Review–Risk Transformers Cybertron War Edition

This is the first in what will hopefully be many reviews of various board games, card games and D&D modules that I will put up on my quite sparse blog here. First we have a review of one of the most recent Risk variants, Risk Transformers, Cybertron War Edition.

Name: Risk Transformers Cybertron War Edition
Manufacture: Hasbro (still in print)
Price: Around £10
Age: 10+
Players: 2-4

Although I have played Risk a few times before, I have never owned my own copy. This all changed last xmas when my girlfriend bought me my first copy of Risk that I can call my own. And it wasn’t just any old Risk, it was Transformers Risk!

Now with added giant robots.

I am quite a big fan of both the game Risk and Transformers (or giant robots in general for that matter) so this was an amazing gift for me. But before I dive into what makes this version unique, let me talk a little about Risk in general.

For those that haven’t played before, Risk is a tactical board game focused around world domination. Players use ‘units’ to conquer and take territories from opposing players. Victory is determined by comparing dice rolls, the number of which is decided based on the number of units attacking and defending a territory.
At the start of each players turn, they are given more units which they can place in any territory that they control, which bonus units awarded for controlling entire continents. This creates a strategic element in not only where you attack, but where you deploy and where you defend. Attack to enthusiastically and you may leave yourself spread too thin on subsequent turns.
Classic Risk has been around for decades and there are many variations, including Halo, mythic gods, Lord of the Rings, and obviously, Transformers. A classic game, where the goal is complete world domination, can last well in excess of 3 hours, with a personal best for a four player game I once participated in lasting 7 hours. There are rules variations that limit the number of turns, reigning in the length of the game.

There are 3 elements that make Risk Transformers unique from classic risk, the most obvious of which being the design of the board.

The layout of the various ‘Sectors’ is vaguely similar to that of a typical risk board, but not identical. For example, it is possible to travel south of what would be South America, and emerge at the top of the board, north of North America. This is the only Risk board I have seen that has vertical as well as lateral wrap around navigation, and this is often overlooked during gameplay, leading to unpleasant surprises for unaware players.

The next noticeable feature is the pieces, with Risk Transformers possessing three types of game piece; firstly the 1 and 3 unit pieces (the game is slightly smaller scale than Classic Risk, so there are no 5 unit pieces)

The pieces are designed to resemble a ‘cybertronian’ and a ‘cybertronian vehicle’ respectively, referred to as ‘robot’ and ‘vehicle’ in the rules. The distinct difference between the pieces makes it very easy to determine, at a glance, the number of units in a given zone (territory in classic rules). Although not clear in the picture, the pieces have a distinctly Transformers feel to them, and the moulding is quite good.

The third type of piece is actually less a piece and more a standee (the term I use for a 2 dimensional stand up image of a player, monster or other game element). These represent the commanders of the 4 armies used in the game.

From left to right; Barricade and Bumblebee (vehicle mode), Megatron and Optimus Prime (robot mode)

There is a reason to using these stand up pieces rather than moulded pieces; one of the game mechanics allows for changing the ‘mode’ of your commander piece, altering their bonus’ in the game. Ergo using a plastic standee that can be flipped back and forth makes more sense than having two different pieces that have to be switched back and forth, reducing any possible confusion that could arise. Transformation does have its limitations, as you must play a specific type of card, as I will explain.

This leads nicely onto the third, and most significant new feature for Risk Transformers, the suitably apt ‘Transform’ mechanic.
As you win zones, you are rewarded with zone cards. Printed on the back of these cards are various special effects that can be played, including the Transform ability. This allows you to either transform your commander between his vehicle and robot mode, altering is special ability, or transform actual zones on the board. These transformable zones come in two varieties, with two of each. Firstly you have the secret war factory:

