Expansions

So there are apparently four expansions out there for the game in what is known as the "Frontline" series. I did not know about this until very recently. As it turns out, they were never sold in any retail stores or new online, but rather were only made as promotions at game stores and prizes at tournaments. As a result, the actual expansions are pretty rare and expensive. I would love to get my hands on them and try them out, but so far I have only been able to find incompletely versions of them on Ebay for way more than I'm willing to pay. If anybody out there has ever played with them or owns them, let me know... I am very interested in knowing what you thought! I will discuss each one briefly just based on what I have read about them.

Season One - Mars
The fist one is an entirely new board that represents Mars. Actually, the image on the board was supposedly taken from real satellite footage, which is pretty cool. The board, from what I can tell, is meant to be played on instead of the regular Earth one, not just as an addition. I have a feeling this would change the game quite a bit and not feel like an expansion so much as a completely different game. Anyway, the territories are all quite intermingled together, making it difficult to use the typical strategy of guarding your few borders while leaving your center thin. I'm interested in playing on it, but it's not the most intriguing of the expansions.

Season Two - Tech Commander 
This one is my personal favorite. It simply adds a new commander and his own set of cards, while leaving all the other aspects of the game alone. After looking at descriptions of all the tech command cards, I must say I am dying to try this guy out. They seem fun and strategic to say the least. The commander himself does not roll with an 8-sided die, but does defend with one, just like the Diplomat.

Season Three - Factions
This one lets you be more directly in control of your own game and really capitalize on a specific strategy. At the beginning, you choose a faction to be affiliated with, and that faction allows you special perks or bonuses that are completely different from the ones your opponents will be getting with their faction of choice. I like this idea and while it does change the game significantly, it probably wouldn't feel like playing a completely different one entirely.

Season Four - Invasion of the Giant Amoebas 
This one, in my opinion, does not sound very fun. It may be interesting for one or two games, but I think it would only be a distracting nuisance as opposed to a strategic change. Basically, there are Amoebas that will come into the game and wreak havoc on all players in some way, shape, or form. The way this happens is by a set of event cards. I'm not sure how they get played or if there is ANY strategy involved at all. It may just be something to keep players on their toes and make the game more crazy and entertaining for those who like that sort of thing.

So, if you've played any of these let me know. Also, I am aware that it is possible to replicate these expansions at home using templates found online. If you have done that, I want to know about it. If you want to do that, try it out and please tell me how it goes. Till next time!

On Cards and Commanders... Part 3: Land (part a)

Ah, the land commander. This guy is the great balancer when it comes to 2210 gameplay. Land strategy is equal parts offense and defense. It's all about being prepared for anything. I recommend the land strategy for all players but especially to those a little new to the game.

Land Commander
The official rules of the game state that every player starts with a land commander. My friends and I toss this rule as we think this would cause everyone to naturally use a land strategy every time since the other commander (except for the dip, but we don't allow starting with him either) costs energy. Also, I for one do not believe the other commanders are superior to the land guy in any way.
Anyway, this guy gets to roll with an 8 sided die anywhere on land in an attack only whether he is moving to land or from land. (The moon is not considered land). It is good to keep him in an attack position surrounded by plenty of other MODs. You may also want to keep him within your territorial borders or on a station for safety's sake.

Land Cards
The land deck contains some great cards for all sorts of different strategies. Let's have a look at some.

Stealth MODs:
Stealth MODs allows you to place 3 additional units onto a space that is under attack and it is free to use. Many times you will only have one of these cards at your disposal, so use it wisely. Using the card when a base is under attack is smart because all the MODs will be rolling 8 sided dice. Try not to waste your card. Putting up an extra 3 men when the battle is already 35 to 4 is probably not a good idea. There will be times though when you have several cards (up to 4) in your deck. My advice is to use them all at once. First of all it is very likely that you will not get the chance to play them again. When people see you with a stack of land cards they think twice about attacking you or they use a frequency jam. Second of all, playing them all at once can be a huge deterrent to an attacker. Your foes will rethink their advances if a poorly defended spot with one guy becomes an army of 13 in an instant, and you are left with a nice attacking force for the counter.

Assemble MODS and Reinforcements:
These are great for a little extra umph when you need it. Assemble MODs allows you to place 3 units on any 1 territory you own at the beginning of your turn for only 1 energy. Having several of these cards means the ability to quickly build an army that your opponent may not have seen coming. Use these cards as you see fit, they come in handy.
Reinforcements allow you to place 1 man on any 3 territories you own at the beginning of your turn for free. This seems useless but there are a couple of things I think this is great for. One is what I like to call "fearing the mother" or "mothering up". If that darned ol mother hasn't been played yet (not to mention random land strikes) you may want to make sure all the territories in a continent you control have at least 2 MODs on them. That way you won't lose your bonus if that pesky old woman pays you a visit. The reinforcements can help make this happen. Of course some people look at this as a waste of perfectly good units who will now never be able to fight or defend a border. The debate goes on.

