Iberia 1065 - The Taifa Kingdoms (10 players)
In the aftermath of al-Andalus, local powers fight for the Iberian Penninsula
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Variant Parameters (Version: / Code: 1.0.1.r1.0.1):

Special rules/information:

Background:

The year is 1065, and all of Iberia is divided. The powerful Al-Ándalus Caliphate has fallen, and numerous Taifa Kingdoms now fight to reclaim Córdoba's former glory. In the north, the Christian Kingdoms are starting their Reconquista, but they must overcome the political schemes if they are to show a united front. After the death of King Fernando and the splitting of his Kingdom among his three sons, King Sancho of Castilla and King Alfonso of León have allied against their brother, King García of Galicia. Meanwhile, from the sands of the Sáhara, a new muslim dynasty rises to power, ready to unify the Taifas under one rule once again...

Rules:

Except as noted below, the standard rules of play for Diplomacy apply:

  1. Build Anywhere: Players may build in any vacant Supply Center they own.
  2. Starting Year: The game, as the name suggests, starts in the year 1065.
  3. The arrows connect straits, so that land armies can move safely between Ceuta and Algeciras, Ibiza and Mallorca, and Mallorca and Menorca, without the need of a convoy.
  4. In case of points connecting four different territories, armies CAN move diagonally (so Zaragoza is connected to Valencia and Albarracín is connected to Tortosa).

Starting Units:

  1. Taifa of Granada: F (Ceuta), F (Granada), A (Málaga)
  2. Taifa of Zaragoza: F (Tortosa), A (Zaragoza), A (Lérida)
  3. Taifa of Sevilla: F (Huelva), A (Sevilla), A (Niebla)
  4. Taifa of Toledo: A (Toledo), A (Calatrava), A (Cuenca)
  5. Taifa of Badajoz: F (Lisboa), A (Badajoz), A (Marvão)
  6. Taifa of Denia: F (Mallorca), F (Ibiza), A (Denia)
  7. Kingdom of Castilla y León: F (Asturias), A (Burgos), A (León)
  8. Kingdom of Aragón: A (Aragón), A (Sobrarbe), A (Ribagorza)
  9. Kingdom of Galicia: F (Santiago de Compostela), F (Tuy), A (Orense)
  10. Almoravids: F (Safí), A (Marrakesh), A (Azugui), A (Siyilmasa)

Notes on the design of the map:

  1. My initial idea included way more players, but the map was extremely overcrowded and unplayable. I had to turn into neutral SCs all of the smaller Taifa Kingdoms, the Portucalense and Catalan counties (both independent de facto, although de iure they were under the Galician Kingdom and Carolingian Empire, respectively) and the Kingdom of Navarra.
  2. I also had to merge together the Kingdoms of Castilla and León. This one really hurts, because, while it's true that they briefly allied to carve up Galicia, they were mostly enemies when they were independent realms. Hopefully you can forgive me for that one, in the sake of balanced gameplay!
  3. Every power starts with 3 SCs, except for the Almoravids. They are more powerful, but it takes for them longer to join the fray and get into the Penninsula. That is more for roleplay than actual balance reasons, let's see if I can get away with it :)
  4. This is my first variant, and probably my last. Any feedback is greatly appreciated, and I have to send a huge thank you to Fake Al, tobi1 and David E. Cohen, for answering all my (many) questions and guiding me through this process. I hope you guys like the map!