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From Larry Harris

Potential 1914 Tournament Rules Based on required time limits and other practical considerations, these rules are to be used when playing a face to face tournament game. This document makes no attempt to replace the game’s rule book. There are some important changes to the way this special tournament game is played, however. The movement system has been enhanced to speed up relocation of the units on the map. The victory conditions have been changed so that a measurable and quicker victory can be achieved. Some setup, naval mine fields, naval retreats and unrestricted submarine warfare have all been changed to some degree to better correspond and mesh with the changed movements and victory conditions. You can learn what these changes are by reading this document. 

Setup Changes: Setup the game according to the OOB setup instructions, then make the following modifications:

Remove the following units from the OOB setup British infantry in Rhodesia and British East Africa,  French infantry in French West Africa French battleship and transport SZ15 German infantry in Togoland and Kamerun Italian infantry in Somaliland

Add the following units to the setup: Russia- 3 infantry in Sevastopol, 3 infantry to Livonia France- Cruiser SZ15 Britain- Cruiser SZ 9


New Rules: Let's begin by defining a new term: homeland territories. A power's homeland territories include its capital, as well as any regional territories that it may have. They do not, however, include colonies. This term will be important as we discuss the changes to the victory conditions. 

HOW TO WIN THE GAME Now there are two ways to win this game.  1. Capture two enemy capitals For the Central Powers, one of the captured capitals must be Paris. For the Allies, one must be Berlin.  If this sounds familiar, it’s because the main objective of the game has not changed. What has changed is that each power is now more fragile and economically more vulnerable to the ebb and flow of the war. With the capture of each homeland territory a power becomes closer and closer to an economic collapse which can result in a power finding itself unable to field an army, float a navy, or defend its capital. Once a power's economy collapses, further losses may cause a political collapse, which will result in the immediate surrender of the power, even if it still controls its capital.

Checking for economic collapse is done at the beginning of each power's turn, and checking for political collapse is done at the end of each power's turn. A collapse occurs when the total IPC value of a power's homeland territories that are either captured or being contested by one or more enemy powers equals or exceeds its collapse threshold (see chart below). The effects of a collapse are resolved immediately. An economic collapse can be recovered from and its effects reversed, but the effects of a political collapse are permanent. A political collapse can occur without being preceded by an economic collapse.

Economic/Political Collapse Thresholds Austria-Hungary 13/16 Russian Empire 13/15 Germany 16/18 France 8/10 British Empire 5/7 Ottoman Empire 7/9 Italy 7/9

If a power suffers an economic collapse, it is unable to purchase/mobilize units or collect income until it recovers. It does, however, retain any IPCs it may have in its treasury.

If at the end of a power’s turn it has arrived at or passed the political collapse threshold listed on the threshold chart it is considered to have suffered a political collapse. It is required to immediately surrender and leave the game at that time. It no longer has a turn, and all of its land, air, and sea units are removed from the board. Control of any territories that it was contesting is established, if necessary, using the rules for moving all units on one side out of a contested territory (see “Land Units”, page 15 of the rulebook). It also loses control of any territories that it controls, including its homeland territories. If units belonging to other powers on the same side are in these territories, control will likewise be established using the rules for moving all units on one side out of a contested territory; otherwise these territories will be uncontrolled (place any national control marker on it face down to denote this status) until another power moves into them. If a territory originally controlled by the surrendered power is captured by one if its former allies, the capturing power takes control of it. The surrendered power's IPC treasury will be claimed by the first enemy power to gain control of its capital.


Let's follow and study the example of France. If at any time this power begins its turn with homeland territories worth a total of 8 IPCs or more either captured or being contested by one or more enemy powers, it will suffer an economic collapse. It will not be able to purchase/mobilize new units, nor collect any income. This situation will continue until France begins a subsequent turn with the total value of homeland territories held or contested by enemy powers below 8, in which case it will once again be able to purchase units and collect income. However, if it begins its turn with this value at 10 or more, France will suffer a political collapse and be required to surrender and leave the game. 

2. Economic Victory If at the end of the game’s time limit neither side has captured two enemy capitals, then the alliance with the most points, derived from captured enemy homeland territories, will be the winner.

An Example... 6 hours are coming to an end. All the players are informed that they are to end their game at the end of the next US turn. At the end of the final round, each power adds up the number of victory points they have. These points are the sum totals of the IPC values of the enemy homeland territories they have control of. 

Austria-Hungary controls Venice. It also controls Romania and Serbia, but Romania and Serbia are not homeland territories so they are not counted. Austria-Hungary has gained 2 points for Venice (Venice generates 2 IPCs).

Germany is contesting Lorraine (2 points) and Belarus (2 points). It controls Poland (3 points), and Ukraine (3 points). Moscow (6 points) was also captured. Note that if the Central Powers' had also captured Paris they would have achieved the two capital objective and would have won the game at that point. There would be no need to add up victory points.

The Ottoman Empire has captured Egypt and Sevastopol. Only the 3 points for Sevastopol are counted, as Egypt is not a homeland territory. At this point all the Central Powers combined points are added up. That represents 21 points.

