Colonial

The Colonial Diplomacy variant of diplomacy follows the most of the rules as standard diplomacy with a modified map, and (someday) with 3 optional rules which can be set on or off at the GM's desire. The game is the first commercially published true simple Diplomacy variant.

Variant Rules:

1) Except as noted below, the standard rules of play for Diplomacy apply.

2) There are 7 great powers. The starting units are as follows:

B-BRITAIN

A Madras
A Delhi
F Bombay
F Hong Kong
F Singapore
F Aden

C-CHINA

A Peking
A Canton
A Sinkiang
A Shanghai
A Manchuria

F-FRANCE

A Tongking
F Annam
A Conchin

H-HOLLAND

F Java
A Borneo
F Sumatra

J-JAPAN

A Kyoto
F Kyushu
F Otaru
F Tokyo

R-RUSSIA

A Moscow
A Vladivostok
A Omsk
F Odessa
F Port Arthur

T-TURKEY

A Angora
F Baghdad
F Constantinople

3) There are three optional rules

4) CEBU looks like a body of water with islands inside of it, which is accurate. It is analogous to Kiel, Constantinople or Denmark in the standard diplomacy.

5) The Caspian Sea, Lake Baykal and any other unnamed space is not passable.

6) There are 58 supply centers. The victory criterion is possession of 30 supply centers at the end of any Fall retreat.

7) The game begins in 1870.

8) This version of Colonial is based on the Moulmein Convention, so land bridges have been added between Otaru and Akita, and Sakalin and Otaru. Note that this may not be implemented on your particular Judge, so that any moves generated by Realpolitik using these land bridges may not be accepted.

Province Abbreviations:

All land province are abbreviated by the first three letters of the province, except the following:

hk Hong Kong
kag Kashgar
kam Kashmir
mac Manchuria
may Mandalay
mna Manila
gui New Guinea
prs Persia
prm Perm
part Port Arthur
sig Singapore
sik Sinkiang
ubur Upper Burma

Sea Space abbreviations are less obvious, but there is a pattern.

All sea spaces which take the form Sea of #Something or Gulf of ##Something take the abbreviation so# or go#. For example, Gulf of Manaar is "gom" and Sea of Japan is "soj".

All sea spaces which take the form ###something Sea or ###something Gulf take the abbreviation ###s. For example, Persian Gulf is "perg" and Sulu Sea is "suls".

All sea spaces which end in Ocean or no water designation (such as Lower Pacific) are abbreviated by their initials. For example, Lower Pacific is "lp" and West Indian Ocean is "wio".

If there is no conflict, you may be able to use initials even if the sea rules say otherwise. For example, the Okhotsk Sea is "okhs" but "os" will also work.

Optional Rules

The Trans-Siberian Railroad

Even though the Trans-Siberian Railroad was opened in 1903, it plays an important role in Colonial Diplomacy (1870). The Trans-Siberian railroad (TSR) stretches from Moscow to Vladivostok, and can only be used by the Russian player. It is used to move from any space along the railroad to another one. Orders are written with the TSR as a "first target" for the move. The move of A Mos to Vla is written: "A Mos - TSR - Vla".

Units using the TSR may travel "through" other Russian units along the TSR. However, if a unit of another nationality blocks the way of a unit using the TSR, the TSR unit will stand off as normal at the place it is blocked. Example: Russia moves A Mos - TSR - Vla. China moves A Mon - Kra. There will be a stand-off in Kra. The chinese army bounces back to Mon. The russian army stops in Omsk.

Units using the TSR can attack another space (with support, if needed) along the TSR if

1. The province is unoccupied at the start of the turn 2. The province is occupied at the start of the turn, but is made empty by other moves during that turn.

This means that if Russia orders a unit to Vladivostok from Moscow and supports it, the Chinese army in Vladivostok will still not be forced to retreat as long as it holds in Vladivostok. Units using the TSR can not attack occupied spaces. It is still a legal order, since China may leave Vladivostok in the same given turn. If the unit stays, the Russian army will end up in Irkutsk.

Egypt and The Suez Canal

The Suez Canal allows fleets to move directly from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea, without first passing through Egypt. This is only possible if allowed by a unit standing in Egypt. This unit must start and end the turn in Egypt in order to make the fleet move legal. The move must also be granted permission by the unit standing in Egypt. This is no big deal if for example Turkey has a unit in Egypt and a fleet in the Mediterranean which he moves to the Red Sea. But if another power wants to use the Suez canal, the unit in Egypt must specify that it gives its permission.

This is done by simply writing a support order for the move. F Egy s ENGLISH F REDS - MEDS.

Egypt has the same function as Kiel, Constantinople or Denmark in standard dip. It is concidered having a continous coast towards both the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.

Hong Kong

Hong Kong is a British home supply center. It counts as a supply center for any country except China. If China is in possession of Hong Kong, it counts as a non-supply neutral territory.

Colonial Strategy Articles:

• CDD Lab Notes
• Colonial Diplomacy Review
• Colonial Diplomacy Part 1 The British
• Colonial Diplomacy Part 2 The Chinese
• Colonial Diplomacy Part 3 The Dutch
• Colonial Diplomacy Part 4 The French
• Colonial Diplomacy Part 5 The Japanese
• Colonial Diplomacy Part 6 The Russians
• Colonial Diplomacy Part 7 The Turks