How to create a map file for the Diplomacy 
Judge
Version 1.7.1, Aug 10th 2004, by Sergio Lidsell
Introduction 
     Why do I need this ? 
     What is the map file ? 
     What is the seed file ? (appendix 2) 
     What is the report file ? 
     What is the info file ? 
Structure of the map file 
The area definition section 
     The area types 
          Convoyability, 'w' and duality 
          The Machiavelli fields 
The possible moves definition section 
     The move modifiers 
     "Controlled conduits" 
     If you've made an error ! 
The additional options 
     Common options 
          The summary center list 
     Diplomacy only options
          SC restrictions--HongKong prvs 
          Movement control--gateway prvs 
          Railways 
     Machiavelli only options 
          The summary province list 
          The disaster tables (appendix 2) 
          The variable income list 
          Unit limits 
Structure of the seed file 
Tips and tricks 
     Unconquerable province 
     "Safe havens" 
     "Siberian training camps" 
     "Military supremacy" 
     Only fleet can move through land prov 
Appendices 
     Machiavelli disaster table samples 
     nJudge power name pairs 
Revision history and Thanks
Introduction
The current version of this document includes all (bar any errors) options supported by nJudge 
software version 1.7.x.
Why do I need this ?
This "how-to" is meant to help Diplomacy and Machiavelli players create a correct map and seed 
file for variants they create for the Diplomacy Judge (nJudge).  I wrote this because I got frustrated 
of not being able to find any concise and correct documentation on how to do this.  The latest 
version of this file should always be in the njudge CVS repository at www.njudge.org.
To submit a new variant for play/playtesting you contact the judge-keeper and send him a map-file 
and a seed-file. You should also submit an info-file and a report-file.
See also Christophe Courtois documentation for judge-keepers on how to create and add a new 
variant to the nJudge.
What is a map-file
The map file ('map.<variant name>') is used to define the area characteristics for the variant in a 
format that the nJudge software can read. Such as home country definition, official name and 
abbreviations, whether it is land or sea and much more. For Machiavelli you also define incomes and 
disasters.
What is the seed-file
The seed-file ('seed.<variant_name>') defines in what areas any units are present and the current 
area ownerships, as those may differ from the home countries even at start. It has been separated 
from the map file as the same map file may be used for different start setups.
The seed file structure is in short: 
<season><start year><phase> 
<power letter><:|m>' '<unit letter>' '<full province name or abbreviation as defined in the map file> 
-1 
<supply center and ownership* and other data at game start in map file area order> 
-1
Where ' ' = space character and text within <> is to be replaced by the data. The <> are not part of 
the file format. [] is optional. See Appendix 2 for some seed file samples. 
*The so called null ownership/contested record. 
What is the report-file
The report-file ('report.<variant name>') is a text file with information sent to the players at game 
start. Usually it contains information about the starting positions of the units. It is not necessary to 
make the variant work.
What is the info-file
The info-file ('info.<variant name>') is a text file with information about the variant/scenario for the 
players. It is strongly recommended that you make such a file available to the players.
Structure of the map file
The map file must be named 'map.<variant_name>' (without the quotes of course).
The map data file is divided in three main parts, each of which is terminated by a line containing only 
'-1' (without the quotes). Comments may precede each block. Comments must begin with a '#'. The 
main parts are:
1.	The area definition section (here you list province and sea area data)
2.	The possible moves definition section (i.e. how you move to and from an area)
3.	Definition of additional options (see below)
Example 1: Map file structure. 
    # My comments go here 
    Provincename, x pro prov 
    -1 
    #More comments 
    pro-mv: aaa bbb ccc 
    -1 
    #Comments yet once more 
   <Description of additional option x> 
   option x data 
   #end <text> 
   <Description of additional option y> 
   option y data 
   #end <text> 
    -1
Structure of the Diplomacy map data file with all sections
1.	The area definition section
2.	The possible moves definition section
3.	Summary report SC list definition section
4.	Definition of SC restrictions ("Hong-Kong" provinces) section
5.	Definition of movement control/gateways section
6.	Definition of railway provinces section
Structure of the Machiavelli map data file with all sections
1.	The area definition section
2.	The possible moves definition section
3.	Famine table section
4.	Plague table section
5.	Variable income list section
6.	Summary report SC (i.e. city) list definition section
7.	Summary report province control list definition section
8.	Storms table section (optional)
9.	Unit limits section (used with machiavelli 2 rules, ignored in play with classic machiavelli 
rules)
Tech note: the differences between the Machiavelli and Diplomacy map files is due to the fact that 
the nJudge code for Machiavelli and Diplomacy originally was developed separately.
