Jonah Patel
Diplomacy is a strategic board game created by Allan B. Calhamer in 1954. The game is set in Europe in the years leading up to World War I, and players aim to use their armies and fleets to conquer as much of the continent as possible. To win, players must capture and maintain control of at least 18 of the 34 supply centers on the board during the Autumn turn. These supply centers are crucial as they allow players to produce more units, with each center corresponding to one unit on the board.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of supply centers | 34 |
| Number of supply centers controlled by one of the 7 powers at the start | 22 |
| Number of neutral supply centers at the start | 12 |
| Number of supply centers needed to win | 18 |
| Number of units allowed on the board | 34 |
| Number of units required to control all supply centers | 18 or more |
| Number of players | 2-7 |
| Number of basic orders | 4 |
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What You'll Learn
How to claim supply centres
There are 34 supply centers on the standard Diplomacy map, 22 of which are controlled by one of the seven powers at the start of the game, and the remaining 12 are neutral. To win the game, a power must control 18 supply centers (more than half of the total number) during the Autumn season.
To claim a supply center, you must have a unit in the supply center during the Winter phase, which means having a unit there at the end of the Fall turn. If you already control a supply center, you don't need to keep a unit stationed there, but if another player moves their unit into that supply center, they will take it over. This means that an attacker could occupy your supply center during the Spring and then be evicted in the Fall without claiming the center.
For example, if France moves into Spain (a neutral supply center) in Spring 1901 but leaves in Fall 1901, Spain will remain neutral since it was unoccupied at the end of the Fall turn. It's important to note that ownership of supply centers only changes after the end of the Autumn turn, right before winter adjustments.
Additionally, the number of units you can have on the board is limited by the number of supply centers you control. Each supply center can provide enough supplies to maintain an army or fleet. Therefore, you can only have as many units as you have supply centers, and gaining new units requires maintaining control of supply centers.
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Supply centres as home
Diplomacy is a strategic board game created by Allan B. Calhamer in 1954. The game is set in Europe in the years leading up to the First World War. The objective of the game is to use your armies and fleets to conquer as much of Europe as possible.
The board is divided into named "provinces" or "regions", 34 of which are designated "supply centres". Each of these provinces produces enough supplies to maintain an army or fleet. A country may have only as many armies and fleets on the board as it controls supply centres. Consequently, there may never be more than 34 armies and fleets on the board at one time. A country gains or loses units according to the number of supply centres it controls.
To win the game, a player must control 18 supply centres (a simple majority) during the Autumn or Fall phase. Players who have lost all their home supply centres may continue to play but may not build new units until they have recaptured at least one of their home supply centres.
Supply centres are gained by occupying them after the Fall retreat phase. They remain under a player's control until another power gains control of them. For every supply centre controlled, a player may have one unit on the board.
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Losing all supply centres
In Diplomacy, players aim to move their starting units and defeat those of others to gain possession of a majority of strategic cities and provinces marked as "supply centres" on the map. These supply centres are vital as they allow players who control them to produce more units. There are 34 supply centres on the standard map, with 22 controlled by one of the seven powers at the start of the game and 12 starting as neutral. Each power starts with three supply centres, except for Russia, which starts with four.
If a player loses all their home supply centres, they cannot build new units until they recapture at least one. This rule adds a layer of complexity to the game, as players must carefully strategize to protect their home supply centres and decide how many units to keep in reserve to defend them. It also encourages negotiation and alliance-building, as players may seek help from other players to recapture their lost supply centres.
To recapture a lost supply centre, a player must move their units onto the desired centre, potentially requiring them to negotiate with other players to gain access to the necessary territories. Once a player has recaptured a supply centre, they can use it to build new units and regain their strength in the game. This dynamic showcases the zero-sum nature of the game, where gains in a player's resources come at the expense of a rival.
In conclusion, losing all supply centres in Diplomacy can be a challenging setback, but it doesn't mean the end of the game for that player. Through careful strategy, negotiation, and alliance-building, a player can recapture lost supply centres and continue to compete for control of Europe.
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Supply centres and units
Diplomacy is a strategic board game created by Allan B. Calhamer in 1954. The game is set in Europe in the years leading up to the First World War. The objective of the game is to use your armies and fleets to conquer as much of Europe as possible.
The Diplomacy board game has 34 provinces or nations, each designated as a "supply centre". These supply centres are marked with a black dot and are the goal of the game. Each province produces enough supplies to sustain an army or fleet. A country may have only as many armies and fleets on the board as it controls supply centres. Therefore, there can never be more than 34 armies and fleets (or "units") on the board at once. A country gains or loses units according to the number of supply centres it controls.
To win the game, a player must control 18 supply centres (a simple majority) during the Autumn turn. Players who control no supply centres are eliminated from the game. If a player loses all their home supply centres, they can continue to play but cannot build new units until they recapture at least one of them.
During gameplay, players spend a lot of time forming and betraying alliances with other players and forming strategies. Units can either hold their position, attack another province, or support another unit. Fleets can also convoy armies across bodies of water to coastal provinces.
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Supply centres in Diplomacy variants
Diplomacy is a strategic board game created by Allan B. Calhamer in 1954, with the goal of the game being to control a majority of the 34 supply centers. There are six commercially released variants of Diplomacy: Machiavelli, Kamakura, Colonial Diplomacy, Hundred, Ard-Rí, and Classical.
Machiavelli, published by Battleline Publications, is set in Renaissance Italy and features several rule changes, including the introduction of money, bribery, three seasons per year, garrisons, and random events such as plague and famine. The board is controlled by various powers, including the Republic of Florence, the Republic of Venice, and the Ottoman Turks.
Colonial Diplomacy, a variant that won the Origins Award for Best Pre-20th Century Board Game of 1995, is based on the map of Imperial Asia, which includes Hong Kong as a supply center for any country except China.
Hundred, designed by Andy D. Schwarz, is a map for three players based on the Hundred Years' War. Classical, also designed by Schwarz along with Vincent Mous, is based on the ancient world after the death of Alexander the Great.
Ard-Rí, designed by Stuart John Bernard, is based on pre-Christian Ireland and includes the presence of Vikings. This variant also shares its name with a hnefatafl variant played in Ancient Ireland.
In addition to these commercially released variants, fans of the game have created hundreds of their own versions, modifying rules or maps to create new and unique gameplay experiences.
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Frequently asked questions
There are 34 supply centers on the Standard map.
To win the game, a power must control 18 supply centers (a simple majority) during Autumn.
22 supply centers are controlled by one of the 7 powers at the start of the game.
12 supply centers are neutral at the start of the game.
