A Global Diplomacy Guide

 

The following is a demonstration of playing Global Diplomacy for new players.

"Diplomacy is the art of telling someone to go to Hell and making him look forward to the trip."

Okay, you've signed up for an exciting game of Global Diplomacy but you're sort of new to this whole strategy-tactics business. You're looking for some help which will get you up to speed so you can play like a pro. This guide is a sample turn-by-turn description of the mechanics of Global Diplomacy: its rules and how they operate as well as some basic strategies.

I've picked Austria to play since they are the smallest and the only map they need to use is the European theatre. England needs almost all the maps while most others need two or three.

The turn zero report for Austria has arrived via e-mail. The report says that turns are due next Wednesday so you have a week to plan the first set of moves. You print a copy of the Europe map and write in where all the units are. Austria has armies at 30 and 40,a fleet at 39 and corps at 41 and 46. Looking carefully at the map you decide your best chances for victory are to knock out one or two area of Italy, Germany, Russia or the Ottoman Empire with support from the others. You send e-mail messages to your neighboring players offering your assistance in case they decide to attack one of the others. You don't hear back from the Ottomans but the Italians and the Germans want to ally with you. The Russian player tries to browbeat you into attacking the Germans but you ignore them for now. There are two neutral depots you can capture on the first turn: areas 50 and 48. No other units are around there so you can't be prevented from taking them easily and neutral areas have zero defense. So on the first turn you decide to ally with the Germans and Italians and move your units into position to attack the Russians and hopefully catch them off guard. In Global Diplomacy you cannot declare war on the first turn. Here's what you send in for your first turn: (anything in [] is a description or a comment for that command)

EMGSTART
XXX1234     [your account ID found at the start of the turn report]
GD099       [the game ID also found at the start of the report]
VC 22 300   [you want this game to last 22 turns or win at 300% victory points; 
             this command is only entered once at the start of each new game]
MO 40 48    [moving your army to attack area 48 from 40]
MO 39 50    [moving your fleet to attack area 50 from 39]
MO 30 41    [moving your army to area 51 from 30]
MO 41 42    [moving your corps to attack area 42 from 41]
MO 46 49    [moving your corps to attack area 49 from 46]
DA 5 6 9    [declaring Germany (player 5), Italy (player 6) and  the Ottomans as allies]
SP 43 56 45 28 52 27  [you don't need to spy on adjacent areas or those areas you will be capturing this turn]
EMGEND

Note that units are limited to moving to one adjacent area a turn.

It's crucial to spy those areas which are one turn away from your borders. You want to know what is coming your way.

When you receive your turn 1 results, you are very pleased to learn some new information and developments.

At the beginning of the report you see that you now control 9 land and coastal areas. Your starting victory points is 19 (5 for your capital, 3 two-point depots in 30,39,40 for six points, 2 one-point depots in 41,46 for an additional 2 points plus six points for the six areas you control). Your current victory points amount to 24. Your five point gain came from capturing areas 48 and 50 (2 point depot in 48 + 1 point depot in 50 + 2 controlled areas). So your victory percentage is 100 x 24 / 19 = 126%, well below the minimum target of 300%. But your ranking is second place. The report says you may add three additional units. This means you gained three supply points-your attacks on areas 48 and 50 worked !

You check the next section of the report which describes what happened in each area you control as well as those areas you are adjacent to plus the areas you spied on last turn.

The first group of areas are those you control. You notice that you now control areas 48 and 50.

The next group of areas consists of areas which border yours. You skip over this for a minute and look down to the relations chart, which shows the current alliances and wars.

The German and Italian players issued the DA 1 command (Austria is player 1) and so you, Germany and Italy are now allied. The Ottomans did not choose to ally with you last turn.

In the headlines section of the report you read that "Austria is doing well." This tells the other players that Austria places somewhere in the top four positions. You already know that you are in second place but you may not like to become a target for the other players too early in the game.

The alliance headlines show who tried to allied to ally with whom last turn.

The results of commands report displays the commands you issued last turn as a confirmation to you.

