Hyborian Risk

I. Map & Geography

The game uses Denis Loubet’s map of the Hyborian Age. It features 45 territories divided into Kingdom Groups.

1. The "Sea-Lane" Infrastructure

In standard Risk, oceans are obstacles to be crossed. In the Hyborian map, they are corridors.
●​ The Change: Pulsipher and Loubet added specific "Port" designations to coastal territories.
●​ The Connection: Unlike the dashed lines of standard Risk, these ports form a chain. For example, you
cannot jump from Vanaheim to Stygia in one move. You must travel: Vanaheim → Pictish Wilderness →
Zingara → Argos → Shem → Stygia.
●​ Impact: This turned the "edges" of the map into high-traffic war zones rather than safe back-borders.

2. The Great Barriers (Mountains)

Standard Risk has no terrain modifiers. Pulsipher’s map introduced restrictive terrain that actually changes the
rules of engagement.
●​ Cimmeria and the Himelias: These aren't just borders; they are "Fortress Territories."
●​ The Change: Certain borders were thickened or colored differently to indicate Mountain Passes.
●​ Impact: As mentioned in our previous discussion, the map was designed so that the 2-dice cap for
attackers is physically tied to these specific mountainous regions. This makes Cimmeria a "plug" that can
stop an army of 50 with just 7 units.

3. The Vilayet Sea "Inland Chasm"

One of the biggest changes from standard map design was the central placement of the Vilayet Sea.
●​ The Change: Most Risk variants have a solid center. This map has a massive "hole" in the middle-east.
●​ Impact: It separates the "West" (the Dream of Empire) from the "East" (Hyrkania/Khitai). You cannot march
directly across the center of the board. You are forced to go around (through the dangerous Border
Kingdom) or across (using the Turan/Hyrkania port connection).

4. The "Amphibious" River Borders

Pulsipher added a specific classification for the River Styx and the Black River.
●​ The Change: These are not standard land borders. They are treated as "Minor Sea Lanes."
●​ Impact: Crossing these rivers triggers the Amphibious Assault penalty (the loss of the Leader's bonus in
the first round). This effectively made Stygia and the Pictish Wilderness much harder to invade than any
territory in standard Risk.

5. Territory Distribution and Kingdom Groups

Pulsipher rebalanced the "Continent" logic. In standard Risk, North America and Europe are massive. In Hyborian
Risk, the "value" is concentrated in the center.

Map Region Status Strategic Change

The North Isolated Only accessible via Cimmeria or the Western Sea-lane.

The Center High Value Aquilonia/Nemedia have the most borders, making them "death
traps" despite the +5 bonus.

The East The "Long Territories here are "deeper," meaning an invader from the West has
March" to win 4-5 battles just to reach the Khitai border.
6. The "Edge-of-the-World" Wrap-around
●​ The Change: Standard Risk wraps (Alaska to Kamchatka). The Hyborian map does not.
●​ Impact: The map is a "flat" rectangle. This makes the corners (Vanaheim, Khitai, Kush) incredibly valuable
because you can never be attacked from "behind" the board edge.

Summary of Map Philosophy

Pulsipher's map changes were designed to slow the game down. By adding rivers, port chains, and mountain
passes, he ensured that a lucky player couldn't conquer the world in a single turn. You have to fight for every port
and every mountain pass, one territory at a time.

Kingdom Groups (Continent Bonuses)

●​ The Dream of Empire (+5): Aquilonia, Nemedia, Brythunia. (High value, central, vulnerable).
●​ The Western Reach (+3): Vanaheim, Asgard, Cimmeria, Pictland. (Defensive powerhouse).
●​ The Southern Kingdoms (+3): Stygia, Kush, Shem, Darfar. (Isolated by the Styx).
●​ The Eastern Steppes (+2): Hyrkania, Turan, Zamora. (Porous/Sea-access).
●​ The Far East (+2): Khitai, Vendhya, Kosala. (Extremely isolated).
●​ The Border Lands (+2): Hyperborea, Corinthia, Ophir, Koth. (Strategic buffers).

Sea Lanes & River Barriers

Movement across water is restricted to Port-to-Adjacent-Port only.

●​ Western Ocean: Connects the North (Vanaheim) to the South (Stygia) via specific coastal stops (Pictland,
Zingara, Argos).
●​ Vilayet Sea: The primary divider between Turan/Zamora and the Hyrkanian East.
●​ The River Styx: Acts as a sea-barrier between Shem and Stygia.
●​ Amphibious Assault Rule: Attackers crossing a sea-line or the Styx cannot use the Leader's dice/bonus
for the first round of combat.

In Lewis Pulsipher’s refined rules for Hyborian Risk, the Port-to-Port Rule is a movement and combat restriction
designed to prevent the "teleportation" of armies across the map. It replaces the standard Risk "dashed line"
connections with a more grounded, logistical system.

Here is the rule as defined in his tactical notes:

1. The Adjacency Requirement

You cannot sail from any coastal territory to any other coastal territory. You can only move between territories that
are directly adjacent via a shared sea-lane or defined port connection.
●​ Movement is incremental: To get from the North (Vanaheim) to the South (Stygia), you must move your
units "stop-by-stop" through the Pictish Wilderness, Zingara, and Argos.
●​ One Move = One Leg: In a single "Free Move" phase, a unit group can only travel from one port to the next
adjacent port in the chain.

