A Risk variant for 2 to 5 players

by Mark J. Hadley
a * po * ca * lt (n): an acolyte of the apocalypse.
Nonexistant dictionary

SET-UP

To play Apocalyte, you will need a standard Risk board and two separate types of counters to
mark supplies and other special scenario events. Since there are six different colors of pieces,
one of them will be used to represent the Apocalytes (it is recommend using green for this, but
any color will work).

Initial board setup works similarly to regular Risk, with a few differences. Use the territory
cards to evenly and randomly divide the territories amongst the players, or have the players take
turns selecting territories instead. Mark each territory with a single army to start. After this is
done, each player will be given 30 additional armies (20 for 3 players, 15 for 4 players, 12 for 5
players) which they can spread amongst their territories as they see fit, but no more than 5 per
territory (so no territory will have more than 6 to start). Each player also randomly draws 10 of
their territory cards (8 for 3 players, 6 for 4 players, 5 for 5 players); these territories each get a
supply counter.

After this is done, a scenario is decided upon, or rolled randomly (see below). This is done after
placement in order to ensure that players dont place their armies according to the scenario
chosen. Complete setup based on the scenario rules, which are found below, after the main rules
of play. The scenario usually starts with the Apocalytes moving first, but consult the scenario
rules for certain exceptions to this.

RANDOM SCENARIO

When choosing a scenario randomly, roll a die and select the scenario that matches the die roll:

1. Zombies 4. Aliens
2. Infection 5. Demons
3. Mutants 6. Meteor

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TURN PLAY

On each players turns, they take the following actions:

1. The player gains two additional armies, which they may place in any of their territories
that are not also occupied by Apocalytes. If all of their territories are occupied by
Apocalytes, they get no additional armies.
2. Up to two movements may be made, moving any number of armies from one territory to
an adjacent one. There must be at least one army of some sort left in the territory for this
to occur. You may move into a territory controlled by someone else only with their
permission, unless the armies you are moving outnumber the other players armies in the
destination territory. In addition, you may carry up to two supply tokens with your
armies from one territory to another, provided that you have the most armies in the first
territory, or that the one who controls that territory gives you permission to move the
supplies. (For example, if you have 5 armies in a territory and another player has 2
armies in that same territory, you may move the supplies. If, however, the opposing
player had 8 armies, you may not move the supplies out unless the player allows it.) You
may also not move armies out of a territory that has both yours and another players (or
Apocalyte) forces, unless it is to one of your own territories, or the player agrees to allow
it. One final rule: if a territory cannot have player armies end the turn there, you may use
both of your moves to move the armies through the territory to one on the opposite side,
provided there are no enemies in the territory you are skipping through.
3. After moving, must then have any of your armies occupying the same territory as
Apocalytes engage in combat (or similar actions) with them (see Combat, below). You
may only engage in a maximum of three combat rounds per territory, but you must
engage in at least one combat round in all of the territories that are contested.

After this is done, play passes to the next players turn. When it is the Apocalytes turn, it is
resolved according to the scenario rules, but when deciding Apocalyte movement, you should
follow the general rules below, in Apocalyte Movement.

APOCALYTE MOVEMENT

Unless otherwise stated in the scenario rules, Apocalytes will move according to these rules:

1. Determine which territories contain only Apocalytes (no other player armies), and only
those territories that have 2 or more Apocalytes in it. Separate the matching territory
cards from the card pile.
2. Shuffle these cards and select 3 randomly (if there are 3 or less, all of them are
automatically selected, but still draw to see what order they move).
3. For each territory, randomly determine which territory the Apocalytes are moving to.
They will only move to adjacent territories controlled by players, unless there are none, in
which case they will move to whichever adjacent territory leads to the shortest path to a
territory with players. You will most likely need to make a roll to decide on the

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 destination territory (for example, if there are two adjacent territories with players, roll a
die and go with the first territory on a 1 to 3 or the second territory on a 4 to 6).
4. After deciding which territory they are moving into, roll a die to determine how many are
moving. (Skip this if there are only 2 armies in the territory to begin with, as only 1 of
them can move anyway). On a 1 or 2, only a single army moves. On a 3 or 4, move half
the armies (rounded up). On a 5 or 6, move all but 1 of the armies.
5. Before moving the Apocalytes, players in that territory may decide to quarantine (see
Quarantine, below). If they choose not to, or the quarantine fails, move the armies into
the destination territory.
6. After all of the Apocalyte territories chosen in step 3 have moved, proceed with combat
as described in the scenario rules.

