They Don't Like It Up 'Em! (part 3): You're in Charge!

There are some things to remember that help you play Diplomacy better. Some of them are tactical, some of them strategic; some are about the way you communicate, or negotiate.

Very few of these things are a collective of everything to do with Dip. Knowing how to take action to prevent defeat, and knowing when to carry home your advantage, are two of these.

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So far, I've looked at how to deal with difficult situations, when someone else is sticking their cold steel into you. Not a nice experience.

In this post, I'm looking at how you can deal with this situation from the other end of the bayonet - you're the one sticking to your opponent. Much nicer... but no less complicated.

The Choice

OK. You're in the position of strength. You're opponent - well, one of them - is at your mercy. You could slip your units deep into her empire, plundering her resources and eliminating her. Success.

But, should you?

Instinct says yes, of course you should, doesn't it? Unless you're a Drawmonger, of course, when she might be your ally and breaking alliances is anathema to you. Wrong game.

Step back for a moment and consider the situation.

Go For It!

Any decision you make in Diplomacy should be based on what is best for you to win the game. If you believe that, long-term, eliminating your opponent now is going to give you a much better position, then go for it.

There are many times when taking this opportunity is what you've planned to do. Your hard work has reaped its rewards. This is the time to drive the advantage home.

There are times when this is an opportunity that you haven't planned to get. That doesn't necessarily mean that your plans shouldn't be reviewed. Flexibility is important. If you prefer, 'agile planning': see how things go and adapt. Again, drive the advantage home.

There's the cliché about not looking a gift horse in the mouth. I've never really understood how that saying has been applied, if I'm honest. Isn't it based on the mythology around the battle for the capture of Troy, when the aggressors built a huge wooden horse, filled it with soldiers, presented it to the Trojans as some sort of peace offering, was taken within the city walls, only for the soldiers to creep out in the dead of night and begin the overthrow of the city?

If so, shouldn't the Trojans have looked it in the mouth? Wasn't not looking it in the mouth somewhat stupid?

I suppose it is more to do with not examining an opportunity too closely; about not over-analysing. Well, as inaccurate as the analogy is, let's take it that way. If it's right, do it.

If it's right.

Danger, Will Robinson.

However, spend at least some time analysing the situation. This is online Diplomacy; there's time. Well, unless you're playing to ridiculously short deadlines, or playing a game as live, when you'll need to make the consideration a quick one. No different to playing f2f, so get some f2f games in.

Make sure this is the right thing. There may be reasons why it isn't.

Is it a trap?

It might be.

Occasionally, the opportunity might appear deliberately. Your opponent might well have presented it to you to encourage you to chase it. Admittedly, not often; not many players would think this creatively.

But some will. I've done it myself, albeit in a limited way: presented an opportunity to grab an SC to encourage the opponent to go for it and put himself in a poor strategic position. It was successful; I soloed in two turns,

Of course, this is a different situation; I'm not talking about the opportunist grab at an SC, I'm talking about the chance to remove an opponent, to develop your empire, to strengthen yourself. I'm looking at a potential game-changing chance.

It still might be a trap.

What if the power that seems to have opened-up to you is the sacrificial lamb? Perhaps she's agreed to be weakened for a time, to let you make the error of going for her and turning your back on the strike that is coming.

What if you haven't properly examined the situation? What if your thrust into the centre of your opponent's empire will enable a scissor-movement, resulting in the separation of your attacking units from your homeland or other units?

If you don't look more carefully, you may be letting the enemy within your walls.

Potentialities

Time to look at the bigger picture. Where are your competitors? (By competitors, I don't mean opponents; I mean the opponents who are likely to compete with you for a win.) What position are they in? How will your actions going to affect them?

If you attack your opponent, how will your actions affect your competitors? If the attack helps them, do you know how you're going to deal with that? Can you deal with that?

There are times when it makes sense to keep an opponent around. These are when the opponent can be useful to prevent a competitor develop his position. What is good for you in the short- or medium-term might be good for your competitor in the long-term.

But there are also times when your potential victim is simply better to keep as an ally. I'm not talking about the Drawmonger's love for maintaining alliances here, I'm talking about strategy. What can your victim do for you?

It may not be that she is better used as a simple bulwark, or barrier, between you and someone else. It may be that, allowing her survival gives you the chance to push on elsewhere. If you could strike but don't, it breeds trust. You may be more secure by allowing her to survive.

What you don't want, of course, is your potential prey to grow into a potential predator. You don't want her to be able to become a competitor. So you need to keep the option to attack her open, if possible.

Be Strategic

You're in the position to launch an unstoppable assault on an opponent. Before taking that opportunity, consider it. What is the best thing to do?

Remember, you're actually trying to win the game, to win the war. This decision may seem perfect - and it may be the perfect chance to stab. But is it the best time to stab?

You are in control. Control simply means you have the responsibility, to yourself, to use that control effectively.

Heathley Baines (Nibbler)

Editor

The Series "They Don't Like It Up 'Em!"

Part 1: "The Wrong End of the Bayonet"

Part 2: "When All Else Fails"

Part 3: "You're in Charge!"