Other than the British Empire’s capture of Trans-Jordan and Mesopotamia (both together totaling 4 points), the Allies cannot demonstrate any other points.

The Central Powers therefore win the game with the final score Central Powers 21, Allies 4.

MOVEMENT All land, air, and sea units can usually move two territories or sea zones. In some situations they can move more than 2 spaces and in other cases they can move but one space.

Land Unit Movement Land units that begin their turn in friendly territories can generally move up to two territories, but they may move only one space when entering a hostile or neutral territory. Also, they must end their movement if they either enter a contested territory or enter any friendly minor aligned power's territory for the first time. Such land units can also be moved by transport, in which case they may either be transported to any territory within range or remain at sea.

Land units that begin their turn in contested territories can only be moved to an adjacent territory. That territory must have at the beginning of the turn either been controlled by the moving power or contained units belonging to that power. Such land units can also be moved by transport, in which case they may either be transported to a territory within range that meets those same requirements or remain at sea.

Sea Unit Movement All sea units that begin their turn in a sea zone that has a friendly naval base have their movement range extended by one sea zone. A friendly naval base is one that is in a territory that is either controlled by you or a friendly power or is contested and was originally controlled by you or a friendly power.

Naval Mine Fields Sea units must end their movement when they enter a sea zone containing an active enemy minefield after they begin to move (not counting the sea zone they started in).


Here is a quick bullet point list of possible movements other than 2 spaces that the units can make.  • Land units can only move one territory when entering a hostile or neutral territory. • Land units must end their movement when entering a contested territory. • Land units must end their movement when entering any friendly minor aligned power's territory for the first time. • Land units can only move one territory when leaving a contested territory. • Sea units can move 3 sea zones (cruisers can move 4) if they begin their turn in a sea zone that has a friendly naval base. • Sea units must stop when entering a mined sea zone.

NAVAL RETREATS In addition to the option of breaking off a sea attack and remaining in the sea zone, the attacker (never the defender) may also choose to retreat from sea combat. However, the attacker may not choose to retreat if the only defending units remaining in the sea zone are transports and/or submerged submarines (though he may still break off the attack if only transports remain). When retreating, move all attacking sea units in the embattled sea zone to a single adjacent friendly sea zone from or through which at least one of the original attacking sea units moved this turn. This sea zone must have been friendly at the start of the turn. All remaining attacking units (excluding submerged subs) must retreat together to the same sea zone, regardless of where they came from. Transports may not offload units after retreating.


UNRESTRICTED SUBMARINE WARFARE The number of IPCs deducted from the British Empire's or United States' income by German submarine attacks is determined by rolling one die for each attacking submarine and totaling the results of the rolls showing a "3" or less. Any rolls of "4" or higher are ignored.


Updates: May 18th: The Russian Revolution optional rule is not used with this game system May 19th: Changes/additional material added to Naval Retreats. See Naval Retreats new material in red. May 23rd: The 3rd paragraph following “1. Capture two enemy capitals” and the first sentence of the 2nd paragraph following the Economic/Political Collapse Thresholds chart has been changed. See red text. 


Official 1914 Errata/Rules Clarifications Adjusted For The Tournament Rules

Original territories are the territories a major power begins the game with. They are the territories that have only that power’s emblem on them. If a minor power aligned to your power is mobilized by a friendly power, you take control of the territory. If the colony of a minor power aligned to your power is moved into for the first time or captured by a friendly power, that power takes control of the territory. If a minor power aligned to your power is captured by a friendly power, the capturing power takes control of the territory. Only originally controlled territories can be liberated. As the United States is neutral before it's at war, it has no friends or enemies; therefore it may not move units into territories controlled by other Allied powers. It also may not load units onto transports before it's at war. United States units may not be used to represent the mobilized forces of minor neutral territories before it's at war. You can repair a battleship if it is in a sea zone that shares a naval base that is either controlled by you or a friendly power or is contested and was originally controlled by you or a friendly power. If the territory that shares a naval base with a mined sea zone is contested, only ships that belong to enemies of the original controlling power have to roll for mines. If you are loading units onto and/or offloading units from a transport after entering a mined sea zone, the mines are rolled for before the transport loads and/or offloads. If you are planning an amphibious assault or reinforcement, but some of your ships hit mines while attempting to deliver the units, you may call off the landing. If you are moving units into a territory both by land and amphibiously, one infantry unit must move in by land, unless you already have one there. When a defending multinational force gains air supremacy, all defending artillery are promoted. If you take control of enemy capital on that enemy's turn due to his attacking you in that territory and losing, any units he purchased are returned to his storage box, and you collect the refunded IPCs. You have to mobilize all of the units that you purchase in the same turn. You can't mobilize sea units from a territory that was controlled by an enemy power at any point during your turn. If you purchase a ship but realize during the Mobilize New Units phase that you have no eligible naval base to mobilize it with, it is returned to your storage tray, and the IPCs are refunded to you. The British Empire cannot mobilize units in India if it is enemy-controlled.

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