It is 2050, and the world is not as it should be. Tides crash upon the shorelines, smashing everything in their reach. Hurricanes whip down out of nowhere and destroy entire cities while uncontrollable firestorms rip across nearly every continent. Viruses rage out of control. Within this chaos, nefarious factions work from the shadows carrying out disinformation campaigns and mobilizing mercenaries to collect a new mysterious energy resource of incalculable power. These factions, led by ruthless warlords, are vying for power and control, but they are also simply battling for the destiny of humanity. The shadow conflict begins.

Risk: Shadow Forces is a legacy-style game. You'll write on your game, mark it, put stickers on it, and even throw away parts of it. Each game played will change every future game. All players shape how their world evolves: its history, its cities, even its factions and how they will fight. Cards and stickers will come into play. Unlock new rules and watch events unfold with every game. No two games will be the same.

More specifically, the game comes with four sealed envelopes and one sealed container. You will be directed to open these envelopes as you play campaign missions in order.

Warlords have emerged to not only lead the various factions, but to go on covert missions as well. Each of these covert missions is a squad-level skirmish game that have a direct effect on the world map in certain undetermined secret locations.