Risk: Black Ops - Why Mine Won't Hit eBay

On a (thankfully) lighter note, I mentioned a while back that I'd scored a copy of Risk: Black Ops, a game that just oozes cool out of every one of its tiny cardboard pores. I had a chance to play it a few weeks ago, and I was suitably impressed. This game is engaging, fast, light, and fun. It still maintains the general mechanics of Risk that will be familiar to anyone who's ever turtled in Australia, but it puts some significant spins on those mechanics and adds a few new tweaks. The result is - well, frankly, it's excellent. What I've found interesting, though, is the small number of copies that have started to hit eBay. I've been following the auctions, mostly out of a sense of curiosity but perhaps with an eye towards persuasion - what price would copies of this command, given that there are a mere 1,000 in existence? And would it be enough to convincer me to part with mine? Well, I wasn't disappointed - the first round of auctions closed over the weekend, with each one ending over $500. Two months ago, if you'd have told me that I'd be holding in my hands a copy of Risk valued at over $500, I'd have probably laughed at you, but here we are.

Still, mine won't hit the auction block, at least not yet. I'm enough of a collector to know that if I dump this copy, then I can forget about ever getting my hands on one again. And I do think it's worth keeping, even if Risk has been long surpassed by others on my list of favorite games. This version is simply stunning visually - it has an ultra-modern, minimalist approach that just works.

Ok, so it looks fantastic - how does it play? As I've already mentioned, it's an overwhelming improvement over original recipe Risk. If you've ever played the game, you're probably familiar with some of Risk's characteristic problems - it's too random, it's too dependent on dropping cards for a big army, it's too easy to get eliminated, and overall, it's just too long. I'm happy to report that the new version fixes many of these flaws. The big changes:

• Objectives: Objectives are probably the biggest change. There are eight objectives available for each game, ranging from things like "Conquer North America" to "Control two of your opponent's capitals" to "Capture at least ten territories in one turn". Completing an objective will award you with a bonus, such as an extra die for attack or defense or a free movement during your turn. Also, completing three objectives wins the game.
• Capitals and Cities: Cities are placed randomly at the start of the game. When determining the number of troops that are drafted at the beginning of a turn, each city counts towards the total territories controlled (in other words, it's now territories plus cities instead of just territories). This essentially doubles the strategic value of territories with a city. Also, each capital adds one to your total (in other words, capitals count as three territories for determining number of troops). This means that every game will be different because the map changes by virtue of city and capital placement.
• Cards: Cards now show either one or two stars. No more collecting sets - you can trade cards in at any time, receiving an amount of troops proportional to the number of stars on the cards. This means that there's no longer a strategic advantage to being the last player to turn in cards.

The net effect of these changes is to make the game much more aggressive. Players will have to attack and take territories, and the rewards for doing so are significant. More aggressive play, plus the addition of the objectives, results in a much tighter, fast-paced game that can realistically be played in 60-90 minutes.

A new retail version will be published this summer using these same rules. If you're at all a fan of Risk, and especially if you've played and enjoyed any of the variants (2210, Star Wars, etc), then I recommend giving this one a try - even if you can't get your hands on the uber-cool Black Ops version. For my buddies and I, it's transformed Risk from a game that would always get preempted by something more meaty to something that can serve as a quite satisfying warmup to, say, War of the Ring. Risk is finally back in my rotation.

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Surprise Package

Well, ok, not entirely a surprise - I did some digging and turned up a fantastic little gimme. The surprise was that it actually showed up today - I didn't really think this was going to work.

Let me take a step back for a second. Regular readers will probably know that I'm a fairly hardcore gamer - board games, that is, and not your momma's board games either. But I cut my teeth on stuff you've probably played, stuff like Risk. My buddies and I used to sink hours and hours of time into Risk, and for a long time I thought it was a fantastic game - that is, until I discovered more complex fare. Risk hasn't been in regular rotation around here for quite some time.

That may be about to change - I got my hands on a preview copy of the new version of Risk that's coming out this summer. The preview version is called Black Ops, and it's seriously one of the most beautifully designed games I've ever seen. The whole board is done in black and gray, with just enough color to make all of the territories really pop. The graphic design on the cards and box is fantastic. It's simply stunning. And the gameplay has been completely revamped as well; it now centers on completing objectives, such as conquering a certain amount of territories or a particular continent. It looks quite promising, and it's been garnering its share of good reviews thus far as well. I can't wait to get this one on the table.

But the best part is this (from the card that came attached to the box):

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Holiday Gaming, and A New Favorite

The holidays weren't exactly conducive to gaming - several attempts to get together with my gaming buddies fell through and we were traveling several times in December, which means that I have several recent acquisitions (most notably Starcraft) that have yet to hit the table. On top of that, I've been dropping most of my game cash lately on preorders, which is unlike me - I usually like to read a few reviews but I was tempted by advance details for Blackbeard in particular. I'm also waiting anxiously on an expansion for Tide of Iron, which is my current hands-down favorite; the expansion brings the British army and desert warfare set during the North Africa campaign. I should have it in my grubby little fingers by the end of the month. God, I love that game. I did score a ridiculous deal on Age of Empires III, which sounds fantastic even if I can't figure out why the publisher licensed the Microsoft property for the boardgame when it doesn't appear to use any proprietary elements.

