by Daryl R. Kibble
Dipconomy is a variant of the game Diplomacy. It is played on the normal Diplomacy board, and uses the normal Diplomacy rules with just a few alterations. Dipconomy is a (Greek?) word meaning Diplomacy and Economy. The variation centers primarily around the economy of Europe during the 1900’s. You receive DIPS each year through the Bank of Switzerland, (depending on the number of Supply Centers you control), and with these DIPS you must pay for your Armies/Fleets, and/or invest to earn interest. For those of you who are jumping up and down and waving your hands wanting to know what a DIP is, sit down and I will tell you. A DIP is simply the money unit recognized throughout Europe as the medium of exchange. Players must pay a certain amount of DIPS for their military units.
A fleet cost 2 DIPS
A light army cost 2 DIPS
A heavy army cost 3 DIPS.
These amounts are paid in one sum at the beginning of each year. NO units may be build mid-year. To pay for these units you must have Supply Centers from which to collect your REVENUE.
For each HOME supply center 1 DIP
For your CAPITAL city 4 DIPS
For each CAPTURED supply center 2 DIPS
For each FOREIGN CAPITAL city 3 DIPS
This REVENUE is collected at the end of FALL, and must be allocated in the form of a BUDGET to show how you wish to utilize it at the beginning of the next year. Hence, a BUDGET must be sent with all SPRING orders. Thus, each player, excepting Russia will begin with six DIPS, and Russia will begin with seven DIPS. These will be the number of DIPS in your 1901 SPRING BUDGET will balance with. You must be the last to occupy a Supply Center in the FALL to collect the REVENUE. The CAPITAL of each nation is listed over:
Italy: Rome, Russia: Saint Petersburg, France: Paris, Austria: Vienna, Germany: Berlin, England: London, Turkey: Constantinople
Instead of using all your DIPS on military units, you may invest with the Bank of Switzerland. This allocation must also be stated in your BUDGET. For every two DIPS invested each year, you will receive one DIP interest at the end of FALL. DIPS must remain in the bank for the year in question. All DIPS invested can never be lost and can be withdrawn at the end of FALL if needed.
An alternative investment program also exists. In this program, (DIPPLAN), a player invest by gambling on his nations economic stability. By investing two DIPS for one year, you can receive interest from zero to three DIPS during the year in question. This will be determined by the GM on referring to YOUR nations stability table. All I will give is a list of the nations from the most stable to the least stable, and you will have to determine for yourself if it is worth the risk. England is most Stable, then France, Italy, Turkey, Russia, Austria, and the least stable is Germany.
If, at the beginning of each year you can not pay for all your military units you currently have, you must disband at your discretion so that you can balance your BUDGET. The only exception is that you may convert a Heavy Army to a Light Army, (no matter where it is located), if this will then balance your BUDGET. Also, you may convert a Light Army to a Heavy Army for the extra cost of one DIP, providing this particular Light Army is in a Supply Center which is currently owned by you. You may only convert at the beginning of the year, and should be stated in your BUDGET. You may only build new units in your HOME supply centers, OR a captured FOREIGN CAPITAL city. BUT, you may only build a unit in CAPITAL taken during a game.
You have probably noticed that keeping ones CAPITAL is of paramount importance. One extra rule is to be included for when you do happen to lose your capital. If your Capital is lost during FALL of a particular year, your remaining HOME Supply Centers will then bring in REVENUE of two DIPS each. Without this rule, a nation would be lost as soon as it lost its CAPITAL, with no real chance of trying to get it back. This rule applies either until you regain your CAPITAL, or once a period of two years has elapsed, when you then go back to only one DIP per HOME supply center.
