Abstraction said:
I'm always up for something, but I have no idea how to play.
Yig said:
Oh ! Diplomacy !
I love that game
I'm in.
Great! And nikolai, thanks again - I hope you'll take on one of the powers as well.
Abstraction, Diplomacy is set in Europe at the turn of the twentieth century. Each player controls one of the Great Powers, and tries to gain control of Europe, as symbolized by militarily controling 18 of its important provinces, called Suply Centers in the game.
Because there is no luck involved, and the rules of the game are so simple, success depends on how well you work with your competitors, and how skillfully you exploit alliances, and, possibly, how strategicly you break them. The negotiation involved is, I think, one of the most fun aspects of the game.
The rules themselves are really simple. (Full rules
here)
The game consists of years, each broken down into a Fall Turn and a Spring Turn. Each turn progesses as follows:
1)Diplomatic phase (make aliances, deals, find out as much as you can)
2)Issue Orders phase (write down what each of your units does this season)
3)Order Resolution phase (everyone's orders are open and acted on. Conflicts resolved)
4) Retreat and Disbanding phase (if units have been dislodged by combat, determine where they go or if they are destroyed.)
5) Gain/Lose Units phase (This occurs in spring turns only. If you have gained or lost control centers during the turn, you gain or lose units accordingly)
You have two types of units: Armies and Fleets. These units may move, hold, support another piece's hold or move, or, in the case of Fleet units, convoy an Army from one space to another.
Armies can move only into land-based provinces. Fleets can only move on water and coastal provinces.
You control a number of units equal to the number of supply centers you own.
No one Army or Fleet is stronger than any other.
No more than one unit can be present in a province at any given time.
If two or more units are trying to occupy the same space, and none has support from another unit, the units "bounce" off each other, and go back to (or remain in) the place they started the turn.
If one or more of the units has support (which may come from another of the player's own units or an ally's), the unit with the most support succeeds in going where it wants to go. If units have equal support, they bounce, as above.
A unit that is defeated by an attacking unit (which has support) will be dislodged, and must retreat to an adjacent unoccupied province. If no space to retreat exists, it is disbanded.
