Last year, fans of the board game RISK and the Star Wars saga were pleased to find that the two had finally joined forces to take on the table-top gaming world. RISK: Clone Wars Edition targeted the time frame surrounding Episodes II and III, staging the war between the Republic and Separatists using the classic rules of RISK. It was a hit, but left a major part of the Star Wars saga out of the war: The Original Trilogy.

Hasbro Games has now brought the entire Star Wars saga into the RISK universe by releasing Star Wars RISK: The Original Trilogy Edition, which is now available just in time for the holidays.

The classic RISK board game, which allowed players to take over the world by invading opponents' territories with armies until a single player was left covering the map, has been translated into the warring factions of the Star Wars universe as they existed during the timeframe spanning Episodes IV -- VI.

"There are similarities and differences to standard RISK," says Hasbro Games' Rob Daviau. "We've replaced countries with planets and continents with star systems. There are big systems and small systems, easy-to-defend systems and difficult systems. But it is not an exact translation of the RISK board. You still have to conquer lands and you still want to conquer groups of lands. We've just changed the scale to make it more galactic in nature."

Naturally, the powers at play to dominate the game board are different from the original RISK, which were comprised of armies from the various worldly nations. In the Original Star Wars Trilogy Edition, those multiple factions have been distilled into three basic groups: Empire, Rebellion, and the Hutts. "The Empire is trying to crush the Rebellion completely, the Rebellion is trying to find and destroy the Emperor, and the Hutts are trying to take advantage of this civil war to expand their criminal empire," says Hasbro Games' Daniel Sanfilippo. "Each faction has their own pieces, their own card decks (giving them special powers), and their own win condition."

Hardcore RISK players will find the Star Wars RISK experience just as engaging and intense as the original version. "The nice thing about RISK is that the average player is a serious game player," says Daviau. "This means we can add quite a bit to the standard RISK gameplay in order to make it feel more like Star Wars. Yes, you can play standard RISK with this board and pieces, but if you already know RISK, you can now add starships, the Force, the Death Star, and different win conditions. These new factors layer onto the strategy, pushing it in new and exciting directions."

Specifically, Star Wars RISK includes 42 planets (territories) grouped into 6 systems (continents). Each faction has two pieces, representing one unit and three units. The Rebellion has a Rebel soldier and a snowspeeder, the Empire a stormtrooper and an AT-ST, and the Hutts a Gamorrean Guard and a rancor.

"A lot of what you know from RISK certainly applies to RISK Star Wars," says Sanfilippo. "It's always been a game about a large war set against a larger-than-life backdrop. So it was a natural fit to put it in the Star Wars universe."

Look for Star Wars RISK: The Original Trilogy Edition in stores now.