![]() | MACHIAVELLI: | ![]() |
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Machiavelli, the Game of PrincesIn my opinion, of the manifold Diplomacy variants, Machiavelli is the best, and one of the best wargames, period. I believe that when you examine what it is that makes Diplomacy a fun and exciting hobby, it is not a boardgame at all: it is the original role-playing game. And what period could be more fun in which to role-play than Renaissance Italy? Few games are as endowed with as much historical atmosphere, excitement and drama as Machiavelli. This is not Diplomacy with a different map. It is a full color recreation of the turbulent struggles of the Italian Renaissance complete with mercenaries, magnificent cities, assassins, sieges and disasters. It is accessible to any gamer, but for those who wish to ride in the saddle of Sir John Hawkwood, count gold with the Medicis, or plot with Francesco Sforza, Machiavelli is a sumptuous experience. |
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The purpose of this article is to prepare a Judge-competent pedestrian Diplomacy player for his or her first Machiavelli match, using all the advanced features of the 1st edition, including money and disasters. After reading this article you will be all set to join a Machiavelli game, and play convincingly enough for other players to think you actually have read the rules, which you can do later. What follow is an abstract of what you need with some tips, and some hard-to-find proper Judge syntax. Go ahead and join the game queue now, don't wait! First Things FirstUse the Automated MapperA lot of you will are already familiar with the Alan Tésio automated mapping utility here. If you are not familiar, then get used to this page, because hand-plotting Machiavelli turn results is for masochists only! You can download a current map or the history of the game in any format you like. Print the Rules to pdfGet the rules for Machiavelli here. Print them to a pdf file. I like having them in pdf format because it allows you find every instance of a search term and browse quickly, something you are going to want to do. I've done the same thing for the Judge Users Manual. My Apple-Mac preview utility gives a wonderful table of all instances of a keyword in context in handy clickable window, allowing me to find execrable Judge-syntax entries instantly; shameless Mac plug. Read the game listingRead the game listing! This is important because all or only some of the features of Machiavelli may be in use. It is also possible that the game is Mach2, which uses 2nd edition rules of Machiavelli, and a modified map. If you have questions or reservations then the time to deal with them is before powers are assigned. So read your game listing carefully and contact the GM if you need guidance. Machiavelli vs. DiplomacyHow does Machiavelli compare with Diplomacy? Machiavelli uses the same mechanics, but expands them in to add new dimensions to the game, not just a different map. In addition to armies and fleets there are garrisons. Units are more dynamic, having the ability to convert from fleet to army, or vice versa. There are three seasons of movement instead of two. Instead of static builds, money is used, and players draw income. Players have a handy line of credit, allowing much more flexibility. This you'll need, because the other features are disasters such as plague and famine, and let's not forget about bribery… yes, in this milieu — much as in real life — money is influence. But it is still Diplomacy! Ultimate success is still a function of your ability to negotiate. What is really different is that there are more dimensions, more options, and so, much more room for dedicated Diplomacy players to display their talents. Power CodesThese are the codes the Judge uses for the major powers of the game. Notice that Florence and Milan deviate from the initial-letter pattern. If you are having trouble signing on then this might be your problem.
Note that the codes for Florence and Milan are different from the initial letters! So be careful when you are sending press. Sequence of PlayMachiavelli uses three movement phases per build phase. Thus, each year in Machiavelli looks like this:
Realize that control of regions is adjudicated every movement season. Income is calculated at the end of Fall. You can look up the complete sequence of play in the rules file, but here are the important things you need to keep in mind:
Income and FinancesMachiavelli is income based. Instead of getting builds for centers, you pay for your forces. You can also choose to save money in your treasury, borrow money from the bank, or spend money on bribes. Income comes from the areas you control.
*Provinces struck by famine do not produce income. Famine is denoted in Judge results with a % symbol.
BorrowingMachiavelli allows players to borrow money form the bank. But be careful! Defaulting has consequences.
