Sharks are pretty much the apex predator of their environment. Certainly, there’s not much that will survive an argument with a Great White shark.
An orca might disagree although, to be honest, I wouldn’t fancy debating it with either.
Sharks, after many years of evolution, are the most effective, skilled, individual killers under the waves. As dangerous and simply big as an orca is, they’re at their most effective in a ‘pod’. It’s like comparing tigers – sharks – and lions – orcas. Both are incredibly good at preparing their meals, they just do it differently.
The Diplomacy ‘Shark’
In Diplomacy, a ‘Shark’ is also an apex predator, an incredibly skilled player who will, if allowed, make prey of every other player in a game. You’ve heard of ‘card sharks’; these are the same but in a Dip game rather than poker.
There is, though, something more about a Diplomacy Shark than simply being a Dipmeister. Dipmeisters are the top players in the Hobby, the elite, the cream that rises to the top. Sharks are definitely that but they’re also the most effective hunters, the ones that will prove themselves to be ferocious, that never let go of a victim, expert soloists.
For the rest of us mere fish, how do we survive an encounter with a Shark?
Well, the obvious solution is to not find yourself in their environment. If you don’t go into the sea, you’re safe. Unfortunately, this is a little impractical if you’re playing Diplomacy…
With most predators, they can be overawed by numbers. A huge herd of buffalo, for instance, can daunt a lion. So perhaps sticking together in a quivering group of six other players might work?
Well, with Sharks this isn’t usually the case. A Shark will actually swim through a shoal of fish, gliding along with them, and not attack until it finds the perfect meal. Diplomacy Sharks do the same thing; you don’t necessarily think they’re after you until they’ve got their teeth in your sweet little SCs.
No, there’s only one way to survive a Shark encounter, and that’s to surround yourself with a metal cage. Defend yourself at all costs. And, if you’re lucky, another Shark will come along and, while they’re fighting over you, you can stick them with your harpoon.
THE DIPLOMATICON 
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