The area definition section
By area all types of provinces and sea areas are intended. The list must contain all valid and unique 
area names for your scenario. If players use any names not in this list they will raise an error in the 
judge. You must also specify of what type the province is and at least one unique abbreviation. Any 
errors in this list will cause the map file to be rejected.
You can only specify one unique area name and abbreviation per line. The data format is:
Field order for Diplomacy games: 
<Full area name>','' '<area type>[<convoyability>]' '<list of all valid and unique abbreviations>
Field order for Machiavelli games: 
<Full area name>','' '<area type><city income><city type>[<Venice flag>]' '<list of all valid and 
unique abbreviations>
Quotes and circumflexes are not part of the format. Empty single quotes, ' ', indicate a space 
character. Note that you can have any number of spaces after the comma, but *one only* after the 
area type letter.  Data within square brackets, [], is optional.
Abbreviations must be separated by one space. A minimum of three letters is recommended, even if 
the judge accepts two letter combinations. One letter combinations are not allowed.
The full area name is the name displayed in judge messages, while the abbreviations are used by the 
user for order input.
The area types
This information is used to define the characteristics of the area. The following are available:
Area type	Explanation	Used with
h	water ("high sea"); unlimited number of fleets may be present (yes, no bounces !)
	Diplomacy, all variants. From 2003.
g	gateway, see additional explanation below	Diplomacy, all variants. From 2001.
l	land; has no supply centre (this is a lower case L)	Diplomacy and Machiavelli, 
all variants
r	railway, see additional explanation below	Diplomacy, all variants. From 2001.
v	arctic water; becomes "ice-covered" in the fall moves, thus preventing a move in or out of 
the sea area	Diplomacy, all variants
w	water (also see "duality" below)	Diplomacy and Machiavelli, all variants
x	contains a supply centre that is not a home centre	Diplomacy and Machiavelli, 
all variants
0-9, A-L, N, P-Z	contains a supply center that is a home centre 
of the power indicated by the letter or number. (M and O are reserved.)	Diplomacy and Machiavelli, 
all variants
Example 2. Area list.
Switzerland,   l  swi switz swiss (a neutral land province). 
Ankara,        T  ank ankar       (a prov. containing T(urkeys) home SC). 
Belgium,       xw  bel belgi      (a neutral land prov. containing an SC) 
                                  (and that allows coastal convoys). 
Adriatic Sea,  w  adr adriatic    (a sea area).  
Eastern Mediterranean, w eas emed east eastern eastmed ems eme em 
English Channel,       w eng english channel ech ec
Convoyability, 'w', and duality
Usage supported by all Diplomacy variants. The "water" flag can also be used to indicate wether a 
*land* area can be used in a convoy route (a fleet must obviously be present in the area). It is 
always 'w'. The flag can only be used in these combinations: 'lw', 'xw', '<0-9,A-Z>w'.
Used by e.g. Gibraltar in 1900 variant and Baleares (Mallorca etc) in Acient Med variant.
This feature is controlled by the judge DUALITY flag. This has nothing to do with the judge 
COASTAL_CONVOYS flag, which is used to enable coastal convoys in all areas allowing coastal 
movement (see the possible moves definition). If the COASTAL_CONVOYS flag is set the DUALITY 
flag setting will be ignored.
The Machiavelli fields
Arguments used in both the Basic and the Advanced game
Allowed area types are 'l', 'w', 'x', '0-9,A-Z' (the 'g', 'r' and 'v' arguments will cause an error).
Tech note: Basic Machiavelli is in practice 3-season Diplomacy (especially the Mach2 
implementation). Supported from fall 2002.
Arguments only used in the Advanced game
The following arguments must be present in the map file but are ignored unless the Advanced game 
flag is set. Any income and city type following 'w' causes an error.
City income can be set between 0 (no income = no city) and 7 (8-9 are not allowed). City incomes 
from 2-7 indicate the presence of a major city. Notice that both fortified/unfortified cities/ports may 
have an income up to 7. Notice also the exceptions below for the fortress city type.
City type	Explanation	Notes
.	unfortified city (this is a dot)	may not be garrisoned; 0. = no city
f	fortified city	may be garrisoned;  0f = fortress
p	unfortified port city	may not be garrisoned; 0p=no city
P	fortified port city	may be garrisoned;  0P=port fortress
V	Venice style port and province	From 2002. See below for usage.
