by Stephen Agar
1. All the usual rules of Diplomacy apply save where noted below.
2. Although there are seven players in this game, at the beginning no home centres are allocated to any player.
3. Initial construction of the Great Powers is as follows:
(a) Each player submits a list of ten bids for their preferred home supply centres in order of preference. These can be ANY centre on the regular board. The bids should be numbered, 1, 2, 3 etc. E.g. a player could submit: (1) Ven, (2) Mar, (3) Spa, (4) Nap, 5(Tri), 6(Gre), 7(Bre), 8(Lpl), 9(Tun), 10(Kie).
(b) The GM allocates home centres to the players based on the preference lists. First the GM looks at the 1st preferences and allocates any centres only requested by a single player. If there was more than one bid for a home centre, then neither player’s bid is successful and that centre becomes a neutral (and can no longer be allocated).
(c) The GM then considers the 2nd preferences and repeats the process. Then the 3rd preferences, 4th preferences etc. until every player has been allocated three home centres. Any centre which is bid for by two or more players in the same position in their preference list similarly becomes a neutral. No player starts with 4 centres, unlike Russia in the regular game.
4. All supply centres that are not allocated by this process also become neutrals.
5. Players then submit their initial builds on their home centres as a “1900” move prior to the start of the game.
6. Each player must choose a new national identity for themselves – preferably relevant and/or amusing.
7. The game then proceeds as usual. Builds can only be made on the original home centres as chosen above.