by Melle Koning
Double Diplomacy is a variant of standard diplomacy with the standard map. Each of the seven players control TWO great powers instead of one, but each great power is controlled by two players as well. This means that each power has ‘two captains’ who must sail their ship and you have two of those ships under your control… Explanation follows now.
Distribution of Players/Powers
To make the distribution of powers and players more clear, the distribution is shown in the two tables below. Note that the second table just follows from the first and vice versa:
| Power | Played By |
| Austria | 6 and 7 |
| England | 1 and 7 |
| France | 5 and 6 |
| Germany | 2 and 3 |
| Italy | 3 and 4 |
| Russia | 4 and 5 |
| Turkey | 1 and 2 |
| Player | Plays |
| 1 | England and Turkey |
| 2 | Turkey and Germany |
| 3 | Germany and Italy |
| 4 | Italy and Russia |
| 5 | Russia and France |
| 6 | France and Austria |
| 7 | England and Austria |
So, in this variant you have more control on the board (two powers under your control!), but also more to diplome because you don’t rule your powers alone! Do you think you can agree with your secondants or do you prefer to work alone?
Submission and adjudication of moves
Because one power is controlled by two players, there are always two sets of orders for each power submitted. However, at a certain point in the game, the orders the two rulers give could be different.
The GM will only execute those orders which ‘synchronize’. That is, units not in sync by the two rulers will hold (example 1) . There is only one exception to this rule: A unit ordered to hold by one of the two players will be ‘overruled’ by a support order (example 2). Note however that move-orders will NOT overrule hold orders (example 2).
The GM will adjudicate in two steps. First he will ‘sync’ all the orders, giving all units not in sync the hold order. After that he will adjudicate the moves for the seven great powers.
| Example (1) F Lon “not in sync” | |
| Player 1 orders for England | Player 7 orders for England |
|---|---|
| A Lvp – Yor F Edi – Nwg F Lon – Nth | A Lvp – Yor F Edi – Nwg F Lon – ENG |
| Moves to go into adjudication: A Lvp – Yor, F Edi – Nwg, F Lon HOLD. |
| Example (2) A Pic support-order ‘overrules’ HOLD-order. A Spa move order does not overrule HOLD-order | |
| Player 5 orders for France | Player 6 orders for France |
|---|---|
| A Pic HOLD F MAO – Por A Spa – Mar | A Pic S (E) F Nth – Bel F MAO – Por A Spa HOLD |
| Moves to go into adjudication: A Pic S (E) F Nth – Bel, F MAO – Por, A Spa HOLD |
After the GM has ‘synced’ all orders, all normal standard diplomacy rulings apply in the adjudication fase.
Double Diplomacy Winning Conditions
This game is won by the two players if the power under their control has 14 supply centers after a fall move. (example: players 3 and 4 win the game if Italy has 14 SC).
Removed due to experience in first game: The game is also won by one player if the two powers under his control have 18 supply centers. (example: Player 6 wins the game if Austria plus France have 18 or more centers after the fall move).
Added Randomly assigned powers.