The Venice flag, 'V', indicates that the city follows the "Venice rules" (see Mach rules).
Tech note: Venice is hardcoded in the old (and buggy) judge software, but is changed to a flag in 
Millis Millers brand new and revised n-judge release. (Also notice that in Mach2 there is no Venice 
province, just a city in a sea area!)
Example 3. Machiavelli area list.
Switzerland,   l0f  swi switz swiss (a neutral province with a fortress) 
Adriatic Sea,  w0.  adr adriatic    (a sea area) 
Ankara,        T1f  ank ankar       (a T(urkish) home prov. with a 
fortified city 
Armenia,       T0.  arm armen       (a T(urkish) home prov. with no city) 
Belgium,       x0P  bel belgi       (a neutral prov. with a port fortress) 
Berlin,        G3f  ber berli       (a G(erman) home prov. with a fortified 
(major) city) 
Brest,         F1P  bre             (a F(rench) home prov. with a fortified 
port city) 
Venice,        V3PV ven venic       (a V(enetian) home prov. with a 
fortified port (major) city) 
                                    (and the 'Venice' attribute set)
The possible moves definition section
After the province list you need to add a list of the valid moves between provinces. Here you will 
define what moves can be done, and between what areas. All provinces must have bidirectional 
paths. I.e. if province A can move to province B then province B must also be able to move to 
province A. Provinces may also be able to only move to themselves. If none of these condition 
are  met the map will be rejected by the judge.'
Only one unique area and move type combination per line can be specified. The dataformat is: 
<source area>'-'<move type>':'' '<target area>['/'<move modifier>]' '<target area>['/'<move 
modifier>]...
Both the source and the target are defined by any valid abbreviation. It is recommended you use the 
3-letter abbreviation from the area definition list.
Move type	Explanation	Used with
cc	controlled conduit (similar to gateway)	Machiavelli, all variants
mv	possible army (land) moves	Diplomacy and Machiavelli, all variants
xc	possible fleet (water) moves, "all" coasts	Diplomacy and Machiavelli, all variants
ec, nc, sc, wc	possible fleet (water) moves to specified 
coast, must also be paired with matching province (e.g. bul-ec -> bul/ec).	Diplomacy 
and Machiavelli, all variants. 
mx	possible move for armies moving with one less support	Diplomacy, all variants using 
the Loeb9 rules
Example 4. Impassable area.
swi-mv: swi 
Resolution: allowed, but no land move in or out possible
alb-mv: alb rag dur her 
alb-xc: alb 
Resolution: allowed, but no sea move to the coast possible.
Example 5. All moves are possible.
swi-mv: mun tyr 
mun-mv: swi 
tyr-mv: swi 
Resolution: allowed, swi can move to mun tyr and back.
Example 6. Moves have an error.
swi-mv: mun tyr 
mun-mv: tyr 
tyr-mv: swi 
Resolution: not allowed, swi can move to mun but not back.
The move modifiers
There are three modifier groups: coasts, controls and moves. The coast and control modifiers 
must match the corresponding move type. But xc can pair with any of ec, wc, nc, sc. E.g. bul-
ec must be paired with bul/ec and so on
Modifier	Explanation	Used with
ec, nc, sc, wc	coast modifier: east, north, south and 
westward coast of a province	Diplomacy and Machiavelli, all variants
cc	control modifier: controlled conduit of a province	Machiavelli, all variants (but 
see below)
hx	move modifier: army moves with half value	Diplomacy, all variants using the 1900 rules
lx	move modifier: army moves and is convoyed with half value	Diplomacy, all variants using 
the 1900 rules
Example 7: Moves list
swi-mv: swi 
adr-xc: alb apu ven tri ion 
ank-mv: arm con smy 
ank-xc: bla arm con 
bla-xc: rum sev arm ank con bul/ec 
bul-ec: con bla rum 
con-mv: bul ank smy 
con-xc: bul/sc bul/ec bla ank smy aeg 
eng-xc: mao iri wal lon nth bel pic bre
"Controlled conduits"
These are used in Machiavelli only to control access between areas. Only allowed for fleets. See 
"Gateways" below for the Diplomacy implementation. A conduit area is any ordinary area that has 
the additional move type '-cc' or '/cc' defined for it. To select which area controls (the "gatekeeper") 
the conduit the following data format is used:
<source area>'-xc: '<conduit area>/cc <gatekeeper area> <all other areas that can be moved to> 
<conduit area>'-cc: '<all areas that are affected by the conduit>
Note that it actually does not matter where in the "move to"-list the conduit area is defined as long as 
it is immediately followed by the abbreviation of the "gatekeeper" area. (It is not tested if it is possible 
to define multiple gatekeeper areas for the same conduit. E.g. ets-xc: psa/cc pio psa/cc pat. Nor if 
multiple conduits are possible for one source area. E.g. ets-xc: psa/cc pio sie/cc pat.)
