The Fascinating History of the Board Game Risk

Did you know that the popular board game Risk was created in the early 1950s by Albert Lamorisse, a well-known film director? Lamorisse is best known for his award-winning film “The Red Balloon,” which received accolades at the Cannes Film Festival. Interestingly, the game was originally called “La Conqueste du Monde.”

Lamorisse took his game to Miro, a renowned games publisher in France, and together with Jean-Rene Vernes, they made a few tweaks to simplify the game for novice players. The goal was to strike a balance between excitement and accessibility.

Parker Brothers, having a good relationship with Miro, brought the game to the United States. They made their own modifications to the rules (adding cards to speed up gameplay) and renamed the game “Risk: The Continental Game.”

I know you’re curious about the history of the game R.I.S.K, so let me give you the scoop. The first version of the game had a slightly different layout, but the game pieces were rectangular wooden blocks. Can you imagine?

Now, here’s a fun legend for you. The initials in R.I.S.K supposedly represent the grandchildren of a Parker Brothers salesman. Pretty cool, huh?

But wait, there’s more! The game was later renamed to “Risk: The Game of Global Domination.” That definitely has a nice ring to it.

Let’s take a quick trip through time, shall we?

• 1957 – Miro reaches out to Parker Brothers with a game called “La Conquete du Monde.”
• 1959 – Parker Brothers releases the game in the US as Risk: The Continental Game.

In 1986, a game called Castle Risk emerged with a map of Europe. It introduced many new elements, such as hidden armies, castles, and special cards featuring spies, diplomats, marshals, generals, and admirals. It even had a unit for sea battles. However, Castle Risk didn’t receive a warm welcome due to its chaotic nature.

Moving on to 1993, Secret Mission Risk was released. This particular variant introduced secret missions and was initially launched in Europe.

Fast forward to 1999, and Risk Edition Napoleon was released in France. With only 10,000 copies available, it was essentially a variation of Castle Risk designed for 2-4 players, centered around Napoleon’s campaign.

Then, in 2000, Risk 2210 A.D. hit the shelves. It featured an expanded version of the original map, with additional connections. In this version, players could even conquer the moon and underwater areas.

These are just a few examples of the evolution of the Risk game over the years. Each new release brought fresh gameplay elements and themes to keep players engaged and excited.

In 2002, a game called Lord of the Rings Risk was released. It featured a map of Middle-earth with 42 areas. The game actually came out a year earlier in Europe, but with some slight rule differences. It included a leader, events, missions, and power cards, and lasted only 3 rounds.

In 2003, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy Edition of Risk was released.

In 2004, Risk: Godstorm was released, featuring a mythology theme.

In 2005, Risk: Star Wars – The Clone Wars Edition was released.

In 2006, Risk: Star Wars – Original Trilogy Edition was released. It introduced 3 races, each with their own goals to win.

In 2008, a new edition of the base version of Risk was published by Hasbro.