1936 v2.5

Introduction

1936 is a seven-player Diplomacy variant set in the mid-thirties – at a time when the precarious order established after the Great War was increasingly undermined and finally destroyed.

Next to the seven great powers vying for influence, the two main factions in the Spanish Civil War – the Nationalists and Republicans are playable. Nationalist Spain is controlled by its main sponsor – Italy, whereas the Soviet Union champions the cause of Republican Spain.

1936's rules are based upon those of Ambition & Empire, a variant designed by Jeff Kase and Baron Powell. As its most striking departure from Standard Diplomacy, the latter first featured armed neutrals whose actions players may secretly influence by bidding Diplomacy Points (DPs).

Should you be interested in joining or observing a future game, contact me.

Maps

1936 v2.5 initial setup

1936 v2.5

Inital Setup

BRITAIN: F Edinburgh, F Gibraltar, F London, F Suez

FRANCE: A Algiers, A Beirut, F Brest, A Marseille, A Paris

GERMANY: A Berlin, F Hamburg, A Munich

ITALY: A Milan, F Naples, A Rome, F Tripoli

POLAND: A Cracow, F Gdynia, A Warsaw

SOVIET UNION: F Leningrad, A Moscow, A Stalingrad

TURKEY: A Ankara, A Istanbul, F Izmir

NATIONALIST SPAIN: A Burgos

REPUBLICAN SPAIN: A Valencia

Rules

All the rules of standard Diplomacy apply save those noted below.

Minor Powers

In addition to the seven Great Powers (and the Spanish factions), there also are a host of "minor powers" that represent the smaller states of Europe.

Each minor power controls one unit (two in the case of Yugoslavia) and the SCs they occupy. All minor powers start with an army except for the following minors that start with a fleet: Denmark, Greece, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal and Sweden.

Minor power units prevent a Great Power from simply moving into an empty space and gaining control of the SC. To occupy a minor power SC, a Great Power will need to move in with support. A minor power unit that is forced to retreat is disbanded. If a Great Power does not occupy the minor power SC at the end of a Fall turn, the minor power’s unit is automatically rebuilt in the Winter.

As in standard Diplomacy, a Great Power controls a minor power SC when one of its units occupies the space after a Fall turn has been played and completed. Once a Great Power gains control of a minor power SC, it can leave the SC vacant and still keep control of it as long as that SC is not occupied by another Great Power at the close of a Fall turn.

Minor power units do nothing but hold in place, unless the unit has been ordered by a Great Power using its Diplomacy Points.

Diplomacy Points

At the start of the Spring and Fall turns, each Great Power receives 3 Diplomacy Points (DPs). Exception: France receives 5 DPs. During each Spring and Fall turn, each Great Power may allocate DPs to minor powers that still have units on the map, though no more than two of its DPs may be allocated to any particular minor power SC. (Design Note: This is a departure from the Ambition & Empire rules.) Additional restriction: A Major Power may not allocate any DPs to a minor power SC it intends to attack during the current game turn.

For each DP allocated, the allocating Great Power submits an order for that particular minor power’s unit. A Great Power may only order a minor power to move, hold or support. A minor power's unit given a move order won't actually move. However, the move action may cut support and bounce other units.

Unused DPs may not be carried over into the next turn. They are simply lost.

Players are not required to tell each other how they allocated their DPs. Just as with negotiations, players may honour their agreements with other players or not, as they see fit. Only the GM will know how Great Powers have allocated their DPs. DP allocation is not published in the adjudication; only the end results are published.

The GM determines how DPs have been allocated. In the event of a conflict, an order for a particular minor power’s unit is followed if it is supported by more DPs than any conflicting order. See the following examples:

Example 1. In Spring ‘36, Germany allocates one DP to Austria to get it to support a German attack on Czechia. No other major Power allocates a DP to Austria so the Austrian unit supports the German attack on Czechia.

Example 2. In Spring ‘36, Germany allocates one DP to Austria to get it to support a German attack on Czechia. Italy also allocates one DP to Austria to get it to support an Italian attack on Switzerland. Since Germany and Italy each allocated one DP to Austria, neither controls Austria and the Austrian army simply holds in place.

Example 3. In Spring ‘36, Germany allocates two DPs to Austria to get it to support a German attack on Czechia. Italy allocates only one DP to Austria to get it to support an Italian attack on Switzerland. Since Germany allocated one more DP to Austria than Italy did, the Austrian support the German attack on Czechia.

