Hasbro's new Star Wars Risk: The Clone Wars Edition board game was the subject of an article by Brendan I. Koerner in the Business section of last Sunday's New York Times.  Unlike previous iterations of Risk where the object is total domination, the Star Wars version rewards virtue and altruism as well as aggression -- players can actually sacrifice themselves in hopes of providing an eventual victory for their side. 

The new Star Wars Risk board game (srp $24.95), which has just been released to coincide with the May 19th opening of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, provided designers with some significant challenges since the movie ends with the destruction of the good guys (the Jedi Knights) and the triumph of the 'Evil Empire.'  The designer's solution involved a revision of the gameplay in which certain cards (such as Jedi leader Mace Windu) give players the option to use an eight-sided die and hence role a higher score.  Instead of conquering the 42 various portions of the earth depicted in the classic Risk game, players in the new Star Wars edition attempt to conquer the various planets and moons that play key roles in the George Lucas's Star Wars saga.