by Steph Mabie

Rules
1. Unless otherwise noted below, the Diplomacy Rulebook of ’99/’00 applies in all cases.
Victory Conditions
2. Out of 60 Supply Centers, 25 (2/5ths + 1) are required for Victory.
Powers
3. Starting Positions
The Colonials
Denmark: F St Croix, F St John, F St Thomas (No Changes in Setup.)
England: F Antigua, F Barbuda, A Belize, F Bermuda, F Eleuthera, F New Providence, A Virginia (Give a Fleet & Center to each Privateer.)
France: F Grenada, F Guadaloupe, F Haiti, F Martinique, A Nouvelle France, A St Augustine, F Ste Lucia (Give a Fleet & Center to each Privateer.)
Holland: A Caribana, F Bonaire, F CuraƧao, A Guiana, F St Eustacius, F St Maarten, F Tobago (Give a Fleet & Center to each Privateer.)
Spain: Cartagena, Guaxaca, Havana, Hispaniola, Nicaragua, Porto Rico, Rio de la Hacha, Santiago, Veragua (Give 2 Centers to Pirates; build 4 Fleets & 3 Armies.)
The Privateers
Buccaneers: A Center each from England, Holland, France. Select one neutral Center. Build Fleets in each.
Corsairs: A Center each from England, Holland, France. Select one neutral Center. Build Fleets in each.
The Mercenaries
Pirates: Armed Neutral Non-Player. 2 Centers from Spain; up to 3 centers from Privateer conflicts in selection. Build Fleets in each.
4. Colonials
There are three types of Powers in this game: Colonials, Privateers, and Mercenaries. Colonials consist of the European powers of Denmark, England, France, Holland, and Spain.
In the first turn of the game (Fall 1680 Adjustments), England, France, and Holland must “grant” one of their starting island-based Supply Centers (and the Fleet that goes with it) to each of the Privateering Powers. If this Supply Center is regained by the European power, it may be built in like any other Home Center.
Spain, on the other hand, “grants” two of their starting centers (island or mainland) to the Pirates, and build 3 Armies & 4 Fleets among the remaining centers.
Denmark has no such set-up changes to be made, though will obviously be affected by the choices made by both the Colonials & the Privateers.
Colonials may only build in their Home Centers, which are their starting Supply Centers (including any granted to the Privateers & Mercenaries). There are no restrictions to what may be built in any Home Centers (excepting any that are landlocked, and thus may not have Fleets; this only applies to Holland’s Guiana province).
5. Privateers consist of the Buccaneers & the Corsairs
Privateers select a starting Supply Centers at the beginning of the games, selected from the Neutral Island-Based Supply Centers, not any Mainland Centers. Their “selection lists” are prioritized with 3 centers per Privateer. Unique choices are assigned to their powers. Duplicate Choices (of the same priority, not of different ones) are struck from the lists, and assigned to Pirates (see below). If their lists run out, they do not get a center in this manner, and start with 3 not 4 centers. Privateers start with Fleets in every Starting Center, after their centers have been selected, by them and by the Colonials. Privateers may build in any owned & unoccupied Supply Center, whether they started with it or not. This includes Mainland centers.
6. Pirates
The mercenary power is known as the Pirates, and are armed neutrals, with no active player. They start with a range of 2 to 5 centers; 2 from the Spanish player, and anywhere from none to three depending on the choices of the Privateering powers. They can only build Fleets, and not Armies, ever. They can build in any owned Supply Center, and for the purposes of counting Centers and Units, count as a single Power, and not multiple ones. They are ordered by vote of the surviving powers of the game. If a majority of surviving powers, owning a majority of the owned Centers (excluding those owned by the Pirate Kings) submit the same order for a Pirate King, then the unit follows that order. Otherwise, the unit Holds. If dislodged, Retreats are treated the same way; if no consensus is formed for the retreat, the unit Disbands. Adjustments are only voted on if there is more than one choice; if there is no consensus, they are in alphabetical order (units for disbands, available centers for builds). All builds/disbands must be used, if possible.
7. Islands
Island Spaces count as both Land and Sea spaces, in various situations, and thus affect both Fleets and Armies. They may be occupied by both Fleets and Armies. The four largest Islands – Cuba (consisting of Havana, Cuba, and Santiago), Hispaniola (consisting of Haiti & Hispaniola), Jamaica, and Porto Rico – are not Island Spaces; they are treated as regular Coastal Land spaces in these regards, except where landbridges are involved. Fleets may convoy while occupying an Island Space.
8. Landbridges
Landbridges exist between adjacent Island Spaces, and Island Spaces & Mainland Spaces. Armies may move across Landbridges at “Null Strength,” and may be supported in their moves as per normal. (Thus, it takes two supports for an army to dislodge an unsupported unit, when attacking across a landbridge.) Armies may not support nor retreat across a Landbridge. Armies may be convoyed ac ross a landbridge as per a normal convoy, in which case they will be at normal strength. Fleets are not otherwise affected by landbridges.
9. Rivers
There are Two Rivers in the Variant:
The first river is the Rio Orinoco, in South America. It allows Fleet movement and support between Nueva Andalusia & Gotogueyana Provincia.
The second river is the Mississippi River, in North America. It allows Fleet movement and support between the Mississippi Delta & Canada, and Canada & Nouvelle France.
Fleets may convoy along Rivers, or be part of a chain of convoys, as per usual Convoy rules (from a space they may legally move to, to a space they may legally move to). The Convoy is disrupted if another Fleet attacks the River Convoy (whether it successfully dislodges the Fleet or not), or if successfully attacked by an Army (only if dislodged). To extend a Diplomacy rule to this situation:: if a unit in the destination province (army or fleet) is supporting an attack upon a part of the chain of the same convoy (river or sea), the support is not cut. Armies & Fleets are otherwise not restricted by Rivers.