Introduction

While there are myriad variants out there, many of which have appeal, it is the elegant simplicity and familiarity of the traditional classic game of Diplomacy that still keep it in a class by itself, as one of the greatest pastimes ever devised.

At the same time, one of the reasons so many variants have been inspired is because the classic game, which portrays so much so well, does not represent some of the most important phenomena of international power and intrigue.

The challenge, then, is to add to the historical range and depth of Diplomacy, without sacrificing the simple, elegant concepts and mechanics that set it apart from so many bookkeeping-ridden "simulations". We seek to achieve this with the following six optional rules. Playing with them is what we call Masters Rules Diplomacy.

The foundation of Masters Rules Diplomacy is the "empowering" of all Supply Centers (similar to what is done in the "1913" Variant). Playing with armed "Minor Powers" heightens the realism and challenge of the opening game. Providing the Great Powers with influence (Variable Control) over the units of these Minor Powers very tangibly extends their influence across the board and in this way, transforms the depth and reach of players' strategy, tactics, and intrigue. Woe to the player who relies on brute force alone, or who fails to start negotiating in Spring 1901!

Rebellion, Annexation, Disarmament,and Foreign Aid fill out the Masters Rules with representations of important historical phenomena using the original concepts and mechanisms of classic Diplomacy. None of these rules involves money, chits, or random elements, but only the original Map Spaces ("Provinces"), Armies, Fleets, and Supply Centers. In a face-to-face game, of course, some sort of tokens will be necessary to represent the units of the Minor Powers.

Masters Rules Diplomacy

The following rules may be used singly or in combination, with the proviso that some of them presuppose the use of Minor Powers.

The rules of the standard Diplomacy board game are assumed to be in force, except where and as these rules supersede them.

When using any of these rules, units for which no orders are submitted are presumed to Hold, and are eligible to receive Support.

MR1. Minor Powers

a) Supply Centers which are not part of a Major (player) Power at the start of the game comprise independent Minor Powers, each with one Army.

b) The original Supply Centers of Minor Powers are considered to be their Home Supply Centers.

c) For the purposes of the game, Minor Powers are considered always to be in Civil Disorder.

NOTES: The simplest and most fundamental of the Masters Rules - every dot starts with a unit. This Rule replaces the unrealistic scramble to grab undefended dots, with the need to actually defeat native Armies - Armies that may even receive Support from one's rivals.

Even if all the other Masters Rules are found to be too exotic for one's taste, this one should be used always.

MR2. Variable Control

a) In addition to his own Great Power, a player is eligible to write orders for the units of Powers in Civil Disorder, so long as no unit of his own Power occupies or is adjacent to any Supply Center owned at that time by the Power or Powers for which he writes such orders.

Adjacency is determined in the same manner as for Support; a unit which can physically move into a Space in a single turn is considered adjacent to it.

b) This rule does not enable a player to write more valid orders in a turn than the number of Supply Centers his Power owns.

c) A player may submit the same Variable Control order more than once in a Spring or Fall turn. This rule does not, however, enable a player to write more valid orders in a turn than the number of Supply Centers his Major Power owns.

d) Notwithstanding b), any player eligible to write for a CD Power's unit may write one Retreat or Disband order for each such unit which is subject to Retreat or Disband, without regard to the number of Supply Centers or units he owns, or influence upon any Retreats or Disbands of his own units.

e) Similarly, if CD Powers for which a player is eligible to write are subject to Adjustments, a player may write one construct or lose order for each such Adjustment, without regard to, or influence upon, his own Power's Adjustments.

f) Players may not use Variable Control to order CD Powers to themselves write Variable Control orders for yet other Powers.

