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These pages contain rules, maps, articles and general web pages for over 170 Diplomacy variants.

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Iberian Diplomacy (Macario Reyes) Links temporarily down while Diplored web site changes ISP
A four-player variant that takes place beginning in the year 1230. The variant is based on the midieval wars of reconquest fought between four christian kingdoms of the era. The game takes place on a new map; standard rules apply.

Imperial Diplomacy (Michael David Roberts)
A 13-player global variant set in the mid 19th century. Standard rules apply, along with a few map clarifications for the new map.

Indianomacy II (Wayne Hoheisel)
An eight-player variant set among the indian tribes in the early times of the United States. The game takes place on a map that includes the U.S. and portions of Canada and Mexico. The variant includes a few special rules.
  • Rules (at the variantbank.org variant archive)
  • Maps: [ gif ]

Intimate Diplomacy I and II (Steve Doubleday and Adrien Baird: I; Dave Allen: II)
Intimate Diplomacy is a two-player variant that uses the standard map. Each player plays one power, and the remaining five powers are "mercenaries", control of which for each turn goes to the highest bidder for that turn. Standard Diplomacy rules apply, plus special rules that apply to the credit allocation and bidding. ID II is a revised and slightly more comlicated version of the same game.

Invasion 44AD (John Robertson)
This 7-player variant is based on the Roman invasion of Britain in 44AD. Modified standard rules are used: only the Romans can build fleets, the British can build "boat bunches" (half-fleets), and a modified type of convoy is used.
  • Rules (at the variantbank.org variant archive)
  • Maps: [ gif ]

It Came from Outer Space (Dan Percival)
This is a variant that can be played by any number of players and uses the standard map. Each player is the ruler of a Galactic Empire that starts out orbiting the Earth (an empty standard map) with a spaceship containing three armies, and with the objective to colonize and take over Europe. Standard Diplomacy rules apply, plus special rules that describe the colonization process and earth-to-space movement.

Kapitalistic Diplomacy (Dave Tant)
This economic variant can be played by three or more players. The game uses the standard map. In addition to the standard Diplomacy rules, this variant includes a set of rules regarding currency trades.

Latin American Diplomacy (Michael Zmolek)
This 12-player variant includes eight Latin American powers and four "Imperial" powers. The variant is a second phase in the creation of a forthcoming global variant. The game takes place on a map that covers South and Central America, as well as small portions of North America and African. Modified standard rules apply.

Layered Diplomacy (Ralan Hill)
This variant is identical to standard Diplomacy except that a second board is added and units are allowed to move "vertically" from one board to another.

LiMa 1b (Michel Liesnard & Jean-Paul Macedoni)
This 7-player variant takes place on a slightly modified standard map. The variant also uses modified rules which include air squadron units, as well as several new types of orders for air squardons, such as "bombing" and "invasion".
  • Rules (at the variantbank.org variant archive)
  • Maps: [ gif ]

Loeb9 (Danny Loeb)
This nine-player variant takes place on a map that is similar to the standard map, but slightly modified to allow two extra powers: Spain and Norway. Standard Diplomacy rules apply.

London Nights (Andy Mansfield)
This seven-player variant takes place in the streets and neighborhoods of London. Each of the players controls a "faction" (shoppers, taxi drivers, city boys, etc.), each of which has some special attribute such as multiple-strength armies, double moves, hidden units, etc.
  • Rules (at the variantbank.org variant archive)
  • Maps: [ gif ]

Lord of Hosts (Tim Collieu)
This six-player variant takes place in the Middle East in the period around 600 B.C.E. Slight modifications to the standard rules allow the destruction of another player's home supply center ("Holy Places"), and a double army build as a reward for doing so.
  • Rules (at the variantbank.org variant archive)
  • Maps: [ gif ]

Machiavelli (S. Craig Taylor and James B. Wood)
An eight-power variant that takes place on a new map consisting of Italy and surrounding regions. The rules are similar in spirit to normal Diplomacy rules but are substantially more complex, including a new unit type (garrison) and concepts such as money, assassinations, famine, bribery, seiges and more.
Note the following: This game was initially released by Battleline Games, then by Avalon Hill, then a second edition by Avalon Hill (published twice in two different boxes) with revised rules and map, plus there is a judge version which was based on the 1st edition but slightly modified. Be sure the files/maps you use below apply to the version you are interested in and if you are playing a version other than one you have played before, be sure you know how the rules and/or map differ.
Any version Judge version Boardgame Battleline edition or Avalon Hill 1st edition (1980) Boardgame Avalon Hill 2nd edition (1983 or 1995)

Maharajah's Diplomacy
A seven player variant set in the Middle East and India region.

