by Wayne Hoheisel and Stephen Agar
Introduction
The appeal of this variant is the fact that the home centres of the various players are mixed up, which means that diplomacy is at a premium. Stephen ran Game of the Clans postally back in 1978 and it soon became apparent that the game was distinctly biased in England’s favour. Game of the Clans II corrects this bias by moving more of the clans home centres inland, ensuring that clans can always build, and gradually removing England’s off-board supply centres.
Rules
0. The usual 1971 Diplomacy rulebook applies, except as amended below.
1. This is a ten player variant with the following starting positions:
ENGLAND: A(Carlisle); A(Newcastle); A/F(South Channel); A/F (Blyth Bay)
CAMPBELL: A(Stalcair); A(Tarbert); A(Rothesay); A(Loudoun); A(Cawdor).
FRASER: A(Dingwall); A(Tordarroch); A(Invergarry); A(Philorth); A(Muchalls).
GORDON: A(Rothiemurchas); A(Cluny); A(Aboyne); A(Gight); A(Aberdeen).
GRAHAM: A(Montrose); A(Claverhouse); A(Mugdock); A(Dalhousie); A(Avandale).
KEITH: A(Berriedale); A(Inverugie); A(Caskieber); A(Dunottar); A(Crichton).
McDONALD: A(Kiessimul); A(Armadale); A(Eilean Tioram); A(Finlagan); A(Skipness).
McLEOD: A(Lewis); A(Aultbea); A(Eilean Donan); A(Duart); A(Ardverck).
STEWART: A(Blair); A(Buchanan); A(Stirling); A(Crookston); A(Morton)
In the summer of the first game year, England may build another A/F in both Blyth Bay and South Channel (see below).
2. Builds. The Clans may only build armies in their home centres, though in the event that a Clan controls less than two of its home centres it may nominate another centre or two under its control to be a temporary build centre until home centres are regained. England may build either armies in Carlisle and Newcastle or fleets in Blyth Bay or the South Channel. Save where noted above England may not build A/F’s. England starts the game with eight off-board supply centres, but loses one of these eight off-board supply centres every spring from Spring 1492 onwards.
3. English A/F’s. English fleets may convoy as in regular Diplomacy. In addition they may form A/F units and carry armies around the board. Embarkation and disembarkation of an army takes a full move, during which the fleet must stand (not support). A/F’s can only exist at sea. A fleet carrying an army may not attack a coastal province or support any land action (Eg. A/F(Cuillin Sound) may not support F(Sound of Arisaig)-Duart). An army may not retreat on to a fleet.
Due to excessive draughts, English fleets may never enter the following spaces: Solway Firth; Wigton Bay; Luce Bay; Galloway Strait; Firth of Clyde; Bute Sound; Wemyss Bay; Sound of Jura; Firth of Lorne; Loch Linnhe.
4. Boat Bunches. A Scottish army which is ordered to stand in a coastal space may elect to collect together all the local sea-going craft and build a Boat Bunch (“BB”). Building a BB fails if the unit concerned is attacked while attempting to build it.
BB’s may only exist in coastal and sea spaces. An army with a BB may move into a sea space and will stand-off another A/BB, but it will be dislodged by an unsupported attack from an English fleet. An army may only have one BB with it at any one time. No Clan may have more than 3 BBs in existence at any one time, although captured BB’s count against the Clan which originally created them.
A BB is a form of transport and no a unit and it may be abandoned by the army carrying it. A unit may be ordered to destroy a BB prior to making a regular move. Dislodged units abandon their BBs, which are captured by the dislodging unit. Although the English may not build BBs, they may use captured ones.
5. Victory Criteria. England is eliminated is both Carlisle and Newcastle are captured by Scottish armies, irrespective of how many other units England has on the board and all remaining Clans then share a joint victory. There are 68 supply centres on the board. A player must control 35 centres to win outright or any two players can announce a joint win provided they have 35 supplyc entres between them (and the smaller of the two has at least 12 centres).
6. Calendar. The first move of the game is Spring 1491.
Notes on the Map
Finlagan and Oban are considered to be connected by land, but there is also a sea passage between them permitting movement between the Sound of Jura and the Firth of Lorne. Duart and Morvern are not connected by land, neither are Skipness and Brodick.
Multi-coast spaces are Armadale (nc and sc) and Eilean Donan (nc and sc).
Ireland is impassable.