Gary Robinson - Mar 12, 2004 2:08 pm (#468 Total: 468)   
   
Serenissima No-Combat variant

I am posting this here because the Serenissima folder seems rather dead.

Serenissima No Combat Variant 

I have been mulling over a "combatless" variant of this game, to make it
more appealing to the German games crowd as well as to remove the
early-game knockout stupidity and the end-game apocalypse stupidity that
seems to drive the vast majority of players away from this game for good
after a game or two. 

Most people seem to really like the "sailing around and buying and
selling" aspect of the game, and it seems a shame to lose the entire
game due to lame combat mechanics (I doubt ships in that time period had
an eye in the sky and radios and radar that would enable lightning
strikes on ships halfway across the Med, whose cargo and sailor ratio
they could see from 500 miles away). 

I have not had a chance to play this variant yet, due to the usual lack
of opponents problem, but I post my preliminary thoughts here in case
anyone wants to give it a try and report back: 

It would play exactly as per the standard rules except for the
following: 

1. There is no combat between players. Ever. Or, as a variant, allow
attacks on ports (but not capitals), but no combat between ships unless
both players agree to fight. 

2. Selling to your own ports yields no money. 

3. Sailing into a sea area which contains other players' ships forces
you to halt movement there, unless they all grant permission, or unless
you bribe each nonconsenting player with 100 ducats per ship he controls
which is present. 

4. To control a port at the end of the game for victory purposes, you
must have at least 5 sailors there. 

5. Forts are worth 2 VP each if in a controlled port (5 sailors). 

6. An "open" port is one whose warehouse is not full (regardless of
ownership). The game ends on the turn in which, at the end of the turn,
there are fewer open ports left than there are players.