Variant for Site Proposal: 1812 Overture

[NoPunIn10Did]

I am filing a proposal for my variant, 1812 Overture, to be adapted to the PlayDiplomacy main site in 2020 or after.



Basic Information

1. Variant Name: 1812 Overture
2. Player Count: 6
3. Full Rules:
   1. On the forum:Transcribed Rules: 1812 Overture (v1.5) (ignore the Tournament-specific stuff, like the year limit)
   2. Also available in PDF: https://tinyurl.com/1812-overture-rules-1-5-5
4. Setting & Time Period:
   
   1. 1812 Overture starts in 1811, in the Napoleonic era.
   2. It is set across two continents: Europe & North America.
   3. It ties together the War of 1812 (USA v. Britain/Canada), the Patriotic War of 1812 (Russia v. France), and the Peninsular War (France v. Britain fighting in Spain & Portugal).
5. This variant has the following rules changes from base game mechanics:
   
   1. Each player controls a pair of powers, as with Versailles.
   2. Unlike Versailles, three players' pairs are preset, while the other three players' pairs are not.
   3. Also unlike Versailles, a player's two powers can freely take over one another's home SCs.
   4. Two of the powers (Shawnee & Cherokee) cannot build fleets.
   5. The victory condition requires both a minimum SC count of 18 and the possession of 12 SCs in one of the two continents.
   6. The victory conditions allow for two players to win simultaneously, and this should be scored differently than a two-player draw.
   7. Building is allowed in a specified subset of SCs by power (see charts for Europe and North America).
   8. There is a limitation that prevents trans-continental convoys unless specific conditions are met.

Proposal Q&A

1. Has this variant been played via the PlayDiplomacy forums or Discord?
   
   Yes. As of January 2019, it has been played three times (see PbF archive), and another session is currently in progress. I hope to GM start at least 2-3 more sessions of the variant this year.
2. Is this variant already supported on another Dip site? If so, which one?
   
   No, it is not supported anywhere else.
3. Where have you played or GM'd this variant before?
   
   1. I have played or GM'd this game nine times (including the ongoing game).
   2. Two games were face-to-face, three were email, and the other four were played here (see above).
4. What about this variant would distinguish it from those the site currently supports?
   
   1. It is a six-player variant. We have no maps that support six players by default.
   2. It uses similar mechanics to those from Versailles, but the two powers you control are on more equal footing.
   3. It bridges multiple continents and is set in a time period we don't currently have a variant for.
   4. It provides a means for two players to simultaneously achieve victory (not a draw), though the conditions required for that double-win are quite difficult to achieve. Approaching the double-win should provide opportunities for either player to shortcut and grab a solo instead.
5. If there are multiple disparate versions of the variant, why do you like the particular ruleset for this version?
   
   1. The variant is currently on version 1.5, and barring any major issues arising in playtesting, that is the version we should keep.
   2. This version has already received more playtesting than any prior version of the rules/map. By the end of the year, more playtests of version 1.5 will have occurred than those of the other versions combined.
   3. As the variant's creator, I feel the most satisfied with this version of the rules. There are always elements that I consider tweaking, but I don't believe any more major changes to the map or rules are necessary for the variant to stand on its own.
   4. This version provides greater potential variety in opening strategies for each player.
      
      • Early-game dogpiles on the France & US players are no longer perceived as the only viable opening strategy (though they are still quite workable if desired). This had been an issue with some of the earlier versions.
      • Now, two of the detached powers (New Spain & Russia) serve as additional potential threats to their respective continents; the survival of France or the USA may be required to counter them.
   5. This version also creates a unique "broken" diplomatic triangle in the Iberian Peninsula.
      
      • Version 1.5 is the best so far to translate the politics of the Peninsular War into interesting gameplay.
      • It is an asymetric setup: New Spain has an owned SC in Cadiz, but no starting unit. Britain has an Army in Portugal, but no SC. France has both an SC and an Army in Barcelona.
      • Spain can use that center to gain a foothold in Europe, but only if the Spaniard can convince Britain and/or France to leave Cadiz vacant by the end of the first Autumn turn.

Additional Notes

• This is a variant of my own creation, copyrighted and licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Share-Alike license.
• The current maps have a 2400 pixel width, but the map can be adapted to a 900 pixel width without much trouble.
• The rules were designed to take advantage of the site's existing support for Versailles.
• Should this variant be elected to the site, we'll need to discuss specifics for how it will work with Age of Empires, Chaos, Escalation, and other rules mix-ins. Some of the special rules for the variant may need to be set aside in those contexts.

[super_dipsy]

Looks very exciting!

[NoPunIn10Did]

Current draft of the 1812 Overture map adapted to fit in a 900 pixel width.



Edit: Prior version incorrectly showed Stockholm as belonging to Denmark-Norway. This is now corrected.

[Groo]

Looks lovely!