Risk Rules: How to Play, Dice, Armies, and Strategy

The Risk rules are about one goal: conquer the world. The board is a map of 42 territories in six continents. Each turn you collect new armies, attack neighboring territories with dice, and then shift your troops to safer ground. Hold a whole continent for bonus armies, trade in card sets for more, and knock every other player off the map to win.

The quick answer: claim territories and place your starting armies. Each turn, take armies equal to your territories divided by 3 (minimum 3), plus continent bonuses and card sets. Attack adjacent enemies: you roll up to 3 dice, the defender rolls up to 2, highest dice are compared, and ties go to the defender. Then make one fortifying move. Last player standing wins.

Risk was invented by French filmmaker Albert Lamorisse, who released it in 1957 as La Conquête du Monde. Parker Brothers brought it to the United States in 1959, and Hasbro publishes it today. Editions vary, so this guide follows the classic Hasbro rules and notes where your copy might differ.

What do you need to play Risk?

• The board: a world map of 42 territories in six continents: North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia. Lines across the sea connect some territories that do not share a border.
• Armies: pieces in several colors. Smaller pieces count as 1 army, and larger ones stand for 5 or 10 so you do not run out.
• Dice: red dice for the attacker, white (or blue) for the defender.
• Risk cards: one card for each territory, each showing an infantry, cavalry or artillery symbol, plus two wild cards.

Classic Risk plays 2 to 6 people.

How many armies do you start with in Risk?

Each player takes starting armies based on the number of players:

Roll to see who goes first. Then, in turn order, each player places one army on any empty territory to claim it. Keep going around until all 42 territories are taken. After that, keep taking turns placing one army at a time on territories you already own until everyone’s starting armies are on the board.

This slow setup is part of the game. Where you cluster your armies says a lot about which continent you plan to hold.

Risk rules for 2 players

Classic two-player Risk adds a third, neutral color. The neutral army holds territories and defends when attacked, but it never attacks, never moves and never takes a turn. It works as a buffer that makes the map feel less empty. Check your rulebook for the exact setup, since editions handle the neutral placement a little differently.

How do reinforcements work in Risk?

Every turn starts with new armies. You get them from three places.

1. Territories

Count your territories, divide by 3 and round down. You always get at least 3, even if you hold fewer than 9 territories. Holding 14 territories gives you 4; holding 20 gives you 6.

2. Continent bonuses

If you hold every territory in a continent at the start of your turn, you get its bonus:

3. Card sets

Trading in a set of Risk cards gives you more armies (see the next section).

Place all your new armies on territories you already own, in any split you like.

How do Risk cards and set trade-ins work?

At the end of any turn in which you conquered at least one territory, draw one Risk card. You get at most one card per turn, no matter how many territories you took.

A set is any of these:

• three cards with the same symbol,
• one each of infantry, cavalry and artillery, or
• any two cards plus a wild card.

At the start of your turn you may trade a set for armies. In the classic rules the value grows each time anyone at the table trades a set:

If one of the cards you trade in shows a territory you hold, you get 2 extra armies placed on that territory. You can get this bonus only once per turn.

If you start your turn with 5 or more cards, you must trade in at least one set.

How do you attack in Risk?

Attacking is optional. You can attack as many times as you like on your turn, from any of your territories into an adjacent enemy territory, including across the sea lines.

The Risk dice rules

• The attacker must have at least 2 armies in the attacking territory, because one always stays behind. Roll 1, 2 or 3 dice, but you need at least one more army in the territory than the number of dice you roll. So 3 dice takes 4 or more armies.
• The defender rolls 1 die, or 2 dice if they have at least 2 armies in the territory.
• Compare the dice. Line up the attacker’s highest die against the defender’s highest. If both rolled at least two dice, also compare the second highest pair.
• Each pair removes one army. The lower die loses one army. Ties go to the defender.

So one roll can cost the attacker 2 armies, the defender 2 armies, or one each.

Conquering a territory

When the defender’s last army is gone, you take the territory. Move in at least as many armies as the dice you rolled in that final attack, and always leave at least one behind. You can keep attacking from your new territory or anywhere else.

Eliminating a player

If you destroy a player’s last army, you take all their Risk cards. If that brings you to 6 or more, you must trade in sets right away until you are below 5.

How does fortifying work in Risk?

When you are done attacking, you may make one fortifying move. Move as many armies as you want from one of your territories into one adjacent territory you also own, leaving at least one behind. Then your turn ends and play passes left.

Some later editions allow the move along a chain of connected territories you own, not just to a neighbor. If your rulebook says so, follow it.

How do you win Risk?

In classic Risk, you win by eliminating every other player and holding all 42 territories. Games can run long, so many groups add a variant:

• Secret Mission Risk: each player gets a hidden objective card, and the first to complete theirs wins. European editions use missions as standard.
• Capital Risk: each player picks a capital, and the first to capture all the capitals wins. This usually makes for a much shorter game.

If your group wants the conquest feel without the hours, our guide to area control board games has modern picks that finish in an evening.

Risk strategy for beginners

1. Pick one continent and take it. Bonuses add up every turn. Australia and South America each have only one or two entry points, so they are easy to defend.
2. Count the borders. A continent’s value is its bonus versus how many territories you must guard. Asia’s 7 is tempting, but it has many borders and is hard to hold early.
3. Do not spread thin. One army on each of 15 territories is an invitation. Stack armies at borders and leave the interior light.
4. Take one territory every turn. That earns a card. Cards turn into big reinforcements later, and the value climbs fast.
5. Attack with the odds. Rolling 3 dice against 1 or 2 favors the attacker. Avoid long attacks with a small stack against a big one.
6. Break bonuses. If an opponent holds a continent, taking even one territory there cancels their bonus for next turn.
7. Watch the player with the most cards. Someone about to trade in a big set can surge. Weaken them before they do, or make sure they have nothing easy to hit.
8. Make deals out loud. Truces are part of the fun of Risk, but they are never binding. Keep that in mind on both sides.

Risk is also a great teaching game for thinking in probabilities and planning several turns ahead. If you are the person who always explains the rules, our guide to teaching a board game will help the first game go smoothly.

FAQ

How many armies do you start with in Risk?

In classic Risk: 40 each with 2 players, 35 with 3, 30 with 4, 25 with 5 and 20 with 6.

How many dice does the defender roll in Risk?

Up to 2. The defender rolls 2 dice with at least 2 armies in the territory, or 1 die with just 1 army. The attacker can roll up to 3.

Who wins a tie in Risk?

The defender. When the attacker’s die and the defender’s die match, the attacker loses the army.

How many armies do you get per turn in Risk?

Your territories divided by 3, rounded down, with a minimum of 3. Add any continent bonuses you hold and armies from card sets you trade in.

Do you have to attack in Risk?

No. Attacking is optional, but you only earn a Risk card on turns when you conquer at least one territory, so most turns are worth at least one attack.

Plan your campaign

Risk shines when a group clears an afternoon and lets the alliances and grudges play out. For more on running a long game day that everyone enjoys, see how to host a game night. Ludarium Letters, just below, brings more rules guides and strategy to your inbox.

The game is the reason. The people are the point.

Sources

• Risk (game) (Wikipedia)
• Risk Rulebook (RulesPal)
• How to Play Risk Board Game Rules (Daroolz)