The gameplay is not the same as the classic version of
Risk; instead,
Risk: Halo Wars is a version of the newly formulated version of
Risk, which was introduced with the promotional
Risk: Black Ops. Whereas an original game of
Risk could last for hours in a single setting (or across two) or, in the case of a friend of mine, across
seven years without being complete, (this game involved eight players playing via the snail-mail and ended via attrition), not everyone has that kind of time to commit to a board game. The newly formulated version of
Risk includes objective tiles that are randomly selected at the outset of the game and made visible to all, so there are win conditions short of eliminating every player on the board other than yourself. This greatly impacts the length of the game, allowing a game of
Risk: Halo Wars Collector's Edition to be completed in around one to one and a half hours, give or take.
Another game mechanic that can have strategic implications is the "Hero" piece. These pieces act as markers and actually don't represent a unit, but instead indicate that your "Hero" is present in the specific army. An army that has your Hero with it benefits from an additional point to your highest attack or defense die roll. This can help give you the edge in battles, but also serves as an indicator of where you are planning to engage in important battles, so use this feature wisely.
In fact, there are three ways to play Risk: Halo Wars Collector's Edition. Basic Training is the shortest duration version and Command Room takes longer to play, but remains fast-paced and highly strategic. For those who actually want to play a single game for several hours at a time, it is still possible to play a version of the classic Risk with Risk: Halo Wars - just use the World Conquest rules instead; these are an updated version of the original everybody-wants-to-rule-the-world gameplay.
