Diplomacy is a board game, war game, and strategy game set in Europe in the era before the beginning of World War I. Diplomacy was the first commercially published game to be played by mail; only chess, which is in the public domain, saw significant postal play earlier. Diplomacy was also the first commercially published game to generate an active hobby with amateur fanzines; only science-fiction/fantasy and comics fandom saw fanzines earlier. Competitive face-to-face Diplomacy tournaments have been held since the 1970s. Play of Diplomacy by e-mail has been widespread since the early 1990s.^[1] Created by Allan B. Calhamer in 1954 and released commercially in 1959, Diplomacy is played by seven (or fewer) players, each of whom controls the armed forces of a European power: Austria-Hungary, England, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, or Turkey in an effort to win possession of a majority of strategic cities and provinces marked as "supply centers" on the map. (The rules allow for games with two to six players, closing parts of the standard board and giving additional world powers to players, but these are used only in casual play, and are not considered standard Diplomacy in tournament, postal, or most forms of online play.) This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1152x965, 114 KB)Map of the Diplomacy boardgame, from http://www. ... Tactics is the collective name for methods of winning a small-scale conflict, performing an optimization, etc. ... A strategy is a long term plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal, most often winning. Strategy is differentiated from tactics or immediate actions with resources at hand. ... Psychology (from Greek: ψυχή, psukhÄ“, spirit, soul; and λόγος, logos, knowledge) is an academic / applied discipline involving the scientific study of mental processes and behavior of humans and animals. ... Broadly speaking, Negotiation is an interaction of influences. ... A board game is a game played with counters or pieces that are placed on, removed from, or moved across a board (a premarked surface, usually specific to that game). ... Glory, an American Civil War game by GMT This article is about the civilian hobby. ... Chess is one of the most well-known and played strategy games of all time. ... World map showing the location of Europe. ... “The Great War ” redirects here. ... Play-by-mail games are games, of any type, played through postal mail or e-mail. ... Chess is a recreational and competitive game for two players. ... A fanzine (see also: zine) is a nonprofessional publication produced by fans of a particular subject for the pleasure of others who share their interest. ... Allan B. Calhamer (born December 7, 1931) invented the board game Diplomacy. ... Year 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Austria-Hungary, also known as the Dual monarchy (or: the k. ... Motto Dieu et mon droit(French) God and my right1 Anthem God Save the King (Queen) Territory of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland Capital London Language(s) English2 Government Constitutional monarchy Monarch  - 1801–1820 George III  - 1820–1830 George IV  - 1830–1837 William IV  - 1837–1901...

Diplomacy differs from most war games in several ways: All units move simultaneously, with players writing down their moves during a negotiation period, and all moves are revealed and put into effect simultaneously. All units are of equal strength, and combat resolution contains no element of randomness — no dice are rolled and no cards are shuffled. The result of a move depends on the support or opposition of the units in neighboring spaces, making social interaction and interpersonal skills, the formation and violation of alliances, and calculated lying and backstabbing, crucial parts of the game play. Glory, an American Civil War game by GMT This article is about the civilian hobby. ... The word random is used to express lack of order, purpose, cause, or predictability in non-scientific parlance. ... To attack (someone) unfairly, especially in an underhand, deceitful manner: “Some backstab each other and threaten to settle their differences with a punch” (Thomas Boswell). ...

The game ends when one player gains control of more than half of the continent, or by agreement among all surviving players.

Diplomacy has been published in the United States by Games Research, Avalon Hill, and Hasbro; the name is currently a registered trademark of Hasbro's Avalon Hill division. Diplomacy has also been licensed to various companies for publication in other countries. Since the 1960s, Diplomacy has been played by mail through fanzines, and more recently, through e-mail and on the world wide web, adjudicated by computer or by a human gamesmaster. Game Research/Design (GR/D) was a board wargame publisher, principally concerned with the Europa series of European World War II wargames. ... Avalon Hill was a game company that specialized in wargames and strategic board games. ... Hasbro (NYSE: HAS) is an American toy and game company. ... A trademark or trade mark[1] is a distinctive sign of some kind which is used by an individual, business organization or other legal entity to uniquely identify the source of its products and/or services to consumers, and to distinguish its products or services from those of other entities. ... Play-by-mail games are games, of any type, played through postal mail or e-mail. ... A fanzine (see also: zine) is a nonprofessional publication produced by fans of a particular subject for the pleasure of others who share their interest. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... WWWs historical logo designed by Robert Cailliau The World Wide Web is a system of interlinked, hypertext documents accessed via the Internet. ...

