Risk Legacy: Games 5 and 6

It's been ages since my last Risk Legacy post: May 18th, to be exact!  What happened?  Well, a couple of things.  We've skipped several of our twice-monthly game nights with my brother (a combination of his schedule and ours).  I was dreading playing Risk Legacy again and didn't encourage bringing it out the few times we DID get together.  Game 4 tipped the board so strongly in Australia's favor, it was ridiculous.  Plus, Greg was the ONLY player who could start there.  He deserves to be applauded for positioning himself so advantageously, but it's hard to look forward to a game in which one person is guaranteed to win every time UNLESS one of two things happen: either the other three players gang up on him or one of them camps right outside his door and goes exclusively after him.  I don't like being limited to two options for a chance at victory, especially when one of them depends on two other players cooperating with me.  It takes the fun out.

Another deterrent was that in our last game, we opened a couple of envelopes with a bunch of cards to read through.  After waiting so long to play, I couldn't even remember basic rules, let alone face the challenge of learning new stuff.  But . . . Kylen really wanted to play.  So, after Rage and Star Trek Catan, Greg and I sent him and Ryan downstairs, while we poured over Risk Legacy.

What followed was awful.

Lately, Kylen has been into iphone Risk.  He thought he could apply his strategies in the digital world to real life.  Since he could win by taking North America, he reasoned that would work here.  Not so.  He and Ryan fought over the continent, effectively destroying each other, while Greg enjoyed his tremendous advantages in Australia.  He won quickly and easily.  I was the only player who had any chance of slowing him down.  Unfortunately, I didn't remember just how strong his advantage was until his second turn.  Then, it all came rushing back like a terrible nightmare.  By then it was too late to change my starting location.  He took his continent during his first turn, got 3 extra men due to having named said continent in a prior game, and got bonus men from territories early on (due to cities in Australia and the ease of expansion from a single entry point continent).  Meanwhile, I was struggling to do anything - anything at all - in Africa.

I complained a lot.  Greg realized it was too easy for him to win and decided to give himself a stumbling block by making it possible for someone else to start in Australia.  It was a truly noble action, especially when he could have rewarded himself by increasing his advantage even more.

Australia Player (Green) Dominated

Because Ryan wiped Kylen off the board, we were able to open a new envelop:

Greg and Kylen Fooled Around While Ryan Read the New Cards

We quickly went over the new stuff and started game 6.  Ryan got highest die and went first.  He chose Australia as his starting location.  No one serious about winning would start anywhere else.  From there on, it was the previous game all over again, except Greg and Ryan switched places.  Kylen made taking North America his top priority.   He and Greg wiped each other out.  I didn't park right outside Australia, because I was hoping that somehow there was an alternative way of winning.  Instead of starting in Africa, I started in Europe.  I was closer to Australia that way, and I had an easier time taking Europe than Africa, because Greg and Kylen were further away from me.  I actually did pretty well, but not well enough.  Australia was so easy to protect, Ryan could keep most of his extra men together on a single territory, while I had to spread mine out.  I did have one large army in his way, but his was bigger.  He broke through my defenses (horrible dice didn't help), and Australia owner won quickly and easily again. 

Australia Player (Purple) Wins Again!

 
At that point, I was pretty frustrated.  I didn't want to play this game anymore.  However, there was one bright spot: Ryan won a mission that allowed us to connect ANY two outside territories on the board.  We all agreed that Australia needed to be reigned in and joined her to the other side of the world.  I am desperately hoping that will give the next Australia player (even if it's me) enough of a challenge to make the game less predictable!

Australia is now connected to . . .

North America!

Risk Legacy: Game 4

I'm finally doing a post from my brother's stay two weeks ago!  Game 3 resulted in changes during set up, which we got to experience in game 4.  We now take turns picking from several options to gain an advantage in one area while losing the advantage in another.  Kylen and I made our clan choice top priority, Ryan started with extra cards he could turn in for men, and Greg wanted first pick at his starting location.  He was last, but picking his starting location first gave him way more of an advantage than any of us imagined.  He dominated most of the game, having begun in Australia where he got an extra man above the bonus (from having named the continent in a previous game).  It's the easiest area to hold, which left him plenty of men to expand and conquer.  For his reward, he chose to name a major city "Guinea Pig Island" in his beloved Land Dad-Under.  The rest of us could only upgrade a territory.

We opened TWO envelopes!  Both had a LOT to digest, so we'll be going through them at the beginning of the next game.  The most exciting discovery was a new clan!  We decided to take a break on Ryan's next visit and play a round of Settlers of America, but game 5 of Risk Legacy should prove very interesting.  =)

Risk Legacy: Game 3

Our third game of Risk Legacy made up for my dismal experience last time: I won!  Unlike the previous two games, we all kept to ourselves in the beginning and focused on building our armies.  At some point, Ryan was gaining an advantage with rapid expansion in Asia, and Greg went after him.  They spent the remainder of the game trading insults and territories.  This was a "fortuitious circumstance" for Kylen and me.  The nice bonuses they earned from large areas of conquered land went into funding their war against each other, while Kylen and I peacefully and slowly grew our forces with the help of our small continent bonuses (Africa and South America respectively).  Ryan always got his Australian bonus, and Greg was able to hold North America a few rounds.

