by Tommy Larsson and John Pitre
This variant has 9 Players. Each player controls one Major Power and a Minor Power.
The Pairings are:
1 (A)-(L) Ayyubid Sultanate & Poland
2 (B)-(S) Byzantine Empire & Castille
3 (C)-(R) Almohad Caliphate & Novgorod
4 (D)-(I) Denmark & Sicily
5 (E)-(Y) England & Cyprus
6 (F)-(P) France & Persia
7 (G)-(T) Holy German Empire & Antioch
8 (H)-(W) Hungary & Norway
9 (V)-(U) Venice & Portugal
(X) Papacy
There’s a 19th power – the Papacy. Who controls the Pope controls the Papacy. A player’s major and minor powers are separate powers, though they are expected to be allies…
Rules – Diplomacy Royale
This variant uses the Diplomacy Royale rules which can be found here. In addition to the Clergy rules, this variant uses the Papacy Rules as detailed below.
Major-Minor Marriages
Are allowed. Though this may be an easy way to get children, it doesn’t guarantee any alliance…
Major-Minor Marriages have several restrictions:
– Major-Minor Writs are left blank (only the renounces, if any, are noted).
– In Major-Minor marriages, all children go to the titled parent dynasty.
– If both are titled, or none, all children go to the male’s family.
Papacy Rules
1. Starting Pope
The starting neutral Pope will always order A Rav S F Rom, F Rom Holds.
2. No Pope
If there is no Pope the Papal military orders will be decided through voting – each Cardinal gets 3 votes, and each Archbishop gets 2 votes, and each Bishop gets 1 vote.
3. Player’s Pope
The Pope automatically gets Archbishopric access to Rome.
The player controlling the Pope also controls the Papacy units.
The Pope may build in any controlled centre and all Papal units have strength 0.
The Pope may not waive any builds.
4. Attacking Rome
If a power takes control of Papal controlled Rome the Pope will automatically excommunicate all adult members of the attacking dynasty. Excommunicated clergy members leave their positions and none of the excommunicated characters may ever enter the clergy (but their heirs may, except that no new priests will be raised in next marriage phase). If the Pope belongs to the conquering dynasty, he is deposed too and excommunicated too!
5. Attacking other Papal Lands
If a Papal controlled Supply Centre except of Rome is conquered, then no clergy members of the attacking dynasty will advance the following 2 birth phases and no new priests from the attacking dynasty may be appointed during the following marriage phase.
If a Papal non-SC province is conquered, then all clergy members of the attacking dynasty will get a -1 penalty on the following increasing level roll.
6. Pardon
The Pope may Pardon one just-offending dynasty per fall birth phase. The Pope cannot Pardon its original dynasty.
There’s no Pardon for occupying Rome
The Pardon for capturing a Papal supply centre will reduce the penalty to no advance in next 1 birth phase (instead of next 2) and no new priests in next marriage phase.
The Pardon for capturing a Papal non-SC province will reduce the penalty to zero.
7. Giving Lands to the Church
During a Fall Turn a King may order the transfer of one of his provinces to Church control. If no non-papal unit occupies the centre after the fall turn, the transfer is successful and all clergy members of the dynasty will advance two steps if the province is a Supply Centre, and one (at choice) clergy member advances one step if it is not a Supply Centre.
8. Archbishoprics in Church Lands
During a Marriage Phase the Pope may link *one* any unassigned (new) Archbishop character to *any* province the Papacy controls (it doesn’t need to be a SC!) except Rome. The character is bound to establish its Archbishopric in that Papal province. If the blessed character doesn’t accept the offer, it is excommunicated and leave its position.
Archbishoprics in non-SC provinces have a one less space range (thus zero range when under foreign control or occupation).
Papal control or occupation of an archbishopric province does not reduce its range of action!
9. Papal Victory
If the Pope gets in control of enough centres to reach the victory condition then the Church wins and all other players lose.