Interesting 1 I have only tried once. Not listed in DC variant area. Any takers? vegas_iwish(at)yahoo.com South East Asia Andrew Reddaway

Overview

This variant introduces a new map but maintains the standard Diplomacy rules owned by Hasbro. It straddles the equator, spanning the area from Burma in the west to Papua New Guinea in the east, and from Taiwan in the north to northern Australia in the south.

The intention of the variant is for seven closely-matched powers to contest 11 neutral supply centres, very similar in game play to the original European game.

The fictitious historical basis for the variant is that economic and
political instability broke out in China and South-east Asia in 1997.
Pro-democracy movements have caused unrest in territories such as East Timor
and Hong Kong. China split into several factions, with the southern portion
seeking allies among the members of Asean for its expansionist ambitions.

Setup

The seven powers are:

Australia, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, The Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.

Neutral supply centres are:

Singapore, Brunei, Burma, Laos, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, the Spratly
Islands, the Marianas islands, Papua New Guinea and East Timor.

All Powers start with three supply centres except Indonesia, who has four.
The game is more fleet-centred than Europe, except on the continent around
Laos etc. Vietnam, China and Thailand all start with one fleet, the others
start with two.

Starting Positions

Austria: Army Darwin, Fleet Cairns, Fleet Port Hedland
China: Army Guiyang, Army Kunming, Fleet Guangzhou
Indonesia: Army Balikpapan, Army Jakarta, Fleet Medan, Fleet Surabaya
Malaysia: Army Kuala Lumpur, Fleet Kota Bharu, Fleet Kuching
Philippines: Army Cebu, Fleet Davao, Fleet Manila
Thailand: Army Bangkok, Army Chiang Mai, Fleet Thammerat (East Coast)
Vietnam: Army Da Nang, Army Hanoi, F Saigon


Game Play Comments

The map has two dominant features - the mainland and the archipelago. On the
mainland, the three-way contest between Thailand, Vietnam and China means
that if two of these nations ally against the other, that nation is in
serious trouble. The seafaring nations face different challenges. Supply
centres, even home cities are separated by oceans, so fleets are more useful
than armies. Even for the mainland nations, sea power is essential for a solo
win.

Federation of Australia

Main religious affiliations: Roman Catholic, Anglican
Official language: English
Governmental system: Federal constitutional monarchy - democratic
Leaders: Prime Minister John Howard, Queen Elizabeth Windsor II
Founding Father: Captain James Cook

Australia is the only real Corner Power, and has a very defensible position.
Its only threat early in the game is an aggressive Filipino-Indonesian
alliance.

Peoples' Republic of China

Main religious affiliations: Non-religious, Chinese folk religions
Official language: Mandarin Chinese
Governmental system: Communism (moving toward "Market Leninism"
Leaders: Prime Minister Li Peng, President Jian Zemin
Founding Father: Chairman Mao Zedong

China will be keen to advance its historical claims on Hong Kong, Taiwan and
the Spratly islands, but it will have to contend with other nations before it
can do so. China, like Thailand, faces the risk of losing its coastal centres
if it concentrates too heavily on a land war. Burma is China's "back door",
although Thailand has a greater claim on it.

Republic of Indonesia

Main religious affiliations: Islam
Official language: Bahasa Indonesia
Governmental system: Multiparty Republic - "Guided Democracy"
Leader: President Suharto
Founding Father: First president Sukarno

Indonesia plays a similar role to Russia in the original game. Defending
against attacks on two or three fronts is nearly impossible, but there are
great opportunities to attack or stab, eg against Thailand and Malaysia. It
is important for Indonesia to either develop a strong alliance with
Australia, or defeat that nation early in the game, since an Australian stab
could be devastating.

Federation of Malaysia

Main religious affiliations: Islam
Official language: Bahasa Malaysia
Governmental system: Multiparty Constitutional Monarchy
Leader: Prime Minister Dr. Mahatir, King Tuanku Jaafar Abdul Rahman (son of
the founder)
Founding Father: Tunku Abdul Rahman

Malaysia's position is in some ways similar to that of Germany's, with
excellent early opportunities, but a vulnerable central position. If Malaysia
can control the Malaysian sea, it will have good prospects throughout the
game.

Republic of the Philippines

Main religious affiliations: Roman Catholic
Official languages: Pilipino, English
Governmental system: Multiparty Republic - democratic
Leader: President Fidel Ramos
Founding father: Andres Bonafacio

The Philippines have a strong postion, with early opportunities in all
directions. It is also more defensible than Malaysia or Indonesia, having
adjacent home supply centres. An alliance with either Australia or China will
help secure solid growth.

Kingdom of Thailand

Main religious affiliations: Buddhism
Official language: Thai
Governmental system: Constitutional Monarchy: democratic
Leaders: Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai, King Bhumibol Adulyadej
Founding Father: Khun Bang Klang Thao

Thailand has better possibilities for mainland expansion than any other
nation, but like China, it faces the risk of having its coastal centres
overrun if it concentrates too heavily on a land war. For example, an
Indonesian-Malaysian alliance can exert strong pressure on Thammerat.
Thailand must also guard its "back door", Burma.

Socialist Republic of Vietnam

Main religious affiliations: Buddhism, folk religions
Official language: Vietnamese
Governmental system: One-party republic - socialist
Leaders: Prime Minister: Phan Van Khai, Chairman: Tran Duc Luong
Founding father: Ho Chi Minh

Vietnam perhaps has the weakest position in the game, situated between the other land powers and the archipelago. Diplomatic possibilites are strong however, since it can seek alliance with either Thailand or China, and also exert influence into the oceans

Notes
For PBEM games, the one-letter abbreviation for Malaysia has the letter L,
since M is reserved for Game Master.
The Philippines is simply named "Philippines" on the judge
Seventeen supply centres are required to win.
Only two supply centres can be taken in the first year without fear of
interference: East Timor by Australia and the Marianas Islands by The
Philippines.
The only foreign home supply centre adjacency is Thammerat-Kota Bharu.
Some of the territories (especially the seas) are fictitious or inaccurate.
They were designed to promote balanced and interesting play.