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- Official Variant Maps & Rules
- Common Ruleset for DP-based Variants
- Transcribed Rules: Ambition & Empire
- Transcribed Rules: 1812 Overture
- Transcribed Rules: 1900
- Transcribed Rules: 1936
- See also: Additional Maps
- Transcribed Rules: РАСПАД (Dissolution)
- Common Ruleset for DP-based Variants
Transcribed Rules: 1936
Variant designed by Charles Féaux de la Croix
Edited & Transcribed by W. Alex Ronke
Alternate Art by W. Alex Ronke
The original rules and artwork for 1936 can be found on DipWiki. The artwork and power colors (as well as some abbreviations) have been changed to maintain a consistent style with other variants in the 2018 Tournament Through Time.
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 charlesf.
Initial Setup
The Great Powers
- BR Britain (Navy Blue)
- F Edinburgh
- F Gibraltar
- F London
- F Suez
- F Edinburgh
- FR France (Teal Blue)
- A Algiers
- F Brest
- A Lebanon
- A Marseille
- A Paris
- A Algiers
- GE Germany (Black)
- A Berlin
- F Hamburg
- A Munich
- A Berlin
- IT Italy (Green)
- F Libya
- A Milan
- F Naples
- A Rome
- Also controls Nationalist Spain
- F Libya
- PO Poland (Magenta)
- A Cracow
- F Gdynia
- A Warsaw
- A Cracow
- SU Soviet Union (Red)
- F Leningrad (sc)
- A Moscow
- A Stalingrad
- Also controls Republican Spain
- F Leningrad (sc)
- TU Turkey (Orange)
- A Ankara
- A Istanbul
- F Izmir
- A Ankara
- NS Nationalist Spain (Yellow)
- A Burgos
- Controlled by Italy
- A Burgos
- RS Republican Spain (Purple)
- A Valencia
- Controlled by Soviet Union
- A Valencia
All the rules of standard Diplomacy apply save those noted below.
See also: Common Ruleset for DP-based Variants
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
Each Great Power receives a set number of Diplomacy Points (DPs) every Spring and Fall turn.
Amount of DP per Orders Phase
- France receives 5 DPs.
- The other Great Powers are allocated 3 DPs each.
- Deduct 1 DP from a Great Power's DP budget for each SC it originally owned, yet is controlled by another power.
- Exception: French ownership of any SC within two spaces of Lebanon (i.e. Ankara, Iraq, Izmir, or Suez) cancels any penalty for losing Lebanon.
- Deduct 1 DP from sponsor's DP budget if its corresponding faction controls fewer Spanish SCs than the opposing faction or no longer controls any Spanish SC.
A patron receives a DP bonus when allocating DPs to a client state (see further below).
During each Spring and Fall turn, each Great Power may allocate DPs to minor powers that still have units on the map. A Great Power may only allocate one DP to a given power except for one minor power where an additional DP might be allocated (i.e. two).
A Major Power may not allocate any DPs to a minor power SC it intends to attack (or support an attack against) during the current game turn.
Editor's Clarification: This limitation applies to the orders granted to the Major Power's units or affiliated Spanish Faction's units. Other DP allocations that attack or support an attack on the minor power are not limited in this manner.
For each DP allocated, the allocating Great Power submits an order for that particular minor power’s unit. A Great Power may order a minor power to move, hold or support. A minor power's unit given a move order (also known as a "sortie") will not actually move. However, the move action may cut support and bounce other units.
If a minor power unit is given a move order that under standard rules would result in it moving, the order will result in the unit remaining in its starting territory, but no other unit may retreat or move into the territory the minor successfully attacked. A unit already in the target territory at turn start will not be dislodged.
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 Bohemia. No other major Power allocates a DP to Austria so the Austrian unit supports the German attack on Bohemia.
Example 2. In Spring ‘36, Germany allocates one DP to Austria to get it to support a German attack on Bohemia. 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 Bohemia. 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 Bohemia.
Example 4. In Spring ‘36, Germany allocates one DP to Austria to get it to support a German attack on Bohemia. 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 Bohemia. 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.
Client States
Several minor powers are designated as clients of one or more Great Power sponsors.
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 in value.
Initially this is a 1 DP bonus. After every two years, the DP bonus further increases by one. This means that the DP bonus is +1 at the game's start, rises to +2 during the Spring 1938 season, to +3 in Spring 1940, and so on.
A surviving client's SCs count towards its patron's SC total for victory purposes.
Editor's Note: This rule was removed from 1936 in version 3.5 of the rules, and it was inadvertently added back to the Wiki copy of the rules for version 3.6. I have notified Charles to have him correct this. In either case, we are not playing with this rule intact for the Tournament Through Time.
These are the various Great Powers' clients:
- BRITAIN
- Egypt
- Iraq
- FRANCE
- Belgium
- Czechoslovakia (Bohemia)
- Greece
- Morocco
- Rumania
- Yugoslavia (Croatia & Serbia)
- GERMANY
- Austria (also a potential German build site)
- Bulgaria
- Finland
- Hungary
- Iran
- Rumania
- ITALY
- Bulgaria
- Hungary
- POLAND
- Rumania
- SOVIET UNION
- Czechoslovakia (Bohemia)
- Lithuania
- TURKEY
- Egypt
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.Editor's Clarification: A player may not allocate DP to the Yugoslavian army in Croatia if their Major Power (or Spanish Faction) units are being ordered to attack or support an attack on a Yugoslavian army in Serbia, and vice-versa.
