbing and deceit are all part of the game. Risk plays on more than one level. It is possible, but unlikely, that a cold, logical approach will win the game. Risk requires some diplomatic skill as well as strategic skill and an understanding of a bit of statistical probabilities.

Over the years I have encountered many gamers who suggest that Risk is ‘all luck’; that the die rolls determine the winner. Between equally competent players I would agree however, there can be no ties in Risk; someone will win. Do the dice play a role in the game? Of course they do but strategy, diplomacy and experience are far more significant factors in the game. A skilled player will recover from a bad roll; the unskilled will curse the dice. As Thomas Jefferson once said: I am a great believer in luck and I find the harder I work, the more of it I have.

Finally, most Risk games are not somber affairs with players dozing off, waiting for their next turn. Risk is a group activity, if you are not attacking then you will probably be attacked. It is challenging, loud and fun. (One player once said: Risk is what happens when you inject some fun into Chess.) Risk games are story games. Years after a particular game should have been forgotten, someone will remember the time when…

Even today I play Risk on a regular basis. I have grown to appreciate the depth the game offers and the fun it provides. As with so many others who began with Risk and became addicted to gaming, it was my gateway into a fantastic world. It is my intent here to introduce everyone from the novice to the seasoned Risk player, to the universe of Risk.

Oh, and that girlfriend who originally introduced me to Risk? Well I married her and now, more than thirty years later, she probably hates the game.

Introduction

In the beginning, the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move.

- Douglas Adams

Relative to the enormous number of games that have been published, there are a rare few that have enjoyed popularity for sixty years. Risk is one of the rarities. Originally introduced in 1957 (in France) it was published in the United States, by Parker Brothers, in 1959. Since its inception, the game has grown in popularity and is now published around the globe in more than 20 languages. There have been several computer and console renditions as well as a variety of play-by-mail or play by email groups. There are Risk clubs and leagues and even a World Championship held in October of each year.

From 1959 to 1999 the only variation to the classic version of Risk was Castle Risk introduced in 1982. Beginning with Risk Napoleon in 1999 there has been a new variant introduced almost every year. (These include: 2210, Godstorm, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars: Clone Wars, Star Wars the Trilogy Edition, Warriors (the card version), Narnia, Transformers and Express. (This does not include the various versions published either by small/self-publishers or the variants published in Italy, Argentina and Brazil where Risk has a substantial following.) Each version is different enough from the other publications that no two versions are interchangeable. With the exception of Knizia’s Risk Express the only feature that all of the games share is the basic combat system. These are not simply themed games where the play of the game remains the same but a new theme is tacked on; these are unique. The complexity of the games range from the very basic (Express) to the fairly complex (Napoleon).

I have played the various versions of the game for many, many years (Moses and I even played a few - he is a poor sport). Classic Risk was my introduction to the world of sophisticated gaming and what a ride it was. As with so many gamers that have played a substantial number of games of Risk, there are tales to tell, memories of games that will never be duplicated. This is an area at which Risk excels. The game generates a story as you play; it has an initial stage, a middle game and an end game. It is an aspect of gaming that so many other games fail at. The game unfolds as a novel or movie might. Many classic games (Chess for example) possess this trait and there are several modern games that have managed to include it (Diplomacy, Civilization, Imperial, Struggle of Empires, etc.) These are rare games; games that afford the memorable moments.

Another aspect of Risk games is the emotional response generated during the game. Few other games produce this effect. One can play hundreds of other games, that while interesting, fun and challenging, simply do not ignite this fire in the player. Risk does this and does it very well. All Risk players have encountered the normally reserved player that becomes overly aggressive during a match. Though I cannot explain this with certainty, I suspect that it is the result of the simple rules and player elimination in the game. Consider that the rules to most Risk games are minimalist, so basic that even non-gamers can easily absorb them allowing the player the opportunity to concentrate on strategy rather than remembering the rules. When this is combined with the possibility of elimination, the result is a do-or-die game experience. (Add in a dose of testosterone and the mix can be explosive - as well as entertaining.)

