As a professor for this game, I expect to provide commentary about twice a game year. Fitting with the title and because it’s something I’m used to doing, I’m going to give players a grade for each set of turns or game year and then for the game so far. Some general opening comments for students, as the game is getting underway:
Do take advantage of your TA’s advice as the game goes. It’s a very strong group, and they are going to be doing their best to make sure you become better players as a result of this game. As you’re talking with them, think about the three elements of Diplomacy: the press, the tactics, and the strategy.
I am a firm believer that the most important single skill in Diplomacy is communication. Talk to everyone. In the short term, you obviously need all the information you can get about your neighbors, and it’s possible someone will (intentionally or not) drop the information you need to make the best decisions. More than that, you want to get a feel for the players you’re competing against or working with, now and in the future. Are they honest? How do they get things done – through threats, persuasion, trading information? What are their strengths and weaknesses? You might find that your neighbor is someone a player who is good with tactics but rubs people the wrong way, who might useful helping you plan specific attacks but not so helpful in turning an enemy into a friend. It might not matter now, but it might be the difference at the end of the game. Your big picture strategy will often depend on your relationships with the rest of the board. For me, say, deciding which neighbor to work with against the other often depends on personality and playing style of my potential allies.
Think of relationships and how they might be useful in both the short term and the long term – Turkey and England have to obviously focus on their press with their immediate neighbors, but even these farthest countries might find themselves working closely together in the mid-game, and it’s good to have a connection in place. My general rule is to communicate with every active player at least once a game year, usually once a season, if for nothing else than to just ask a question or make a minor suggestion. This includes enemies – even someone who has given you the worst stab ever, ruining your solo chance and then trying to eliminate you and then slapping your mama, can provide something useful in press, if you can keep those communications open. Plus, if you’re playing Diplomacy, you like talking (or at least writing) to people, right? It’s what makes the game unique and, for me, enjoyable.
Second, think about the tactics and strategy, the actual movement of the pieces on the board. Diplomacy is a relatively simple game, but the tactics can be sophisticated and difficult (see rokakoma’s excellent Diplomacy quizzes for some examples: http://webdipquiz.blogspot.com/). Your strategy is your big picture plan of how you are going to get to 18 centers. It doesn’t have to be set in stone, but you should try to develop a plan to see you to the end of the game with a realistic shot to grab a win. It will be determined by a combination of the geography of the board and your relationships with the other players. Since these are constantly changing, so too will your strategy. It’s all going to start with your opening, the specifics of which you should even now be considering with your TA and discussing with your neighbors.
Finally, don’t get too upset when you get stabbed (it happens to everyone) or if you get eliminated (ditto). Stabbing is part of the game; it’s not a charity. Someone might keep going in an alliance because they like you, but they might not. Diplomacy is a game where, literally, most of the time you play, there is strictly speaking no winner. It’s like the lottery – most people lose, and sometimes there is no winner. Even the best players, playing against a board of similarly skilled players, will get eliminated around half of the time. Instead, enjoy the tactical challenges and the chance to talk to strangers or friends (many from around the world), and just enjoy the game.
This is probably getting a little long, so I will save any further thoughts for commentary as we go. Good luck everyone!
Hello all!
left of my starting 100 so if anybody's up for a cheaper game, I'd be up for that. A little bit about myself: I'm a huge Tolkien geek, I absolutely love sports, and I'm currently in college so I'll be pretty busy for the next 4 weeks.
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