Example 8: The ETS to PSA conduit
ets-xc: psa/cc pio sie pat...  =  you can not move from ETS to PSA if there is a fleet unit in PIO 
psa-cc: ets  =  to fulfill the bi-directional moves rule
Tech note: there is a special 'ally' command in Machiavelli that the controlling power can issue to let 
another power's unit get through. This command differs from the gateway rules in as much as that it is 
not unit specific.
If you've made an error !
If you have made an error the judge will throw an error report at compile time (as it checks the map 
file structure). Should the judge keeper forward this to you, you can use it to understand what the 
error is. Just keep in mind that the judge software does not warn about naming conflicts (e.g. you 
have abbreviated, common error, two provinces the same). If that is the case you will just get a 
generic warning "No movement table for <province_name>" when the judge encounters the 
duplicate entry.
The rest of the report is self-explaining as each line will read: 'Can't get back to <provA> from 
<provB> (coast|land)'.
The additional options
In this map section a lot of special information is defined. I have divided the following in three 
sections. The first concerns options common to Diplomacy and Machiavelli, the second to those 
specific for Diplomacy and the third and last to those specific for Machiavelli. Each section of 
options is delimited by 'hardcoded text'...'#end [<hardcoded text>]'. See below for details.
Common options
The summary center list
This is a list of all supply centers (or cities for Machiavelli) that you want to appear in the game 
center/city summary report. Ordering is arbitrary, but by convention the most common order is by 
game power starting home centers and "geographically sensible".
The province abbreviations used must be valid and unique.
Example 9:
Center order for summary report: 
  ven rom nap tun edi lon lvp bre par mar por spa bel hol mun kie ber 
  den swe nor stp war mos sev con ank smy bul rum gre ser bud vie tri 
#End of center ordering
Diplomacy only options
Supply center restrictions -- HongKong provinces
In this section provinces that are owned by a power but cannot be used for builds are defined. These 
provinces are known as Hong Kong provinces, as they first appeared as said province in Colonial 
Diplomacy. To use the 'set hongkong' flag must be set.
The data format is: <power-letters>':'' '<province list>
Example 10:
Hongkong settings 
  C: hk 
  RB: someotherprovA someotherprovB 
#end of hongkong setting
Do notice that the "hong-kong"-rule is in addition to normal rules. So if this is the case: 
    HongKong  E  hk (an english supply center) and 
    C: hk (hongkong setting for china) 
It means that England may *build in and count* HongKong for builds, but not China.
And if this is the case: 
    HongKong  C  hk (a chinese supply center) and 
    C: hk (hongkong setting for china) 
It means that China may *build in* HongKong, but still *not count it* for builds.
Movement control -- gateway provinces
In this section you define provinces that control access to other provinces. What is commonly known 
as gateways and gatekeepers. To use the 'set gateways' flag must be set. This is a two step 
definition. First you define a gatekeeper province in the province list. No moves in or out of this 
province must be possible. Secondly you define the gateway itself in the gateway section.
The provinces whose movement is controlled must always be defined as a pair, and also be able to 
move to each other.
Notice that the gatekeeper controlling province need not be able to move to the provinces 
between which it controls movement. In the example below you could e.g. exchange Egypt for 
London: 'sca: lon meds reds'.
Tech note: when you have a unit in the province that confers control of the gatekeeper a notional unit 
is created in the gatekeeper province. To allow any other power to pass, this unit must then be 
ordered to allow passage by its controlling power. 
The gateway dataformat is: 
<gatekeeper province>':'' '<control giving province>' '<affected prov. 1><affected prov 2>
Example 11:
Suez Canal, g sca 
-1 
meds-xc: reds egy con blas ang syr 
reds-xc: eri sud egy meds mec ade goa 
sca-mv: sca 
-1 
Gateway 
  sca: egy meds reds 
#end of gateway setting
Orders are written thus: <unit> SCA S <unit> <prov1> M <prov2>.
