Customer Reviews

Risk Star Wars The Clone Wars Edition

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I really loved the Lord of the Rings Trilogy edition of Risk, and so I was looking forward to the Clone Wars edition. Physically, the game is about the same quality--overall pretty nice but I'm not crazy about the little plastic pieces, which seem even flimsier than the Trilogy game, and much more likely to tangle up together. But that's not a big issue. It's the gameplay.

First off, in a 4 player game, 2 players are good (Republic) and 2 are evil (Separatist), and you are not allowed to attack your own ally. (Gosh, there goes half the fun of Risk right there!) I've yet to come up with a strategy that lets the good side win. During the game, the Separatists have a one-time opportunity to invoke "Order 66". When this happens, each and every planet (territory) in the Republic is checked against a die roll, and a losing roll means the planet becomes Separatist. In every game I've played so far, this wipes out the Republic. Not only have you lost the territories themselves, but all their troops turn against you. It's maddening to be playing the Republic, building up for a great crushing attack and blip, here comes Order 66, bye bye lovely troops. Once issuing Order 66, the Separatists must then place the Emperor (a special piece) on a planet, where he must remain, and the Republic will automatically win the game if they take this planet. But I have yet to get the Republic to recover enough to strike at the Emperor.

The dark side just has too many advantages to make this game fun to play. In the LOTR Trilogy edition, evil starts out stronger, but with good strategy, good can still win. But I just can't figure out the strategy here to make things even.

I'm a Risk fan, but don't get many opportunities to play. I find this version to be a fun and fascinating variation. It integrates very well with the movie theme and provides a dramatic twist where one side gets to automatically take random territories at a certain point in the game. ( It's order 66 if you remember that from SW Episode III. )

The rules are pretty well laid out and easy to understand if you already know the risk rules. All the new rules are all in blue so you can skim quickly through them. If you aren't familiar with Risk, I recommend skipping all the blue rules to play a classic game first. Just keep in mind that it will be more fun with all the rules.

Some new variations from the original include:
1. Cards with special thematic actions you can take for an advantage
2. Powerful Anakin cards which become useless to the republic player after Order 66.
3. The ability to turn in collected cards for space ships that lend bonuses to your rolls (for instance, roll an 8-sided die rather than a 6 or re-roll any ones.)
4. Special thematic characters that the Republic can catch (and the separatists have to hide) to earn bonus cards.
5. The dramatic Order 66 dynamic which gives the Seperatists a chance to convert territories (and armies) to their side. The longer they can hold out against the card advantage of the Republic the more damage they can do.
6. A two player game is actually fun unlike most other Risk variations.

The low point of Star Wars Risk: Clone Wars is the ugly, ugly board. You might expect something gorgeous since it's based on such a visually oriented movie franchise, but the board is definitely function over form. At least it doesn't get in the way of the game play.

I highly recommend this game to Risk fans as a more dramatic and shorter variation. After playing a few times and when everyone gets the rules, you might even get in a game in under 3 hours. That's very short for Risk.

For those who compare variations, I find the theme and artistry of the Lord of the Rings variation to be far superior and it introduced some of the game play ideas that this game use. However, I find Star Wars Risk: Clone Wars to be much more fun overall.

I've heard that the more complicated "hardcore" variations of Risk like Godstorm and 2210 A.D. are better games, but I haven't played those.

P.S. Another review here suggested that the Separatists always win. That hasn't been my experience and I've seen discussions on forums that have had opposite situations where the Republic always wins. It's all in the strategy... and the die rolls. :)

Later this year (2006), there is supposed to be a Risk game based on the Original Trilogy of Star Wars movies. I'm very much looking forward to that.

Let me start by saying I'm a big risk fan. I'm also a large starwars fan.

I love this game, but it requires a level of skill...more so than normal risk. This is due to Order 66...

There are two factions rebellion and separatist the separatist after 11 turns get the ablity to roll for every single planet in the universe and they get every single one, unless they roll a 1 for one of them (on an 8 sided die, so basically you do a "check" on every single planet one at a time, if you roll a 2 3 4 5 6 7 or 8 you get it and the armys on it)

This of course, is VERY powerful.

Now, I saw a reviewer mention they tried "every strategy" to win as the republic and failed...sorry to say they must not very good strategys.

The very first time I played, I played separatist...I held strong, gained ground mid game but then was getting pushed back by rebpublic finally around the 10th turn..I called order66 on the 11th turn and took every planet in the universe but 2...so it became 40vs2 and of course I won

I will admit, I felt like I was cheating rolling for all those planets. I checked the rule book to make sure this really was supposed to happen...it seemed so unfair and we even considered changing the rules to modify it.

