Picking A Map for The Next Game of Diplomacy (New Thread)
Dec 15, 2019 1:43:35 GMT
Frederick the Great, Santa Anna, and 1 more like this
Post by Tolbethessar on Dec 15, 2019 1:43:35 GMT
Clearly an open collaboration thread wasn't the right venue, as it seems to overwhelm some members into total silence or meek mumbling. Alright, that's on me. I'm going to treat it like water off of the back of a duck. 
EDIT: Ah some late comments came in, didn't see them until now.
So we're going to try something else... a direct poll.
What we would like you to do is feel free to put in some commentary, preferences, etc, and lastly a pick in the poll as well.
For the next game of Diplomacy:
First, we will have a choice made, and a signup thread will be posted. It's highly possible that we wouldn't have all spots filled in the first go, but we will also begin asking outside people to fill up the remaining spots in that game. So the specific number of players in a variant isn't necessarily the most important feature under consideration. Just tell us what tickles you bad and makes you want to roll up your sleeves and dig in.
The staff of TSR here would like to present you with a bundle of choices that diverge widely in either time or location or scope, and that's a good amount of variety. So feast ye eyes upon this smorgasbord!
Choice 1
The 1900 Variant by B. M. Powell - 7 players
www.variantbank.org/results/rules/1/1900.htm (Just the map)
uk.diplom.org/pouch/Online/variants/1900-061119.pdf (the PDF)
It's like the classic vanilla map, but deluxe. It's a version that's much more balanced and quite more dynamic in forcing corner powers to interact with more people, while giving the central powers more survivability, always a plus to have! The PDF in the link is quite long, but mainly the last 2/3 of it is a sample game with a very interesting narrative. The first 1/3 is an excellent set of design notes written by the variant designer himself. In any case, this variant is similar enough to be familiar to those who have played the classic map, but different enough to be exciting, and I know I don't have to repeat the part where the designer deliberately made this map more fluid and dynamic, but it's worth a second mention, nonetheless, hehe.
Choice 2
The Aegean Variant by Jean-François Georget - 7 players
uk.diplom.org/pouch/Zine/S2004M/Georget/peloponnesian_wars.html
It's one of the more delightful variant to read up on, so read on if you like. Strategically speaking, it's a circular-structured map that aims to bring balance for both inner and outer powers, and not just for the gameplay-oriented... but the famous Greek background of the theme is an additional strong positive in playing it. Instead of reading the long, long narrative of either Thucydides or Herodotus, (and trust me, those two men really did like to go on for a very long time!) we could play out our very own version on this map instead. I wouldn't fault you for quoting Hetrodotus to another player in an overly dramatic move though, it's the immersive atmosphere to blame.
Choice 3
The Zeus the Fifth Variant by Chris Northcott - 7 players
www.variantbank.org/results/rules/z/zeus5.htm
For the World War 2 fans, this map delivers not just a mere Euro-centric war zone, but an entire world to fight in! Yet, it's not a 100-plus supply-center map that bogs you down with too numerous units and tiny spaces to squint your eyes at, and takes forever to play it out to a conclusion. No siree bob! It's a 41-SC map which is slightly larger than the vanilla map but about the same scale. (There's also Zeus IV, the previous version, that can be a suitable alternative.) It might take a bit while getting used to the unusual polar projection of the map, but the easiest way to think of it is to mentally place the North Pole in the very center and place the equator on the outer rim. It's essentially the northern half of a globe on a paper. There's plenty to act out, such as D-Day, Pearl Harbor, or even Operation Barbarossa, or perhaps something else entirely such as an alternative government from Hearts of Iron IV, heh.
Choice 4
The 1812 Overture Variant by W. Alex Ronke - 6 players
i.imgur.com/5KAdHkw.png (Just the map)
tinyurl.com/1812-overture-diplomacy (Design Documents + Rules)
Ah, the Napoleonic age! Dreams of dramatic clashes on the fields of Europe rests on such brilliant geniuses of that time. General Napoleon, Lord Nelson, Archduke Charles, Prince Mikhail Kutuzov, on and on, but that's not all... The biggest thing to see on this map immediately is that players will have to contend for tactics and strategies of not just one continent, but two continents at the same time! (Europe and North America). EW4 fans of the Easytech game should love this map, enough said.
Alternative Choice (Or Choice Number 5)
The Ambition & Empire Variant by Jeff S. Kase and B. M. Powell - 10 players
www.dipwiki.com/?title=Ambition_and_Empire
I'm using the quick introduction section that he already wrote:
"Ambition & Empire is a Diplomacy variant for ten players that is set in Europe at the conclusion of the Seven Years War (1756-63). The title pays tribute to the empire-building, war-and-conquest philosophy held by the great leaders of the day; a remarkable cast of historical figures that included Frederick the Great of Prussia, Maria Theresa of Austria, and Catherine the Great of Russia. This period would culminate with Napoleon, one of the greatest empire builders in history."
Asking to fill 10 spots is quite a lot, but given the high quality of this variant, and plenty of experienced people in subreddit and other places, it's not impossible to successfully host this variant.
