3Vee
04-11-2008, 12:50 AM
The last couple of weeks I've been working on constructing a Diplomacy board for a five-player variant based on 18th Century European politics. I cannot promise a completely balanced board at the moment, but I currently consider it playable at the least, and we have enough experienced people here that I can probably rely on the requisite alliances being formed to offset board imblance. In other words, no position is so imbalanced as to be inherently winning.
The board is attached. A word about the various positions, both as compared to the normal Diplomacy board and in the game:
Overview
France is the only power which occupies essentially the same position in this variant. England and Russia are completely removed. Italy is not a power. The Ottoman Empire starts further west than Turkey on the normal board. The Holy Roman Empire takes a place in between the normal game's Germany and Austria, both geographically and strategically. Sweden and Spain are powers. Spain compares to Italy in some ways and England in others; Sweden approximates Russia for some purposes but does not have a comparable position.
The Nations
France
France starts in a disadvantageous position between Spain and the Holy Roman Empire, and cannot be expected to expand quickly. However, with relatively easy control of the Atlantic and judicious use of alliances - possibly with more distant powers - France should be able to survive and even prosper. Play for France probably will compare in some ways with play for Austria in the original game.
Holy Roman Empire
The Empire occupies the middle of the board. Expansion should be easy at first, but the player has to remember to watch out for opposed alliances. Alliance with other powers is probably necessary for survival, otherwise the Empire could easily fall victim to assault on multiple fronts.
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire has reached the limit of reasonable expansion. Beyond the first year, every acquisition will have to be fought for. If allowed to expand, however, its relatively compact territory makes defense easy and the Ottomans a true threat in the game, as well as being hard to kill off.
Spain
Spain occupies an odd position, straddling two of the Mediterranean peninsulas. Expansion is incredibly easy at first, but bringing those forces to bear on the larger theater may prove difficult. Spain may compare in some ways to Turkey in the original game if her control of the Italian peninsula is called into question.
Sweden
Sweden holds the north of the board at the beginning of the game. The Swedes can establish a power base with reasonable ease, but probably require cooperation from other powers to push farther south. Cooperation with the Ottomans could prove deadly to the other players, if they are unsuspecting.
The Map
Constantinople and Turkey are separate, but armies can move between them. The Black Sea and the Aegean communicate immediately. That is to say, both F Bla -> Aeg and A Tur -> Con are valid orders, and if issued on the same turn, will both succeed. (This may change after the map is played a couple times, but for now this is how it works.)
The Skagerrak between Denmark and the northern Scandinavian peninsula separates the two completely. A Den -> Swe, or vice versa, is not a valid order.
Starting Units
France: A Par, A Nav, F Tou
HRE: A Hun, A Pal, F Aus
Ottomans: A Con, A Gre F Tur
Spain: A Cas, A Nap, F Mor
Sweden: A Got, F Fin, F Swe
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I need five players for this game, and others who want to sign up as potential replacements are welcome. No matter the circumstances, I will not play. Post in the thread if you want to play and PM me with your top two country choices.
I am anticipating a five to seven day turn limit, working with the following mechanic:
- Each Spring, Fall, and Winter (Build/Disband) turn will be a full turn.
- Retreat orders, when necessary, will be on a two or three day deadline
- As soon as I have all orders for a turn, I will get the map up as quickly as possible, with the next turn beginning from the time the map is up.
- Any orders not in by the deadline, even if they are in before I make the map, will not count.
- If you cannot make a deadline, PM me or post in the thread at least twenty-four hours before the deadline and give a reasonable deadline you can make. Reasonable means postponed not more than two to four days.
- If Warboards goes down, for whatever reason, for a significant amount of time (more than about 18 hours?), I will postpone the deadline by a comparable amount of time.
I am open for now as to suggestions for modifying the turn length or starting units. Please do state a preference for specific turn length and allowable postponement in the range I gave. If you look at the other game I am currently GMing, you will notice that I tend to be a hardliner when it comes to sticking to deadlines, so expect this, and no whining.
