RISK

I am a fan of RISK. Not risk management, not taking risk, but the boardgame.

RISK is a great game that requires immense skill in strategy, diplomacy, and dice rolling. Any good RISK player is good at rolling sixes. (Likewise, bad D&D players are good at rolling 1's.)

2004, not a bad year. So one night, it was around February, I played a very great game of RISK.

I was playing with Robby and Brandon and some other guy. Robby and I had to wake up early to go march in the Rodeo Parade the following morning, but we decided to hang out into late morning. We broke out the RISK board and started playing.

As is par for the course, I had set up my headquarters in Southern Europe and quickly consolidated the surrounding area. A few turns in, I entered into a non-aggression pact with Brandon, to expire in about 20 turns. Around the 12th turn, he attacked me. I was far from shocked; not that I was expecting the non-aggression pact to last, either. Attacking me was the right move. I was growing too powerful and I would soon smother Robby's forces and inevitably turn on Brandon.

He started his preemptive strike after he turned in a RISK set. He had a large force assembled and began attacking. He blew through an unimportant pigeon (a country with only one solider on it) and started onto the next, more important territory. I had about 4 forces stationed there, as it was on the border of my European stronghold. The first three bouts, we both lost one unit apiece. Then, the universe righted itself and Brandon's luck turned. The next 37 turns, my sole defender prevailed. I rolled a lot of 6's, and Brandon a lot of 1's.

When that last man finally fell, Brandon had lost too many forces to really continue the battle. I was sure to have a memorial plaque in that one guy's honor, so that his family can pay to come visit in my palace.

The following turn, I turned in my own risk set and defeated Brandon. I received his remaining RISK cards when he was conquered, and then immediately turned them in to receive additional reinforcements necessary to crush Robby.

So, all in all, I won the game and felt good about that. Robby and I also didn't sleep before the parade. So, I marched 2 and 1/4 miles without sleep. That I didn't feel so good about.

The important part, though, was winning the RISK game.