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Diplomacy: The Board Game of the Alpha Nerds (2014)

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Re: Diplomacy: The Board Game of the Alpha Nerds (2014)

#81

Post by xbar »

andrepd wrote: post #50
cableshaft wrote: post #2

This game takes like 8-12 hours, but if you do it in person, it just FLIES by. I was too afraid to take a food break or even a bathroom break because I didn't want to be out of earshot of everyone else so they could scheme against me. We had 15 minutes for planning each turn, and that never seemed like enough. You want to talk to everyone, sometimes including one person, then again after that person leaves to talk to…

I've found it's best when played by a group of friends at a turn per day. Every day at 18:00, for example, moves are due and revealed. It lets people scheme and talk during the day.

I agree. That's the most effective way. After a few games, no friends remain.

Re: Diplomacy: The Board Game of the Alpha Nerds (2014)

#82

Post by masswerk »

Maybe funny, but while I never knew the original game (Diplomacy), I did play the game which was meant for those who became bored with Diplomacy, namely Machiavelli (Avalon Hill, 1977). (Get ready for discussions on every move… ;-) )

[1] https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/286/machiavelli

Re: Diplomacy: The Board Game of the Alpha Nerds (2014)

#83

Post by philihp »

andrepd wrote: post #50
cableshaft wrote: post #2

This game takes like 8-12 hours, but if you do it in person, it just FLIES by. I was too afraid to take a food break or even a bathroom break because I didn't want to be out of earshot of everyone else so they could scheme against me. We had 15 minutes for planning each turn, and that never seemed like enough. You want to talk to everyone, sometimes including one person, then again after that person leaves to talk to…

I've found it's best when played by a group of friends at a turn per day. Every day at 18:00, for example, moves are due and revealed. It lets people scheme and talk during the day.

I’ve found this is not a game best played with friends, unless they don’t care to stay friends.

Re: Diplomacy: The Board Game of the Alpha Nerds (2014)

#84

Post by rkangel »

I wasn't present, but my fiancee played it with some friends over a weekend. They were all staying in a house having a nice weekend and they took one move an hour (I think that was the cadence) over the period.

One excellent rule that they had was a 'hat' rule. Everyone had a hat, and you could only talk about Diplomacy when wearing the hat. It helps prevent in-game emotions from spilling out.

Personally, I've played it on backstabbr.com with the cadence of a 1 turn a day. Usually played with colleagues, it worked very well.

Re: Diplomacy: The Board Game of the Alpha Nerds (2014)

#85

Post by 29athrowaway »

xpe wrote: post #61
29athrowaway wrote: post #28

Is there a professional system for Diplo? Do people train by playing against AIs created by the top companies in the world? Has the game existed for thousands of years and has studied by endless generations of scholar, military generals and intellectuals of all walks of life? I doubt so. The game for alpha nerds is Go, in my opinion. It is an incredibly deep game that will always offer you life lessons at every stage…

Diplomacy is harder than Go. Perhaps by a factor of 10e3 or more. (I'd throw out a guess of 10e9; what are other's estimates?)

Doubtful. But even if that was the case... with no professionals and no ranking system, no formal studies and a small community... in practice it is just a casual game.

If you play go at an amateur server, you will have to play thousands of games, read books, and put a significant amount of work... just to play at an average level. And even then, a professional will still wipe the floor with you because they started playing as kids. Professionals represent a much larger population of players from which the majority were not good enough to become professionals.

Diplo is just a casual game you play with friends. Like UNO, or whatever. Like Go used to be 3000 years ago until it started being taken seriously.

Re: Diplomacy: The Board Game of the Alpha Nerds (2014)

#86

Post by xpe »

LanceH wrote: post #65
xpe wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I heard some seasoned folks at a Diplomacy group describe that media coverage... IIRC, they considered it to miss much of the spirit of the game. I think ongoing people who enjoy it have a special ability to value the game dynamics without taking it personally.

Step one: Don't think of your opponent as people.

This is a great statement. You are probably joking and serious at the same time.

At the same time, I think your quip demonstrates something I'm trying to get across. I've seen some people miss an opportunity to learn from games like Diplomacy. They bring in their personal expectations of how things should work. For example, they may want friends IRL to cut them a break in the game.

I find Diplomacy interesting because you have to light up all of your brain: assessment, strategy, tactics, and communication. Playing Diplomacy is cognitively demanding. One's ability to do well is a blend of hard power (what shows on the board) and soft power (how well you can persuade).

Re: Diplomacy: The Board Game of the Alpha Nerds (2014)

#87

Post by PeterisP »

cableshaft wrote: post #2

This game takes like 8-12 hours, but if you do it in person, it just FLIES by. I was too afraid to take a food break or even a bathroom break because I didn't want to be out of earshot of everyone else so they could scheme against me. We had 15 minutes for planning each turn, and that never seemed like enough. You want to talk to everyone, sometimes including one person, then again after that person leaves to talk to…

The main flaw of Diplomacy is in the "metagame" problem that for some of the players the game ends a few hours earlier than the others, so they don't get to spend the potential evening gaming with friends as expected and are bored - so this motivates people to choose some other game where everyone will be involved through all or most of it.

Re: Diplomacy: The Board Game of the Alpha Nerds (2014)

#88

Post by simonebrunozzi »

BucketsMcG wrote: post #19

We got a game of this going in work once. Once . We played in teams of two, so that at least one partner would have time to meet with the other players for negotiations. The moves took place last thing on a Friday, so you had all week to do your scheming. Then we'd all grab a beer and gather round the board to watch the skulduggery. About two thirds of the way through it came out that one team had bribed another with…

> 10/10 can't recommend enough.

Love how your comment ends. :)

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