For an introduction to the dynamics modeled by this variant, please watch the following excerpts from Becket:
[Part 2] [Part 3 (to 01:15)] [Part 5 (from 1:16)] [Part 6] [Part 7] [Part 8] [Part 9] [Part 10]
This version of Diplomacy uses Diplomacy Rules but amends them according to Dr. Morrissey's "Defender of the Peace" Diplomacy Variant:
"Defender of the Peace" Variant = The Renaissance Variant ("Renaissance Diplomacy II") + "The Papacy Rules" Addendum (see details below)
Variant Map and the New Rules for Renaissance Diplomacy II
Note the suggested name changes for the Renaissance Variant. But the usual abbreviations for order submissions are also still valid and likely preferable.
Variant Overview of Renaissance Diplomacy II, by Charles Roburn
A Student's Guide to International Relations by Angelo M. Codevilla (ISI Books) has a key historical note (pp.47–48).
Q: Niccolo Machiavelli's The Prince: A Textbook for Diplomacy?
A: Jacques Maritain, "The End of Machiavellianism", in The Range of Reason (1948); orig. pub. in Review of Politics (Jan 1942).
Renaissance
Diplomacy by Garrett Mattingly
"The Papacy Rules" Addendum (version 1.1 by Dr. C. S. Morrissey):
Classroom simulation: 7 players are named as Rulers (who may refer to themselves by these equivalent titles: King, Queen, Prince, or Princess); 7 players are named as Lords (who may refer to themselves by these equivalent titles: Duke, Duchess, or Lady); 13 players are named (and considered ordained) as Bishops—and 1 of these is the Bishop of Rome (i.e., the Pope). The number of Lords and Bishops can be varied, depending on class size.
Order submission protocol: At least one team member of a great power must sign the submitted orders for them to be valid. In a dispute about which is the valid set of orders submitted by a team, the signature of a Ruler is considered to overrule orders signed by any number of Lords. The signature of a bishop has no power other than to convene an ecumenical council with other bishops, or to vote in a papal election. Only the signature of the Bishop of Rome can ratify excommunications and "punishment of heretics and apostates". (The class participation grade is determined by the number of turns on which a player's signature appears.)
"The Papacy Rules" Addendum to Diplomacy:
1. The Pope has the power of excommunication: the Pope can ban any player from speaking with other teams' players (i.e., an excommunicated player is banned from communication with players who belong to the team of another great power). The ban remains in effect until the excommunication is lifted by a Pope.
2. Bishops who have no affiliation with one of the seven great powers, or whose territory has not yet been occupied, cannot speak to anyone if they are excommunicated.
3. The Pope also has the power of "punishment of heretics and apostates": an excommunicated player who is caught communicating can be temporally "punished" by the Pope; i.e., a single specified army or fleet associated with the excommunicated player's team is immobilized for two turns (i.e., a Spring turn and a Fall turn), but only if that army or fleet is explicitly named in writing by the Pope on both turns.
4. If an excommunication is lifted, any "punishments of heretics and apostates" associated with that excommunication are also immediately nullified.
5. The Pope resides in Rome, but if Rome is captured, the Pope may be deposed by the occupying power: this then triggers a conclave, which is defined in this game as an ecumenical council (see Rule #14 below) being automatically triggered. A majority vote in this automatically triggered council will promote any other bishop (and it must be a bishop) to accede the papal throne as the new Pope. (Note that any power that does occupy Rome may find it politically wiser to foster diplomatic collaboration with the Pope rather than to depose him; see Rule #17 below.) Conclaves last for as many turns as it takes to elect a new Pope. Bishops submit one vote per turn, during the Order Writing Phase.
6. If an ecumenical council elects a new Pope when the current Pope has not been deposed by an invading power, then the newly elected Pope is defined as an Anti-Pope. Only a bishop ordained to a supply center that was neutral at the beginning of the game can be elected an Anti-Pope. In the Renaissance Variant, these are: Tun, Swi, Ser, Bud, Rum, Hol, Kie, Den, Nwy, Swe, Edi, and Mos. (But note that "The Papacy Rules" Addendum may be used to amend many other Diplomacy variants and create new variations on them. All that is required is that bishops be ordained to the initially neutral supply centers in these other variants.)
