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In a prologue or introduction or something I read of Card's, he said that he likes playing the game Risk but with modified rules. What are these rules?

-- Submitted Anonymously

OSC REPLIES: - August 3, 2001

The most important rule change is that you are allowed to leave territories empty. This allows you to create buffer zones so an enemy can move into a territory but has to stop, instead of the enemy being able to keep rolling the dice to take over country after country. In short, it eliminates blitzkrieg and incredible lucky streaks. If you are the sole hold of territories in a continent, you collect for that continent and count yourself as owning all the territories on all the continents that you control, not just the ones you occupy with armies.

We also allow an unlimited number of moves at the end of a turn. That is, you can move every single army exactly one territory, but no more.

We also play without the cards.

Those are the key modifications. It's a different game when played this way - far more strategic and far less dependent on chance. It's also slower and talkier and alliances (both kept and broken) become far more important.

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