Jonah Patel
Diplomacy is a strategic board game set in Europe before World War I. The game was invented by Allan B. Calhamer, a Harvard University undergraduate, in the 1950s and was first released commercially in 1959. It is a game of international intrigue where each player represents a Great European Power and must negotiate and form alliances with other players to expand their territory and dominate Europe. The game differs from other war games due to its focus on negotiation and the absence of dice or other elements that produce random effects. Diplomacy can be played face-to-face, by mail, or online, and has been published by several companies, including Games Research, Avalon Hill, and Hasbro.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of players | 2-7 |
| Setting | Europe before World War I |
| Powers | England, France, Germany, Italy, Austria-Hungary, Russia, Ottoman Turkey |
| Board scale | An entire continent |
| Game pieces | Armies and fleets |
| Game phases | Negotiation, movement, retreat or disband, new builds or removals |
| Game mechanics | Simple, easy to learn |
| Gameplay | Complex, built around social interactions |
| Game objective | Dominate Europe with the cooperation of other players |
| Game cost | $30-70 |
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What You'll Learn
Game setup and rules
Diplomacy is a strategic board game set in Europe before World War I. The game is played with seven players, each of whom represents a Great European Power: England, France, Germany, Italy, Austria-Hungary, Russia, and Ottoman Turkey. Each player controls the armed forces of their respective power, with the aim of dominating Europe and claiming possession of a majority of strategic cities and provinces marked as "supply centres" on the map. These supply centres allow players to produce more units.
The game proceeds by seasons, beginning in the year 1901, with each year divided into two main seasons: the "Spring" and "Fall" (Autumn) moves. Each season is further divided into negotiation and movement phases, followed by "retreat" or "disband" adjustments. The year ends with a Winter phase of new builds or removals following the Fall adjustments.
In the negotiation phase, players discuss tactics and strategy, form alliances, and share intelligence or spread disinformation. Negotiations may be made public or kept private, and players are not bound to any agreements made. Players then secretly write down their moves, which are revealed and executed simultaneously.
During the movement phase, each player can issue attack and support orders. A player takes control of a province when the number of provinces that are given orders to support the attacking province exceeds the defender's support.
Diplomacy can also be played via mail (Play-by-Mail or PBM) or email (Play-by-Email or PBEM), with a human or computer gamemaster adjudicating the game.
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Negotiation and strategy
Diplomacy is a strategic board game that differs from most war games in that it involves a negotiation phase and lacks dice or other game elements that produce random effects. The game is set in Europe before World War I, with each player controlling the armed forces of a major European power. The goal is to defeat other players' units and capture a majority of strategic cities and provinces marked as "supply centres" on the map. These supply centres allow players to produce more units.
The negotiation phase is a key aspect of the game, where players communicate to discuss tactics and strategies, form alliances, and share intelligence or disinformation. Players make secret agreements, create alliances, and try to gain power on the world stage. Successful negotiations depend on various factors, including persuasion skills, the ability to read body language, and understanding the situation and history of the game.
The game proceeds by seasons, starting in 1901, with each year divided into two main seasons: Spring and Fall (Autumn). Each season is further divided into negotiation and movement phases, followed by retreat or disband adjustments. Players do not take turns sequentially; instead, they secretly write down their moves after the negotiation phase, and all moves are revealed and executed simultaneously.
In the movement phase, each player can issue attack and support orders, which are then executed. A player takes control of a province when the number of provinces supporting the attacking province exceeds the number defending. Players must decide whether to raise an army or a fleet, as land and sea power are both significant.
Diplomacy is known for its versatility, with various variant maps and settings spanning different regions and eras. The classic version involves the great imperial powers of England, France, Germany, Italy, Austria-Hungary, Russia, and Ottoman Turkey. The game appeals to those interested in international relations, geopolitics, and politics, offering a glimpse into the realist view of international relations and the pursuit of power.
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Attack and support orders
Diplomacy is a strategic board game set in pre-World War I Europe, where players represent major powers of the time. The game differs from other war games in that it does not involve players taking sequential turns. Instead, it involves a negotiation period where players discuss tactics, form alliances, and share intelligence, followed by a movement phase where players can issue attack and support orders.