The final common thread in all Risk games is the nature of the contest itself. Each of the games represents an epic battle of some sort from conquering the world to establishing control over a galaxy. It is this bigger than life theme that pulls so many players into the games. If one considers the theme in relation to that of movies it is simple to see that it is the epic films that are remembered, the films in which good versus evil in some near apocalyptic form is described. When suggesting a film to a friend, which is the most likely topic to interest him/her; world domination or planting fields? Theme plays a significant role in all Risk games.

Risk is not a game for everyone. For many it is too intense, too competitive. For the rest of us, it is part of our nature and it is simply fun. Many people crave challenge, an intense experience and Risk provides this; it is the sky diving or space walk of gaming. There are many aspects of Risk that gamers are unaware of and it is my hope that this book will assist in revealing these to you.

This book was not intended to be read cover to cover (though that would be great) so there is some repetition. For example, in order to comprehend how Risk developed in Argentina, one must understand the history that preceded its introduction. As the reader may be interested in Risiko! rather than T.E.G, the historical notes appear in both chapters.

I sincerely hope you enjoy delving into the world of Risk.

A Few Caveats

Cave quid dicis, quando, et cui.

- Latin saying: Beware of what you say, when and to whom.

1. When discussing specific games in the Risk family, it is done so with the classic game as the foundational source. Each of the decedent games will be analyzed with parameters established by the concepts in the original game. If a game strays too far from the classic version, I did not hesitate to draw attention to the deviation and the positive or negative implication of these changes. For example, there is an absolutely excellent version of Risk published in Argentina called T.E.G. Independencia. For some reason, the designers included trivia questions that had a direct effect on the play of the game. Now there are seven billion people on this planet and I am certain that, other than the designers, there are one or two who find this idea appealing. Trivia questions do not belong in a Risk game. (Again, the game is excellent - throw the trivia book away and play without it.) There are other examples I could have chosen but I found this to be the most striking. Some games are criticized because they have strayed too far from the established parameters yet they remain good games - unfortunately, not good Risk games. There are games that are part of the Risk family in name only while there are others that, for copyright purposes, could not include Risk in the title. As we will find, some of the ‘Risk’ games are not Risk while some of the non-Risk games actually are within the parameters of the classic structure.

2. As with literature, films and food, games are appealing in a personal way. A game I think is great may not appeal to another player. Over the years I have had the opportunity to debate the assets and flaws of many Risk games. What you enjoy, you enjoy no matter what is written about it. If you disagree with me concerning a particular point, I would be happy to discuss it with you (and correct your misunderstanding). Discussion of games and Risk games in particular, is common; disagreements are as common as they are with books and movies.

3. Gaming is a huge hobby. The game industry is actually larger than the film industry. With the advent of the internet, anyone and everyone has a method for broadcasting their opinion no matter the validity of their argument. This often has a bandwagon effect where others follow along as if this is a ‘correct’ opinion. For example: Monopoly is often berated as a flawed game. Now I am not fond of financial games but I can appreciate the design (and the redesign) of Monopoly. It is often evident that the author of a criticism and his followers have not played the game or have played it incorrectly. Unfortunately, this then feeds on itself to the point where on some gaming sites, it is impossible to conduct an intelligent discussion about the game as ‘everyone knows it is a broken game’. When you surf over to a gaming site, please keep this in mind as what you are reading may not reflect reality in any manner and the author may not have even played the game.

Disclaimers

To err is human. To blame someone else is politics.

- Hubert Humphrey

In the course of researching material for this book, I was struck with the extreme criticism I received for referring to American style Risk. I understand that those in South America refer to themselves as Americans also. However, games using the name Risk are North American publications and because of the different nature of the game, as published here, the moniker American style identifies the type of game being discussed. I used either American style or Risk (US) when referring to this particular type of game rather than the generic Risk which would include T.E.G games, War games, Risiko! as well as Risk. This is a convention that most writing about Risk have employed. (Very often writers will refer to England when, in fact, they intended to include all of Great Britain; this situation is similar.) In an attempt to avoid the problem I tried rewriting certain sentences which, in a few cases, became entire paragraphs rather than the simpler method. In very short order, it grew into a convoluted mess. I have opted for referring to Risk games published in the US as American style Risk. It was not, nor is it my intent to offend anyone; this simply makes it easier for everyone to comprehend the style of play that I am referencing.

