The “Guest Columnist” series was a spoof series I created using caricatures of politicians or commentators. Some will be well-known to everyone; some infamous in the UK. I’m sure you’ll be able to recognise most!
Opal Winfree
Why do we play Diplomacy? Surely, as with any other pastime, it’s because we enjoy it. Well, it should be.
There are other reasons, too, I know. We play because we enjoy the competitive element. We play because we enjoy the cut and thrust of word fencing. Some of us play because we enjoy the excitement of betraying a friend. And, of course, for the challenge.
The point is we all have our own reasons for playing. Nobody has the right to tell us that these reasons, whatever they are, have no worth. Your objectives are your objectives; they may not be the same as anyone you’re playing with but they don’t have to be.
There are people in our great Hobby who want to tell you why you should be playing. Whether they tell you you should be playing to win; whether they tell you you should be stabbing an ally, or whatever they tell you you have to do, they are simply trying to take away your power and enjoyment, and this is never acceptable. I have heard from many players who tell me that this has happened to them. We cannot allow this. We must stand together, in strength, to defend our right to be heard, to play the game how we want to play it, to enjoy the game in whatever way appeals to us, and to celebrate success in whatever form we wish.
One way in which these controlling people operate is to insist that there is only one victory criterion. I think that it’s clear that this isn’t the case.
Renegade has released a new version of the rules and they have four – yes, four – objectives. You can win by soloing. You can win by agreeing to draw the game. You can win by holding the most SCs after an agreed period of time, or at an agreed point in the game.
Each one of these ways of winning the game are as valid as any other. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Again, this is an attempt to control you, to control the way you play, and to control your enjoyment of the game.
I’ve had people contact me to tell me how this has been done to them. If this has happened to you, I want you to share your stories with me. There will be hundreds of people reading this who have had someone else try to exercise power over them in an intolerable and abusive way.
A number of people shared the same story. They’ve celebrated a win after bringing the game to an end in an agreed shared victory and been stamped on and belittled.
Here’s Seraphina’s truth:
“I was told that I hadn’t won and I couldn’t say I’d won. That I’d drawn the game, not won it! But this game had been hard and I’d achieved something I felt I shouldn’t have achieved. That’s a win, a shared win!”
She’s right. A win can be shared, and to deny that is abusive. It’s saying: “That’s not good enough. You’re not good enough.” I’m here to tell you that you are good enough and nobody can take that away from you.
Another example, from Ann-Marie-Jeannie:
“I was bullied and threatened. Why? Because I wouldn’t betray my ally! I was told that’s not how the game is played.”
Again, you have the power to choose your own rules, to play to your own objectives. You have the right to be allowed to do what you feel is right and to say what you feel is right. Nobody can take that away from you.
Earn your own victory, whatever that may be. Stand up for your own way of playing, your own objectives, and your own rules.
Read that again.If you’ve experienced this abuse, please contact me and share your stories. You are important.
First published in 34 #3, October 2023.
POSTS IN THIS SERIES
- “The Best Negotiator” by Ronald D Fayke
- “Diplomacy for the Players” by Jeffrey Borryn
- “Earn Your Own Victory” by Opal Winfree
- “Sovereignty Within the UK Hobby” by Jacob Riche Nobb
- “Power in Diplomacy” by Pimp Jung On
THE DIPLOMATICON 
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