Railways
In this section you define provinces through which a railway pass. To use the 'set railways' flag must 
be set. This is a two step definition. First you define a notional railway province in the province list. 
No moves in or out of this province must be possible. Secondly you define the railway "path" and 
what powers that may use the railway, in the railway section.
The railway path cannot be circular, but it may of course end adjacent to the start province. Each 
province  included in the path must be adjacent to the previous province and regular movement must 
be allowed between them. (Different railways can probably intersect. You cannot change railway at 
an intersection.)
The railway dataformat is: 
<railway province>':'' '<power letters>' '<prov. 1><prov 2><prov n+1>
Example 12:
Trans Siberian Railway, r tsr 
-1 
tsr-mv: tsr 
-1 
Railway 
  tsr: RG mos prm oms kra irk 
#end of railway setting
Tech note: If an enemy unit enters (or is present in) a railway province, then movement along the 
railway is stopped in the preceeding province. A railway province may be used as a gateway 
province or as a gatekeeper, but movement along the railway is not affected by this.
Orders are written thus: A <prov adj to railway> M TSR M <target railway prov>.
Machiavelli only options
The summary province list
This is a list of all provinces that you want to appear in the game summary report. Ordering is 
arbitrary, but by convention the most common order is by game power starting home provinces and 
"geographically sensible". (Tech note: province ownership is only relevant in Advanced Machiavelli.)
The province abbreviations used must be valid and unique.
Example 13:
Province order for summary report: 
  ven pie tus rom apu nap tun afr edi lon wal liv yor cly por spa bel hol mun ruh kie ber pru sil den 
  swe nor fin pet liv mos war ukr sev con ank arm syr smy bul rum gre ser alb bud vie tri gal boh tyr 
#End of province ordering
The disaster tables
In Advanced Machiavelli there are two "disaster tables" that add an element of chance and 
complexity to the game. These are: famine and plague. In the n-judge implementation one 
additional disaster has been added: storms. Sample tables have are shown in Appendix 1. Note 
that it is not necessary to include all provinces in a disaster table or any select province only 
once...
The tables are ignored in Basic Machiavelli.
Tech note 1: Use of the tables are governed by specific flags. Nevertheless it is recommended that 
they are always present, but left empty for variants where no disasters are used. This to avoid the 
judge to incidentally crash.
Tech note 2: The element of chance introduced by the tables has oft been "slandered" by Diplomacy 
purists as giving unfair advantage to some player. But due to the dynamics of Advanced Machiavelli 
it rather introduces an element of  further complexity as the created disadvantage must be countered 
by better strategy, tactics and diplomacy by the stricken players. The disasters also remove most 
possibilities to create stalemate lines (which anyway are very uncommon in Machiavelli).
The variable income list
Advanced Machiavelli uses money to maintain and build units. The income is based on revenue from 
provinces, cities, sea areas and "trade". The variable income list symbolizes this trade income.
The table defines what province or power generates/receives this income. The table is divided in six 
columns that correspond to a random value between 1 and 6 that is generated each spring to decide 
what the income will be.
The field format is: 
<recipient (city)><number of rolls (1d6)>123456<income at the beginning of the game (initial)>
Example 14:
Variable Income:	City 	dice 	1	2	3	4	5	6	Initial
	Vienna	1	0	3	4	6	9	9	22
	London	3	0	0	2	3	5	6	7
# End of Variable Income.
Dice may be any value between 0 and 9. 0 (zero) means you won't get any money. 
The value in columns 1-6 may be any value between 0 and 999. 
The initial value is only used with Mach2 may be any value between 0 and 999 (supported from 
2002). It is calculated thus: 
nJudgeInitial=AHInitial-(IncomeAtSetup-MaintenanceAtSetup). Income and maintenance costs at 
setup are calculated by summing the income from all provinces defined as controlled in the setup and 
detracting the costs for all units available at setup.
Tech note: The city mentioned must be a home city province of a country or "free" province (e.g, 
Genoa) intended to receive the income.
Unit limits
In Machiavelli 2 (2nd ed., published 1995) powers cannot build or use all unit types available. These 
restrictions can be coded in the unit limits table. (This table is ignored if it is present in the map data 
file of a Mach1 game.) Are supported from nJudge release 1.2 (2002).