Most of what is published about T.E.G, War and Risiko is written in Spanish, Portuguese and Italian respectively. In preparing this manuscript, I had to translate numerous emails, rule books and articles. I am fluent in English and have a barely passable knowledge of Spanish and Hebrew however, when attempting to read Portuguese or Italian, I am ‘as dumb as a rock’. In order to avoid misunderstandings, I used two different language translators. When the translations conflicted, I selected the translation that appeared to ‘best fit’ the balance of the idea being discussed. Most of the discussions I had with players and designers were conducted by email. When people write, especially when composing email, we tend to use familiar idioms such as dumb as a rock. These were the most difficult to understand and often required additional clarification. If there is an error, the fault is mine alone.

Finally, I have attempted to retain the spelling for game titles in their native language. The game commonly known today as Clue is Detetive in Brazil. This has created a problem with the spell checker that attempts to correct these ‘misspellings’. Though I believe I have forced the correct spelling, I may have missed one; for this I apologize. The reason for retaining the original spelling is to aid any gamer who would like to obtain a copy. Seeking Risk in Italy, Argentina or Brazil will not easily result in obtaining the games we are discussing.

Chronology of Commercial Risk Publications

The only reason for time is so that everything doesn’t happen at once.

- Albert Einstein

The following is a chronological listing of the publication date for all of the commercial versions of Risk. The five commercial Risk publishers are: Hasbro, Editrice Giochi, Yetem S.A., Grow Jogos e Brinquedos and USAopoly. Though there have been refinements to the components or artwork, only editions that are significantly different from the base game have been included. For example, the 40th Anniversary edition is not listed as the differences are cosmetic. Additional published variants appear in standard typeface. Both Dust and Magnifico have been included as the games both employ Spartaco Albertarelli’s system developed for Risiko games. The theme is different but the mechanics are the same. Angus Batalhas Medievais is from the War (Risk) designers in Brazil and employs the mechanics developed for War games though the theme has been altered. I have not included a separate listing for the Ataque games; these are Spanish language versions of War (Grow Jogos).

1957 - La Conquete du Monde

1959 - Risk

1972 - War

1976 - T.E.G. Tactico y Estrategico de la Guerra

1977 - Risiko!

1981 - War II

1984 - T.E.G. II

1986 - Castle Risk

1990 - TEG La Revancha

1992 - Futurisiko!

Risiko! Pocket Risk

1995 - Anno Domini

1996 - Riskard!

1998 - Risiko! Prestige

1999 - Risk: Edition Napoleon (Ottoman Expansion in 2000)

War: Star Wars Episode 1

2001 - Risk 2210 A.D.

War Junior

2002 - Risk: Lord of the Rings

Risiko! Master

2003 - Risk: Lord of the Rings Trilogy Edition

2004 - Risk: Godstorm

Risk: 2210 A.D. Frontline Mars (map and rules)

Angus: Batalhas Medievais

Warriors (Dragon Horde expansion released same year)

2005 - Risk Star Wars: The Clone Wars

S.P.Q. Risiko!

