Almost Everyone's
First Wargame ...
In the eighth year of Risk
at WBC 38 players gathered for the third largest field to
date. There were four 6-player games and four 5-player games. Six
players played in both preliminary heats: Andrew and Dan
Long, Alex Gregorio, John Schoose, Andy Wilson, and Greg Zegalia. Each
got one win in these two tries; Andy Wilson's came in dramatic
fashion with a winning offensive campaign with inferior numbers
ousting the former GM, Keith Levy.
The six finalists, in order of
advancement, were Daniel and Andrew Long (to these two gentlemen
I apologize for confusing their first names), Scott Fenn, Robert
Lightburn, James Allaire, and Andy Wilson (who filled in for
the absent Darrell Houston).
Set-up
Andrew Long placed his Yellow
armies in New Guinea.
Rob set all his Gray forces in
Central America.
Scott plunked down all his Green
units in Brazil.
James put most of his Blue men
in Madagascar, but also a few in Afghanistan.
Andy Wilson deployed his Black
troops in North Africa.
Daniel put two-thirds of his
Red horde in Siberia, the rest in Indonesia.
Turn 1: Andrew
opened the game by conquering Australia, but he suffered very
severe losses in doing so, with only three of 16 armies left
to occupy Indonesia. Rob tried to talk Scott into abandoning
South America, while taking Venezuela, then Peru. Scott
moved from Brazil to Venezuela. James took South Africa,
splitting his Madagascar forces. Andy took the Congo with
a small force. Daniel took his Mongolian horde and drove
south to crush Andrew and (in his turn) conquer Australia.
Turn 2: Andrew
set up shop in Scandinavia and took Iceland. Rob moved from
Peru to Brazil via Argentina. Scott strengthened Venezuela,
took Peru, and free-moved back to Venezuela. James took
Ural from Afghanistan. Andy strengthened North Africa and
took East Africa. Dan placed a troop in China and took Mongolia,
leaving one after free-moving back to China.
Turn 3: Andrew
placed in Scandinavia, took Great Britain, and free-moved to
Iceland. Rob placed troops in Irkutsk, then took Mongolia. Andy's
large force in North Africa made Scott decide to free-move from
Brazil to Argentina. Scott strengthened Venezuela, then
took Central America with a small force. He told Rob that
he was "worried" for Rob's safety and that he would
stay in South America to "protect" Rob. James
placed troops in South Africa, took East Africa, then free-moved
there from Madagascar, bringing his numbers to ten armies. Andy
strengthened the Congo and took South Africa. Dan strengthened
Siam and took India.
Turn 4:
Andrew turned in the first card set, placing troops in Iceland
and taking Greenland. Rob put reinforcements in Mongolia,
but took Peru from Brazil. Despite Rob trying to convince
him to leave South America, Scott put reinforcements in Venezuela;
he also took the Eastern United States from Central America. James
placed armies in East Africa, taking the Middle East and the
Ukraine; he then free-moved back to the Middle East. Andy
completed his conquest of Africa, taking Madagascar and East
Africa. Dan reinforced India, took Afghanistan, then free-moved
back to India.
Turn 5:
Andrew placed his reinforcements in Greenland, taking the Northwest
Territories with his nine armies. Rob placed reinforcements
in Mongolia (bringing his numbers to seven there), then occupied
Siberia. Scott placed men in the Eastern United States,
taking Ontario before moving back. James took the second
card set (gaining two extra in the Middle East) and reinforced
the Ukraine. He used his Middle East force to take Afghanistan,
then free-moved to the Ukraine, gathering a large horde there. Andy
added to his North Africa force, taking Western Europe before
free-moving back to North Africa. Dan reinforced China and
took Ural, then free-moved from India to Siam, raising his numbers
there to 12.
Turn 6:
Andrew reinforced Alberta, took the Western United States, then
free-moved from the Northwest Territories to Alaska. Rob
decided to oust Scott by force from South America, taking the
third card set; he placed his other reinforcements in Peru and
attacked the large Green army force in Venezuela. Scott
suffered poor dice and Rob routed him from the game, gaining
his five cards. This enabled Rob to complete the fourth
card set and place the resulting armies in Mongolia. More
diplomacy ensued: Rob and Andy agreed to a three-turn truce
between Brazil and North Africa. Andrew asked Rob to put
a blocking force in Greenland to protect him from James's large
force in the Ukraine. Rob moved five armies (left over from
his victory over Scott) into Greenland. James reinforced
the Ukraine, building his force to 30 armies, and moved into
Ural. Andy took card set 5 (with two bonus armies in Western
Europe). He reinforced North Africa (bringing his force
there to 30), took Southern Europe and free-moved back to North
Africa. Dan took the sixth card set and placed all his reinforcements
in China, bringing his numbers there to 35. He made the
fateful decision to attempt to wipe James out, grabbing Afghanistan,
the Middle East and the Ukraine; after he attacked Ural, resulting
in heavy losses on both sides, he free-moved to Afghanistan.
Turn 7: Andrew
split his reinforcements between Ontario and the Western United
States, captured Kamkat. from Alaska, and free-moved from Alaska
to the Northwest Territories. Rob turned in the seventh
card set and split his reinforcements between Mongolia and Greenland,
moving to take Andrew out of the game. Andrew's Yellow armies
were substantially outnumbered by Rob's Grays, but in spite of
this Andrew rolled almost well enough on defense to survive Rob's
attack. Two armies were left to take the Northwest Territories,
however, and so Rob succeeded in putting Andrew out of the game. Armed
with Andrew's cards, Rob turned in the eighth card set, placing
those 25 armies in Scandinavia and marching them to the Ukraine
on the way to wiping out the last of James's forces in Ural. With
the cards gained from James, Rob formed a ninth set and placed
men in Ural, from whence they marched down first to Siam (taking
heavy losses in China on the way) to defeat Dan's sizable force
there. Rob also sent ten armies south to subdue Australia,
while a dozen went west to the Middle East, wiping out Dan's
Red forces. Rob then turned in a tenth card set and went
after his last opponent, Andy, in Africa. Although Rob started
with superior numbers, Andy rolled well and still had two armies
in North Africa and one in Egypt when his foe ran out of attackers. In
his turn, Andy turned in the 11th card set, dividing his 43 armies
between his two territories. Andy's Egyptian forces swept
through Europe, the Middle East, and Afghanistan, but sustained
crippling losses on its attack on Ural. Andy turned aside
to take India, and took Ural at the end of this turn; but by
this time the North African force conquered all of the New World.
Turn 8: Rob
turned in a 12th card set, placing 51 armies in China, sweeping
through India , the Middle East, all of Africa, and the New World,
coming back into Europe and Asia. Andrew barely managed
to survive with two armies in Ural. However, he had no set
tor espond with, after his meager forces managed to reach Alaska.
Rob was finally able to defeat Andrew, thus capturing his third
championship.
I would also like to convey my
most hearty thanks and appreciation to my two assistant game-masters,
Ken Samuel and Keith Levy. Without their assistance I wouldn't
have known what I was doing!
For a dedicated weekend of RISK
play, check out the official RISK championships at
http://www.risktoc.org
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