Diplomacy - PC Game Reviews - The Armchair Empire


	Platform PC Genre Strategy Publisher Paradox Interactive / Atari Developer Paradox Interactive ESRB E (Everyone) Released Q4 2005

- Great translation of the tabletop game - AI opponents are better than average in providing a challenge - A real thinking strategy game

- Relatively anemic production values - Multiplayer could have been better - Depth of play will kill the enjoyment for casual players

Review: Austerlitz: Napoleon's Greatest Victory (PC) Review: Kohan II: Kings of War (PC) Tabletop Game of the Week: Conquest of the Empire
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Diplomacy

Score: 7.9 / 10

As a game, Diplomacy has been around since the 1950s (as my brief research reveals) in tabletop format, though the concept of diplomacy -- working out potentially violent situations with treatise and talk rather than bombs and bullets -- has been around much, much longer. Of course a good chunk of Diplomacy is knowing when to knife a (former) friend to gain the upper hand against foes, which may or may not be treated as a friend until the tactical moment. And in some cases, the knife is buried into your own back.

After working through the full-featured tutorial (recommended if you've never played the tabletop version) the player chooses one of seven European powers and attempt to wipe out the other countries. The crux of the gameplay is that every county starts with the same number of units (Russia gets an additional two) and all units have the same strength (i.e. tanks are equal to infantry). So unlike a game like Risk where armies can be massed, Diplomacy forces the player to ally with other countries to conquer Europe, province by province. This simple setup makes for some very engrossing gameplay.

The downside to tabletop games has always been the necessity of having human opponents over to play. The last time I managed to play a full game of tabletop Diplomacy was back around 1986 on an extended trip to Scotland. I'm pretty sure it was played in the back of a 200 year-old pub. The game ended somewhat prematurely when a few of us passed out and the incident has helped enshrine Diplomacy in a fond nostalgic light. The upside of the PC version is that you don't

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need other human players. The AI can put up a decent show of being competent but for that human touch Diplomacy also features online multiplayer. Unfortunately for me, my Internet connection is about as stable as a group of drunks in a Scottish pub so all but one of my games ended with an ignominious disconnect. However if you're fortunate enough to have a buddy or two over, there's no hot seat play, so have the tabletop version ready.

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Diplomacy captures the tabletop sensibility with a very spartan presentation and a relatively bare bones interface. It's as if Paradox is adhering to an unwritten rule that the more strategic and tactical a game is, the more plain and bare bones the presentation has to be. Case in Point, the stiffly animated AI avatars that pop-up throughout the game. They're present to add a bit of spice to the overall package and offer a chance to get some kind of reading on your allies and opponents. That said, the design is eye-pleasing and very easy to understand thanks to the bold colors.

It bears repeating, Diplomacy is more about capturing the tabletop mechanics (done!) than melting your video card.

For the deep-thinking gamer, Diplomacy fits the bill. It's definitely not without its faults, but fans of turn-based action will fully appreciate what Diplomacy has to offer. Excellent replay value with seven playable countries, good AI, and general fun make it worth the $40US.

- D.D. Nunavut

(October 24, 2005)