QUARANTINE

Whenever Apocalytes attempt to move into a territory controlled by players, they may attempt to
quarantine the movement by barricading the territory borders. This may only be done if there are
at least two armies in that territory, if there is at least one supply token at that location, and only
if the player with the most armies in the territory agrees to it. If they decide to do so, a single roll
is made with the same number of dice as though the Apocalytes were making a regular attack. If
the attack has any successes, the quarantine fails, and losses occur according to the successes as
if it had been an actual attack (this does NOT count towards the three attacks they are allowed to
make following entry into the territory). If there were no successes, no Apocalytes are lost but
they will be unable to move the units into the territory.

If the territory has 2 or more supply counters, the attack must have two successes in order for the
armies to enter, and will only incur a single army loss. If there is either one success or no
successes, the Apocalytes are blocked from entering.

COMBAT

When engaging in combat, it works similarly to Risk, but with a few differences. You still roll
up to 3 dice for the attackers (or less if there are less than 3 attackers), and still roll up to 2 dice
for the defenders (or 1 if there is only 1 defender), and victory goes to the defender in case of a
tie. However, unlike Risk, only 3 attacks may be made in a single turn (instead of proceeding
until the fight is won or the attacker decides to stop). Even if one side does not completely win,
they may continue to occupy the same territory.

When Apocalytes attack, they will always target whoever has the most armies in the territory.

WINNING THE GAME

Victory comes by clearing all Apocalytes from the board. On the other hand, if the Apocalytes
overrun all the players, there is no winner.

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 APOCALYTE SCENARIO #1:
ZOMBIES

DESCRIPTION

Its a zombie outbreak! There may not be many to start with, but the number of undead grows
rapidly as they infect the surrounding population, converting their victims into even more
zombies

STARTING PLACEMENT

After the board has been set up according to standard set-up rules, shuffle the territory cards and
draw 6 cards at random. These are the starting locations of the Apocalytes (hereafter referred to
as zombies); place five zombie armies in each of these locations. Then, proceed with the first
wave of combat; during this wave, treat all territories as though they did not have supplies (the
onset of the zombie infection is so sudden, nobody has time to initially prepare for it).

INCREASING ZOMBIE FORCES

Zombies will continue to attack any local survivors even if the fighting bulk of the population is
gone. At the beginning of the zombies turn, set aside territory cards for any territories occupied
only by zombie armies. Draw 1/3 of them at random (rounded up, maximum of 3) and place a
zombie army on that territory. If there are no territories with only zombie armies, no forces are
added.

ZOMBIES IN COMBAT

Combat works according to the normal Apocalyte rules, with the following exceptions:

1. When an army is defeated by the zombies, remove that army and place an additional
zombie army in the same territory.
2. If there are no supply counters in the territory, re-roll the lowest zombie attack or
defense die (not one of the players dice) if the zombies would incur any losses because
of the initial roll.
3. If there are two or more supply counters in the territory, a player may choose to re-roll
one of their attack or defense dice (not one of the zombies dice) if they wish.

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 APOCALYTE SCENARIO #2:
INFECTION

DESCRIPTION

An outbreak of a deadly virus is sweeping the globe; it spreads quickly through the air, is 100%
fatal, and no human appears to be immune. Humanitys only hope is to contain the outbreak
long enough for a cure to be found

STARTING PLACEMENT

Shuffle all the territory cards and select one at random; this is ground zero for the Apocalytes
(hereafter referred to as infected). Remove a single army in the territory and replace it with an
infected army. Then, proceed with the first infected turn (see below), but skip the terminal
phase.

