Omar Bennett
Diplomacy is a strategic board game that simulates international relations and negotiation. Created by Allan B. Calhamer in 1954, the game is set in pre-World War I Europe and involves players controlling the armed forces of major European powers. Players form and betray alliances, employing tactics and strategies to gain possession of strategic cities and provinces marked as supply centres on the map. The game has gained a dedicated following, with tournaments and conventions held worldwide, and has also evolved into a popular online hobby. The concept of diplomacy in gaming emphasises the use of tact and flexible mindset to achieve favourable outcomes, simulating the complex world of international diplomacy and negotiation.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Game Type | Turn-based strategy game |
| Game Setting | Medieval fantasy world |
| Game Objective | Be the first nation to own half of the supply centers in the game |
| Game Mechanics | Move units around the board, fighting to claim other players' supply centers; build magical monuments, harvest soul crystals |
| Game Difficulty | Not based on luck but on cunning and cleverness, honesty and perfectly-timed betrayal |
| Game Interface | Intuitive point-and-click map |
| Game Flexibility | Compatible with smartphone browsers |
| Game Features | Sandbox to test out potential moves; threaded in-game press and flexible email-based game notification |
| Game Players | Multiplayer web implementation |
| Game Ranking | Ghost Ratings |
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What You'll Learn
Negotiation and politicking
Diplomacy games simulate negotiation and politicking in a variety of ways, often requiring players to adopt specific roles and engage in strategic decision-making. For example, in the classic board game Diplomacy, players must negotiate and outwit their opponents to be the first nation to own half of the supply centres on the board. This involves moving units, claiming supply centres, and forming alliances or betraying other players. The game emphasises cunning and cleverness rather than luck, and players must decide whether to trust their fellow players or not.
Another example of a diplomacy game is Dwarf Fortress, which involves both internal and external politics. Players must manage the relationships between their appointed nobles and groups within their fortress, as well as navigate the external politics of the surrounding empires. Successful negotiation is key to realising trades and understanding the desires of each faction. Players can also declare wars or save people from evil forces.
Anno 1800 offers a simple but effective diplomacy mechanic, where players can gain favours with AI players to unlock more trading options and increase their demand for the player's goods.
Some games, like Europa Universalis IV, focus on nation/empire-building and maintaining the state. This involves befriending foreign leaders, assassinating current leaders, and turning enemies into allies through diplomacy and subterfuge.
Diplomacy games can also involve building and defending a kingdom, as seen in Diplomacy is Not an Option. In this game, players must build their towns, defences, and armies to fight against enemies, including the undead. Players can use magic to summon ghosts and cast fireballs onto their foes.
Overall, diplomacy games require players to negotiate, form alliances, and make strategic decisions to achieve their goals, whether it's building a kingdom, expanding an empire, or claiming supply centres.
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Trading and waging war
Diplomacy is a turn-based strategy board game that involves negotiation, cunning, and cleverness. The objective of the game is to be the first nation to own half of the supply centres on the board. Players can move their units, which can be fleets or armies, to claim other players' supply centres or defend their own. Each supply centre occupied allows players to build a new unit at the end of the year, which can be used to fight for more supply centres. If a player loses a supply centre, they must disband a unit, leaving them with fewer units to defend their remaining centres.
The game differs from other war games in that players do not take turns sequentially. Instead, all players secretly write down their moves after a negotiation period, and then all the moves are revealed and put into effect simultaneously. This adds an element of unpredictability and strategy to the game, as players must anticipate their opponents' moves while also trying to outwit them.
The Diplomacy board game map reflects the political boundaries of Europe in 1914, just before the outbreak of World War I. The game can be played as a World War I simulation, with players controlling different countries and their respective territories. Italy, for example, is neutral territory that cannot be entered by other players. The game also has several commercially released variants, such as "Colonial Diplomacy", "Hundred", and "Ard-Rí", each based on different historical contexts.
In addition to the classic board game, there are also online implementations of Diplomacy, such as "webDiplomacy", that allow players to compete against AI opponents. These online versions often include features like reliability ratings that rank players based on their performance and the quality of their competition. Some platforms even offer the ability to test out potential moves in a sandbox environment before committing to them in the game.
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Internal and external politics
Diplomacy games simulate internal and external politics by requiring players to adopt specific roles and negotiate with others. In doing so, players must develop strategies, form alliances, and make decisions to achieve their objectives.
