AEDip04: Versailles Diplomacy

Message Share Topic Printable Version Google Delicious Digg StumbleUpon Windows Live Yahoo Bookmarks reddit Facebook MySpace Newsvine Furl Topic Search Topic Options Post Reply Create New Topic

It's my pleasure to officially announce the start of the new All Empires Diplomacy game, this time in the Europe of the 1930s. 

Previous recruitment, discussion and country assignements has been done in the context of THIS TOPIC. 

Starting map (Winter 1928)

The major powers will be played by the following people:

  Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (General Secretary Josif Brod Stalin): TheDiplomat
  United Kingdom of Great Britain (PM Stanley Baldwin*): Bishop
  French Republic (President Gaston Doumerge): TheGeneral

  Federal Republic of Germany (President Paul von Hindenburg): Kapikulu
  Kingdom of Italy (PM Benito Mussolini): Magua
  Republic of Poland (Strongman J�zef Pilsudski***): Rider
  Republic of Turkey (President Mustafa Kemal Ataturk): Hugoestr

Historical notes:

* Baldwin was replaced in June 1929 by Ramsay McDonald.

** Though a parlamentary republic, France passed these years by a rapid
succession of Prime Ministers, so I found easier to name the more
stable figure of the President.

*** Pilsudski held various offices, including that of Prime Minister
occasionally, nevertheless he was always the strong man behind. 

The rules applied to this variant are the same as in standard Diplomacy (read them HERE)
with one exception: there are 7 minor powers (Spain, Sweden,
Czechoslovakia, Rumania, Yugoslavia, Greece and Egypt) each one owning
one army or fleet. These minor powers will be controlled according to
the following rule:

Special
rule for the management of armed minor powers in variants that provide for them:

Each major
power (player) has as many Influence Points (IPs) as centers it owns. Every
Winter the player can allocate them for any available minor power(s) at will. 

Each winter
then the GM will count the IPs allocated at each minor power ruling its
allaince for the upcoming year to the power that more "votes" has
achieved in that particular "poll" or "influence struggle".
Players are not obligued to "vote" for themselves (default) but can
also explictly allocate their IPs for other major powers.

IP
allocation will remain secret in any case. 

The major
power obtaining single majority in each individual votation, gets the alliance
(total cotrol) of the minor power for the full following year. A tie on top
votes causes the minor power to stay neutral for the subsequent year.
Examples (using Versailles variant) in
Winter 1928 (prior to the game start):

(1)
Czechoslovakia:

Germany
3 IPs
Poland
2 IPs
Italy
1 IP

Germany
obtains alliance (control) of Czechoslovakia for all 1929 (3 vs 2)

(2) Spain:

France:
3 IPs
Britain:
2 IPs
Italy
: 1 IP for Britain

Spain stays
neutral in 1929 (3 vs 3)

(3) Greece:

Italy:
1 IP

Italy
attains the Greece alliance for 1929

(4)
Yugoslavia:

Turkey:
2 IPs
 USSR:
1 IP

Turkey
obtains Yugoslav alliance in 1929 (2 vs 1)

(5)
Rumania:

Poland:
2 IPs
 USSR:
1 IP 

Poland
obtains Rumanian alliance for 1929 (2 vs 1)

(6) Sweden:

USSR:
2 IPs
Britain
1 IP
 Poland:
1 IP for Britain

Sweden
stays neutral in 1929 (2 vs 2)

(7) Egypt: 

Turkey:
1 IP 

Turkey
obtains Egyptian alliance for 1929

Yet
(IMPORTANT!), the votation or IP allocation remains secret. Only the results
are published by the GM along the Winter adjustments' adjudication. 

Continuity
vote: minor powers
will cast a special � vote for their previous allies. This rule is intended to
encourage alliance continuity and minimize the posibilities that a minor power
reverses to neutrality. 