...to be continued

Power Moves: The Blitz

The Blitz is what I call a strategy move that I first saw employed by a friend of mine and since then my group and I have all used it whenever it seemed beneficial to do so. In my opinion, this is on of the most fun and riskiest moves you can make in 2210. Try it out on your friends and see how it works for you.

Execution

The first thing you need to do is make sure you are going last in any given year (except for 5). This may mean outbidding your opponents to choose or just getting the last spot by chance. Now, on your turn you need to know how much energy everyone else has. My friends and I have a rule that if someone asks you, you must tell them how much you have. If you don't play that way, then make sure you keep track of how much everyone has the entire game. This may be difficult but I suggest keeping track with a pen and paper if you have to. Just this information alone is the difference between winning and losing games many times. Ok, make sure you have enough energy at the end of your turn to outbid everyone else. During your turn, take as much property as possible. If the moon or any waters are free, grab them. Take whole continents if you can, just get your men around the board wherever you can and wherever you want (within reason of course... don't break treaties with allies just to get one more territory). That year will end with you vulnerable, but spread far and wide. Bid to go first in the next year. Now that you are going again and nobody has had a chance to retaliate, use your massive amount of reinforcements and energy as you please.

Some Tips for this Maneuver

1. It is best used at the end of years one, two, or three. Of course year five wont work for obvious reasons. Year four is a bad idea as well because it means you are going to be going first in year five. If you've read my other posts you know that that is nearly always a terrible idea. My favorite time to do it is the end of year two. At this point everyone has settle into their main continent but the moon and waters are still likely to be open. Also, if you go for it the first year, you don't yet have enough men to really make it worth it.

2. Don't worry about using your mods in your second turn of the blitz to sure up everything you've taken. Focus on what you strategically think you can keep. It's fine to take half the board for the sake of reaping the benefits once, but you'd be a food to think you can keep it all the rest of the game. So, lets say you've already taken North Am. in year one and it's the end of year two. Making sure you keep enough energy to outbid the others, and assuming the moon and the two adjacent water colonies are still free, grab them up. With that alone you will be getting 26 mods and energy on your next turn. My suggestion now is either use your reinforcements to sure up the moon or North Am. and the waters. The one you leave open will be taken over by your enemies but at least they have to plow through you to get them, and who knows if they will be equipped to do that right away.

3. Making this move is going to make you look like a huge threat. It's likely that the other players will gang up against you, so make plans to defend against that. It's a good idea to get them stuck in some treaty with you prior to your blitz moves. That way you can have extra protection. At all times be talking and convincing the other players that you aren't actually going to use your huge forces against them. Just talk yourself down to look like less of a target. When you can, point out someone else who's in a better strategic position than you... even if they aren't. Remember, the way you manipulate the other players is the key to doing well in this game. Alternately, you can use your huge forces to bully other's into submitting to a treaty or deal that you will be able to arrange. If you have the larger force and the most energy, people think twice before messing with you.

4. Finally, don't go on a spending spree! Use your energy wisely and just because you suddenly have 8 times more than everyone else doesn't mean you shouldn't keep your endgame strategy in mind. You need to conserve to go last in year 5. Going last in year 5 will almost always guarantee a win in this game if you are in any sort of half decent position when you get there. That's much more valuable than getting an extra moon base or something.

Hope this helps. Try it out next time you play and be sure to comment and let us know how it worked for you!

Follow-Up

Hey!!
I'm very sorry about the amount of time that has gone by since my last post. I've really been all over the place as far as my life and my leisure activities go. I'm once again not playing Risk hardly at all so it's just hard to keep the game and this blog on my mind, but I haven't forgotten! I'm going to spend some time soon and finish up the commander series of posts, but for now I figured I would follow up on the online games I had mentioned in a long-ago post. If you haven't read it, search for it in the archives sometime about April 2009.

Facebook ATTACK!: I actually played this game quite a bit and I recommend it for anyone who both likes Risk and has a Facebook account (who doesn't?). As I mentioned before, it's traditional Risk, not 2210 A.D., so if you're unfamiliar to the original, it may take some getting used to. The best thing about it is the speed. Gone are the days of spending 3-4 hours on a game. These take a convenient 10-25 minutes on average. The rolls are automated and the computer takes care of the technical work for you. All you've gotta do is strategize. I know some people prefer the long drawn out games, but at least this way you wont be super ticked off if you lose.