7. A bishop is considered to be anyone ordained as bishop, e.g., for one of the twelve initially neutral supply centers. (The thirteenth initially neutral supply center is Rome; the Pope is the bishop of Rome. All these bishops are considered ordained before the first turn.)
8. A bishop can declare affiliation with a great power team before his territory is occupied; but once his supply center is occupied, he is considered to be affiliated (whether he likes it or not) with the occupier, and therefore if he is excommunicated then he cannot lawfully communicate with any other teams or bishops apart from those who are affiliated with his occupier. (Bishops who do not declare affiliation should keep in mind Rule #2 above.)
9. Whether or not the Pope's approval is required to ordain new bishops is for the players of the game to decide in their diplomacy. An ecumenical council, or the emperor, may wish to weigh in on such a grave matter.
10. Anti-Popes may be deposed when the supply center in which they have been ordained (i.e., to which they were named as bishop before the first turn, and in which they are now considered to be residing during their time of alleged "exile" from Rome) has been captured by another power. Anti-Popes are deposed by order of the occupying power.
11. Orders of excommunication or "punishments of heretics and apostates" submitted by Anti-Popes have no effect other than moral suasion. Presumably an Anti-Pope will wish to incite temporal powers to depose the current Pope and thereby validate the election of the Anti-Pope and all his outstanding decrees.
12. "Punishments of heretics and apostates", excommunications, and the lifting of excommunications are made official by being submitted in writing by the Pope during the Order Writing Phase.
13. Evidence of communication by an excommunicated player must be documented (or simply plausibly argued for) and submitted in the form of written testimony by the Pope. The decision of the Diplomacy Judge during the Order Resolution Phase is final; his decision alone will settle any disputed cases of unlawful communication being imputed to an excommunicant. The Diplomacy Judge must above all act as a referee to maintain a spirit of fair play and sportsmanlike conduct.
14. The only excommunicated players who may lawfully communicate with other players are the bishops (i.e., the ordained bishops of an initially neutral supply center), but only on one condition: viz., if an ecumenical council has been convened. An ecumenical council is considered as convened for two turns if a majority of bishops sign a written decree that an ecumenical council has been convened (e.g., for application of "The Papacy Rules" to the Renaissance Variant, that means 7 bishops out of the total of 13 bishops). Ecumenical councils may convened at any time during the Diplomacy Phase.
15. An excommunicant who fails in his attempt to convene an ecumenical council runs the risk of having any of his team's forces named under "punishment of heretics and apostates", because even the act of requesting other players to participate in an ecumenical council is considered to be an act of communication. However, if he succeeds, then his communication is considered as having been lawful.
16. The Pope has the power to crown or to depose an emperor at any point during the game, but this has no practical effect other than moral suasion. An ecumenical council has the power to elect a new Pope, but only when a conclave has been triggered; otherwise, the council may only elect Anti-Popes. The votes of excommunicated bishops do not count towards election of a Pope; but they do count towards the election of an Anti-Pope. A council cannot depose a Pope. Popes can resign, but only in writing and never under duress.
17. The deposing of a Pope can be ordered by the invader during the same turn's orders on which a move into Rome is made, or on any turn thereafter in which the invader still occupies Rome. Deposing of a Pope is thus ordered by an invader when orders are written and, if occupation is successful, the deposing is enacted during the Order Resolution Phase (making null and void any excommunication or punishment orders from the Pope received on or before that turn).
18. No great power's team may be said to have won the game unless it is in communion with Rome. This does not necessarily mean that Rome is occupied by the winning power. As long as its Ruler is not under a ban of excommunication at the time of the Order Resolution Phase, then it may win the game by achieving capture of the requisite 18 supply centers.
The Diplomacy "Defender of the Peace" Variant (with its "The Papacy Rules" Addendum) was created by Dr. C. S. Morrissey. (Special thanks to Irene Cadrin, M.S., for her comments on Version 1.0.)