"Risk" is a "world conquest game" for ages 10 to adult, 2 to 6 players. The game was first issued in 1959, at the height of the Cold War. The object of the game is to occupy every territory on the board, eliminating all other players, and so conquer the world. The playing pieces fomerly represent armies, with part of the force designated as the Allied Armies (a reference to NATO and the Allied Forces of WWII). Today's Risk pieces still represent armies, but there is less emphasis on WWII and more on general global warfare.