SPREAD OF INFECTION

Combat comes first on the infected armies turn; roll combat as normal, but do not remove any
infected armies as a result of combat. Replace any other lost armies with infected armies.

After combat, when determining infected movement, count all territories that contain any
number of infected armies, and only check for destination territories that contain no infected
armies; those territories may still attempt to quarantine. If the infection proceeds, instead of
moving units, make a single roll. On a roll of 3 or greater (4 or greater if there is a supply
counter there, 5 or greater if there are two or more supply counters), remove one army in the
territory belonging to the player with the most armies there, and replace it with an infected army.

At the end of the turn is the terminal phase. Roll a die for every territory with infected armies;
on a roll of 6, remove half the infected armies there, rounded up. If this leaves no armies left in
the territory, mark it with a special counter; that territory can no longer be entered until a cure is
found (see below).

FINDING A CURE

Players may make attacks against the infected armies if there are any supply counters present.
These attacks always roll against 2 defense dice, and result in no losses on either side. If there
are two successes in the attack, roll two dice; if the roll is a double, a part of the cure is found!
Once all 3 parts are found, any successful attacks made against infected armies when there are
any supply counters present will result in the destroyed infected armies being removed and
replaced with armies of the attacking player. Armies may also at this point take supplies into a
territory with a special counter (see above); if they do, the special counter is removed.

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 APOCALYTE SCENARIO #3:
MUTANTS

DESCRIPTION

In the aftermath of a nuclear war, the radiation has mutated the surviving population near ground
zero of the strikes. The mutants hate humanity and seek to destroy it by any means necessary

STARTING PLACEMENT

Shuffle the territory cards together and draw six of them at random. Mark these territories with
special counters; they are the ground zero locations; no player armies may ever enter these
territories. In these territories, remove all player armies and replace with eight Apocalyte armies
each (hereafter referred to as mutants). The mutants then get their first turn to move and attack.

INCREASING MUTANT FORCES

At the beginning of the mutants turn, set aside territory cards for any territories occupied only by
mutant armies, excluding ground zero locations. Draw one of them and place two mutant armies
on that territory. If there are no territories with only mutant armies, no forces are added.

MOVING SUPPLIES

When mutants move, if the forces they are moving into the destination territory outnumber the
player forces there, they will bring all supply tokens from their territory along with them
(maximum of 2). In addition, players may only move supplies out of a territory containing
mutants if they have the same number of forces or greater.

MUTANTS IN COMBAT

Combat with mutants works just like regular combat, except for the following:

1. Mutants are only defeated if two successes are made against them, and they only lose a
single army. If each side makes a success, only the player army is lost. Ignore this rule if
player forces equal or outnumber the mutant forces and there are two or more supply
counters present.
2. If mutants outnumber the player forces and there are two or more supply counters
present, they will also re-roll their lowest die, but only in the case of two successes
against them.

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 APOCALYTE SCENARIO #4:
ALIENS

DESCRIPTION

Earth is being invaded by an extraterrestrial threat, an alien mothership coordinating an attack

STARTING PLACEMENT

Shuffle the territory cards and draw one at random. Place a special counter on this territory; it
represents the location of the alien mothership at the starting location of the Apocalytes
(hereafter referred to as the aliens). Remove all player armies and supply counters from this
territory and replace them with fifteen Apocalyte armies. The aliens then take their first turn, but
no additional aliens are added on this turn.

INCREASING ALIEN FORCES

At the beginning of the aliens turn, place two armies on the territory with the mothership. If
there are any supply counters in territories that contain only alien armies, remove those counters
from the board and place three more armies on the motherships territory for each counter
removed. If the mothership has been destroyed (see below), no new units may be added.

