A web version of the classic Diplomacy board game
The next lectures look at the effect on strategy of transitioning from the opening to the mid-game, first from the perspective of the leaders – the 3 or 4 largest powers. Before going too far, we need to answer: what is the mid-game? Hobby authors have offered many alternatives, but I am going to use […]
Continue ReadingToday we return to the topic of the effect of geography on strategy, introducing what is the single most important strategic element of the game: the stalemate line. What is a stalemate line? In the hobby literature it is defined as any position controlling 17 or fewer SCs that can hold indefinitely against any attack. […]
Continue ReadingDo you play chess? Have you heard of the concept of tempi? It is the plural of tempo, and refers to the speed and efficiency of movement of your pieces. Diplomacy players should think in terms of tempi as well. We often refer to winning a game of Diplomacy as the “race to 18 SCs.” […]
Continue ReadingThe learning curve for tactics in Diplomacy is steep, but (thankfully) short. New players make mistakes when ordering their units. One thing that many people aren’t used to is all of the pieces moving at once. Thinking about how to adjudicate simultaneous moves takes a different intuition, but you will all get it with a […]
Continue ReadingThis is about the time of the game where you see the most alliance shifts. Obviously, powers can switch sides at any time and not every alliance will break, but it seems the highest occurrence of stabs is the F02-1903 time frame. There are a few reasons for this. Around this time, the winners and […]
Continue ReadingCommunicating and negotiating, the core of Diplomacy, is hard to teach or learn from a book. Some players are naturals, some make big improvement with practice, and some never seem to try or learn. Players that have certain educational and professional backgrounds may have a leg-up in Diplomacy, but interestingly, different backgrounds tend to bring […]
Continue ReadingLet’s review: Diplomacy is a numbers game where greater numbers win, and it is a game of cooperation where it is common to see an alliance of two powers form against one. So, what do you do if you find yourself the one against two in the opening, the odd power out? In most cases, […]
Continue ReadingBack in lecture #1, I wrote, “The key relationships at the start are dictated by geography; the powers nearest to you will be most critical in the opening.” The next strategy lectures (this one and another later on) revisit the concept of the effect of geography on the game in more detail. The powers are […]
Continue ReadingIn the Diplomacy hobby, it is considered disrespectful to give up and not play a game to its completion, either you are eliminated or someone has won or there is a draw declared. Diplomacy is a 7 person game and when you join a game, you are making a commitment to play the game to […]
Continue ReadingIt is impossible to have a retreat in S01, but that may not be the case in future seasons. Here is a quick review of Retreat and Build Rules so that you have them ahead of time. Let me emphasize one rule on builds that catches new players: OCCUPYING SUPPLY CENTERS IN THE SPRING HAS […]
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