I insisted however that we give it another go, with me as the republic...since I am the risk champion (I have yet to be beaten in any risk game here)

I wanted to get a strategic feel for the republic...to see if this really is possible. I knew that if I could not win, or even get close to winning...that maybe we need to modify or even REMOVE order 66.

So we start playing, Republic start with more planets than separatist do...they also get to place thier first ones anywhere they like(with an extra army on each to boot)

Also, every separatist turn they have to place a token and if you capture it you get cards...1 2 or 3..card can be exchanged for units or for ships or special powers.

I went into the game knowing:

1: I have to be VERY fast and VERY aggressive to avoid order66
2: Cards are my advantage, capture tokens.
3: don't buy ships, don't use special powers...trade in your cards for UNITS (you need to PUSH FORWARD AT ALL COST..within reason..don't fight against silly odds of course or thin yourself out too much)

By the 6th turn I had the separatist player debating using order66 early...he had only 9 planets left between his two teams

idealy he wanted to wait untill his 8th turn, where order66 has 5 6 7 8 chance of capturing planets(on the 1d8), on turns 5, 6 and 7 it's 6 7 8 (I believe)

he managed to hold out untill his 7th turn, on that turn he made the choice that if he held out for another turn he might not have any more armys left (in which case he'd lose before he could call order66)

so he called it, made his rolls...he did about as was expected for 6 7 8 odds he went from having 6 planets to having 21 planets after order66 which is half of the board...it hurt, bad, he got some of my front line armys which were pretty nice sized...

But I was content with half, I still had more cards (and as the republic your cards seem to be better as well)

two turns later, I killed his sidious piece (which he has to place after declaring order66) and won the game instantly...it was fun, and fair all around.

I do advise though that the more skilled player plays republic...becuase it's far too easy to win if the republic player is not VERY aggressive (intelligently mind you)
capture lots of regions, trade in for lots of units, push forward those front lines...don't overdo it or he'll push back...don't let him get cards or strongpoints..capture all of his tokens

You have a huge advantage at the start as republic but if you don't use it, you're basicly even teams with an 11 turn limit untill separatist wins automatically.

I love this game.

This game is very fun at first, but eventually, the Seperatists dominate everything, and they always win. This leads to huge arguments over who will be who. Overall, this game gets boring very fast.

Well, we have just had our first game of Star Wars Risk: Clone Wars Edition at open gaming day at Dr. No's Comics & Games. The session was very successful and I am very impressed with the game so far. My friend Scott and I took the Separatist army while our new acquaintances Keith and Sara took the Republic. The game lasted a total of 4 1/2 rounds, which is pretty close to a game of Risk 2210. The Republic won, in spite of a last ditch effort to turn the tide via Order 66. Unfortunately, as is the case with games where dice are involved, the dice (or the Force) was not with us. I am not speaking out against dice based games. I like an element of chance. The best laid plans and all that... Unpredictable things happen in wars, especially in Star Wars. Our strategy of holding back defensively and waiting out for a good chance at a sweeping galactic conquest with Order 66 didn't pan out. Even if our dice had been rolled better, defensive is NOT the way to play this game. Play aggressive and ALWAYS invade whenever possible. If you are the Separatists, you have GOT to invade and be successful because you have GOT to get cards and reinforcements. The Republic starts out VERY strong (as they should, since they are the dominant power in the galaxy when the war starts) and if they are allowed to gain inroads into your regions, the Seps cannot mount a strong enough defense with their now limited reinforcements. The bonus cards the Reps get from taking leaders is a brutal advantage. Protect those leaders at all costs! if you HAVE to put one in a forward territory, it better be a 1 pip leader. We were unable to hold a first turn advance by the Republic's red army and had to cough up a total of 5 cards (3 from a 3 pip leader, and one each for both Scott and myself giving up a planet). That turn pretty much set the pace for the game. We were able to stay in it until the fifth position on the Order 66 track, and I called the order at the end of my turn, but our rolls again weren't enough. Order 66 ALMOST eliminated Sara, but one of her strongest planets held firm and was able to take Palpatine on her next turn as we had nowhere really safe to stash him.
Overall, even though we lost, I had a blast with the game. It really does FEEL like Star Wars. While i was a bit disappointed with the unusual looking board at first, I grew to really like it very quickly. Troop placement is simple, there are no questionable areas ("is this a pass through the mountains, or just the artwork?"), and since there are no territory cards there is no need to spend time trying to find the name of some obscure area/region/planet (one of the few downfalls of LOTR Trilogy Risk AND War of the Ring). Never forget that every turn is important. I cannot stress that enough. No matter which side you are, you have GOT to be offensive at all times. Even though defenders gain the advantage in ties, if the invader has ships or Anakin cards that allow re-rolls, the odds are heavily against the defender. The playing time is not at all daunting and can be played in only 2 hours or so ( and a good 1/2 hour of that was set up time), so it could easily be played tournament style, switching sides after a game and playing again best 2 out of 3 or what have you.
One comment I have noticed a lot of people making is that they wish the ship tokens had been plastic pieces rather than cardstock chits. While aesthetically I agree, I believe that for gameplay and ease of use purposes, a chit with a picture on one side and a description of the ship's ability on the reverse side is much more functional than a miniature and a reference sheet next to the board. The less time spent poring through the rulebook for a rule and the more time spent invading worlds and conquering the galaxy, the better.
In my opinion, SW Risk: CWE is the best Risk I have played so far. I have 2210, LOTR Trilogy, and Godstorm (which i have not yet played, unfortunately), but this is my favorite at this point.

