by Brian Hogan
with ideas borrowed from Downfall of the Lord of the Rings VII, with thanks and kudos to Hartley Patterson, John Norris, and Glover Rogerson.
1. Introduction
The standard rules of Diplomacy apply, except where noted below. This variant is based on the Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis. In an attempt to simulate the books, this variant introduces a number of variations to the standard Diplomacy rules. These are explained below.
2.Initial Placement
Narnia: A/F Cair Paravel, A Reepicheep, ABeaversdam, High-King random location in Narnia (GM determined)
Archenland: A Anvard, A Corin, Cor in Anvard.
Dwarfs: A Chippingford, A Shuddering Wood, (see special rules on Dwarfs alignment and personality units).
Giants: 2A Harfang, A Ettinsmoor
Telmar: Miraz Castle Miraz, A Castle Miraz, A Telmar, A Argoz,
Lone Islands: A/F Doom, A/FGalma, F Brehn.
Calormen: 2A Azim Balda, A Ilkeen, A/F Tashbaan.
Queen (If Jadis the White) Witch Castle; (If Green Queen) Queen anywhere North of Great River, A Ancient Tombs, A Aslan’s How, A City Ruinous, A Lantern Waste
3. Personality Units
There are four personality units: Cor, Nikabrik, Trumpkin and Miraz. High-King and Queens are treated as special units (see 4)
Personality units move as a normal unit. They have a combat strength of zero, but add one to the strength of any of their own units they move with. Other than by moving with their units, they may not give or receive support.
Miraz’s moves are always reported. Cor and the dwarf leader are only reported when moving with another unit; if they share an area with another player’s unit, that player is informed.
Cor may move with any good unit.
Dwarfs: The Dwarf player starts the game with no alignment or personality unit. He has three options which he may take:
1. He may take an evil supply center, thereby declaring himself GOOD and receiving Trumpkin as a unit in that center.
2. He may declare in the press the phrase “The Dwarfs are for the Dwarfs!”, thereby stating his neutrality and receiving an Army at Dancing Lawn.
3. He may take a good home center, thereby becoming EVIL and receiving Nikabrik in that center.
All three options are irrevocable. A GOOD Dwarf does not effect ownership of GOOD centers he moves into, and vice-versa for EVIL aligned Dwarf. Neutral Dwarf may take any supply center.
Personality units do not-effect ownership of supply centers. Any unit which shares an area with a personality unit after moves may attempt to destroy that unit. This must be ordered (provisionally) with moves. The personality unit may retreat if attacked in this manner-. A normal unit that retreats into an area occupied by a personality unit may not attempt to destroy the PU.
Personality units are destroyed -if the unit they are travelling with is forced to disband through inability to retreat.
4. Special Units
a) Actually there- were several “Friends of Narnia” from Our World in the books, but for game purposes the four kings and queens and their compatriots are condensed into a single special unit; the- High-King. The High-King’s(HK) initial placement is determined by Aslan, in other words, the GM randomly places him somewhere North of Archenland, West of the coast, and South of the. River Shribble.
HK move as a normal unit. His whereabouts are unreported unless he exercises his powers or he shares an area with a unit when only that player is informed.
HK’s powers are as follows:
i) he may support as a normal unit.
ii) he makes any good or neutral unit he moves with equivalent to a 2A. No affect on real 2A units.
iii) he cannot be killed. If destroyed, he is considered “whisked away” to his own world by Aslan and will reappear as at gamestart in 1-6 moves.
iv) At two times during the game he may call on Aslan. This rescues HK and any accompanying unit from whatever dire circumstance they find themselves in. The GM determines how this works in each instance. The call & its results are published in the zine.
v) he has the aid of Fledge, the pegasus, and can fly across the central mountain range that is the Narnia / Archenland border and the Great River without using a pass or a ford. He may also take one personality unit as a passenger.
b) The Queen player must choose at gamestart whether to play Jadis or the Green Queen. Choice is irrevocable.
