The one and only “extension set” for my Olde Faithful Dip board. The game is the same, but the map starts slightly differently to the regular game, as shown with the cardboard overlay to the left. I made seven of these (when first playing this variant by post) and sent one to every player. One day I hope to see this as the standard map at a f-t-f Dipcon! These articles were not supposed to touch on Dip variants, but this is the one true variant which I believe balances the entire game. The Ven-Tri option has now gone, but the Tyrolian Attack (Rom-Ven, Ven-Tyr) is still available, as is the Munich grab. Key to this variant is the fact that there are now two French provinces (Bur & Mar) which can be entered from (now) Savoy. And with Rome being adjacent to GOL, a new fleet there has additional options. Simply put, this variant prevents France from being the almighty great and powerful one. And this new alignment of power has a balancing ripple effect across the entire board. As far as variants go, this really pushes my buttons. It opens up strategy and Diplomacy for all Great Powers and starts the game in a more balanced fashion for all seven players. The only time I played this variant was by post (in Brian Frew’s Veni Vidi Vici). England won the game. Maybe this variant helps England too much? But the truth is that in that game Italy did “too many clever things in 1901”. He opened Mil-Tyr, Rom-Sav and grabbed both Mar and Vie in Fall 1901. Is it any wonder that my England got an easy ride thereafter? Alternative variants of this game start before 1901; whereby all Great powers discuss with Italy what choice of unit they should have in Rome. But I view this option as a little too anti- France; le hexagon is already crippled enough by the Sav / Bur / Mar boundary change. Toby Harris (toby@responsiva.biz) If you wish to e-mail feedback on this article to the author, and clicking on the envelope above does not work for you, feel free to use the "Dear DP..." mail interface.