Before and after a transform card being played

Before a transform card is played, a ‘secret war factory’ is just like any other zone on the map. But once transformed, the plastic piece can be slid back revealing an underneath element. At the start of a players turn, for every unit, up to a maximum of 4, that they have in the zone, they may place an additional unit in the secret war factory.
In order to transform a secret war factory, you must have a transform card and control an adjacent zone or the zone itself. This means it is perfectly possible for an opponent to transform a war factory and close it while your new units are still inside. Should this happen, any units still present in the secret element are ‘crushed’ and lost.
The secret war factory adds a nice means by which you can increase your unit production and adds a pair of nice strategic locations on the map. It can be quite satisfying to crush your opponents 4 new robots with a well timed play of a transform card, but you may find a more pressing need for that card, in the form of rotary zones:

There are two zones on the map that a represented by plastic discs with walled sides. These discs can be rotated on the board, when a transform card is played. This adds what is, in my opinion, the most powerful mechanic to the game. By playing a transform card at the right time, you can either redirect the flow of movement between zones, or in the case of the other zone (not pictured) completely block the movement between two distinct areas of the board. You can even, with good timing, trap an opponents pieces in a zone until they have transform card they are willing to play.

These plastic additions to the board come at a price though, as with any board game where you clip things on:

Although minor at the moment, repeated use could wear the underside considerably.

Finally, here are a selection of some of the zone cards that can be earned by conquering territories:

The first two can either be played for their ability or as a transform card

The ability cards aren’t the most powerful I’ve seen in Risk sets, but they can be used for strategic affect quite efficiently. The transform card doesn’t come up as often as would be useful, perhaps making every card a transform card, such as the first two above, would possibly make the mechanic more dynamic.

Overall, I really enjoy this version of Risk. While not the most complex or challenging, it is very good for a ‘quick’ game and is quite accessible. The rules are written in such a way that it would make an ideal introductory game for someone who hasn’t played Risk before. And it would obviously make a great gift for a Transformers fan such as myself!

Overall, I give Risk Transformers Cybertron War Edition 7/10, with good accessibility and duration, but perhaps feels a little more simplified than it actually is and the Transform mechanic can often get overlooked.

The D Twenty, Inc is Announcing Its Expansion into ‘New Frontiers’

Let me explain something, I am a massive geek. I loving many geek past times, but the apex of these, my passion of passions, is games. Not just computer games, but games in general. I love role playing games (hence this blog), card games, board games, computer games, even mind games.

As such, I think it’s only appropriate that I expand this blog to cover a wider selection of games that will be occupying my time (excluding video games, they will be primarily the prevue of my other blog). This is mainly due to how I spent my awesome Christmas, indulging my geek side with my girlfriend.

You see, she bought me a game. Not just any game, but Risk. And not just any Risk, but TRANSFORMERS RISK! Now this may not be the ‘best’ version of Risk, but it was one of the most thoughtful of gifts I have ever received! (My girlfriend has an innate skill for thoughtful gifts) Additional, I began seriously playing Magic: The Gathering with her as well. You see, about a year ago, I saw an advert in a magazine for free MtG starter sets. You just filled out your details online and they sent you a starter kit, including over 60 cards and cd-rom. I did this twice and me and Viv played briefly once they arrived. Then I put them on my shelf and that’s where they stayed. That was until desert bus 2010.

During the online charity event, they auctioned off several rare sets of cards and this rekindled my interests. As soon as Christmas rolled around, I broke out the decks this time, and resorted them. Instead of two identical, mixed colour decks, I made to very different, bi-coloured decks, and me and Viv started playing. We had a lot of fun, Viv winning the majority thanks to her brutal Blanchwood Armour/ Enormous Baloth combo which finished me off almost every time.

As such, I’m planning on not just covering D&D 4th Edition, posts on the topic of which have wilted somewhat, but I will also cover topics including Magic the Gathering and various board games. I already have my eyes on a copy of Risk 2210 AD, one of the best versions of the game. I think for my next post, I will most certainly take a look at Risk and why I love it.

Current Activity

As this is a new blog for me, I thought it would be logical for my first, non-introductory post to be a brief summary of what I’m currently up to with regards to dungeons and dragons, so here’s a few bullet points (fun!)