Example 15:
#Limits follow following format: 
# <power-letter> <Army x 4chars> <Fleet x 4chars> <garrison x 4char> 
#Each char is: 
# 'x' = Unit allowed anytime 
# '.' Unit never allowed 
# 'b' Unit can only be built but not aquired by bribery 
# 'r' Unit can only be aquired by bribery 
#Unit qualifers are in order: 
# Ordinary, Citizens, Mercenary, Professional 
 
Limits for Units Types: 
A xxx. xrr. xxx. 
E xxxx xxxx xxxx 
F xxxx xxxx xxxx 
G xxxb xxxx xxxb 
I xxx. xxx. xxx. 
R xxxx xxxx xxxx 
T xxx. x.r. xxx. 
S x.x. x... x.x. 
#end of limit (this line is compulsory!)
Structure of the seed file
The seed file consists of three main parts: the start year, the start positions and the game status 
record. The game status record data entries must be in the map file area definition order.
Diplomacy
The game status record can only contain information about supply center ownership data. The only 
reason to use this is if SC control at game start differs from the map file setup data. E.g. if Austria 
controls an English home SC at start as in the Shift Right variant. Or if a player starts with more units 
than he has SC to support them. In this case you must list the map file SC control.
Diplomacy seed file format:
<S|F><year><M> 
<country letter>':'' '<unit type> <area name> 
-1 
[<country letter|.><country letter|.><country letter|.>...] 
-1 
-1
Example 16. Hundred Diplomacy, F(rance) starts with 5 units but does only own 4 SC's.
S1425M 
F: A Dauphine 
F: A Orleanais 
F: A Paris 
F: A Toulouse 
F: A Provence 
... and so on 
-1 
........E...FEB.B.EB..E.B..E..FF.......F. 
-1
Example 17. Shift Right variant, Austria starts controlling the english home SC's.
S1901M 
A: A Liverpool 
A: F Edinburgh 
A: F London 
E: A Rome 
... and so on 
-1 
....G.....T..RF...G..A...........TA.AR.ITE.....R....E...I..G.I..F.....EF.I.
. 
-1
Machiavelli
Now things get really complicated. The machiavelli game status record contains information about 
control, home ownership and events (flags). The only reason to use this is if control at game start 
differs from the map file setup data (as, e.g. in the Struggle for Dominance II), if the map file cannot 
express the control setup needed (as, e.g. in Age of Communes) of or if some specific event has 
begun at game start (e.g. a siege).
Machiavelli seed file format:
<S|U|F><year><A> 
<country letter>':'' '<unit type> <area name> 
-1 
N:<first letter in area name>       (this is just a mnemonic device) 
n:<second letter in area name> 
n:<third letter in area name> 
O:<country letter|.|&>[<country letter|.|&>[<country letter|.|&>... 
[o:<country letter|.|&>[<country letter|.|&>[<country letter|.|&>...] 
C:<country letter|.|&>[<country letter|.|&>[<country letter|.|&>... 
[c:<country letter|.|&>[<country letter|.|&>[<country letter|.|&>...] 
H:<country letter|.|&>[<country letter|.|&>[<country letter|.|&>... 
F:<0|... 
-1 
-1
The initial letter on every line indicate what data goes there:
1.	N: and n: are used to indicate what area the other arguments are valid for. As mentioned 
above this is a mnemonic device to help the reader of the record.
2.	O: = area control (province ownership)
3.	C: = city control
4.	H: = home area control (same as in the map file)
5.	F: = flags, i.e. what event that is current in the area (famine, rebellion etc.)
6.	o: and c: are used to indicate pending status changes in an ongoing game
Example 18.  Classic Mach sample.
F1492A 
Am A Austria 
Fm G Mil 
&m G Sav 
-1 
N:XAAACCM 
n:Xlqrari 
n:Xbuepel 
O:.T.LA&F 
C:.T.LA&A 
H:.T.LN.. 
F:0000000 
-1 
-1
If you transpose the table into the horizontal it becomes more 
obvious what the data is:
Nnn OCH F 
XXX ... 0  (happens to be in the map file) 
Alb TTT 0  (T home prov. T currently controls prov and city) 
Aqu ... 0  (Neutral prov controlled by none) 
Are LLL 0  (L home etc. 
Cap AAN 0  (N home, but A controls prov and city) 
Cre &&. 0  (Neutral garrison controls area) 
Mil FA. 0  (Home of none. F unit in prov, A garrison in city) 
and so on.
 
Tips and tricks
Some useful tricks with the file format follow below.