Do NOT volunteer to play unless you can commit at least three months to the game. Five or six is far more likely. A longer game even than that would not be extraordinary.
Thanks for playing, for reading even if you're not going to play, and have fun!
The board is attached. A word about the various positions, both as compared to the normal Diplomacy board and in the game:
Overview
France is the only power which occupies essentially the same position in this variant. England and Russia are completely removed. Italy is not a power. The Ottoman Empire starts further west than Turkey on the normal board. The Holy Roman Empire takes a place in between the normal game's Germany and Austria, both geographically and strategically. Sweden and Spain are powers. Spain compares to Italy in some ways and England in others; Sweden approximates Russia for some purposes but does not have a comparable position.
The Nations
France
France starts in a disadvantageous position between Spain and the Holy Roman Empire, and cannot be expected to expand quickly. However, with relatively easy control of the Atlantic and judicious use of alliances - possibly with more distant powers - France should be able to survive and even prosper. Play for France probably will compare in some ways with play for Austria in the original game.
Holy Roman Empire
The Empire occupies the middle of the board. Expansion should be easy at first, but the player has to remember to watch out for opposed alliances. Alliance with other powers is probably necessary for survival, otherwise the Empire could easily fall victim to assault on multiple fronts.
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire has reached the limit of reasonable expansion. Beyond the first year, every acquisition will have to be fought for. If allowed to expand, however, its relatively compact territory makes defense easy and the Ottomans a true threat in the game, as well as being hard to kill off.
Spain
Spain occupies an odd position, straddling two of the Mediterranean peninsulas. Expansion is incredibly easy at first, but bringing those forces to bear on the larger theater may prove difficult. Spain may compare in some ways to Turkey in the original game if her control of the Italian peninsula is called into question.
Sweden
Sweden holds the north of the board at the beginning of the game. The Swedes can establish a power base with reasonable ease, but probably require cooperation from other powers to push farther south. Cooperation with the Ottomans could prove deadly to the other players, if they are unsuspecting.
The Map
Constantinople and Turkey are separate, but armies can move between them. The Black Sea and the Aegean communicate immediately. That is to say, both F Bla -> Aeg and A Tur -> Con are valid orders, and if issued on the same turn, will both succeed. (This may change after the map is played a couple times, but for now this is how it works.)
The Skagerrak between Denmark and the northern Scandinavian peninsula separates the two completely. A Den -> Swe, or vice versa, is not a valid order.
Starting Units
France: A Par, A Nav, F Tou
HRE: A Hun, A Pal, F Aus
Ottomans: A Con, A Gre F Tur
Spain: A Cas, A Nap, F Mor
Sweden: A Got, F Fin, F Swe
-------
I need five players for this game, and others who want to sign up as potential replacements are welcome. No matter the circumstances, I will not play. Post in the thread if you want to play and PM me with your top two country choices.
I am anticipating a five to seven day turn limit, working with the following mechanic:
- Each Spring, Fall, and Winter (Build/Disband) turn will be a full turn.
- Retreat orders, when necessary, will be on a two or three day deadline
- As soon as I have all orders for a turn, I will get the map up as quickly as possible, with the next turn beginning from the time the map is up.
- Any orders not in by the deadline, even if they are in before I make the map, will not count.
- If you cannot make a deadline, PM me or post in the thread at least twenty-four hours before the deadline and give a reasonable deadline you can make. Reasonable means postponed not more than two to four days.
- If Warboards goes down, for whatever reason, for a significant amount of time (more than about 18 hours?), I will postpone the deadline by a comparable amount of time.
I am open for now as to suggestions for modifying the turn length or starting units. Please do state a preference for specific turn length and allowable postponement in the range I gave. If you look at the other game I am currently GMing, you will notice that I tend to be a hardliner when it comes to sticking to deadlines, so expect this, and no whining.
Do NOT volunteer to play unless you can commit at least three months to the game. Five or six is far more likely. A longer game even than that would not be extraordinary.
Thanks for playing, for reading even if you're not going to play, and have fun!