Idiots Guide to Diplomacy: Anatomy of a Top Ranked Player
Posted: Sat Jan 20, 2018 6:22 pm
I’ve been fortunate to get the opportunity to lock horns with many a top ranked player, so I’d like to highlight some of my observations of some attributes that make the successful so successful. Please note that there's not really one special sauce to as there are many different types of players and personalities most with their own formula to success, however this list outlines many of the skill sets and philosophies i seem to see most often in top ranked players.
1) Communicate, Communicate, Communicate
As has been outlined so many times in Diplomacy advice, communication is a given if you want to be successful in this game. You're not going to win very many classic games using a gunboat mentality. You need to be in constant communication building alliances, negotiating treaties, gathering information, influencing people to do what you want them to do, and when necessary spreading propaganda. There's a relationship building aspect to the game and the better players understand this.
2) Be Likeable
Many people completely miss this, but personality and likability will get you very far in a game. A lot of players try to influence players simply through fear-mongering of other players, deceit, and misdirection - don’t get me wrong, these are tools you can have in your toolbox, but they shouldn’t be your go-to. It’s like the saying goes, ‘you catch more flies with honey then vinegar’. Put the effort in to bond with the other players on the board so they enjoy talking to you and ‘like’ to work with you. Create a relationship where you’re a person they feel comfortable with venting about others to or bouncing around gossip. Some players have a very hard time stabbing somebody they really like and respect and sometimes you win the game because the players who have no shot at winning decide to throw their support behind you because they like and respect you best. Balki Bartokomous and Octavious are both masters at crafting relationships across the board.
3) All About the Moves
This is the chess aspect of the game. You need to know the board very well and have a sense for what your opponents are planning to do. You also need to have the sense to look a move or two ahead. Smart players realize that it's not about where you are in the spring its about where you are in the fall. Best way I've found to sharpen this skill is two-player or gunboat games where you can remove the diplomacy aspect of the game and focus only on perfecting moves. I find it helps to try to first figure out what moves you would do if you were in your enemy and then basing your moves around those. xorxes is not just exceptional at knowing how the board works, he seems to have an amazing ability to predict how players are going to move.
4) "Spidey Senses"
Good players can sense when a stab is coming. They know because of a shift in mood, a change in communications, suspicious actions, or sometimes just as simple as seeing you would stab too if they were in their opponents shoes. Many players can feel the stab coming, but for some reason many players don't act on this suspicion. They decide to wait until after the stab comes to react, although by that point it's usually nothing more then name calling because the damage is done. If you feel a stab coming then call the person out, prepare for it, or beat them to the punch. I'd much rather be called paranoid then a sucker. Often say his first sign of an impending stab is a sudden drop off in communications. If they stop talking, prepare for the worst.
5) Protect Your Interests
As ties in to #4’, good players take precautions always. You can be extremely trusting to your allies in the beginning but don't leave your throat exposed too long and never ever in the end game. Constantly keep allies and neighbouring treaties in check and call them out on any concerns. Diplomatically set an expectation of your allies to always ask permission if they are going to cut too close to any of your centers and always try to have a good understanding of what their plans are so you're never caught off guard. Playing with players like MadMarx and SocratesDissatisfied as allies i found our alliance was in a perpetual state of negotiations and renegotiations, it was just baked into our daily discussions. It can take a thick skin to be able to endure some of the occasional heatedness of the talks without it becoming personal.
6) Appreciate the Value of Trust
Most games will require some degree of lying sooner or later, however trust is currency in this game so don't give it away haphazardly. Once a bridge is burned its often gone for the remainder of the game so be very sparing with lies that will catch up with you or blatant betrayals that leave a bruise of resentment. I've seen way too often players playing too hard too fast only to have painted themselves into a corner by mid-game when nobody is willing to work with them. Likewise, same applies for your competitors - any opportunity to discredit them is extremely useful. TheHangedMan had mastered the commodity of trustworthiness which gets him extremely far in his games most to the time. People know he rarely lies which makes everybody want to align with him and often feel very guilty about ever wanting to betray him (I was an exception). I recall a time when THM had broken his relationship with me and attacked me, yet was hard to feel betrayed about it because he was relatively upfront about it and made the effort to explain the logical reasoning for it. PeterWiggins on the other hand was highly skilled at subtly and believably spreading mistrust and dissension amongst players through whispers and half-truths.