EXAMPLE: In Fall 1901

France writes: F Gas -S- (A Mar-Spa)
A Mar - Spa
Portugal A Por -S- (French) A Mar-Spa


Germany writes:
F Hel -S- (A Kie-Den)
A Kie - Den
Portugal A Por -S- (Spanish) A Spa


Italy writes:
F TyS - Wes
Portugal
A Por -S- (Spanish) A Spa
A Por -S- (Spanish) A Spa

France writes for Portugal to support his invasion of Spain, but both Germany and Italy write for Portugal to oppose it (Italy writing twice, in case France received assistance from another Power).

The result is that Portuguese A Por Supports Spanish A Spa, which repels the French attack; Spanish independence is preserved, and Germany owes Italy something, which he can repay without undue cost or risk to himself.

NOTES: What the original Diplomacy rules do to represent the Armies and Fleets, this rule does to represent ambassadors, agents, military advisers, and local puppets - the means by which Great Powers influence Minor Powers to do their bidding.

Minor Power Forces by themselves add, for example, to the already great difficulty of Italy to grow as easily as other Great Powers. The ability to submit orders for Minor Powers, however, enables him to exert the sort of muscular and far-reaching influence of a Cavour.

MR3: Rebellion

a) A player due to construct one or more units for his own Great Power in an Adjustment phase may choose instead to construct one or more Rebel units in the Supply Centers of other Powers. Rebel units are presumed to be in Civil Disorder, and may therefore receive orders by Variable Control.

b) A Supply Center is eligible to have a Rebel unit constructed in it if it is neither occupied by, nor adjacent to, a unit of the Power which owns it.

Adjacency is determined in the same manner as for Support; a unit which can physically move into a Space in a single turn is considered adjacent to it.

c) In the case of a Home Supply Center, if a valid order to construct a Rebel unit conflicts with a valid order to construct a unit of the Power which owns the Supply Center, neither order is followed unless one is written a greater number of times than the other. For this purpose, a player may choose to write the same construction order more than once, instead of writing separate construct orders to which he is entitled; even if successful, this of course results only in the construction of a single unit.

d) A Rebel unit, being constructed after determination of ownership of Supply Centers, does not immediately own the Supply Center in which it is constructed.

e) A Rebel unit is initially named by its type and the Supply Center in which it is constructed. It is subsequently referred to as Rebel (unit Type) (Space Occupied), until such time as it gains ownership of, and identity with, a Supply Center, or it is Disbanded.

EXAMPLE:

After Fall 1901:
Russia has units A Gal, A Rum, F StP(S), F Sev, and is entitled to construct one unit.
Turkey has units F BlS, A Bul, and A Smy, and is entitled to construct one unit.
Germany has units A Hol, A Ruh, and F Kie, and is entitled to construct one unit.

In Adjustments 1901:
Russia writes: build A Mos
Turkey writes: build Rebel A Mos
Germany writes: build Rebel A Mos

In this case, a Rebel Army is raised in Moscow.

NOTES: While in no way necessary to the enjoyment of Masters Rules Diplomacy, this rule provides a way to represent the sort of uprisings that often bedeviled the Powers historically when they paid too much attention to military adventures far from home.

The victim of a Rebellion, of course, has a year to make sure the Rebels don't gain ownership of his dot (if playing, as recommended, with Variable Control, he is even eligible to write orders for the Rebel unit before it can do so). This will ensure a tidy end to most uprisings - unless, of course, they receive guidance from hostile (and rich) Great Powers.

In practice, astute players will leave garrison units placed so as to deter insurgencies (e.g., a Russian Army in Moscow prevents Rebellion in any of his Home Supply Centers), but if a Power's far-flung empire starts suffering losses, the masses may rise up...

MR4: Annexation

a) A player due to construct one or more units for his own Power in an Adjustment phase may choose instead to Annex a Supply Center which his Power owns, and which it owned in the previous Adjustments phase. If eligible, more than one Supply Center may be Annexed in the same Adjustment phase.

b) Annexation may take place regardless of whether the Supply Center in question is occupied at the time.

c) Once annexed, a Supply Center becomes a Home Supply Center and the owning Power may construct units there, beginning with the Adjustment phase following that in which the Annexation takes place, so long as the Power still owns that Supply Center.

