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I have Risk: Legacy, I have an 8 year-old son who loves Risk, and I have three other household members who don't like games. I'm tempted to try Risk: Legacy two-player, either head-to-head or with the Classic-style "neutral" faction. But since I don't actually know all the rules to Legacy I don't know if this will be fine, "just okay," or "crash-and-burn."

Given the audience "just okay" is playable result. But if it's going to crash and burn I'd rather not waste the investment and wait until we find/create a third.

Is Risk: Legacy playable two-person, or will game developments fundamentally fail two-person?

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It is a three to five player game according to the rules because the negotiation dynamics are integral to the rules. With two players there can be really no good negotiation and the game loses an essential element. Tweaking the game would definitely be needed, especially in regards to some items found in secret passages.

So in the end, since you would play just as long as the game doesn't crash and burn, I would play with one of the 2 player variants that can be found online (basically both Players get 2 factions).

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  • I've accepted this answer not because I know anything about its correctness, per se, but rather because it's what we're actually doing right now: each playing two factions under multiple noms de guerre.
    – nitsua60
    Apr 4, 2017 at 0:11
  • In 2 player variants, if you don't draft "player identities", how do you prevent one of the players building up a lead (via victories and stickers) to the point of being unstoppable? This is usually accomplished by the other players teaming up, but this can't work if you're controlling half of the players.
    – Samthere
    Apr 6, 2017 at 12:32
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Allied World Domination Risk For 2 to 3 Players

Although Risk is best played with 4 to 6 players, the allied style allows a game to be played with 2 or 3 players by giving each player more than one coloured army acting as allies yet playing as individual players, thus, having the effect of playing a 6 player game.

Allied Set Up:

Two players: Each player selects 3 different coloured armies. Three players: Each player selects 2 different coloured armies.

If you have more than one style of risk soldiers, each player can use a different style thus making it easier to visualize which armies are allies or opponents.

Allied Random Distribution of Territories: Remove the 2 wild cards from the deck of Territory cards. Shuffle the remaining territory cards. Deal out the territory cards to each coloured army. Territory cards are not exchangeable between allied armies at this stage. These cards determine which territories armies will occupy at the beginning of the game. Each player places 3 soldiers on each of the territories featured on the cards they have been dealt for each army. Collect the 48 territory cards, add the 2 wild cards, shuffle the deck and place it face down on the board.

Allied Playing: In allied risk, the playing order is not known until the first playing round is complete. Players roll 1 die to determine who the first player will be and then play passes to the left. Note: The player, who placed his soldiers first, during the set up phase, does not necessarily take the first turn. First player: Chooses which colour they will play and sets aside an artillery piece of that colour to keep track of the playing order. Then plays that colour as usual. Next players: In turn, do the same. Once each coloured army has played their first turn the playing order is set.

Allied armies can exchange territory cards with each other at any time as long as the number of cards each coloured army has remains the same

Note: In Allied Risk, from time to time you may be required to fight your own allies that are in the way. In this case it would be advantageous to roll only 1 die with your defending soldiers as you are trying to eliminate those soldiers with the least amount of attacking loses.  

Allied Elimination of another army:

When a coloured army is eliminated, the player is not necessarily out of the game as they can continue playing with their other coloured armies. The eliminated army must surrender its territory cards to the army that eliminated it, however, the eliminated army can exchange cards with allied armies prior to surrendering its cards. A player may eliminate their own allied army and take its territory cards. If the eliminating army ends up with 5 or more cards, you must immediately trade in enough sets to reduce your army's hand to 4 or fewer cards. This is called a mid-turn card trade-in. Remove the eliminated colour’s artillery piece from the, playing order layout.

Winning a game of Allied World Domination Risk:

In Allied Risk, when all opponents are eliminated, the game is considered to be won even if the player has not necessarily conquered the world with one specific colour as this objective would inevitably be attained.

Allied World Domination Risk Questions and Answers

Q: Why would anyone eliminate one of his own allied armies? A: Recall that an eliminated army surrenders its cards to the eliminating army. These cards can be valuable, particularly in the latter stages of a game. It may be advantageous to retain those cards instead of having them fall into your opponents hands. Also, you might need these cards to obtain a mid turn card trade in.

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    Please note the original question is about Risk: Legacy, not Risk. While the games start out superficially similar, there are many mechanics in R:L not in Risk. Do you have experience using the variant you propose in R:L?
    – nitsua60
    Apr 4, 2017 at 20:34
  • I have never player Risk Legacy but the concept of one player playing different players in turn has been done by myself, family members and friends in many games such as Ticket to Ride, Power Grid and various maps of Risk. It works & it makes for amazing games. Are there missions in Risk Legacy? Apr 5, 2017 at 5:29
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    Yes, and apparently also negotiations. Part of the game's structure is that one doesn't even know all the rules at the beginning of a (fifteen-game) campaign, which is the reason I couldn't just read through the rules and make my own general gaming-based judgment.
    – nitsua60
    Apr 5, 2017 at 10:54
  • Allied Nuance for Missions: Although players are playing with more than one coloured army, they still choose only the amount of missions for one player and not per army. Each mission can be completed by any one of the players armies. HOWEVER, each mission must be completed by only one of the player's armies. For example; if one of the player's mission is conquer North America and Antarctica both of those continents must be fully occupied by only one of the players coloured armies for the mission to be completed. Any coloured army can complete 1 or all missions. Apr 5, 2017 at 17:22
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    I might not be familiar enough with Risk Legacy to answer your question. Apr 5, 2017 at 17:23

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