Quantum Diplomacy

[Malarky]

Had an idea for a variant recently and so I thought I'd thrash it out today... hence Quantum Diplomacy (otherwise known as Schrodinger's Diplomacy). I don't intend to run it as a variant here (yet) but I thought I'd write about it in the next issue if PERFIDIOUS (read issue 2 here).

Now, apart from the totally shameless promoting of my own zine I'm going to ask: What would you expect from a variant called Quantum Diplomacy?

Obviously, you'll find out in May...

[Big Gun]

Love the idea! Multiple boards? Different universes? Portals from one Piedmont to another? Players playing different countries on different boards, which are interconnected? I’d like to see such a variant but without overcomplicated rules.

[Phlegmatic]

If it's "Schrodinger's Diplomacy" then I'm guessing there's some kind of system where you only know if the units exist if you "observe" them.

If that's close to the mark then I'd guess that "observing" means either giving an order to your own units, or attacking/supporting other players' units. On order resolution the unit's wave function collapses, it either exists or it doesn't, and then things resolve accordingly. Is that what you're planning by any chance?

If so, it sounds bonkers! And self-bouncing becomes a thing for extreme optimists only

[CommanderTomalak]

Perhaps the idea that you can issue multiple orders to any or all (but not none) of your units, and then they exist in various positions until a measurement takes place? You also get to order around ghost units until they are disproven!

This idea is partially taken from Quantum Chess, which is a hilarious game to play versus friends.

Definitely has to be some randomness, which is contrary to the spirit of Diplomacy, sure, but it's in the spirit of real physics. Many scientists refused to believe that nature had any form of fundamental randomness to it, but it seems to be that way at the moment.