Middle Earth II, VIII, IX and X (Terry Kuch and Don Miller: II; Lew Pulsipher: VIII; Mark Nelson: IX and X)
A quartet of variants that take place in Middle Earth, the world of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. All four of the variants use new maps. ME II and VIII have slightly modified rules; the others have substantially modified rules (such as double armies, forts, and a piece called The Nazgul). ME VIII is an eight-player variant; the others are five-player variants.

Migraine (Stephen Koehler)
An eight-player variant laid out on a circular map. The map is symmetric about multiple axes, with each of the eight sections having identical (in some cases mirror-image) layout, to create a highly balanced variant.

Milan (John Norris)
A seven-player variant that takes place on a slightly-modified standard map. Modifications are made in Italy, with the purpose of improving Italy's starting position. Standard Diplomacy rules apply.

Minor Power
This 19-player variant has the seven great powers from the standard game, plus an additional twelve minor (one-center) powers. Standard Diplomacy rules apply with the exceptions that minor powers may choose their initial builds, and all powers may build in any owned supply center, not just home supply centers.

Missing Man (Scott Kasch and Manus Hand)
A variant that can be combined with most other variants when you are short one or more players for a game. Instead of having the "vacant" powers holding as the standard rulebook suggests, each turn a different player controls a vacant power and is allowed to issue its orders. Standard Diplomacy rules apply.

Mobilization (Tim Miller)
This variant uses the standard map and standard rules with the exception of new rules concerning mobilization and demobilization of units. Mobilization and demobilization of units is similar to building and disbanding of units, but can happen during movement phases, not just build phases (units can also be demobilized on retreat phases if dislodged).

Mobtown II (Stephen Agar)
This six-player variant takes place in the New York City area at the start of the Prohibition. Modified standard rules apply, including "Dons" and "Gangs" as units.
  • Rules (at the variantbank.org variant archive)
  • Maps: [ gif ]

Modern (Vincent Mous)
A ten-player variant that takes place in modern times on a modified map which contains the regions on the standard map plus a slightly larger portion of Western Asia and Northern Africa. Standard Diplomacy rules apply, along with special geography rules (e.g. canals and coasts) for a few of the provinces.

Multinational Diplomacy (Rein Kooy)
This game is generally played on a map of the USA, but the rules can be adopted to other maps as well. In this game multinational corporations rule the world where they can use three different kind of powers: military, ecominical and political powers.

Multiplicity (Simple), Multiplicity Plus, and Multiplicity II (Stephen Agar and Richard Walkerdine: Simple and Plus; Richard Walkerdine and Keith Black: II)
These variants can be played on the standard map or a variety of other maps. The variants bring in the concept of multiple forces to the game of Diplomacy. Units may merge into multiple forces (which can subsequently be split). Multiple forces can attack with the strength of multiple units, and distribute support into different spaces. Standard Diplomacy rules apply, plus rules that govern merging, splitting, and other adjudication for multiple forces. The three different variants use different variations on the same basic concept.

Napoleonic Wars (James Nelson)
A five-player variant which is played on a new map. This variant has five major powers plus nine powers that players attempt to control via the use of influence points, which are allocated each Winter based on supply center holdings. Modified rules apply, which include multiple units (see Multiplicity variant), blockades, banking of supply points and more.
  • Rules (at the variantbank.org variant archive)
  • Maps: [ gif ]

Narnian Wars (Brian Hogan)
This eight-player variant is based on the world described in the Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis. and takes place on a map of that world. Modified rules apply, including concepts such as personality units, several types of special units, special locations and more.
  • Rules (at the variantbank.org variant archive)
  • Maps: [ gif ]

Necromancer (Richard Egan)
This eight-player variant takes place in Middle Earth, the world of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. This variant uses a new map and substantially modified rules (such as new units, special locations and fortresses).

Nessie (Tobias Bende and Marcus Andersson)
This 7-player variant takes place in medieval Scotland starting in the year 1301. Standard Diplomacy rules apply, with the only exception being that fleets cannot be built in the one province that borders Loch Ness (because "Nessie" the Loch Ness Monster lives there of course).

