Hobbies And Interests
Basics
The figures in "Risk" represent different numbers of armies. An infantryman is one army, a cavalry figure is five armies and an artillery (cannon) figure is 10 armies. Players gain a set number of armies depending on how many people are playing the game. They lay them down on the game board, which depicts a map of the world and is divided into individual territories. Players take turns laying the armies down on different territories, taking control of them, until the entire board is filled. In some variants, the Risk cards, each of which contains a specific territory, are dealt out, and players may place armies only on territories that correspond to their cards.
Armies
At the beginning of each player's turn, he receives a number of armies based on the amount of territory he controls. He can also use cards to create armies by turning them in if they match a specific combination. With the armies under his control, he can launch attacks into territories adjacent to his. Dice are used to determine who wins and how many armies are lost on both sides, and the attacking player must leave at least one army behind in order to hold the existing territory. Once his attacks are concluded, the player can move armies between adjacent territories he controls. His turn then ends and the player next to him begins a turn.
Victory
Players can make informal diplomatic alliances if they wish in order to stabilize their borders or launch attacks against common foes. If one player wipes out the remaining armies of another player, she gains that player's cards. If that gives her six or more cards, she must turn them into armies, which she can then use to attack. Otherwise, she needs to wait until the next turn before she can turn in her cards. The winner is the last player left with armies on the board, having conquered the world.