by Kerry Slavin
1. Starting position.
1.1 Each player submits a preference list for 10 possible starting centres. The lists are evaluated by the GM to specify each players Capital City (starting centre).
1.2 Ties for preferred centre are decided by coin toss.
1.3 Capitals will be allocated by the GM so that no two Capitals are within 2 moves of each other.
1.4 Each player will start with one unit only decided by the initial adjustment described below.
It will be obvious from below that a player’s Capital should always be well defended.
2. Initial Adjustment (Winter 1897).
2.1 Each player has 10 votes total, to assign against this season’s builds (5 fleet votes and 5 army votes)
2.2 From 1 to 3 votes are to be assigned to every player’s Capital, including the players own Capital.
2.3 At least one vote must be used for each Capital.
Example.
Starting Capitals = Lon, Den, Por, Mos, Ser, Ank, Ven.
| Lon | Den | Por | Mos | Ser | Ank | Ven | Total | |
| Lon | 3f | 2a | 1a | 1a | 1a | 1f | 1f | 10 |
| Den | 3a | 2f | 1f | 1a | 1a | 1f | 1f | 10 |
| Por | 2a | 1f | 2f | 1a | 1a | 2a | 1a | 10 |
| Mos | 2a | 2f | 1f | 1a | 1a | 2a | 1a | 10 |
| Ser | 1a | 2f | 2a | 1a | 1a | 2f | 1f | 10 |
| Ank | 1f | 1f | 1f | 1a | 1a | 3f | 2a | 10 |
| Ven | 1f | 1f | 2a | 1a | 1a | 1f | 3a | 10 |
| Total | 5f,8a | 9f,2a | 5f,5a | 7a | 7a | 8f,4a | 3f,7a | 70 |
| Result | Army | Fleet | Fleet | Army | Army | Fleet | Army |
2.4 A players own vote will be used for tie breaks (as in Portugal above.)
3. Home Centres.
3.1 A player’s home centres will be their Capital and all other supply centres controlled by them at the end of Fall 1899.
3.2 Should a player’s Capital fall to another player during the period up to Fall 1899, it will be considered a Home Supply Centre for both players, but only the player currently controlling it may build there.
4. Economy.
4.1 In the year 1898 (both Spring & Fall) Capital cities produce 2 Currency units.
4.2 In the year 1899 (both Spring & Fall) Capital cities produce 3 Currency units and other HSC produce 2 Currency units.
4.3 Thereafter a player’s Capital produces 5 Currency units per movement season. A Home Supply Centre produces 3 Currency units per movement season. All other controlled Supply centres produce 2 Currency units per movement season.
4.4 Only controlled Supply Centres produce currency.
So if control of a Capital is lost, the losing player loses the benefit of 5 Currency units, but the invader only gets the benefit of 2 Currency units.
4.5 Currency units are available at the beginning of a movement season. Each player’s account balance is maintained by the GM and is only made available to the player on request and is not broadcast to others.
4.6 At least one currency unit must be assigned to each unit that a player controls, each movement season. 4.7 The surplus of currency that is in a player’s account, may be used to bribe other players units as described next, to pay their own units more, or saved for later use.
5. Bribe orders.
5.1 In 1898 (Spring and Fall) no bribe orders are permitted.
5.2 In 1899 (Spring) a player may bribe only one other unit on the board.
5.3 In 1899 (Fall) a player may bribe two other units on the board but they must be from different nations.
For example Lon might bribe Paris(French) and Kiel(German) but would not be permitted to bribe both Paris and Brest.
5.4 From Spring 1900 onwards a player may bribe 3 other units on the board, but each must be from a different nation.
5.5 Currency units paid in bribes are paid to the unit not to the player.
Therefore a bribe paid to one of Lon units, is not credited to the London player.
5.6 A bribe order is a specific order to do a particular action quoted at a specific rate.
ie. Bribe A Spa-Gas (3) is an order for Spain to move to Gascony at a bribe rate of 3 currency units or bribe A Spa hold (3) is a bribe order for Spain to hold at a rate of 3 units.
5.7 Bribes from various powers are cumulative. Ties are broken in the following way.
5.8 If bribes are at the same rate as the controlling power, the controlling powers orders are executed.
5.9 If the bribes are greater than the controlling powers payment, but are tied between bribers the unit is ordered to hold.
Example 2.
Lon orders F Lon-Nts (3)
Por bribes F Lon-Yor (3)
Result is F Lon-Nts
Example 3.
Lon orders F Lon-Nts (3)
Por bribes F Lon-Yor (4)
Den bribes F Lon-Eng (4)
Result F Lon holds.
5.10 The GM will reveal the bribe and order totals for a unit but not the originator of the bribes.
So in Example 2 above GM would report F Lon-Nts(3):Yor(3) = Nts. In Example 3 it would be F Lon-Nts(3):Yor(4), Eng(4) = Hold.
5.11 A players payment to their unit is still deducted even if a bribe is successful. The unit is taken to have accepted their pay and taken the bribe as well.
5.12 An unsuccessful bribe is NOT deducted from the bribers account. The unit is taken to have refused the bribe offer.
WARNING: Bribes are a very potent weapon in the game and players are cautioned to defend well against them. To spend most of ones money on bribes and little on paying one’s own units is usually a risky strategy inviting others to bribe your units.
6. Normal Adjustments (not initial).
6.1 Each player get 5 votes + 5 votes for the capital + 3 votes for HSC + 2 votes for other controlled SC’s to be used any way the player wishes in determining the adjustment outcome.
6.2 All votes may be used to promote the player’s planned build (or disband) or a minimum of 1 vote for the players build and the rest to modify other players builds.
6.3 If the centre is one of the following (Bulgaria, St Petersburg, Spain) and you wish to lodge a fleet vote, you must nominate the coast. The vote will be determined (Army/Fleet/No build) and if Fleet is successful then the coasts will be compared to get a result.
6.4 A vote may be for a ‘no build’ ‘army’ or ‘fleet’ (coastal provinces only).
6.5 However a ‘no build’ vote will only be accepted from 1900 onwards.
6.6 Votes are considered on a centre by centre basis.
So that if an English player with one build pending got;
Lon 8 fleet, 7 army, 9 no build
Edi 2 fleet, 2 army, 3 no build
Lvp 3 fleet, 1 army, 1 no build
The result would be Fleet Liverpool built, since both London and Edinburgh voted “no build” but Liverpool voted to build a fleet. If London had been a fleet build (8) & Lvp a fleet build (3) then the result would be F London built.
6.7 However if a player only has one Home Centre open and the vote for that centre is “No build” then the player does not build despite having a build pending.
6.8 Votes also apply to disbands.
So if England has to disband a unit, France and Germany might get together to ensure that North Sea was the disbanded unit.
6.9 Votes not used in a particular adjustment phase are forfeited.
6.10 Eliminated players still retain the right to use their 5 player votes per adjustment.
7. Retreats.
7.1 Players have full control of their own units (no bribes) during the retreat phase.
8. Diplomacy periods.
8.1 Diplomacy begins after the initial Capital assignment, prior to the initial adjustment in Winter 1897.
8.2 Diplomacy is permitted prior to moves, for a shortened period prior to adjustments, and may be permitted briefly prior to retreats.