Late in November, though, I did get one opportunity to break out the games, giving one of my most exciting new finds a test run. The game is 1960: The Making of the President, which recreates the Nixon / Kennedy election. What a great game - it's played on a map of the United States, with players vying for electoral votes in each state. Now, if this sounds like a snoozefest, don't let the theme throw you - it's riveting. (I love the theme, but not everyone I'll admit is going to get a charge out of presidential politics.) All of the events of the campaign are represented in card form; the cards are played to increase a candidate's influence in a particular state or states. After ten turns, the electoral votes go to the candidate with the most influence in the state, with the winner obviously being the player with the most electoral votes. The cards are fun and fascinating - everything from Nixon's Lazy Shave to Eisenhower's belated endorsement to the civil rights movement to Norman Vincent Peale are represented. The game has a lot of tension and will frequently see states swinging from one candidate to the other. And it's just interesting on a social level as well - because the map represents the 1960-era electoral college, it's hard to get used to things like Pennsylvania having as many electoral votes as California. The only thing that will keep this game from hitting the table at every gaming session is that it can only accommodate two players.

Initial Impressions: Wings of War

I mentioned last week that I had an eagerly awaited package on the way. Well, yesterday I received it and proceeded to dig into my new acquisitions - a set of titles from the Wings of War series. Wings of War is a card game that simulates World War I fighter combat. Actually, it's not entirely fair to call it a card game - it's really more of a miniatures game played with cards, which has the advantage of being extremely cost-effective while allowing some interesting mechanics that you usually don't get with a typical miniatures game.

Ok, a pause here for those of you who aren't into games - if you're still reading, you're probably wondering what the heck a miniatures game is, right? Picture a game played entirely with small models of things - it could be tanks, it could be infantry, it could be starships, it could be orcs and dwarves. Basically, the miniatures represent units that move around the board and have specific abilities and ways to attack. Miniatures games care a lot about where pieces are, how far they can move, what direction they're facing, and what the terrain looks like along the way. All of those things play into whether a given unit will be successful at attacking another unit. And yes, they're pretty much entirely wargames - I can't think of a single miniatures game that isn't, although it's possible that there might be one out there somewhere. (But it would probably suck ;).

So - Wings of War. The cards, in this game, represent the airplanes in your squadron. They also represent the maneuvers that the plane can do - which immediately struck me as both a brilliant and elegant mechanic. The game plays in turns of three maneuvers per plane. In a nutshell, each maneuver card has a blue arrow printed on the card. Each player moves his or her plane by taking a maneuver card, placing it at the front of the plane, and then positioning the plane at the end of the arrow. Each plane uses its own maneuver deck, which represents all of the maneuvers that a given plane is able to accomplish. This allows the game to represent more agile and less agile planes by including different cards in the maneuver deck. A heavily armed two-seater, for example, might not have a maneuver card for a ninety-degree turn - but a lighter recon plane would. The basic point is to use the available maneuvers to get close enough to your opponent's plane to fire on it, causing him or her to draw cards from a damage deck. Each card in the damage deck represents a specific amount of damage, along with special conditions such as smoke or fire. When a plane takes more damage than it is able, it is considered to be shot down. Last one who can field planes wins - or scenarios are also available, with specific goals to accomplish (such as a recon target, destroying enemy balloons, etc.).

I purchased the Burning Drachens set, along with two expansion decks (Top Fighters and Recon Patrol). I wanted enough cards to give me a sense of the game while keeping my investment light in case it wasn't my cup of tea. Well, I played a few rounds with my boys last night - this game is a blast. We played with one plane each to get the hang of things, but I can imagine a game of three or so planes per player would be just crazy (in a good way). The rules are simple and intuitive, but the strategy is definitely present. It has a baseball-esque strategic element - in other words, you're trying to second guess what your opponent will do and plan accordingly. You need to think two steps ahead and try to guess where your opponent's plane will be at the end of three maneuvers from now; if you're wrong, you'll be giving him or her the opportunity to outmaneuver you. I think with more planes the options would open up a bit - can you use one plane to box your opponent in, while bringing your other around for the kill?

This is a great light wargame that can be enjoyed by almost anyone - my seven year old son picked it up in no time, and my six year old was mixing it up too. I can't wait to introduce it to my gaming buddies - it will make a great opener to get the juices flowing. I'll definitely be picking up the other two sets (Famous Aces and Watch Your Back!), and I'll be anxiously awaiting the release of the WW2 edition Dawn of War.

My copy of Tide of Iron is due to arrive on Thursday - I'm like a kid waiting for Christmas. We have a session planned for July 4 where ToI will be the main event. Can't wait!

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