Rules originally published in He's Dead, Jim! Volume III:
XV.
(1) Robert Sacks in Lord of Hosts 10, July 1976. A group
of people are stranded on a desert island which can support only
one person, so during the game they kill and eat each other until
the winner is left. Three moves out of six are at night, and therefore
secret, and there are rules governing a secret knife and secret
caves, combat, food value and division of spoils. It should be
highly amusing, especially as stabs are rather final!
(2) Mark Nelson, Beowulf 18 (September 1989).
A wacky idea with great press possibilities. Seven players are
marooned on a desert island which will only support one player.
Food is provided by the one coconut tree, or by eating the other
players... Players who don't eat DIE! So the players go around
ganging up on each other and eating the losers until only one
player remains.
CATSPAW (Ron Melton, Mike Ritter and Kevin Rowland)
(1) Robert Sacks in Lord of Hosts 2, December 1974.
Take any game of Diplomacy or any variant where you don't have
enough players. Allow each player (including those eliminated)
to write extra orders proportional to the number of centers they
need to win for the unordered units, with repeated orders allowed
and invalid orders forbidden; each unit follows its most popular
order. Each player may write exactly one extra build order; retreats
and removals for the unordered countries are handled in the same
manner as NMR would be. Try it next time you're short of players.
CHAOS II (Michel Ferion) ??/34
(1) All of us have our dark secrets. Yes, I was the man who introduced
Martin Lewis to Chaos II. I was in temporary charge of the Variant
Bank between rescuing it from Geoff Kemp and handing it on to
Steve Doubleday. Martin asked if I knew any interesting variants,
and I told him about this one reasoning that if any zine could
get 34 players for a game _Vienna_ could. The rest, as they say,
is history. For the uninitiated, this game starts each player
off with one supply centre (and hence one unit) on the regular
board. There is also provision for nominating home supply centres
and joint wins.
(2) MARK NELSON (28/1/93)
Played on the regular diplomacy board. Each of the 34 players
starts with one unit occupying one of the 34 centres. In the first
season players elect what unit type they wish. Some people don't
have much choice (A(Ser)!), others do, it is traditional for Tun
to build A(Tun). There are extra rules detailing which centers
you can build in as the game progresses.
Has been played postally, via email and even face-to-face. The
largest (in terms of the number of players) diplomacy variant
to have been played to completion and, possible, the most playable
large variant.
The rules can be downloaded from a Judge.
CHINESE (Tom A. McCloud)
Rules originally published in Speculum 24.
(1) Robert Sacks in Lord of Hosts 8, December 1975.
There are six powers and three random Chinese factions. Three
staging areas with unlimited stacking for the powers --- Siberia
for Russia, Indo-China and the Pacific for the other five. Annual
moves --- no seasons. Imperials disappear in 1911; Kuomintang
have one army for every three years 1911 to 1928 and adjust for
supply centers thereafter; Communists have ten armies every thirteen
years starting 1927. Chinese builds are random, but they annihilate
units in the build centers. It costs to bring in and maintain
armies (there are no fleets) and to have units annihilated; revenue
comes from supply centers and should a power go too deeply in
debt the player is deposed and replaced.
CITIES IN FLIGHT I (Thomas Galloway) sb01/03-07
(1) Steve Agar and James Nelson in Spring Offensive 19,
January 1994.
This variant is based on the Spindizzy novels by James Blish and
is fought on map containing 21 planetary systems which contain
between one and eight planets. Some planets are regular supply
centres, others can only support half a unit. Movement between
planetary systems is made by way of an interstellar flight order,
this move must specify the date of arrival and may be of any distance,
taking a single move to go to an adjacent planetary system, two
moves for one two systems away, etc. Once a unit is in interstellar
flight its order cannot be changed. There are two versions of
this game both for between three and seven players: in the first
all players start in the Sol system, in others the players start
in their own planetary systems.
COMPILER'S NOTE: There are two different variants called CITIES
IN FLIGHT III Mark Nelson 11th January 94.
CITIES IN FLIGHT III (Thomas Galloway) sb02/nn
(1) Steve Agar and James Nelson in Spring Offensive 19
(January 1994).
