The short version#
Contact Front sits between the two. Like Diplomacy, everyone writes their orders at the same time, nobody sees anyone else's, and they all play out together. Like Risk, armies of different sizes fight battles that the stronger side usually wins, but not always. On top of that: teams, real maps, fog of war, and turns that wait for you.
| Contact Front | Diplomacy | Risk | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turns | Everyone orders at once | Everyone orders at once | One player at a time |
| Battles | Odds from each side's strength | No luck: the side with more support wins | Dice for each attack |
| Map | Real borders and terrain (maps) | Europe before the First World War | A stylised world map |
| What you see | Fog of war: enemy stacks near your land only | The whole board | The whole board |
| Sides | One against one, teams, or free-for-all | Seven players, each alone | Each player alone |
| Units | Infantry, armor, artillery and air | Armies and fleets | Armies |
| Game length | Turns from minutes to days, played around your day | Online sites run turns on deadlines | Usually one long sitting |
If you like Diplomacy#
The heart of the game is the same: you can't react to what the enemy does this turn, only guess. Every stack moves at once, one province per step, and battles happen wherever enemies meet. Two armies that swap places fight on the border. A province you leave can be taken while you march into theirs. Moving at the same time covers the tricks.
What's different:
- Battles have odds. A side's strength is the sum of its units, changed by terrain, rivers, digging in, supply and support. Equal strength is a 50% chance; twice the enemy's strength wins 80% of the time. See Battles & odds.
- Support has a source you can see. Artillery adds to a fight next door without moving in, and planes strike from a city in range. See Artillery and Air.
- You don't see everything. You always see who owns each province, but enemy stacks are hidden away from your own land. A plane can scout ahead.
- Teams are real teams. Teammates share a side, plan together in team chat and win together. A bot can fill a seat.
If you like Risk#
You still build armies in your cities, push across a map and try to take every enemy city. What's different:
- No waiting for your turn. Everyone gives orders at once, then watches the whole turn resolve, so a game with many players doesn't drag.
- One result per battle, with the odds shown. Before you commit, your order shows your chance of winning, and why. After the battle, the battle card shows exactly what each side had.
- The ground matters. Mountains, forests and cities favour the defender, a river crossing weakens an attack, and an army cut off from its supply fights weaker. See Terrain & rivers and Supply & cutting off.
- Different units for different jobs. Armor moves two provinces, artillery supports from next door, and planes strike, cover and scout.
Playing it#
Contact Front is free and runs in the browser on a phone or a computer. You can try a game against bots with no account, or sign in with Google or Apple to play people online. The Quick Start gets you through your first game in five minutes.
Risk and Diplomacy are trademarks of Hasbro. Contact Front is an independent game, not affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro.