Abstraction2

Created by: Fred C. Davis Jr.

Variant Rules:

0.Usual regular Diplomacy rules apply, save where modified below.

1.There are 46 supply centres, 29 home centres, 17 neutrals (see map). The Great Powers begin the game with the following units:

AUSTRIA: A(Tyrolia); A(Pecs); A(Vienna); F(Zara).

ENGLAND: F(Edinburgh); F(London); A(Liverpool); F(Plymouth).

FRANCE: F(Brest); F(Marseilles); A(Lyon); A(Paris).

GERMANY: A(Berlin); A(Dresden); F(Kiel); A(Munich).

ITALY: F(Naples); A(Rome); F(Sicily); A(Venice).

RUSSIA: A(Archangel); A(Moscow); F(Odessa); F(St. Petersburg); A(Warsaw).

TURKEY: A(Constantinople); F(Damascus); F(Sinope); A(Smyrna).

While Budapest remains the Austrian home supply centre, the army supported by that centre will initially be placed in Tyrolia.

Non-Standard Map Abbreviations: Alg = Algeria; And = Andalucia(*); ANG = Anglican Sea; Ara = Arabia; Arc = Archangel(*); ARO = Artic Ocean; AZO = Azores; BoB = Bay of Biscay; Cas = Castile(*); Cat = Catalonia; Cau = Caucasus; Cic = Cicilia; CMS = Central Med.; Cou = Courland; Cro = Croatia; CYS = Cypriot Sea; Dam = Damascus (*); DBS = Deep Blue Sea; DMS = Denmark Strait; Dre = Dresden (*); EBS = East Black Sea; Egy = Egypt(*); HBS = Hebrides Sea; Ice = Iceland; Ire = Ireland(*); Lap = Lapland; Leo = Leon; Lib = Libya; Lor = Lorraine; Lyo = Lyon(*); Mac = Macedonia; MAS = Malta Sea; Mes = Mesopotamia; Mor = Morocco(*); Obe = Oberland; Ode = Odessa(*); Pal = Palestine; Pec = Pecs(*); Per = Persia; Ply = Plymouth; RIS = Riga Sea; SAO = South Atlantic; Sar = Sardinia; Sic = Sicily(*); Sin = Sinope(*); Swa = Swabia; Tra = Transylvania; Vol = Volga; WBS = West Black Sea; Zar = Zara(*); Zur = Zurich(*)

2.The first move of the game is July 1914, and each subsequent game move will be a calendar month. The adjustment seasons will be September, December, March and June. The game automatically ends following the December 1918 adjustments.

3.A/F Rules

Move Sequence. Embarkations are adjudicated prior to simultaneous movement. Disembarkations occur during simultaneous movement and are adjudicated as being simultaneous with and independent of whatever happens to the fleet element of the A/F.

Fast Ferry. A convoy as described in the Diplomacy rulebook is limited to the crossing of a single sea space via a single fleet. To avoid confusion with A/F convoys, a regular single space convoy is referred to as a "Fast Ferry" ("FF")If a fleet attempts to FF an army, but is unable to disembark the army, then the army remains on board the fleet and an A/F is formed (see below).

Embarkation. An army may embark on to a fleet either before simultaneous movement is adjudicated and thus a legal embarkation move can never fail. If an army has embarked on a fleet and cannot disembark for whatever reason, it will remain on board the fleet as an A/F.

A/F Operations. A convoy of more than one sea space can only be undertaken by the formation of an "Army/Fleet" ("A/F") to carry the army on board. In a given move, an army may board a fleet in an adjacent sea space (thus creating an A/F), the A/F may them move to an adjacent sea space, and the army may then also disembark the army into a coastal space adjacent to the second sea space. For example, A(Lon) boards F(ENG), A/F(ENG)-MAO, A disembarks Por.

An A/F has the same combat value as a single fleet and may attack, support and be supported, but it may not FF. An A/F may support operations in coastal provinces, although it may never enter a coastal province.

Disembarkation. Disembarkation is simultaneous with other movement, thus an army may disembark from an A/F at the same time that the fleet is moving elsewhere or supporting another action. For example, A/F(TYS) disembarks A(Tun), F(TYS)-WMS. However, if disembarkation fails, then the A/F remains intact and any fleet movement (but not support) will also fail (because if it succeeded the army would be left behind to drown).

It follows that if an A/F is disembarking an army then the fleet element may use its move to support the disembarkation of the army. For example A/F(ENG) disembarks A(ENG)-Bre S by F(ENG) will displace an unsupported A(Bre).

If an A/F attempting to disembark an army attempts to move or is dislodged, then the disembarkation will be unaffected as it is considered independently of the fleet.

Exception. In order to avoid circular reasoning, there is an exception to the general rule that disembarkations are simultaneous with other movement. The disembarkation of an army from an A/F, which in turn would have had to move successfully to be in a position to disembark the army, may not have an direct or indirect effect on the success of the movement of the A/F in question, and if it does so the disembarkation will fail.

Retreats. If an A/F is forced to retreat to a coastal space, it reverts to a fleet and the army is disbanded. An army may retreat on to an adjacent fleet in a sea space and create an A/F.

Circular reasoning. In the event that any movement cannot be adjudicated due to circular reasoning, then all units will stand.

4.Direct Passage. Units may move directly between Naples and Sicily and between Andalucia and Morocco without convoy. These spaces are considered adjacent in the same way as Denmark and Sweden on the regular board. This does not prevent fleets from moving directly between the Central mediterranean and the Tyrrhenian Sea or between the South Atlantic and the Western Mediterranean.

Armies may move directly between Egypt and Arabia. Armies may not move directly between Lorraine and Swabia.

5.Frozen Regions. During the period January-April inclusive, the Artic Ocean, Barents Sea, Archangel, Lapland and Iceland are frozen and any fleets in these spaces must stand. Frozen fleets may not support, convoy nor be dislodged.

Armies in Lapland or Archangel may not be dislodged when the spaces are frozen, though armies in Lapland or Archangel may move out of these spaces overland (though not by convoy).

Russia may build either fleets or armies in Archangel in March.

6.Exchange of Supply Centres.

Any two Powers may exchange ownership of supply centres at the end of any move, the only restriction being that a Power cannot exchange a supply centre if it is still occupying it with a unit. The number of supply centres exchanged by each Power must be equal.

7.Victory Criteria. Ownership of 23 supply centres is necessary for an outright victory. If no player reaches 23 supply centres by the end of December 1918, the player with the most units on the board is the victor.

Additional AbstractionII Rules