Simone Lawson
The board game Diplomacy is a strategic negotiation game where players control the armed forces of a country in Europe. The game is centred around four basic orders: Hold, Attack, Support, and Convoy. Each turn is divided into Spring and Fall, with the game starting in Spring 1901. During each turn, players meet to discuss their plans, form alliances, and devise strategies. After this diplomacy phase, players write down their orders for each unit in secret, which are then revealed and executed simultaneously. Units can only move one space at a time, except when convoyed, and only one unit may occupy a space at any time.
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What You'll Learn
Units can only move one space at a time
In the game of Diplomacy, units can only move one space at a time. This is a fundamental rule of the game and it applies to all units. The only exception to this rule is in the case of a successful convoy, where a convoyed army may travel multiple spaces depending on the length of the chain created by the convoying fleets. A convoy is when a fleet in a body of water convoys an army from any province on the coast of that body to any other province on the coast of that body. For example, an army in Venice can move to Tunis on the North African coast with the help of fleets in the Adriatic Sea and Ionian Sea, which work together to convoy it across the ocean.
It is important to note that only one unit may occupy any space at any time. If two or more units are ordered to the same space, none of them may move. This rule also applies to retreats. If two or more units must retreat after a move, the players concerned must write down their retreats immediately without diplomacy and simultaneously expose them. If two or more units may only retreat to the same space, they are all disbanded unless only one of the units is ordered to retreat, in which case that unit may do so.
The four basic orders in Diplomacy are Hold, Attack, Support, and Convoy. Units can either hold their position or attack (or move to) another province. Holding units can be supported by units in neighboring provinces. If a unit is attacked by an unsupported unit, a fleet is able to repel the attack and still complete its role in the convoy. However, if a fleet is attacked by a supported unit, the convoy is broken, and the army is unable to move across the sea.
It is important to plan moves carefully and consider the support of other units when moving into occupied territories. Units can only move into a province held by another unit if they have support. The attacking unit must have more support than the defending unit for the attack to be successful.
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Convoys allow units to travel multiple spaces
In Diplomacy, units can only move one space at a time, and only one unit is allowed to occupy any space. The exception to this rule is when a convoy successfully moves an army multiple spaces. Convoys are made up of fleets that work together to transport armies across the sea. A fleet in a body of water may convoy an army from any province on the coast of that body to any other province on the coast. A string of fleets can also transport another unit across multiple sea territories in one move. For example, an army in Venice can move to Tunis on the North African coast with the help of fleets in the Adriatic Sea and Ionian Sea.
A convoyed army must embark from a coastal land province and land at a coastal land province. If a fleet in a convoy is attacked by an unsupported unit, it can repel the attack and continue its role in the convoy. However, if the attacking unit is supported, the convoy is broken, and the army is unable to move across the sea. In this case, the fleet in the sea can be supported by another fleet with a support hold. An army cannot support hold a unit in the sea. Invalid orders by a unit are converted to a hold, and support of that holding unit would then be valid.
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Units must be supported to move into occupied territory
In the game of Diplomacy, units must be supported to move into occupied territory. This is because no one unit is stronger than another, so players need to combine the strength of multiple units to attack other territories. To give support, the supporting unit must be adjacent to the territory the attacking unit is trying to capture. The player must then click on the unit they want to give support with, click on the area the attacking unit is coming from, and then click on the area they want the attacking unit to move to. This unit is now supporting the attacking unit into the area. It is important to note that each unit must be given separate orders.
In the context of international law and military strategy, occupation refers to the temporary control of a territory by an outside power, typically during a state of war or armed conflict. The laws of occupation are governed by international humanitarian law, particularly the four Geneva Conventions and Additional Protocol I. The occupying power has specific obligations, including maintaining law and order and respecting human rights, the laws already in force in the occupied territory, and relevant provisions of humanitarian law related to occupation.
The status of occupied territories can be controversial, especially when multiple powers disagree on the territory's status, which can lead to armed conflicts. Examples of prolonged occupations include Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories such as the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip; the Turkish occupation of northern Syria; and the United Arab Emirates' takeover of Socotra during the Yemeni Civil War.
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Units can support each other to hold
In the game of Diplomacy, units can support each other to hold. Holding is one of the four basic orders in the game, the other three being attack, support, and convoy. Units may be supported either in attacking a province or in holding a province. The power of a hold is the number of units involved, including the unit holding.
When a unit is attacked, its order becomes a hold. For example, if a unit in Venice is attacked, it will hold in Venice. If another unit in Munich supports the unit in Venice, then the unit in Munich is also holding. A unit in Sevastopol can support the unit in Munich, and so on. This way, multiple units can support each other to hold.
However, there are some important rules to keep in mind. First, a unit may not move into a province held by another unit unless it has support. Second, if a unit supporting another unit is attacked, the support is cut, but the unit can receive support from other units. Third, support is cancelled if another unit attempts to move into the territory of the unit providing the support, even if the unit is not dislodged. Finally, if two units are ordered to the same space, neither may move.
It is important to note that supporting is not an action that units can do by themselves. Instead, it is one of two related actions: Support Hold and Support Move. A unit can support another unit in holding or moving, making it more able to dislodge other units or not be dislodged itself.
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Retreats must be written down immediately
In Diplomacy, retreats must be written down immediately by the players concerned, without diplomacy, and simultaneously exposed, as with movement orders. This is because, in the game, all units move only one space at a time, and only one unit may occupy any space at any time. If a unit is dislodged as a result of a move (overpowered by other players), the player must submit Retreat Phase orders that the unit either be retreated to an unoccupied adjacent province or else disbanded and removed from play. A player may choose to disband a unit rather than retreat it. If two or more units may retreat only to the same space, they are all disbanded, unless only one of the units is ordered to retreat and the others are ordered to be disbanded. In that case, the one unit ordered to retreat may do so. If two or more units are ordered to retreat to the same space, they are all disbanded. If a player fails to order a retreat when necessary, the unit is disbanded.
Retreats may neither be convoyed nor supported. A convoy is when a fleet in a body of water convoys an army from any province on the coast of that body to any other province on the coast of that body. A unit may not move into a province held by another unit unless it has support. As units may be supported either in attacking a province or in holding a province, the attacking unit must have more support than the defending unit if the attack is to be successful. Support Hold is an action that a unit can do. When a unit supports another unit moving into a territory that unit itself could move to, the unit that moves is able to occupy the territory even if the territory is already occupied or another unit is moving to it.
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Frequently asked questions
All units in Diplomacy can only move one space at a time, and only one unit may occupy any space at any time. The exception to this rule is a successful convoy, where a convoyed army may travel multiple spaces depending on the length of the chain created by the convoying fleets.
There are four basic orders in Diplomacy: Hold, Attack, Support, and Convoy.
A unit may not move into a province held by another unit unless it has support. The attacking unit must have more support than the defending unit for the attack to be successful.
Yes, a unit can support another unit to hold. If a unit is attacked, its order becomes a hold.
If a unit is dislodged as a result of a move, the player must submit Retreat Phase orders that the unit either be retreated to an unoccupied adjacent province or disbanded and removed from play.