In its catalog, Avalon Hill advertised Diplomacy as John F. Kennedy's^{[citation needed]} and Henry Kissinger's favorite game. Dr. Kissinger described it as his favorite in an interview published in a games magazine.^[2] Walter Cronkite was also reported to be a fan of the game.^{[citation needed]} John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also referred to as John F. Kennedy, Kennedy, John Kennedy, Jack Kennedy, or JFK, was the 35th President of the United States. ... Henry Alfred Kissinger (born Heinz Alfred Kissinger on May 27, 1923) is a German-born American diplomat, and 1973 Nobel Peace Prize laureate. ... Walter Leland Cronkite, Jr. ...

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Diplomacy

Image File history File links Wikibooks-logo-en. ... Wikibooks logo Wikibooks, previously called Wikimedia Free Textbook Project and Wikimedia-Textbooks, is a wiki for the creation of books. ...

Basic setting and overview

The board is a map of Europe and portions of the Middle East and North Africa, showing political boundaries as they existed at the beginning of the 20th century, divided into fifty-six land regions and nineteen sea regions.

All players other than England and Russia begin the game with three units (two armies and one naval fleet); England starts with two fleets and one army, due to its status as an island, and Russia starts with four units (two armies and two fleets) to compensate for her larger area and the need to defend two disjoint coasts.

Only one unit at a time may occupy a given map region. Thirty-four of the land regions contain supply centers, corresponding to major centers of industry or commerce (e.g. "Vienna", "Rome"). The number of supply centers a player controls determines the total number of armies and fleets a player may have on the board, and as players gain and lose control of different centers, they may build and must remove units accordingly. Balancing units to supply center counts is done after each gameyear (two seasons of play: Spring and Fall). At the beginning of the game, there are twelve "neutral" (unoccupied) supply centers; these are all typically captured within the first few moves, allowing all the powers to ramp up their military strength. Thereafter the allocation of supply centers becomes zero sum, with any gains in a player's resources coming at the expense of a rival. Zero-sum describes a situation in which a participants gain (or loss) is exactly balanced by the losses (or gains) of the other participant(s). ...

Players who control no supply centers after a Fall turn are eliminated from the game, and victory is achieved if a player controls eighteen of the thirty-four supply centers, or if all players agree to a draw.

The regions on the board are named after the general regions (e.g. "Bohemia") or countries (e.g. "Serbia"); however, home supply centers (i.e. supply centers that are occupied at the beginning of the game) are named after the relevant cities (e.g. "Ankara," "Berlin"). Flag of Bohemia Bohemia (Czech: ; German: ) is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western and middle thirds of the Czech Republic. ... Anthem: Bože Pravde [[Image:|250px|center|Location of the Kingdom of Serbia]] Capital Belgrade Largest city Belgrade Serbian Government Monarchy  - King Milan (1882-1889)  - King Aleksandar (1889-1903)  - King Peter I (1903-1918) Proclamation March 6, 1882 Area  - Total  km² ([[List of countries and outlying territories by area|]])  sq... Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the countrys second largest city after Ä°stanbul. ... This article is about the capital of Germany. ...

The map represents Europe just before World War I, with the notable omission of Montenegro, which is included in Austria-Hungary. Some of the regions are named according to the early 20th century European diplomatic language and differ from modern standard usage, e.g. United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland is referred to as England, and Tunisia is called "Tunis" on some boards. “The Great War ” redirects here. ... Flag Anthem: Ubavoj nam Crnoj Gori, Onamo, namo! The Kingdom of Montenegro in 1913 Capital Cetinje Language(s) Serbian Religion Eastern Orthodox Government Monarchy King Nicholas I Historical era World War I  - Established 28 August, 1910  - Disestablished 26 November, 1918 Currency Montenegrin perper The Kingdom of Montenegro (Serbian: Краљевина Црнe Горe... Austria-Hungary, also known as the Dual monarchy (or: the k. ... Motto Dieu et mon droit(French) God and my right1 Anthem God Save the King (Queen) Territory of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland Capital London Language(s) English2 Government Constitutional monarchy Monarch  - 1801–1820 George III  - 1820–1830 George IV  - 1830–1837 William IV  - 1837–1901... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem No official anthem - the United Kingdom anthem God Save the Queen is commonly used England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Unified  -  by Athelstan 927 AD  Area  -  Total 130...

Game play

Diplomacy is turn-based — movement turns, alternately designated "Spring" and "Fall" moves, by convention begin in the year 1901. Prior to each movement phase, there is a negotiation period in which players entice, wheedle, bluff, cajole, and threaten each other in an attempt to form favorable partnerships. Secret negotiations and secret agreements are explicitly allowed, but no agreements of any kind are enforceable. A player is not bound to anything he says during the negotiation period. 1901 (MCMI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ...