Whilst the basic game mechanics remain the same as Cities in Flight
I, this version can accommodate an unlimited number of players
and seeks to combine the elements of a Diplomacy variant with
a fully fledged roleplaying game. Initially players must bid for
ships of three types and then equip them with labourers and food.
The number of labourers a player has determines the number of
specialists and genii a player has. These different classifications
of people must be fed or they starve and also have a productive
life span, although they can reproduce (with the exception of
genii who can be kept alive through life enhancing drugs). The
players then have to bid for contracts which will be for a set
time and require a set number of labourers, specialists etc. One
player controls the Police forces and if the laws are not obeyed
(these may be changed during the course of the game) then the
Police can try and enforce the law, with or without the help of
the other players who may (or may not) be rewarded for their public
spirit. This variant has a lot of potential for being developed
into a campaign style management game, although the rules are
not yet polished.
CITIES IN FLIGHT III (Jeremy Maiden)
Rules originally published in He's Dead, Jim! Volume III:
XVIII.
(1) Robert Sacks in Lord of Hosts 10, July 1976.
A monstrosity. Perhaps playable? I suspect a game would go on
forever except that every space (or planet) the Oakies visited
would become depleted pretty rapidly, and (unless there is a conversion
rate between raw materials and currency that is missing) without
any benefit, so that without a constant introduction of new planets
the game will mercifully run down. Perhaps, with much work, a
semi-decent space wargame might be developed along these lines.
CITY STATE (Hartley Patterson) ??/07
(1) GORDON McDONALD in AC-MONG 40 (August 1991)
Is situated in Italy in the 1300's with the powers being Venice,
Genoa, Milan, Mantua, Florence, Pope and Emperor (the Holy one).
A simple version of Machiavelli. This is apparently the second
version of the game, the original one including France and having
Naples instead of Mantua; I suppose the idea being to prevent
a bottle-neck further down the peninsula.
Venice and Genoa being trading partners have double supply centres
which are reduced to a single one if a line of supply cannot be
traced to the southern end of the board. These with Naples and
Pisa are the only ports for the purpose of fleet building. As
in Machiavelli cities within provinces are separate from the provinces
themselves and a unit `behind the walls' controls the supply centre
of that province but not the province itself, although, if the
province falls vacant than that unit can re-occupy the province.
A unit `behind the walls' for two successive seasons is disbanded
- starvation having eliminated it. A fleet may only be `behind
the walls' in a port. Indeed units `behind the walls' cannot support
attacks or be supported, but friendly units can be ordered to
raise the siege --which means if their attack succeeds they do
not move into that province but rather the unit `behind the walls'
can move out.
Other characteristics of the game include double armies for the
Emperor at the start but only being able to build single armies
for every two centres gained and losing all his double armies
means elimination from the game. There are also boxes for movement
with 18 centres for victory. A nice map and looks good!
CLINE-9 MAN (R.Cline et al)
(1) JAMES NELSON in SPRINGY 45 (February 1991).
This is a series of games which adds two powers, the Barbary States
and Persia to the southern end of the board and a few additional
provinces, including the Volga Canal (which is hardly ever used).
There are currently at least eight versions, of which V and VII
are the best.
CLINE 9-MAN V (Bob Cline, Fred C. Davis Jnr and Andrew
Poole)
(1) Mark Nelson in Beowulf 18, September 1989.
In an attempt to round off the regular game two players are added
in the south: the Barbary States in the south-west and Persia
in the south-east. Off-board boxes enable players to move around
the bottom of the map. A number of map changes are made to incorporate
these new powers and to get rid of some of the problems in the
regular map. One of the most popular variants designed having
seen 8 revisions in over twenty years and countless games.
COLONIA (Fred Hyatt)
(1) Robert Sacks in Lord of Hosts 2, December 1974.
Eight powers (Netherlands, Portugal and Spain instead of Italy
and Germany) on a cylindrical map of the world. For the colonizing
powers, half of the `home' supply centers are `colonial' centers
which serve as `home' centers for whoever controls them. There
are two special centers which if taken can be used as `home' centers
by Russia, one of which can also be so used by the Ottoman Empire.
