Diplomacy's Support: A Two-Way Street

can you support a support in diplomacy

In the board game Diplomacy, two units can support each other, provided they can each legally do so based on adjacency and unit type. This mutual support increases the number of attacking units required to disrupt defensive units. While units can support each other, you are supporting a hold, not the support itself. If a supporting unit is attacked, it defaults to holding, and the held unit receives support from the other unit. It is important to note that you can only issue orders for your own units and cannot support a unit that is attacking you.

Characteristics Values
Units supporting each other Two units can support each other if they can legally do so based on adjacency and unit type
Mutual support Mutual support increases the number of attacking units needed to disrupt defensive units
Supporting a hold A unit ordered to hold, convoy, support, or not ordered at all can receive support in holding its position
Supporting a move A unit can support another unit's move, making it more able to dislodge other units or avoid being dislodged itself
Cancelling support If a unit attempts to move into the territory of the unit providing support, the support is cancelled
Attacking a supporting unit If a supporting unit is attacked, it needs to defend by holding, and the unit it was supporting will now support its hold
Outnumbering force It takes a minimum of three units to dislodge one of the mutually supporting units
Issuing orders Players can only issue orders for their own units

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Two units can support each other if they can legally do so based on adjacency and unit type

In the Diplomacy board game, two units can support each other if they are both able to legally support one another based on their adjacency and unit type. This is known as "mutual support". It is important to note that you are not supporting the support, but rather, you are supporting a hold. This means that if a supporting unit is attacked, it will need to defend itself, and the order defaults to "hold". As a result of the mutual support, the held unit will then receive support from the other unit.

For example, if France has units in Belgium and Holland, they can both mutually support each other. However, if one unit is attacked, its support for the other unit will be cut, but it will still hold, and the other unit will support its hold. An opponent needs a minimum of three units to dislodge one of your units and disrupt your position. They can do this by either attacking a single unit with two of their own units or by attacking one unit and attempting to cut the support of the other unit.

It is important to note that you can only issue orders for your own units. You cannot "commandeer" an opponent's unit to support your attack, but you can use diplomacy to request another player to issue an order, although they are not required to do so. You can issue an order to support another player's unit, both in holding and moving, but you cannot support a unit that is attacking you.

Supporting is one of two related actions: Support Hold and Support Move. If a unit supports another unit holding or moving, the unit being supported will be more able to dislodge other units or avoid being dislodged itself. The power of a move or hold is determined by the number of units involved. To move into a territory, the moving power must be greater than that of the unit holding the territory or of other units attempting to move into the territory. Support is cancelled if another unit attempts to move into the territory of the unit providing the support.

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A unit can receive support in holding its position

In the board game Diplomacy, supporting is one of two related actions: Support Hold and Support Move. A unit that is ordered to hold can receive support in holding its position. This is distinct from a unit that is supporting another unit, which cannot itself be supported.

A unit that is supporting another unit is, by definition, holding, and thus eligible for support in holding its position. If a supporting unit is attacked, it needs to defend, so the order defaults to hold. The held unit then receives support from the other unit. If one unit is attacked, its support for the other unit will be cut, but it will still hold, and the other unit will support its hold.

An opponent needs a minimum of three units to dislodge one of your units and thus disrupt your position. They can do this by either doing a doubly supported attack on a single unit or by doing a singly supported attack on one unit and an unsupported attack on the other unit to cut its support. This is consistent with the basic principle of diplomacy: equal numbers create a standoff, whereas superior numbers (eventually) win.

It is important to note that you can only issue orders for your own units. You can use diplomacy to request another player to issue an order, but they are not required to do so.

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Units can support each other's hold, but not the support itself

In the board game Diplomacy, units can support each other's hold, but not the support itself. This means that if a unit is supporting another unit and is attacked, it needs to defend itself by holding, and the unit it was supporting will now support its hold. This mutual support increases the number of attacking units required to disrupt any defensive units from two to three.

For example, if France has units in Belgium and Holland, they can mutually support each other. If the Holland unit is attacked, it will switch to hold, and the Belgium unit will support it. This means that "the enemy" needs at least four units to dislodge both French units.

It's important to note that supporting is not an action that units can perform directly. Instead, there are two related actions: Support Hold and Support Move. A unit that is ordered to hold, convoy, support, or is not ordered at all can receive support in holding its position. The power of a move or hold is determined by the number of units involved, and to move into a territory, the moving power must be greater than that of the unit holding the territory.

While units can support each other's hold, it is not possible to "commandeer" an opponent's unit to support your attack. Players can only issue orders for their own units and cannot support a unit that is attacking them. However, players can use diplomacy to request another player to issue an order, but the other player is not required to do so.

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A unit cannot support another unit that is attacking it

In the board game Diplomacy, a unit may not move into a province held by another unit unless it has support. Units may be supported either in attacking a province or in holding a position. When a unit supports another unit's attack, it must border the territory of the unit it is supporting. This is because supporting attacks simulates multiple armies attacking one.

However, a unit cannot support another unit that is attacking it. This is because supporting a unit is not an action that units can do themselves, but rather one of two related actions: Support Hold and Support Move. In other words, a unit's support is always directed at another unit, and it is always given in reference to another unit's move.

For example, in one game, a Turkish army in Moscow is attacking Warsaw with support from Ukraine, Galicia, and Silesia. A Russian army in Warsaw is attacking Moscow with support from Livonia and St. Petersburg. The Turkish army in Moscow has strength 4 (itself plus 3 supports), while the Russian army in Warsaw has strength 3 (itself plus 2 supports). Since the Turkish army has greater strength, the Russian army in Warsaw is dislodged and must retreat.

Another example is where a player's unit supports an attack on the player's own unit. In this case, the attack will not succeed, and the unit will not be displaced. This is because a country cannot dislodge or support the dislodgement of one of its own units.

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It takes four units to dislodge two units simultaneously, regardless of mutual support

In the Diplomacy board game, supporting is one of two related actions: Support Hold and Support Move. Units can support each other, assuming they can each legally do so based on adjacency and unit type. This mutual support is important as it increases the number of attacking units needed to disrupt any defensive units from two to three.

If one unit is attacked, its support for the other unit will be cut, but it will still hold, and the other unit will support its hold. An opponent needs a minimum of three units to dislodge one of your units and disrupt your position. They can do this by either attacking a single unit with a double-supported attack or by attacking one unit with a single support and another unit without support to cut its support.

However, it takes four units to dislodge two units simultaneously, regardless of mutual support. If both units are attacked, they both hold without support. So, to dislodge both, the enemy needs four units. This is consistent with the basic principle of diplomacy: equal numbers create a standoff, whereas superior numbers (eventually) win.

It is important to note that you can only issue orders for your own units. While you can use diplomacy to request another player to issue an order, they are not required to do so. You can issue an order to support another player's unit, but you cannot support a unit that is attacking you.

Frequently asked questions

No, you can't support a support. You can, however, support a hold. If a supporting unit is attacked, it needs to defend (hold) so the order defaults to hold.

Imagine two Turkish armies in Serbia and Bulgaria, two Russian armies in Rumania and Galicia, and a Russian fleet in Sevastopol. In this scenario, Rumania's support of Galicia -> Budapest is broken due to the Bulgarian attack.

No, you can only issue orders for your own units.

No, you cannot support a unit that is attacking you.

It takes a minimum of three units to dislodge a supported unit.

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