EXAMPLE:
Austria-Hungary takes Serbia in Fall 1901, and owns five dots, including Serbia, and four units (thus eligible for a build), after Fall 1902. He writes: Adjustments 1902 Annex Serbia

Serbia is now a Home Supply Center of Austria-Hungary.

Come Adjustments phase 1903, if he still owns Serbia and has more Supply Centers than units, and if Serbia is unoccupied, Austria may now write: Adjustments 1903 construct A Ser

NOTES: This rule allows the game to portray the historical phenomenon also known as Statehood, Dominion, Anschluss, and so forth. Balance is provided by the need to own a dot for at least two years before you can build on it.

MR5: Disarmament

a) In the Adjustments phase, a player may voluntarily Disband any or all of his own Power's units.

b) Since determination of unit Adjustments precedes actual construction or loss, a Disband under this rule does not enable immediate construction of another unit.

c) This rule enables only the disbanding of a player's own units, and may not be used to disband units of a Power in Civil Disorder through Variable Control, beyond any losses that are required normally.

EXAMPLE:
For Adjustments 1901, England owns three units and four Supply Centers, and writes: Build F Lvp Disband A Yrk

NOTES: Ease tensions with mutual arms reductions, or quell another Power's fears by unilateral disarmament, and reap the "peace dividend". Or, simply disband that Army you don't need, and build a Fleet instead next year.

MR6: Foreign Aid

a) For each construct order to which a player Power is entitled, but does not submit, in a particular Adjustment phase, a player may write one valid order to Aid another Major or Minor Power, or a Rebel unit. An eligible donor may submit multiple Aid orders for a single recipient, or for more than one recipient.

b) The recipient of a valid Aid order may construct a unit, avoid loss of a unit, or Annex a Supply Center precisely as if the recipient Power or Rebel unit had owned one more Supply Center at the start of the current Adjustment phase. Valid Aid may be received from any number of donors in the same Adjustment phase.

c) The effects of Aid last only to the end of the Adjustment phase when it is granted. This rule, therefore, does not affect the number of orders either a donor or a recipient of Aid may write in any Spring or Fall turn.

EXAMPLE:
France owns eight dots and six units in the Adjustment phase of 1905. He writes: Aid Italy and Aid Rebel A Arm

Italy owns four dots and four units. Anticipating France's Aid, he (successfully, as it turns out) writes: Build A Ven

Likewise, the Rebels in Armenia, who would otherwise have been eliminated, fight on into 1906.

NOTES: Foreign Aid, also known by such names as fraternal solidarity, development assistance, and Lend-Lease, of course adds to the historical depth and range of the game, but it can also be very powerful in play. Just imagine: you think you've finally eliminated that doughty enemy Power - or those pesky Rebels - only to have some meddler keep them in the field with a timely infusion of supplies!

Conclusion

These rules grew out of efforts by one of the authors, dating back some twenty years, to develop a game representing worldwide military and diplomatic strategy in the decade 1935-45. After setting up - and knocking down - structures that always turned out unwieldy, it all boiled down to a realization that nothing can improve on the basic streamlined concepts and mechanics of Diplomacy. These can simply be extended to cover whatever phenomenon players wish to include, which is what we have done here.

This of course means that, while the Masters Rules are not themselves a variant, they can be played with other maps and variant rules. Existing automated adjudication programs should also accomodate these rules quite easily.

The Masters Rules have been refined and tested over the past ten years by dozens of players in both face-to-face and refereed e-mail games (many of whom said they could "never go back"). It is the intent of this article that many more players will try them, and discover the enormous power and realism they add to the classic game of Diplomacy - without adding clutter to, or taking anything away from, this greatest of games.

Please feel free to contact the authors at [email protected],
or visit the Masters Rules Diplomacy Website with more information and current e-mail games.