From: shoham@ll.mit.edu (Daniel Shoham)
Newsgroups: rec.games.board
Subject: Re: Junta: house rules
Date: 1 Oct 92 00:25:09 GMT
Organization: MIT Lincoln Laboratory

In article <1992Sep30.165337.27213@HQ.Ileaf.COM> bret@HQ.Ileaf.COM (Bret Pettichord) writes:
>This is a list of rules changes that i've used or am considering
>using. I'm interested in any comments people might have on them. This
>list is brief; some of these changes require further modifications and
>explanations in order to be used. These are based on the West End
>Games version, 1985.
>
>Political Rules
>
>1. Pocket Money. One's personal bank account is attached to one's
>   office. This has several effects. (1) You can't gain wealth
>   directly through assasination and execution. (2) One can't
>   automatically take one's personal wealth into exile. (3) A change
>   of government could cause personal wealth to be reshuffled. (I'm

This will change the game so much it would no longer be Junta. I would vote
against. Getting rich through assasination is SO MUCH FUN.

>   considering a rule that a president must have excuses for cabinet
>   reshufflings.)

I like this one! Perhaps the excuse must be office-specific, or some cards
such as the coup excuses be redefined to also be reshuffle excuse.

>2. Budget. The president proposes the budget by laying down the eight
>   bills he's drawn face down in front of the players as he
>   determines. This is the proposal that players must vote for; they
>   only know the number of bills to be distributed. This is how i was
>   taught to play years ago and how i've always played. I've always
>   thought this was a slick idea.

Sounds good.

>3. Each player gets only one position/office. With four players, one
>   of the armies is considered permanently in the provinces and the
>   navy and airforce aren't used. The president determines seating
>   order, and consequently the order of play.

I never play with less than 5-6 players.

>4. No president's brother-in-law. Vacant positions are frozen.

The PBIL actually is fun, it makes assasinations a valid way for an
adminestration with too little military support survive (but if the
assasination fails, the *&^% really hits the fan). However, outlawing
more than one PBIL at a time is probably warrented.

>
>Military Rules
>
>5. Winning. If the rebels hold three red areas at the end of any turn
>   (not just the last), they have won the coup.

No. This would be too easy. One could say that holding four is an instant win.

>6. Self-defense. Units may fire in self-defense during the initial
>   coup phase without thereby committing acts of rebellion.

I understood this to be part of the rules (maybe we have a differant version)

>7. Order of Play. Each player moves and then resolves combat, in turn.
>   Allied players may move and fight together.
>8. Transfer of Control. Military units may not move in the turn in
>   which their control is transferred between players.

Why?

>9. First Fire. Defending unit always gets a free volley (without
>   responce). After that, volleys are exchanged. There is no need to
>   turn over counters to indicate who gets first fire.

How is this differant from standard rules?

>10. Retreats. After each volley, defender has the option to retreat. If not,
>   then the attacker may retreat. Attacker retreats back to the space
>   he entered from.
>11. There is no limit to the number of volleys.

ok.

>12. You normally can kill a unit by rolling either a 5 or a 6 (not
>   just a six).
>13. Fortifications. The palace, barracks, and police are considered
>   fortified positions. Defenders of such positions are only killed
>   with a 6. The palace guards only get one die each when they fire.

This rule becomes unneeded if we apply rule #11. It also makes the Navy and
A/F VERY POWERFULL (they are supposed to be the $%^&ed offices. We defenitely
don't want to equalize offices). It also reduces the presidential guard's
power. I would vote strongly against this rule.

>14. Police Responce. The police may respond to any red units, not just
>   those placed by rebel players. The minister may even play the card
>   himself. 
>

ok.

Dan Shoham
shoham@ll.mit.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.board