Players may initially begin with units of their choice, excepting the following: Russia: F St. Petersburg (sc), France: A Marseilles (heavy or light), Austria: F Trieste, Germany: F Kiel
Rules are as per the Diplomacy rule book. The only additional rule now needed is in relation to the role of a Heavy Army. Firstly, a Light Army and Fleet are equal to one point each in combat, as they are per an ordinary game of Diplomacy. Secondly, a Heavy Army may NOT be Convoyed. Also, a Fleet cannot be converted to an Army or vice versa, only Armies can convert from Light to Heavy, and Heavy to Light by the rule mentioned earlier.
A Heavy Army is equal to two points each in combat. A Heavy is also equal to two normal units when Supporting another unit. These two rules, however, only apply when a Heavy Army is conflicting with a Light Army. A Heavy Army is EQUAL to a Fleet, both in combat and in support. Some examples of how to use Heavy Army units follows: (underlined moves fail)
Example 1 Austria HA Ser-Bul, Russia LA Rum-Bul 2/1
Example 2 Austria HA Ser-Bul, Russia F Rum-Bul 1/1
Example 3 France LA Bur-Rur, HA Bel (sup) A Bur-Rur Germany LA Mun-Rur, LA Kie (sup) LA Mun-Rur, LA Hol (sup) LA Mun-Rur 2 supports
Example 4 France HA Bel-Hol, HA Rur (sup) HA Bel-Hol England HA Kie-Hol, F Nth (sup) HA Kie-Hol 1 support each as fleet = HA
Example 5 The same as #4 except England F Kie-Hol (will give the same result, ie. stand off as fleet = ha in conflict as well as support.
Example 6 Austria HA Ser-Bul, HA Rum (sup) HA Ser-Bul Turkey LA Con-Bul, HA or F Gre (sup) LA Cons-Bul Although there is equal support, HA will beat LA into Bulgaria.
DIPPLAN
A nation allocates two DIPS or more in its budget instead of using them on units. At the end of the investment year a nation has at least two DIPS principle plus interest ranging from 0% to 150%.
Each nation is allocated a BASE figure: England .14; Turkey .11; France .13; Russia .105; Germany .09; Italy .12; Austria .1. The figures are then adjusted by the following:
1 – a power with 5 to 7 centers + .01
2 – a power with 8 to 10 centers + .02
3 – a power with 11 or more centers +.025
4 – loss of capital -.05
5 – gain of foreign capital +.02
6 – neighbors influence –
Total supply centers of (divided by) total supply centers of
England / France, Germany and Russia
France / England, Germany and Italy
Italy / France, Austria and Turkey
Russia / Turkey, Austria, 1/2 England and 1/2 Germany
Austria / Russia, Italy, and Turkey
Germany / France, England, and Russia
The resulting answers in the above examples are then read on the following chart to determine what adjustment will be made to the BASE figure.
0 to .111 to .222 to .3 to .333 to .444 to .555 to 1.0
-.03 -.02 -.01 0 +.02 +.03 +.04
Once the BASE figure has been adjusted any adjustments, for the Power investing, a six sided die is thrown to calculate the annual interest which varies between zero DIPS and a maximum of three DIPS.
Adjusted BASE figure is multiplied by;
Die Throw | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
0 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 20 | 21 |
Equals interest in DIPS.
Odd numbers of DIPS are also accepted under DIPPLAN, any fractions resulting going up. Therefore it is possible to earn five DIPS interests on three DIPS invested. However, two DIPS is the minimum accepted.
Investment information of Powers will also be known to each player with movement orders, otherwise it may be a little confusing seeing powers with more units than centers and visa versa. Bank balances will be published for this purpose, keeping a running audit.
SPECIAL RULE
A nation who has lost ALL of his home supply centers, has enough DIPS in the bank to build, but somehow has had his last unit destroyed, may build freely in North Africa as long as he builds a fleet.
Question – Does the Russian player begin with only three units rather than the usual four, because he starts the game with only seven DIPS?
Answer – YES, but one of these will be a HA.
Question – Is a fleet more powerful that a LA?
Answer – NO. A fleet is equal to an army unit, whether it be light or heavy. This is true in attack and support. If a fleet comes into contact with both a HA and a LA it takes the higher value.