Russia or India.

I dunno it all depends on your diplomacy. Brazil/Argentina are good but there is a game I'm playing in which both got double-invaded on by USA-South Africa because they kept fighting instead of uniting and spreading off continent. Also in this game China, Near East and South Africa, three of the generally weak positions, are doing well, and Oz, which is considered strong, is almost KO. So it all depends on your diplomacy.

How could you say Brazil? Argentina can easily eliminate him and dominate the whole continent if a few years.

I would say Russia, but both games I'm in have had Russia not take advantage of his very strong initial position and suffer for it. I think this Russia has to go for the initial triple build and marry itself to Pacific Russia as an ally.

Agreed Invictus- except i think if Brazil can trick Argentina, then Brazil pretty much has it wrapped up

If Brazil and Argentina recognize the benefits of an NAP in the beginning, and ARgentina heads South into the SWA, and Brazil into NWA, they have the upper hand together.

world map variant is unbalanced, involved too much randomness and generally speaking has nothing to do with Diplomacy...

If suppose if Argentina can be tricked Brazil's OK, but that Argentina player must have idea how to play Diplomacy if he can be tricked. I see no benefits to Argentina in letting Brazil continue to exist and going into far afield for centers he could easily get right away. Argentina can eliminate its regional rival before anyone and THEN go abroad easily. I have a game with Argentina in Japan!

Not as Argentina, unfortunately.

Really? I would say British Columbia actually as one of the best

Hey, I'm having a very good WW variant game ONLY because of diplomacy. All it takes is like 6-8 non noob players. Then you collaborate to take out the noobs and fight it out like men.

I had a topic in Goondip with various suggestions to improve WW.
"My suggestions are
Saudi Arabia should be cut in half thus giving more flow to the Near East units.
Austria-Hungary be a neutral SC thus empowering Europe.
South Africa toehold on Antractica turned neutral and Botwana made the new home SC with an army. This helps South Africa in well Africa while giving it a chance to reclaim the toehold as a neutral.
Indian Territory renamed Oregon Territory nothing special
Tkm, Kyr, Taj, and UZb combined and named Central Asia
Venezula SC gone
Tibet expanded to cover Clc.
Len turned into an army
Saudi Arabia with a fleet in Syria would be a fine idea and ol' faithful F StP(sc). "

I think Antarctica and all the SCs down there should be done away with completely lol... just have a square that goes all the way around akin to the Arctic Ocean in the north.

I mean... I dunno. It's just a preferential thing but it's kind of stupid to me.

Oh but to answer your question, tmg996:

USA IS THE BEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD THAT FACT WILL NEVER CHANGE

U-S-A, U-S-A, U-S-A, U-S-A, U-S-A, U-S-A!!!!

lol

i apologize. the Olympics are perpetually on in my room thanks to my roommate...

I don't think the USA in this map is that great at all. I do get your joke, though.

If you ask me, USA, Russia, and China should all have four homecenters. In the original game Russia has four to show its military strength, and these countries dominate the world in military capability, especially if you're merging France and Britain together as the EU. I would think a whole new map would be needed for that, though.

A couple of nit-picky things...

It seems weird to name a lot of countries after a small country within their homeland.

Examples: Ghana, Libya, and Kenya, and Argentina though that's less strange.

Personally I think they should have regional names just as everyone else like Near East, Europe, and Western Canada.

They should be West Africa for Ghana, East Africa for Libya, and Central Africa for Kenya.

But if you won't do that then at least call Ghana Nigeria instead (more important country in the region) and Libya Egypt (also more important).

I would NOT advise playing world map variant as a live game! You need to get up to 44 SCs to win - that would take HOURS in a live game, surely?

if your neighbor CDs, then any nation would be nice to play