Devastation Risk

Edition 3, Revision 2

Table of Contents

Ø      1) Introduction

Ø      2) A Note on Rules and Disputes

Ø      3) Objectives and Scoring

Ø      4) How to Begin

Ø      5) Military

Ø      6) Concession Rule

Ø      7) Diplomacy

Ø      8) Optional: Nuclear Devastation

Ø      9) Optional: Mission Devastation

Introduction

                Devastation Risk edits the Risk structure into a more realistic environment by codifying the diplomatic relations in the game. It also removes the Risk cards awarded for conquering territories and changes the rules to allow for the realistic simulation of historic and possible wars.  These rules will be updated constantly and expansions, including Nuclear and Mission Devastation will be made available.

A Note on Rules and Disputes

            When playing Devastation Risk, all the statements and rules in this document override the rules in the Risk rules booklet. If something is not mentioned in this document, look in the official rulebook. If it is not mentioned there, it is NOT allowed. Players cannot create new rules under the guise of “interpreting” the ones that already exist. In case of a Devastation Risk rules dispute that cannot be settled by the players, e-mail the Devastation Risk Rules Committee (DRRC) at devrisk@bellsouth.net

Objectives and Scoring

            Devastation Risk allows for long-term Risk seasons and tournaments with a standard scoring system. The following chart lists points for different types of wins:

Wins and Associated Points (Figure 2.1)

Ø       Complete world domination with no standing alliances. 10 points

Ø       World domination between two allies. 5 points apiece

Ø       World domination between three allies. 3 points apiece

Ø       World domination between more than three allies. 2 points apiece

Ø       Mission Devastation only - Completed mission with no standing alliances. 10 points

Ø       Mission Devastation only - All allies have completed their respective missions. 5 points

How to Begin

            Devastation Risk allows two methods for dividing the world at the beginning of the game. They are:

Methods for Dividing Territories (Figure 3.1)

Ø      1) The normal Risk method of world division: rotate around the table claiming countries one by one. Every player receives seventy armies.

Ø      2) Four players only: There are four world ‘sectors’ listed below. Their titles are written on four sheets of paper and then drawn randomly.

World Sectors (Figure 3.1.1)

¨      North America: As the name implies, this player takes the North American continents. (70 armies)

¨      South America/Africa: This player gets both the South American and African continents. (70 armies)

¨      Eurasia: All of Europe, Ural, and Siberia. (77 armies)

¨      Asia/Australia: All of Australia and all of Asia except for Ural and Siberia. (73 armies)

Military

            The basic structure of any player’s turn mainly remains the same. There are three parts:

Steps of Player’s Move (Figure 4.1)

Ø      1) Place new armies as described in the Risk rules. However, note that Risk cards have been removed from the game structure.

Ø      2) Attack any countries you wish. Risk dice and battle rules remain the same except for certain rules. The following are changes to the usual rules:

Exceptions to Regular Attack Rules (Figure 4.1.1)

¨      If the die or dice goes off the table, it still counts! There could be exceptions. Keep reading.

¨      If the die hits any solid object, which causes it to flip back towards the roller, it must be re-rolled.

¨      If the defensive player rolls before the assaulting player, the defender must roll again after the offensive roll.

Ø      3) Move troops from one country to another as long as:

Requirements of Troop Movement (Figure 4.1.2)

¨      A) One army must remain in all of your countries.

¨      B) You must own the sending and destination countries.

¨      C) You must own all the countries required to build a continuous pathway between the two countries.

Concession Rule

Anytime during of a player’s turn, he/she may attempt to concede a territory. Other sections of this rules text may tell you to invoke concession rule. If it is invoked according the rules, step number two of Figure 5.1 is skipped.

Steps to Conceding a Territory (Figure 5.1)

Ø      1) Player #1 (with the territory to be conceded) figures out which player has the most territories bordering the one to be conceded. If two other players have an equal number of bordering territories, Player #1 chooses one of the two.

Ø      2) Player #2 (with the most bordering countries) decides whether or not to accept the concession. If he/she decides not to, the process ends with no concession. If yes, continue. Important Note: This step is skipped if a rule rather than a player invoke the concession rule.

Ø      3) Player #1 is allowed to remove ONE army from the conceded territory. No other armies may be salvaged. They are removed from the game.

Ø      4) Player #2 can move troops into the conceded territory according to the rules in Figure 4.1.2.

Ø      5) Player #1’s turn continues as normal.

Diplomacy

            At any point during the game, any player can offer a diplomatic meeting with another player or players. If the other player(s) accept(s), a private conference can be held to establish diplomatic relationships. There are two forms of diplomacy: alliances and non-aggression pacts. These are the largest additions in Devastation Risk. The following two subsections explain the purposes and regulations of the two types.

Subsection 1: Alliances

            Alliances can be formed at any time before or during the game. The type of alliance (See Figure 6.1) is written on a sheet of paper and players join on by signing. Players uninvolved in the alliance do NOT have to see the sheet. This allows for legalized ‘back-stabbing,’ which resembles true diplomatic relations. Important Note: If Player #1 wants to end an alliance between himself and Player #2, he must announce the alliance break-up at the beginning of Player #2’s turn.

Types of Alliances (Figure 6.1)

Ø      Regular Alliance: The players involved in the alliance will not attack one another unless the alliance is dissolved.

Ø      Regular Alliance with Consultation: Same as a regular alliance; however, a player must notify the other(s) in the alliance before entering diplomatic relations with someone outside of the alliance.

Subsection 2: Non-Aggression Pacts

            Non-aggression pacts are formed publicly between players. It prevents the players from attacking one another along a certain border for a certain number of turns. Example: Player #1 says, “Hey, Player #2! Let’s form a non-aggression pact along the Kamchatka-Japan border for two turns.” In that case, Player #1 and Player #2 have two turns to build up along that border. Pacts are binding: attacking before the pact is ended is forbidden.

Optional: Nuclear Devastation

            A Modified Version of a Dragon Magazine Risk Variant: In Nuclear Devastation, players can take up to half of their armies as nuclear weapons at the beginning of their turn. You are not allowed to take armies at the beginning of the game as nuclear weapons (except when directed in scenarios). We recommend CheeriosÒ or rice as nuclear weapons. Nuclear weapons can be launched from any country to any other country on the map. They can only be launched on their owner’s turn. They eliminate one army apiece; however, if they kill the last army in a territory, that country is a wasteland. Place two coins on the country and remove one coin after every complete rotation of players. Until the coins are gone, no armies can attack or move through the wasteland. Once the coins are removed, concession rule applies (see section 5 – remember to skip step 2).

            Any nuclear weapons in the country being launched on or in any adjacent country may be fired off to shoot down the incoming nuclear weapon. Both are removed and no armies are eliminated. This leads to interesting situations as other players, bordering the country being launched on, can fire off their nuclear weapons to defend their ally.

            If a player is cornered in, for an example, Australia, he can fire a nuclear weapon at his own army in Siam to make it a wasteland and temporarily block the onslaught. The assaulting player in a country adjacent to Siam can fire off his nuclear weapon to stop the desperate player from nuking himself!

            Important Note: Nuclear weapons can never be moved from country to country after they’re placed. If Player #1 captures a country possessing nuclear weapons, Player #1 now controls all the nukes in that country.

Optional: Mission Devastation

            Mission Devastation is identical to Mission Risk with Devastation Risk rules. This includes differing point quantities (see Section 2) and new methods for dividing the world (see Section 3).