After the negotiation period is over, players secretly write orders for each unit and these orders are revealed simultaneously and simultaneously executed. Choice of orders include "move" (to any space adjacent to the unit's current location), "support" (help a unit hold an area, in case it is attacked by two units), "hold" (do nothing), "support attack" (assist in attacking an occupied area), and fleets may "convoy" armies (carry an army from one coast to another, e.g. Brest→Wales or Trieste→Apulia). Armies may only occupy land regions, and fleets may only occupy sea regions and land regions that border the sea. Fleets and armies in combination can execute a "convoy," which allows transport of an army across either one (or multiple) bodies of water to a distant land square. One Fleet per sea space traversed is required if multiple bodies of water are to be traversed.

Since only one unit can occupy any particular game space, conflicts (such as two armies ordered to enter the same space), are resolved according to rules determining how much "support" a unit has for its movement. When two units attempt to occupy the same region, the one with more support wins. The greatest concentration of force is always victorious; if the forces are equal a standoff results and the units remain in their original positions. If a supporting unit is attacked (except by the unit against which the support is directed), the support is nullified, which allows units to affect the outcome of conflicts in regions not directly adjacent.

Occasionally these conceptually simple rules result in situations that are difficult to adjudicate, or seemingly paradoxical. Therefore the official rules contain comprehensive details and examples. Also, one person may be designated as Gamemaster to execute moves and adjudicate disputes.

After each Fall move, previously uncontrolled supply centers become owned by the occupying player, and each power's supply center total is recalculated. At that point players with fewer supply centers than units on the board must disband units, while players with more supply centers than units on the board are entitled to build units. Units may only be built in that player's "Home" centers, that is, those centers with which each Great Power begins the game. Therefore, a player may not build units in any captured "neutral" center or in another player's "Home" centers.

A game of diplomacy ends either once one player controls an outright majority of supply centres (18 on a standard map), or when all remaining players agree to a draw.

Although the boundaries on the Diplomacy map are those of 1914, not 1901, seasons are labelled from Spring 1901 to make it easier to count the turns.

The Powers

This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims. Please help Wikipedia by adding references. See the talk page for details.

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England

England is the name given by the game to the area known as the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Motto Dieu et mon droit(French) God and my right1 Anthem God Save the King (Queen) Territory of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland Capital London Language(s) English2 Government Constitutional monarchy Monarch  - 1801–1820 George III  - 1820–1830 George IV  - 1830–1837 William IV  - 1837–1901...

England is protected by the sea and is the only power starting with more fleets than armies. What it gains in defensive position by virtue of its island status and by being wedged in the corner of the map (like Turkey) is counterbalanced by the fact it is one of only two powers on the map (with Italy) that cannot gain a neutral supply centre in one move (Spring 1901). Norway and Belgium are the only "natural neutrals" that can be reasonably assured in the Fall of the first game-year, though Norway can be contested by Russia and Belgium denied by either Germany or France. Any number of articles detailing this by Diplomacy's most famous players can be found at 'The Diplomatic Pouch' website. [3]

While all the seas surrounding the islands are important, the North Sea is surely the most vital defensive area for this country throughout the course of the game. [4] The North Sea borders more supply centres than any other spot on the map in the game at six, with the Black Sea tied with Serbia coming in both a close second with five. It is strategically vital to both England's defense and offense (as well as England's demise) and rarely is it seen that a strong and expanding England does not control this space. In most cases, the loss of the North Sea spells disaster for the English.

Of note as well is the English Channel, often the centre of intrigue in the initial year of the game. A move by either the French or the English into the Channel in 1901 generally causes fireworks across the board. Sometimes ruse, sometimes D-Day; the Channel plays an immense role in the early game diplomatic efforts. The Channel affords England a bargaining chip in initial negotiations. Its technical implications are beyond the scope of this article but can be further explored in readings such as Stephen Agar's Prising the French Snail Out Of His Shell or Edi Birsan's Sealion Opening as examples. The Channel's significance tends to die down during the mid-game but it generally pops back into play later in the end-game.

England's latent power resides in its ability to pressure a vast number of supply centres directly and indirectly. As a result the 'Eastern' power of Russia can even be brought into the fray of Western discord (at the expense of its Southern border). A combined assault by both England and Germany can deny Belgium to the French in Fall of 1901. An Italian / Anglo alliance can wreak havoc on Munich or Marseilles. England in many ways holds the balance of power in the region and is generally played (when played well) to maximise its options at the expense of its neighbours while it shores up its own position for the mid game — where it can truly shine in terms of brute force.

