You've listed some great area control games, but they're not very Risk-like. If the suggestions are for people that dislike Risk, then it's a solid list. If the suggestions are for people that like risk, then they're a pretty big departure from that style of game. The following would be good options for people that aren't as Risk-averse: - Nexus Ops is like Risk with unique units, a focus on attacking, and a decent amount of dice rolling. - Cthulhu Wars is like Risk with unique units, bonkers special powers, and chucking handfuls of dice. - 878 Vikings is like a team-based risk with one team invading the other team. It's not quite as distant from Risk as Twilight Struggle. - Evo is kind of like dinosaur Risk with some dinosaur evolution. Not quite as heavy of a bidding game Cyclades, and the areas you want to be in shift over the course of the game. But, it's more Risk-like than Small World, which takes a bigger step away with deterministic combat. - Eclipse is like Risk, but instead of building up your armies you build up your tech. Even the combat is pretty same-y. It's like Risk, but the time to play is kind of justified.
Thanks for your comment and it's probably an entirely fair criticism; we were more thinking about the average person who knows Risk but not much else, what could we maybe suggest to them that is more modern, available, and has some of those vibes of risk. Thank you for your comment and your amazing suggestions! I love eclipse, especially second dawn,, I just consider it more of a hex 4x but the lines are blurry.
I just like Small World with power pack 1, a natural top 5 Risk alternative to me. I believe Bloodstones needs attention too. Wish I get to play Risk Europe soon. I got it in my collection.
I've never actually played Risk, although I think Kerrin & I played a Lord of the Rings version many years ago! The Wolves is in my top 10 favourite games of all time currently, still feels like a sleeper hit in the wider scene
Yeah The Wolves is tremendous, felt like it had a lot of initial hype which burned out? I could be wrong though, not sure how well it was critically viewed.
I always think of Kemet as Risk-but-fixed. The fact that you get your defeated units back, and are always close to one another. Everybody feels tension, and you're unlikely to just be pummeled into a hopeless situation. And even though you all start with the same boring units, you can get powers to diversify. By the end of the game your army is very different to the others. And the combat is changed from dice to numbers on cards, which you can actually plan for to an extent.
Dude Kemet is such a great suggestion! Love it, I just haven't played it enough. Great tech tree / advancement which as you say makes your faction more and more different over time. Great shout!
Oh nice! Not played it at 2. I've played Ankh at 2 and that's pretty good, some would say best, but in any case the way you can divide the map up means it scales pretty well.
All great games. The problem with a top 5 is that not everything can make the list. War of the Ring would definitely have made my list. A great game, but also more "Risk like" than others on the list.
War of the Ring, and by extension, Star Wars Rebellion maybe? War of the Ring certainly has that flow of area control to it, more than Rebellion for sure
Ankh is excellent at 2 players, speaking of star wars, Star Wars Rebellion is another great option that has kind of a risk vibe, but not really, great game for 2 players, although it can be a bit epic in length...
Risk: Star Wars Edition is the best Risk. But it's more like a slightly worse Queen's Gambit than Risk, so is probably not close enough to Risk to even fit this list. This list reminds me of my attempt to get my dad to play something other than Risk. My first mistake was trusting some things written on the "Diplomacy" box. My second mistake was trying to get him to play Twilight Struggle, even though it's longer than Risk. My third mistake was trying to get him to play Blood Rage when it first came out, he hated the theme. People used to try to use Wallenstein/Shogun, Small World, Memoir '44 and some others to get Risk players to play other games. But I think your list basically nails it with Inis and El Grande if people want an experience like Risk. If you can get people to go a bit further, getting the risk player to play the Cats in Root can work. I think if I tried to get my dad to play a game other than Risk and had all the recent games to choose from this time, I'd learn from my mistakes previously and just go with an Undaunted game, even though it's not like Risk that much at all.
I've had some games of Risk take FOREVER, but to be fair my experience of Twilight Struggle is relatively limited, Matt has played it much more. Small World is a common suggestion and we've thought about it putting it in, but went for some more, I suppose, dudes on a map style games? Memoir 44 is another good suggestion, as is Shogun, a classic. Inis gets pretty close, El Grande we think is top of the tree when it comes to solid alternatives that area actually good games, more fun, more interesting, more balanced, more surprising, more everything, really. I guess for some people they just want the pure war theme, in which case Undaunted is about a perfect game as you can suggest. I love undaunted, and think it's one of the best designs of its type.
