Q&A for How to Play Risk

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  • Question
    Once you own a continent, when do you place your extra troops?
    wikiHow Staff Editor
    Staff Answer
    This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
    wikiHow Staff Editor
    Staff Answer
    Place your extra troops at the beginning of your turn when you first gain them.
  • Question
    When does a turn actually end? Or is it up to to the player?
    wikiHow Staff Editor
    Staff Answer
    This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
    wikiHow Staff Editor
    Staff Answer
    Your turn ends as soon as you move your troops to fortify your territory, but you can attack as many times as you want.
  • Question
    If I attacked from Great Britain to Scandinavia and lost, could I then attack from West Africa to Brazil?
    Community Answer
    Yes. You can make as many attacks as you want each turn regardless of whether the previous attacks were successful or not.
  • Question
    When I exchange a risk card with an army, where does the risk card go?
    Community Answer
    The card goes to the bottom of the deck.
  • Question
    How do I attack with cavalry in Risk?
    Community Answer
    Calvary pieces simply act as placeholder for 5 infantry, like a 5 dollar bill represents five singles. It just keeps the board less cluttered as the game builds up.
  • Question
    How long can I attack in one turn?
    Community Answer
    You can attack as much as you want until it's not possible to attack anymore.
  • Question
    What should I do if I can't attack?
    Community Answer
    You should always focus on defending your border states to avoid these situations, but in the case that you cannot attack or send reinforcements, the best thing to do is to negotiate with other players.
  • Question
    If one artillery piece is attacked by one infantry piece and the attacker rolls 6 with the dice and the defender (artillery) rolls one, will the artillery piece be lost? Or should the artillery piece be replaced first by ten infantry pieces, of which one would be lost as a result?
    Community Answer
    If only one attack dice is used, only one infantry piece can be lost by either side. Whoever gets the lower roll (defender wins ties), that person loses the infantry piece. If only an artillery piece is physically present, it must be changed to 10 infantry (or one cavalry and five infantry), of which one will be lost. Just like making change with a 10 dollar bill.
  • Question
    If I declare an attack on territory (A) from territory (B) and do a battle, then call off the attack, can I re-declare the attack that I previously ended?
    Community Answer
    Yes. The re-declared attack is counted as a completely separate attack. It is best to view every battle as a separate attack rather than thinking of them as big attacks consisting of several battles.
  • Question
    How do I work the cavalry piece?
    Community Answer
    The cavalry piece (normally the horse piece) is worth 5 armies, along with artillery (the cannon) which is worth 10 armies, and the infantry unit, which is worth 1 army.
  • Question
    How long can I attack and conquer in one turn?
    Community Answer
    As many times as you want, just keep in mind the number of armies you have.
  • Question
    What if the cards don't have pictures of what to put into the territories?
    Community Answer
    As long as your card has the name of the country on it, you don't need anything else.
  • Question
    If you attack with three infantry against one defender and lose, do you lose all three attackers - or just one?
    Community Answer
    One troop is lost by the loser of each match-up of dice, so if only one set of dice is matched, only one is lost.
  • Question
    Is this game for kids?
    Community Answer
    Not really, as it involves a lot of complex thinking, math and strategy. It is recommended for younger teens to adults.
  • Question
    If an attacker has 3 dice and the defender only has 2, and all three of the attacker's dice have higher numbers, does the defender have to remove 3 battalions or 2?
    Community Answer
    The defender has to remove two troops, since that was how many the defender started with.
  • Question
    What piece do I start with and how do you get other pieces?
    Community Answer
    You usually start with infantry men at the beginning of a game. You get additional pieces by conquering the opponent's land, which leads to extra troops. This is mentioned in the rule book. Or you get cards by also conquering the opponent's land. These cards allow you to get extra troops depending on how many stars your card has.
  • Question
    How do I get a risk card?
    Community Answer
    You gain cards at the end of your turn. However, you can only get one if you took a territory during your turn. Therefore, try to capture at least one territory every turn if you want a lot of cards.
  • Question
    Do attackers and defenders roll the dice at the same time, or does the attacker go first?
    Community Answer
    They roll at the same time, taking care to prevent the attacker's dice from hitting the defender's dice. An accidental "hit" could change the value of the dice.
  • Question
    How do I attack other territories connected to a territory you own by a sea lane?
    Community Answer
    Territories connected by a sea lane are considered connected like any other two that share a border. You may attack along these lines just as you would into any other adjacent territory.
  • Question
    Can I reuse destroyed armies at the beginning of our next turn?
    Community Answer
    While the pieces may be reused to represent new reinforcements, the armies they represented previously have been destroyed.
  • Question
    As the game progresses, what happens to an empty territory?
    Community Answer
    There should never be an empty territory. All territories are claimed before any dice is rolled. When battles do occur, the winner keeps/takes control with remaining armies.
  • Question
    How do I get Risk cards?
    Community Answer
    If you conquer a territory on your turn, you get to pick a Risk card at the end of that turn. Also, if you beat a player by taking out all of his armies, you get to take all his/her risk cards.
  • Question
    What is the purpose of the different troops?
    Community Answer
    The different troops are simply used to lighten the board game. One infantry is worth one army, one cavalry is worth five armies, and one artillery is worth ten armies.
  • Question
    If I attack a cavalry unit with an infantry unit and win, will the cavalry unit be removed and exchanged for fewer armies?
    Community Answer
    Yes. The cavalry represents five infantry. You would "break" the cavalry into five infantry units. An artillery similarly would "break" into ten infantry, or one cavalry and five infantry. Just like making change with 5 or 10 dollar bills.
  • Question
    Are the cards equally distributed among the players?
    Community Answer
    If you're doing the random setup by dealing cards, then cards would be equally distributed amongst players. However, note that there are 42 cards. If there are 4 or 5 players, there will be two players who would get an extra card. If this bothers you, you could leave those two last cards as unoccupied countries, and they would be handled as if someone had abandoned a territory.
  • Question
    Can I make a troop move after I take my card?
    Community Answer
    Technically, no. Taking cards is the end of your turn. Troops must be moved before the end of the turn. If you're playing a friendly game, you can be a good sports and let each other move. If it's a competitive game, it is best to adhere to strict rules.
  • Question
    When defeating a player and removing them from the game, are troops gained by the player who took them out?
    Community Answer
    When defeating another player, you do not gain any of their armies (which have been destroyed), but you do receive any Risk cards they hold. If this takes your total to 6 or more, you must immediately turn in cards to bring your total below this number and deploy the appropriate number of armies.
  • Question
    How do I start a game of Risk?
    Community Answer
    Everyone deploys their armies as described in the rules. Choose who goes first by rolling the dice. The first player acquires reinforcements according to countries, continents and cards. See rules. The player can attack zero or more territories as desired, according to the rules. Once done attacking, the player then moves zero or more armies. The player then draws a card.
  • Question
    My Risk game only has arrow pieces and no infantry, cavalry or artillery. How do I play in this case?
    Community Answer
    Send one, two or three troops in to attack a territory. The number of five you get corresponds with how many troops you send in. The defender either has to match that, or choose his/her own defense number.
  • Question
    Does the attacker always win, or does it depend on how strong the unit is?
    Community Answer
    No, they attacker doesn't always win. There are no strong or weak units; there are simply troops that come in different numbers. The attacker keeps attacking until they either run out of troops or wish to stop, so keep your troop count in mind when attacking or defending.
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