History TabletopGame / Diplomacy

* FlyingDutchman: The name was appropriated for the tactic of sneaking a counter onto the board when nobody's looking. It's generally considered legal so long as it's taken off when called on it (however, turns are not replayed if it's been making stuff happen).

* HonorBeforeReason: Someone who practices this is referred to as an "armoured duck" in the lingo. It is ''not'' a compliment; a good player is flexible enough to backstab someone if it'll get him the win, and to break off a war in progress (or even forgive a stab) if the board position demands it.
** Of course, a ''very'' good player [[IKNowYouKnowIKnow might conceivably intentionally make themselves be seen as an armored duck]] to avoid attacks being launched against them, and then strike at the opportune moment to eliminate ''multiple'' opponents.

* PragmaticVillainy: It is the general consensus that players should keep their treachery level to a minimum. So that when they really need to backstab someone, it will really hurt.

* [[XanatosPlannedThisIndex Xanatos Planned This Game]]

Also known simply as [[SpellMyNameWithAThe The Hobby]]. Not to be confused with the [[Fanfic/{{Diplomacy}} popular Warcraft fanfic]].

** Can be agreed upon by neighboring powers in negotiations (e.g., England and France agree to keep the English Channel a neutral zone as a fleet in there by one is almost certainly a danger for the other while also freeing up their fleets in London and Brest to move elsewhere). Like all other agreements, it's only as good as the nonexistant paper it's written on.

* AlternateHistory
* AttackPatternAlpha: Many custom names have been created for openings, strategies and alliances, often derived from the late Richard Sharp's book, ''[[http://www.diplomacy-archive.com/god.htm The Game of Diplomacy]]'', for example the Lepanto, an Austrian-Italian alliance to quickly eliminate Turkey, named after a 1571 battle.
** Many of these names are so ubiquitous that it becomes a case of CallingYourAttacks. The "Juggernaut" in particular is thrown around in every game, regardless of the actual alliance situation. [[note]]The Juggernaut is a term for any Russia/Turkey alliance. This covers the eastern side of the board and is widely regarded as an exceptionally strong alliance, but is beatable by coordinated action by other players. Accordingly, any player with an interest in containing Russia or Turkey wants everyone to think that there's a Juggernaut going on; an ''actual'' Juggernaut, conversely, wants to keep the lid on this as long as possible.[[/note]]
* BalanceOfPower

* TheDragon: A winning player often has another player working for him, popularly called a "janissary." Be careful because he will likely be TheStarscream.
** Often the Dragon has already been rendered incapable of winning, and their agenda is simply to [[KingmakerScenario make sure that whoever did it doesn't win either]]. Because revenge is a dish that is BestServedCold.

* GovernmentInExile: If a player's home Supply Centers are captured, the player can still survive as long as he has at least one SC left. But a home SC is necessary to raise more forces.
** The "chaos" variant eliminates this rule.
* GunboatDiplomacy: The name of a variant in which players cannot communicate with each other.

* LoveDodecahedron: With wars and alliances instead of hate or love relationships. It's worse because instead of A < B > C > D < E <> F < G, everybody has some kind of relationship with almost everybody else.
** And Heaven help you when there really are sexually compatible people at the table who are willing to flirt to win.

* TheNeutralZone: Can be agreed upon by neighboring powers in negotiations (e.g., England and France agree to keep the English Channel a neutral zone as a fleet in there by one is almost certainly a danger for the other while also freeing up their fleets in London and Brest to move elsewhere). Like all other agreements, it's only as good as the nonexistant paper its written on.
** Switzerland is always impassable, enforced by rule.

* TakeOverTheWorld: Sort of. You win by having more then half the supply centers on the board in your control which means you can claim to be the most powerful EvilOverlord in the world.
** The assumption is that once you own more than half the board, you can crush the opposition by yourself.

* UsefulNotes/WorldWarI: InNameOnly. The map borders are actually from 1914, and anything can happen from there.
** UsefulNotes/WorldWarII: The variants exist.

* RiskStyleMap: [[http://www.diplom.org/Online/maps/colordip.gif Just look at it]].

A TurnBasedStrategy board game, and one of the all-time classics, created by Allan B. Calhamer in 1954 and first published in 1959. While playing the game, a practice of dealing honestly and fairly with your opponents (inside the rules of the game) can be described much more succinctly as "losing". Possibly the most intense board game experience ever created, it has incredibly simple rules, is still popular fifty years after its publication, and ''will break your tiny little mind''. As an added bonus, there is a complete absence of any influence of random chance over the game: whatever happens, happens as a direct result of player decisions. Including stabbing you in the back, taking over your entire empire, and driving you out of the game, all because you believed the guy playing UsefulNotes/{{Turkey}} when he said he was going to invade Tunis this turn.

