Risk - Godstorm

[Simplicity]

So, I was at my local FLGS the other day when I happened upon Risk - Godstorm... All the fun of Risk with gods, plagues, relics, an Atlantis continent that can be sunk, an underworld where all of your dead soldiers go to duke it out some more (and perhaps get ressurected), and more.

I've played the game a couple of times at this point, and I've got to admit, it's pretty fun. The miracle cards that come with the game are sometimes overly powerful, but they are at least almost always useful and fun.

Atlantis is a fun, fun addition. Imagine a continent like South America in typical risk... But it gives you 3 armies per turn rather than 2. There also happens to be a small chance the entire continent will get sunk, and everyone on it will die. Tempting to take, but it leaves you uncomfortable for the whole game.

If you've never heard of it, check out http://www.avalonhill.com.

Anyone else played it yet? What do you think?

 

[haiiro]

Having really enjoyed the spin 2210 AD put on Risk, I'll have to check this one out. I hadn't heard of it until now -- thanks for the link.

 

[Simplicity]

Having really enjoyed the spin 2210 AD put on Risk, I'll have to check this one out. I hadn't heard of it until now -- thanks for the link.

It's somewhat based off off Risk 2210, which I really liked too. That's
what caught my interest. The gods are much stronger than the
commanders of 2210 though (not in that they fight armies better, but
in the bonuses they give you).

One aspect that is kind of funny is the underworld. It's like the moon in Risk 2210. If you're losing on the main world, send your guy to the moon to win is a typical strategy in 2210. In Godstorm though, the loser can't help but have a huge force in the underworld. He's the guy who has lost the most guys! (Assuming the Death god wasn't involved...). Unfortunately, the underworld doesn't provide more territories, but rather affects the play in the normal world.

The underworld definitely gives a place for the game loser to unleash some vengence upon those who killed him in the real world. You're going to kill me off, huh? See you in the underworld, pal. I hope you didn't need any of those crypts to fight off your other enemies...

 

[mmadsen]

In Godstorm though, the loser can't help but have a huge force in the underworld.

An interesting solution to a common wargame problem...

 

[Thornir Alekeg]

This sounds really cool, I'm going to have to check it out. Thanks!

 

[d4]

i read through the previews the other day and was really jazzed by the description. sounds like a real fun game. i didn't realize it was out yet -- i was just in a game store the other day and saw copies of LOTR Risk and Risk 2210 but not Godstorm. i'll have to look around some more.

 

[Iron_Chef]

Initial reviews say it's fun but not as well designed as Risk 2210 AD was (rules wise or components wise, excluding minis). I'm waiting to see what more reviews will say before buying, esp. for $45, and when I'm also considering getting the new Axis & Allies (also $45). Then again, I just dropped $90 for the entire Zombies!!! game series, so I'm feeling more conservative on my impulse buys than usual, esp. when I'm still getting so much fun out of Zombies!!!

 

[Simplicity]

Initial reviews say it's fun but not as well designed as Risk 2210 AD was (rules wise or components wise, excluding minis).

Having played the game only twice so far, I'm no expert, but I do think there are a few good things about the game and there are a few bad things.

Good design things:
1) The miracles keep the game interesting. Really interesting. Chosing between which miracle cards to buy is agonizing... The right card can make a big difference.

2) It is possible to develop a defense against miracle cards. Some cards
prevent miracles. Also, one of the biggest defenses is not leaving 1 guy in each of your non-border areas. Leaving two guys is the difference between
allowing a Trojan horse in your country or not. It's the difference between a single miracle card wiping out the interior of your continent. The choice between leaving 1 or 2 guys is a major one now.

3) Atlantis. While it's craptacular to lose your continent in the middle of the game when someone draws the right card, you knew that was a possibility when you decided to go for it didn't you? It's the same as going for Asia in old Risk or Europa in Risk: Godstorm. 7 armies a turn sure is tempting... I wonder if I can hold it?

4) The underworld board. It gives the loser something to do. Owning crypts makes the death god a powerful, nasty dude. One free death card a turn gets pretty annoying for your opponents real fast.

5) Massing of armies is discouraged. Why? There's just too many miracles that can mess you up badly if you keep all of your guys in one place.

Bad things:
1) The underworld board. It's too small. It does slow down the game some.

2) The god figures are the same for the different pantheons. This is both a good and a bad. Good in that it makes it easy to learn the game. Bad in that, it would be nice to see the pantheons differentiated a little.

3) Maelstorm marker. It looks like a thin, easily thrown away blob. Be careful not to throw it away! They should provide a picture in the rules to
make sure people don't get rid of it.

4) Some card combos are pretty powerful. Too powerful. For example, one card lets you transpose two of your opposing players armies. So transpose the guys right into a plague. Another lets you remove a plague marker by killing everyone in the square... Transpose... and kill your opponents largest army. Seems wrong somehow.

I don't think the design is bad. I think that it actually is pretty well thought out in most cases, and very, very fun to play.

 

[Iron_Chef]

Bought it. Played it. Liked it. Won it.

Problems: Everything the previous poster stated, plus you do not get enough faith to do much of anything. I think starting play with everyone getting one free temple with one free god of their choice (on the temple territory as a kind of default capital or "holy city") would be much more interesting, as would lowering card prices to 1 instead of 2. They are too expensive to buy more than 1 card per round. Also, cards that gave you bonus faith or armies (like Risk 2210 AD) would make the game cooler, IMO. Otherwise, this seems like a really fun game... but once you start losing, you are pretty much completely screwed... way more screwed than Risk 2210 AD, because you have no hope of gaining extra faith or armies through cards. You're just stuck fighting defensively (if you can fight at all), and that's no fun. Sure, you'll kick ass in the underworld, but that won't help you get more faith or armies up top, esp. when you can't even afford one lousy temple.

I think I'll be at least implementing 1 free temple and god in my next game. Not sure about cutting card costs to 1 each...

PS: Somebody moved my newly bought temple (the only one I could ever seem to afford due to having to rebuy my war god once) and transposed it to right next to their god army, easily stealing my investment. That kind of royal screwing is cool on one hand and totally uncool on the other. Have to check the cards and maybe remove some from play that are too powerful. The card didn't even cost faith to play! Ugh.

 

[Simplicity]

I wouldn't change the card cost from 2 to 1. The cards are meant to be powerful. I've bought much more than 1 card on a turn before. (In fact, if you have even one continent, you're probably buying 2 cards a turn plus you're getting cards from Labors.)

I didn't find the game as hard to turn around as Risk, mainly because cards can be such a luck of the draw type thing. The switch temple card can
be pretty demoralizing. I'm not sure temples should be worth 5 faith though.
As long as you have one temple in the game... you're fine.

I guess that's one thing I like in the game. In Risk 2210, the cards would often be of the "who really cares" variety. You know, 3 extra armies... Extra energy. Random minor destruction. Whatever. Useful, but not spectacular. In Godstorm, reactions to cards are more like "you've got to be KIDDING me." The miracles are just plain sick.

In order to survive, I think the game does require significantly different strategies than normal Risk... (2 men on each square instead of one, for example, would make many miracles useless against you).

I didn't understand the free temple suggestion, by the way... You DO start with a free temple and the war god, and since you get faith on the first turn,
you can buy a different god as well so you start with two. (My favorite new strategy: Magic god, and get every freaking relic. Those things are amazing.)