Example 4. In Spring ‘36, Germany allocates one DP to Austria to get it to support a German attack on Czechia. Italy allocates one DP to Austria to get it to support an Italian attack on Switzerland. In support of Germany, Turkey allocates one DP to Austria to get it to support the German attack on Czechia. Although Germany, Italy and Turkey each allocated one DP to Austria, the Germans get the Austrian support because the Turks supported the German diplomatic efforts with the Austrians.

If, during a Spring or Fall turn, a Great Power allocates more DPs to minor powers than it is entitled to, all of that Great Power’s DPs are forfeited for that particular turn.

Client States

Should a Great Power (patron) invest any DPs in a minor power designated as a client (i.e. lesser ally, junior partner, protectorate, state within a power's sphere of influence), those DPs are increased by 1 in value.

These are the various Great Powers' clients:

BRITAIN: Egypt, Iraq

FRANCE: Belgium, Czechoslovakia (i.e. Czechia), Morocco, Rumania, Yugoslavia 
(i.e. Croatia, Serbia)

GERMANY: Austria (also a potential German build site), Bulgaria, 
Hungary

ITALY: Bulgaria, Hungary

POLAND: Rumania

SOVIET UNION: Czechoslovakia, Lithuania

TURKEY: Egypt, Iran

As a visual cue, minor power SC dots are partially coloured in their patron's colours. Austria's SC is fully coloured grey to account for it being also a potential German build site.

Yugoslavia

Yugoslavia is a minor power initially consisting of two units/SCs (i.e. A Croatia and A Serbia). As such, the Yugoslav A Croatia may not attack, help cut or dislodge its fellow Yugoslav unit in Serbia (and vice-versa). DPs are allocated to A Croatia or A Serbia rather than to Yugoslavia as a whole.

Spain

The Italian player submits orders for Nationalist Spain, while the Soviet player does the same for Republican Spain. However, the two powers under the control of the same player are treated for all purposes other than victory as separate powers.

Either faction may be declared the winner in the Spanish Civil War. To be deemed the victor, a faction needs to control all three Spanish Home SCs or be the sole surviving faction. It is considered to have attained Great Power status.

Burgos, Madrid and Valencia are home supply centres for both the Nationalists and Republicans. Initially the Nationalists control Burgos, the Republicans Valencia (their respective provisional capitals), whereas Madrid is neutral and controlled by neither. There is no neutral garrison in vacant Madrid – unlike all other neutral SCs at game-start.

A faction victorious in the Spanish Civil War receives 3 DPs. In all other circumstances, factions do not receive any DPs.

Should a faction's sponsoring Great Power (Italy for the Nationalists, the Soviet Union for the Republicans) be eliminated, its faction is immediately put into civil disorder (see the below rules section). Therefore the controlling player is entirely eliminated from the game.

Victory Conditions

As soon as one player controls 18 SCs, the game ends immediately and the player representing that Great Power is the winner. If two players each gain 18 or more VPs at the same time, the player with the most VPs is considered the winner. If the two players each control the same number of VPs, the game continues until one player has 18 or more VPs and that player has more VPs than any other player.

For the purposes of this rule Italy & Nationalist Spain are considered one Great Power. The same applies to the Soviet Union & Republican Spain.

Civil Disorder

If a player is lost during the game, the GM is strongly encouraged to find a replacement player for the affected Great Power rather than have it lapse into civil disorder. In the event no replacement player is found and the GM declares the Great Power to be in permanent civil disorder, the following rules apply:

• All units of the Great Power in civil disorder (GPCD) are immediately disbanded.

• All SCs controlled by the GPCD that are unoccupied are immediately considered newly independent minor powers. Minor power army units are built in those minor power spaces.

• All SCs controlled by the GPCD that are occupied by a unit belonging to another Great Power are unaffected. If the occupying Great Power moves its unit out of the GPCD’s SC so that the SC is unoccupied at the conclusion of a Fall turn, a minor power army unit is built there and that SC is considered a newly independent minor power.

• For the remainder of the game, all newly independent minor powers are subject to the provisions of the Minor Powers rules. In particular, this means the new minor power can be influenced using Diplomacy Points.

• Once a Great Power is declared to be in permanent civil disorder, it may not be played by an active player again.

Special Rules

• The first turn of the game begins in Spring 1936.

• France may not build units in Beirut, nor may Italy do so in Tripoli (as a visual cue these SCs are filled with white colour).

• Austria serves as an additional German build-site.

• Britain starts the game with a fleet located in Gibraltar, whereas there’s no unit in Liverpool.

Map Clarifications

• Gibraltar and the Dodecanese are sea spaces that contain land. This means that a fleet stationed in Gibraltar or in the Dodecanese can convoy an army. Equally, army movement between Gibraltar and Madrid, Grenada or Morocco is allowed. Much as between the Dodecanese and Izmir.