2006 - Risk Star Wars: Original Trilogy Edition

Narnia Risk Junior

Risk Express

2007 - Risk: Transformers

War: Imperio Romano

Risiko! Express (Not the same game as Risk Express)

Dust

2008 - Risk: Balance of Power

Risk (Revised) - Black Ops

TEG de Los Negocios

Magnifico

2009 - Risk: Halo Wars

Risiko! Junior

2010 - Risiko! Challenge

TEG Independencia

War Cards

2011 - Risk: Metal Gear Solid

Risk Legacy (Evolution, Revolution)

TEG Cartas

2012 - Risk: Halo, Legendary Edition

Risk: StarCraft

Risiko! Sturmtruppen

War: Batalhas Mitologicas

2013 - Risk Battlefield Rogue

Risk: The Walking Dead

Risk: Plants vs Zombies

Risk: Mass Effect - Galaxy at War

2014 - Risk: The Dalek Invasion of Earth (Doctor Who)

Risk Transformers - The Decepticon Invasion of Earth

2015 - Risk: Game of Thrones

Risk: Marvel Cinematic Edition

Star Wars Risk (two versions)

Risk - Captain America Civil War

T.E.G. Junior

2016 - Risk Star Trek (50th Anniversary edition)

Risk (classic edition revised with missions added)

Risk Europe

Risk: A Bit of History

Great companies start because the founders want to change the world… not make a fast buck.

- Guy Kawasaki

Risk may not have changed the world but it certainly changed the world of gaming and has a significant influence on our culture. It was revolutionary; introducing concepts that six decades later are still described as innovative. The publication of Risk was the advent of the third age of gaming. In order to appreciate how radical these ideas were and how their introduction altered the face of adult gaming, we should review the nature of the gaming market at the time of Risk’s introduction. However, before we can understand the market, we need to better understand the three ages of gaming so we will begin with the first age.

The First Age

Today we refer to the games of the first age as traditional games. These games have been played for hundreds, and in some cases, several thousand years. There are games or game devices that define the first age of gaming: dice, Chess, Checkers, Backgammon, Go, Pachisi, dominoes and cards. In all eight cases, the actual origin of the game is lost in the mists of time. It is very difficult to determine which of these first age games is most popular or even how many active players there are. Most gamers have a passing knowledge of these games and have probably played many of them but the actual number of active players for any of these games simply cannot be determined. For example, if asked I could sit and play Parcheesi without any instruction, having played many times in my younger days. However, the reality is that I have not played the game in more than 30 years. It appears that this is a common situation for many of the first age games.

Archaeologists suggest that the oldest gaming devices are dice. They have uncovered what are believed to be dice dating back 6000 years. Early dice were made from a variety of natural objects including seashells and stones. Later, dice were created out of the ankle or knucklebones of animals, in particular, sheep and pigs. (This is where the phrase rolling bones originated.) Most historians believe that dice were originally used as a divination device, a type of high-tech tea leaf or horoscope. Eventually dice were used for gaming. Early dice games fall into one of two categories: gambling games or race games. There are several historical references to dice used as gambling devices including one of the Gospels where it states that the Roman soldiers tossed dice to win the cloak of Jesus. Archaeologists have uncovered what they believe to be boards that represent a type of track for a racing game using dice. Eventually the racing games evolved into two very popular formats: Backgammon and Pachisi (commonly known today as Parcheesi).

Combining the gambling aspect and the racing board resulted in Backgammon. Historians have determined that Backgammon originated somewhere in the Middle East but cannot document with which civilization it first appeared. It is generally accepted that the game dates to around 3000 B.C.E. and was certainly popular during the time of Roman rule. It is the expansion of the Roman Empire that is credited with having spread the game throughout Europe. It has endured for centuries occasionally rising in popularity. During the 1930’s and again in the 1970’s Backgammon saw a surge in interest. It remains a very popular game in the Middle East today. Of board games of the first age, Backgammon may be the most popular and may be expanding its user base. After pornography, gambling sites remain some of the most popular sites on the internet. Backgammon was introduced as the intelligent man’s game as essentially Backgammon is a gambling game. Though not nearly as popular as Poker games, Backgammon enjoys a special appeal as there is more skill involved in the game itself. There are popular Backgammon tournaments, with significant prize money, held and televised each year. Because of the various gambling laws and privacy acts, the actual number of online players has never been determined however, it has been suggested that it is a significant number based on the plethora of sites offering Backgammon play.