Unconquerable province
This could be useful in primarily Machiavelli to ensure income to a power (but would also ensure 
survival to a  power in an adjacency game if it was set as part of a home province, so set it 
preferrably as a controlled non-hc province). It is also used for signalling purposes in NoPress 
games.
Example 19: swi-mv: swi
"Safe havens" / "Siberian training camps" / "Military supremacy"
By creating a gateway to a province that is only accessible through the "gatekeeper", you can 
effectively block access to a province. An interesting option would be to place a home SC behind 
this gatekeeper (think about those pesky russians or huns that just throw out new armies). 
Example 20: "Safe Haven".
Arabia SC can only be accessed through Syria, but Arabia controls the access. This could easily be 
blocked though.
Arabia, T ara 
Syria, l syr 
Onlyoasis, g oas 
Stpgate, g sgt 
Livoniagate, g lgt 
Warsawgate, g wgt 
Ukrainagate, g ugt 
Krimgate, g kgt 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
ara-mv: syr 
syr-mv: ara arm smy 
oas-mv: oas 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
Gateway 
  oas: ara ara syr 
#end of gateway setting
Example 21: "Siberian training camp".
Moscow can be accessed through Stp, Liv, Ukr, War, Sev, but gateways control all accesses. This 
lets Moscow easily slip out a unit, but will be very difficult to block.
Gateway 
  sgt: mos mos stp 
  lgt: mos mos liv 
  wgt: mos mos war 
  ugt: mos mos ukr 
  kgt: mos mos sev 
#end of gateway setting
Example 22: "Military Supremacy".
A superpower controls some canals/passes in/out of your country because of its military supremacy. 
Notice that the controlling province, London, is not adjacent to the gateway, Suez Canal, in this 
case.
Gateway 
  sca: lon meds reds 
#end of gateway setting
Only fleet can move through land province
This is achieved by only defining moves for fleets.
Example23. Only fleets can move past Constantinople
ank-xc: arm con 
bul-xc: con... 
con-xc: bul/sc bul/ec bla ank smy aeg 
   and no con-mv is defined.
Example24. Only fleets can move past Albania
alb-mv: alb 
alb-xc: alb rag dur
Appendices
1. Machiavelli disaster table samples
Famine sample
Famine:	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
2:	-----	-----	Prove	Patri	Moden	-----	Corsi	Ancon	-----	-----	-----
3:	-----	Piomb	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	Tunis	-----	-----	Paler
4:	Perug	-----	Otran	Padua	Swiss	Cremo	-----	-----	Herze	-----	-----
5:	Friul	-----	Bolog	Saler	Veron	Austr	Milan	Siena	-----	-----	Duraz
6:	Marse	Ragus	-----	Carin	Berga	Pisto	Spole	-----	-----	Hunga	-----
7:	-----	Bari	Slavo	Montf	Urbin	Forno	-----	Como	Trent	-----	-----
8:	Ferra	-----	Rome	Pavia	-----	-----	Arezz	-----	Saluz	Alban	Genoa
9:	-----	-----	Croat	-----	Flore	Turin	Mantu	Capua	Trevi	-----	-----
10:	Savoy	-----	Sardi	-----	Parma	Bosni	Tyrol	-----	Naple	-----	Dalma
11:	-----	-----	Venic	-----	-----	-----	-----	Carni	-----	Messi	-----
12:	-----	-----	-----	Pisa	Aquil	Avign	Lucca	-----	Istri	-----	-----
Plague sample
Plague:	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
2:	-----	Swiss	-----	-----	Carni	-----	-----	-----	-----	Montf	Capua
3:	Ragus	Bosni	Slavo	-----	-----	-----	Croat	-----	-----	Bari	Tyrol
4:	Savoy	-----	-----	Friul	-----	Rome	-----	Marse	Pavia	-----	-----
5:	-----	Saler	Veron	-----	Dalma	Lucca	Bolog	Carin	Prove	-----	-----
6:	-----	-----	Turin	Siena	Messi	Padua	Austr	Ferra	-----	-----	-----
7:	Paler	-----	Genoa	Alban	Pisa	Tunis	Avign	Milan	-----	-----	Sardi
8:	Duraz	-----	Naple	Moden	Perug	Cremo	Venic	Flore	-----	-----
	-----
9:	-----	Berga	Ancon	Parma	-----	-----	-----	-----	Mantu	Istri	-----
10:	Piomb	Hunga	-----	Urbin	-----	-----	-----	-----	Trevi	-----	Como
11:	Arezz	Forno	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	Otran	-----	Aquil	Spole
12:	Trent	Herze	-----	Pisto	-----	-----	-----	Corsi	-----	Patri	Saluz
Storms sample
Storms:	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
2:	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----
3:	-----	-----	las	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	tyn	-----	-----
4:	-----	cms	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	uas	-----
5:	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----
6:	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----
7:	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	wme
8:	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----
9:	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----
10:	-----	lig	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	gon	-----
11:	-----	-----	gol	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	ion	-----	-----
12:	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----	-----
2. Power name pairs available as of nJudge version 1.7.2
As it is unnecessary to "re-invent the wheel", here follows a listing of all official power names and 
their corresponding adjectives hardcoded into the nJudge software (currently the 'variant.c' file).
