Codex Gamicus
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Risk: Factions
RISK Factions Logo.jpg
Developer(s) Stainless Games

Powerhouse Animation Studios, Inc.[1]

Publisher(s) Electronic Arts
Designer Designer Missing
Engine Engine Missing
status Status Missing
Release date 23 June 2010
Genre Strategy
Mode(s) Single-player, Multiplayer
Age rating(s) ESRB: E10
Platform(s) Xbox 360 (XBLA)
Arcade system Arcade System Missing
Media Download
Input Gamepad
Requirements
Credits | Soundtrack | Codes | Walkthrough

Risk: Factions is a downloadable video game for Xbox 360's Xbox Live Arcade service. The game was announced on January 12, 2010.[2] It is based on Hasbro's popular board game, Risk The game has both single player and online modes of play.[3] The single player campaign is divided into 5 chapters. Each chapter unlocks one of the games 5 factions. The gameplay in the single player campaign is similar to that of the 2008 Risk rule set. Players must complete three objectives and have control of their capital to win the game. Alternatively, a player may defeat all the opponents to win the game as well. The features added to RISK: Factions that don't appear in the 2008 rule set are overkills, faction abilities, and dynamic terrain. Overkills are awarded when players roll either two or three 6s. If a player rolls 2 sixes he destroys four of the opponent's units in the current battle. If a player rolls 3 sixes he destroys all units in the current battle.

Factions[ | ]

  • Humans - Leader: General William P. "Fatty" McGutterpants - A jingoistic American sounding general. Is always seen with his pet dog.
  • Cats - Leader: Generalissimo Meow - A Hispanic sounding cat dressed like Mao Zedong. Launches an attack on the Humans after the latter accidentally drop a mortar on his country and refused to apologize.
  • Robots - Leader: Commandant SixFour - An untested automated defense system built by the Humans. Unfortunately, due to its obsolete technology it is incapable of distinguishing friend from foe and declares war on the rest of the factions. His name is a reference to the Commodore 64.
  • Zombies: Leader: Colonel Claus Von Stiffenberg - A hook and eyepatch wearing zombie who declares war on the other factions after being attacked by the Humans. Like the rest of the faction, he was presumably an ordinary human mutated by an experimental bioweapon launched by Commandant SixFour. His name is a reference to Claus von Stauffenberg.
  • Yeti - Leader: His Excellency Gary - A buddhist-like Yeti Monk with a jovial attitude like the Dalai Lama. Ironically, he declares war after General McGutterpants asks his help to bring peace with other factions.

Dice probabilities[ | ]

In the factions game type, it is possible for a player to gain the ability to use a fourth die when attacking and/or a third die when defending. That, along with the overkill and super-overkill features, makes the probabilities of winning battles different from the original Risk board game rules. Below is a table summarizing the dice probabilities for the factions game type:[note 1]

Attacking dice 4 4 4 3 3 3 2 2 2 1 1 1
Defending dice 3 2 1 3 2 1 3 2 1 3 2 1
Attacker loses all 0.5% 0.5% 0.5%
Attacker loses 4 7% 2.8% 7% 2.8% 7% 2.8%
Attacker loses 2 30.6% 18.2% 40.2% 31.2% 54.4% 42.1%
Attacker loses 1 29.3% 34% 41.7% 82.7% 74.5% 58.3%
Both lose 1 31.2% 33.1% 29.2% 24.3% 25.5% 32.4%
Defender loses 1 70.7% 66% 58.3% 17.3% 25.5% 41.7%
Defender loses 2 23.1% 36.7% 18.8% 35.5% 11% 20.8%
Defender loses 4 6.7% 8.0% 4.0% 5.8% 1.6% 1.9%
Defender loses all 0.9% 1.2% 0.3% 0.4%
Attacker wins Template:Red Template:Lime Template:Lime Template:Red Template:Lime Template:Lime Template:Red Template:Red Template:Lime Template:Red Template:Red Template:Red
Defender wins Template:Lime Template:Red Template:Red Template:Lime Template:Red Template:Red Template:Lime Template:Lime Template:Red Template:Lime Template:Lime Template:Lime
Tie 31.2% 33.2% 0% 29.2% 24.3% 0% 25.5% 32.4% 0% 0% 0% 0%

Notes[ | ]

  1. The probability table makes the following assumptions about the rules of Risk:Factions, which are not explicitly defined:
    • If both attacker and defender roll an overkill or super-overkill, the defender's overkill overrides and is the only one that counts.
    • When a defender is using 3 dice, they are capable of a super-overkill.
    • If the attacker rolls an overkill while the defender rolls one or more sixes, the attacker's overkill is cancelled out. If both players roll overkills, only the defender's counts.


References[ | ]

  1. EA Sets Stage for World Domination With RISK: Factions
  2. Announcement Release
  3. Miller, Matt (February 2010). "Xbox Live Arcade gets three new exclusives, and MotionPlus comes to WiiWare". Game Informer (203): 30. 

External links[ | ]

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