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I love diplomacy, and I want more games where the only RNG is the unpredictability of other players.
I have long dreamt of a modernized reimagining of Diplomacy gameplay, on an entirely new map, with the artwork/characters/lore of Root, and a mobile app version as well so I can easily play it asynchronously with friends.
During games of Twilight Imperium and Diplomacy all friendships are suspended until the game is over.
I think in games like Diplomacy and even Game of Thrones, you need to develop a pretty high level of trust to ally with someone which takes time and often initial acts of goodwill to grow. When that nurtured trust is betrayed it can be very jarring for some people that haven't played a game like that before.
One of my friend's wives was a regular participant in our game nights. She played GoT with my game group one time and was the victim of a particularly nasty stab by one of the players towards the end of the 3-hour game.
She uh, doesn't join our game nights anymore :<
Setting expectations for a game like that is important. And if you know someone is not in to betrayal mechanisms, steer them clear.
I was a young engineer visiting Massachusetts for a chip-bringup.
A college buddy had ditched engineering and was at Harvard law.
I stopped by his dorm and played a round of Diplomacy with them. I'm a terribly trusting person, and my "honesty is the best policy" style of gameplay did not leave my nation in the best of positions.
Fun game, certainly different.
I heard one of the world's top diplomacy players is actually plays honorably like 95% of the time. He makes deals with almost everyone early on and generally to their benefit more than his own since building repoire and trust with folks allows you a greater deal of leverage over more of the board. But that's at the highest levels of play.
I played a month long play by e-mail game once with some friends in college. About half of them no longer talk with me because of that game hehue.
I've enjoyed Diplomacy with many friends. We just make sure to talk about the chicanery we're all about to take part in is separate from our real lives.
It's a great game & reminds us that we can all be bastards if we choose. If anything, it makes me cherish the good that my friends choose instead within their real lives.
I quit boardgames for 20yrs after a game of Diplomacy.
You are correct in thinking there was a huge betrayal, that I was not told is part of the game, before beginning.