Deviant Diplomacy II (rc08) – UK Diplomacy Archive

by Phil Reynolds

1) Unless stated otherwise, the 1976 Rules for Diplomacy are in effect.

2) Abstract: The basic idea of Deviant Diplomacy II is that players can propose and vote into effect both new rules and rule changes.

3) Seasons: The game is run using three separate seasons: Winter, Spring, and Fall.

For Winter seasons, players will submit Winter orders and proposed Spring rules.

For Spring seasons, players will submit Spring orders, votes on the proposed Spring rules, and proposed Fall rules.

For Fall seasons, players will submit Fall orders and votes on the proposed Fall rules.

4) Beginning the Game: Players will be asked to submit only proposed Spring rules. In the subsequent game report, the GM will publish the proposed Spring rules and request the things needed for the first Spring season, and so the process begins.

5) Proposing Rules: Every Winter and Spring season, a player may propose a rule change or a new rule. If a player fails to propose a rule, then his last proposed rule will be reproposed, unless it has been voted into effect already, in which case the rule’s negation is proposed.

6) Restrictions on Proposed Rules: The GM reserves the right to edit or withhold proposed rules, but this should be done only in the most extreme cases which render the game too complex, unplayable, or pointless.

7) Voting on Proposed Rules: Every Spring and Fall season, a player is given a number of votes equal to the number of supply centers he controlled at the end of the previous Fall season. A player can cast all of his votes for one rule, or he can split his votes among multiple rules. Players’ votes are published.

8) Resolving Votes: The rule receiving the most votes goes into effect beginning the next season. If there is a tie, then all tied rules go into effect beginning the next season.

9) Victory Condition: To control a majority of the existing supply centers.

10) Notes to GM: When running this variant, the GM will need to make a special effort to keep notes carefully, provide correct information in a clear manner, and so on. It is recommended that the GM prefix proposed rules with the first letter of the proposing power. For example, “(A) Fleets may not convoy.” To vote, players would order, for example, “3 votes for Rule A.” Vote totals can be reponed like so: “A = 9, E = 3, F = 0, G = 0, I = 3, R = 7, T = 0.” A list of rules voted into acceptance will need to be kept and published. These rules can be prefixed by a brief headline. For example, “No Convoy Rule: Fleets may not convoy.” Using these methods will result in easier reference for players and GM alike.

Designer’s Notes

This is a slightly different version of the original Deviant Diplomacy. In that version, each country had equal voting power; in Deviant Diplomacy II, the more powerful country has more voting power. Thus, instead of a “one vote per country” policy, a “one vote per supply center per country” policy is implemented here.

It was Mark Lew himself who told me about this alternative voting method, and he not only stated that he thought it worked better, but also he professed a preference for it. Although this method is known to many others who are familiar with Deviant Diplomacy, it has not been written up formally for the North American Variant Bank. For this reason, I have undertaken the task of doing so.

As some countries become very powerful, other countries must reach agreement on voting behavior to deny powerhouses from passing their own rules season after season. With potentially chaotic rule changes, a more fluid game than regular Diplomacy should develop. That means Deviant Diplomacy II should be a blast to play, especially with imaginative and experienced players.