@@boardstupiduk I guess I'm lucky to have a copy in great condition! It's so much better than the 2006 version that feels like a budget copy of the game.
Leaving aside hex-and-counter wargames, which can be brilliant, but for which the audience is more limited, here are ten more: Wallenstein, Condottiere, Empires of the Middle Ages, Evo, Diplomacy, Tigris & Euphrates, Shogun/Samurai Swords/Ikusa, Borderlands, Britannia, Medieval Merchant
Great comment and wonderful suggestions! Wallenstein is a classic, similar to Shogun right? Tigris and Euphrates is also great, both were under consideration however I think they are out of print.
@@boardstupiduk Similar to the Queen Games Shogun, not the Milton Bradley Shogun that became Samurai Swords. (Shogun is a popular game name. 8-) ) I think it's out of print. Several of the others I listed are also out of print, but I've been doing the complex board games thing for 50 years, so I have a lot of out-of-print stuff.
Great picks guys. Area control is my favourite mechanism. I haven’t played Rising Sun, so for me Ankh just wins over Bloodrage. Amazing that you included Wolves, I have fancied that for a while now, and will seek out a good priced copy at the UK Expo. No argument with El Grande, I have the big box. I have owned Twilight 🎉Struggle for a few years now and I’m ashamed it’s on my shelf of shame. I have to call you guys out, no list is complete for area control without Tigris and Euphrates. It often gets a bad rap due to it not being so intuitive, eg. Highest/lowest score wins, your army isn’t one colour, and Battles vs Wars and their impact. But once these are grasped, the strategies, catch-up mechanisms and area influence play is incredible. Honourable mentions are, Iwari, Eclipse 2nd Dawn for the Galaxy, and Segikahara.
Thanks Steve! Area control / majority is awesome, highly interactive and always an interesting mechanism. Tigris and Euphrates and Babylonia were definitely up for consideration but are notoriously out of print so didn't get the nod this time, and trust me I freaking LOVE a knizia game
Oh and the Wolves is great, or at least I think so! Hopefully you can find a copy for a decent price. Eclipse is a tremendous game but more like a modern 4X that a straight combat / control game, it is freaking awesome though! Never played Iwari, heard good things
@@boardstupiduk Great point, there is clearly a downside to recommending an out of print game - this one must be worth a revival big production version though, plus making the basic production available, it would sell out.
For Inis you dont need the expansion for that rule to end the game quicker. We just use the rule of the expansion that makes the round after a draw is the last round autimatically with just he base game. Its just a rule. You dont need any pieces or cards for it.
Risk is a very simple game, that plays well for children. I would go as far as to say it is made for children. I would struggle with most if not all your suggestions with my kids. Any suggestions for a better Risk game for kids?
Hey Qess! I don't know if Risk is thaaaaaat simple as to play with children. But an OK alternative might be something like Smallworld? But we don't have kids and as such kids games aren't really in our specialty for recommendation. I hope you find something though!
@@boardstupiduk Hey thanks for getting back to me! I appreciate its not your angle at this, since you don't have kids. I will have to look up small world again. Risk has some complexity for sure, but to try and show my point; Risk has 5 pages of rules excluding setup(1 page), 3 types of units, same for both sides,, no cards with any unique rules, no needed text on cards, 4 card types, 3 of which match the 3 piece types.
You've listed some great area control games, but they're not very Risk-like. If the suggestions are for people that dislike Risk, then it's a solid list. If the suggestions are for people that like risk, then they're a pretty big departure from that style of game. The following would be good options for people that aren't as Risk-averse:
- Nexus Ops is like Risk with unique units, a focus on attacking, and a decent amount of dice rolling.
- Cthulhu Wars is like Risk with unique units, bonkers special powers, and chucking handfuls of dice.
- 878 Vikings is like a team-based risk with one team invading the other team. It's not quite as distant from Risk as Twilight Struggle.
- Evo is kind of like dinosaur Risk with some dinosaur evolution. Not quite as heavy of a bidding game Cyclades, and the areas you want to be in shift over the course of the game. But, it's more Risk-like than Small World, which takes a bigger step away with deterministic combat.