Jadis, the White Queen: Starts game in her castle. Her powers:
i) Any unit with which she shares an area can, at her command, be immobilized for 2 moves. Armies so immobilized are immune from harm while they are statues. Such armies cannot give or receive support while they are statues.
ii) she may support as a normal unit.
iii) she makes any evil or neutral unit she moves with equivalent to a 2A. No affect on real 2A units.
The Green Queen Starts game north of Great River, player’s choice.
i) Can command any unit unaccompanied by a personality unit for the move immediately following her sharing space with that unit. She must move off in a different direction from the controlled unit.
ii) powers ii and iii above as for Jadis. Whereabouts are reported under situations listed for HK.
In all other respects HK& Qu units are identical to personality units.
c) Multiple Units
The term Multiple Unit includes the Giant and Calormen 2As, and any personality, HK, or Witch augmented unit. Multiple units may not split their strength into multiple supports or attacks. A single attack- on a multiple unit cuts all its support. When retreating, 2As have the strength of-a single unit. Once lost, 2As may not be rebuilt. They-attack and support at double strength.
d) Army/Fleet Unit
Only Lone Islands can build A/F units. They may-always hold two A/F as long as they have the necessary supply centers. They may choose to build others at the rate of one for every four additional supply centers owned.
A/F units are amphibious and may cross from land to water with no penalty. They may retreat from sea to land and vice-versa. They may convoy as normal fleets. They may cross the Great River at any point. A/F units may travel up or down the Great River to any point in one move. A/F is a single unit.
5. Special Areas
a) Fortresses/Garrisons
Augmented defensive supply centers. Fortresses add one to the strength of anyone who occupies them. A fortress cannot support a unit moving out. Some fortresses have garrisons which give- the area an intrinsic defensive strength of one against certain units, regardless of occupation.
i) Fortresses without garrisons: Anvard, Stone Table, Doorn, Castle of the White Witch, Azim Balda, and Hermit’s Retreat
ii) Fortresses with garrisons that are destroyed if taken: Cair Paravel, Harfang, Castle Miraz.
iii) Tower of Owls acts as fortress for good units only.
iv) Tashbaan is permanently garrisoned regardless of ownership.
b) Mountains & the Great River
The lines of mountains marked on the map are impassable to all units. Units may move through pass areas. The Great River is impassable from Beaversdam to the sea, except at the Fords.
c) Doorn
If Doom is taken from the Lone Islands player, the new owner may build a fleet there. This fleet is-in addition to the allocations below (see 7a). Limit: One fleet per new owner only!
d) Islands (province includes surrounding sea within broken line)
Islands are accessible only by fleet or A/-F units. An Army unit on an island cannot leave unless convoyed. Treat as coastal province.
6. Alignment
Players are defined as Good, Neutral, or Evil. A Good player may not support or convoy an Evil player, and vice-versa.
Good – Narnia, Archenland
Neutral = Giants, Telmar, Lone Islands
Evil = Calormen, Witch
Dwarf alignment is determined by that player as per rule 3. They are treated as neutral until they declare.
7. Miscellaneous
a) Fleets
All players, with the exception of the Giants and Telmar, may build fleets provided they have a build(s) coming and own a coastline or island supply center in which to put it. Does not have to be a home supply center (special rule for fleet builds only). Giants and Telmar must possess at least two coastal centers to build a fleet. (Giants are too large for easy navigation and Telmarines are afraid of the sea.)
b) Shared Areas
Certain units may move into the same province. Personality and Special Units-may all coexist with each other and with any normal unit. Exception: High-King may not share with a witch. If both attempt to move into same space unaided, HK prevails.
c) The Turns
Narnian Wars is played in Narnian years. Years are divided into seasons as in regular Diplomacy. Play begins in the year 1000 (the year 1940 in our world), and proceeds in yearly intervals.
8. Victory
There are a number-of possible Victory conditions:
i) A player controlling 2/3 -of all supply centers. (27 S.C. ‘s-) There are a total of 41 supply-centers.
ii) A group of players may agree to a draw which excludes any player in a beseiged position, without that player’s agreement. Otherwise, all draws must be unanimously agreed upon by all surviving players.
iii) A good- player may win by the complete destruction of all evil units and control of all Narnia and Archenland for three consecutive moves. An evil player may win with same conditions and the destruction of all good, rather than evil units. Single winner only. In the conditions above, besieged refers to any small locked-up position which cannot be broken into or out of.
