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EuropaUser is Offline


Diplomat
Diplomat
Posts:170

28 Nov 2007 7:55 PM  

I was hoping to see what ideas people had for their starting strategies for each continent.  Say you want to start in Australia, what are the top three thing you need to do to be successful and what are the top three things you need to watch for? 

What about Europe?  How do hold your continent together given the risks?  What do you need to do to be successful everytime you start there?  What pitfalls must you avoid? 

And North America, Africa, South America and maybe even Asia? 

Having some starting strategies from each region will prove useful to our Risk community.  I hope to see people chime in with answers from their favorite continent and I hope people will let us know any stories they had about what they observed in game they played.   


Grant Blackburn
SamUser is Offline


Diplomat
Diplomat
Posts:110

04 Dec 2007 11:02 PM  
I like Europe

2¢ is my son so we have the same email. Sorry for any confusion.
yocheco619User is Offline


Tactician
Tactician
Posts:3

05 Dec 2007 1:24 PM  
dont go for europe, north america, asia, or africa.go for australia first. south america is a little tougher cause u have to stay on the offensive against NA and have to broker a deal with africa. if you are playing a six mn match and everyone has chosen a contient first then your first territory choosing should be afghanistan(or the country that is bordering ukraine and the middle east on the asia side. your other choices should be ones that stop everyone from having a continent in the first round. Amass everything in the afghanistan and take one territory a turn in asia. wait fopr everyone to do their trade in so yours will be worth more armies and then wipe out someone when they have our or five cards and is weak.
SamUser is Offline


Diplomat
Diplomat
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05 Dec 2007 8:22 PM  
I don't actually like australia because You only get 2 troops for defending 4 territories.

2¢ is my son so we have the same email. Sorry for any confusion.
EuropaUser is Offline


Diplomat
Diplomat
Posts:170

07 Dec 2007 11:37 AM  
This is a good start. Australia certainly has its strong points, but I personally don't like starting there for a number of reasons, not least of which the high competition for control of that continent. Europe is something that can only be tried in certain games and doesn't always work. I am trying to find a formula for keeping Europe early in the game and I haven't found it. Yet.

I would like to see some ideas of what strategies people would use to start their game once they have chosen their continent. Lets take Australia for example: We know the first thing you have to deal with is internal competition. How do you address that? How do you ensure that you will get the territories you need to start in Australia? Will you use diplomacy during the intial territiory grab? How do you choose which territories to place in first? Certainly placing an army in East Australia may prompt a response from your opponent. How do you respond and still keep Australia? When do you decide to bail out? How do you reinforce, etc.? Once you have taken the continent, how do you defend it? How do you attack out of it? Which territories do you concentrate on first? Siam is a natural place to start and then India and China, but from there do you grow to Asia or Africa? Are you planning on taking Europe or North America? How will you do it?

These are the kinds of questions I would like this thread to answer. Each continent has its own problems and each has unique advantages. Chess has tons of books that discuss just the opening moves of the game and how to use each startegy and to defend against it. I would like to start something similar to Risk. I will post some of my ideas later this weekend. Thanks guys!

Grant Blackburn
SamUser is Offline


Diplomat
Diplomat
Posts:110

07 Dec 2007 12:37 PM  

Perhaps Europe is not so good in escalating games*, but in flat rate or no cards Europe using diplomacy** is a key to success***.

*Like most of you play. It's Classic.

**Provided they don't stab you in the back. So play against people you're playing repeatedly.

***If you have good dice. (Make sure they aren't loaded:))


2¢ is my son so we have the same email. Sorry for any confusion.
EuropaUser is Offline


Diplomat
Diplomat
Posts:170

07 Dec 2007 11:17 PM  
I dunno, Europe in escalating games can be great if you can hold the continent early as it provides so many armies as a bonus. The trick is to get the right distribution of armies on your borders, and your enemies need to be concentrated in other areas or on other priorities. Diplomacy is a must.

Certainly for Europe you need to quickly eliminate you oppoents in Europe so you can concentrate on your borders. You need to leave peripheral non-border country open for your opponents like Scandinavia or Great Britain since it is easier to contain initially. Having a treaty on your African border in most games seems to be a must and hopefully one of the other borders doesn't have a lot going on. So I think the key for this continent as a starting strategy is more dependant on the number of players (the less there are, the more likely a large starting continent will be successful) and your earlier points about not backstabbing people and playing with people who play regularly is important as well. Just be sure they don't sniff out your plans before they hatch.

