I own the previous two versions of Star Wars branded Risk as well as several other variants and also classic Risk. That said, I will say this is not your run of the mill Risk format. That turns out to be quite a good thing. I like the idea of Hasbro developing their games beyond their original roots. Keeping the Risk brand lets people know it will be a confrontational game, but it is not really like the continental conquest you may have grown up with. I generally only play and buy Hobby games, and would normally play X-wing, Star Wars Armada, Queen's Gambit, or Star Wars Imperial Assault, if were wanting to play something from the Star Wars universe. Evenso, when the mass retailers do something right like this, I am certainly willing to give them a look. This game plays best with 2 players, but has team rules for four players, 2 per team. I will say upfront that upon initial plays, it seems the Empire has the more difficult path to victory. It might take some house ruling to balance out, or if you're playing one of your children, maybe take the Empire and let the kid be the hero. :) Really seems like a great Dad and son game, but really anyone who doesn't mind a confrontational game should be able to play and enjoy.
The gameplay centers around the final scenes from Star Wars: The Return of the Jedi. The battle occurs on three fronts. The main battle is in the center of the board centering on the Death Star. At the same time, Luke and Vader face off on the Death Star, while Han, Chewie, and Leia are on Endor trying to take the shield generator down.
The rebels win by destroying the Death Star, but first have to disable the shield generator on the moon of Endor. Meanwhile, Luke confronts and attempts to redeem or destroy his Father, which reaps many bonus actions for the victor. The rebel fleet is also enduring withering fire from the Death Star, Super Star Destroyer, and seemingly endless tie fighter sorties, trying to hold out until the shield finally comes down so they can blow up the Death Star.
On the other side of the force, the Empire player wins by eliminating the rebel fleet. It sounds simple, however, I don't think the Empire can totally ignore the other fronts in the battle, or they Risk granting the rebels an easy win.
Inside you'll find:
- Scads of ships. There are dozens of plastic miniature Tie Fighters, X-wings, Y-wings, B-wings. I'm glad they went this route. The detail for the scale is just fine and looks much more fun than if everything had been card board. I always think of plastic troops when I think of Risk, so I think this was a great way to keep the game linked to the parent branding.
- Three part game board. The board forms the silhouette of a tie fighter approaching. The space battle is featured in the center, Endor generator battle on one side, and The Luke and Vader confrontation on the other side.
- Two Card Decks. One deck for each player/team. These cards show the orders available for each commander. Cards are thin, and don't look like they will hold up to rigorous shuffling. I'll probably try to find star wars themed card sleeves for these and only shuffle over hand.
- Card board tokens. These include markers for Luke and Vaders health, progress of the rebel commandos, storm troopers, Millenium Falcon, Super Star Destroyer, and rebel capital ships (where the fighters waiting to launch are deployed at game start). Most of these, I'd have preferred to have been miniatures also. Hopefully, a deluxe edition will sprout from their Wizards of the Coast company to produce a collector's edition with the quality of "Queens Gambit", which this game shares many design elements.
- Five Red Dice. Used in combat, these dice are all you'll ever need, since you never get to roll more than five in an attack. Also, unlike traditional Risk, the defender gets no dice to roll. As such, it's going to be to your advantage to attack more than defend.
- Instruction booklet. It is adequate, in full color, and seems to cover everything. A summary of all the order symbols on cards would have been nice to include on the back cover, so new players don't have to flip through the manual too much.
Overall, while some components seem cheap, with plastic minis I think this was a good value priced game. Game plays quickly, probably 30-45 mins, even with slow players. Decisions are there, but not so agonizing you'll spend all day on them. If you're a fan of the original Star Wars and gaming at all, this is a must buy. Rules are easy to digest and understand, so I didn't bother repeating them here. I'd be happy to answer any questions, if you need to know something more specific.
| Model Number | B2355 |
|---|---|
| Number of Pieces | 196 |
| Assembly Required | No |
| Batteries Required? | No |
| Batteries Included? | No |
| Remote Control Included? | No |
| Mfg Recommended age | 10 year and up |
| Item model number | B2355 |
| Product Dimensions | 4.8 x 40 x 26.7 cm; 1 Kilograms |
| ASIN | B00SDJG59K |
