Quick Start
Diplomacy is
an Avalon Hill (Hasbro) board game for seven players. It is an easy game to
learn, but it is impossible to master. Players compete with tactics, strategy,
and diplomacy in a game of cooperation and conflict where chance plays no role.
PlayDiplomacy.com
is dedicated to promoting the Diplomacy hobby, run by volunteers, and funded by
donations and premium memberships. It is free to play, and this Quick Start Guide will get you going in
no time.
Step 1: Get Registered.
Register
an account and
check your email to activate your username. Follow these common sense rules when
choosing your username, and remember, only one account per user.
Step 2: Get in a Game.
Joining a game is a commitment to six other players
that you will finish it. Games last at least a few weeks and typically months
depending on the deadlines. Don't join unless you are willing to play to the
end, and do not surrender or quit as it affects the game for the others.
If you are new to Diplomacy or it has been a while
since you played, the best way to get started is to play a mentor game with an
experienced player available to answer questions. Look in the Mentoring forum to sign up. Otherwise, in the
Games tab, select “Join Game” to see all the games with openings.
We recommend you choose a “Not Ranked” game for your first game, if you have not
played Diplomacy before. Click the “Join Game” button next to the game you want
to play, and you are in.
If you
join a new game, the game you select will move to “My Pending Games”.
Once the game has a full set of players, you will need to select the game and
click “Confirm Participation” in order to start play.
Games you join that have started
move to “My Active Games”. Click on the game there and you are playing.
Step 3: Play Diplomacy!
Everything you need to play is on our site, but we still urge
you to buy a copy of the game.
To enter orders, on the game map page click on the unit’s province to
access a pop-up box, and follow the instructions
below the lower left corner of the map. Complete point-and-click
interface instructions are in the forum. You may review
the orders you entered in the “Orders” link above the map.
We recommend you enter provisional orders at the beginning of a phase and revise them as
you go. Orders can be changed any time before the deadline expires. When you
are ready to proceed to the next phase, you may click “Finalize Orders” in the
Orders window. If all players with orders for the phase finalize, the deadline
expires early, and the turn is resolved immediately.
You do not have to finalize. If you do not, the
last orders you entered before time expired are used.
To communicate with other
players, click on the “Messages” or “Public Press” links above the map and new
messaging windows appear.
Starting in 1905, you may offer or accept draw
proposals in the “Status” window.
Step 4: Know the Rules.
Learn our site rules,
and download the
rulebook or use the summary rules provided on the Game Rules
page.
One point must be emphasized: the system will let you enter illegal orders, so it is up to you to
know the rules. Do not be deceived that just because you were able to enter
an order, it is OK.
TIP: To
learn Diplomacy quickly, check out these short instructional videos (11 minutes
total) by Edi Birsan!
Part 1: Introduction
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=e2ub5lqItoI
Part 2: Moves
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=HfNSkfIm9EQ
Part 3: Adjudication
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=fG4AwgRHqx0
Part 4: Special Places
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ZFGoSpTF0_4