For example, in the classic board game Diplomacy, players represent different nations and must move their units strategically across the board to claim supply centres. This involves negotiating with other players, forming alliances, and potentially betraying allies to gain the upper hand. The game simulates external politics as players engage in international relations, mimicking real-world diplomacy and negotiation.
Another example is Dwarf Fortress, which features both internal and external politics. Players must manage the internal politics of their fortress, including interactions between appointed nobles and various groups within their realm. Externally, players must negotiate with surrounding empires, understanding their interests and needs to facilitate trade or declare war. This aspect of the game simulates international relations and the complexities of dealing with multiple factions.
Some diplomacy games, such as Anno 1800, focus on economic diplomacy. Players can gain favours with AI-controlled players, unlocking more trading options and increasing demand for their goods. This simulates the external politics of international trade and the strategic use of resources to gain influence.
Additionally, games like Crusader Kings and Europa Universalis IV offer unique takes on diplomacy. Crusader Kings centres on dynastic families and maintaining family lineages, while Europa Universalis IV focuses on nation-building and empire management. These games simulate the internal politics of ruling families and the external politics of international relations, respectively.
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Nation/empire-building and maintenance
Another game that involves nation-building is Dwarf Fortress, where players must navigate both internal and external politics. This includes managing the dynamics between appointed nobles and groups within the player's own fortress, as well as interacting with external empires. Successful players must utilise their best negotiators to facilitate trades and understand the desires of other factions.
Diplomacy is Not an Option is a strategy game set in a medieval fantasy world, where players must build their towns, raise armies, and defend themselves against enemies. While the game involves magical elements and combat with undead foes, it also emphasises the importance of sturdy castle walls for protection.
In addition to these fantasy elements, Diplomacy is Not an Option offers players the freedom to develop their own strategies. Players can choose to focus on building walls early in the game, amassing large armies, or pursuing a macro game of greedy growth and costly investments. The game also allows for real-time battles or the option to pause and strategise, providing a versatile gaming experience.
Overall, diplomacy games that focus on nation/empire-building and maintenance require players to make strategic decisions, engage in negotiations, and adapt their tactics to achieve their desired goals. These games offer a unique blend of strategy, politics, and interactive world-building that challenges players to build and maintain their nations.
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Betrayal and trust
Diplomacy is a strategic board game created by Allan B. Calhamer in 1954 and released commercially in the United States in 1959. It differs from most board war games in that players do not take turns sequentially. Instead, all players secretly write down their moves after a negotiation period, and then all the moves are revealed and executed simultaneously. This negotiation period is a key aspect of the game, as players spend much of their time forming and betraying alliances with other players and formulating beneficial strategies.
Communication and trust are highly important in Diplomacy. Players must forge alliances with others and observe their actions to evaluate their trustworthiness. At the same time, they must convince others of their own trustworthiness while planning to turn against their allies when least expected. A well-timed betrayal can be just as profitable as an enduring, reliable alliance.
The game is set in Europe in the years leading up to World War I. Two to seven players each control the armed forces of a major European power (or multiple powers, if there are fewer players). Each player aims to move their few starting units and defeat those of others to win possession of a majority of strategic cities and provinces marked as "supply centers" on the map. These supply centers allow players who control them to produce more units. For each supply center occupied, a player gets to build a new unit at the end of the year, which can be used to fight for more supply centers. If a player loses a supply center to another player, they must disband one of their units and are left with fewer units to fight with.
Units can be fleets or armies. An army can only move and attack other units on land, while a fleet can move and attack other units in coastal or open sea regions and transport armies across sea territories by convoy.
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Frequently asked questions
Diplomacy games simulate international relations, negotiations, and political strategies. They often involve elements of war and conquest, such as building armies and conquering territories.
Diplomacy is a classic board game that simulates international relations and negotiation. Players represent different nations and must use their units to claim supply centers from other players. Another example is Dwarf Fortress, which involves both internal politics within your fortress and external politics with surrounding empires.
Yes, there are several online diplomacy games available, such as webDiplomacy and PlayDiplomacy.com, which offer a modern interface for the classic Diplomacy board game.
Yes, there are several video games that feature diplomacy as a core element. Some examples include "Diplomacy is Not an Option," a strategy game set in a medieval fantasy world, and "Endless Space 2," which features an internal senate that the player can manipulate.
