by Bob Harris and Steve Dunn
1. The standard rules of Diplomacy apply apart from the exceptions noted below.
2. The game is designed for eight players representing the Great King of Persia and the satraps of Arachosia, Arnenia, Egypt, Lydia, Media, Sogdiana and Syria. The starting positions are as follows:
The Great King : A Sus (but see below)
Arachosia : A Pat, A Phr, A Ram
Egypt: A Mem, A Sye, A The
Media: A Bis, A Ecb, A Rha
Syria: A Dam, A Tyr, A Iss
Armenia: A Nin, A Nis, A Tra
Lydia : A Sar, A Spe, A Xan
Sogdiana : A Bac, A Mar, A Tax
3. In addition to an army the Great King also has a garrison at Susa whose strength is that of one army. The garrison is immobile and cannot support, but may be supported. Its strength is added to that of any friendly unit in Susa unless that unit is ordered to leave Susa at the same time as it is attacked. If Susa is occupied by an enemy unit the garrison is annihilated.
4. The Great King may authorise a satrap to enter Susa. This permission must be written down and made public when the orders are read out but unless the satrap writes down that he is entering with permission his move is considered hostile. If the above conditions for peaceful entry are fulfilled, the garrison is not destroyed. Permission for the unit to remain must be written each move and the satrap must write that his unit is remaining with permission, otherwise the garrison is annihilated without combat.
5. Susa counts as four supply centres. One of these supplies the Great Kings army. The Great King may never have more than one unit on the board at any time. He may loan his three extra supply centres to the satraps, and he may also loan them any supply centres he captures. The loan, however, must be renewed each year, or it lapses. The Great King’s army may only be supplied from Susa. Susa counts as a triple supply centre for any satrap who captures it.
6. The Caspian and Aral Seas are impassable.
7. The game begins in Spring 404 B.C.
8. The above rules are all that are needed for the simple game. The first satrap to have 15 pieces on the board without relying on loans from the Great King is the winner. The Great King wins if by the end of 389BC his army is still on the board and none of the satraps has fulfilled his victory conditions.
Satrap II (ai02)
by Bob Harris and Steve Dunn
The Complex Game
This game uses all the above rules except 8 with the following additions.
9. There are two types of satrap, loyal and disloyal. Disloyal satraps are free to act as they please but loyal satraps are under the following restrictions:
a) They may not move any of their units into other satrapies or the royal provinces without permission from the Great King.
b) They may not move any of their units outside their own satrapies without permission from the Great King.
10. The Great King writes permission in his orders.
11. There are three loyal and four disloyal satraps. The GM uses a random method to decide which satraps are loyal and which are disloyal. He then indicates to the satraps whether or not they are loyal. (I suggest he sends a piece of paper with a cross on it to each of the disloyal satraps. The paper and ink should be different in each case. This will mean that a disloyal will not be able to use it to prove his disloyalty).
12. The GM will not reveal whether a satrap is loyal or disloyal to the other players.
13. If a loyal satrap gives an order for which he needs permission and doesn’t have permission the piece making that move will be taken as standing.
14. When the Great King permits a satrap to enter another satrapy he automatically permits him to enter all satrapies. Permission, once given, cannot be withdrawn.
15. If the Great King gives a loan to a satrap known to be disloyal then all the satraps become disloyal.
16. The game ends when:
(a) A disloyal satrap has 15 pieces none of which are supplied by the Great King. Winner – that satrap, next the other satraps in order of size. The Great King comes last.
(b) A loyal satrap has 15 pieces none of which are supplied by the Great King. Winner – that satrap, next the Great King, then the loyal satraps in order of size. The disloyal satraps are not placed.
(c) No more than 8 centres are in the hands of disloyal satraps. Winner -the Great King, then the loyal satraps in order of size. The disloyals are not placed.
Optional Greek Mercenary Rule (for both games)
17. The satraps of Armenia, Egypt, Lydia and Syria may build double armies representing Greek mercenaries. A double army needs two centres to supply it (Greeks don’t work cheap).
The following abbreviations are used on the map to describe the provinces named:
AEG – Aegean Sea; Afr – Africa; Ama – Amanos; Amm – Ammon; Ara – Arabia; Ass – Assyria; Atr – Atropatene; Bab – Babylon; Bac – Bactria; Bis – Bisitium; Bit – Bithynia; BLA – Black Sea; Car – Carmania; Cas – Caspia; Cau – Caucasus; Cha – Chaeronea; Chd – Chaldaea; Cho – Chorasmia; Cil – Cilicia; Col – Colohis; Cps – Choaspes; Cyp – Cyprus; Dah – Dahae; Dam – Damascus; Diz – Dizful; Ecb – Ecbatana; Eth – Ethiopia; Guj – Gujerat; Hal – Halys; Hin – Hindu Kush; Hyr – Hyrcania; Ind – Indus; Iss – Issus; Kom – Komana; Kur – Kurdistan; Lib – Libya; Mar – Maracandra; Mas – Masios; MED – Mediterranean Sea; Mem – Memphis; Nin – Nineveh; Nis – Nisibis; OXu – Oxus; Pap – Paphlagonia; Par – Parthia; Pat – Patala; Pel – Pelusium; PER – Persian Gulf; Phg – Phrygia; Pho – Phoenicia; Phr – Phra; Pun – Punjab; Ram – Rambadia; RED – Red Sea; Rha – Rhagae; Sak – Sakae; Sar – Sardis; Sas – Sasaceni; Sat – Sattagydia; Shi – Shiraz; Sin – Sinai; Snd – Sind; Spe – Sinope; Sul – Suleiman; Sus – Susa; SyD – Syrian Desert; Sye – Syene; Tax – Taxila; Tha – Thapsacus; The – Thebes; Thr – Thrace; Tra – Trapezus; Tyr – Tyre; Xan – Xanthus
This variant is reprinted from Son of Bellicus No. 6 (Jan 1973)