I have loved Star Wars and Risk since I was a kid and the combination of the two is awesome.

Star Wars Risk is very different from traditional risk. For Example: you can't back stab your partner and take the whole world--er--galaxy for yourself but that is in keeping with Star Wars: The Light Side is good and the Dark Side is bad.

Game play is very ballanced (despite initial appearances) but some of the traditional Risk Strategies may not work so well.

First of all the Light side must act quickly and capture as many of the sepratist leaders (new rules) as possible instead of trying to take the whole galaxy by force. The need for haste comes from the power of the darkside to declare Executive Order 66 (more new rlues) thus turning whole lightside worlds and troops to the dark side. I have seen complaints about the unbalanced rules and EO66 is a powerful tool for evil but the light side CAN win; it just requires speed and some new strategies.

When I play a variant game I want the game to be similar to but different than its parent game and I think this is nearly perfect Risk variant. Very different but great.

I never imagined I was going to be such a bad experience, when you start the game is almost lost for the ones that chosen the light side. Then the game is complicated and it is not balanced, so everybody will choose the "dark side" because they have advantages. Dont waste you money buying this game, better buy the normal risk, acquire, or axes and allies

This is a fun new twist on Risk! It faithfully reproduces the original Risk! rules and interweaves them within a Star Wars context rather than a Napoleonic context. This gives the game a new flavor all its own but it is still a great Risk! game. If you love Risk!, you will love this game. Just the fact that you have a totally different map layout to play Risk! games on makes this a winner in its own right. Now you can keep playing those wonderful Risk! games but not be bored with the same map we have always used. Now different strategies have to be devised geographically and will certainly change the diplomatic angle as well.

But the coolest part is the new rules that you can utilize within the context of the Star Wars universe and the scenario of the Clone Wars. This scenario changes the pace of the game dramatically and gives each side a differing goal in the game. Each side achieves their aim through different means and this makes the game truly exciting. You don't have to play this way, the game come packaged ready to go if you just want to play Classic Risk! but on a new board. It has the cards, armies and rules to just play the way you always have but on a new map with new geography. But the new rules add something that you just can't feel unless you have to push hard and beat the clock if you are the Republic or if you feel the need to call Order 66 early because the Republic has executed its strategy well and you are worried about further losses. It's the Order 66 mechanism in this game that has added a clock element to the game that doesn't exist in Classic Risk and seems more artificial than Risk 2210 AD or Godstorm and is on par with Lord of the Rings Risk. This mechanism turns one side into an offensive force and the other into a defensive unit. This creates areas for entirely new strategies and excitement to the game. The clock is ticking, and with each tick, everything gets a bit more tense and the strategies continue to evolve. Once the Order is called (by the Separatists only) many things in the game change and the scenario is entirely different and now the strategies you were using in the early part of the game are irrelevant. Now the game becomes a cat and mouse, capture the flag type game. The goals of both sides are still different, but they have changed. This change is predictable, so it isn't some crazy random event that happens like in Godstorm, but rather one that makes sense in the context of the scenario, is one you can adequately prepare for and can enhance dramatically the strategic play of the game.