The last section shows the possible commands you may issue for the coming turn. It serves to assist you in completing your turn commands since it lists all the units and areas you own.

Now reviewing your turn report again you see that you successfully captured Serbia (48), Carpathia (49) and Albania (50) so you can add three unit points this turn. Your attack into Prague (42) failed for some reason. You look up in your turn report for what happened at area 41 and you see this entry:

| 41|Bohemia     | 1| ****| A | ****|| C | ****| (MO 42-RETREAT 46)|

This says that your corps began the turn in 41, tried to move to area 42 but was forced to retreat to your area 46. Now your army from area 30 occupies area 41. What caused the retreat ? Well, check out what happened in the adjacent areas around 41 and you find this:

| 45|Warsaw      | 1| RSSA| A | RSSA|| C | RSSA| (MO 42-DIED)      |

So the Russian corps in 45 tried to move to area 42 the same time you tried to. Each of you has a 1 point attack value (corps are worth one point; armies. two points) and neither could overcome the other...so nobody wins the area, it remains neutral. The attacking corps have to retreat back. You were lucky that you moved your corps out of area 46, this vacant area provided the only retreat area for your corps since you moved an army into area 41. Unfortunately for the Russian, his army (likely from area 56) moved into area 45 so his corps that was there had no vacant Russian area to retreat to so it was destroyed.

For your second turn of commands you will look at using your three build points to beef up your land forces. You can't upgrade your corps in area 49 since it isn't a supply depot. You can only upgrade units occupying supply depot areas.

The Russian player sends you an e-mail message threatening to attack unless you withdraw your units from his border. You reply with a friendly message hoping to stall him.

The German player says he has captured Prussia (area 43). You quickly confirm this in your report because you specifically spied on that area last turn. There is a German corps there. You ask the German player to issue a SA 43 42 1 command to help you capture area 42 next turn. This attack support commits his unit in area 43 to help his ally Austria, player 1, attack area 42. The German player replies that he will help you in return for your promise to support him in the future.

You look at upgrading your corps in area 46 to an army and building a new army in Vienna (40)-this will cost three points in total, all you gained last turn. You cannot build an army at 48 since that area is already occupied. You add new units only in empty supply depot areas you control. You have the option of building a corps in 40 instead of an army but you decide you need the stronger unit there. Note that if Vienna were a one point depot, you could add only a one point unit like a corps.

In Global Diplomacy newly added or upgraded units can do nothing else for the rest of the turn. They can't be moved and they can't support an attack or support defense until the next turn. Units can defend themselves at all times though. And units are added or upgraded before any movement on the map anywhere takes place. New units can also be supported in defense by other units.

Looking at the map again you see that Greece, area 51, is a neutral 2 point depot and you have a fleet (in 50) and an army (in 48) next to it. You decide to attempt to capture Greece. You would bring four combat points to bear against Greece, which is neutral. Sending in just the fleet or the army is risky since the Ottomans may try to send in an army into Greece from 52, then both your units would "bounce" just as what happened in area 42. Using the army or the fleet to support your attack into Greece practically guarantees that you will overcome any Ottoman units trying to move in.

There is a Russian fleet in Moldavia (area 54). It can't move onto land areas so your area 49 is safe from it. You figure that the Russian fleet will likely try to capture the neutral supply depot at area 53 this turn. The Russian player might leave his depot at 54 vacant thinking that your corps in 49 will try to capture 53. He hopes you won't declare war on him and attack his area 54.

It is tempting to declare war on the Russians now and attack area 54 with your corps in 49hoping that his fleet will move to take 53. This plan is bold and would likely catch Russia off-guard. Besides if you succeed in capturing 54, area 55 is a 2 point depot next to Moscow, a capital ! Of course if the Russian fleet stays in 54, your corps will retreat back to area49 and you're still at war with the Russians after taking nothing away from them.

You decide to risk it.

You could use the army in Serbia (area 48) to help attack area 53 but that army is already being used to help capture Greece (area 51) which is more valuable at 2 supply points.

You send your spies to those areas just one turn beyond your border with Russia. If you do capture 54, your spy to 55 was wasted. You just want to be sure that you do see what the Russians are up to in that area regardless.