All of us had big armies left at the end.

My faction had the special ability of my capital always being fortified.  The plus 1 on both my defense dice discouraged any attempt at invading.  Kylen decided to try for Greg's capital and began making his way north.  I had a sizable army in Europe that I'd built in preparation to strike a capital, but I held back due to everyone's daunting fortifications.  Kylen eventually left one of his border territories weak, and Ryan swept in to capture his capital.  If he hadn't, I would have!

Kylen and I had started with an extra victory point (red star) since we hadn't won before.  Each capital is worth a star, and you can also trade in cards for them.  Greg and Ryan traded their cards for men.  On my next turn after Ryan's big invasion, I traded in cards for my third star and used my European army to take Kylen's capital from Ryan.  He rolled very poorly, and I was able to get my final star.  For my reward, I followed in the footsteps of my two predecessors and chose to name a continent. I christened South America "Rivendell," an Elven outpost from Lord of the Rings. 

My army on Kylen's capital.

Here is where we came to a thrilling moment!  If the other three players chose to name a minor city, we could open up our first secret envelope!

There are six secret containers, four being envelopes.

Ryan decided to carry the animosity between him and Greg beyond the game and insisted that he would only name a minor city IF Greg would draw a smiley face on his hand.  Ryan and Kylen had revived their hand face silliness during the game, and this was Ryan's way of getting in a little good-humored jab.  Greg, being the stubborn man he is (we're perfect for each other!), wouldn't hear of it.  Much conniving ensued, and I even attempted to forcibly draw a face on his hand myself.  He fought me off valiantly, but Ryan at last consented to get even by naming a minor city "Smiley Face On Greg's Hand Island."  He then took a picture of it with his phone while proclaiming loudly that it would be on record for all time.

"Smiley Face On Greg's Hand Island"

As winner, I nominated myself official secret envelope opener.

It had quite a pile of cards inside, some of which will result in major changes to our future games!  Very exciting, but I'll wait until the next Risk Legacy post to talk about them.  =)

Risk Legacy: Game 2

Our second game of Risk Legacy was pretty dreary for me.  I was left scratching my head when Kylen and Ryan both targeted me early on and destroyed both my large armies in the same round.  It's hard to recover in this game when you're ganged up on, and it was made worse by Kylen's realization that he might have a chance at opening one of the secret envelopes if he wiped me off the board.  He never left me alone after that, and I had no chance to recover.  Greg came to my assistance a few times, but he started having his own struggles.  Kylen actually came pretty close to eliminating me, but I was able to hold on to a couple territories to the very end.  (Truth be told, I wasn't as upset as I usually would be about doing so poorly.  I was kinda hoping to be wiped out - We're all anxious to find out what's inside one of those secret envelopes!)  The last few rounds, it was clear that Ryan and Kylen were the frontrunners.  Ryan made his move first and claimed his last victory point by taking Kylen's capital, with men to spare.  For his prize, he named South America "Pancake Island" (inside story going way back).  The three losers chose to name minor cities again.  I'm disappointed I didn't have a better shot at victory, but that's the way the die bounces!

Ryan Signing the Board

Risk Legacy: Game 1

I can't remember the last time I was this pumped about a new game!  My brother Ryan tries to join us for game nights twice a month.  It's awesome, because we all have similar tastes: long games, lots of strategy.  Kylen got this new version of Risk for Christmas, and we finally broke it out Saturday.  Our journey will last 15 games.  We'll play as different factions with different strengths and weaknesses.  We'll shape our world right down to naming the continents and cities.  Whoever wins the most games by the end will get to name the planet.  The box actually has several unopened pockets with contents that remain secret until triggered by a specific event, such as the first time a faction is wiped out.  Is that COOL or WHAT??!

We all signed the board and recorded the date of our first game.  Greg won with a desperate run that came down to a single man, a single die roll.  If he hadn't succeeded, he would have been out of the running.  He had several reward options, but he chose to name the continent he won on.  In traditional Risk, it's known as Australia.  He called it "The Land Dad-Under," which we all thought was quite clever.  The other three of us got to name cities just for not getting obliterated.  Mine: Fairyopolis; Kylen's: Kyro; Ryan: City of Angels.

I can't wait until the next game!

Greg's Last Man and the HQ that Won Him the Game

We also had time for a game of Acquire.  Greg not-so-patiently put up with our hand-talking silliness.  Ryan won this one.  It wasn't such a good night for me or Kylen.  ;-)