How to Play Diplomacy (The Game)

Some games test your memory. Other games test your luck, but with Hasbro's Avalon Hill game called Diplomacy, players are tested on their ability to form alliances and negotiate.

General Overview

Diplomacy, like games such as Risk, is a strategic board game for two to seven players. The game was created by Allan B. Calhamer, a Havard educated man on a mission to become an attorney. The game remains primarily the same as Calhamer's original design.

Geared for those players age 12 and up, the game consists of a board, which is an intricate map of pre-World War I Europe, 315 army, navy & national control markers, 20 count strategy map pad, and a 24 page rulebook. It does not have spinners, dials, or dice. Negotiations, social interaction, and interpersonal parlaying are the key motivations of the game. The ultimate goal is to gain supremacy of all the other players and of Europe.

How to Play

True to pre-World War I history, the players represent specific superpowers for the era, Austria-Hungary, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Russia and Turkey. All players, except Russia and Great Britain, begin the game with two armies and one naval fleet. Great Britain begins with two fleets and one army. This is because Britain is basically a large island north of the remainder of Europe. Russia begins with two armies and two fleets.

The game starts or begins in the historic year 1901 and you progress through a series of negotiations and sessions which are divided into spring and Autumn. Prior to each year's seasonal sessions, players make adjustments to their positions on the board.

The board is divided into 56 land regions, 19 sea regions. 42 of the land regions are divided amongst the players or Superpowers. The remaining lands are considered neutral ground. In the 56 land regions, there are 34 supply centers and these centers relate to specific enterprises or industries. Control of supply centers determines army and fleet numbers.

As you proceed through the seasons (or sessions), you attempt to gain supply centers early and try to block other players from building armies. Each season is then divided into negotiation and movement.

In the negotiations portion of the game, players actually verbally negotiate. They build alliances and devise strategies. Alliances are broken and reformed depending on the needs for each player. Sometimes, trust is questionable and treachery is common.

After negotiations, military forces can move. Armies or fleets can move to adjacent spaces, hold their positions, support an ally or fleets can convoy armies. The rules are clear and only one army can occupy a specific region. If two units do occupy, the most fortified or supported unit can move to occupy. The most fortified unit or the greater fighting force always wins. The game becomes more challenging if the military might of the warring countries are even. In that case, supporting forces can turn the table.

At the end of autumn season, the year ends and losses and gains are considered. Supply centers are reallocated and players restructure their forces. Losses require carefully and skilled negotiations or players risk elimination from the game. A game is over, or won, when 18 or more of the 34 supply centers are controlled by a single player.

Other Thoughts

Variations of the game exist, such as Diplomacy- Ard-Ri, Classical, Colonial, Hundred, Kamakura, and Machiavelli. Also, the rules have special stipulations if seven players cannot be found to start the game.

Diplomacy, which has celebrated its 50^th anniversary, was first designed as a postal play game. Today, Diplomacy has proven to be extremely popular and can be played on the personal computer and online as well as in tournaments.

While there are a number of board, PC and online strategic military games, few exist that are like Diplomacy. It is a game that requires you to rely on wit and not chance. It's not surprising that "average joes" and world leaders enjoy this game!

If you need more information about this game or help playing, there are a number of useful resources and videos on the web. Check these links out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlTMEYtjS-0
http://www.playdiplomacy.com/
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=ah/faqs/diplomacy