Conquer Club: Alright, I had high hopes for this website but was utterly disappointed. Admittedly, I can see why some people are into this site, but it really wasn't for me. Basically there are several board styles to choose to play on, most following the same basic format as original risk. The site hooks you up with some other players, and you start a game. The difference between this and ATTACK! is that not everyone has to be present all the time. Each person has like a day and a half to make his move. That's right... a game could take days or even weeks! I don't know about the rest of you, but I can't stay interested for that long. The only thing I will give the site kudos on is for being very competitive. It tracks your wins and loses and ranks you accordingly. It's kinda neat, but not worth the trouble to me.

Invade Earth: Eh, I stopped playing this game pretty quick. There's no online version, which is kind of upsetting because that would be super fun. But this game is what it is, a computer version of 2210 A.D. It may keep you busy if you really have nothing else to do, but I doubt you will have too much fun playing it.

Ps. I've decided to discontinue the review of the game that my friends and I played some 13 months ago. I certainly don't care too much about it anymore, and can't imagine anyone else does. I think that if anyone wants to read this blog it's for the strategy tips, so I will stick to that sort of thing from now on.

Until next time,
Lane

On Cards and Commanders... Part 2: Diplomat

Alright, lets get right into it. The diplomat strategy is one of the more advanced strategies in the game. I say this not necessarily because it is better than the others, but rather harder to use. It can be very powerful however. The thing I must say about the diplomat strategy is that it is strictly defensive. There are virtually no offensive benefits involved at all.

Diplomat Commander
The diplomat commander is a great guy to have around for defensive purposes. He allows you roll with an 8-die on any spot that he is being attacked. This includes the land, water, and moon. Obviously he should be positioned at one of you entrances or some spot you're wishing to protect. Please note that placing him on a base neutralizes his effect, since you get to roll two 8-sided dice as defense there anyway. Also, you may want to think about keeping him protected with other mods on the same spot. He can be very valuable because of some of the cards that are available through him, and may become a target.

Diplomat Cards
Once again, there are no offensive cards here. If you want some offense, it may be a good idea to combine your strategy with the nuke cards or one of the other 3 decks. I'll discuss some of the more important ones.

Colony Influence: This card is to be saved until very end of the game. It is worth 3 points added to your final score, which can be a game-winning determinant in many instances. Notably, there are 4 of these cards in the diplomat deck, and only 2 in each of the land, water, and moon deck. Therefore, the chances of getting them this way is much greater. Make sure your corresponding commander is ALIVE at the end of the last turn, or you will not be able to play the cards. One more thing, although it is legal to use these cards for another player in order to help them win the game at the end, it is generally considered bad taste, and I'm not sure anyone would prefer to win that way, so we don't do it.

Territorial Station: This is a simple yet useful card. It is relatively cheap at only 1 energy to play. It allows you to place one of your stations on any space you occupy (land only of course). Since this usually costs 5 energy, this can be a big help. I suggest placing you station at a defensive point like an entrance to your continent. You can also use it as a quick way to get to the moon, by placing it on a space with many mods. Make sure you have the moon commander to allow you to travel there, though.

Energy Crisis: Here's a free and very useful card. Playing it forces every other player at the table to give you one of their energies, meaning you can score a potential 4 extra energy to use as you please. It's also quite an inconvenience to the other players who may have been saving an exact amount of energy for something.

Evacuation: This card can only be played after another player declares an attack on you. You are then allowed to take all your mods from that territory and place them in any other connected territory that you control. By doing this, you give up the territory being attacked, but may be able to save you in some instances from losing a sizable force, especially if you can evacuate your mods to a a station. This is also a helpful card to play for someone else... for instance if you need to get somewhere and they are in your way and are willing to move to avoid a fight, you can just play the card to let them move somewhere else. Make sure both players have a diplomat before attempting this, though.

Cease Fire: This is without a doubt the most powerful card in the diplomat's deck. If not for the chance of drawing this card, I would actually suggest never going with a diplomat strategy. There are 2 of them in the deck. The card allows you to stop an attacker in his tracks. After an attack is declared, use the card (it costs 2 energy by the way), and that person cannot attack any of your territories for the rest of his turn. If you do it right, you can sometimes trap someone where they are, and if this is done on the last turn it can completely ruin someone's plans of winning the game. You can also deter someone from attacking you altogether by letting them know you have it, but be careful because if people know you have it, they may frequency jam you (which I will talk about later). With that being said I will also add that it's a good idea to frequency jam someone with alot of diplomat cards before attacking them, unless you are somehow sure they do not have a cease fire.

