 |
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
Real-world example
|
|
By Ehsan Honary - Sunday, November 08, 2009
::
4 Comments ::  :: Strategy, Online Risk Games, Real-world example, Beginners , Series
|
As you saw in Part 1, the initial start in Risk is quite critical and if you don’t get it right you can fail spectacularly. Opening moves in Risk are much like Chess. They set the pace of the game, define the strategic positions which would come to define the rest of the game. It is always possible to get away with a single mistake, but a series of mistakes is lethal. If you realise you have already made a mistake, beware that you can’t afford to risk anymore and need to play conservatively thinking about all possible consequences before you make your decision. Let’s analyse the game further to see what happened and what went wrong.
|
| Read
More.. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
By Ehsan Honary - Sunday, November 01, 2009
::
0 Comments :: :: Diplomacy, Strategy, Real-world example, Series
|
On the outset, Genghis Khan had the fastest army on the planet. His genius was to take full advantage of his fast moving armies against well-established disciplined armies many times their armies. These armies were also backed by resources of an empire which made the task even more profound. Genghis Khan used the ancient Chinese Strategy of “Slow Slow Quick Quick” as his grand strategy. Let’s see how this worked in practice.
|
| Read
More.. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
By Ehsan Honary - Monday, October 12, 2009
::
1 Comments :: :: Diplomacy, Strategy, Real-world example, Series
|
History has many lessons to teach us and when it comes to strategy and you can get a lot of insight from it. In 1218, Khwarezm was a prosperous empire covering modern day Iran and Afghanistan. Shah Mohammad II ruled from his wealthy capital of Samarkand. At this time, the Mongols on his East approached him to make a deal on reopening the Silk Road. This would bring even more wealth, to the empire so Shah agreed to it.
Later, Mongols sent an envoy to buy expensive gifts for their court from the empire. Shah suspected the convoy as spies and killed them all. Genghis Khan, leader of Mongols responded by sending their ambassador to the Shah requesting an apology. Shah did not consider the Mongols as an equal power, so he was outraged by a request to apologise. He had the ambassador killed as a symbolic move to show that he was in charge of a superior empire. Naturally, this meant war.
|
| Read
More.. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
By Ehsan Honary - Tuesday, February 24, 2009
::
2 Comments ::  :: Strategy, Real-world example
|
Throughout history, various military strategists in different cultures have noticed an unusual phenomenon: in battle the side that was on the defensive won in the end. Why should this be the case? Does this apply to Risk as well? Based on history, is it truly better to defend rather than attack? How about the other famous aphorism that “Attack is the best defence”? Aren’t these contradictory?
To answer these questions we need to look at attack and defence in more detail and examine the human psychology that dictates certain behaviours that will eventually lead to one choice or the other.
Attack and defence are like two sides of a coin. They each have advantages and disadvantages. Like many questions examining two possible solutions, you may have to use one or the other in specific situations as the ultimate choice. However, the general question remains as to which method is the preferred default choice.
|
| Read
More.. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
By Ehsan Honary - Monday, December 01, 2008
::
11 Comments ::  :: Diplomacy, Strategy, Real-world example
|
Imagine, one afternoon, by some magical coincidence you find yourself in a room where a number of ‘players’ are gathered around a world map, playing Risk. What’s unusual about this game is that the players are not ordinary people like me and you. They are in fact the heads of states of some of the most influential countries in the world and they have gathered together in the UN to ‘play it out’, over a Risk game.
Imagine the new president of USA, Barak Obama, is in charge of the US player while other corresponding heads of states are present as shown below.
| Europe |
USA |
South America |
Middle East |
China |
Japan |
Africa |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
(Rules: using escalating cards and connected fortifications)
You are an excited observer and can’t wait to see what happens next and how it will all play out especially since a new person is now in charge of one of the most powerful continents.
|
| Read
More.. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
By Ehsan Honary - Wednesday, December 19, 2007
::
2 Comments :: :: Psychology, Tactic, Strategy, Real-world example
|
|
"An economist is an expert who will know tomorrow why the things
he predicted yesterday didn't happen today"
Laurence Peter
Risk is one of the most successful strategic games with clear abstract rules. It is amazing how you can relate Risk strategies to other fields, even those such as economy and investing.
Here, you will find a number of strategies that are applicable to both worlds and make Risk an incredibly useful tool to experiment with. If you are good at one, you can apply your strategy to the other field and expect to get good results.
So, master Risk players, this is your chance to become rich! Billionaires, it is your chance to conquer the whole world, literally!
|
| Read
More.. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
By Ehsan Honary - Thursday, September 06, 2007
::
1 Comments :: :: Psychology, Diplomacy, Real-world example
|
Words can be quite powerful and have profound effect on the audience. The correct use of words can make your life a lot easier. Usually, it comes down to the tone of your argument and the incentives it provides.
To illustrate this point further, a series of scenarios are provided in this article. In each scenario a concept is stated in two different ways. One way is much more efficient than the other. The difference between the statements can show you the subtlety of choosing words and the consequences of using the wrong ones at the wrong time.
|
| Read
More.. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
By Ehsan Honary - Thursday, August 09, 2007
::
1 Comments :: :: Tactic, Strategy, Real-world example, Beginners
|
You made all the right moves in a Risk game. You set yourself next to the most ideal continents. You created conflicts between other players and watched them as they fought each other. You thought only in a few turns you will collect enough armies for your large continent that you will emerge as a new world power. Suddenly, out of no where, a new player started to invade one player after another and got more and more powerful every turn. He conquered one player a turn until your turn was up. He eliminated you and went on to win the game! Sound familiar? This is commonly known as ‘the chain effect’.
A series of elimination moves by a Risk player can lead him to victory much easier than collecting armies for continents or staying in isolation for a long period of time. You need to make sure that you are not caught up in this, while at the same time, know when to take advantage of it when the opportunity comes.
As you may know, learning by example is perhaps one of the best ways to learn new techniques. This walkthrough shows you ' the chain effect’. The Risk game presented here was played between 6 players starting from random locations.
|
| Read
More.. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
By Ehsan Honary - Friday, May 25, 2007
::
3 Comments :: :: Strategy, Real-world example
|
The primary nature of any strategy, whether it is military campaign, business, marketing or games, is the relationship between ends, ways, and means. Here, ‘ ends’ is the objective, such as global conquest, maximising market share, neutralising a crisis, etc; ‘ ways’ is the form through which a strategy is pursued, such as a military campaign, diplomacy, or economic sanctions; and ‘ means’ is the resources available such as armies, weapons, international influence and money. It is critical to make sure that the relationship between ends, ways and means is fully understood and thought out. It must be logical, practical, and clearly established from the outset. If this relationship is vague, the entire campaign is seriously flawed and you might be at risk.
|
| Read
More.. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
By Ehsan Honary - Sunday, May 13, 2007
::
1 Comments :: :: Diplomacy, Tactic, Strategy, Real-world example, Negotiation
|
Negotiation is one of the most important skills that one may need to use to resolve different types of conflicts. Negotiation is applicable to everyone as you should know the tricks of the trade if you want to succeed. The ability to negitiate effectivly in Risk game is also critical.
What I have found, as probably the most important element, is the concept of BATNA (Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement). Basically, you always need to have something, so that you can walk away from a deal. By having an alternative, you will feel stronger psychologically. People can see this confidence and will act accordingly in a negotiation. In contrast, if you think you don't have an alternative, you may portray yourself as a desperate negotiator which the other party may easily spot and exploit.
|
| Read
More.. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|