The following names are reserved and cannot be used in a variant or scenario: Neutral, 
Autonomous, Observer and Master.
Good and useful power names
Aragon        Aragonese 
Austria       Austrian 
Balkan        Balkan 
BC            British Columbian 
Belgium       Belgian 
Britain       British 
Bulgaria      Bulgarian 
Burgundy      Burgundian 
Byzantium     Byzantine 
California    Californian 
Carthage      Carthaginian 
China         Chinese 
Cuba          Cuban 
Cyprus        Cypriotic 
Denmark       Danish 
Egypt         Egyptian 
Eire          Irish 
Empire        Imperial 
England       English 
Este          Estensian 
Ethiopia      Ethiopian 
Florence      Florentine 
Florida       Floridian 
France        French 
Genoa         Genoese 
Germany       German 
Greece        Greek 
Holland       Dutch 
Hungary       Hungarian 
India         Indian 
Indonesia     Indonesian 
Israel        Israelite 
Italy         Italian 
Ivory-Coast   Ivory-Coastish 
Japan         Japanese 
Libya         Libyan 
Lombardy      Lombard
Macedon       Macedonian 
Mexico        Mexican 
Milan         Milanese 
Mongols       Mongol 
Naples        Neapolitan 
NewYork       New Yorker 
Norman        Norman 
Norway        Norwegian 
Papacy        Papal 
Persia        Persian 
Peru          Peruvian 
Pisa          Pisan 
Poland        Polish 
Portugal      Portuguese 
Provence      Provencal 
Quebec        Quebecois 
Rome          Roman 
Rumania       Rumanian 
Russia        Russian 
Saudi-Arabia  Saudi-Arabian 
Savoy         Sabaud 
Scaligeri     Scaligerian 
Serbia        Serbian 
Siberia       Siberian 
Sicily        Sicilian 
South-Africa  South-African 
Spain         Spanish 
Sweden        Swedish 
Syria         Syrian 
Texas         Texan 
Trinacria     Trinacrian 
Tunis         Tunisian 
Turkey        Turkish 
Ukraine       Ukranian 
Venice        Venetian 
Zaire         Zairean 
 
Geographical and ordinal name pairs: North, Northern; South, Southern; East, Eastern; West, 
Western; First, First; Second, Second; Third, Third; Fourth, Fourth; Fifth, Fifth.
Odd power names
The Chromatic variant names: Yellow, Yellow; Dark, Dark; Light, Light; Red, Red; Blue, Blue.
The Chaos variant powers (noun and adjective are the same): A-Ank, B-Bel, C-Ber, D-Bre... 4-
Swe, 5-Tri, 6-Tun, 7-Ven, 8-Vie, 9-War.
The RootZ variant powers: Austria1, 1Austrian; Austria2 2Austrian; England1, 1English and so on.
And some more names: Heartland, Heartlander; Lowland, Lowlander; Dissentos, Dissentos.
 
Revision history 
v. 1.00,  June 25th 2002 by Sergio Lidsell. 
v. 1.00b,  October 20th 2002 by Sergio Lidsell. Minor corrections and additions. 
v. 1.5, July 29th 2003 by Sergio Lidsell. Added index, Machiavelli disaster table and seed file 
samples. Added seed file info and ref. to the 'variant how to'. Very minor content corrections. 
Changed the version number to make it correspond to the nJudge version. 
v. 1.7.1, August 10th 2004 by Sergio Lidsell. Added description of the seed file format and of 
official power names. Revision of text (clean up, clarifications and syntax). Changed title of document 
(previously njudgemapfilehowto.htm). Changed the version number to make it correspond to the 
nJudge version.
Thanks 
A special thanks to Millis Miller n-judge programming guru, without whose help, corrections and 
clarifications this document would never have been.