Reserve one army for the Martians (Green, of course). After everyone's taken a turn, draw a card from the deck. Put three Martian armies there. Reshuffle the deck.
They will fight until either they are destroyed or take the territory. If they do win, give them a card.
After that, each time it becomes the Martian's turn, draw a card and place all the armies they have coming to them (three minimum) evenly among the territories (those they already hold and the newly drawn one). Odd armies are placed in the new territory. Then the Martians will attack as long as they are able; until they are down to one army in each territory (and zero in the newly drawn one). Martian attacks are chosen with this objective: To gather all their armies together into one mass. They attempt this by, firstly, all groups except the largest will head toward the largest. Then the largest will head toward the second largest. They will always take the shortest path. You can roll a die if there is a tie.
Finally, the Martians only exchange risk cards when they have 5 or more (possible under some rules). They exchange until they have 4 or less.
When a territory is attacked, the defending army has the option to retreat into an adjacent territory that is held by the same player. The attacking army then loses one unit and must move at least one unit into the territory. This means that an attacker must have three armies to attack an army with a route to retreat. The defender declares whether or not he wishes to retreat once the attacker first begins to attack the territory (before any decisions about number of dice, etc.).
This variant was devised by several navy men and published in Dragon Magazine sometime in the early '80s. (If someone knows the exact issue, please enlighten me!) The full rules run to nearly three pages, but the basic ideas were as follows.
At most five players play; red tokens are reserved to represent nukes.
Two new overseas borders ( Brazil to North Africa) are added, to connect Madagascar to Western Australia and Eastern Australia to Peru. The continental bonus for South America and Australia are raised to 3, and for Africa to 4, to reflect the increase in borders.
Starting on a player's third turn, he may take up to half of each turn's reinforcements (rounded down) as nukes instead of regular armies. Bonus armies for continents or sets of Risk cards can be taken only as regular armies. Nukes are placed just as regular armies, but can NEVER be moved.
Starting with a player's fourth turn, he may use nukes for attacks. Any number of attacks per turn can be performed with nukes. The player states where the nuke is launching from, and the target; the target can be ANY territory on the board. The defender either removes one army from the target, or defends with a nuke of his own. The defending nuke must be in the target territory or one adjacent BY LAND. If the target has any nukes and is down to only one army, the target's nuke MUST be used for defense. Other players with adjacent nukes may also choose to provide a nuke for defense. The attacking nuke, and the defending nuke or army, are removed.
If a territory becomes devoid of armies because of a nuclear attack, it becomes a nuclear waste land, meaning no armies may occupy it for at least two turns. Place two coins in it, topped by a piece from the attacking player's box. At the beginning of each player's turn, he removes one coin from each wasteland marked by his pieces. When all coins are gone, the territory is left EMPTY. A nuclear waste land may be nuked, but the number of coins on it never exceeds two.
When a territory containing nukes is taken over by conventional armies, the attacker first moves armies into it according to the standard rules. Half of the nukes (round up) are removed. The remainder are immediately used by the defender to attack ANY territory on the board (including the one just taken over) in accordance with the rules given above. If this results in the creation of a nuclear waste land, a piece from the original attacking player is placed on the coins (as it occurred during his turn).
A player may nuke himself. (This might be done, for instance, to create a waste land as a barrier to a conventional attack.) Players with adjacent nukes may use them to defend the player from nuking himself!
In order to get continental bonuses, a player must have armies on ALL of the territories in that continent.
This really speeds up play, as well as make the game comical and unpredictable. Every time double fours, fives, or sixes are thrown a nuclear melt down has occurred (a double is counted whenever two dice of the same colour match). The top card is drawn and all the armies in the territory shown on the card are removed. A penny (or similar marker) is placed there to show that the area is a wasteland.
For the rest of the game any army moved into the territory is halved, fractions dropped. However, the territory no longer counts towards holding a continent. If a continent is completely wasteland then no one can get the armies for completely controlling it. Units don't die off as they spend time in the territory or when they leave. One army must be left as with normal territories.
Optionally, if a territory has a second melt-down, clean-up efforts have succeeded in removing the radiation. The territory is restored.
