Risk

---

Risk logo 1959

Names:
--- "La Conquête du Monde" (1957)
--- "Risk! Continental Game" (1959)

Category: Games

Subcategory: Board games

Inventor: Albert Lamorisse

Invented in: 1957

Patent:
--- France: March 23, 1954
--- UK: March 23, 1955

First producers/distributors:
--- France: Miro Company (founded in Paris in 1936 by Fred Mirowitch and Leo J. Frankenthal, acquired by Hasbro in 1986)
--- USA: Parker Brothers (founded in Medford, Massachusetts, in 1883 by George S. Parker, acquired by Hasbro in 1991)

Production start:
--- France: 1957 as "La Conquête du Monde" (The Conquest of the World)
--- USA: 1959 as "Risk! Continental Game"

First price (1959): 7.50 USD

Features (referred to the 1959 Parker Brothers' "Risk! Continental Game"): Risk is a turn-based game for 3, 4, 5 or 6 players. The game is played on a board depicting a political map of the Earth, divided into forty-two territories, which are grouped into six continents. The object of the game is to occupy every territory on the board and in so doing, eliminate all other players. Players control armies with which they attempt to capture territories from other players, with results determined by dice rolls. Equipment:
--- A. Six sets of playing pieces, each set of a different color, consisting of a box of cubes and several oblong pieces in a separate box. Each cube represents one army and the oblong pieces are equivalent to ten armies.
--- B. A playing board showing a map of the six continents, each of which is subdivided into a number of territories.
--- C. A deck of 44 cards plus one Trade-mark card which is not used in the play of the game.
--- D. Six dice, 3 of which are red and 3 of which are ivory-colored.

Interesting facts: During the 1950s, Parker Brothers formed an affiliation with the Miro Company in Paris for the manufacture and distribution of their games in France. In exchange, Parker Brothers agreed to manufacture and distribute some of Miro's games in the United States. In the summer of 1957, Mr. Boisseau of Miro approached Parker Brothers with "La Conquête du Monde" (The Conquest of the World), a game invented by French filmmaker, film producer, and writer Albert Lamorisse, best known for his award-winning short films like "Le Ballon rouge" (The red balloon, 1956). After extensive testing, the French game's rules were adapted for American tastes, and, in 1959, Parker Brothers launched "Risk! Continental Game". Through the years, the game has become a household name all around the world. In addition to the original version of 1959, a number of official variants and not-licensed clones of Risk have been produced over the years. Hasbro bought Miro Company in 1986, and subsequently Parker Brothers in 1991.

Property: Miro Company - Parker Brothers - Hasbro, Inc.

Producer website: http://www.hasbro.com

La Conquête du Monde (The Conquest of the World), original version of the board game Risk (1957), invented by Albert Lamorisse, produced and distributed by Miro Company

Albert Lamorisse (Paris, January 13, 1922 - Karaj, June 2, 1970), the French filmmaker, film producer, and writer, who invented the board game "La Conquête du Monde" (The Conquest of the World) in 1957, original version of the game Risk. Lamorisse is best known for his award-winning short films, like "Le Ballon rouge" (The red balloon, 1956), which won numerous awards, including an Oscar for Lamorisse for the best original screenplay, and the Palme d'Or for short films at the Cannes Film Festival.

Risk! Continental Game, first version of the board game Risk by Parker Brothers (1959)

Risk, introduction to the game from the instruction manual (1959)

Risk advertising (1961)

Risk advertisement: «He conquered the world in one afternoon!» (1966)

Hasbro celebrate 60 years of Risk (1959-1999). This special 60th Anniversary edition of the Risk game celebrates its legacy with premium packaging and game pieces. For true Risk fans, the included Game Guide reveals the history of the Risk strategy game. It also features 5 ways to play the Risk board game including the classic game plus the original 1957 La Conquête du Monde rules.