A Risk 2210 A.D. mid-game board |
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| Designer(s) |
Rob Daviau |
|---|---|
| Publisher(s) | Avalon Hill |
| Players | 2–5 |
| Setup time | 5-10 minutes |
| Playing time | 240 minutes |
| Random chance | Medium |
| Skill(s) required | Strategic thought |
Risk: 2210 A.D. is a 2-5 player board game by Avalon Hill that is a futuristic variant of the classic board game Risk. Risk 2210 A.D. was designed by Rob Daviau and Craig Van Ness and first released in 2001. In 2002, Risk 2210 A.D. won the Origins Award for Best Science Fiction or Fantasy Board Game of 2001.[1]
Contents |
The boxed set includes:
2210 A.D. originally came packaged in a rectangular boxed set with a playing board that folded into fourths. At some point the design changed to a square, like the packaging for Risk Godstorm. The board in the square box folds into sixths and the cardboard playing pieces are one-sided as opposed to being printed on both sides as they were for the rectangular box.
Before the game, 4 cards are randomly selected from the land territory deck. Each of the territories drawn will have a "devastation marker" placed on it, and is impassable for the game - thus making every game different.
Then players take turns selecting from the remaining land territories (water and moon colonies will be used later). Once the land territories are filled, players continue placing their alloted number of MODs on territories they own. Then each player places a space station, a land commander, and a diplomat.
The game is limited to five rounds called years. At the beginning of each year, players use energy they have accumulated to bid for turn order. The highest bidder selects which turn order the player wants, then the next highest bidder, and so on. The highest bidder may select any turn the player wants, the player is not limited to "first." There are strategic advantages for taking different turn orders at different points in the game.
At the beginning of each player's turn, based on the number of countries the player owns and whole continents the player holds, the player gains additional MODs and energy. The player places the MODs and then has the opportunity to buy additional commanders, cards, and space stations. Then the player may play command cards that he has sufficient energy to activate. Next comes the attack phase which, if the player successfully takes three contested territories, the player receives one bonus energy and one bonus command card. After the attack phase, the player may move one group of units from any one of the player's territories to any other territory the player occupies, so long as both territories are connected by a path of his own territories.
At the end of year 5, each player's score is calculated based on the number of territories the player owns, colonies the player holds, and the number of colony influence cards the player has the commanders to activate.
Geographically, the map is nearly identical to the classic Risk map. It has the same forty-two territories as before, but they have somewhat different names; Greenland, for example, is now the Exiled States of America. Also, a few connections are removed; the picture shows that Egypt is the only African country to have a connection with Middle East.
Significant is the addition of thirteen underwater territories divided into five "colonies", which work like continents — control the whole colony to receive a bonus. Moon exploration is also possible. To do so, a player must control a space station, acquire a space commander, and then send MODs (armies) to the Moon. These extra territories also create new avenues of movement and attack between continents.
The map changes each game — before any units are placed, four Devastation markers are positioned randomly on the board. Those four territories are nuclear wastelands that are impassable and uninhabitable during the game.
One of the biggest differences from classic Risk is the addition of commanders: land, naval, space, nuclear, and diplomat. These fill a number of roles. Their most basic function is to act as an improved army unit, enabling players to roll eight-sided dice rather than the typical six-sided ones. For all commanders this is true when defending. Space and naval commanders allow movement into Moon or water territories respectively. The most important function of the commanders is allowing the purchase and use of cards of various types. The addition of cards has a huge effect — they change the strategies in broad sweeps rather than small adjustments. Card play can shift the balance of power rapidly. Players can only buy four cards at a time, and only for commanders in play. Like the new avenues of movement, cards open up the board by making no position impregnable, no attack a certainty. With cards in use, the game is more fluid and positions are constantly shifting. There is a separate deck of cards for each type of commander. Perhaps the most devastating card attacks are enabled by the nuclear commander: playing a nuclear card has the potential to destroy all the armies on an entire continent.
Energy also has a strategic importance. It is used to buy cards, to bring commanders and space stations into play, to bid for the most advantageous place in the turn order, and to play certain cards. Each round, players bid energy for the right to choose when they want to take their turns. But players who spend too much energy one turn may find themselves playing at a disadvantage the next turn, or even for the rest of the game.
Risk 2210 A.D. includes a five-turn limit, although it is possible to play as in normal Risk with unlimited turns. Whoever controls the most territories (and bonuses) at the end of the fifth year wins. The player with the last turn in year five can conquer as much territory as possible without worrying about the need to defend. Thus, in close games, victory by the final player is virtually guaranteed, unless the other players have saved a stock of cards and energy to defend themselves.
Although each player only gets five turns, a game may easily last over five hours.
The game includes the necessary equipment and cards for playing the classic version of Risk.
A map of the original Risk board, which does not contain the US Pacific regions, and has different oceanic connections. In more recent game boards, the connection between East Africa and the Middle East has been removed. There is also a moon map board used in Risk 2210 A.D.
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Europe
Africa |
US Pacific
Asia Pacific
Southern Atlantic
Northern Atlantic Indian
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Cresinion
Delphot
Sajon
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Avalon Hill has released a number of expansions for the 2210 A.D. game. Used as Tournament awards, these expansions were originally available only to retailers and have not been released commercially. To date, there are four "official" expansions, under the name "Frontline".[2] A number of unofficial expansions have also been created by fans, covering such themes as terrorism, aerial assault, zombies, Antarctica and Godstorm-style relics [3]