Alternative Alternative Choice (Or basically the Choice Number 6)
The Far East Variant by Vern Schaller - 5 players
www.variantbank.org/results/rules/f/far_east.htm
It's a fairly compact map and likely to be able to fill up all spots from the current membership alone without any outside people coming in. It does seems to be reasonably balanced as a whole, but no promises until we actually play it and see how it actually goes, though. If not even 5, we could always go down to a 4-player variant such as Marenum?
EDIT: Ah some late comments came in, didn't see them until now.
So we're going to try something else... a direct poll.
What we would like you to do is feel free to put in some commentary, preferences, etc, and lastly a pick in the poll as well.
For the next game of Diplomacy:
First, we will have a choice made, and a signup thread will be posted. It's highly possible that we wouldn't have all spots filled in the first go, but we will also begin asking outside people to fill up the remaining spots in that game. So the specific number of players in a variant isn't necessarily the most important feature under consideration. Just tell us what tickles you bad and makes you want to roll up your sleeves and dig in.
The staff of TSR here would like to present you with a bundle of choices that diverge widely in either time or location or scope, and that's a good amount of variety. So feast ye eyes upon this smorgasbord!
Choice 1
The 1900 Variant by B. M. Powell - 7 players
www.variantbank.org/results/rules/1/1900.htm (Just the map)
uk.diplom.org/pouch/Online/variants/1900-061119.pdf (the PDF)
It's like the classic vanilla map, but deluxe. It's a version that's much more balanced and quite more dynamic in forcing corner powers to interact with more people, while giving the central powers more survivability, always a plus to have! The PDF in the link is quite long, but mainly the last 2/3 of it is a sample game with a very interesting narrative. The first 1/3 is an excellent set of design notes written by the variant designer himself. In any case, this variant is similar enough to be familiar to those who have played the classic map, but different enough to be exciting, and I know I don't have to repeat the part where the designer deliberately made this map more fluid and dynamic, but it's worth a second mention, nonetheless, hehe.
Choice 2
The Aegean Variant by Jean-François Georget - 7 players
uk.diplom.org/pouch/Zine/S2004M/Georget/peloponnesian_wars.html
It's one of the more delightful variant to read up on, so read on if you like. Strategically speaking, it's a circular-structured map that aims to bring balance for both inner and outer powers, and not just for the gameplay-oriented... but the famous Greek background of the theme is an additional strong positive in playing it. Instead of reading the long, long narrative of either Thucydides or Herodotus, (and trust me, those two men really did like to go on for a very long time!) we could play out our very own version on this map instead. I wouldn't fault you for quoting Hetrodotus to another player in an overly dramatic move though, it's the immersive atmosphere to blame.
Choice 3
The Zeus the Fifth Variant by Chris Northcott - 7 players
www.variantbank.org/results/rules/z/zeus5.htm
For the World War 2 fans, this map delivers not just a mere Euro-centric war zone, but an entire world to fight in! Yet, it's not a 100-plus supply-center map that bogs you down with too numerous units and tiny spaces to squint your eyes at, and takes forever to play it out to a conclusion. No siree bob! It's a 41-SC map which is slightly larger than the vanilla map but about the same scale. (There's also Zeus IV, the previous version, that can be a suitable alternative.) It might take a bit while getting used to the unusual polar projection of the map, but the easiest way to think of it is to mentally place the North Pole in the very center and place the equator on the outer rim. It's essentially the northern half of a globe on a paper. There's plenty to act out, such as D-Day, Pearl Harbor, or even Operation Barbarossa, or perhaps something else entirely such as an alternative government from Hearts of Iron IV, heh.
Choice 4
The 1812 Overture Variant by W. Alex Ronke - 6 players
i.imgur.com/5KAdHkw.png (Just the map)
tinyurl.com/1812-overture-diplomacy (Design Documents + Rules)
Ah, the Napoleonic age! Dreams of dramatic clashes on the fields of Europe rests on such brilliant geniuses of that time. General Napoleon, Lord Nelson, Archduke Charles, Prince Mikhail Kutuzov, on and on, but that's not all... The biggest thing to see on this map immediately is that players will have to contend for tactics and strategies of not just one continent, but two continents at the same time! (Europe and North America). EW4 fans of the Easytech game should love this map, enough said.
Alternative Choice (Or Choice Number 5)
The Ambition & Empire Variant by Jeff S. Kase and B. M. Powell - 10 players
www.dipwiki.com/?title=Ambition_and_Empire
I'm using the quick introduction section that he already wrote:
"Ambition & Empire is a Diplomacy variant for ten players that is set in Europe at the conclusion of the Seven Years War (1756-63). The title pays tribute to the empire-building, war-and-conquest philosophy held by the great leaders of the day; a remarkable cast of historical figures that included Frederick the Great of Prussia, Maria Theresa of Austria, and Catherine the Great of Russia. This period would culminate with Napoleon, one of the greatest empire builders in history."
Asking to fill 10 spots is quite a lot, but given the high quality of this variant, and plenty of experienced people in subreddit and other places, it's not impossible to successfully host this variant.
Alternative Alternative Choice (Or basically the Choice Number 6)
The Far East Variant by Vern Schaller - 5 players
www.variantbank.org/results/rules/f/far_east.htm
It's a fairly compact map and likely to be able to fill up all spots from the current membership alone without any outside people coming in. It does seems to be reasonably balanced as a whole, but no promises until we actually play it and see how it actually goes, though. If not even 5, we could always go down to a 4-player variant such as Marenum?