- Eclipse is like Risk, but instead of building up your armies you build up your tech. Even the combat is pretty same-y. It's like Risk, but the time to play is kind of justified.
Thanks for your comment and it's probably an entirely fair criticism; we were more thinking about the average person who knows Risk but not much else, what could we maybe suggest to them that is more modern, available, and has some of those vibes of risk. Thank you for your comment and your amazing suggestions! I love eclipse, especially second dawn,, I just consider it more of a hex 4x but the lines are blurry.
I just like Small World with power pack 1, a natural top 5 Risk alternative to me. I believe Bloodstones needs attention too. Wish I get to play Risk Europe soon. I got it in my collection.
Small world is 100% a great option! Excellent suggestion.
Yes! El Grade HAS to be #1. I'd add the new Bloodstones by Martin Wallace. 10/10 game as far as I'm concerned.
Oooh not seen Bloodstones, thanks for the tip Jack! I will check it out.
I haven't played Inis, but another good war game by Matagot is Cyclades. If you want to roll dice, Rumble Nation is a nice quick area majority game.
Cyclades is a great game and I can't wait to play the legendary edition! I'm probably going to pick it up at UKGE
I've never actually played Risk, although I think Kerrin & I played a Lord of the Rings version many years ago! The Wolves is in my top 10 favourite games of all time currently, still feels like a sleeper hit in the wider scene
We did. Like 20+ years ago.
Yeah The Wolves is tremendous, felt like it had a lot of initial hype which burned out? I could be wrong though, not sure how well it was critically viewed.
I always think of Kemet as Risk-but-fixed.
The fact that you get your defeated units back, and are always close to one another. Everybody feels tension, and you're unlikely to just be pummeled into a hopeless situation. And even though you all start with the same boring units, you can get powers to diversify. By the end of the game your army is very different to the others. And the combat is changed from dice to numbers on cards, which you can actually plan for to an extent.
Dude Kemet is such a great suggestion! Love it, I just haven't played it enough. Great tech tree / advancement which as you say makes your faction more and more different over time. Great shout!
@@boardstupiduk Kemet is great. Though I play at 2p, I find Kemet still good due to the teleportation mechanic.
Oh nice! Not played it at 2. I've played Ankh at 2 and that's pretty good, some would say best, but in any case the way you can divide the map up means it scales pretty well.
All great games. The problem with a top 5 is that not everything can make the list. War of the Ring would definitely have made my list. A great game, but also more "Risk like" than others on the list.
War of the Ring, and by extension, Star Wars Rebellion maybe? War of the Ring certainly has that flow of area control to it, more than Rebellion for sure
Nice list. I love Twilight Struggle and even Inis because iI play mostly at 2p..
Thanks for checking it out! Twilight struggle is one of the legendary 2p games. Inis is surprisingly functional at 2players
@@boardstupiduk I am hoping to get a copy of Ankh soon. Also Star Wars: Risk is a pretty nice spin on Risk and a lot of fun if you're into SW.
Ankh is excellent at 2 players, speaking of star wars, Star Wars Rebellion is another great option that has kind of a risk vibe, but not really, great game for 2 players, although it can be a bit epic in length...
Risk: Star Wars Edition is the best Risk. But it's more like a slightly worse Queen's Gambit than Risk, so is probably not close enough to Risk to even fit this list.
This list reminds me of my attempt to get my dad to play something other than Risk. My first mistake was trusting some things written on the "Diplomacy" box. My second mistake was trying to get him to play Twilight Struggle, even though it's longer than Risk. My third mistake was trying to get him to play Blood Rage when it first came out, he hated the theme.
People used to try to use Wallenstein/Shogun, Small World, Memoir '44 and some others to get Risk players to play other games. But I think your list basically nails it with Inis and El Grande if people want an experience like Risk. If you can get people to go a bit further, getting the risk player to play the Cats in Root can work. I think if I tried to get my dad to play a game other than Risk and had all the recent games to choose from this time, I'd learn from my mistakes previously and just go with an Undaunted game, even though it's not like Risk that much at all.