Arguably, it is vital that English armies move into Europe early enough to enable a substantial expansion. Due to the fact that England is an island and is in the corner of the map it is very easy to sit back and not be truly threatened by any other opposing country. However, this will eventually lead to the English forces being boxed in and not being able to find a way into the game, particularly if the French have the English channel and another country is occupying the North Sea.

For a statistical breakdown of England's overall winning percentage (1969–1991) visit Stephen Agar's statistics for this period.

For a statistical breakdown of Spring 1901 opening moves used in Diplomacy Postal play in th UK (as a benchmark) see Stephen Agar's breakdown.

Germany

As a central power, Germany has a rather complex position. This is partly balanced by the fact that it is the only country that is likely to conquer three neutrals the first year, having two practically secured. Also, Germany commonly has a non-aggression pact or some other sort of alliance with Austria-Hungary (something favored by the board design), which reduces its dangerous neighbours to only three (Russia, France, England) in practical terms.

Even without the threat from Austria, Germany has lots of areas to expand: Scandinavia, the Low Countries, and also any of its three other neighbours. [5]

One of the best strategies is to ally with England (because allying with France usually results in Germany being stabbed in the back soon after they have gotten rid of England) and with Russia. If Germany can trust Russia to move into Galicia and attack the southern part of the board, Germany can then easily deal with France. It is key that Germany makes France feel secure the first year and then gets England onto France's west coast.

France

France is sometimes considered the easiest power to play: it has two uncontested neutrals to annex in 1901 (Spain and Portugal), as well as a third that it sometimes also gains (Belgium). As well as having quite flexible lines of expansion France benefits from a defensible corner position making it a difficult power to eliminate. This results in good records both for victories and survivals.

Italy often (but not necessarily) avoids conflict with France early on, allowing France to focus on England and Germany, in what is commonly called the western triangle (par [6], although in some parts of the world (notably Australia/New Zealand) the English, French and German players may combine in a "three-way" alliance with the aim of eliminating the other powers before fighting amongst themselves.

After France has about 10 supply centers (and hopefully they are all on the west side of the board), it is very likely the other countries will team up to stop France's expansion. This is when diplomacy is key. Play the countries off of each other (usually getting the countries further away from you to attack the ones on your border is the best way to go).

Italy

Italy is considered, not without some reason, to be the weakest power and most difficult power to play successfully. However difficult the military strategy looks, the most appalling feature of Italy is its unique diplomatic situation. While it is not as exposed as Austria-Hungary, Germany or even Russia, it has few places to go after the invariable conquest of Tunis. Additionally, the border between Italy and Austria-Hungary is the only one that has two adjacent home supply centers: Venice and Trieste, creating tension and fear between the two powers. Yet, as a Mediterranean power, it has relatively little to gain from fighting Austria, which is almost exclusively a land-oriented power.

The case of Italy has been subject of many analyses and suggestions for strategies. The classical, almost intuitive, opening strategy is attacking Austria, but this may favor Turkey too much and also Russia can become unstoppable after Austria is dispatched. The most frequent strategy may be the Lepanto, a special alliance with Austria against Turkey, often combined with surprising naval movements by Italy. But this often leaves Italy with few gains as well. Alternatively, some propose the Triple Alliance, with Germany and Austria, especially oriented against France. Italy can get a jump on the south of France due to the lack of a French navy there.

Then there are still other ideas, like invading Munich by surprise. Another alliance can see Italy, Turkey and Russia invade Austria and the Balkans, but this usually leads Russia to become dangerously powerful. In any case, Italy is a power that has quite a good defense, as long as it sustains an adequate navy, but unclear lines of expansion or sets of alliances. [7]

Austria-Hungary

Austria-Hungary is probably one of the most challenging powers to play in Diplomacy. It is exposed to attack from all sides, and unlike Italy cannot use its initial weakness as a bargaining tool.

Austria's main considerations in 1901 are that 1) it is outflanked, and 2) it negotiates from a weak position from the outset. In spite of appearances to the contrary, Turkey has little to no effect on Austrian affairs in the initial phase of the game. Of siginificance is Italian and Russian moves in 1901. Germany can generally be relied upon to leave Austria well alone for the greater part of the game. When played well Austria is a power-house. In fact, an alliance between the German, Austrian and Italian can easily win a Diplomacy game if the players involved are willing to remain loyal to one another. Due to its precarious starting position, playing Austria is sometimes like rolling a pair of dice. Chance, and the whims of Austria's neighbours, determine to a large extent whether Austria is knocked out of the game rapidly or able to prosper.

The key areas that determine Austria's fate are Galicia and Trieste. If Austria loses control of either in 1901, a quick defeat is highly likely to follow. An Austrian player cannot therefore afford to cede Galicia to anyone else. There is no scenario where ceding it works to the Austrian advantage, particularly in the early part of the game.