• Hamburg, Suez, Denmark and Istanbul are canal provinces. Hence, they have merely one coast.

• The Arabian Sea and the Atlantic Ocean are adjacent and are divided by a line in the Red Sea. Blue bands along the map edges indicate that these portions of the Red Sea respectively belong to the Arabian Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.

Four-way Intersections:

• Sicily and Naples are adjacent as shown by the landbridge arrow. Both fleet and army movement across the Straits of Messina is possible.

• Edinburgh, Northern Ireland, the North-Western Approaches and the Irish Sea all border each other.

• Gibraltar, Morocco, the Atlantic Ocean and the South-Western Approaches all border each other.

• Sweden, the Gulf of Bothnia, the Gulf of Danzig and Baltic Sea all border each other.

• Stalingrad, Georgia, the Eastern Ukraine and the Black Sea all border each other.

Space Names and Abbreviations

All spaces on the 1936 map, along with their abbreviations, are listed below. SCs are annotated with an asterisk (*).

Albania		     	Alb
Alexandretta		Ale
Algiers* 		Alg
Ankara*			Ank
Archangel	        Arc

Austria* 		Aus
Beirut* 		Bei
Belgium* 		Bel
Berlin*			Ber
Bosnia                  Bos

Brest*		        Bre
Bulgaria* 		Bul
Burgos*                 Brg  
Burgundy		Bur
Byelorussia		Bye

Catalonia               Cat
Central Germany         CGe
Cracow*			Cra
Croatia*                Cro
Czechia*		Cze

Denmark*		Den
Dobruja                 Dob
Dodecanese              Dod
Eastern Anatolia        EAn
East Prussia 		EPr

Eastern Ukraine         EUk
Edinburgh*		Edi
Egypt*			Egy
Estonia			Est
Finland*		Fin

Franconia               Fra
Galicia                 Gal
Gascony			Gas
Gdynia*			Gdy
Georgia                 Geo

Gibraltar		Gib
Granada                 Gra
Greater Poland		GPo
Greece*			Gre
Hamburg*		Ham

Hungary*		Hun
Iceland			Ice
Iraq*			Ira
Ireland			Ire
Istanbul*		Ist 

Izmir*			Izm
Kazakhstan		Kaz
Konya			Kon
Kurdistan		Kur
Kuweit			Kuw 

Latvia*			Lat 
Leningrad*		Len
Lithuania*		Lit
Liverpool*		Liv
Lodz                    Lod

London*			Lon
Lorraine                Lor
Madrid*                 Mad
Marseille*		Mar
Milan*			Mil

Morocco*		Mor
Moscow*			Mos
Munich*                 Mun
Naples*			Nap
Navarra                 Nav

Netherlands*		Net
Norway*			Nwy
Palestine		Pal
Paris*			Par
Persia*			Per

Picardy			Pic
Piedmont		Pie
Pomerania		Pom
Portugal*		Por
Rhineland		Rhi

Rome*			Rom
Rumania*		Rum 
Sardinia                Srd
Saudi Arabia		SAr
Serbia*                 Ser

Siberia			Sib
Sicily			Sic
Silesia			Sil
Slovakia		Svk
Slovenia                Slo

Southern Algeria	SAl
South Tyrol             STy
Stalingrad*		Sta
Suez			Sue
Sweden*			Swe

Switzerland*		Swi
Syria			Syr
Thrace                  Thr
Transylvania            Tra
Tripoli*		Tri

Tunisia			Tun
Tuscany                 Tus
Valencia*               Val
Venetia                 Ven
Volhynia		Vol

Wales			Wal
Warsaw*			War
Western Ukraine		WUk
Yorkshire		Yor
Adriatic Sea		ADR

Aegean Sea		AEG
Arabian Sea		ARA
Arctic Ocean,           ARC
Atlantic Ocean          ATL
Baltic Sea		BAL

Bay of Biscay           BOB
Black Sea		BLA
Caspian Sea		CAS
English Channel		ENG
Gulf of Bothnia		GOB

Gulf of Danzig		GOD
Gulf of Lion		GOL
Ionian Sea		ION
Irish Sea		IRI
Levantine Sea           LEV

Libyan Sea              LIB
Northern Tyrrhenian Sea NTS
North Sea		NTH
North-Western Approaches NWA
Norwegian Sea		NRG

Skaggerak		SKA
Southern Tyrrhenian Sea STS
South-Western Approaches SWA
Western Mediterranean	WES