I've had some games of Risk take FOREVER, but to be fair my experience of Twilight Struggle is relatively limited, Matt has played it much more. Small World is a common suggestion and we've thought about it putting it in, but went for some more, I suppose, dudes on a map style games? Memoir 44 is another good suggestion, as is Shogun, a classic.
Inis gets pretty close, El Grande we think is top of the tree when it comes to solid alternatives that area actually good games, more fun, more interesting, more balanced, more surprising, more everything, really.
I guess for some people they just want the pure war theme, in which case Undaunted is about a perfect game as you can suggest. I love undaunted, and think it's one of the best designs of its type.
The original 1986 Shogun must be on the list!
Shogun is legendary! I've only played the 2006 version but I loved that. Both versions are out of print tho right?
@@boardstupiduk I guess I'm lucky to have a copy in great condition! It's so much better than the 2006 version that feels like a budget copy of the game.
You certainly are! And shogun is a game that needs a reprint and a glam up so it can be more widely available! Fabulous game.
Leaving aside hex-and-counter wargames, which can be brilliant, but for which the audience is more limited, here are ten more:
Wallenstein, Condottiere, Empires of the Middle Ages, Evo, Diplomacy, Tigris & Euphrates, Shogun/Samurai Swords/Ikusa, Borderlands, Britannia, Medieval Merchant
Great comment and wonderful suggestions! Wallenstein is a classic, similar to Shogun right? Tigris and Euphrates is also great, both were under consideration however I think they are out of print.
@@boardstupiduk Similar to the Queen Games Shogun, not the Milton Bradley Shogun that became Samurai Swords. (Shogun is a popular game name. 8-) ) I think it's out of print.
Several of the others I listed are also out of print, but I've been doing the complex board games thing for 50 years, so I have a lot of out-of-print stuff.
Great picks guys. Area control is my favourite mechanism. I haven’t played Rising Sun, so for me Ankh just wins over Bloodrage. Amazing that you included Wolves, I have fancied that for a while now, and will seek out a good priced copy at the UK Expo. No argument with El Grande, I have the big box. I have owned Twilight 🎉Struggle for a few years now and I’m ashamed it’s on my shelf of shame. I have to call you guys out, no list is complete for area control without Tigris and Euphrates. It often gets a bad rap due to it not being so intuitive, eg. Highest/lowest score wins, your army isn’t one colour, and Battles vs Wars and their impact. But once these are grasped, the strategies, catch-up mechanisms and area influence play is incredible. Honourable mentions are, Iwari, Eclipse 2nd Dawn for the Galaxy, and Segikahara.
Thanks Steve! Area control / majority is awesome, highly interactive and always an interesting mechanism. Tigris and Euphrates and Babylonia were definitely up for consideration but are notoriously out of print so didn't get the nod this time, and trust me I freaking LOVE a knizia game
Oh and the Wolves is great, or at least I think so! Hopefully you can find a copy for a decent price. Eclipse is a tremendous game but more like a modern 4X that a straight combat / control game, it is freaking awesome though! Never played Iwari, heard good things
@@boardstupiduk Great point, there is clearly a downside to recommending an out of print game - this one must be worth a revival big production version though, plus making the basic production available, it would sell out.
I've heard that a Tigris and Euphrates updated version was planned but then postponed due to licensing reasons, but one is coming!
@@boardstupiduk that would be great
For Inis you dont need the expansion for that rule to end the game quicker. We just use the rule of the expansion that makes the round after a draw is the last round autimatically with just he base game.
Its just a rule. You dont need any pieces or cards for it.
This is a good point, and one I should have clarified as you're 100% right!
Risk is a very simple game, that plays well for children. I would go as far as to say it is made for children. I would struggle with most if not all your suggestions with my kids. Any suggestions for a better Risk game for kids?
Hey Qess! I don't know if Risk is thaaaaaat simple as to play with children. But an OK alternative might be something like Smallworld? But we don't have kids and as such kids games aren't really in our specialty for recommendation. I hope you find something though!
@@boardstupiduk Hey thanks for getting back to me! I appreciate its not your angle at this, since you don't have kids. I will have to look up small world again. Risk has some complexity for sure, but to try and show my point; Risk has 5 pages of rules excluding setup(1 page), 3 types of units, same for both sides,, no cards with any unique rules, no needed text on cards, 4 card types, 3 of which match the 3 piece types.
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