2. The "End of Move" Constraint

A naval move is considered an exhaustive action.
●​ The Rule: If a group of units uses a sea-lane to move from one port to another, their movement must end
immediately upon reaching the destination port.
●​ The Logic: You cannot move units across land, board a ship, cross a sea-lane, and then continue moving
across land in the same turn. This prevents a "Runaway Leader" from striking deep into the heart of a
continent from across the ocean.
3. The Amphibious Assault Penalty
When attacking across a port-to-port connection (rather than just moving units):
●​ The Rule: For the first round of combat only, the attacker is at a disadvantage. They cannot use the
Leader's 4th-die or +1 bonus.
●​ The Reason: This simulates the difficulty of a beach landing against a fortified coastal position. After the first
round, if the attacker survived, the "beachhead" is established, and the Leader's bonus returns for all
subsequent rounds.

4. The "Naval Move" and Leaders

While you get one "Free Move" per turn, Pulsipher’s notes specify how sea travel interacts with Leaders:
●​ To move an army across a sea-lane in addition to your standard land-based move, that sea-bound army
must be accompanied by a Leader.
●​ This makes the naval lanes of the Vilayet Sea and the Western Ocean "Elite" routes—you need a General
(Leader) to coordinate the fleet.

Summary Table: Port-to-Port Logic

Action Rule

Pathing Must follow the coastal chain (no "skipping" ports).

Combat Attacker loses Leader bonus in Round 1 (Amphibious penalty).

Distance Limited to one "link" per move phase.

Capacity Must still obey the 7-army cap at the destination port.

Major Port Chains to Watch:

●​ Western Chain: Vanaheim ↔ Pictland ↔ Zingara ↔ Argos ↔ Shem ↔ Stygia.
●​ Vilayet Chain: Turan ↔ Hyrkania and Zamora ↔ Hyrkania.

II. The Unit Mechanics

1. The 7-Army Cap
●​ The Limit: No territory may ever contain more than 7 regular army units at the end of any phase.
●​ The Overflow: If a player receives reinforcements or must retreat into a territory that is already at the cap,
those excess units are removed from the board.
●​ Logistical Pressure: This prevents "Death Star" stacks and forces players to maintain a thin, wide front line.

2. Leaders (Conan, Wizards, Generals)

●​ Dice Bonus: An attacking Leader allows the player to roll 4 dice (vs 2 or 3) OR grants +1 to the highest
die (depending on the specific revision used).
●​ Stacking: A maximum of 3 Leaders may occupy one territory.
●​ Survival: Leaders do not count toward the 7-army cap. If the last army unit in a territory dies, the Leader is
Captured.
●​ Ransom: A captured Leader is returned to the owner’s pool in exchange for 3 reinforcement units (paid
during the next phase).
III. Gameplay Phases
1. Setup (The Draft)
●​ Players roll for turn order and draft territories one-by-one.
●​ Initial Armies: Based on player count (e.g., 30 for 4 players). Placed one at a time, respecting the 7-unit
cap.
●​ Initial Leaders: Each player starts with 2 Leaders, placed after all armies are deployed.

2. Reinforcements (The "No-Luck" Cards)

●​ Standard Bonus: (Territories / 3) + Kingdom Group bonuses.
●​ The Cards: Any 3 cards can be traded in. Pulsipher eliminated matching sets.
●​ The Reward: Fixed at 10 Armies OR 3 Leaders. The value does not escalate throughout the game.

3. Combat (1-on-1)
●​ Standard Risk adjacency rules apply. You attack from one territory into one adjacent territory.
●​ The Attacker's Cap: Since 1 unit must stay behind, the maximum attacking force is 6 units.
●​ Mountain Rule: Attackers in "Mountain" territories (Cimmeria, Vendhya) are capped at 2 dice, regardless of
army size.

4. Movement (The Free Move)

●​ Strategic Transfer: You may move a group of units through any number of adjacent friendly territories.
●​ Frequency: One move per turn.
●​ Leader-Led Move: You may perform one additional strategic move for every Leader you have on the
board.

IV. Victory Conditions

Pulsipher replaced "World Domination" with the Dominance Threshold:

●​ Primary Win: The first player to control two-thirds (approx. 30) of the territories wins.
●​ Imperial Win: Controlling 3 complete Kingdom Groups for one full round.
●​ Turn Limit: After 10–12 rounds, the winner is determined by points: 1 per territory, 2 per Leader, 5 per
Kingdom Group.

Key Changes from Original Space Gamer #37

1.​ Card Trade-ins: Shifted from "3 armies + 1 Leader" to the choice of "10 armies OR 3 Leaders."
2.​ Leader Death: Clarified that Leaders are captured for ransom rather than permanently removed.
3.​ The 7-Cap: Formally codified to prevent the game-stalling "infinite stacks" found in the earliest playtests.
4.​ Strategic Movement: Clarified that Leaders grant additional movement actions, not just combat bonuses.