For turn 2 you issue these commands:

EMGSTART
XXX1234
GD099
UU 46     [upgrade corps there to an army]
AA 40          [build a new army in area 40]
MO 50 51       [moving your fleet in 50 to attack area 51]
SA 48 51       [adding the combat value of the army in area 48 to help attack area 51]
MO 41 42       [moving your army in 41 to attack area 42]
MO 49 54       [the corps in 49 will attack the Russian depot in area 54]
DW 9           [declare war on Russia]
SP 56 45 43 62 44 55
EMGEND

The turn 2 report arrives. You now own 8 land areas and 4 coastal areas. Your current victory points is 30 for a victory percentage of 158%. You may add three additional unit points so you captured 54 from the Russians as well as the neutral 2-point depot Greece.

You see that your German ally used his corps in 43 to support your attack into 42. Your army from area 41 is now in area 42. Your corps in 46 is now an army and you have another army in area 40. The Russian fleet captured 53 but now you have your corps in area 54. In area 55 you see a Russian corps. Areas 47, 49, 230 are empty. There is an Ottoman army in 52.

Your corps in 54 is surrounded by the Russians unfortunately. You have gained the points to upgrade your corps to an army but that is only two points. If the Russians decide to retake54, they have a fleet in 53 and a corps in 55-that is three points against your two. You would lose the battle and your corps would retreat back to the vacant area 49.

You note that the Russian fleet cannot attack your vacant depot at 48 nor can it attack area51. Sea units cannot attack into land areas nor can they move across more than one coastal area.

Here are your possible options:

1. Upgrade the corps in 49 to an army and hope the Russians don't attack it.

2. Use the corps in 49 to attack 53 or 55.

You can ask the Ottomans for an alliance so that their army in 52 can lend its support to your attack into 53. You could use your army in Greece to attack the Russian fleet in 53.You e-mail the Ottomans a proposal: an alliance with Austria and their support to attack the Russians in exchange for your helping the Ottomans capture 55 and 74 from the Russians. The Ottomans reply affirmatively and seem eager to help.

So now here's your plan: ally with the Ottomans, upgrade the corps in 54 to an army, attack area 53 with your army in Greece with the support of the Ottoman army from 52, and move the fleet from area 50 to 51.

The Russian fleet in 53 may try to support the Russian corps in 55 to attack your corps in54. This will fail now because your army in Greece will cut the fleet's attack support by attacking it. Your corps in 54 is safe because it will be upgraded to an army and the Russian corps in 55 can't defeat your army. Unit upgrades occur before movement.

The Russian fleet in 53 may also try to move to recapture 54 with support from his corps in 55.In this case you capture 53 from the Russians, the Russians will capture 54 from you. You lose a depot but gain one-same with the Russians. You decide to attack area 47 with your army in 46. This will give you greater strength to retake area 54 next turn in case you lose it.

Here are your orders for turn 3:

EMGSTART
XXX1234
GD099
AC 48                  [adding a new corps to area 48]
UU 54                  [upgrading the corps in 54 to an army]
UU 41                  [upgrading the corps in 41 to an army]
MO 51 53               [moving your army in 51 to attack area 53]
MO 50 51               [moving your fleet in 50 to your area 51]
DA 9                   [declare an alliance with the Ottomans]
MO 46 47               [moving your army in 46 to attack 47]
MO 40 46               [moving your army in 40 to area 46]
SP 62 45 56 55 43 230  [spy area 55 in case you lose area 54 and you don't capture 47]
EMGEND

And hope the Ottomans don't betray you. It's difficult to foresee what the consequences of each turn will be since you are relying on your instincts and other players will influence the outcome dramatically. It may be that the Russians will make a deal with the German player to attack Austria. Italy may want to team up with you to attack the Germans. Perhaps the Russians will sue for peace. The possibilities are numerous and you must be prepared for almost anything.

Well that's just about all there is to playing basic Global Diplomacy. There are other commands which weren't used in this scenario but they are explained in the rules. Now go out there and use your diplomatic wits to conquer the world !