Diplomacy variants

Well, wether a variant is good or not is dificult to evaluate. The best and more dedicated designers of historical variants I've found so far are B.M. Powell (aka Baron von Powell) and David E. Cohen. Both have created some very good historical variants, most of them I've had the pleasure of playing. While David does try to get them in RP format, Baron is uninterested in it - the result is that not all the variants are in RP format. Another interesting job is Sengoku by Benjamin Hester.

A most common place to find many variants with their RP files is Graue Substanz: http://www.int.graue-substanz.net/variants/index.htm (you will have to browse with the titles at the left as, by default you go to GS selfmade variants of which only one is historic).

Some rather good historical variants that you can find there are:

Mandate of Heaven (David Cohen) (GS modified):


Dificult to play in RP due to its special rules for the Hiong Nu. The beautiful chinese characters probably don't add to clarity. Neutral powers' troops (white) can be moved by secret vote.

1600 (T. Larsson) (GS modified):

You already know about this one.

Colonial Diplomacy (Avalon Hill Co.) (GS modified):

This is the only comercialized variant by the company that published Diplomacy and so many other excellent strategy boardgames. Comes with RP by default.

Viking Diplomacy (GS modified):

Focused on Scandinavian nations but played in all Europe and Mediterranean. A little too forced to be truly "historical".

Ancient Mediterranean:

A classical that comes with RP by default. The main problem is that there are too few players, so they must be good soloists to make the game truly interesting.

Sengoku (by B. Hester)

Played in feudal Japan: 8 players, representing the historical clans of Oda, Takeda, Shimazu, Hojo, Uesugi, Mori, Asakura and Chosokabe, fight for the Shogunate. Neutral armies (white) just hold.

Versailles Advanced:

WWII. All powers have a single minor ally randomly assigned.

So far the ones that you can find in Graue Substanz.

Thanks, will try to find them out.

and this is the third version of Modern Diplomacy:

Differences from original Modern Diplomacy:

All powers owns only two home centers (exception: Russia owns three).

All powers are divided in a number of territories equals to three times its home centers (nine
territories in case of Russia, six territories for anybody else). This condition implied in some
territories adjustment: Ast (Spain), Sid (Egypt), Tre (Turkey) and Lod (Poland) were created, while
Auv (France), Tus (Italy) and Gor (Russia) were deleted.

The supply centers in small geographical features were deleted (Monaco and Gibraltar), and its
territories were absorbed by Mar (France) and And (Spain), respectively.

All internal boundaries in neutral countries were excluded. So Algeria and Norway now form entire
countries (Western Sahara and Laponia were deleted).

Caspian Sea is unreachable, hence Iran have just south coast. The original Rostov channel into
Caspian Sea don't exist in this variant.

Some minor drawing adjustments were made in map, specially in southern Jordanian border (now it
touches RED clearly) and ARC-Ice frontiers.

Edited by TheDiplomat

Pretty nice map. We could start  from that maybe sometime?

Do you know if there is a Variant for the 1871 Europe. IT would be so magnificent. SO many major powers, Norway-Sweden, Germany, Russia, Italy, England, France, Austro-Hungary, Greece, Turkey, Spain.

Too bad. But can't anyone make one. I would but I have no compu now... nooo, it would be so unimaginareable (definetly three spelling mistakes)...

Hmm, it would. I like still the 1871 Europe.

I believe that there were 13 states: almost a perfect number.

The largest were anyhow:

1. Russia
2. Norway and Sweden Personal Union
3. Germany
4. Italy
5. Turkey
6. Austia-Hungary
7. England
8. France
9. Spain
10. Portugal
11. Greece
12. Denmark
13. Lichtenstein
14. Switzerland
15. Belgium
16. Luxembourg
17. Andorra
18. the Netherlands

This would give us 8 major powers and others could be minor or non-existant. The majors would be Norway-Sweden, Germany, Italy, Austria-Hungary, France, England, Russia and Turkey. You agree? The map in my history textbook just shows Europe after 1815 and in 1871. It is so wonderful.

Well, this is good to. The 1860 I mean. Italy and Germany haven't united and that should give us Prussia and Piedmonte.

Well, do not consider this as important text: I am using this as a picture holder for now:

Info file: http://www.graue-substanz.net/ressourcen/infotexte/dr1871_in fotext.htm

Download: http://www.graue-substanz.net/ressourcen/downloads/DR1871_v1 .4.zip

Info file: http://www.graue-substanz.net/ressourcen/infotexte/viking_in fotext.htm

Download: http://www.graue-substanz.net/ressourcen/downloads/Viking.zi p

Info file: http://www.graue-substanz.net/ressourcen/infotexte/modernIII _infotext.htm

Download: http://www.graue-substanz.net/ressourcen/downloads/ModernIII _gSModv1.0.zip

'

Info file: http://www.graue-substanz.net/ressourcen/infotexte/arab_info text.htm

Download: http://www.graue-substanz.net/ressourcen/downloads/Arab.zip

 

Edited by rider

The Middle East one seems cool either..Let's make a poll and vote for it