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Risk: Global Conversation

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Thu, 06/06/2019 - 13:05
bottercot
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So I had an idea to take the Risk we all know and *ahem* love, but add a ton more detail and complexity to it, while still maintaining the simplicity of the territorial board and the battle mechanics.
Like, additions would include political intrigue, resources, trade, deals between nations, technological development, and most importantly, other ways to win besides military conquest.
I'm thinking the best period of time to put this in is the medieval era, with technology perhaps extending to the beginning of the gunpowder age.

Are there any games like this? I'm trying to keep it at an understandable and manageable level. I don't want it "clunky" or incredibly hard to grasp, to keep with the spirit of classic Risk. Obviously this type of game is a wide genre, but I'm curious if there are any games that fit the bill I'm describing.

Thank you!

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Thu, 06/06/2019 - 13:56
#1
Tim Edwards
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There is Risk: Europe which

There is Risk: Europe which is more complex than Risk, and is in a medieval setting. I own it, but haven't played it yet. I know the rules though and it involves different unit types, and various actions including collecting tax and building castles. Those are all cool additions but I was a bit disappointed that they seem to have lots the spirit of classic Risk. So, I'd still like someone to make that game for me...please :)

As a kid, I made nuclear age rules for Risk, which I still believe could have worked, though I could never persuade my brother to play it! It involved the ability to trade certain card sets for missiles in lieu of troops. A missile halved the number of troops in a chosen territory. I didn't include anything about range or positioning of launch sites, though that might have been cool...

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Thu, 06/06/2019 - 15:20
#2
bottercot
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Yes! Risk: Europe is a good

Yes! Risk: Europe is a good game. The game I'm going for is a bit like that (I may even use the Risk: Europe board for my prototype, either that or Risk LotR), but I will be leaving it at 1 type of unit, to keep war somewhat simple, and to emphasize that the focus is not just on conquest. In fact, I was thinking it would be interesting to make the game like Mafia or other conversation-focused role games, with much of the interaction in the game coming verbally. I could even give each player a set of hidden goals that they must achieve in order to win, granting a bit of intrigue to the mix.

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Thu, 06/06/2019 - 16:03
#3
bottercot
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Some more ideas I've had:The

Some more ideas I've had:
The game will be mostly player-driven, with deals being made and negotiations being done.
The game will take place through phases, with interactions between players happening between these.
It will be something like a Production Phase, where things can be built, followed by a War Phase, and so on. I haven't thought too hard about all of the phases, but I have rough ideas.
For now I'm renaming the thread to something that I find more appropriate.

Some other fun ideas:
-Approval will be a currency used to determine how well players' people like them. Players can denounce each other, decreasing their approval, or make deals to provide their people with luxury resources that they will enjoy.
-Each player will have their own Culture, which they must follow as leader of their country. This could include customs, ways of speaking, policies toward other countries, etc. Violating their Culture can result in a significant decrease of Approval.
-When Approval drops to 0, the player must choose to be puppeted by the kingdom with the most Approval.
-Puppeted kingdoms must obey their Leader in certain ways, though they will gain independence in some areas, such as Production. Trade and War must be approved by the players' new Leader before being initiated.

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Thu, 06/06/2019 - 19:29
#4
Tim Edwards
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bottercot wrote:Some more

bottercot wrote:
Some more ideas I've had:
The game will be mostly player-driven, with deals being made and negotiations being done.
The game will take place through phases, with interactions between players happening between these.
It will be something like a Production Phase, where things can be built, followed by a War Phase, and so on. I haven't thought too hard about all of the phases, but I have rough ideas.
For now I'm renaming the thread to something that I find more appropriate.

Some other fun ideas:
-Approval will be a currency used to determine how well players' people like them. Players can denounce each other, decreasing their approval, or make deals to provide their people with luxury resources that they will enjoy.
-Each player will have their own Culture, which they must follow as leader of their country. This could include customs, ways of speaking, policies toward other countries, etc. Violating their Culture can result in a significant decrease of Approval.
-When Approval drops to 0, the player must choose to be puppeted by the kingdom with the most Approval.
-Puppeted kingdoms must obey their Leader in certain ways, though they will gain independence in some areas, such as Production. Trade and War must be approved by the players' new Leader before being initiated.

Your phases and interactions idea sounds a lot like Diplomacy (which funnily enough I've just been talking about in another thread). They have a build phase and movement/fight phase, each with a period of player negotiation between. It's very effective - especially when builds can be ambiguous.
"WHY DID YOU BUILD AN ARMY THERE????? WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE FIGHTING GERMANY?"
"Relax. It's just there in case France attacks me..."

Then movement phase - you attack your ally. haha....evil game. Loved it but can't play it any more. Burnt out. :)

You could use that sort of idea but with some Risk-like qualities that would probably make it less intense and stressful (there is no luck at all, other than what luck exists in dealing with unpredictable humanity)

Hidden missions is a great idea. When Risk introduced missions, it elevated the game enormously. Suddenly there was bluff, misdirection, second guessing. Actually, those unknowns are perhaps what, for me, Risk Europe lacks (you don't even have hidden cards as in the original Risk...strategically, it's perfect information. Only your immediate intentions are masked with the Order Card system, as you know.)

Your other ideas look really cool and remind me of Civilisation.

It will be interesting to implement all of that whilst keeping that easy-to-play Risk character. Perhaps keep a weather eye on how thick the rule book might be getting...it's easy to create a monster without realising. hehe

I love your concept. I love it when you open a game board and suddenly everyone is automatically in a semi-role playing situation.

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Fri, 06/07/2019 - 15:05
#5
bottercot
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Thank you! Civilization is

Thank you!
Civilization is definitely a huge influence. My problems with the board game, though, were a) Too many rules, b) Too little player interaction, c) Too long to play through.
I really want to bring the fun of role-playing games into a civilization-style game, while keeping a lightweight feel. Risk makes the perfect starting point, bringing in the familiarity but also adding so much more, and changing the focus off of war to draw in a bigger audience. A name that does not include "Risk" is pending.
I have not actually played Diplomacy before! Some of my friends have and I've heard quite a bit about it. I have a rough idea of how the game is structured.
I'll have to look into that.

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Sun, 06/09/2019 - 06:07
#6
apeloverage
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bottercot wrote:Are there any

bottercot wrote:
Are there any games like this?

It sounds similar to Supremacy or the Game of Thrones board game.

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Mon, 06/10/2019 - 11:11
#7
bottercot
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-Supremacy looks interesting.

-Supremacy looks interesting. Water tiles are something I haven't considered. However, I can think of a way to do them in Risk: Europe. Instead of using the sea routes as the ways across the ocean, I can use the spaces in between as sea territories. Sea units of multiple factions could be allowed in the same territory, provided the two factions are not at war. Whenever any sea unit transfers units across the territory, it would have to be approved by any other factions within the territory. Could provide for interesting gameplay.

-Game of Thrones! Yes, that does sound like a similar concept. Fighting for the throne, backstabbing allies, and all that.
I was considering theming my game in the universe of the Stormlight Archive (by Brandon Sanderson), since this would allow for an interesting setting with many unique gameplay elements. The problem, of course, is that doing so would result in me being unable to sell the game without acquiring a license from Sanderson himself.

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