Winning Conditions and Risk

from Elemental Forums

Let me start off by offending half of the forum and say I hate the game Risk. I mean you are either winning the whole game or your losing the whole game. It isn't like chess where you always have a chance to come back no matter the odds, after you lose so many countries you are pretty much toast.

My post isn't really a suggestion per say, just a question; how is elemental going to avoid this Risk feeling in the game. I mean, after you claim over half the map aren't you more likely to win? What is going to keep it interesting until the bitter end? Just a question :)

33,074 views 8 replies
Reply #1 from Elemental Forums Top

I can't agree with you on Risk.  With the cards, you can often come back and win the game from a bad position, but turning in a set of cards and gaining a slew of armies.  Also, by killing off another player, you gain his/her cards, and can often turn in another set of cards for even more armies.

Reply #2 from Elemental Forums Top

The answer to your question is multiple victory conditions. You may be winning on the map, but an opponent may be pursuing a quest victory. Even within the realm of a conquest victory, you may control half the map, but maybe your opponent has been pursuing a special friendship with a dragon that is going to wade thru you armies. Or perhaps the channeler himself has become a Sauron-like figure able to decimate your troops in combat.

Star Control: Origins
Reply #3 from Elemental Forums Top

 

I believe a very important key factor would be the type of victory condition options.  Hopefully we'll have many optional victory conditions which opens more strategic decisions.  

Another important variable (if included) are assassins... an entire army of skeletons are just piles of bones if there's no death magic controlling them.  Even a larger importance would be if a very powerful assassin finds a vunerable sovereign. 

And of course probably one of the biggest variables is diplomacy for turning the fate of any game.

Reply #5 from Elemental Forums Top

Devestating magic for the come back win!

 

EDIt- Thanks for new interview, +1

Reply #6 from Elemental Forums Top

Let me start off by offending half of the forum and say I hate the game Risk. I mean you are either winning the whole game or your losing the whole game.
End of quote

I really have to disagree with you on this. I once won a game of risk after only having two teritories left in the European continent. After some turns building up my army again, I was able to win the game because I had to wipe out a player. That player was getting beaten up by one of the others had was at the end in almost the same situation as me, so with a few lucky rolls and within one or two turns I could finish of that player and won the game.

Now, to answer your question, as some of the others already mentioned, I think the various victory conditions will make sure that there is always a chance to come back from a seemingly hopeless situation. Now, from the beta it looks like it will be possible to pick and choose which victory conditions will be available, so if you only enable the conquest one, you might still feel unbeatable after conquering half the map.

Reply #8 from Elemental Forums Top

I remember a four hour game of Risk that came down to a die roll - one attacker, one defender.  The defender was on his last region but had a ton of cards ready to play, the attacker had gone all out attack and almost every territory was defended by only one soldier.  The attacker won, got the cards, and the other player in the game, who had a lot of territory but didn't have a set, immediately resigned.

 

So Risk isn't always boring...