New Diplomacy Variant

[Duddha]

I have created some new rules for Diplomacy. Basicly my new rules adds money to the game and a lot of interesting stuff along with. I won't post the rules yet, but let me say that I have already play tested it with 13+ of my friends in giant face to face 20th Century games on a number of occasions. The goal of my variant is to add new options for players while keeping a the balance of the old game. With all of the talent on this site, I was wondering if there is an interest for play testing my mod. I run the game on the 20th Century map, 13 players. I know I have not yet spelled out the new rules but if there is a interest I will introduce my variant.

[orange]

introduce it, then you'll see if people are interested.

[connorkimbro]

i'd be interested if i knew more about it, perhaps.

[RUFFHAUS 8]

Yes, let's hear more about the new rules. The 20th Centery variant/map is a good one, which I enjoy. Tell us more.

[Duddha]

rules

Real World Diplomacy (name may change)

All of the old rules of Diplomacy apply except when stated.

Designed for the Twentieth Century Map but may be played on any.

Objective is to gain 100 million dollars in your bank by the end of the Monetary Turn (on the twentieth century map).

I’ll describe the rules by going through the order of game play.

Every turn is simultaneous

Year
-Build turn: every nation builds or removes units according to the number of supply centers they own plus the number of factories they own. May disband units and build new ones in home centers.
-There are four new units.
1. Aircraft: may occupy or be built on a supply center that is already occupied by a naval, army, little boy, ICBM, or V2. More than one aircraft cannot occupy one territory. Aircraft require 1 support and 1 million to be mobilized. Aircraft act as if they were on a separate plane than the board that armies and navies act on. Aircraft may use their move to do one of four things: move one space in any direction, support another aircraft into or in an adjacent space, support a navy or army into or in the space occupied by the aircraft, or “convoy” an army, ICBM, V2 or little boy.
a. Aircraft convoy: units convoyed by aircraft may only be convoyed into a space occupied or surrounding that aircraft convoying the unit. The unit convoyed must be adjacent to the aircraft convoying it. (Just like a navy convoy.)

2. Little Boy: may occupy or be built on a supply center that is already occupied by a naval, army, aircraft, ICBM, or V2. More than one may occupy a supply center. May only occupy supply centers while not active. Requires one support and one million to be mobilized. May be convoyed in regular fashion by aircraft, army, or navy. At the end of a session if the Little Boy is occupying a territory that is not controlled by the owner it is destroyed and a nuclear explosion occurs. If it occupies a sea territory or unmarked(supply center lacking) only all units occupying the space are destroyed. When an explosion occurs all units, except for aircraft, factories and antiaircraft are destroyed and the supply center gives no support or revenue for the next build and monetary turn and must be recaptured.

3. ICBM: act as Little Boys and V2 at same time. Max distance allowed to target is 6. Moves three per spring or fall.
4. V2: cut support, move two before destroyed. Requires no support or mobilization cost. May only stay in supply centers, if not destroyed. May be convoyed.

-Monetary turn: at the start of the monetary turn every nation receives their GNP, or # supply centers plus factories in 1 million dollars. This money starts in the nations bank. The money is than distributed. The money can be spent on a number of things.
-Mobilizing a unit costs 1 million. Each million spent on mobilization allows the player to write the same number of orders during both the Spring and Fall moves. So, if a nation spends 5 million on mobilization the player may only write five orders during both the Spring and Fall movement phases, 5 in spring and 5 in fall. The orders do not have to be for the same units for both the Spring and Fall moves.
-Building a factory costs 2 million. Factories may be built in any supply center and count as an extra supply center for the owner of that territory. Factories are not built until the build turn, so they count for the next monetary turn. When a supply center changes hands all factories and factories under construction are destroyed. A second factory may be built in a supply center that already has a factory with the research of improved manufacturing technology.
-Building antiaircraft cost 1 million. Requires antiaircraft technology. Built on the build turn like factories. They may only be built on a supply center. Antiaircraft may be ordered to disrupt (cut support or a convoy) an occupying aircraft unless supported. Antiaircraft do not move. This order is written by the owner of the territory and do not require mobilization. When territories change hands antiaircraft are destroyed.
-Money may be put into research of new technology. The money is assigned to a specific technology and is cumulative from year to year for that technology. The benefits from that technology become available at the start of the next year when research is completed (the next build turn). Every technology has a different cost that may vary for country size. There are five technologies. Technology may not be transferred from one country to another.
1. A-Bomb: allows construction of little boy.
Costs: 3 plus ½ #supply centers
2. Rocketry: allows construction of V2.
Costs: 1 plus 1/3 #supply centers
3. Antiaircraft: allows construction of antiaircraft guns.
Costs: 1 plus ¼ #supply centers
4. Improved Manufacturing: allows construction of a second factory.
Costs: 2 plus ½ #supply centers
5. Long Range missiles (Requires both A-Bomb and Rocketry completed): Allows
construction of ICBMs.
Cost: 4 plus ½ # of supply centers
-Money may be transferred to other nation’s banks. There are two ways.
1. An investment: a nation sends money to other nations bank. The investor is essentially buying a portion of the other nations bank. The investor now owns a fraction of the other nation’s bank. That fraction is the fraction of the investment over the nations GNP plus investment. So if a nation of 4 gets 2 from investment the investor now owns 2/6 of the nation’s bank. An investor may pull their share out of the nations GNP in the monetary turn.
2. A Grant: a nation sends money to other nation’s bank. This money has no actual strings attached.

