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A couple of years ago, I wrote an article (Winning with Italy) for the Pouch on how to play Italy. Since then, I've been ganged up on in various games because, having written the article, I am obviously a genius who must be killed on sight. Never mind that the article itself wasn’t exactly groundbreaking; it appeared in the Pouch, so I must know what I’m talking about. And that apparently makes me dangerous like a pit viper: the only solution is eradication. It's an easy mistake to make, one I've made myself in the past. Who hasn’t, at some point, organized a campaign to eliminate “sharks” from a board? But it ignores two fundamental points:
But enough about how I’m really a shy little Dip lamb. The title says “Good Players Make the Best Allies.” And I intend to prove it. Say you’re on a board where the guy next door is a certified Diplomacy Genius. He was one of Calhamer’s original play-testers, and in fact suggested the names for all the Austrian provinces. He has soloed in six languages and supplements his retirement income by giving Dip seminars down at the convention center. Does it make any sense to gang up on him? No! Good players are just that: good players. They don't have magic powers or other secret qualities. What they usually have is experience, good language skills, decent tactical knowledge and the ability to see things from others' perspectives, all of which makes them persuasive. They know what they want. But they know that Diplomacy is a two-way street: in order to get what they want, they have to give you what you want. They're willing to do that. And they're usually able to deliver it. You have to watch them kind of carefully so they don't solo on you, but other than that, I will argue that veteran players are exactly the kind of person you want in an ally: smart, reliable, forgiving and able to see the long view. Plus, they have a few endearing foibles that makes them easier to manipulate than newer diplomats. Let's go through some of those in detail, comparing good players to poor players, plus how to manipulate good players to your advantage: RELIABLEGood players don't misorder. They don't NMR. They don't miss deadlines. They only lie when necessary, so if they say they're going to do something, they generally will. They usually have movement suggestions, even if you’re too busy to study the board carefully. They try to see things from both sides and craft moves that address your concerns as well as theirs. You can count on them up until they decide to stab you. But until then, they won't let you down. Poor players are unreliable. They make all sorts of mistakes, the most common being messing up orders and assuming that Diplomacy is entirely about lying to the other players. They rarely are able to see beyond their own wants. They’re walking random-move generators. Manipulation: Since good players usually will do what they say, you can craft your own moves around theirs. If you’re planning a stab, it will help you spot opportunities. RATIONALGood players don't generally do stupid things. They won't stab all three of their neighbors at once; they try to avoid two-front wars; they don't do one-center stabs unless they serve a compelling strategic purpose. They don't throw away long-term alliances for short-term gains. They understand that mutual self-interest is the strongest cement an alliance can have. They use good tactics. Poor players play for the short-term, and one-center stabs are their bread and butter. If they see an opportunity to take a center, they will, even if that hurts their own long-term interest. They use poor tactics. Manipulation: Rationality makes the moves of good players more predictable: look for the best move, and chances are they've found it and will use it. In diplomatic discussions, if a proposal clearly benefits him more than a stab would, he will go for it. REASONABLEGood players are easy to negotiate with. They communicate clearly and specifically, they understand logic, and they don't need to have the implications of a set of moves spelled out. You can spend your time discussing options, not trying to convince them that your plan will work. And they'll respond to logic with logic: if they don't like your idea, they'll tell you why. They're willing to say "no" in advance, rather than wait until after moves are published to say "Sorry, I just wasn't comfortable with that." Poor players are hard to reason with, driven by what they want rather than what the reality of the board is. As such, real negotiations are difficult and time-consuming. They will often respond to a detailed proposal with “no”, without specifying a reason or offering a counterproposal. If there are 4 SCs to be divvied up, they think the starting point for negotiations is “I get all 4.” They seek forgiveness rather than permission. Manipulation: If you can come up with a good reason to do things your way, good players will be hard-pressed to say no, even if the proposal favors you in some way. EVEN TEMPEREDGood players don't let emotion trump reason. They do not let what happens on the board get personal. They understand that stabs are part of the game. If you stab them, they will not abandon a workable position simply to wreak eternal vengeance on your soul, or throw centers to your opponent simply to spite you; if they attack you or throw centers, they'll do it to achieve some larger purpose. They don't let a bad turn demoralize them. They don't suddenly lose their mind and throw everything at Germany “just because.” They play to win, or to draw, or to survive, or to play kingmaker. But they always play for a purpose. The person you worked so hard to build a relationship with will always be there, and always be willing to talk; they will not turn into a lunatic stranger who refuses to return your e-mails. They're likable. Poor players are ruled by emotions, basing decisions on whether they like you rather than the situation on the ground. They will