Many other reviews I have read seem to dislike the new Order 66 rule and complain that it makes the game to one-sided or that one side starts the game off in a better position, etc. I think those that think the game is to one-sided just haven't learned the key strategies for playing each side. They differ greatly and knowledge of those strategies is crucial to game-play. For example: for the Republic to win, it must take advantage of every resource available to him, including taking a territory from each opponent in the enemy alliance to gain two cards, taking tokens as they are placed in the game, aim to eliminate one member of the opposing alliance and attacking as hard and fast as possible to force the issue so that Order 66 is called as early in the count as possible so its effect is mitigated and easier to play against in the aftermath. These points are absolutely crucial if the Republic is to win. If they can get Order 66 called before turn 8, then they have a much better chance to win the game than if it is called later. Taking an opponent out means you get two turns in a row to his one, the Order 66 count is slowed by half and you probably have a lot of territory so when Order 66 is called early, the probability of you losing a territory is lower and you may still end up with a lot of territories and armies left to make a push towards the Emperor and Victory! The Separatists obviously want the opposite of what eh Republic wants and is under a very different kind of pressure. Having different starting positions (certainly in this game they are different, but I don't think vastly so to harm game balance) adds to the strategic flavor and allows Risk! To feel fresh every time you play it. So I feel the criticisms are not well-founded, just made by people who need to learn a little bit.

The new rules include the ability to use cards for more than one purpose (besides getting armies you can complete missions, purchase ships for added combat tactical advantages or use their special power during crucial moments during the game) the option of obtaining two cards in one turn instead of only one as before and alliances that allow you to implement a true team strategy that wasn't possible since alliances were always temporary at best.

My only concern is that they seemed to have stopped making this game. So a replacement in case of a tragedy will not be easy or cheap for me, so I guard my game. But if you can find one, get it and enjoy it.

I'm a big fan of "Risk," as I am of virtually any game where you have to use strategy to take over the entire world. So I appeciate new takes on "Risk:" I find them enjoyable, for the most part.

But I can't recommend this one, either for "Risk" fans or "Star Wars" fans.

I will give it this: it is not a slapdash effort. They obviously took a lot of care making it.

But, despite their assurances to the contrary, I don't find the gameplay "balanced."

Basically the game is divided into two broad "factions:" the Loyalist planets and the Separatist planets. But the Separatists definitely have it better.

At any point in the game, you see, the Separatists can call "Order 66," which, among other things, means that every Loyalist planet has to save against going to the other side! This is overwhelming. A tremendous ace-in-the-hole.

True, the Loyalists, for their part, can win the game abruptly if they manage to capture the planet on which the (non-hidden) Darth Sidious is hanging out.

But after you play Clone Wars Risk a couple of times, it will become obvious that the Separatists' big weapon easily trumps that of the Loyalists' (mainly because they can play their hand unexpectedly). In short, the Separatists can consistently win easily.

(If you play, I would recommend giving the Loyalists more troops at the beginning or something to even things up.)

I would also like to say that the rules are rather convoluted: you're gonna have to spend a couple of hours studying the rule book. It's definitely the most abstruse board game I have, short of a full-blown Dungeons and Dragons situation.

Which means that if you don't know how to play the classic version of Risk, I certainly wouldn't start here: The Clone Wars Edition is very complicated. Not too complicated, I don't think. But it would prove a rather daunting intro into the world of Risk.

I would also like to note that Clone Wars Risk also provides thin gruel for Star Wars fans: the little pieces don't look obviously like any trademark Star Wars characters, and if you took away a few pictures, this could be any generic sci-fi version of Risk. You're really not gonna feel deeply immersed in the Star Wars universe, should that be your goal. Really you should only get it if you are a completist.

Also note: this game came out after the "Revenge of the Sith" movie, so it incorporates the characters and mythology from all three movies of the second trilogy.

Finally, if you're still considering buying this, you should know that there is also an edition based on the original trilogy that just came out: Risk Star Wars Original Trilogy Edition, but I have yet to get my hands on it.

Length:: 3:19 Mins

Our family loves this version of Risk. Of course it also helps that we love Star Wars too.
There are a couple reasons why we love this version. First is that the game doesn't go on forever. With the addition of Order 66, the game comes to a point where it wraps up nicely. Second is that you can play in teams. With 2 rebel colors and 2 separatist colors you can pair up however you'd like (or 2 against 1 with 3 players). And of course, you can also rule out the additional elements and just do a regular Risk battle for control of the galaxy every person for themselves.

Yes, the battles still come down to dice rolls, but that's what makes it fun. Strategy can take you quite a ways, but if your luck runs out, the balance of power may shift. And that's the risk.