About Narnia
The Chronicles of Narnia are a series of seven books about the adventures of several children from England who are unexpectedly whisked out of our world, and into the wonderful land of Narnia, where mythology lives and animals talk. They deliver Narnia from a witch and are made kings and queens there. The real lord of Narnia is the great Lion Aslan, the creator of Narnia.
I highly recommend reading the books, but to facilitate play for those of you who haven’t yet had the pleasure, I will flesh out some of the personalities and cultures.
Archenland: allies of Narnia to the south. Cor is a prince who grew up in Calormen and was known as Shasta. He saved Narnia and Archenland from a Calormen invasion and regained his royal birthright.
Dwarfs: a race of small workers in metal. Can be formidible in battle. Their loyalties shifted depending on their leaders and their self-serving natures. There are Black and Red Dwarfs. Nikabrik is an evil Black Dwarf. Trumpkin is a good Red Dwarf.
Giants: The northern giants were an ever present threat on the border of Narnia. They have a taste for human (and Marsh Wiggle) flesh.
Telmar: The Telmarines were desended from a group of pirates who blundered into Narnia thru a South Sea Island cave. They conquered and ruled Narnia for a time, silencing the beasts, trees, and fountains. They killed or drove away the dwarfs and fauns. Miraz was a cruel King of Telmar.
The Lone Islands: A group of islands in the eastern sea who were under nominal Narnian control. Actually two groups: Lone Islands and Seven Islands.
Calormen: A harsh desert land with harsh, cruel, haughty, arablike people. Calormenes are known for their dark faces, long beards. Were flowing robes, orange turbans, are wise, courteous, cruel. Worship the god Tash and have rigid- hierarchy. Traditional: enemies of Narnia and Archenland. Their ruler is the Tisroc.
Queens: At various times in the history of Narnia it was ruled by wicked queens or witches. Jadis the White Queen came from Charn, a world she destroyed. Pulled into Narnia, unwillingly, at its creation, she received eternal life and set about conquering her new home. She ruled for about 100 years in which it was “always winter and never Christmas” until being- overthrown by Asian and the Pevensie children, Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy. The Green Witch/Queen was able to appear as a green serpent or as the lovely. “lady of the green kirtle”. She planned to take over Narnia with the aid of the bewitched Prince Rilian and the people of Bism, the underworld.
Aslan: The real king of Narnia (and the whole world), Aslan is described as the son of the Great Emperor Over Sea, .Creator of Narnia, and as having a different name in our world. He sacrificed his life to pay the blood debt of the traitor, Edmund, and later rose from the dead. He can be anywhere at anytime, and-as Narnians are fond of saying, “He is not a tame lion.”
Friends of- Narnia: Are the children from our world that Asian has on occasion brought to Narnia to help deliver and rule it. Peter, High-King of Narnia and oldest of the Pevensie siblings. Susan, queen of Narnia and next oldest; very beautiful and great archer; Susan fell from grace due to vanity and “growing -up” and lost her belief and rights in Narnia. Edmund, king of Narnia and 3rd Pevensie; he betrayed Aslan when bribed by the White Queen, but was later redeemed; great warrior. Lucy, youngest Pevensie and queen of Narnia; renouned for healing arts and as first Pevensie to discover Narnia. Digory Kirke and Polly Plummer were present at the creation of Narnia and responsible for Jadis’ entry into the new land. Eustace Scrubb, spoiled cousin to the Pevensies who is changed by his visits to Narnia. Jill Pole, schoolmate to Eustace, who with him helps free captive Prince Rilian and destroy the Green Witch. Frank and Helen, a London Cabby and his wife who are chosen by Aslan to be Narnia’s first King an Queen. Only a human can rule over Narnia, a son of Adam or daughter of Eve. Cair Paravel is the capital of Narnia.