When issuing attack orders, players must specify the type of unit ("A" for army or "F" for fleet") and the province it occupies, followed by the target province. For example, "A Paris-Picardy" means an army in Paris is attacking and moving to Picardy. If the attack is successful, the attacking unit will move into the target province, and the unit that was attacked will be defeated and dislodged, forcing it to retreat or be disbanded.
It is important to note that a unit can only be forced out of its province ("dislodged") if the attacking force is greater than the unit being attacked, plus all the support it is receiving. For example, a unit moving with two supports against a unit holding with one support would result in a force of 3 vs. 2, dislodging the holding unit.
Support can be cut or disrupted if the supporting unit is attacked from any province except the one where it is providing support. Additionally, a unit cannot cut or disrupt the support of its own units. A dislodged unit must either retreat to an adjacent vacant province or be destroyed. If there is no legal retreat, the unit is automatically removed from the board.
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Raising an army or a fleet
Diplomacy is a strategic board game that was invented in the 1950s by Allan B. Calhamer, a Harvard University undergraduate. The game is set in Europe before World War I, with each player controlling the armed forces of a major European power. The powers in the game include England, France, Germany, Italy, Austria-Hungary, Russia, and Ottoman Turkey. Each player aims to move their starting units and defeat those of others to win possession of a majority of strategic cities and provinces marked as "supply centres" on the map. These supply centres allow players who control them to produce more units.
Now, onto the question of raising an army or a fleet. At the start of the game, each player's home supply centre contains either an army or a fleet, as stated in the rulebook. This means that all games start with the same initial setup. During the game, players can raise armies or fleets by producing more units. This can be done by controlling supply centres, as these allow players to produce more units. Players can also negotiate and form alliances with other players to gain access to their resources and units.
The decision to raise an army or a fleet is a significant one, as it will impact the player's strategy and tactics. Armies and fleets are the only two types of game pieces in Diplomacy, and they represent the player's military power. Players can use their armies and fleets to attack and defend provinces. A player can take control of a province when the number of provinces that are given orders to support the attacking province exceeds the number of provinces given orders to support the defending province.
It is important to note that Diplomacy differs from most war games in that it does not use dice or other game elements that produce random effects. Instead, the game focuses on negotiation and social interaction between players. Players spend much of their time forming and betraying alliances, discussing tactics and strategies, and creating beneficial strategies. This means that a player's success in the game depends not only on their military power but also on their ability to negotiate and form alliances.
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Game history
Diplomacy is a strategic board game created by Allan B. Calhamer in 1954 and released commercially in the United States in 1959. Calhamer, a Harvard University undergraduate, developed the idea for the game from his study of 19th-century European history and political geography. He also drew inspiration from the card game Hearts, where players teamed up against the leader, and chess, which inspired the limited number of spaces and pieces. The game is set in Europe in the years leading up to World War I, and players control the armed forces of major European powers.
The game board is a map of 1914 Europe, divided into 19 sea regions and 56 land regions, with 34 "supply centres". Each player starts with three pieces on the board (four for Russia), and each piece can move one space at a time, with all pieces having equal strength. Players spend much of their time forming and breaking alliances, and the game is known for often ruining friendships. There is no dice or other game elements that produce random effects, and the outcome depends solely on each player's ability to negotiate and convince others.
The game became popular and gave rise to a postal hobby, with games taking over a year to finish. It was also rumoured to be a favourite pastime of various politicians, including John F. Kennedy, Henry Kissinger, and Walter Cronkite. It has been published by several companies, including Games Research, Avalon Hill, and Hasbro, and inducted into the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design Adventure Hall of Fame in 1994.
Over time, Diplomacy has also inspired several variants, some of which have been commercially published. These variants include different settings, such as ancient and Renaissance worlds, and introduce new maps and rules. For example, the Fleet Rome variant replaces the starting Italian army in Rome with a fleet, and the Youngstown variant extends the map to include Asia and its colonies.
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Frequently asked questions
Diplomacy is a strategic board game.
Each player controls the armed forces of a major European power and competes for dominance.
Ideally, seven players play Diplomacy, but it can be played with fewer players.
A game of Diplomacy can last for two hours or more.
Diplomacy can be played face-to-face, by post, or online.
