I am curious if the photos of the game showing basic cube shapes for the armies is only a playtest version, or it indeed there has been a reversion to simply shapes versus the cool minis we have become accustomed to with Risk since at least the early Ninties. While I'm sure there are some people (mainly Euro fans, I would guess) who might actually like the shapes, I for one hope that the final version has some awesome minis, like modern combat units for example (maybe a modern soldier for a "1", an Abrams tank for a "3", and a Raptor stealth fighter for a "5". Here's hoping!

Amen, bro! I will take plastic minis over wood bits any day! I had hoped Risk had given up on wood since the early 1970's.

I just bought the Risk 2210 game on Tanga, but I would have NEVER bought it if it had come with wooden chunks.

Risk dudes, rethink your strategy! Plastic minis will sell this game! Get China on the phone, pronto!!!

Yeah, I want minis too! Funny, I bought Risk 2210 A.D. yesterday from Tanga too. That's my favorite Risk variant. Years ago I had the big box version. So sad I don't have it anymore since the components are much better.

By its very title, "Risk: Black Ops," I would infer that it portrays an abstract projection of forces secretly staged in the countries and nations in question and is thus is portraying an unseen war of sorts going on out of sight and mind of the media and most people.

As such, it would seem to be more of an abstract area-control game. Therefore, perhaps you shouldn't imagine armor but envision incognito agents secretly staging black ops operations. Who knows, there might be some sort of game mechanism to turn an enemy agent into an ally.

I did find something interesting when I was looking for more info about "Risk: Black Ops" on the Internet: I found an actual reference to a "risk black ops" operation in a discussion on Intelligence Operations at: http://www.worldaffairsboard.com/land-forces/13461-us-wants-...

Somewhere in that discussion is this passage: "And all this operations were on small scale, in war against terror you need large number of this risk black-ops and tehnology gap wouldnt help because in ...."

I was unable to immediately find that sentence in that thread of discussion, but that's the passage that Google pulled up using "Risk Black Ops." So, you may find a lot of information in that thread entitled "US Wants To Transform War From Massed Armies To Guerilla Warfare" on the World Affairs Board on International Conflict & Geopolitics.

Now, when and where may we expect the "Risk: Black Ops" game to appear on store shelves?

The bits shown in the photos are reported to be what will be used in the final version. They are the same bits that come in the Bookself edition of Risk. I'm ok with either type, I actually tend to like wooden bits myself.

Me too.

It's not so much that they're abandoning minis as they're returning to the original wooden pieces. I grew up playing with the wooden cubes. The various plastic pieces that were included in more recent releases have just seemed kind of cheap to me. I like the classic and classier feel of the wooden pieces.

Keep in mind that what's pictured is a prototype. We were told there may be a few cosmetic changes to the final release, including a larger format box. I hope they keep as much of the look presented here as possible. This game is just about the slickest thing I've ever seen from Hasbro. Kudos to the graphic designer!

It plays great. I only got to play one game and lost miserably, but I had fun every losing second. Learn from my mistake: The classic Risk strategy of expanding slowly and fortifying your borders doesn't work here. Turtling in Australia definitely won't win the game. Since victory is based on securing objectives Black Ops favors very aggressive play. It can be worth spreading yourself thin and getting partly over-run on your next turn if it helps you score an objective before someone else.

We wrapped up our game in about 90 minutes. Two out of five players were eliminated in the course of the game, but only in the last 10 minutes so no one had to sit out, defeated, very long. That's a huge improvement on the old game. Note that Rob Daviau, the same designer that brought us Risk 2210, did this version. I think that speaks volumes about what to expect.

There are two versions of Risk coming out this year -- Black Ops, and Risk itself (a refresh of the main game). Both have the same rules. Both play the same.

Risk Black Ops has wooden pieces, unique graphics and will only be given away to a limited pool over the next few months.

Risk, the main game, has plastic pieces, new graphics (different from both Black Ops and the current game) and will be on sale starting this summer.

Hope that clarifies things.

I'm sure there are a couple of prominent Board Game Geeks that will receive a Black Ops version. I gotta say they are going to appreciate the wooden bits. The design on this is so sexy and the original wooden bits, along with the colors chosen for them, fit the look and feel perfectly.

Oooh! Oooh! Pick me! Pick me!




I'm not allowed to say very much, but I think gamers are in for a real treat with the rules revamps. Say goodbye to all your complaints about Vanilla Risk...they've all been addressed.

Cool!

Gee - I wonder what someone has to do to "swim" in the limited pool!

I think I'm apparently with the minority. The wooden bits works OK with the bookshelf version as a throwback. If a "new" game comes out with wooden bits, it will probably not interest me, regardless of the mechanics. I like "theme" in my games as much as the mechanics (as noted by many of my favorite games). I just can't get myself into a major wargame where the primary components are wooden squares. (Which is why I probably won't be buying the bookshelf version either; Risk 2210 AD can serve the same purpose if I want to play Global Domination).

Some games probably work OK with wooden bits. In this day an age, Risk just doesn't seem to be one that fits.