7) Adapt and Evolve
The best players are the ones who know how to adapt as the game goes on. Follow the opportunity. Regardless of how ugly a stab is, you may still have use for that person later on so try not to slam the door shut on that person. Your bitter enemy today might be a mutually ideal ally later in the game. Would be a shame to let hard feelings stand in he way of a terrific opportunity. For the wildly entertaining finals of the 2016 World Cup Finals Public Press had many of our best players come together trying to out diplomacize each other out in the open. These players were exceptional at adapting to ever changing circumstances leading to a roller coaster of ever changing alliances and worst enemies swapping to (reluctant) best friends. Weaker players would have written off players they had earlier butted heads with and their game would have suffered for it.
8) A Happy Wife is a Happy Life
Best alliances are when both sides are equally satisfied. Nobody is growing faster then the other, nobody is trying to steer an advantage in their favour, nobody is more vulnerable then the other, nobody is assuming more risk. This is a bit idealistic, but you get the idea. Occasionally offering to take a bigger bite of risk or suggesting for your ally to take a center is an investment in a strong alliance, and a strong alliance can get you incredible far. Be conscious of potential causes of frustration for an ally (like getting boxed in or taking the majority of the heat) could save you from a stab. If it makes strategic sense for your team, don't be afraid to gift over a center.
9) Other Ways to Skin a Cat
Not every gain needs to come through brute force, it's called "diplomacy" for a reason. Many people don't even consider this aspect of the game. Sometimes rather then spending 3 years trying to force your way into the one space that is going to open up a tonne of growth opportunity for you maybe a "trade" with your neighbour is the better and quicker way to resolve thing, or support against an enemy that's been threatening him, or any number of other incentives you can offer. I see games lost as players fight over hard to get "small potato" claims while they're enemies run around grabbing all the "low hanging fruit". Keep the big picture in mind and consider all options of how to get there.
Again, there are many different philosophies to how to succeed in this game and different things work for different people. Some succeed well with "shock and awe", some confuse and play wild card, and some are very good at laying low but knowing when to strike at the critical point.
Don't worry, this doesn't really scratch the surface of all my trade secrets but hopefully enough to get a dialogue going. Love to hear some debate on this from all you Top 100 players out there.
1) Communicate, Communicate, Communicate
As has been outlined so many times in Diplomacy advice, communication is a given if you want to be successful in this game. You're not going to win very many classic games using a gunboat mentality. You need to be in constant communication building alliances, negotiating treaties, gathering information, influencing people to do what you want them to do, and when necessary spreading propaganda. There's a relationship building aspect to the game and the better players understand this.
2) Be Likeable
Many people completely miss this, but personality and likability will get you very far in a game. A lot of players try to influence players simply through fear-mongering of other players, deceit, and misdirection - don’t get me wrong, these are tools you can have in your toolbox, but they shouldn’t be your go-to. It’s like the saying goes, ‘you catch more flies with honey then vinegar’. Put the effort in to bond with the other players on the board so they enjoy talking to you and ‘like’ to work with you. Create a relationship where you’re a person they feel comfortable with venting about others to or bouncing around gossip. Some players have a very hard time stabbing somebody they really like and respect and sometimes you win the game because the players who have no shot at winning decide to throw their support behind you because they like and respect you best. Balki Bartokomous and Octavious are both masters at crafting relationships across the board.
3) All About the Moves
This is the chess aspect of the game. You need to know the board very well and have a sense for what your opponents are planning to do. You also need to have the sense to look a move or two ahead. Smart players realize that it's not about where you are in the spring its about where you are in the fall. Best way I've found to sharpen this skill is two-player or gunboat games where you can remove the diplomacy aspect of the game and focus only on perfecting moves. I find it helps to try to first figure out what moves you would do if you were in your enemy and then basing your moves around those. xorxes is not just exceptional at knowing how the board works, he seems to have an amazing ability to predict how players are going to move.
