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Message: <blockquote data-quote="idlemichael" data-source="post: 7651587" data-attributes="member: 6705719">Risk Legacy is a masterclass in how an old-school game can be remixed for a new generation which every tabletop gamer should try at least once.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] [ATTACH]57852[/ATTACH] So, I don't go in much for classic games - there's far too many new (and in most cases better) titles out there for me to play - but they have their place. Everyone plays Monopoly as a kid, Cluedo will often hit the table (despite the fact that no-one on earth really knows how to play it)... Being something of a nerd for words, I must admit a love for Scrabble, but if there's one game I never really got into, it's Risk. Maybe it's because I didn't have the people around to play it when I was younger, but it wasn't until the release of the latest version that my interest was piqued. Risk Legacy is a masterclass in how an old-school game can be remixed for a new generation. You will probably never see a boardgame released through Hasbro on these pages ever again, but Legacy is as non-mainstream as can be. Sure, it's still Risk deep down in its cold, black heart, but from the moment you get your hands on a copy it feels very different. On breaking the seal (it has a bloody seal!) you're faced with the statement that "What's done can never be undone" - that should tell you that you're in for something new.Legacy is not your standard gaming experience. Instead of setting up a game, playing through it, breaking it down then essentially resetting the world next time it hits the table, Legacy gives you and your fellow players the opportunity to actually shape the game over the space of the first fifteen or so plays. The world actually evolves as you play through each game, but before you even begin big decisions must be made. The back of the board must be signed by all players, admitting responsibility for whatever actions may happen during the course of play. When factions are selected, each one is give a special ability which is actually stuck to their card - the other one is ripped up, physically destroyed and chucked in the bin. Risk Legacy goes against everything you've ever been taught about keeping your games pristine, encouraging destruction and ruin - war is horror.The story goes that the technology to develop alternative versions of Earth is now a reality. While you'd have thought this would be the perfect opportunity for mankind to live together in harmony on lush, verdant New Earths, what actually happens is that fighting breaks out in next to no time at all. As your campaign progresses, the players will slowly put their own twists on the world - continents will fall to your dominance, cities will rise that can be named in your honour... and all the while you'll be scribbling all over the board, leaving your mark behind to show just how damn good you are.The aim of each game is to be the first player to claim four stars. Taking over enemy Headquarters, holding your own, trading in resource cards... all can give you those much desired stars - and despite the fact that four stars may seem like a simple target, it's actually incredibly challenging, especially when you've got the full five players all fighting for control. The game plays out just like regular Risk with a few additional rules; I don't recall nuclear missiles in the older versions, for example, or the ability to utterly ravage a region so much that it may never be used again and its card be ripped into teeny pieces. As more and more games are played, certain areas become even more valuable, so control of them becomes a frenzied extravaganza.What's even cooler about the game is that as certain events happen, new stuff is added. Special sealed envelopes can be ripped open that bring in new cards to play with, stickers to modify the board and rulebook... even new pieces for each faction. And all of this based on a game that was originally released over fifty years ago. Designer Rob Daviau has taken the basic Risk and managed to create a system that, when played through, truly feels like an evolutionary process. Each decision made effects later gameplay from the moment you crack open the box - pretty impressive considering what an old-school jump-off point we were starting with.From the moment the first game begins, you and your fellow players are encouraged to take ownership of the world that you're about to create. Each board is stamped with a unique number (ours is #5090 and is rapidly descending into a global extravaganza of aggression and rage) and as more and more elements are added, you truly get the feeling that - even though this is a mass-produced product - that you're creating something that will be utterly unique to your group. Sure, at its heart it's still essentially Risk, but by putting so much responsibility for what you've done on your shoulders it takes things to another level... And that is something truly different, something that hasn't been done in gaming before. I honestly believe that if you can get a bunch of people to commit to a campaign of fifteen games, you'll collectively experience something new and exciting.I've done my very best to ensure that this little piece is as spoiler free as possible for a reason - it's all about what you and your friends discover as you play. All I can say is that you should give it a go at least once. While simplicity reigns at the start of your adventure, everything escalates pretty quickly and you'll find yourself absorbed from the off. Get a copy. Now.</blockquote>

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