Russia

Due to its immense size, Russia is the only power that begins the game with four units. In many ways, its size is more a matter of optics rather than actual power. What makes the Russian unique is its ability to influence events in the Western and Eastern theatres from the outset of the game; it is able to influence the acquisition of supply centres in 1901 by every power save France. In that respect Russia is very much a 'wildcard' in terms of diplomacy.

Most commonly Russia focuses in the southern area: Balkans and Austria, though there are also opening strategies for the north. Normally Russia tries to secure Rumania and Sweden in 1901. Also Russia has no clear allies and has to work hard in the diplomatic arena to gain them. Russia's major roadblock to diplomacy (and ironically its greatest weapon) is simply put... fear. Russia is the power that wins most frequently [8] but also the one that is eliminated first most often. It has a lot of potential but also vulnerabilities. Generally speaking, powers both west and east are vulnerable to a hysterical and over-stated fear of Russian power. Fear is the Czar's best friend, and a skilled Russian player will use this to maximum effect.

Undoubtedly, Russia's main concern from the outset is the Black Sea. Like the North Sea, it is a strategically vital asset for the Russian. The Black Sea is the key to controlling the Balkans, as a fleet in this naval space can swing the tide in any contest for Rumania, Bulgaria, Constantinople, or Ankara. Russia generally focuses its initial diplomatic efforts on either gaining this space or ensuring that it remains unoccupied (via a bounce with Turkey). Often, what happens in the Black Sea in 1901 decides what strategy the remaining powers take in the long-term. A skilled Russian player will use the Black Sea to maximum diplomatic effect to achieve his/her aims.

There has been much written in the Diplomacy community about the Russian/Turkish alliance (aka 'the Juggernaut').[9] Much of the fear of Russia has its roots in the popular myth of this alliance. It is a strategy that is generally poorly understood, rarely executed well, but universally feared, and with good reason. The Russo/Turkish alliance when executed with determination has the advantage of having no rear line to defend and thus cannot be outflanked easily. This is a powerful advantage as compared to a power like Germany, which must constantly work to maintain a defensive line that encircles its home centres; not an easy task. Within the alliance, Russia enjoys the advantage of a relatively easy advance through Scandinavia, Germany and Austria, while Turkey often becomes bogged down in the Balkans and can be later eliminated for the requisite 18 supply centers.

Also of note is the Austrian/Russian alliance. Though less obvious than an alliance with Turkey it can quickly clear out the south and even make Russia a power in the Mediterranean. However, Russia loses its flanking advantages as Austria will likely be able to attack many Russian supply centers, putting it in a good position to ally with England or Germany and wipe out Russia. The goal of this alliance is to eliminate Turkey as quickly as possible, often with the help of the Italians.

A note on Germany: it is suicide for Russia to attack Germany in the early game, and vice versa. Though tempting, Russia gives up its solid defensive position only to leave its flanks exposed.

Russian strategy is dissected in great detail in the readings found at [10]

For a statistical breakdown of Russia's overall winning percentage (1969–1991) visit Stephen Agar's statistics for this period.

For a statistcal breakdown of Spring 1901 opening moves used in Diplomacy Postal play in the UK (as a guide for new players) see Stephen Agar's breakdown.

Turkey

Much like England, the Turks find themselves in a corner of the board and have few options in the beginning. Like England, they are likely safe from an invasion, being almost impenetrable as long as they don't let the Black Sea fall into enemy hands: but in order to expand, Turkish armies and fleets must travel far from home. An alliance with Russia is considered by some to be one of Turkey's best options, although this can often be more beneficial to Russia than to Turkey itself. Alternatively Turkey can decide to attack Russia in an uneasy alliance with Austria-Hungary.

Another strategy that can work very well as Turkey, if pulled off correctly, is to forge a false alliance with Russia - only requesting that Turkey be given access to the Black Sea. When Turkey positions their fleet in the Black Sea, as well as an army in Armenia, they can then break their false alliance, easily overtaking the southernmost Russian territory. This is a strategy that can be carried off fairly early in the game and makes it possible for Turkey to gain access to a corridor running up the whole of the Russian heartland. However, it must be noted that Russia can pull off a similar strategy, resulting in the demise of Turkey.

Strategy

This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims. Please help Wikipedia by adding references. See the talk page for details.

Because numerical superiority is crucial to success, alliances are vital in Diplomacy. Each country is initially roughly equal in strength, so it is very difficult to gain territory except by attacking with the support of a neighbor. The excitement of the game is less in the tactics than in negotiation, coalition-building, and intrigue. Each player's social and interpersonal skills are at least as important to the game as the player's strategic abilities. Image File history File links Circle-question. ...