* CelebrityEndorsement: a 1962 release noted it was played in the Kennedy White House, while a mid-1970s release pointed out this was Henry Kissinger's favorite game

* EspionageTropes (Any you can fit in the context of seven players. As exchanging information picked up from conversations with other players is perfectly legal, so is all the trickery associated with such.)

->''"I got my buddy. I'll trust him with my car, my computer and my rent. I will not trust that son of a bitch with Belgium, though."''

A TurnBasedStrategy board game, and one of the all-time classics, created by Allan B. Calhamer in 1954 and first published in 1959. While playing the game, a practice of dealing honestly and fairly with your opponents (inside the rules of the game) can be described much more succinctly as "losing". Possibly the most intense board game experience ever created, it has incredibly simple rules, is still popular fifty years after its publication, and ''will break your tiny little mind''. As an added bonus, there is a complete absence of any influence of random chance over the game: whatever happens, happens as a direct result of player decisions. Including stabbing you in the back, taking over your entire empire, and driving you out of the game, all because you believed the guy playing Turkey when he said he was going to invade Tunis this turn.

Originally designed as a game aid to teach people about diplomacy and the world situation before World War I, the game has been destroying friendships, making people pass out from stress, and ruining lives ever since.

* AttackPatternAlpha: Many custom names have been created for openings, strategies and alliances, often derived from the late Richard Sharp's book, ''[[http://www.diplom.org/~diparch/god.htm The Game of Diplomacy]]'', for example the Lepanto, an Austrian-Italian alliance to quickly eliminate Turkey, named after a 1571 battle.

* RiskStyleMap: [[http://www.diplom.org/Online/maps/colordip.gif Just look at it]]
* RussianGuySuffersMost: Because Russia begins the game with the most forces and, in terms of actual tournament statistics, it is frequently ganged up on.

Between these moves there is much negotiation. Back-stabbing, lying, alliances etc. is positively encouraged and widespread. There are [[EvenEvilHasStandards some actions though (i.e. altering your opponent's orders, impersonation in correspondence games) that are widely considered ungentlemanly.]] It is impossible to win the game without making alliances, and even more impossible to win without subsequently breaking them.

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* RussianGuySuffersMost: Because Russia begins the game with the most forces and, in terms of actual tournament statistics, it is frequently ganged up on - certainly, when playing Russia, always try to get the Germans and the Turks on side, as if they are together, you are looking at Hitler rolled into Napoleon rolled into Ghenghis from turn one. [[ExtremeMeleeRevenge If you survive it, however...]]

* RussianGuySuffersMost: Because Russia begins the game with the most forces and, in terms of actual tournament statistics, it is frequently ganged up on - certainly, when playing Russia, always try to get the Germans and the Turks on side, as if they are together, you are looking at Napoleon rolled into Hitler rolled into Reagan from turn one. [[ExtremeMeleeRevenge If you survive it, however...]]

* EnemyMine: We call this an "alliance."

* EspionageTropes (Any you can fit in the context of seven players. As exchanging information picked up from conversations with other players is perfectly legal, so is all the trickery associated with such.)

Between these moves there is much negotiation. Back-stabbing, lying, alliances etc. is positively encouraged and widespread; in many games, only [[EvenEvilHasStandards deception of the GM is forbidden]]. It is impossible to win the game without making alliances, and even more impossible to win without subsequently breaking them.

** Many of these names are so ubiquitous that it becomes a case of CallingYourAttacks. The "Juggernaut" in particular is thrown around in every game, regardless of the actual alliance situation. [[note]]The Juggernaut is a term for any Russia/Turkey alliance. This covers the eastern side of the board and is widely regarded as an exceptionally strong alliance, but is beatable by coordinated action by other players. Accordingly, any player with an interest in containing Russia or Turkey wants everyone to think that there's a Juggernaut going on; an ''actual'' Juggernaut, conversely, wants to keep the lid on this as long as possible.[[/note]

Between these moves there is much negotiation. Back-stabbing, lying, alliances etc. is positively encouraged and widespread. There are [[EvenEvilHasStandards some actions though (i.e. altering your opponent's orders, impersonation in correspondence games) that are considered ungentlemanly.]] It is impossible to win the game without making alliances, and even more impossible to win without subsequently breaking them.

** Many of these names are so ubiquitous that it becomes a case of CallingYourAttacks. The "Juggernaut" in particular is thrown around in every game, regardless of Russia and Turkey allying.

* LoveDodecahedron: With wars and alliances instead of hate or love relationships. It's worse because instead of A < B > C > D < E <> F, everybody has some kind of relationship with almost everybody else.

** And Heaven help you when there really are sexually compatible at the table who are willing to flirt to win.

** And Heaven help you when there really are mixed genders at the table who are willing to flirt to win.