Earlier this year, Blizzard Entertainment announced a partnership with USAopoly in which a StarCraft variant of RISK would be produced. This new take on a classic board game promises a unique board, distinct Protoss, Terran, and Zerg units, and two heroes for each race that will give the game more strategic depth.

Here is how USAopoly summarizes RISK: StarCraft:

RISK: StarCraft

     The forthcoming release of RISK: StarCraft should whet the appetites of StarCraft players who will once again find the StarCraft universe in jeopardy. Players will choose from the Terran, Protoss or Zerg factions and six unique heroes to ultimately bring order to the galaxy. The struggles portrayed in this real time strategy game series adapt perfectly to classic tabletop RISK gameplay, and the winner will be determined by astute deployment of military might and strategic field tactics.

     RISK: StarCraft includes 3 play modes and sports over 290 custom playing pieces. More details about the game will be revealed as it moves toward release; it launches this summer and will be available in specialty stores throughout North America with a suggested retail price of $49.45.

As an SC:Legacy and Game Trade Magazine exclusive, never-before-seen images of the RISK units as well as a teaser of the playing board can be seen below, each of which can be clicked on to magnify the image.

Note that the image of the board is only a teaser, and is not the full board.

One part of the board was named by the winner of a sweepstakes that took place in March is Hell's Gates. This section of the board was shown off previously, back when the winner of the sweepstakes was announced.

As for the pieces, most of them are in-game units from StarCraft and StarCraft II. The hero units for each race are Jim Raynor and Valerian Mengsk for the Terran, Kerrigan and Za'gara for the Zerg, and Zeratul and Artanis for the Protoss.

These heroes will have unique mechanics to distinguish them from regular units, similar to other licensed RISK games. Where the player positions his or her hero can drastically turn the tide of battle, as well as the control of mineral fields, which will have game-changing effects.

Each race has two separate colors, two different heroes, two basic units, and one base. The basic units are Marines, Siege Tanks, Zerglings, Hydralisks, Zealots, and Stalkers, whereas the bases are Command Centers, Hatcheries, and Nexuses. In standard RISK, there are infantry, cavalry, and artillery units, each representing one, five, and ten men respectively. It is not yet known what each of the StarCraft RISK units will represent, since rules could be drastically different from standard RISK.

The game is meant to be played with three to six players; since the armies available are blue Terran, red Terran, purple Zerg, brown Zerg, orange Protoss, and yellow Protoss, a maximum of two players can be the same race, but nevertheless six players is possible. As the rulebook is still in development and the release date is still pending, all details are subject to change. The suggested retail price, however, is known to be $49.45 USD.

Sources:
Battle.net - World of Warcraft Monopoly and StarCraft Risk
Battle.net - RISK: StarCraft Sweepstakes Winner