by Jef Bryant
This variant has been conceived for the map from the classic game but any other variant map could be used.
(1) All the rules of Classic Diplomacy (1971 version) apply with the following modifications below.
(2) When a player’s supply centre total is less than his initial number of starting units at the start of the game he can intentionally NMR. The following move, providing his supply centre total is still greater than zero, he will be attributed extra supply centres so that his total becomes equal to the number of supply centres at the start of the game.
(3) Whether a player NMR’s intentionally or not the above ruling still applies. If a player NMR’s twice consecutively, he is removed from the game and a reserve player, if available, will be used to continue in his place.
If a player’s supply centre total reaches zero during an Autumn season, he is eliminated and his power cannot be re-activated.
(4) Extra supply centres attributed to a player after an NMR will be considered as off-board supply centres (OBSC). These OBSCs can never be captured and have a limited lifetime.
(5) A player who has been attributed OBSCs can build units, during the Winter adjustments, in the normal manner. If a player has not specified any builds the GM will build armies on the players’ behalf. As a player may not have any empty home supply centres remaining the following criteria will be used to enable the player to build his units maintained by these OBSCs.
a) Existing empty home supply centres (as per normal rules)
b) Any vacant supply centre the player owns.
c) The GM will use Just’s Right Hand rule using a nominated original home supply centre of the player (whether owned or not) as the starting province. (If the player has not nominated a home centre or been given a preference list the GM will choose one whose abbreviation is closest to Aaa). The first vacant province after application of the rule will be used as a build centre for the player for that turn ONLY. The first province to be considered when applying Just’s rule, if not nominated by the player, will be the one whose abbreviation is closest to Aaa. The same procedure is used for the building of fleets except that maritime and coastal provinces are considered.
d) If no orders have been given to the GM, he will try to build for each OBSC an army first and if not possible a fleet. If a build is still not possible then the player is reported as NBP(No Build Possible).
(6) Following the Winter adjustments each players total of OBSCs will be reduced by 1.
(7) A player may intentionally NMR again even if he still has OBSCs attributed to him; although he may not NMR twice consecutively otherwise he will be replaced by another player.
(8) This variant is © February 1993 by Jef Bryant and can be published only if a copy of the publication be sent to Rue Jean Pauly, 121, B-4430 ANS, Belgium. Copies can be distributed freely for postal play and variant banks. Any modification of this variant is prohibited without permission of the designer.
Tactically, this variant is very interesting as a player must, in order to eliminate a power, capture ALL of his remaining supply centres in one Autumn otherwise the losing player will ‘spring back’ with extra units. It may be impossible for one power to eliminate another! In this case only diplomacy will enable players working together to eliminate another power.