trust you with their life until some slight, real or imagined, turns you into the One True Enemy that must be hounded without pause or mercy for the rest of the game. If things start going badly they often go on a suicide march, NMR or resign, hurting their allies as well as themselves. Manipulation: You can sometimes stab a good player two or three times in a row before he really gets angry. And if you need him later on, he’s usually willing to let bygones be bygones if that’s in his best interest. KNOWLEDGABLEGood players know the board, the units, the tactics and the other players. They know how much time a Dip game takes and make sure they have enough time for it. They know where the stalemate lines are. They know which centers are easy to take, and which ones are hard. They know how to set up demilitarized zones. They know how to count to 18 and see a solo coming years ahead of time. They know the standard opening moves of each country, and the most common strategies. They know the convoy and standoff rules. They know when support can be cut and when it can't. How does this help? Because they'll use this knowledge in discussions with you. They'll teach you about stalemate lines by way of explaining why their plan will work. They'll share tactical suggestions with you as you try to set up a common defensive line. They'll discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the other players. They'll back their words with data that you can examine yourself. A good player can help you achieve your goals more quickly and easily than anyone else. Poor players know little; the worst are willfully ignorant. They don’t understand geography. They offer bad plans and execute bad moves of their own. Their plans are often vague generalities (“Let’s both get Germany”). They see their units and the spaces next to them, with little regard for the larger board. They play a tactical game, with limited strategy. Manipulation: Use your Dip discussions to suck as much knowledge as possible out of a good player; even if he eventually stabs you, the information gained will be well worth it. Make him suggest tactics and strategy that will help you get what you want. In addition, if a good player can’t back up his plan with some good, hard facts, he’s probably lying. FORGIVINGGood players understand that fear and paranoia can ruin the best of intentions. They won't get mad the first or second time you don't do what you said you would. They'll start viewing you as less reliable, but the diplomatic door will remain open. Many alliances never get past that rocky early stage, where the partners aren't sure they can trust each other. A good player has the self-confidence to get through that and establish a truly solid alliance that can last an entire game. Poor players have two categories: Friends and enemies. Once you’re an enemy, there’s no going back to friends. Manipulation: With a good player, you can explain away a lot of unagreed-upon moves by saying you don’t know whether you can trust him. Just be sure none of those moves are direct stabs. TALKATIVEGood players talk to everyone, every turn. They usually start sending out messages within hours of an adjudication, often with detailed movement ideas. They often have a pretty good idea of what's going on around the board. Barring real-life intrusions, you never have to worry about an alliance running into trouble because of miscommunication or simply silence. You will be able to talk to them as much as necessary to decide on a course of action. Poor players talk the bare minimum, only to the people they deem important, and not at all to those they’re at war with. They seem to think that “loose lips sink ships” means “if I don’t talk, I can’t give anything away.” Of course, the truth is, if they don’t talk, they won’t make any allies and they won’t be able to adjust if events conspire to ruin their initial strategy. Manipulation: Milk good players for information from around the board, and ask lots of questions. You can examine the replies for consistency, which could be a clue to an upcoming stab. Further, such replies often contain unintended nuggets of information you didn’t ask for. PATIENTGood players aren't in a hurry. Oh, they want to win, and quick growth is almost always welcome. But the key is to win; it doesn't matter if it takes six years or 60. So they bide their time, waiting for the moment to be right to begin taking charge of the game. With a good player as a partner, you don't face many "life or death, pick one right now" kind of decisions. You face a series of choices, with fallback options beyond each choice. There's always the risk that if you dally too long your partner may find someone willing to give him a better deal, or that the "right moment" will involve stabbing you. But simply being unwilling to commit yourself immediately usually isn't a problem. A good player gives you time to make up your mind. Poor players seek to dominate the board early, and often will commit themselves, at extravagant risk, as early as Spring 1901. They worry about SC count rather than board position. If they foresee a two-year stretch without a build, they panic. They will demand strong commitment early, and often use a “if you’re not with me, you must be against me” logic as part of the hard sell. They’ll ally with whomever can give them a build now. Manipulation: Good players will let you maintain wiggle room for quite a long time. Depending on the situation, you can keep them off your back for years without firmly committing to an alliance. Or you can delay joint moves until they suit you better. A good, experienced player makes a far better ally than a poor, inexperienced one. They can be crafty, but as long as you’re vigilant, they make the best partners. Ganging up to eliminate them is merely another example of short-sighted thinking. The next time you play, identify the good players and use them to help you dominate the board.
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