Examples (Winter 1929): 

Greece: 

Turkey:
1 IP
Italy:
1 IP
 Greece
(continuity vote): � IP for Italy

Italy
retains control over Greece in 1930 (1� vs 1)

Egypt: no
IPs invested by any major powers

Egypt
(continuity vote): � IP for Turkey

Turkey
retains control over Egypt

Rumania:

Poland:
3 IPs
USSR:
4 IPs
Rumania
(continuity vote): � IP for Poland>

USSR takes
control of Rumania (4 vs 3�)

Betrayal
penalty (loss of
credibility): 

A power can
of course occupy its minor ally's owned centers, yet this will cause the
following penalty: the traitor major power loses all IPs in the subsequent
Winter and will recover only half of them (rounded down) in the second year
after the wrongdoing. The third year after the stab, the traitor power will
have again all its IPs, unless it has comitted new acts of treason towards its
minor allies.

The
continuity vote rule is not affected by this provision. Minor powers will
remain casting their � IP for their former allies equally. 

Provisions
for minor powers reverting to neutrality: 

The unit(s)
of such minor power will act as follows:

If
it is at their home SC, it will hold
If
it is adjacent to their home SC, it will move to it
If
it is two provinces away from their home SC, it will also move to it via
the shortest possible path, deciding the GM on random bases if two or more
paths are equally available.
If it is more than 2 provinces away, it will hold  

If a
neutralized minor power owns more than one SC, the unit most distant from its
home center will move towards the other owned SC following the same provisions
as above. If both units are equally distant, the GM will decide on random
bases. 

Example: Yugoslavia controls Belgrade
(home) and Athens and has its two armies in Macedonia and Albania. One army
will move to Blegrade and the other to Athens on random choice (flipping a
coin, for instance). 

When a
minor powers can become major (played) and when an abandoned major power can
turn minor:

Any minor
power that achieves 3 SCs becomes a major power and will be assigned to a new
player. The new player will then name a second home center for his new power. 

An abandoned
major power with 2 or less SCs can become minor on GM's decission applying then
the previous rules. 

Also, complemenarily to the previous rules, here are my own house rules:

House rules:

In case of doubt the GM will have the last word, always
applying the rulebook and any special rules (as for above).
If a player fails to send orders (NMR/NBR), he will be
notified by the GM and must reply declaring if he wishes to follow with
the game. Two succesive NMRs in regular or adjustments turns (retreats
won't apply) will cause the player to be deposed and replaced - no
excuses. If the NMRing player doesn't reply to the GM's mail, he will
be deposed and replaced without any second opportunity. 

Regular turns (Spring and Fall) will be scheduled with
terms of about 5 days.
Weekends can stretch these terms a little.
Retreats' turns will have a maximum term
of 48 hrs. Only for these, the GM will adjudicate earlier if all orders
are in. If they fall fully in weekend, the term can be stretched a
little bit too. This is up to the players' needs largely. 

For this variant, Winter turns will have
an intermediate length of about 3-4 days, as the control of minor
powers can be an important matter of discussion.

Deadline extensions will be conceded upon request but I
ask the players not to abuse of them. Conditional adjustments/retreats
can be sent as alternative for short sub-turns extensions and I
encourage them.
I also encourage to send preliminary orders as soon as you
recieve the adjudication. You can send as many different sets of orders
as you need. The last one arriving will erase the previous. Please send
always full sets of orders: it doesn't matter what you sent in previous
ones.
Orders will be interpretated benevolently but any order
that is confuse enough will be declared invalid. Still I will notify
the players if there is time for that, so this should not be a problem
for novices. 

Press: I will accept white press (signed) and grey press
(anonymous). I won't accept black press (on other's name). The press
should be written with the orders' set and will be published with the
adjudication. The GM will try to write some press too and "the gallery"
(observers) can also write press (white only). Alternatively you can
post in the All Empires - General Gaming topic open for this game's
purpose (this one). 

I may add new rules in the future if necessary, always
after consulting the players.

The first deadline, for Winter 1928, affecting only the Influence
Action ("vote" for control of the minor powers), will be on Friday 30th
of 2005, at 20:00 GMT. Spring deadline will be probably scheduled for
Wednesday 4th of 2006, unless we face some sort of delays.

As always, I encourage all you to send preliminary orders as soon as possible. You can always change them later on. 

Have fun! 

PS: Map with province abbreviations:

Edited by Maju