Diplomacy Basic Rules(For more details see the actual Board Game Rules) Return to Home page
General Rules
Each player represents one of the Great Powers of Europe in the years just prior to WW1: England; Germany; Russia; Turkey; Austria-Hungary; Italy; and France. As soon as one power controls 18 Supply Centers, it has gained control of Europe and is the winner. (The runners-up are determined by how many Supply Centre they control).
In between each move (simultaneous play) there are opportunities to contact other players by eMail, and make any plans, decision, announcements that you wish.
At the start of the game each power has the following Supply Centres (see game map)
England F London F Edinburgh A Liverpool  
Germany A Berlin A Munich F Kiel  
Russia A Moscow A Warsaw F St Petersberg (S) F Sevastopol
Turkey A Constantinople A Smyrna F Ankara  
Austria-Hungary A Vienna A Budapest F Trieste  
Italy A Rome A Venice F Naples  
France A Paris A Marseilles F Brest  

The 12 remaining Supply Centres are not occupied at the start of the game.
Special Rules: Kiel & Constantinople by virtue of waterways can be moved through by Fleets or Armies. Denmark occupies the land and sea. Some Provinces have 2 coastlines - Bulgaria, Spain, & St Petersburg - any fleets moving to these areas must specify which part of the coastline.

Movement
Only one unit may be in a space at a time.
On each move each Power may order all, some, or none of its units.
An army may be ordered to move, hold or support
A Fleet may be ordered to move, hold, support or convoy
A unit may move to an adjacent space unless this causes conflict with another unit (Army-land and coast; Fleet-sea and coast)
(Note: fleets cannot cross land so for example a fleet cannot move directly from Rome to Venice)

Conflicts
If 2 or more units are ordered to the same space, none may move. This is a stand-off

Support
A unit may give up its move to support another unit trying to hold or enter a space. This must be a space that it could have moved to.
The effect of support is that a unit moves with the strength of itself and all its valid supports.
Unless it is opposed by a unit equally well or better supported then it may make its move.

Retreats
After all moves made, any dislodged unit may make a retreat to an adjacent space. If this is impossible it is removed.

Convoy
A fleet may convoy an Army across a body of water, or multiple fleets across several bodies of water.

Gaining and Losing Units
Occupation of a Supply Centre occurs when a unit is located in that Centre after a Fall (Autumn) Move. Once established this Centre can be left vacant if required and a unit maintained elsewhere.
After the Autumn (Fall) Moves have been made, each players number of Units must be adjusted to equal the number of Supply Centres controlled.