Pachisi is a type of Backgammon lite; the gambling has been removed and the layout of the board has been re-configured but the essentials remain the same. At one time Pachisi was known as the Royal Game of India. Historians suggest that Pachisi originated in India around 500 C.E. Today it is popular in Spain and Colombia as well as resting on many store shelves under a variety of titles with Parcheesi and Sorry being the most recognized.

The oldest board game without dice is Checkers (Draughts). The game is mentioned in Homer’s Odyssey. It has not been confirmed but it is believed that a Checkers game variant is depicted in some ancient Egyptian inscriptions dating back to 4000 B.C.E. Checkers has always been popular with the young and those first being introduced to strategy gaming. Unfortunately, with the advent of video gaming, Checkers decline in active participation has been greater than that for the other games from the first age probably due to the loss of the younger players.

Chess is believed to have originated in India some time prior to 600 B.C.E. From India it spread to Persia and then throughout the Muslim world. When Islam enjoyed their enormous expansion and entered Europe, the game was introduced to the Western world. From the Middle East the game spread through Russia and then into Asia as well. As with most games, through the years there have been revisions. It is believed that the original game had only four different types of units. For centuries the queen and the bishop were fairly weak pieces. Sometime around 1500 C.E. a variant known as Queen’s Chess grew popular and it is that form that we know as Chess today. Of these first age games, many argue that Chess is the most popular. Certainly either Chess or Backgammon claims the crown. In recent history, there were proposals to include Chess as an Olympic event. Per capita, the greatest interest in Chess is found in Eastern Europe.

The final board game of the first age games is Go. It is considered by many to be the ultimate, the perfect game. Chess Grandmaster Edward Lasker once said: While the Baroque rules of Chess could only have been created by humans, the rules of Go are so elegant, organic, and rigorously logical that if intelligent life forms exist elsewhere in the universe, they almost certainly play Go. The game originated in China; according to legend it was designed by Emperor Yao for his son around 2300 B.C.E. The earliest confirmed reference to the game appears in 548 B.C.E. Extremely popular in Asia, it has never enjoyed the success of the other first age games in the Western hemisphere. The forces of history never saw the spread of the game in the same fashion as the other games in this group. It is estimated that there are 40 million Go players worldwide.

Apparently early gamers were satisfied with the challenge of these games as centuries would pass before a new game was introduced. Dominoes first appeared in China around 1100 C.E. It is obvious that dominoes are a derivative of the standard roll possibilities for two d6 dice. A basic set contains all of the possibilities with the addition of the null set. Like dice, dominoes is not an actual game; it is a gaming device. There are more than one hundred different games using dominoes played around the world. The name is believed to derive from the black and white hood worn by Dominican monks. Domino games remain very popular in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Closing out the first age of gaming is cards. As with dice and dominoes, cards are a device rather than a single game. The earliest evidence for cards is that they were in use in China during the ninth century. It is likely that the earliest ‘card’ games were played with paper money. Brought from China by traders, cards in Europe were first used as devices for revealing the future; Tarot cards. The decks we commonly play with today derived from the Tarot deck. Certainly cards and dice are the two most common gaming devices readily available today.

The Second Age

We now have to fast forward a few centuries before we encounter the second age of gaming. Towns grew to cities and there was an economic realignment of the Western world as the Industrial Revolution transformed civilization from that of an agricultural centered economy to that of a producer/consumer base. With technological advances and improved efficiencies, leisure time increased for the average Joe. This additional, unallotted time provided the stimulus for the growth in a leisure time branch in the marketplace. Sports teams grew and expanded, vacations were real possibilities, books, films and other leisure time activities exploded and the support structure grew with it. Someone had to make the bats, the balls and the books. Along with the advances in these other endeavors, there was a desire to experiment and one area was in the invention of new, different types of games.

