I’m in the middle of giving Diplomacy a spin. It looks promising so far, but it may be that this is one of those games where YMMV based upon who you play with. I can see how some types of gamers would love a game like this, while others would just grief everyone and suck the fun out of it, and still others that would hate it on principle.
PRO:
I like the idea of having everyone move at the same time, more realistic. You actually have surprises. Watching the faces of people that just got stabbed is classic.
No real down-time.
Technically, the war has not started yet so you get to choose your own allies.
No luck, only pure strategy and cunning.
Support Costs. Basically, you can’t just keep building and building forever. More realistic.
Fleets are a major part of the game, not just a mode of transportation for armies.
CON:
Adjudication. The simple hold, attack, support, convoy orders can get very complex very quickly, but you have to have know it to get your armies and fleets to do what you want. Then you have to figure out how it settles when all the orders start clashing together. Yes, there are paradoxes.
Stalemates. 2, 3, and even 4 way ties are normal. You can spend hours upon hours playing only to have no winner.
Finding players. You really need all 7 to get the full experience.
If your friends are the sort that hold grudges, you may actually lose their friendship just by playing this game once.
