Musings on the Stab

Diplomacy is a game of negotiation and tactics leading to some grand strategy. Periodically this will lead to one player reneging on an agreement with another, in favor of greater tactical advantage. A direct assault on a former ally that leaves his rear open, or the total reversal of an alliance, is referred to as [...]

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Shuhari and Diplomacy

In Japanese martial arts, and other disciplines, there is a concept called Shuhari, which translates roughly as “obey, digress, separate” or, more loosely and in context, “learn the rules, question the rules, transcend the rules”. It is a continuous cycle that is the basis for expanding from the fundamentals to a higher level of ability, [...]

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The Importance of Gal, Part II

In my last post I discussed how important control of Gal is for Austria, with some discussion of what happens if Russia occupies or doesn’t occupy Gal in Spring 1901. The flip side of this coin, obviously, is what it all means for Russia. So let’s look at a few of the same scenarios as [...]

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Turkey: 1901 Strategies

Turkey is another nation that faces limited, but extremely momentous, decisions- like England, it sits in a corner. While this makes it inherently difficult to conquer, it also makes it difficult to push out past a fairly small perimeter- this is something important to keep in mind as you look at the map and read [...]

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England: 1901 Strategies

For the first of the 1901 Opening Strategy posts, I will start off with a nation that has only one or two real decisions to make on the first move, but they are colossal ones- England. First, to visualize the ‘reach’ of England in the first year, I find the following types of maps helpful; [...]

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Spring 1901

Contrary to the reactions most people have after they see the results of the very first move of the game, you can’t win the game in the first move. You can lose it there, though, but not through a poor move selection- just by poor small-d diplomacy. The important thing to consider when you’re making [...]

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The Importance of Gal, Part I

There are a few very pivotal non-SC spaces on the Diplomacy map. Bel is the lynchpin for any war between France and Germany. Eng is always a point of serious contention between England and France, even when they are on good terms. Ion is frequently a source of friction for Italy and Turkey, and usually [...]

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How Not To Begin

Starting out in the game of Diplomacy can be wildly intimidating. There are, however, a few simple things that you can avoid doing, and since I love lists of ten, here are ten things you should not do if you’re first starting out: Do not wait for other people to contact you. Reach out and [...]

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Introducing Press Central

Welcome to Press Central, a blog dedicated to commenting on strategy, tactics, and the flow of the board game Diplomacy. For those not in the know, Diplomacy is a grand strategic board game invented by Allan Calhamer, featuring the seven great (and not-so-great) world powers of 1900 Europe: England, France, Germany, Russia, Turkey, Italy, Austria, [...]

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