Wargame

Risk 2210 A.D. is yet another entry in the long series of Risk variants. Set in the not-so-distant future, battles are now fought by machines of destruction, known as MODs, for short. Human commanders still lead these mechanized troops, but these commanders each have special powers and abilities. These come into play via the use of Command cards, which add a new dimension to the game. Now the battle is not just for the continents, but the sea and moon are also battlegrounds.

Although much has been added, the basic flavor of the game is still Risk. One welcome change is the institution of a five-turn game limit, which allows the game to play to completion in about three hours. Further, players must also factor in economics in the form of energy. This energy is used to purchase command cards, bid for turn order, and hire new commanders. There is much more strategy and planning involved in this new version, but it should still appeal to the classic Risk fans.

Re-implements:

Risk

This game is based upon Richard Borg's Command and Colors system. The world of BattleLore meshes history and fantasy together - putting players in command of an array of miniature troops on the battlefields of a Medieval Europe Uchronia at the outset of the Hundred Years War.

Drawing on the strengths of Memoir '44, this Days of Wonder game takes the time-tested Command and Colors system to a new level and offers gamers of many backgrounds a chance to fight medieval battles with a dose of epic fantasy.

In this fantastical re-imagining of the Hundred Years War, French and English armies are supplemented with Goblins and Dwarves mercenaries and even some creatures like the Giant Spider and the Earth Elemental! Just as important as the armies you have, though, are the Lore Masters you choose to aid you: Wizards, Clerics, Warriors and Rogues can all aid you with unique powers and spells in ways role-playing gamers will find familiar.

Note: This is a protected game due to fragile packaging and requires having a Membership to play. See Game Associate for details.

Description from the publisher:

The shifting Warp Storms that surround the long lost Herakon Cluster have finally abated, leaving the ancient treasures and planets within this sector open to the rest of the galaxy. Now, the great factions of the galaxy mobilize their fleets and race to establish a foothold. The reward for successful domination surpasses all other concerns, and the price for conquering this sector will be paid in lives.

Forbidden Stars challenges you and up to three other players to take command of a mighty fighting force: the Ultramarines chapter of Space Marines, the Eldar of Craftworld Iyanden, the Evil Sunz Ork clan, or the World Eaters Warband of the Chaos Space Marines. Each faction offers unique armies and play styles, but your goal remains the same – to claim the key objectives selected for your faction. These objective tokens are scattered throughout the Herakon Cluster, but your opponents are sure to defend your objectives against you. You need to build massive armies and command them in unending war to best your enemies and claim your objectives. The fight for the Herakon Cluster is brutal and bloody, and you will either stride triumphant over the bodies of your fallen foes, or they will do the same to you.

Includes 3 play modes:
A Risk re-implementation based on the popular Mass Effect series of video games.

Includes 3 play modes:

Basic Training – Standard RISK game play,
Galaxy at War – fast-paced and strategic, individual and team play.
War Assets – quick card and dice game play.

Game comes complete with over 250 game pieces. Custom components include 2 Alliance Armies, 2 Reaper Armies, 1 Cerberus Army, 2 Harbinger pieces. 81 Faction Cards representing the 3 factions, 18 War Assets planet scanning cards (which can also be played as a standalone mini-game), Custom game board, 5 six-sided dice and 4 eight-sided dice.

Re-implements:

Risk: Star Wars Original Trilogy Edition

As a giant monster, stomping cities is what you do. But now, other giant monsters are moving in on your turf - and you have to put a stop to that. Through a bizarre twist of fate, a branch of the military has decided to focus all its firepower on the other monsters. While your rivals are busy trampling tanks and swatting fighter jets, you'll be out there growing in power and infamy - getting ready for the Monster Challenge. In the end, when the dust settles and the radiation fades, the last creature standing will be crowned King of the Giant Monsters!

Each player is one of six Giant Monsters, stomping across a map of the USA in search of cities to destroy. The monsters run the gamut from the classic (enormous lizards and gargantuan apes) to the slightly more unconventional (giant walking eyeball), and each has its own set of attributes and powers.

Ingeniously, everyone also controls an arm of the military, which can be used to attack and weaken the other monsters on the board. It's a losing battle for the militia -- monsters can wipe out military bases and reduce the total number of forces available to each player -- but you can get a few good licks in early in the game.The battle escalates until the 20th city is reduced to rubble. At that time, all the monsters duke it out in a free-for-all, mano-a-clawo Monster Challenge; when the dust settles, the last monster standing is declared the winner.

This game is a reworking of Monsters Ravage America.

Key differences between this version and the original game include: getting rid of money in favor of a set number of units each turn, streamlined combat (two rounds in the new edition as opposed to three), removal of "bad" cards from the Research and Mutation decks (along with a few new cards from some of the unofficial expansions), removal of terrain effects on the board, miscellaneous balance tweaks between the military branches and the monsters.