U-Boat (cb37)

by Barry Evans

1. The rulebook of Regular Diplomacy (1971) applies, except as amended below.

2. In addition to the normal units of the Regular game, submaries may be used (abbreviation ‘U’), their build value/cost is the same as for conventional units.

3. Each major country starts with one ‘U’, which maybe placed in any coastal province as specified by the owning player.

4. ‘U’s are visible and their location is reported when they occupy coastal provinces. When at sea the position of ‘U’s is not known, unless they are involved in any conflict. (as for the rules’ of Stab).

5. One or more ‘U’s may occupy coastal or sea spaces at the same time as any other units belonging to any other country. This means that for ‘U’s, an order to move is different from an order to attack.

6. The following orders’ may be given to ‘U’s:

(a) Move to (abbreviation – )

(b) Stand (abbreviation Std.)

(c) Support (abbreviation S ) – U’s may only support a fleet or another ‘U’, either in the same or an adjacent province

(d) Torpedo (abbreviation T )

7. The rules for Torpedoes are:

(a) U’s can only torpedo others Fleets or U’s.

(b) The units to be torpedoed must be fully designated (i.e. .U(NAO) T Italian F(IRI)).

(c) Torpedo attacks can be supported by fleets. d) There are three types of torpedo order:

    (i) An unsupported T attack against a F in the same space. Unless the F was supported it would be sunk and any armies being convoyed are lost. Thus such a Torpedo attack has a force of two and the Fleet may not retreat.

    (ii) A supported T attack against a F in an adjacent space. Unless the F was supported it would be sunk and any armies being convoyed are lost. Again, the Fleet may not retreat.

    (iii) A unsupported T attack against a F in an adjacent space. Unless the F was supported it would be dislodged and any armies being convoyed are lost. The Fleet may retreat.

To summarise, T attacks have a force of two. If a Fleet is dislodged as a result of a T attack arising from its own space or from a supported attack from an adjacent space, it is destroyed and may not retreat.

8. In addition to their normal possible orders, F’s and A’s may attempt to depth charge (abbreviation ‘D’) a submarine. The rules for this are:

(a) The “D” order is only effective against U’s.

(b) Fleets and Armies may depth charge (D) in either:

    (i) The province which they occupy, or

    (ii) An adjacent sea or coastal space.

(c) A unit wishing to depth charge (D) must remain stationary and cannot move in that turn. Fleets at sea may however. both depth charge a U and also convoy an A in the same turn.

(d) To succeed a D order must be directed at either the space in which a U is stationary, or at the space into which the U successfully moves that turn. In other words, depth charging is adjudicated after movement.

(e) A direct hit sinks an unsupported U of whatever country, occupying the target space. A U which is supported survives, support functioning as in the conventional Diplomacy support rules. In other words, a depth charge attack has the attack value of two. U’s cannot retreat from depth charges.