Diplomacy commands a respect among aficionados of multiplayer games similar to the respect accorded to chess among two-player games. Most multiplayer games can't help but involve coalition-building to some degree, but only in Diplomacy is the negotiation so critical and so multi-faceted. The game can't be won by going it alone, except in a last mad dash of aggression from a strong position. In the mean time one makes compromises and promises to one's allies while spreading fear and misinformation among one's enemies. And the attacking of one's allies (or the "stab") has a central role in the culture of Diplomacy. A stab can be crucial to victory, but may have negative repercussions in interpersonal relations. Chess is a recreational and competitive game for two players. ...

All of the countries on the map have a real chance for success if played properly. Each power requires a different style of play. Italy and Austria-Hungary are often thought to be the weakest countries — Austria-Hungary because it has many neighbors and can be eliminated early, Italy because it has a hard time expanding. However, if they survive and prosper through the starting phase of the game, their central position can be a great advantage. England and Turkey are generally considered to be the easiest to defend. Under Calhamer scoring (where an outright victory is worth one point and participants in a draw split the point equally) Russia and France typically score the most points, Italy and Austria-Hungary the fewest.

There is a natural buffer of spaces without supply centers between the western and eastern halves of the board. Therefore the first few turns of a game usually break down into fighting amongst the western powers (England, France, Germany) and eastern powers (Russia, Austria-Hungary, Turkey) for dominance in their areas followed by a break out based on the results. Italy is a wild card with a relatively weak position, though if it commits to an alliance in either of the two threesomes, the alliance can be pivotal.

In some circles cheating is not only allowed, but also actively encouraged. Players are allowed and expected to move pieces between turns, add extra armies (the so-called "Flying Dutchmen"), listen in to private conversations, change other players' written move orders and just about anything else they can get away with. In tournament play, however, these forms of cheating are generally prohibited, leaving only the lying and backstabbing, which is prevalent wherever Diplomacy is played.

Variants

There have been two commercially released variants of Diplomacy — Colonial Diplomacy and Machiavelli. Additionally, many fans of the game have created myriad variants of their own, using altered rules on the standard map, standard rules on a different map, or both. An index of over a thousand variants is available at the Diplomacy Variant Bank web site (see External links, below). The most popular variant is Youngstown.

Colonial Diplomacy

Set in Asia in the late 19th century, much of the board is controlled by various colonial powers: England, Russia, Japan, Holland, Turkey, China, and France. The game introduces three special features:

• The Trans-Siberian railroad extends across Russia from Moscow to Vladivostok. The railroad can be used by Russia to move armies anywhere along the railroad. The TSR may only be used by Russia. Russian armies are allowed to move through other Russian armies, but foreign armies can block the passage of armies on the TSR.
• The Suez Canal is the only way to move between the Red Sea and Mediterranean Sea. Use of the Suez Canal is controlled by whoever is in control of Egypt. The use of the Suez Canal increases in importance later in the game as expansion becomes both more important and more difficult.
• The ownership of Hong Kong counts as a supply centre for any country except China.

Trans-Siberian line in red; Baikal Amur Mainline in green. ... Suez Canal, seen from Earth orbit, NASA. Ships moored at El Ballah during transit The Suez Canal (Arabic: , transliteration: ), is a large artificial canal in Egypt west of the Sinai Peninsula. ...

Machiavelli

Set in renaissance Italy, the board is controlled by the Republic of Florence, the Republics of Venice, the Duchy of Milan, the Kingdom of Naples, the Papacy, Valois France, Hapsburg Austria and the Ottoman Turks. The game introduces many rules changes such as money, bribery, three seasons per year, garrisons, and random events such as plague and famine. The Renaissance (French for rebirth, or Rinascimento in Italian), was a cultural movement in Italy (and in Europe in general) that began in the late Middle Ages, and spanned roughly the 14th through the 17th century. ...

Youngstown

An extension of the normal map, including Asia and colonies there. For example, in addition to the usual home centers, France starts with a fleet in Saigon (in Vietnam). Some countries didn't have colonies in Asia, so they were given more home centers (e.g. Posen, next to Berlin). Also, three new Powers were added - India, China, and Japan. Named after the city of Youngstown, Ohio where the variant was invented^[3]. Location within the state of Ohio Coordinates: Country United States State Ohio Counties Mahoning Founded 1796 Incorporated 1848 (village) - 1867 (city) Government  - Mayor Jay Williams (I) Area  - City  34. ...

Modern

A variant set in 1995. Every country with 30 million citizens was made a power with three centers, every country with 60 million citizens was made a power with 4 centers, and Russia (pop. 145,000,000+) was given 5. There are ten powers: Spain, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Poland, Ukraine, Turkey, Russia, and Egypt. Iran would have been made a power, but the board would have needed more extension so it was just made a neutral supply center.