Check out the next post coming soon where I will discuss the Land Commander and his cards! Leave me a comment!

Apology

Hello everyone. I'm sorry I haven't updated this in a while. I haven't played the game in some time and I sort of lost interest in keeping this going. Not so much, however, that I wont start posting regularly again if people actually want to read it. So, if enough people tell me they are interested I will continue publishing this blog. Post your comments! Thanks!

On Cards and Commanders... Part 1: Nuke

Hello! Sorry It's been so long since I've posted. I would like to dedicate this entire post to two of the most influential parts of Risk 2210: the cards and the commanders. I'm going to divide the topic into five parts. One for each commander along with its set of cards. I will talk about the strategy involved in choosing each commander and using the more important cards.

Offensive or Defensive?
The first thing you need to decide, is whether or not you want to play your game in an offensive or defensive manner. You may also want a mixture of the two. How you play is completely up to you. Keep in mind that if you are playing the game with the same people multiple times you will develop a reputation (see earlier post), so your strategy is important for more reasons than just helping you win.

Nuke Commander
The nuke commander is strictly offensive. He allows you to attack with an 8-sided die anywhere on the board including the moon, which is very important and effective. If you choose an offensive strategy in the game overall, or if for some reason you need a strong attacking force, you should seriously consider buying a nuke commander. Like all commanders of course he costs 3 energy to buy and may be placed on any territory you own. Placing your nuke commander is also strategic. You typically want to keep all of your commanders safe, so place him in a spot where you have several other mods to protect him. Also, since he is strictly used for attacking, you will most likely want to place him in an area that you are planning to expand from. You can also simply place him in a safe spot, allowing you to use your cards without running the risk of having him killed.

Nuke Cards
There is not a single defensive card in the nuke deck, nor are there any colony influences, which I will talk about in another post. Allow me to go over some of the more important nuke cards and disclose a few hints on how to use them:

Assassin Bomb: this card allows you to take out any of your opponents' commanders assuming roll a 3 or higher on an 8-sided die. I've actually seen it fail plenty of times believe it or not. A good strategy for this card is to target a commander which is standing alone. This takes out the commander and takes the territory away from the player, which can be huge if it's completing a bonus. Also, keep in mind that any commander you take out will prevent that player from using that type of card until he buys him back. Also, if it's the water or lunar commander, all troops in the respective territories belonging to the player will be immobilized until he can buy him back.

Rocket Strike Land, Water, Moon: these three cards work the same, just for their respective territory. Choose a territory belonging to an opponent and BAM... roll a die and destroy the number you see. This can be useful if you need to wear down a large force that you are planning to attack. The very best way to use this card, however, is to target a territory that only has one man on it... especially if it's a commander. This guarantees that the territory is lost by the player. Remember, go for the bonuses!

The Mother, Aqua Brother, Nicky Boy: these cards are very dangerous because they are random. They rely on a die roll to decide where they will strike and they can hurt you. The card takes one man from any continent the die chooses on either the earth, water, or moon, respectively. Sometimes, these cards will wipe clean entire continents, or take someone's bonus... which is great for you. They have also been known to be ineffective however, if they strike in a continent that nobody cares about. Some players choose to leave at least 2 mods in every territory out of fear of these cards. Use with caution.

Armageddon: the person who holds this card typically holds alot of power. The card (for a hefty fee of 4 energy) allows you to use all of your other nuke cards competely free of charge. Seems totally worth it right? Well, the catch is, after you've used your cards, every other player on the board who has nuke cards and a nuke commander is then allowed to use his cards for free. Obviously armageddon has the potential to cause some major destruction. If you get the card, use the power wisely. Other players will probably want you to play it so they can use their cards. Sometimes you can make deals with them... telling them that you will only use it if they don't use their cards against you when it's their turn. Also, since you get to go first if you're the one who used it, you may be able to use cards to take out another dangerous player's nuke commander, meaning he wont be able to use his cards on his turn.

Some Strategy
If you do go with the offensive strategy, all of these things will make it much easier for you to carry out your plans. Remember, the game probably cannot be won without cards. They are too powerful for you to decide not to use them. Use your cards to your advantage. With nuke cards you have the power to threaten other players. If they know the potential destruction you can cause, they should be at least a little scared. Don't be afraid to throw your weight around a little bit. Alright, that's it. Check it out next time I'll be going over another commander and the strategy that goes along with it. Leave me a comment!