In addition to the increase in leisure time, the Industrial Revolution reduced the costs of manufacturing substantially. As cost declined, games with acceptable components could be marketed for the masses. Guttenberg had created a market for books; the Industrial Revolution permitted a mass market for games. During the 19th century, most of the new games were race games. A Traveler’s Tour through the United States (1822), Mansions of Happiness (1843) and The Checkered Game of Life (1861) all had a mechanism where the player would generate a random number and move that many spaces on the board with the winner being the player to complete the track before anyone else. This is generally referred to as roll and move even though the random number generated may be from a spinner, cards or dice. This roll and move mechanism would remain the default mechanism in almost every modern board game until the introduction of Risk.

By 1883, George S. Parker introduced a banking game and this could be considered the earliest of modern board games. 1904 saw Lizzie Magie publish her first version of The Landlords game which would eventually become the largest selling commercial board game ever: Monopoly. There are excellent histories written of the story of Monopoly so there is little purpose in repeating them here. One of the most thorough descriptions, and one of the most entertaining, is Philip E. Orbanes’ Monopoly: The World’s Most Famous Game. Though the game has changed from the original Landlords format, the kernels of the game remain as in the original, more than a century after it first appeared. Yet even today, Monopoly remains a roll and move game.

It is important to understand the actual popularity of the game as the media today will often imply that something else is a dominant game. The vast majority of games published today are in print runs of 4,000 to 10,000 copies. Most never see a second printing. Popular video games sell several million copies and a few have even sold ten million copies. The actual number of copies of Monopoly printed and sold is not known however, there are other factors that indicate the immense popularity of the game. Today there are between 500 and 600 million Monopoly players in the world. The game is printed (officially) in 43 languages in 111 countries and there is even an Braille edition for the blind. It has been estimated that there are more than 1000 versions of the game with a variety of themes and locations. In 2000, a version of the game was launched for mobile phones in 27 countries and 20 languages. There were ten million downloads of the game. Finally in 2010, an iPhone version was released though there had been several unofficial versions available prior to this. In 2009 Google created a special, limited time, Monopoly game online. In the 90 days that it was active more than 1.5 million people played and more than one billion pages were viewed. Other than the classic games (Chess, Go, etc.) there is no other game that has seen such a following. Advertising hype can, so very often, create a false image. (I would be dishonest if I did not acknowledge that I do not play Monopoly; it is simply not to my taste.)

Today the game remains as popular as ever with additional online outlets, novelty versions and several sequels. There is a World Championship that rivals that for determining the world Chess champion. Yet, for all of this, it remains a roll and move game.

The sole exception for the roll and move mechanism at this time was L’Attaque published in France in 1910. This was a Chess derivative that would eventually see mass market publication as Stratego in 1947. At the same time that L’Attaque was published, writer H.G.Wells published his Little Wars manual which were the first organized rules for miniatures gaming.

In 1943, Chutes and Ladders saw publication in North America and quickly became very popular. The game has been published under a variety of names including Snakes and Ladders which is actually closer to the original design. How old is Chutes and Ladders? That is a difficult question to answer, We know that the game originated in India and officially, Gyandev is credited with the design sometime in the 13th century. As with the original version of Landlord (Monopoly), this game had a moral compass built into the game; it taught a lesson while you played. Once again this was a linear, roll and move game.

In 1938, Alfred Butts designed a word game that would become known as Scrabble. As with Monopoly, the game would develop a fanatical following with world tournaments, online play and multiple variations. Though designed in 1938, Scrabble would not be published until 1948 as game companies did not believe a game that lacked the roll and move mechanism could sell. Scrabble is now one of the six most popular games in the world.

The last of these early entries into modern gaming is Clue (Cluedo) which was originally published in 1949 by Waddingtons. Anthony Pratt designed the game to help pass the time during air raids in World War II. The original title was Murder but would see print under the Cluedo name in Britain and as the Great Detective Game in North America. There have been eight distinct versions of the game and it was not until the Sixties that the Clue name would appear in North American editions. Clue followed the typical linear mechanics of the day. It was roll, move and race to discover the correct suspect.