There are also four centers in the Pacific which are `impassable'
to armies. No special rules. The only questions are size (50 centers
needed for victory) and possible problems with the map. This variant
looks good.
COLONIA VI (Fred Hyatt) ??/09
(1) BOB OLSEN in MOD
This is a global variant which has a truly massive map. It is
very much in the tradition of monster variants (such as Youngstown)
that were popular in the early years of postal diplomacy. A unique
aspect of Colonia VI is that each power begins the game with overseas
colonies which can serve as building centers for whichever power
controls them.
COLONIAL (Glen Reed & Peter Bergren)
(1) Robert Sacks in Lord of Hosts 1, November 1974.
An abstract map/game, which is not very well done. Seven powers
with varying victory conditions (which is the most noticeable
thing in its favor). Two types of supply center (permanent and
colonial) with rules for conversion. Army/Fleets are used in lieu
of convoys and there is a special type of `transport fleet' which
are built in addition to, not instead of, armies and ordinary
fleets. There are off-board boxes and optional coastal-crawl provinces
and canaled provinces. Not particularly recommended, although
it shows promises of becoming worthwhile after play-testing.
COLUMBUS (unknown)
(1) James Nelson in Variants & Uncles...NOT! 1 (January
1993)
This is still in an experimental stage and is a hybrid of 1492
and Conquest of the New World III (qv). The layout of the provinces
in the New World is known but not their type, e.g. sea, land,
centre, non-centre etc, which is determined at random (urgh!)
The players' home centres are in the old World and are garrisoned,
thus making it possible for conflict in the old as well as New
World.
COMBAT for HEGEMONY IN EUROPE (unknown)??/07
(1) MIGUEL LAMBOTTE in SOL 2 (October 1990)
Europe in 1814, with provinces in revolt, the possibility to create
minor powers and aims which are either hegemonic or neutral. The
rules for "Hegemony in Europe" are required.
COMPLOT (Evan Jones)
Rules originally published in Carn Dum 9, 10 & 12.
(1) Robert Sacks in Lord of Hosts 4, March 1975.
Very complicated. Step reduction by thirds, irreplaceable fleets,
minor powers' bourse and revolts, four seasons a year, movement
factors, fortifications, stacking rules, economic victory conditions,
optional combat, battle plan matrix, troop quality chart, combat
takes place in a space, no supports, weak fleets, separate builds
and maintenance charts, complex control rules, blockades and complex
supply calculations. I'd sooner play a wargame --- something simple
like Strategy One.
THE CONQUERORS (Lew Pulsipher) ??/04
(1) GORDON McDONALD (?) in Ac-Mon ?? (?)
The historical background for this game has been twisted in order
that the game should be more playable. The four powers are Carthage,
Macedon, Persia and Rome. The eastern part of the map depicts
the situation prior to the battle of Issus, 334BC, when Alexander
defeated the Persians, while the Western part is based on the
situation just prior to the First Punic War, 264BC. This probably
explains why the year 300BC has been chosen as the gamestart,
being between the two dates already mentioned.
There are 29 supply centres, with a victory criterion of 13 units
on the board, deviating from standard victory criterion; this
is an attempt to force players to consider the whole board when
forming strategies rather than just their own segment which can
occur in many games. Thus it is hoped that it is less likely that
two 1 against 1 conflicts will occur.
Another deviation from history is the strength of the individual
forces, all having two armies and two fleets each, this combined
with the fact that it is a four player game makes it more a game
of tactics than strategy.
The map, of fairly good quality, takes in North Africa, most of
mainland Europe and the eastern part of the Middle East. It avoids
the clutter and imposed geographical restrictions that are apparent
in many of the Diadochi variants. On first inspection one may
get the impression that, as in Diadochi V, Carthage and Rome are
likely to become mortal enemies. Yet, this may not be the case
as a pact between Persia and Macedon may prove too much to ignore;
indeed these two powers have as much chance of conflict as the
other two.
The rules are simplicity itself, the only addition to the regular
rules being unit placement, the year start, the map and the victory
criterion. If one was looking for an easy to play historical variant,
with limited diplomacy and without having to wait ages for a waiting
list to fill, this game could fit the bill, thus overcoming many
of the problems variant players face.
