15 votes

The board game of the alpha nerds. Before Risk, before Dungeons & Dragons, before Magic: The Gathering, there was Diplomacy.

Posted by Algernon_Asimov
Tags: board games, diplomacy, history, profiles, nerds, author.david hill, source.grantland, long read
https://grantland.com/features/diplomacy-the-board-game-of-the-alpha-nerds/

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Title
The Board Game of the Alpha Nerds
Authors
David Hill, Bill Barnwell, Ben Lindbergh, Brian Phillips
Published
Jun 18 2014
Word count
6211 words

5 comments

  1. Ephemere
    Link
    Oh man, this game caused me to literally lose a friendship I had enjoyed for decades, and it was the first game I had ever played, too. Apparently agreeing to perma-ally with someone whom you have...

    Oh man, this game caused me to literally lose a friendship I had enjoyed for decades, and it was the first game I had ever played, too. Apparently agreeing to perma-ally with someone whom you have an existing close relationship is deeply against the spirit of the rules, though at the time it seemed to be a suitable plot.

    Afterwards I played a number of 'a turn a day' games here https://www.playdiplomacy.com/. It was great fun, but I eventually realized that it was dominating my thinking and producing anxiety in a nonproductive way, so I stopped.

    6 votes
  2. [4]
    Quanttek
    Link
    Is there any game like Diplomacy for "Eurogamers"? That is, a game where negotiation etc. is super important but that maybe is more flexible with the number of players and that emphasizes...

    Is there any game like Diplomacy for "Eurogamers"? That is, a game where negotiation etc. is super important but that maybe is more flexible with the number of players and that emphasizes elimination less?

    4 votes
    1. [3]
      Algernon_Asimov
      Link Parent
      I haven't encountered any game like this, myself. But it sounds like it would be an interesting game to play. Although... the style of Diplomacy might be incompatible with Eurogaming. Eurogames...

      I haven't encountered any game like this, myself. But it sounds like it would be an interesting game to play.

      Although... the style of Diplomacy might be incompatible with Eurogaming. Eurogames tend to have a strong emphasis on resource-building and/or worker placement, and de-emphasise the interpersonal element. There's not really a lot of direct conflict in Eurogames.

      The closest I can think of is cooperative games, like Pandemic or Betrayal at the House on the Hill.

      3 votes
      1. [2]
        Quanttek
        Link Parent
        I'll check them out, thanks! Not looking per se dir a "Euro-Diplomacy" per se though, mostly a game with a similar emphasis on negotiation but with less elimination (or at least late elimination)...

        I'll check them out, thanks! Not looking per se dir a "Euro-Diplomacy" per se though, mostly a game with a similar emphasis on negotiation but with less elimination (or at least late elimination) and more flexibility in the number of players.

        2 votes
        1. Algernon_Asimov
          Link Parent
          Co-op games are all about working together. I'm not sure it counts as negotiation, as it's talking with people working with you, rather than people working against you. But most Euro games do seem...

          Co-op games are all about working together. I'm not sure it counts as negotiation, as it's talking with people working with you, rather than people working against you.

          But most Euro games do seem to focus more on placing pieces and building resources than interacting with other players. Which is a shame. I like games that have a lot of interaction between players. But I also like Eurogames. :)

          1 vote