Players distribute their GNP simultaneously and post it.

Post-Monetary turn: ends the monetary turn.
Nations that had other nations put money into their country must decide whether or not to accept it. If it is not accepted the money goes back to the other nations bank were it can not be used until the next monetary turn.
Investor’s fraction of a countries bank is also figured during this phase.
Banks that gained money may spend it in the Post Monetary turn. Banks that spent money which were lost must decide where not to spend money.

Spring
Fall
Just like regular diplomacy except for the new units and rules.

The game starts in the first Monetary turn.


If certian aspects of the rules are not clear, which I sure some are (this is only the second written version of the rules), please ask.

As I have said, I have play tested it with friends and we have a lot of fun. The simple fact that you now have transparent diplomactic capitol (cash) really adds new layers and dimensions to the game.

I believe the underlining concept of this variant is sound. My goal is to balance the variant, especially for things like the costs of certian technologies. If you are interested in play testing the game or have any suggestions please tell me.

[orange]

damn that's complicated...i think i'll sit it out

[Duddha]

Have my rules scared people off?

[orange]

in a word...HELLYES

[Thucydides]

Actually, I was sort of thinking of a new variant myself. I'm not going to start a game yet, but I just wanted to write it down so I don't forget about it and maybe get some comment on it. I was thinking what would happen if the league of nations or UN was modeled into Diplomacy and this is what I came up with. I'm really sort of interested in how this affects strategy in diplomacy. Would be especially interesting on a map with alot of hotly contested spaces in which peace has to be maintaned between two or more adjacent nations.

UN Diplomacy
Deleted. See version 1.2 below.


This is just a rough draft, but it seems simple enough to work while adding another dimension to the diplomacy, and provide a way to handle the dilemma of building trust around areas that are too likely to blow up into explosive conflicts (think English Channel, Black Sea, Trieste-Vienna just in Standard, it's worse in other variants). Any thoughts, comments, ideas, complaints?

[Duddha]

Thucydides,
Your variant is an interesting idea. One thing I don't get from the description is what benefits a nation would gain from joining the UN? I would like the see how your idea progresses.

in a word...HELLYES

I promise that it is simpler then it appears.

[Thucydides]

I think your right Duddha. OK, a made some major changes to how it works, added more benefits to UN membership and I'm starting to like it even more, especially since I think this should model the breakdown of such an organization as war continues.

UN Diplomacy version 1.2

Played on any map. Any Nation may start out as part of the UN when they chose a country. After the game starts, nations may only join the UN if voted in by the current members. See rules on voting below.

In order to join the UN, a nation must hand over control of at least one unit that it owns to the UN. To keep down the number of votes, each UN country can only make one proposal for moving a unit a turn. In addition, if two opposing moves for the same unit somehow get voted through, the unit just holds for that turn.

In exchange for this hand over, a nation gets to develop a neutral supply center, giving it aid to help fight off foreign agression, thus generating a UN build in the host nation . Each nation who is part of the UN Security Council chooses one Neutral S.C or UN protectorate in which to build an army or fleet for peacekeeping, which is also owned by the UN. This unit gains support from it's home S.C, and if this S.C. is ever taken over by a foreign power, is disbanded during winter builds.

All UN troops still maintain a label of which country they originally belong to and regain control of the unit they gave up when leaving the UN.

However, no country directly controls UN troops. Rather, every nation who is in the UN gets a vote on the UN Security council. During Winter builds or Summer retreats, any member may put up the use of UN troops to a vote.

If there is no nay votes on the use of troops, the UN troops move as so directed. Members have a set time period in which they can vote, and if they don't vote in that period they are considered to have abstained (which is the same as if they voted yes).

UN troops can take control off any non home supply center in which they occupy during the fall. Any S.C. taken control of by the UN is considered a UN Protectorate, and is considered for all intents and purposes the same as a neutral S.C. If a UN unit occupies a home supply center it does not gain control of it, as it is only considered to be passing through.(obviously, you can't build on that home S.C. though).

If a nation leaves the UN, it's not allowed to rejoin for the entire game. The leaving nation gains back control of any UN troops that it lent to the UN, and any UN protectorates that the troop happen to be on during fall moves end up in the hands of the occuping army. Nations may only leave the UN during spring or fall moves.

What does everyone think? Any comments or ideas would be appreciated.