Risk Edition Napoleon: variations from standard risk

Contributed by Bob Gingell.

Risk Edition Napoleon was published by the French company Tilsit Éditions in 1999. It has two sets of rules, standard rules and advanced rules, with the option of playing a Napoleonic Wars campaign consisting of a sequence of historical scenarios, each of which builds on the preceding scenario.

The game board and the bonuses for regions

The board has 48 territories on a map of Europe (increasing to 56 with the Ottoman Empire Extension). The game is for 5 players with the extension adding material for a 6th player. Each player starts with 5 more armies than in standard Risk. The map is divided into 9 regions of 4-7 territories each, with the Ottoman Empire as an optional 10th region of 8 territories. The regions give bonuses of 2-5 regiments with a bonus total of 32 (37). The region bonuses are proportionately larger than in standard Risk due to the changes in the rules for card bonuses. By comparison, standard Risk has 42 territories divided into 6 regions (continents) of 4-12 territories, with bonuses of 2-7 regiments (armies) and a bonus total of 24.

Advanced reinforcements

1. Exactly half of the 16 (20) Infantry cards are designated as standard Line Infantry, with the other half now being treated as Light Infantry. Half of the 16 (19) Cavalry cards are designated as standard Heavy Cavalry (Cuirassiers), with the other 8 (10) now being treated as Light Cavalry (Hussars). The 16 (17) Artillery cards are the same as in standard Risk. The Jokers are treated as containing all 5 symbols.

2. Gaining cards: One card is gained by the active player if any number of territories were captured during that player turn. [The English translation of the rules for Edition Napoleon (but not the French rules) wrongly states that one card is awarded per territory.] The standard rules are unchanged that defeat of an opponent's final unit means that all his/her cards are given to the victor, and that cards must be traded in when the player has 5 or more cards in his/her hand at the beginning of his/her player turn.

3. Reinforcements are still granted based on the number of territories controlled divided by 3, control of the whole of any same-colour regions and the trading in of cards. The bonus of 2 armies if one of the cards traded in has a picture of a territory controlled by that player must be played on the named territory. Standard 'Risk' imposes a maximum of one such bonus, but the rule in Edition Napoleon may be read as imposing no maximum.

4. Reinforcements from cards follow the formulae below. The standard game rules on progressive numbers of reinforcements become an optional alternative for the basic version of the game.

a) Basic version:

3 Infantry: 4 armies;
3 Cavalry: 6 armies;
3 Artillery: 8 armies;
1 each of all 3 types: 10 armies.

b) Advanced version:

3 Light Infantry: 3 Armies;
3 Line Infantry: 4 armies;
2 Line + 1 Light Infantry, or 3 Hussars: 5 armies;
3 Cuirassiers: 6 armies;
2 Cuirassiers + 1 Hussar: 7 armies;
3 Artillery: 8 armies;
1 Infantry + 1 Cavalry + 1 Artillery: 10 armies;
1 each of all 5 types: 20 armies.

Fortresses

1. A player may construct a maximum of one fortress each turn on any controlled territory. A Fortress costs 3 reinforcements. A captured Fortress may be preserved at a cost of 2 reinforcements deducted from the next turn's reinforcements.

2. There is a maximum number of Fortresses in play: in Edition Napoleon this maximum is set at 12 for the standard game and 14 with the extension, which is the number of territories divided by 4.

3. Only one Fortress can exist in any one territory. A Fortress can be destroyed by its owner during his/her turn, and will be destroyed when captured unless the victor pays to preserve it.

4. If a territory has a Fortress, attacks against it use only 2 dice once the defenders have less than 6 armies.

Generals

1. A player may construct a maximum of one General each turn on any controlled territory. A General costs 3 reinforcements. Each player may only have a maximum of 5 Generals in play at any one time. An option, based on the historical scenarios, is to give each player 1 General at the start.

2. Only one General can exist in any one territory. There are no rules for the disbanding of Generals, but as it is not specifically prohibited it may be implied that this can be done.

3. If the General rules are used, attacks with more than 6 armies are only possible if a General is present. The end-of-turn manoeuvres can only be made from territories containing Generals, but one can be made from each such territory. If a player has no Generals, one manoeuvre is still possible but no more than 6 armies can be moved. After manoeuvres each General can move up to 2 friendly territories.

4. A General may be captured or killed if he loses the territory when defending or if he fails to capture a territory when attacking with 6 armies or less. Roll a die: 1 = killed, 2-3 = captured, 4-6 = escapes and retreats to adjacent friendly territory (but is captured if there is no such territory). Adjacent opponents may exchange or set free captured Generals.

Fleets

1. A player may construct a maximum of one Fleet each turn on any controlled territory. A Fleet costs 5 reinforcements. Each player may only have a maximum of 4 Fleets in play at any one time. An option, based on the historical scenarios, is to give each player one fleet at the start .

2. Only 3 Fleets can exist in any one territory. There are no rules for the disbanding of Fleets, but as it is not specifically prohibited it may be implied that this can be done so as to build elsewhere.

3. Fleets may be in port, at sea, or on a maritime link. Fleets are built in port and while there they have no combat value; they must retreat to sea if the coastal territory is captured, fighting any blockading fleets in the sea zone at -1 to the die-roll.

4. If a coastal territory borders more than one sea zone, the player placing a fleet there must specify which sea zone contains the port. One territory cannot contain 2 ports. However, it seems that once all fleets have left a territory, new arrivals could be placed on the other coast and that would then be declared the port for that territory.

5. Fleets at sea blockade all fleets in ports bordering that sea zone. Fleets in port can only move to challenge the blockade. Fleets on maritime links block all movement by land forces across that link.

6. Fleets move before land forces move. Fleets can move up to 3 points; it costs one point to move between port and sea zone or adjacent maritime link, between two sea zones, or between sea zone and maritime link. Fleets may only move together (and by implication fight together) if they start the turn together, or if fleets join together during a turn but do not move further than any one unit's maximum movement allowance.

7. Naval combat may take place in any sea zone or on any maritime link. It is just like land combat save that defenders with 3 fleets or more may use 3 dice.

8. The Ottoman Empire Extension for Edition Napoleon adds neutral fleets as an option. Certain neutral territories may start the game with a neutral fleet, which is controlled by the owner of the territory in question. If the territory changes hands, the neutral fleet changes hands too. If the fleet is destroyed, its owner can rebuild it. This option can only be used if neutral territories are in existence at the start of the game, a situation that applies in historical scenarios, variant starting set-ups, and two-player games.

Risk for two players

There is a major change from the version given in Standard Risk. Instead of 40 armies the neutral gets only 2 armies per territory at the start, but it will now receive reinforcements. When each player receives reinforcements, the opposing player first places half that number of reinforcements (rounded down) in any of the neutral power's territories. The neutral still cannot move or attack.


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