What are your thoughts on these points? What would be some similar strategies to keep in mind for other continents? Thanks.

Grant Blackburn
SamUser is Offline


Diplomat
Diplomat
Posts:110

08 Dec 2007 1:06 PM  
Asia is a good territory ground(you can take territories for cards and get more territories for troops)

2¢ is my son so we have the same email. Sorry for any confusion.
EuropaUser is Offline


Diplomat
Diplomat
Posts:170

13 Dec 2007 9:59 PM  
Asia is a great place for "card mining" or taking easy territories just for the purpose of taking a card. The real question is: how do you set this up for yourself so you have that option late in the game? The Middle East and teh European borders tend to get feisty late in the game, Siam and Kamchatka as well, so how do you maintain a presence so you can get an easy card without expending to many resources?

What other strategies are available for Asia?

Grant Blackburn
SamUser is Offline


Diplomat
Diplomat
Posts:110

13 Dec 2007 10:09 PM  
Feint to take Asia then get Europe Africa or Australia.

2¢ is my son so we have the same email. Sorry for any confusion.
User is Offline


Tactician
Tactician
Posts:5

14 Dec 2007 12:21 AM  
Don't get continents, just territory.

Just my two cents.
EuropaUser is Offline


Diplomat
Diplomat
Posts:170

14 Dec 2007 3:30 PM  

A couple of interesting points.  First of all, feinting to take a continent other than Asia is one way to do it, but how often in a real game does that happen and we as the opponent really worry? I mean, Asia is not on the top of my list of places to start my empire so I would tend to not worry about someone starting off with an Asian strategy per se. In my mind, they will almost ALWAYS go somewhere else to get that continent after they establish themselves rather than try to take all of Asia (unless Australia is a part of the plan). So this isn't really breaking new ground. The trick is HOW to do it. Where would you place yourself in Asia to best take advantage of the ability to take another continent? How would you stage the attack so you don't bring too much attention to yourself before you launch the attack? Which continents are better to go after? What becomes your trigger point, that is, when do you leave Asia and go somewhere else?

Second, not going for continents and just trying to get territory is a really good idea. I think I need to try this strategy more often. So what do I need to keep in mind when formulating that type of strategy? Thanks.


Grant Blackburn
SamUser is Offline


Diplomat
Diplomat
Posts:110

14 Dec 2007 11:58 PM  
I would put armies in Middle East or Afghanistan.

2¢ is my son so we have the same email. Sorry for any confusion.
Dan12User is Offline


Diplomat
Diplomat
Posts:81

15 Dec 2007 2:07 AM  

I just looked up feint in Wiki and it's defined like this:

"A feint attack is designed to draw defensive action towards the point under assault. It is usually used as a diversion to force the enemy to concentrate more manpower in a given area so that the opposing force in another area is weaker. Unlike a related diversionary manoeuvre, the demonstration, a feint involves actual contact with the enemy."

So In Risk, you put lots of armies next to the border of a continent and pretend you are going to take it. That forces the other guy to put lots of armies next to you. So yes, Middle East is a fantastic place to put armies for a feint attack as it borders two continents.

"A feint retreat is performed by briefly engaging the enemy, then retreating. It is intended to draw the enemy pursuit into a prepared ambush, or to cause disarray."

Now, this one is a bit more tricky to do in Risk, though it happens. For example you attack a neighbour to reduce his armies just a bit at a time, or to simply get a territory of his continent and leave 1 army there. So then if he wants to retaliate he has to come back through your defences.

I prefer feint attack and I think it is very powerful for a player who doesn't have a continent and is stuck in Asia and doesn't know where to expand to.

 

EuropaUser is Offline


Diplomat
Diplomat
Posts:170

15 Dec 2007 2:39 PM  
Point well taken, but I guess what i was trying to convey was that usually taking Asia as a starting strategy, either outright, through a "feint" or other maneuver isn't usually likely. Starting in Asia to build an assault on another continent is more likely, an using the feint move is a good idea here. Again, the question I pose is: which continents are better suited for that move? How would you set up your strategy? You see, it helps to have a set of opening moves that each player can use depending on where they start. You don't always get the starting position you like and your opponents strategy varies as well, so what is the "checklist" that you go through when determining you opening moves and how does that checklist differ depending on where you start and where you want to go? Does this make sense?

Grant Blackburn
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