CONQUEST OF THE NEW WORLD II (Fred C. Davis Jnr)
(1) STEVE AGAR in ??? circa September 1980
A revision of Lew Pulsipher's COTNW I. There are five European
powers (England, France, Holland, Spain and Portugal) whose units
are initially Off-The-Board and proceed to colonize the New World.
Each power may use one of its newly established colonies as a
home sc. The revision introduces more SCs, two Indian defensive
armies and a few other change chances and clarifications. An interesting
game which is similar in some ways to Excalibur.
CONQUEST OF THE NEW WORLD III (wc03/02-05)
(1) James Nelson in Variants & Uncles...NOT! 1 (January
1993)
This variant is similar to 1492 in that conflict does not occur
in the Old World but at this the similarities end. The New World
is known in that players have a map of it prior to starting. Each
power starts with units in off-board boxes, where conflict cannot
occur, and these move onto the board in conventional fashion.
The off-board centres gradually decrease but to compensate powers
are allowed to build in certain owned New World centres (e.g.
England in Nova Scotia or Virginia).
CORNER DIPLOMACY (Eric Brosius) rb61/07
Rules originally published in Bushwacker 207, April 1989
(1) MARK NELSON (1/8/92)
This is a minor-map change variant. Where three areas on the regular
map meet, the junction is called a corner and a new province is
created there. These new provinces never speed up movement between
regular areas, and units in corner positions have fewer movement
options than in regular areas. Their only conceivable use is either
towards the end of the game when they *might* be used to attack
stalemate lines or in giving units an extra province to retreat
to. I can see no reason why anyone in their right mind would want
to either run this or play in it.
COURIER (Jeremy Maiden)
Rules originally Published in He's Dead, Jim! Volume III:
XVIII.
(1) Robert Sacks in Lord of Hosts 10, July 1976.
An extraordinary variant, even if he doesn't like it himself.
Instead of an ordinary build, four couriers with double-speed
but no combat value may be built. Each player has a leader who
has no combat value but may give orders to couriers and units
in his space, or adjacent to him, and couriers and units may relate
orders and messages to other leaders. Couriers and messages (and
perhaps leaders?) may be captured. A player only knows what happens
in his leader's immediate vicinity, or what information gets back
to him.
(1) Robert Sacks in Lord of Hosts 3, February 1975.
A combination of Black Angels (Lew Pulsipher) and Ghods of Diplomacy
(Peter Aronson). There are two spaces, Heaven and Hell, adjacent
to every space on the board; there is mock money earned each turn,
and by gambling; the mock money can be used to bribe other players,
the Ghods, or the GM. The bribes are such that GM errors are undetectable.
To quote the rules "if YOU are crazy enough to try this variant,
you're on your own --- GOOD LUCK, you'll need it!"
DELUGE (Tim Sharrock) ru02/07
Rules originally Published in He's Dead, Jim! Volume II:
XVII.
(1) Robert Sacks in Lord of Hosts 10, July 1976.
As Europe sinks slowly into the sea, province by province, the
population (and hence supply centres?) move inland. The schedule
seems a little strange, perhaps incomplete, as the game does not
seem to match its description. Why do we need another board changing
variant?
(2) Pete Sullivan in C'Est Magnifique 55, July 1988.
A simple enough concept --- Europe gradually floods every year
until only Switzerland remains above ground by 1908. The winner
is the only player with a unit left at the end. It features the
inevitable Army/Fleet rules, as well as allowing units to convert
from Armies to Fleets under certain conditions. As the board gets
increasingly flooded, this can be very useful! A very paranoid
game at the end, as often a player will have to decide who to
throw the game to. Andrew Poole has produced a series of maps
showing the state of the board at the end of each year, which
is a very useful player (and GM!) aid.
(3) JAMES NELSON in SPRINGY 45 (February 1991)
This is a fun and very simple variant. Each year land-provinces
sink, becoming sea-provinces, and supply centres are therefore
gradually lost (a few new centres are also created in the first
few years). The effect of this is that each game year the number
of supply centres decreases and fleets become more and more important.