No-Press
Any variant in which direct written/verbal communication between players is forbidden.

Northern Ireland Diplomacy (Paul D. Kennedy)
This seven-player variant takes place in Northern Ireland starting in 1970. This is basically a map variant, with standard Diplomacy rules applying.
  • Rules (at the variantbank.org variant archive)
  • Maps: [ gif ]

Nuclear Diplomacy IV (Mark Nelson and John Norris)
This variant can be used with a variety of different maps. The variant brings Diplomacy into modern times by bringing in new types of units: missiles, secret missiles (both of which can be nuclear or biological) and submarines. Standard Diplomacy rules apply, plus rules which govern the use of the new types of units.
  • Rules (at the Box Frenzy site)
  • Maps: Any

Octarine (Gary Duke)
This variant is based on Terry Pratchett's "Discworld" and uses the standard rules with a new map.

Ooh Ever So Nasty Diplomacy (Brian Creese and Ken Bain)
Just like it sounds: no alliances allowed, no draws allowed, no support for other powers allowed, all press must be hostile and antagonistic, etc.
  • Rules (at the variantbank.org variant archive)
  • Maps: Any

Original Diplomacy (original version of standard Diplomacy) (Allan Calhamer)
Allan Calhamer's original 1958 rules for Diplomacy. Both the rules and map differ from the modern-day version of standard Diplomacy.

Paranoia (by Geraint Morgan, developed by Dylan O'Donnell)
This variant was initially designed to work with the standard game (i.e. seven players), but the rules can be adapted to other variants as well. This variant takes the concept of security clearance levels from the role playing game Paranoia. Each player is assigned a security clearance level at the start of the game. After builds each year, the security levels rotate placing the highest player at the bottom, and moving everyone else up one level. Each season players can submit orders for all units belonging to powers with lower levels than their own. Depending on how many sets of orders a unit receives, either the order from the owner of that unit or from a higher level will be used.

Payola (Manus Hand and John Woolley)
This variant can be played on the standard map or any other map. In this variant, players receive money (silver pieces) every year based on supply center holdings. Rather than issuing orders for one's own units, players make offers to any number of units on the map; offers consist of a desired move and a bribe amount. The order that a unit actually attempts is determined according to the highest bribe (or combination of like bribes) received by the unit. Standard Diplomacy rules and a set of rules relating to money and to bribe adjudication apply.
  • Payola Diplomacy (complete, annotated rules; a Diplomatic Pouch zine article)
  • Payola Place (clearing house for all completed and presently-running Payola games, and home of Payola's auto-adjudication and the related software)
  • Thoughts on Play (an appendix to the Payola rules; a Diplomatic Pouch zine article)
  • Notes on Payola Diplomacy (the collected annotations for the Payola rules; a Diplomatic Pouch zine article)
  • Maps: Any

Perestroika V (Larry Cronlon)
This variant can be played on a variety of maps. In this variant, each supply center starts out with a block of industrial production which produces points that can be stored, loaned, traded, reinvested into additional industrial blocks, or used to buy armies or fleets. Modified Diplomacy rules apply.
  • Rules (at the variantbank.org variant archive)
  • Maps: Any

Portage Variant (Robert McMillan)
Inspired by the times of the Vikings, this variant allows armies to carry fleets from one body of water to another over land. Standard rules apply, along with modifications concerning the portage of fleets.
  • Rules (at the variantbank.org variant archive)
  • Maps: Any

Pride of Armies (Fred C. Davis Jr.)
This six-player variant takes place on a map that covers a slightly larger area than the standard map (extended to the South and East). The variant uses modified rules, including army/fleet rules.
  • Rules (at the variantbank.org variant archive)
  • Maps: [ gif ]

Propaganda (Matthew Wright)
This two player variant is played on the standard map. The players each play one of the seven great powers. The players start out with popularity points, which are bid in order to take control of the remaining "mercenary" powers. Additional popularity points are gained and lost according rules related to the takeover of supply centers.
  • Rules (at the variantbank.org variant archive)
  • Maps: Any

Pure (Danny Loeb)
A seven-player variant which is by symmetry perfectly balanced. The map consists of seven spaces, each being a home supply center for a power, and each space being adjacent to every other one. Standard Diplomacy rules apply.
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