an idea just came to me as of a house rule i sometimes play.
each player takes it in turns to pick a territory (picked in threes to speed things up) until they are all taken, then place troops on as per 'normal' risk.
an idea i realise because of deadbeats and time wasters this could be a no, just thought it may make games more fun as an extra option.
i say speed, because otherwise it would take years for games to start let alone finish..