Tim Schwalfenberg
Diplomacy
Diplomacy. A game of rhetoric, intrigue and ferocious backstabs. A game more likely to end friendships than any I've encountered. A game that is quite possibly one of the best board games ever created.
For those who have never had the pleasure of partaking in a good game of diplomacy let me provide you with the best explanation I've found for how it works:
The game is set in pre-WWI Europe, 7 major European powers (Turkey, Russia, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy, France and Britain) battle it out for supremacy. There are 79 regions, 34 of which are supply centers. More supply centers means you can have more armies/navies (units). The aim is to control at least 17 supply centers. Everyone starts off with 3 or 4 units.
With no dice involved, gameplay is all centered on negotiation.
One unit can move into an empty territory to capture it, but to push out an enemy force needs at least 2 units (maybe more if they're defending).
The beauty is that nobody has anything near enough power to work without allies, yet only one person can win. Hence the alliances and betrayals that lace this game.
A hypothetical example of some of the negotiations that could take place one turn: Germany and France have agreed to keep their border demilitarised. BUT Germany has quietly spoken to Britain and agreed to launch a sneak attack on the French coast and sneak a couple of supply centres, catching France off balance. BUT Britain has also spoken to Russia, telling them that German forces will be going Eastwards, and now might be a good time to move into Silesia, and hold Berlin hostage. BUT Russia has guessed Britain might move its fleet to take Sweden when the Russian fleet goes South, and has spoken to France to encourage them to move up North, pillaging the British south coast, and inadvertently messing up the British-German attack which was never going to work, because France had spoken to Austria-Hungary and persuaded them to attack Germany, cutting off support. BUT France had also spoken to Turkey, saying now might be a good time to hit the Austrian-controlled Serbia, and Turkey had then relayed this to Italy, who's now planning a joint attack on Austria-Hungary, as part of their long term plan with Russia to take out both Turkey and Austria-Hungary, unaware than Russia is in league with........
You get the picture. Negotiations can happen anywhere in the house, behind closed doors, with whomever you please. Eavesdropping is allowed and even encouraged, though you better make sure no one catches you doing it. You can manipulate, convince, and betray at a whim. Yet all the while you must be careful not to let your hand slip too quickly and remember that you can get just as much out of an alliance as you can from a stab in the back.
Diplomacy
Diplomacy. A game of rhetoric, intrigue and ferocious backstabs. A game more likely to end friendships than any I've encountered. A game that is quite possibly one of the best board games ever created.
For those who have never had the pleasure of partaking in a good game of diplomacy let me provide you with the best explanation I've found for how it works:
The game is set in pre-WWI Europe, 7 major European powers (Turkey, Russia, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy, France and Britain) battle it out for supremacy. There are 79 regions, 34 of which are supply centers. More supply centers means you can have more armies/navies (units). The aim is to control at least 17 supply centers. Everyone starts off with 3 or 4 units.
With no dice involved, gameplay is all centered on negotiation.
One unit can move into an empty territory to capture it, but to push out an enemy force needs at least 2 units (maybe more if they're defending).
The beauty is that nobody has anything near enough power to work without allies, yet only one person can win. Hence the alliances and betrayals that lace this game.
A hypothetical example of some of the negotiations that could take place one turn: Germany and France have agreed to keep their border demilitarised. BUT Germany has quietly spoken to Britain and agreed to launch a sneak attack on the French coast and sneak a couple of supply centres, catching France off balance. BUT Britain has also spoken to Russia, telling them that German forces will be going Eastwards, and now might be a good time to move into Silesia, and hold Berlin hostage. BUT Russia has guessed Britain might move its fleet to take Sweden when the Russian fleet goes South, and has spoken to France to encourage them to move up North, pillaging the British south coast, and inadvertently messing up the British-German attack which was never going to work, because France had spoken to Austria-Hungary and persuaded them to attack Germany, cutting off support. BUT France had also spoken to Turkey, saying now might be a good time to hit the Austrian-controlled Serbia, and Turkey had then relayed this to Italy, who's now planning a joint attack on Austria-Hungary, as part of their long term plan with Russia to take out both Turkey and Austria-Hungary, unaware than Russia is in league with........
You get the picture. Negotiations can happen anywhere in the house, behind closed doors, with whomever you please. Eavesdropping is allowed and even encouraged, though you better make sure no one catches you doing it. You can manipulate, convince, and betray at a whim. Yet all the while you must be careful not to let your hand slip too quickly and remember that you can get just as much out of an alliance as you can from a stab in the back.