The 1950’s saw the emergence of new, different and non-linear games. Designer Charles Roberts applied the rules from Little Wars to a board and published Tactics. This was the spark that would evolve into the war game industry. Roberts founded the Avalon Hill Game Company which would, decades later become a major game publisher. At this time it was a niche that few were aware of. At roughly the same time Diplomacy arrived. Designed by Alan Calhamer, Diplomacy eliminated all randomness in the game. This was negotiation Chess. Still in print today, Diplomacy enjoys a small but very loyal following.

With the exceptions of Tactics and Diplomacy, neither of which were mass market games, all of the popular modern games were basically some version of roll and move - essentially different versions of Backgammon or Parcheesi. Scrabble remained the purview of a small but loyal group.

The Third Age

Beginning in, roughly, 1960 there was an explosion in the interest of card and board games. The ‘baby boomers’ liked playing and the economic situation was such that games were very inexpensive entertainment. The post war boom had entered the gaming market. At the same time the Cold War was growing with a legitimate concern that a nuclear exchange could occur between the superpowers.

In 1957, film director Albert Lamorisse, designed a new, type of game that he named La Conquete du Monde - The Conquest of the World. He submitted the game to Miro Corporation who, in turn, submitted it to Parker Brothers. A few alterations to the mechanics were introduced and, in 1959, Risk was released to the North American market. DId it prove popular? By the mid 1960’s the game had been through several print runs. It began to expand its influence like a virus. By the early 1970’s Risk games had reached Brazil, Great Britain and Italy. By the late 1970’s it had reached all of Europe, South America, Australia and parts of Asia and the Middle East. Clubs formed, tournaments were held and it continued to grow. Risk has sold millions upon millions of copies. Though Hasbro and the other publishers will not release the actual figures, there are estimates that it has sold more than 100 million copies in its various incarnations. No one can deny that this is an impressive figure. Remember that the average print run for a hobby game, even today, is between 4,000 and 10,000 copies. But sales alone does not express what this game did for the gaming hobby.

To this point, every commercial game that was not part of a niche market (i.e. war games) was linear. What strategy was required, was obvious from an explanation of the rules. In addition to this, with very few exceptions, board games were roll and move games. Risk changed that. After being introduced to the game, it was (and often still is) common for a new player to look at the map board and ask: what am I supposed to do? Risk was the first non-linear game to ever reach the mass market in popularity. This was the first new design to offer the player a game of complex strategy, of multiple choices, the first to force players to weigh which of many different possibilities would produce the best result. The depth and complexity of the choices elevated the game from something normally found in the mass market to a modern day strategy game. This was 20th century Chess or Go. The fact that it related so well to actual developing events in the world only increased the fascination.

There are three critical factors that Risk introduced that would alter the way we game forever. The first of these occurred prior to any player moving his first piece. Risk was the first game to eliminate a predetermined set up. There was no ‘start’ space where everyone placed their units. There were no specific slots or squares allocated to the pieces. A player’s starting position was part of the overall strategy for the game. Like Go, this assured that no two Risk games would ever be the same.

The second factor that Risk introduced was partial losses. When a player entered a conflict, unlike Chess, the result was not predetermined; the result of an attack could not be predicted. This required players to continuously alter their game strategy and for many players, this rendered the game something much more realistic than Chess. Increasing the complexity of the analysis is the fact that the defender wins on tied dice so probabilities became significantly difficult to determine while playing. This combination of factors (initial placement and combat results) is so unusual in gaming that many universities had studied Risk. In the mass market, this game was unique.

The final critical concept that Risk introduced was that of area control. Players would receive benefits based on the number of areas they controlled however, additional, bonus benefits were received for complete control of specific areas. For example, there are four territories in South America. If a player controlled three of the four, he would receive credit for three. However, should he control all four territories he would receive credit for six (four for the territories and a two credit bonus for the continent). This was the impetus for much of the conflict in the game. In 1991, a revised version of this area control would appear in History of the World and then in 1995 another revised form of this area control would appear in El Grande. Both games won awards for their design and yet so many gamers