It would make classic live games easier to fill. It also affords a much different game tactically.

That would be an interesting variant...

Because I don't play Ancient Med, but that is a point that live games often get to 5 and die...

A question--would it be "Game starts once 5 join," or "Game starts once 7 join; if 7 are not present, then it may be started at 5 as a Napoleonic game by the host/starter of the game?"

Also...in the latter instance--suppose 6 join? What then? Does someone get booted, or do the disassembled Prussians get to play, then, or something?

Traditionally, I know that when there are not enough players for a full Diplomacy game (speaking in real life terms), that you are to remove certain nations and replace them with neutral, standing armies. Starting with Italy, then Germany, then I believe Austria, and so on. If something like this were to be made, I think that it would work better the latter way that obi suggested, although you can always go on VDip and create a custom game involving a limited number of players:

http://vdiplomacy.net/variants.php?variantID=42

The old code used to support this (the code still used by FBDiplomacy). I can see why it was changed, as people who liked playing Germany could pick it up in games that started with just 5 players. Perhaps some restriction on locking Italy [and Germany] as CD'd countries if a game starts with less than 7 players?

I think an entirely separate map spacing out those empires appropriately would be kind of cool. I wasn't around for the old maps. Played the board game but never that variant.

@obi: I think with the OPs reasoning, a six player game would leave just Italy in perma-CD.

@ ODaly

Yeah that is right. Italy was in CD with a six player Game. I guess loosely being Franco-Prussian.

@ King Atom

In the board game version that I had, when it got down to four players, everyone played pre-arranged alliance which sucked. The same person was playing Italy and Russia for example.

@Obi

Yeah that was kind of what I had envisioned. A button that allowed the game to begin with Italy and Germany in CD. Just Italy, if six people join. I wouldn't think that it would lend itself to people being able to pick Germany unless people just waited and joined when the game made. Could there be a way to disallow people joining as Germany or Italy once the game began?