It had been a while since my last dalliance with Diplomacy, but one day I thought: ‘I wonder…’
What did I wonder? ‘Is there a way to play Diplomacy on my PC?’ And there was – thanks to Hasbro’s computer game. However, I quickly realised that this was not the way to go. If ever there was a waste of money, it was that game. And that’s all I’ve got to say.
But my wonderings kept wondering and, not long later, with my new laptop, I wondered another wondering: ‘Is there a way to play Diplomacy online?’ Well, I may not have thought ‘online’ as such, I’m not sure that was a word I was familiar with back then.
So, Google, do your thing. And I did a search. At the top of the search was a site called Playdiplomacy. Hmm, I thought, let’s see. So I went to see.
The first image on the site was of this poor guy. Whoever he was, with his purplish eyes matching his purplish coat, he wasn’t having a good time. In fact, he was lucky to still be standing. Was this what happened to the people who came to this site?
But here it was – my second re-entry into what was the world of Diplomacy. Playdiplomacy was my eureka moment for Diplomacy. It was the way to play!
At the time, the map the site used was, well, basic. OK, if I’m honest, damn ugly. And what was with those colours? England – orange? Germany – yellow? I… Um… Ugh.
Still, I jumped into a game. At that time, as a newby, I could play up to five games at a time, without it costing me anything. And I ended up in five games. Which was a mistake, as I found out. I had time on my hands but, even still, it was difficult and it’s something I’ve learned to respect – know your limits. The site had a forum, too, a place where the community could chat about all things Diplomacy, as well as about other things non-Diplomacy. I loved this! Not only could I nerd-out playing the game, I could completely nerd-out talking about the game!
What I didn’t understand was the scoring system. A win was worth 12 points, a 2-way draw 6, a 3-way 4 and a 4-way 3; 5-, 6- and 7-ways scored nothing. You got a bonus point for taking over a ‘surrendered’ power, and lost a point for surrendering. But, well, surely a 3-way draw in which one player held 16 SCs and the other two held 9 SCs each should be scored more heavily in favour of the bigger power? When I asked this question, I remember one of the Mods on site, Master Radishes, patiently pointing out that, when the game ended in a draw, the draw was shared equally between the players. This, when I read the rules again, made absolute sense.
I remember the old-times from Playdiplomacy well, still. Master Radishes and Diplomat, the two leading Moderators; Grumpy, Yorkshireman, Batman… all of these people were, to the best of my knowledge, male and all as obsessed with Dup as much as I was. Did it bother me that the site was mainly male in membership? Not really. Today, when the Hobby is seeing a number of excellent female players getting to top boards in various tournaments, it’s perhaps strange that there were few of them back then.
The point was, though, that I could play Diplomacy at any time of the day, in games – including variants! OMG there’re VARIANTS! – against people who loved the game as I did. No, I wasn’t very good, but I quickly learned that the important thing is to communicate and that, sometimes, stabbing is stupid. Yes, it is.
Today, I still play most of my Diplomacy on Playdip. For me, there isn’t a site quite like it. webDiplomacy has improved immensely since I first visited it, with a much easier to use forum and, as Playdip’s map designs have greatly improved, webDip have also introduced a much less – I’ll stick to ‘basic’ – map.
The early days of my involvement with Playdip I’ll leave shrouded in mystery. I had a different presence back then and I’ve been allowed to rehabilitate myself on the site. Not that I ever did anything wrong back then, but my difficulties came in my personal life. I’ve changed, online and off.
I got my first taste of tournament Diplomacy on Playdip. I joined the first real tournament the site launched half-way through. I can remember vividly being in a game with one of the people I named above and stealing a solo. That got me into the final with three of the others! Heady days! I did get a stuffing in the final, but still.
I can look back at my time in the Hobby with some regrets. I think it would have been great to have had the time and money to get involved with FTF Dip. These days, I have the money but not really the time… and my health isn’t good enough. I regret taking breaks from Diplomacy, too – there’s been a lot I’ve missed.
But my take on Diplomacy today is very much built on my experiences and evolution within the Hobby. For me, there’s a place for anyone in the Hobby, and I’ve played against all sorts. I might not agree with your take on playing Diplomacy, and I might be pretty strident in telling you I don’t, but that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy playing against you.
I love that the Hobby continues to grow and change. That’s what anything worth keeping does. May it live long and, although it may not be prospering quite as much as I’d like to see it do, may it continue to develop in ways I can’t see coming.
First published in “34” #3, October 2023.
POSTS IN THIS SERIES
- Beginnings
- Into the Hobbiverse
- Play Diplomacy Online!
THE DIPLOMATICON 
Leave a comment