As another option, armies may not be required to stay in an irradiated territory. If played this way, an attrition rule should be added so that at the beginning of that player's turn, after he places all armies, the army is halved, rounding down (three armies become one, one army becomes none). A single unit is allowed to attack from a wasteland space.
Instead of random, frequent melt-downs, this rule provides more strategy. After placing armies, a player may choose to forego any attacks that turn and make a tactical nuclear strike. The player uses one of the cards in his hand and the country on the card is nuked in the same way as described in Three Mile Island Risk. The player may then fortify to end his turn.
The idea here is that each player is of a certain continental background (European, Asian, North American) and has the ability to convince the people living there to revolt sometimes.
At the beginning of the game each player puts an army next to the list of continents on the board to denote his background. Two players may choose the same continent.
At the start of any turn, a player may choose to use a card to have a revolt instead of attacking that turn. He places his armies as usual then reveals a card. The card must have the name of a territory on his continent. All the armies there are changed into his color army and are his. So, if the blue player has ten armies in Central America, the red player may take them as his own with the proper card.
Under this variant, any territory can attack any other territory even if they are not adjacent. The attacking territory immediately loses half its armies (rounding the loss up), then the attack proceeds as usual. If the attacker breaks off the attack to conduct a different attack, including attacking the same target from another location, the airlift is over and resuming the airlift-based attack requires again losing half the remaining armies.
Variants on the variant include limiting each player to a single airlift attack per go, and/or requiring that the player be holding the card for the target territory.
Played with a regular Risk board and pieces plus 6 castle tokens (anything) and the cards from Castle Risk. For the newer sets, a man is 1 army, a horseman is 3 armies, and a cannon is 5 armies.
Instead of a maximum limit to the trade-in value, we cycle it. 4-6-8-10-12-4-6-.... This rule works best when coupled with a random turn order (at the end of the last player's turn, a new turn order is determined/alternating turns when reduced to 2 players). This adds an element of strategy to the trade-in portion of the game. In other words, you do not always want to trade-in as soon as possible. The randomizing element of the turn order insures that you don't always get stuck with the low trade-ins, and also allows for someone to get the 10 and 12 trade-ins consecutively every once in a while (a destablizing element).
This works great because now, the trade-ins don't dominate the game (end game in particular). As it turns out, the player who can take and hold the most continents usually wins. There are still trade-ins which are realtively larger than continent bonuses so the game dosen't stale-mate. A player reduced to one territory can't miraculously come-back but can be a good spoiler. The games do take longer but overall I think it's a more enjoyable game.
Setup: Each player, in turn, selects a terrtitory from the risk board and places one army on it until all the territories are taken. Players are given $1500. Any players who got one less territory due to their position at the table get an extra $200. Play: Each player, in turn, rolls two dice and moves on the Monopoly board. If they land on an unowned property, the property is auctioned, with the minimum bid equal to the printed price. If they land on an owned property they pay the owner rent as per Monopoly rules, except that if this forces them into bankruptcy, they surrender not only their properties, but their holdings on the Risk map as well. All other spaces are treated according to the normal monoply rules. Note: this means there is no money under Free Parking. If a player is bankrupted by Luxury Tax, a Jail fine, or a card, all his armies become nuetral (i.e. they are controlled by no one and do not attack, but still defend normally) If doubles were rolled, the player rolls and moves again. A third consequtive roll of doubles lands the player in jail immediately.
If the player passes Go, he immediately receives $200. Landing on Go is not passing Go, so the player does not receive the $200 until his next turn when he leaves Go. If the player controls a continent on the risk map, he gets the following cash bonus each turn (whether he passes Go or not). This bonus is payed BEFORE the player is required to pay rent, but only once per turn, even if doubles are rolled.
South America $200
Australia $200
Africa $300
Europe $500
North America $500
Asia $700
After moving, the player may build houses/hotels according to normal monopoly rules and/or purchase armies at the rate of $200 each. The armies may be places on any territory you control. If you do not control any territories, you cannot buy armies.
