Dip 1233 – Stab!

Dip 1233 – Stab!

Turkey (Chris Morse) wins in Fall 1907!

A hidden movement form of Diplomacy on the Standard map

Click here for non-blind page

Final Map – Fall 1907

Supply Centres

Year	01	02	03	04	05	06	07
Austria	5	6	5	2	0	0	0
England	4	4	4	3	2	1	1
France	5	6	6	8	9	11	9
Germany	5	5	6	7	7	7	4
Italy	2	1	1	0	0	0	0
Russia	4	3	2	1	0	0	0
Turkey	5	7	9	12	16	15	20

History

Adjudications	Maps
1901	Spring 1901 / Fall 1901
1902	Spring 1902 / Fall 1902
1903	Spring 1903 / Fall 1903
1904	Spring 1904 / Fall 1904
1905	Spring 1905 / Fall 1905
1906	Spring 1906 / Fall 1906
1907	Spring 1907 / Fall 1907

Rules

Stab!

by Andy Evans

Revised by Stephen Agar

Further revision by Stephen Worthy

HISTORY

1. These rules are based on the rules up at www.variantbank.com, expanded to avoid ambiguity.

2. All usual 1971 regular Diplomacy rules apply save where noted below.

REPORTING RATIONALE

1. Stab is a hidden movement form of Diplomacy and is thus more suitable for postal or PBEM play.

2. Only disputed orders are reported in a game report as specified below. This rule of thumb should be used to resolve any disputes.

3. For the avoidance of doubt, a disputed order is defined as an order from a unit which comes into contact with a unit of different nationality.

4. Contact refers to one of four circumstances:

· Direct conflict between units of different nationalities.

· Units of different nationalities attempting to move into the same empty or vacated region.

· Support for either of the first two forms of contact.

· Convoying of a unit involved in either of the first two forms of contact.

VARIATIONS FROM THE PREVIOUS RULES

1. The previous rules described orders as successful and failed, suggesting that success or failure should influence reporting. The presence of dispute is more logical, so the wording has been changed. The non-reporting of redundant supports for a successful dislodgement has also been excluded as inconsistent.

2. The clause allowing England to build in the North Sea seeks to address a clear initial disadvantage to that power.

INITIAL PLACEMENT

1. Each player has the normal amount of units available at the start of the game, but may choose any combination of units in any home space. A home space is defined as any region indicated by the colour-coding on the original map as belonging to the country, not just supply centres.

2. Initial placements are included with the Spring 1901 orders and are not published.

3. For reasons of balance, England is able to build a fleet in the North Sea.

4. Note that Finland, as in some versions of the board, is neutral for the purpose of this game.

5. These rules are only in effect during Initial Placement. Thereafter, adjustments are implemented as usual.

SELF-STANDOFFS

1. A unit involved in a self-standoff only revealed if it comes into contact with a foreign unit. The treatment of one unit involved in a self-standoff does not affect the treatment of others involved in the same self-standoff.

DISPUTED MOVES

1. All orders of units which come into contact with a unit of different nationality are reported.

2. Supports are revealed in full, unless the support is cut, in which case, the fact that a support was cut is revealed, but not which unit or move it was supporting.

UNDISPUTED MOVES

1. If a successful move does not bring a unit into contact with another unit, it is not reported.

DISLODGEMENTS

1. The fact that a unit is dislodged is reported, but not the province to which it can or has retreated. If a unit is destroyed it is only reported publicly as dislodged.

2. However, the GM will reveal the result of the retreat to the player whose attack caused the unit to retreat. If a unit is disbanded through choice or because no retreat was ordered, this will be reported.

3. If a unit cannot retreat to a province for whatever reason he is not told why. The existence of a unit in a space to which another unit has attempted to retreat is not specifically revealed.

4. If a unit cannot retreat to any province, it is reported as dislodged, but both the involved parties are informed privately that it has been destroyed.

MIS-ORDERS

1. A mis-order or an unlawful order is not revealed.

CONVOYS

1. The two elements of a convoy are treated separately.

2. A unit that attacks a convoying foreign fleet sees that it is convoying, but doesn’t see the army it convoys. Hence the fleet is reported as convoying, but not the move or army it was convoying.

3. A unit that comes into contact with a foreign convoyed army sees both the convoy and the move. The move and the convoy are reported in full.

GM COMMUNICATIONS

1. Before every winter the GM will report the supply centre totals for each power, but will not reveal who owns which supply centre. Each player is informed privately which supply centres he owns.

2. Every season the GM should indicate privately to each player the position of his units, the identity of any supply centres lost that move (and who has taken them and with what) and what retreat moves other players have made as a consequence of that player's attacks. This not only assists the player concerned and reduces the likelihood of mis-orders, but increases the likelihood that any mis-adjudication will be identified.

NMR’s

1. All NMRs are reported as such, but the position of the units concerned is only revealed in accordance with the general rules.

EXAMPLE

1. The following Autumn 1902 orders are received:

ENGLAND:

F NTH c A Edi – Hol
A Edi – Hol
A Pic s A Wal – Bre
A Wal – Bre
F ENG c A Wal – Bre
F SKA – Swe

FRANCE:

A Par s F Bre – Pic
F Bre – Pic
A Gas – Bur
A Mar s A Gas – Bur
F MAO – NAO
F IRI – ENG

GERMANY:

A Mun s A Bur – H
A Ruh s A Bur – H
A Bur s A Ruh – H
A Kie – Hol
F Swe – Den
F BAL – Den

2. The game report would show:

ENGLAND:

F NTH c A Edi – Hol
A Edi – Hol (*bounce*)
A Pic *s (*cut, dislodged*)
F ENG *c
F SKA – Swe (*fails*)

FRANCE:

A Par s F Bre – Pic
F Bre – Pic
A Gas – Bur (*fails*)
A Mar s A Gas – Bur
F IRI – ENG (*fails*)

GERMANY:

A Mun s A Bur – H
A Ruh s A Bur – H
A Bur *s (*cut*)
A Kie – Hol (*bounce*)
F Swe – Den (*self-standoff*)

COMMENTARY

· In the battles over Burgundy and Picardy, A Bur, A Pic, F Bre and A Gas are revealed as coming into direct conflict, while the relevant supports, A Mar, A Mun, A Ruh and A Par are also revealed.

· The retreats open to F Pic are not revealed to anyone. A Bur and F Pic, whose supports are cut, are revealed, but not what they support, crucially leaving England’s move into Brest secret.

· F Kie comes into contact with the convoyed A Edi, so the attacker and the whole convoy is revealed. In contrast, F ENG is revealed as convoying, but not what, hence A Wal – Bre is not revealed. F IRI is revealed as attacking.

· F MAO – NAO is undisputed by foreign units and is kept secret.

· In the self-standoff, F SKA comes into direct conflict with F Swe, so both units are revealed, but F BAL is not as it is not disputed by foreign units.

· The GM would inform France privately that it had lost Brest and the outcome of the English A Pic. If it made an illegal retreat, both nations would be informed that the retreat was unsuccessful and the unit was destroyed.

· See Example map to see how this could be represented on a map.