Tournaments

Diplomacy is played at a number of formal tournaments. In some cases, each game ends after a specified number of game-years, to ensure that all players can play in all rounds without limiting the tournament structure to one round per day. At other events, a game continues until a winner is determined or a draw is voted. Tournaments in Europe are generally played with a specific end year whereas tournaments in North America more often are played until someone wins or a draw is agreed. Some tournaments are centered on the games and have a highly competitive atmosphere; others have more focus on meeting and socializing with other players from the postal or e-mail parts of the hobby.

The World Diplomacy Championship (WDC) is held annually in different places in the world, to determine the World Champion of Diplomacy. WDC was first held in 1988 in Birmingham, England, and was held at two-year intervals before becoming an annual event. WDC's site rotates among three regions: North America, Europe/UK, and the rest of the world.^[4]

The North American Diplomacy Convention (DipCon) is held annually in different places in North America, to determine the North American Champion of Diplomacy. DipCon was first held in 1967 in Youngstown Ohio. DipCon's site rotates among West, Central, and East regions.^[5]

The European Diplomacy Convention (Euro DipCon) is held annually in different places in Europe, to determine the European Champion of Diplomacy.

Over a dozen other countries hold face-to-face national championship tournaments.

Many of the larger multi-game conventions, such as the World Boardgaming Championships, Gen Con, Origins, and Dragonflight also host Diplomacy tournaments. On occasion, WDC or DipCon will be held in conjunction with one of these conventions. The World Boardgaming Championships is a convention held yearly by the Boardgame Players Association. ... Gen Con is the largest and most prominent gaming convention in North America. ... Origins International Game Expo is one of North Americas most prominent annual gaming conventions, second in size only to Gen Con. ... Dragonflight is the first book in the long-running Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne McCaffrey. ...

In addition, e-mail diplomacy players compete every two years in the Worldmasters E-mail Tournament composed of both team and individual events. A new internet interface based tournament called DNWC [[11]] is starting in September 2007 with the feel of a Soccer National Cup (players are in teams competing by countries).

Other ways to play

It is difficult to organize a full face-to-face game. There must be exactly seven players, as standard-board variants for less than seven tend to be imbalanced and become stagnant and predictable.^{[citation needed]} Also, there is no set time for the game to finish. Tournament games among experts have lasted twelve hours, but even typical games will last four hours or more. To overcome the difficulty of assembling enough players for a sufficiently large block of time together, a play-by-mail game community has developed, either via Postal or Internet Diplomacy, using either humans to adjudicate the turns (as at Redscape and DiplomaticCorp) or automatic adjudicators (such as njudge or DGMS at Diplomacy.Ca). One way to get into a game is via the queues or sign-ups available via the Dip. Online Resources page, the DiplomaticCorp website, or the New Game Openings via the Redscape Forum or Diplomacy.Ca. There are already many excellent tools to help assist play, such as floc.net game pages and DipTool. Play-by-mail games are games, of any type, played through postal mail or e-mail. ... The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter. ... In computing, Njudge is an implementation of a Diplomacy (game) adjudicator, receiving orders and sending messages and results via email. ...

The DPjudge hosts about half of all judge adjudicated Diplomacy games [12] and provides a web front-end for players and games masters.

Njudge and DpJudge game results are used to create JDPR, the Judge Diplomacy Player Ranking system. In computing, Njudge is an implementation of a Diplomacy (game) adjudicator, receiving orders and sending messages and results via email. ... JDPR stands for Judge Diplomacy Player Ratings, an online rating system developed for the board game Diplomacy, as played by email around the world on computer servers called Judges. ...

DIPLOMATICCORP is a play-by-email site featuring human judges, standard/variant games, a large comprehensive database and wide-ranging open forum.

BOUNCED, diplomacy.denes.nl, andthe official phpDiplomacy installation provide an entirely web-based approach.

Diplomacy.ca has been running online Diplomacy via a BBS since 1985 and as a web site since 1999 and offers a fully automated and online experience for "standard" and "gunboat" game play.

"STABBEURFOU" is entirely web-based and biligual English/French, suited for hosting tournaments but also hosts free games.

Despite the length of games, there are those that organize ad-hoc games, and there are also various clubs that have annual tournaments.

Diplomacy is sometimes played in high school history classes because of its realistic emulation of events and diplomacy between nations. It helps students better understand the politics involved in World War I and World War II. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... “The Great War ” redirects here. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

Comparison with other war games

Diplomacy differs from the majority of war games in several ways: Glory, an American Civil War game by GMT This article is about the civilian hobby. ...