After this the player may make any number of transactions involving the immediate transfer of currency, property, and Get out of Jail Cards, but NO ARMIES OR RISK CARDS. Deals which do not take place immediately are unbinding. (i.e. If the deal is "Pay me $300 and I won't attack Brazil" then the dealer may attack Brazil anyway, and the patsy does not get the $300 back) Likewise if a player makes a deal during any other time except this phase (e.g. "I won't attack Brazil if you give me $300 next turn") the deal is unbinding (e.g. the Brazilian need not pay the $300) Only the player whose turn it is may make deals at this time. Other players must wait their turn (except to suggest deals to the player whose turn it is, of course)
Next, the player may make any number of attacks according to the regular Risk rules (but does not receive reinforcements except as purchased above) No space on the risk board may be left vacant, and moving armies into vanquished territories follows the normal rules. After all combat is concluded, the player may reinforce his position by redistributing his armies. Any or all of the player's armies may move through any number of territories which are the player controls (but may not cross territories which another player controls to get to other sections of his territory). No space may be left vacant in this (or any other) process. If the player conquered at least one territory, he receives a risk card. Sets (three of a kind or one of each kind) may be exchanged at any time for money. The value varies with the number of the set as follows:
Set Number: 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th thereafter: Value (in $100's) 4 6 8 10 12 15 20 25 30 35 add $500
Sets have no direct army value.
The game continues until one player controls the entire Risk board, at which time it IMMEDIATELY ends, regardless of the situation on the Monopoly board regarding assets.
Q:If a player has no money, no propoerties, and no risk sets, is he
bankrupt?
A:Not always. Bankruptcy is only when you have no assets AND are in debt.
It is okay to be left with $0 as long as you don't owe anyone rent.
Q:If I get completely wiped out on the risk board I can't buy armies,
does this mean I'm out of the game.
A:No. You might bankrupt someone and get bank onto the risk map that
way.
Q:When I bankrupt someone, do I get all their armies?
A:Yes, and their Risk cards and get out of jail free cards too.
Q:I'm in debt for $1, with no money or unmorgaged property, but I have
all but one territory on the risk map, and four cards (which don't make
a set), and a get outta jail free card, what can I do?
A:Give the player you are in debt to all your risk cards, control
of your armies and territories, and take your marker off the monopoly
board.
Q:But all that stuff is worth way more than one dollar, can't I make a
deal?
A:No. Making deals comes after rent has been paid.
Q:When I wipe someone off the risk map, do I get their money?
A:No.
Players can attack any adjacent country (possibly your own! you will see.) If a HEATED battle ensues - HEATED defined as defender losing > 1/3 of armies - then the attacker can opt for a fuzzy country. He may move in as many armies as he wishes into the fuzzy country. Now the two countries are one!
If at the beginning of a turn you own a fuzzy country ie. you have some armies in a land with someone else you DO NOT count it to get new armies, except where it makes a continent then:
For example, you own the continent of Oz but some guy has whittled Indonesia down to two armies and opted for fuzzy Indonesia, say with putting in 2 armies. At the beginning or end of your turn you get 1 army for Oz and the guy in Indonesia ALSO gets 1 army for INDONESIA and puts it in Indonesia when you place your armies!
It can happen in Asia that you get LESS Continent armies than your enemies due to fuzzy land. THUS you DONT HAVE to CLAIM continent armies if you dont want to. ONLY the non-turn players are forced to place their armies during your turn start in the fuzzy nations. You are still free to place you armies anywhere at your turn start.
Attacking fuzzy countries: If you attack ANY FUZZY country the rule is "if it is controlled by enemies you fight it as if it was one enemy and alternate removing their dead per army."
You can fuzzy enter any country - hence 4 countries can occupy MIDDLE EAST (like life!)
If you have armies in a fuzzy country you are going to attack you can do it two ways.
You may combine fuzzy armies and outside armies - but then the armies are MOVED BACK INTO THE attacking country and fight until DEAD! those that moved back. You then will definitely lose or gain control of the fuzzy country.
We really like fuzzy risk. We also use more fuzzy countries the more we played it and it got real rough sometimes. We also added the option that if a player allowed it you could ENTER another country as a fuzzy partner by just saying it is OK hence a weak player can move fuzzily into a large player and get some more protection!
BEWARE OF BACKSTABBING with this option!