The syntax for making and paying loans is given in this table:
Useful hint: Can you pay your debts? During the income phase you need to look ahead and see what loans are due the next year in order to reserve enough cash. The minimum amount of income and credit you need to pay any one loan is equal to the total interest you owe plus at least half of the principal. Thus if you have a total debt of 25+13 in principal and interest, you will need to dedicate 26 ducats to service debt that year, not 38. This will leave you with a 12 ducat loan, which you might take as 12+6, due in two years. It will also create 13 ducats credit you can borrow the immediate next turn. It will take a little experience to learn to manage your finances. Good players track the finances of their opponents as well. Bribes and ExpensesMachiavelli has the added dimension of bribery. Bribes allow you to remove your opponents units or buy them outright. There are also other expenses such as rebellion and assassination that give the game more action.
Effects of RebellionRebellions cause a player's province, and possible city, to turn against them. The effects are:
Elite UnitsMachiavelli allows each player to build an elite unit with special abilities. Only one such unit is allowed per power. The proper syntax for elite builds is given in this table:
DisastersThere are two kinds of disaster in regular Machiavelli: plague and famine. Both can be very distressing, especially to new players. PlaguePlague eliminates all units in the region it strikes. As mentioned in the Sequence of Play section, Plague strikes before the Summer movement, after Spring movement is resolved. Plague eliminates all units in the regions it affects. Depending on the year, there may be no plague, a single column or single row on the plague table, or both a column and a row. The most important thing to remember about plague is that it comes in fixed patterns, i.e. all the regions in the row or column that is randomly selected. As a result you should pay attention to the patterns and not the probabilities. You can try to stack all your units on the 2 row, because that seems like the stochastically intelligent thing to do; but you'll really be in the pot if a 2 is actually rolled, and sometimes it is. The counter-intuitive strategy is to share the same probabilities as your immediate opponents, that is, put your units on the same numbers they're putting theirs. Why? Because this way it is less likely you will get a pattern that eliminates your units while leaving theirs. You might get lucky and keep yours, while they lose theirs, but given that you will have more than one neighbor, the odds are less than even this will happen. By using a 'me too' approach you will always be no worse off than your neighbors. FamineFamine strikes at the end of Summer movement before the Build phase. Famine prevents the afflicted province from producing income. If it strikes a home province, it also prevents you from building a unit in that region. Lastly, if your unit ends Spring movement in a famine struck province, it is eliminated unless that region has had a famine relief paid for it. This must be done with the Spring orders. It is important to remember this when planning, because you may find yourself retreating to a famine-struck province!
GarrisonsA garrison is a unit dedicated to a fortified city. Garrisons cannot be dislodged like ordinary units: instead they must be sieged. Garrisons may convert into armies or fleets. A conversion order is treated like ordinary movement into a province and may be bounced or supported, but a garrison under siege is prohibited from converting. Garrisons being seiged also do not provide income. Seiges require two seasons to complete. If the unit conducting the siege is dislodged, the siege fails. Commands relating to Garrisons are summarized in this table:
*Order converts garrison to fleet only if the garrison is in a port (Anchor symbol on map). Hint: Garrisons can be converted to autonomous garrisons by bribery. AssassinationThe last feature of the game is probably the least understood and most misused. Assassination in Machiavelli does not eliminate a player. Each player begins with one assassination chit for each other player, and is limited to one attempt, unless a chit is transferred. Assassination attempts do not succeed automatically, except for those of the Bank when a player defaults on a loan. The attempt costs a minimum of 12 ducats, and as much as 36 ducats. For each 12 ducats spent, a player increases the chance of success by 1/6th of a point. Thus, a 36 ducat attempt has a 1 in 2 chance of success. The effects of assassination are:
Hint: When should you attempt an assassination? The bigger they are, the harder they fall. With assassination, the more provinces a player controls, the more rebellions the player will have to deal with. Remember that both cities and provinces rebel. Assassination is a good ploy to reverse fast-growing players, especially if they have a lot of debt. Final WordThere is a lot to assimilate, or it seems that way. If you use this article as your cheat-sheet the play should be quite straightforward and easy to catch on. If you prefer feel free to join a game as an observer. Watching a year or two of play in a game should give you a good idea of the tempo and dynamics. Also remember that almost all of the features of Machiavelli are independent of one another. That is, a game can be played without money, or with money but without assassination, etc. If you feel strongly about a feature, contact the GM before powers are assigned, or request a different game. My own feeling is that all of the features make the milieu come to life and give the game drama. Drama is what keeps people playing. Thanks go to Kevin Burt, Nicholas Holford, Terje Maloy and Bob Snyder for contributing comments to this article.
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