Spain
The Nationalists and Republicans are considered factions. Italy and the Soviet Union are their respective sponsoring Great Powers.
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.
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.
Deduct 1 DP from sponsor's DP budget if its corresponding faction controls fewer Spanish SCs (i.e. Burgos, Madrid, Valencia) than the opposing faction or no longer controls any Spanish SCs.
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 SCs at the same time, the player with the most SCs is considered the winner. If the two players each control the same number of SCs, the game continues until one player has 18 or more SCs and that player has more SCs 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 DisorderEditor's Note: For the Tournament Through Time, the GM will not allow any power to fall under permanent civil disorder. It is the responsibility of that power's Dynasty to provide a substitute. If they cannot, the GM will assign a substitute to them. As such, the section of rules below should not come into play during this session of 1936, except in the case that either Italy or the Soviet Union is eliminated but leaves behind units of their corresponding Spanish Faction. See the House Rules for further details.
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 Lebanon, nor may Italy do so in Libya. France and Britain may build in Algiers and Suez, respectively.
- 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 Persian Gulf and the Atlantic Ocean are adjacent and are divided by a line in what we generally consider Red Sea. Blue bands along the map edges indicate that these portions of the Red Sea respectively belong to the Persian Gulf 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 (wc), Western Caucasia, the Eastern Ukraine and the Black Sea all border each other.
- Greece, the Aegean Sea, Eastern Mediterranean Sea and Ionian Sea all border each other.
- Dobruja, Rumania, Eastern Ukraine, and 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 (*).
LAND
- Code: Select all
Albania Alb
Alexandretta Ale
Algiers* Alg
Ankara* Ank
Austria* Aus
Belgium* Bel
Berlin* Ber
Bohemia* Boh
Bosnia Bos
Brest* Bre
Bukovina Buk
Bulgaria* Bul
Burgos* Brg
Burgundy Bur
Byelorussia Bye
Catalonia Cat
Cracow* Cra
Croatia* Cro
Denmark* Den
Dobruja Dob
Dodecanese Dod
Eastern Anatolia EAn
East Prussia EPr
Eastern Ukraine EUk
Edinburgh* Edi
Egypt* Egy
Estonia Est
Extremadura Ext
Finland* Fin
Franconia Fra
Gascony Gas
Gdynia* Gdy
Gibraltar Gib
Granada Gra
Greater Poland GPo
Greece* Gre
Hamburg* Ham
Hungary* Hun
Iceland Ice
Iran* Irn
Iraq* Irq
Ireland Ire
Istanbul* Ist
Izmir* Izm
Kazakhstan Kaz
Konya Kon
Kurdistan Kur
Kuwait Kuw
Latvia* Lat
Lebanon* Leb
Leningrad* Len
Leon Leo
Libya* Lib
Lithuania* Lit
Liverpool* Lvp
London* Lon
Lorraine Lor
Macedonia Mac
Madrid* Mad
Marseille* Mar
Milan* Mil
Morocco* Mor
Moscow* Mos
Munich* Mun
Naples* Nap
Navarra Nav
Netherlands* Net
Norway* Nwy
Palestine Pal
Paris* Par
Picardy Pic
Piedmont Pie
Pomerania Pom
Portugal* Por
Rhineland Rhi
Rome* Rom
Rumania* Rum
Sardinia Sdn
Saudi Arabia SAr
Saxony Sax
Serbia* Ser
Siberia Sib
Sicily Sic
Silesia Sil
Slovakia Svk
Slovenia Svn
Southern Algeria SAl
South Tyrol STy
Stalingrad* Sta
Suez* Sue
Sweden* Swe
Switzerland* Swi
Syria Syr
Transylvania Tra
Tunisia Tun
Tuscany Tus
Valencia* Val
Venetia Ven
Volhynia Vol
Wales Wal
Warsaw* War
Western Caucasia WCa
Western Ukraine WUk
Yorkshire Yor
WATER
- Code: Select all
Adriatic Sea Adr
Aegean Sea Aeg
Arctic Ocean Arc
Atlantic Ocean Atl
Baltic Sea Bal
Bay of Biscay BOB
Black Sea Bla
Caspian Sea Cas
Eastern Mediterranean Sea Eas
English Channel Eng
Gulf of Bothnia GOB
Gulf of Danzig GOD
Gulf of Lyon GOL
Ionian Sea Ion
Irish Sea Iri
Levantine Sea Lev
Maltese Sea Mal
Northern North Sea NNS
Northern Tyrrhenian Sea NTS
North-Western Approaches NWA
Norwegian Sea Nwg
Persian Gulf Per
Skaggerak Ska
Southern North Sea SNS
Southern Tyrrhenian Sea STS
South-Western Approaches SWA
Western Mediterranean Sea Wes
