I say uniqueness, maps that take parts in different historic times and different parts of the world sometimes become the most popular. Balance then becomes crucial in making that variant stick around and continue to be played. then of course you don't want too few players, but also not too many that the game drags on.

You know, I liked historical maps too, until I played that Germany one.

Yeah, I like the nations to be different, but all of them enjoyable to play. In Renn, i love it because it is still a fightable challenge for most all of the nations, but i do find Venice to be fighting for the win and most other nations fighting to draw, which can be off putting. Then i don't like there to be so many players that you don't talk with a large portion of them. Also, i like variants that are novel. Either a cool map or a cool feature for the variant.

I consider Balance to be very important. Variants where a country is significantly weaker than others are not fun. The inherent weakness frames the strategies that players all round the board make.

Yeah, the one time I played Rinascimento, I got one of the one center powers. It's...not the most fun thing ever. Gotta have balance.

Anyone from favorite variants?

Well with Renaissance the goal was accuracy and realism, I like balance alright, but realism is nice to have too, I mean Frankly some countries are stronger then others, like Historically Naples would have been much more powerful then Sienna or Ferrara, granted I have heard of one-center powers winning before, the unrealistic thing about that variant is that France and Turkey start out with nothing, when historically they were some of the most powerful countries of the era

and as for favorite variants I'd have to say:
1066, WWIV (you have to actually act like a real countries in that variant), Dutch Revolt, Colonial, and Classic

My favorites are Sengoku, Rinascimento, Dutch Revolt and Colonial. I think the main thing I like about the first three is that they are impossible to win against quality opponents. You can only lose. There seems to be something enjoyable about those dynamics.

@ the moment: Rinascimento, Germany 1648, Modern Diplomacy II, Mate Against Mate, and the variant that I'm working on.

What sort of variant are you working on, kaner?

Is anyone still working on the fabled Russian Civil War variant?

Collapse of the Mongolian Empire circa 1300s Century. (black plague etc.)

Interesting... What sort of players? The different Hordes, or a massive unified Mongolian faction, but surrounded by enemies? Maybe we should get the waves back up again, if you'd like input &c, kaner. I'll organize them this time around.

The Mongolian empire at this stage had broken up into several factions, all controlling their own territories, but none powerful enough to 'take over' other factions This was due to several reasons, firstly each dynasty had holdings in other dynasties, secondly trade was held in high regard - there needed to be a flow of goods (this silk road), thirdly if one group attempted to conquer another then that would leave them open to other factions.

The Mongolian dynasties are:
The Great Khans - controlling the homeland/spiritual homeland of the Mongolians
The Yuan Dynasty - Kublai Khan's rule in China
The Chagatai Dynasty - controlling much of central Asia
The Golden Horde - the Westernmost group around modern day Russia, north of the Caucasus
The Ilkhanate - The group of Mongolian rulers who conquered Persia

In addition to these groups other empires also existed - and are included these are:
The Crusader States - Western Europe
The Caliphate - An Islamic state controlling much of Arabia and initially held back Mongolian SthWestern advance into North Africa
The Delhi Sultanate - Never conquered by the Mongols due to the tropical climate causing havoc on Mongolian weaponry, and Horses (Northern India)
Tibetan Empire - At this stage Kublai Khan was starting to assimilate Tibet into his China, but still nominally independent (It was this period that Buddhism was 'imported' into China)
Khmer Empire - A nascent group of SthEastern Asians starting to unify areas north of the Malayan peninsula.
Sirijaya - Traders mostly, who in modern day Indonesia, traded spices north along the coast, and west to India.

you can have a peak at it here:
http://lab.vdiplomacy.com/board.php?gameID=85

Player start with more units than they can possibly support at the end of the first year. This is to simulate the devastating effect that the Bubonic plague had on the populations of the world during this period.

Love the map, just for the unique orientation. The numbers look intriguing, too... Are they secret, or can I ask what they represent?

I think they are supposed to be like the Imperial cities in Germany 1648 aren't they?

yup just the names of the city,

what about the routes which are present in the map?

1 route represents the Silk Road and the other route represents the Indian Trade Winds.

Players can move along these routes 2 adjacent territories at a time, much like Knights in Germany 1648, but only along these routes of commerce.

Anyway I need players to help play-test. If anyone is interested PM me.

(and is unafraid to offer advice :)

Kaner, following up on tadar's query, how does the great wall of china operate? Can those only on the Chinese side of the wall attack, and those on the other side can't break through unless they go around the wall?

Other minor thing, seems odd that the crusader states of the west don't include the papacy, the English or the holy roman empire. Also shouldn't the caliphate extend through northeast Africa and into Spain?

I'll playtest.

do the cities have special rules?
can fleets occupy them?

I know it's difficult to place the SCs in a balanced way and yet preserve the historical point of view, but I fell like disagreeing about Portugal being a SC while Spain and France being not.

Well if WMS is moved back, Iberian Peninsula could be an SC, instead of just Portugal, and if France were added as a space, the effect on the borders &c would be null. As for France...I got nothing that wouldn't change stuff.

The crusader states seem odd because if all their units started around these SCs then they would most likely both become quite powerful quickly and wouldn't loose many armies to the 'plague year'.
Crusader States to survive will have to grab SCs and quickly and the easiest SCs to get to are precisely in the west.

The cities don't have special rules, fleets can enter them and move through them, some of them are strategic bottlenecks in the riverways

I decided not to make Spain an SC on due to the Spanish the idea that the map is kind-of centered around Eastern (non-western empires). I chose Portugal over Spain because after the plague years, Portugal was the first to make contact with the East around the Horn of Africa. Spain seeing the prosperity this brought decided they would try similar, but sent a fleet West instead of South then East - and hence America.

I have a technical question, wouldn't it be more accurate to call the caliphate, mamelukes or something like that, because I thought the caliphate ceased to exist after the Mongols sacked Baghdad?

It would be yes.

Could I play-test?

Ok, I got the link, but it won't let me use my username, if I sign up again, will it be multi-accounting?

no.

How do I look at my old PM's?

click notices

How do I even register for lab.vdiplomacy.net?
The system keeps telling me "session expired"