Advanced Strategies for Risk - The Game of World Domination

The common strategy is to pick a location where you have an advantageous position to control a continent by the end of your first turn (this may be difficult if you are 3^rd or 4^th in the order of turns). While this is also a good strategy for the advanced player, another aspect of this strategy is to position some troops where you can challenge another player on their border if they picked up a continent on their first turn in front of you. If you are locked into North America because you have 4 countries there and a good position to take it over, it is wise to stock the borders because of two reasons - #1 Protect your existing armies and overwhelm your opponents inside of that area and #2 You can use Greenland or Central America to take away a continent bonus from your opponents before their turn in South America or Europe if necessary. It is as important to prevent a 5 point bonus from your opponent as if is to gain 5 armies if your choices are to overtake Iceland or claim the last country in North America, even more important if they would get their bonus before you and probably take away your bonus anyway.

The transition countries are vital to consistently winning in Risk. These are countries that are pivotal defense point, but also bridges one continent to another. Some examples are Indonesia, Brazil, Middle East, Ukraine, Iceland/Greenland, and Central America. Stockpiling armies in these locations if they are on the borders of your connected empire are very important.

Another point that can change your strategy is where you are in the game. You should play, place and keep your armies differently if your opponents have 3 or more cards, than if they have 1 or 2 in their possession. Also it depends on which border, which opponent is on. You can afford to be aggressive when you know your rival on that side will only be getting the typical 3-5 armies before their turn, keeping all of the extra forces on the front line and singles in the countries behind the wall. If they are holding 4-5 cards, which may be of your rival country right in front of you, which adds an additional two armies, you should play more conservative on your turn, leaving multiple armies in two or even three countries. This type of play will slow your progress in taking over another continent quickly, but will be a much stronger defense if they add 10 armies to that neighboring country. If you are singled up on the interior, they could overtake your front line and possibly take over 3 or more countries after that on their single turn. But leaving 2-3 forces on the second and even third country inside will slow down their progress by chipping away armies from the attacking country. The odds of the dice in a battle of 3-2 are immensely better than 3-1, so it definitely a smart play over the long haul. From this conservative position, you can still move your armies up as you take over more territory and keeping a strong defensive line in case of a counter-attack.

Knowing when to change your strategy is one of the most important parts of taking your game from an above-average level to an excellent level. There are many things to keep track of when it isn't your turn (especially if you aren't playing on the computer where everything is calculated for you), for example how many reinforcements your opponents are expected to receive, how many cards they have, where are they likely to put them on their next turn, where can you defeat a territory on your next turn to ensure you receive a card, etc. Other than rolling 1 or 2 dice in defense, what else do you have to think about?

Once you gain an advantage with more reinforcements per turn than your opponents, look to pick the right spot to eliminate one and take their cards. Ideally, you want a situation where they have 3 or more cards in their possession, so you can claim those cards, and if you have more than 5 at that time, you can cash them in during that turn and continue attacking (or solidify your position you just claimed). When an opponent has only 5 or so territories and a dozen or less armies, they are a prime choice to be eliminated. You can stash all your reinforcements into that attacking country and go "on tour" as I call it, trying to eliminate them. The danger if you fail is leaving the area vulnerable with a lot of single armies and that opponent will seek revenge and possibly have extra armies from their cards to do it with. A mistake like that could cost you a few turns in terms of progress because they could come all the way back into your strong hold because your position was weakened on the last turn. That type of scenario is not worth the gamble, so make sure you can overtake all of your opponents' territories before getting too far into the attack progression. Otherwise, your other opponent could clean up the leftovers and claim the cards (and additional armies) with little effort on their part.

The key turns in a game of Risk are usually your first turn and the turns when cards are exchanged. A few lucky rolls of the dice defensively can change the game by keeping a continent intact, prevent someone from claiming a card on that turn, or take away enough armies that their border is weak for when you attack. A strong and thoughtful opening position can go a long way towards increasing your chances of victory. Best of luck and fortifying your position in the game of world domination!