For the average American I describe it as part Risk (board game, map etc.) and and part Survivor (negotiations, diplomacy, trust).

WTF is Survivor??

A stupid reality show.

When I first learned about Diplomacy, I described it as "Take Risk, combine it with Mafia, and complicate it five times more."

It's like international diplomacy. Right?

It's like pre WWI europe. Right?

mafia is awesome, and while it has spread worldwide (and been renamed; werewolves in america and mother in china...) it is not that well known.

i played mafia here in America and we didnt call it werewolves

mafia is still called mafia in america

^the last two comments

In America, the game is called Mafia and in Europe, it's more commonly called werewolf. That being said, it's not much like Diplomacy at all...

I usually explain it by telling them the objective, to conquer more than half of the cities in Europe.

Yes, it is a lot like Survivor. The technical strategies behind making and breaking alliances are very different because there are so many more players and you can keep a 5 way alliance together until almost the very end. But yeah, there is a lot of the same sort of diplomacy going on.

I tell people "It's roughly equal parts strategy, tactics, negotiation, and psychology."

A game of diplomacy is just like sex.
Even if it's bad, it's still pretty good.

A game of diplomacy is just like sex.
Lots and lots of hard work, and then you lose.

Diplomacy is like a box of chocolates. You never know which country you will get.

A game of diplomacy is just like sex. If you don't go in with enough protection, you may need to pull out.

We tell ourselves diplomacy is like sex, because it seems we can have one or the other, but not both.

A game of diplomacy is just like sex. Once the other six have paired up it's suddenly not as fun anymore.

Lawl

Diplomacy is like marriage, one well placed lie can get you out of a lot of trouble

+1 Mafialligator

I always describe diplomacy as like multiplayer chess where you talk to the other players, and all the players can switch allegiances at any time.

"We tell ourselves diplomacy is like sex, because it seems we can have one or the other, but not both."

My girlfriend would agree with this (she hates me playing diplomacy).
Too much Diplomacy = No Sex

I usually describe Diplomacy as sort of a three-way mesh between Risk, chess, and poker...the idea of conquest, the tactics and dealing, and then that bluff/call/raise factor in power, and trying to read people and wok them is a factor in all three games.

Survivor is sheer stupidity televised--like any other reality show, really...

WebDiplomacy is where you get together with guys and girls who lie and cheat and talk philosophy and talk a load of shit about the best 100 movies ever made; sometimes fights break out and religion is argued about and even though you hate every other son-of-a-mother you can't leave even though you know they all hate you aswell.

In summary - Webdiplomacy = The heroin den of internet board games.

Maniac I think you've nailed it! - can i get that slogan on a t-shirt?

@fiedler - sure, we'll print some up and share the royalites

We could in fact print up a range of t0shirts and see if any of them sell. How about...

"I understand some bits of Shakespeare therefore i'm a genius"
"I once passed a market stall therefore I think we hould abolish the NHS"
"I'm a kickass marine, please don't call me names"
"I'm right, I'm right, I'm right, i'm not listening"
"This book says something about that therefore it must be true"
"I know all the evidence points to something being true, but that's waht they want you to believe"
"PPSC sucks"
"WTA sucks"
"Maniac +1"

I only really see one person buying that last t-shirt.