After eight game years only Switzerland, which becomes passable
during the course of the game, remains. The winner is the sole
survivor. With the rules you get a complete set of maps showing
the effects of the deluge on Europe.
DIADOCHI V/Triumverate/Imperator (Dick Vedder)
Rules originally Published in Quo Vadis 57-58.
(1) Robert Sacks in Lord of Hosts 10, July 1976.
One map, one game system and three scenarios and very well done.
Standard Vedder map; double, triple (Rome) and special home centers,
loans, limitation on building more than two fleets at a time,
bridges across certain straits, special political and pure rules
for the last two scenarios and Barbarian and Persian rules.
DILATORY (Scott Rosenburg)
Rules originally published in The Pocket Armenian 13.
(1) Robert Sacks in Lord of Hosts 5, June 1975.
Every move a space changes center to non-center or non-center
to center.
DILUVIAN (Matthew Diller)
Rules originally published in The Pocket Armenian 13.
(1) Robert Sacks in Lord of Hosts 5, June 1975.
Every move a land space changes to sea or sea to land. Armies
on coasts that become sea become Fleets; Fleets in sea that become
coast become Armies; Armies inland that become sea are annihilated,
as are Fleets in sea that become inland; no specification for
fleets on coasts which become inland, for creation of canals or
straits, or which coast of a newly split coast a fleet is located
on. Each player has one unchangeable home center; centers which
change cease being centers. Due to the existence of the GIGATON
BOMB VARIANT, this is not the worst variant in existence; it comes
close, though.
DIPLOCHESS (Edi Birsan)
(1) Robert Sacks in Lord of Hosts 2, December 1974.
Two players on a chess board with chess pieces and chess moves,
but with simultaneous movement as in Diplomacy. Each chessman
has a strength equivalent to its chess point value.
DIPLOMACY-CLUEDO (Fred C. Davis Jnr)
(1) Andrew Poole in Outposts 6, October 1981.
This variant was designed in 1980 and is a game of normal diplomacy
played in parallel with a game of Cluedo. Victory in the game
of Cluedo gives the player three extra off-board supply centres
(which cannot be destroyed) at the next winter adjustment. Armies
supplied by these can be built in any of the supply centres that
the Cluedo winner owns or even in Special Areas (Crete, Iceland,
Ireland, Sardinia, Sicily, Switzerland, or Siberia). The rest
of the variant covers special rules relating to these procedures,
and also the full rules for Postal Cluedo.
DIPLOMAFIA (Evan Jones)
Rules originally published in Urf Durfal 2.
(1) Robert Sacks in Lord of Hosts 7, September 1975.
Five gangsters in Manhattan run the rackets and control short
and long range influence/political pressure units. The value of
rackets is determined randomly for each player each turn. The
game is strongly reminiscent of other economic games such as Brotherhood
and Organized Crime, but not as good as they are, so I do not
see any particular value to this variant.
DIPLOMATIC (Martin Janta-Polcznski)
Rules originally published in Bushwacker Volume V: VI.
(1) Robert Sacks in Lord of Hosts 10, July 1976.
A player does not own (for purpose of builds, victory condition,
or recognition) a captured supply center until a majority of the
players *owning* a majority of the supply centers (double majorities)
send in recognition orders in a winter season. The effects on
the former owner of the supply center were not specified.
DOWNFALL (unknown)
(1) JAMES NELSON in SPRINGY 45 (February 1991)
This is a series of games based on J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord
of the Rings" trilogy. Downfall, collectively, is probably
the most popular variant in the UK. At first sight the later versions
appear to be amongst the most complicated variants. These try
to emulate the book in fine detail, including pieces representing
Gandalf, the Rangers, the Nazgul, Faramir etc.
Of the various designs DOWNFALL III (little chrome ... more of
a wargame than a simulation), Definitive Downfall and Hardbop
Downfall are probably the best. The latter two are examples of
the more popular book-emulating designs.