ALIEN MOVEMENT AND COMBAT

Aliens move according to the normal Apocalyte rules. If aliens move from the territory
containing the mothership and all but one unit is moving, the mothership will accompany the
units (leaving behind the single alien army in the territory).

Combat with aliens works according to the normal Apocalyte rules, with one exception.
Whenever an alien army would be lost in combat, roll a die; if the roll is 3 or higher, the army is
not lost. If there is a supply counter in the territory, the roll must be 4 or higher. If there are two
supply counters, the roll must be 5 or higher.

MOTHERSHIP COMBAT

If the mothership is no longer accompanied by any alien armies (i.e., all the armies there have
been defeated) but also has player armies in the same territory, at the end of that players turn
they may make a single attempt to destroy the mothership by rolling 1 attack die and 2 defense
dice. If the attack succeeds, remove the special counter.

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 APOCALYTE SCENARIO #5:
DEMONS

DESCRIPTION

Ancient portals have opened, releasing a flood of demons into the earth. Though they are small,
they are numerous, and more are constantly coming in. Humanitys only hope is to seal the
portals before they are overrun

STARTING PLACEMENT

Shuffle the territory cards and draw four of them. Place a special counter in each territory; these
are the portal locations, and the starting locations of the Apocalytes (hereafter referred to as
demons). Place ten demon armies at each portal location. The demons then take their first turn,
but no new demon armies are placed this turn.

INCREASING DEMON FORCES

At the start of the demons turn, place two demon armies at each portal location.

COMBAT WITH DEMONS

Combat works as it does under the normal Apocalyte rules, with one exception. Demons need
two successes when attacking or defending in order to defeat a single player army, but if they
only have one success, they will re-roll their lowest roll.

MOVING SUPPLY COUNTERS

Supply counters are important for closing portals (see below). Players may only move them,
however, if their forces outnumber the demon forces in the territory they are moving from.

CLOSING A PORTAL

At the end of a players turn, if they have armies in a territory containing both a portal and four
or more supply counters, they may choose to remove all the counters in that territory (the supply
counters and the special counter representing the portal). At this point, the portal is closed, and
no further demons will appear there. Remember that only two supply counters can be moved at a
time, so it may take some time to gather enough counters to close the portal.

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 APOCALYTE SCENARIO #6:
METEOR

DESCRIPTION

A giant meteor is going to collide with Earth; the smaller meteorites that fall across the globe and
the panicked riots are only a precursor to the destruction of all life on the planet. But perhaps it
can be destroyed before time runs out

STARTING PLACEMENT

Shuffle the territory cards and draw eight cards at random. Place one Apocalyte army in each of
these territories (hereafter referred to as rioters). The rioters then take their first turn, but skip the
addition of more rioters and the falling of meteorites. Rioters do not move, and they fight
according to the normal Apocalyte rules, although they will never initiate attacks, only defend.

FALLING METEORITES

At the beginning of the rioters turn, shuffle the territory cards and draw one at random. A
meteorite has fallen and obliterated this territory; remove all armies and supply counters at that
location and mark it with a special counter; armies may no longer move through this territory.
Remove that territorys card from the deck so that it may not be drawn again when determining
other falling meteorites and the placement of rioters (see below).

After the 13th meteorite has fallen (giving the players one last chance for victory, see below), the
meteor itself strikes, and the game ends in failure.

INCREASING RIOTER FORCES

After the meteorite falls, place one rioter army in each territory bordering the one just destroyed
(except in other destroyed territories). Shuffle all remaining territory cards and draw five cards
at random. Place one rioter army in each of these territories.

STOPPING THE METEOR

Stopping the meteor requires a large missile to be constructed; doing so will require a lot of
resources. Only one supply counter may be moved per move (instead of the normal two), and
supplies may not be moved if there are rioters in the same territory. After any meteorite has
fallen (including the one on the 13th turn before the meteor hits), if there are 8 supply counters on
a single territory with no rioters present, the missile is fired and the game ends in victory.

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