by Lewis Pulsipher

First a bit of history.  This game is a relative of ANARCHY I and II, by Don Miller.  I have not read the rules for either, but brief mention of both in one of Don’s ‘zines planted the seed that grew into A IV.  A recent article by Rick Brooks has given me a better idea of what A I and II were like.  There were 34 players in I, each beginning with a center, and 17 in II, each with two centers.  All centers captured by a player up to a center number (five, I think) were “home” centers.  When he reached five, a player had to designate three centers as permanent homes.

1.  The 1961 board and 1971 Diplomacy rules will be used, with the following changes.

2.  There are seven players, but “regular” Diplomacy countries are not used.  Each player will name his country at the start of the game.

3.  Each player receives three “home” centers at the beginning of the game.  All other centers are neutral.  These “home” centers are selected at random by the GM according to the following guidelines:  A) each player will have one center in two different countries of the “regular” game and one neutral center of same; B) a player may not have home centers within two spaces (sea and/or land) of each other; C) there may not be two “regular” countries in which the same two players have centers, and no “regular” country may contain other than two “home” centers; D) each player must receive at least one coastal center.

4.  The first move is Winter 1900 Builds.  Throughout the game a player may build only in his three “home” centers.

5.  Victory criterion is 21 units on the board.

This system can be applied to FTF game when less than seven are available.  The situations that result are fascinating, and of course play cannot become stereotyped.