DOWNFALL I (Hartley Patterson) ??/08
Rules originally published in War Bulletin ?? circa 1974)
(1) STEVE AGAR in V&U 2 (July 1980)
Hartley unashamedly set out to recreate the book, removing the
anomalies in Third Age (qv). The players are: Dwarves, Gondor,
Rohan, Sauron, Saruman, Umbar and Gandalf. Gandalf is a single
unit, which is only reported in conflicts. To prevent unlikely
alliances, Hartley adopted the idea of Good, Neutral and Evil
alignments to prevent alliances untrue to the spirit of the book
-- hence Gondor can not ally with Saruman.
Besides Gandalf, the Nazgul appears as a special unit controlled
by Sauron (or a power using the ring), the Balrog protects Moria,
and Ents and Hobbits are accounted for. Fortresses and mountains
are scattered across the map to improve play balance. Complicated
but colourful!
DOWNFALL II (Robert Sacks)
Rules originally published in Lord of Hosts 4, March 1975.
(1) Robert Sacks in Lord of Hosts 5, June 1975.
The rules make it impossible to learn (I have been told) but Tolkien
purists and rule-flaw finders will have a heyday. There are eight
and a half players: The Ents (played by the GM), The Elven Lords,
The Rangers, The Peoples of the North, The kingdom of Rohan, The
Steward of Gondor, Saruman, The Men of Harad and Rhun and Sauron.
After much deliberation Smeagol has been excluded from the game,
but the Hobbit heroes have been included in a minor way. Due to
all the special rules (and the stacking permitted) the playtesters
feel that the diplomacy of the War of the Ring is adequately simulated.
DOWNFALL IX ts21 (Richard Egan, Martin Lewis et al)
(1) Tim Collier in Moonlighting 8, June 1990.
Downfall IX has many new challenges. True to the book, it has
the perfect combination of `Chrome', `Special Units' and a skillfully
designed map. From Saruman's crows to the `Riders of Rohan' with
a potentially potent impulse move, you have a wide variety of
features to add spice to the frantic Diplomacy. The predetermined
battle lines leave the neutral powers being lusted after by both
sides. The race for the Ring and the flight of the fellowship
skillfully sustain suitable suspense against the wider backdrop
of the `War of the Ring'. All in all, my favourite version of
Downfall, allowing you to live as well as play the game.
DOWNFALL X (Richard Egan and Martin Lewis)
(1) Pete Sullivan in C'Est Magnifique 55, July 1988.
In the beginning, there was Hartley Patterson who designed a Tolkien
variant called `Downfall of the Lord of the Rings and the Return
of the King'. There were a couple of other versions, but it was
not until the Viennamob hit the hobby that Downfall re-designing
became the `in' thing for all hip and dudey variant fans. This
tenth version is probably one of the best, if only because it
has the potential for solving the in-built imbalance of any Tolkien
scenario. It uses different `victory points' for each power, which
can be fine-tuned in the light of further games. It also features
somewhat less of the atmospheric but fiddly `chrome' which afflicted
`Definitive' Downfall and Downfall IX.
DUDLAND (Greg Costikyan and Scott Rosenburg)
Rules originally Published in Urf Durfal 11.
(1) Robert Sacks in Lord of Hosts 12, February 1977.
A rather atrocious variant, based on a rather atrocious press
series. The lists of double coasted provinces and four point provinces
in the rules do not match the map, there is some confusion as
to the rights of the `Custodian of the Dudness' with respect to
dudded supply centers, and it is not made clear if sea spaces
or provinces on the other continent can be dudded and whether
armies can be dudded out to sea or fleets onto land. There are
rules for government- in-exile and anti-dud units. One player
can send annual letters of attack which forces a unit to hold.
Needs work to make it worth playing. For those unfamiliar with
the atrocious NY'ism `dud', any unit in a dudded province except
those of the Custodian and anti-dud (or `dud-out') is transported
to a province of the Custodian's choice, though a `dud-out' unit
unduds a dudded province. Definitely needs work.
THE DYING EARTH (10,000 AD) (Lewis Pulsipher)
(1) Robert Sacks in Lord of Hosts 5, June 1975.
Each player receives, stacked, two armies, one hero and one wizard;
thereafter armies may not be stacked. Builds occur in any owned
center. A hero adds one in support of units it is accompanying.
Each wizard has a choice of three spells from the seven available,
and may use one each turn (in the same or adjacent space) before
moving. Highly recommended.
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