Active Stories

• Chronicle of Heroes – This is my first, my original, my baby. This campaign was started over a year ago as my first foray into both 4th edition dungeons and dragons (henceforth, simply 4e) and also my first experience dungeon mastering (henceforth, simply dm’ing), It’s a homebrewed module set in the Tallern Plains, a fairly diverse area of mainly farmland and forests found between the Suneater Mountains to the north and the Abratic Sea to the south. At some point I will post a map, and possibly some historical documents regarding the region. I am also planning on writing a series of fictionalised dramatisations of events of this campaign under the same name.
  The campaign is a full level 1 to 30 module with a complex story, plot twists and revelations, varied settings, antagonists, locations and characters. The players will travel not only the Tallern Plains, but much further afield, including, but not limited to, the Astral Sea, and beyond. Structurally, the campaign breaks down as follows. Several Parts make up a Chapter, where usually parts represent components or alternates paths within a Chapter. 3 to 6 Chapters make up a Volume, where a Chapter represents a distinct element of the overall story of that volume, with a beginning, middle and end Chapter, often the last being a climatic battle. Around 5 Volumes make up a Saga, with each Volume representing a self contained story within a distinct locations. This is not to say that there isn’t an overarching plot spanning many, if not all Volumes, it’s just that each Volume represents a reasonable amount of time to complete a story without any irritating cliff-hangers (unless for suitable dramatic effect). Players usually go up by 2 or 3 levels in one Volume, depending on the difficulty and their various success’ and failures. 3 Sagas make up the Epic, with each Saga spanning one tier; Heroic, Paragon and Epic. As such, from start to finish, the players will go up by 10 levels during a Saga. The three Sagas make up the Epic that is the overall history and life of the players characters.
  Currently my group is at Saga 1, Volume 2, Chapter 4, Part 3 of 4, with one Chapter remaining. Hopefully, once I’ve written the story of Volume 1 – The Clockwork Quest, I’ll be able to publish up the current Volume – Evil in the Dark.

In Development

• Chronicle of Heroes -  Due to the sheer size of this module, and the effect that players actions have on the world in general, this will very much always be an In Dev project until the day they reach level 30. At this moment, I’m currently working on Volume 3 of the current heroic saga, which is set within a dwarven underground city. I’m working very hard to create authentic feeling for this city as I really want to make my dwarf player feel right at home!
• Gladiators of Dark Sun – This is a very different animal. Set within the Dark Sun Campaign Setting (with a few tweaks), this is a more combat, rather than story based, campaign. The players take the roles of freed Gladiator-Slaves who decide to take the only skills they have and use them to pursue fame and fortune, and hopefully stave off death, a fate that lurks round every corner and under every rock on Athas. In this module the players travel from arena to arena, choosing events to fight in. Rather than the usual encounters, which are tailored to the party level to give just the right amount of challenge, this system allows the players to pick their encounter from a roster at each arena. Factor in other elements such as weapon and armour breakage, gambling on (or even against) yourself and the very nature of the Dark Sun setting, I’m hoping it will make for a very interesting game. I’m still looking for players, and also a venue, so this one may be on the burner for a while, at least until the end of the month, when the Dark Sun update is released for the character builder.
• The Modrons – This is a monster class/race that was mentioned in the last d&d podcast I listened to, where they were discussing how to use the new monster creation rules from a recent publications, to update an old monster. The monster of choice was the modron, a construct race devoted to order. It immediately grabbed my attention, so I fired up my Adventure Tools and begun working on the entire hierarchy. I can defiantly see myself posting these guys on here in the near future as part of my Creature Feature.

On Hold

• Thankfully nothing is currently on major hold at the moment, but once my girlfriend goes back to university, I can see Chronicles of Heroes going here until next summer, as she is a member of the gaming group that is playing that module. My philosophy is very much that the party that starts is the party that finishes, and as such I would much rather shut down a module than run it minus a player. This prevents not only out levelling, but the absent player from missing any key parts of the story.

Well, that’s very much everything. Don’t forget to check back or subscribe to get updates on what’s going on.