• Unit movement is simultaneous, not turn-based — all players secretly write down their moves after a negotiation period, and then all moves are revealed and put into effect simultaneously.
• Social interaction and interpersonal skills make up an essential part of the game play.
• The rules that simulate combat are strategic, abstract, and simple, not tactical, realistic, or complex.
• Combat resolution contains no element of randomness — no dice are rolled and no cards are shuffled. (Individual players may attempt to incorporate randomness into their choice of moves, as a strategy to prevent their opponents from outguessing them, a strategy suggested by game theory.)

The word random is used to express lack of order, purpose, cause, or predictability in non-scientific parlance. ... Game theory is often described as a branch of applied mathematics and economics that studies situations where multiple players make decisions in an attempt to maximize their returns. ...

History

Diplomacy was created in 1954 and released commercially in 1959. It has been published since then by Games Research, Avalon Hill, and Hasbro in the USA, and licensed to others for versions sold in other countries. Year 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Game Research/Design (GR/D) was a board wargame publisher, principally concerned with the Europa series of European World War II wargames. ... Avalon Hill was a game company that specialized in wargames and strategic board games. ... Hasbro (NYSE: HAS) is an American toy and game company. ...

Since the 1960s, Diplomacy has been played by mail through fanzines. The play-by-mail hobby was created in 1963 in carbon-copied typed flyers by John Boardman in New York and Conrad von Metzke in San Diego at virtually the same time. Each gathered old face-to-face friends independently without either one knowing what the other was doing at the time. Because of this it is unknown which one came up with the idea first, although Boardman is generally given credit as the founder of the play-by-mail hobby because his flyers became an ongoing publication under the Graustark title, and led directly to the formation of other zines. Diplomacy has been played through e-mail on the Internet since the 1980s, with adjudication by computer starting in 1988. Some games are also still played online with a human game master. Play-by-mail games are games, of any type, played through postal mail or e-mail. ... A fanzine (see also: zine) is a nonprofessional publication produced by fans of a particular subject for the pleasure of others who share their interest. ... John Boardman (born September 8, 1932) is one of the most famous figures in the game of Diplomacy, having established the original play-by-mail setup and also the system of numbering each game for statistical purposes. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ...

Adaptation

Hasbro released a computer game version of Diplomacy in 1999. A major fault was that the computer AI was considered poor, one reviewer remarking "Gamers of any skill level will have no trouble whatsoever whaling on the computer at even the highest difficulty setting."[13]. Paradox Interactive released a new computer version in 2005. However, neither of the computer games supported voice chat, thus undermining the possibilities for complicated alliances. Voice chat was added to the Paradox game in a later patch. A computer game is a game composed of a computer-controlled virtual universe that players interact with in order to achieve a defined goal or set of goals. ... Year 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar). ... // This disambiguation page covers alternative uses of the terms Ai, AI, and A.I. Ai (as a word, proper noun and set of initials) can refer to many things. ... Paradox Interactive (formerly a division of Paradox Entertainment) is a Swedish company based in Stockholm that is known for producing historical strategy computer games. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Screenshot from the Paradox computer game.

ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1024x768, 230 KB) Screenshot from the Diplomacy PC game. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1024x768, 230 KB) Screenshot from the Diplomacy PC game. ...

References

1. ^ Bach, Deborah, "No one's bored with board games at this event", Baltimore Sun, August 5, 2000. pp. 1E, 8E.
2. ^ Games & Puzzles magazine, May 1973.
3. ^ http://www.diplom.org/bin/dipwiki.pl?VZ#Youngstown
4. ^ Peery, Larry. "A History of World DipCon", on the Diplomatic Corps website. [1].
5. ^ Birsan, Edi, et al. "The DipCon Story", on the Diplomatic Corps website. [2].

See also

• Allan B. Calhamer
• Lepanto opening — one of the best-known Diplomacy openings in existence.
• Play-by-mail game
• Slobbovia — a Diplomacy variant
• Internet Diplomacy

Allan B. Calhamer (born December 7, 1931) invented the board game Diplomacy. ... The Lepanto opening is probably the best know named opening in the board game Diplomacy. ... Play-by-mail games are games, of any type, played through postal mail or e-mail. ... Slobbovia was a postal Diplomacy variant played among science fiction and gaming fans in North America and Europe from 1972 to 1986. ... The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter. ...

External links

Diplomacy at the Open Directory Project The Open Directory Project (ODP), also known as dmoz (from , its original domain name), is a multilingual open content directory of World Wide Web links owned by Netscape that is constructed and maintained by a community of volunteer editors. ...

The Diplomatic Pouch

Media attention

• "World Domination: the Game" — article in the Washington Post, Nov. 14, 2004