Risk 2210

I picked up Risk 2210 because the game Risk always seemed to be on the shelf of every childhood friend. I wanted a war game that was not quite as simple as basic Risk yet not as complex as many on my shelf. Risk 2210 does fit that niche.

What I really like is that Risk 2210 does include rules for using the board for the basic game as well as the variant so it saves some shelf space.

There are some significant changes. The first set of changes I want to talk about is the revamp of turn structure. A big difference is that there are only 5 turns. In the basic game there was a slow back and forth that could last an entire night. This decrease to 5 turns pushes strategy to the forefront and prevents “wait until someone trades in cards for a large enough army.” Also coupled with the turn limit is the bidding for turn order. Highest bidder picks first and so on. Essentially you could have last play on one turn followed by first play on the next granting you one turn to expand and a second to reinforce. Again this opens up to more strategy. Do you push to go first or allow yourself to go last and await another player to reveal their strategy?

The bidding explained before is done with the commodity of the game: energy. Energy is aquired by territories held. Budgetting your energy wisely is going to be a big factor. It buys turn order, commanders and command cards, and is used to activate command cards. The addition of the energy economy really changes up the game for the better.

The next thing to talk about is the addition of commanders. There are 5, Land, Sea, Lunar, Diplomatic, or Nuclear. The sea and lunar commanders allow you to invade sea or moon territories (commanders do not need to be in on the invasion just on the board). Those commanders and the land commander allow you to roll an 8 sided die for attack or defense into or on their territory type if they are present in the attack. The nuclear commander always rolls an 8 sided die. Now where you keep your commanders becomes a bit of strategy. Protect them at the rear or use them in your attack/defense plan?

Another change is the removal of the usual cards. Now each of these commanders has their own card set you can purchase from. The nuclear command cards are the most destructive but don’t discount the others; in particular the diplomatic commander. A cease fire card can really mess with another player’s invasion plans. Only 4 random card draws can be purchased per turn. Another random card is obtained after invading 3 enemy territories.

There are significant changes to the map. Notably the sea and lunar territories mentioned before. Sea territories open new routes of invasion into continents. Both the sea and lunar territories are left unclaimed at the beginning of the game so whoever expands into them can do so without combat. This makes obtaining these commanders desirable as they provide easy initial expansion. As usual holding a set of territories provides a bonus of units and energy.

All in all I recommend getting this game if you like Risk but are looking for something updated in terms of strategy.

Fluxx

Ever have a game night where no-one knows the rules? A night where every player is a little lost at what is going on? Perhaps there was arguing over the rules? Was it fun? It should be. That is what the game of Fluxx is all about.

Everything in the game Fluxx is changing throughout the night. Every card you play can change the rules or change how to win the game. Basically you make up the rules as you go along. Don’t like the current rules? Change them!

The game starts with the basic rule of draw one card play one card. After that the changes start as each player plays their cards. These cards fall into one of several types: New Rule- which is a rule change, Action- steal cards or eliminate rules etc, Keeper- an item or creature card which can help win the game, Creeper- a bad item or creature that prevents you from winning… usually, Goal- a game winning goal which is replaced each time a new Goal card is played, and some editions include Meta – permanent game rules and Surprise- cards that can be played at any time.

This game is super easy to learn and doesn’t have much room for strategy. Basically it’s a frantic game that kills time with fun and laughs. Fluxx doesn’t require much space, setup is easy and the learning curve is simple so using it to start off a marathon game night while someone sets up the big game is a great idea. It’s also a great game to break in new players; after all they aren’t going to be the only player at the table who doesn’t know the rules.

What I really like is that you can pick up pretty much any edition of the game and start playing. Most of the new editions are stand alone instead of the usual expansion formula many game lines use. So you can pick up a theme that suits your group and just start playing. Most of the editions could be combined but my group prefers to choose one theme at a time.

I personally own Monty Python Fluxx, Martian Fluxx, and Oz Fluxx, while the in-laws own Star Fluxx and Zombie Fluxx. Personally I would like to pick up the basic game and maybe Pirate Fluxx, Cthulu Fluxx, and the upcoming Wild West Fluxx. The most popular edition among us is Star Fluxx. After all we are all geeks. However the other editions all get their play time. One of these days I really need to do a Python marathon with the Monty Python films and the Python edition of this game.

For those who want more family oriented night there is Family Fluxx or EcoFluxx. There are also expansions for the core game that include Christian Fluxx or Jewish Fluxx for those so inclined.

I highly recommend picking up at least one edition of the game for your group. Fluxx will always be fun, and will see frequent rotation in your gaming schedule.

Have fun!

Memoir 44

At first glance I assumed I wasn’t going to like Memoir 44. I looked at the box and it didn’t seem to appeal to me as I thought it was another simplified wargame. I thought I needed something more complex. Then my brother had to go ahead and buy the game proving me wrong in the process.

I fell in love with this game after the first play through.

At first glance the set up seemed complicated, but it was completed much more easily and quickly than I had anticipated. The variation in the box components and the map suggestions provided are amazing. The replayability is very high. The game provides suggestions for simple short battles or ongoing campaigns, there are even rules for adding multiple boards together for epic games. Maps ideas can be obtained to cover so many historical battles of World War II. This is an armchair general’s dream game. The rules and set ups are simple enough for younger gamers and there is so much room for expanding upon strategic development in this game. Teens and smarter young characters should be able to play with old time wargamers and everyone should enjoy it.

The big part of strategy in this game comes from the split between three territories on the board: right flank, centre and left flank. How you work within these three will be determined by the random cards you draw. Each card gives directions to units and they vary in usefulness from set up to set up. On one game my units were heavily concentrated in the centre and right flanks with a token unit on my left flank. The cards available to me mostly focused on the left flank. I had some serious issues getting momentum for my battle plans and my brother ended up walking all over me. The second game was miraculous as it seemed like the dice weren’t actively trying to kill me. This became a frantic and close battle with my brother eking out a narrow win by the skin of his teeth. Now my brother always wins wargames. He's a combat engineer, he lives and breaths war. Having him frantic and wide eyed over my efforts got me hooked.

There are so many expansions for this game. Campaign books open up loads of maps to attempt. Army packs open up the Mediterranean, the pacific theatre or the eastern front. An equipment pack expands on unit selections, and an air pack does the same for aircraft. New boards for desert/winter warfare, battle map packs, and there's even an old style army campaign bag to hold everything.

The big benefit is the dollar value you get from Memoir 44. You don’t have to break the bank to get a fantastic basic wargame. I have certainly shelled out more for games without the level of replay value or strategic value. The best part is the developer Days of Wonder allows for the uploading of scenarios by fans onto their website and lets registered players download them for free here.

For the downsides to the game there is the random draw factor for the cards. There is a significant amount of luck factor as to which strategies you can implement. This could bother those who prefer to develop a strategy. However, personally I enjoy the addition of the luck factor. It gives the game the feel that somehow I am unable to communicate with certain units, and I'm dealing with an inept military hierarchy that is hamstringing me. It really pushes the real time strategy on the fly approach.

If you enjoy war games at all go out and get Memoir 44. This is me saying I was wrong, my brother was right.