In a two player game of risk is the outcome decided by who gets the first turn?
April 13th, 2010
Every now and then me and my friend Jules – aka; le sock Noir – get together and spend a long evening playing two player head to head Risk, whilst getting thoroughly drunk on Jack and Coke.
It seems to me that due to reinforcements the first turn player gets a massive advantage. Is this right; or am I just a drunk paranoid?
Viva la Rouge.
You may be onto something here. The first set of reinforcements, well placed on the board, could give a player a significant advantage. And if you’re a girl you can get a significant advantage from ladies perfume 
If ya know what I mean.
There’s a way around this that at least used to be mentioned in the rules (my risk set is 25 years old)…create neutral countries.
Choose a third color to represent neutral countries. As you’re placing armies at the beginning of the game, you place an army into one of your own countries, then you place an army in a neutral country. This will create a third player of sorts that you both have to work around in your quest for world domination. Neutral countries do not attack, but you do have to defeat them in order to take them over. Whichever player is not attacking rolls the dice for the neutral country.
You can add additional rules if you like…possibly creating some system for adding armies to neutral countries as the game progresses or even ways for neutral countries to go on the attack.
April 13th, 2010 at 6:17 pm
Seriously, I think you’re just drunk. Moving first gives an advantage at the beginning of the game but if two people are matched evenly — and you might not be — it won’t make a difference in the outcome.
I’d lay off of the Jack and Coke if you want to improve your odds
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April 13th, 2010 at 7:07 pm
It depends on who gets drunker quicker – not necessarily who goes first !! Play my best games drunk – more funner !!!
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April 13th, 2010 at 7:23 pm
All strategy games have a strategy to them.. Just like Chess, you need to think Offensively and Defensively. Any advantage to being first is nil in almost every game out there except Tic-Tac-Toe
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April 13th, 2010 at 7:57 pm
roll a dice and the one with the highest number can start first
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April 13th, 2010 at 8:28 pm
You may be onto something here. The first set of reinforcements, well placed on the board, could give a player a significant advantage.
There’s a way around this that at least used to be mentioned in the rules (my risk set is 25 years old)…create neutral countries.
Choose a third color to represent neutral countries. As you’re placing armies at the beginning of the game, you place an army into one of your own countries, then you place an army in a neutral country. This will create a third player of sorts that you both have to work around in your quest for world domination. Neutral countries do not attack, but you do have to defeat them in order to take them over. Whichever player is not attacking rolls the dice for the neutral country.
You can add additional rules if you like…possibly creating some system for adding armies to neutral countries as the game progresses or even ways for neutral countries to go on the attack.
References :