4) "Spidey Senses"
Good players can sense when a stab is coming. They know because of a shift in mood, a change in communications, suspicious actions, or sometimes just as simple as seeing you would stab too if they were in their opponents shoes. Many players can feel the stab coming, but for some reason many players don't act on this suspicion. They decide to wait until after the stab comes to react, although by that point it's usually nothing more then name calling because the damage is done. If you feel a stab coming then call the person out, prepare for it, or beat them to the punch. I'd much rather be called paranoid then a sucker. Often say his first sign of an impending stab is a sudden drop off in communications. If they stop talking, prepare for the worst.
5) Protect Your Interests
As ties in to #4’, good players take precautions always. You can be extremely trusting to your allies in the beginning but don't leave your throat exposed too long and never ever in the end game. Constantly keep allies and neighbouring treaties in check and call them out on any concerns. Diplomatically set an expectation of your allies to always ask permission if they are going to cut too close to any of your centers and always try to have a good understanding of what their plans are so you're never caught off guard. Playing with players like MadMarx and SocratesDissatisfied as allies i found our alliance was in a perpetual state of negotiations and renegotiations, it was just baked into our daily discussions. It can take a thick skin to be able to endure some of the occasional heatedness of the talks without it becoming personal.
6) Appreciate the Value of Trust
Most games will require some degree of lying sooner or later, however trust is currency in this game so don't give it away haphazardly. Once a bridge is burned its often gone for the remainder of the game so be very sparing with lies that will catch up with you or blatant betrayals that leave a bruise of resentment. I've seen way too often players playing too hard too fast only to have painted themselves into a corner by mid-game when nobody is willing to work with them. Likewise, same applies for your competitors - any opportunity to discredit them is extremely useful. TheHangedMan had mastered the commodity of trustworthiness which gets him extremely far in his games most to the time. People know he rarely lies which makes everybody want to align with him and often feel very guilty about ever wanting to betray him (I was an exception). I recall a time when THM had broken his relationship with me and attacked me, yet was hard to feel betrayed about it because he was relatively upfront about it and made the effort to explain the logical reasoning for it. PeterWiggins on the other hand was highly skilled at subtly and believably spreading mistrust and dissension amongst players through whispers and half-truths.
7) Adapt and Evolve
The best players are the ones who know how to adapt as the game goes on. Follow the opportunity. Regardless of how ugly a stab is, you may still have use for that person later on so try not to slam the door shut on that person. Your bitter enemy today might be a mutually ideal ally later in the game. Would be a shame to let hard feelings stand in he way of a terrific opportunity. For the wildly entertaining finals of the 2016 World Cup Finals Public Press had many of our best players come together trying to out diplomacize each other out in the open. These players were exceptional at adapting to ever changing circumstances leading to a roller coaster of ever changing alliances and worst enemies swapping to (reluctant) best friends. Weaker players would have written off players they had earlier butted heads with and their game would have suffered for it.
8) A Happy Wife is a Happy Life
Best alliances are when both sides are equally satisfied. Nobody is growing faster then the other, nobody is trying to steer an advantage in their favour, nobody is more vulnerable then the other, nobody is assuming more risk. This is a bit idealistic, but you get the idea. Occasionally offering to take a bigger bite of risk or suggesting for your ally to take a center is an investment in a strong alliance, and a strong alliance can get you incredible far. Be conscious of potential causes of frustration for an ally (like getting boxed in or taking the majority of the heat) could save you from a stab. If it makes strategic sense for your team, don't be afraid to gift over a center.
9) Other Ways to Skin a Cat
Not every gain needs to come through brute force, it's called "diplomacy" for a reason. Many people don't even consider this aspect of the game. Sometimes rather then spending 3 years trying to force your way into the one space that is going to open up a tonne of growth opportunity for you maybe a "trade" with your neighbour is the better and quicker way to resolve thing, or support against an enemy that's been threatening him, or any number of other incentives you can offer. I see games lost as players fight over hard to get "small potato" claims while they're enemies run around grabbing all the "low hanging fruit". Keep the big picture in mind and consider all options of how to get there.
Again, there are many different philosophies to how to succeed in this game and different things work for different people. Some succeed well with "shock and awe", some confuse and play wild card, and some are very good at laying low but knowing when to strike at the critical point.
Don't worry, this doesn't really scratch the surface of all my trade secrets but hopefully enough to get a dialogue going. Love to hear some debate on this from all you Top 100 players out there.