Castle Risk

Infobox_Game
subject_name = Castle Risk
image_link =
image_caption =
players = 2–6
ages = 8+
setup_time = 5–20 minutes
playing_time = 1–8 hours (player dependent)
complexity = medium
strategy = high
random_chance = medium-dice, cards
skills = Tactics, Strategy, and Negotiation

Castle Risk is a version of the board game Risk that is played on a map of Europe. It was first released as a stand-alone game by Parker Brothers in 1986 and later appeared on the reverse side of the board in an early 1990s version of the standard Risk game.

Map

The map is divided into six empires and three neutral areas. A player receives four troops per turn for each empire the player controls and six troops for controlling all the neutral areas. A common variation in play is to have each of the neutral regions worth two troops a turn.Empires:
*French Empire (Paris, Gascony, Netherlands, Brittany, Marseille, Burgundy)
*British Empire (London, Wales, Ireland, Yorkshire, Scotland)
*Russian Empire (Saint Petersburg, Moscow, Livonia, Smolensk, Ukraine, Poland)
*German Empire (Prussia, Berlin, Saxony, Rhine, Bavaria)
*Ottoman Empire (Turkey, Montenegro, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece)
*Austrian Empire (Trieste, Galicia, Vienna, Bohemia, Hungary)

Neutral/independents:
*Italy (Switzerland, Venice, Rome, Naples)
*Spain (Barcelona, Madrid, Portugal)
*Scandinavia (Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland)

Rules

The rules of Castle Risk differ from original Risk in several respects. Each empire has a capital (of the players choosing) and once the capital is lost that player is out of the game.

Castle Risk also has very different cards. Rather than only the standard reinforcement cards there are a wide assortment:
*Generals - +1 to the top attacking die
*Marshals - +1 to top defending die
*Admirals - may transport or attack with armies by sea
*Diplomats - impose a truce on another player for a turn
*Spy - look at and force the discard of one of an opponent's cards
*Reinforcements - gain more troops

Another intriguing rule is the addition of "hidden armies", which are reinforcements that a player hides in a location of their choosing at the beginning of the game. They can be in any location, including an opponent's territory, which makes them very useful for launching a surprise attack.

External links

*bgg|2557
* [http://www.de-leau.com/startpagina/risk/risk/1980riskcastle/ Castle Risk collector information] with photos
* [http://www.de-leau.com/startpagina/risk/risk/1986castle/ More Castle Risk collector information] with close up photos
* [http://www.gamingcorner.nl/rules/boardgames/castle%20risk_uk.pdf Official rules of Castle Risk] (PDF file)