Need a brand new strategy

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.diplomacy (More info?)

I'm entered in a PMEB tournament and am looking for recommendations
for a different sort of strategy to try out. Basically (A) I don't
seem to be getting any better sticking to variations of the "normal"
strategies and (B) I'm bored. In my day-to-day games, I've gotten
around the bored thing by playing map/rules/press variations. But the
tourament is plain vanilla full-press, etc.

So I'm here looking for unusual ways to play the game, but nothing so
unusual that it crosses over into unfair-for-others goofy play. One
thing that I've got in mind is an all out attack on a non-traditional
target. But even that isn't altogether satisfying.

You guys have any creative ideas?

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.diplomacy (More info?)

Although I firmly believe that every game of Diplomacy is substantially
different enough that I dont need to get "creative" to enjoy myself, I will
often use games that "dont count" to try playing differently. Here's some
very general ideas.

1) Try an unconventional opening. As England, invite France into the
Channel to convoy you into Belgium in the fall so that we could get extra
good position against Germany. As Germany, try opening to Silesia. Open
north with Russia. You get the idea. Different openings can require vastly
different diplomacy and make things very interesting early on.

2) Stab your ally. Be unforgiving about it but open to renegotiating the
position afterward. Ignore all conventional notions of "alliances" and just
play the board as it stands each turn.

3) Don't stab your ally. Play a care-bear game. Get a solo if you can in
the end, but play a long-term alliance game and see where it goes.

4) Be a pawn. Let someone else control you and see what its like to be in
the shoes of the underling.

5) Take chances where you otherwise might play conservatively. Push your
units in different directions to get across the stalemate line early. Work
on 3 different fronts at once.

6) Make a plan and stick to it no matter what. Don't let the board dictate
your moves, dictate them yourself, even if things seem to be going awry.

I dont know if these are the sorts of things you had in mind, but making
slight modifications on your normal style, whatever that is, can have a big
impact on your game. And you can end up learning a lot about how people of
other styles play.

-Adam

"salmoneous" <salmoneous@aol.com> wrote in message
news:54daff87.0406151107.1d0d170b@posting.google.com...
> I'm entered in a PMEB tournament and am looking for recommendations
> for a different sort of strategy to try out. Basically (A) I don't
> seem to be getting any better sticking to variations of the "normal"
> strategies and (B) I'm bored. In my day-to-day games, I've gotten
> around the bored thing by playing map/rules/press variations. But the
> tourament is plain vanilla full-press, etc.
>
> So I'm here looking for unusual ways to play the game, but nothing so
> unusual that it crosses over into unfair-for-others goofy play. One
> thing that I've got in mind is an all out attack on a non-traditional
> target. But even that isn't altogether satisfying.
>
> You guys have any creative ideas?

 

[rs]

Archived from groups: rec.games.diplomacy (More info?)

If you have players on your tournament board that care about their own
performance, they might likely be rather ticked that you chose their
tournament board to get your ya-ya's out on.


"salmoneous" <salmoneous@aol.com> wrote in message
news:54daff87.0406151107.1d0d170b@posting.google.com...
> I'm entered in a PMEB tournament and am looking for recommendations
> for a different sort of strategy to try out. Basically (A) I don't
> seem to be getting any better sticking to variations of the "normal"
> strategies and (B) I'm bored. In my day-to-day games, I've gotten
> around the bored thing by playing map/rules/press variations. But the
> tourament is plain vanilla full-press, etc.
>
> So I'm here looking for unusual ways to play the game, but nothing so
> unusual that it crosses over into unfair-for-others goofy play. One
> thing that I've got in mind is an all out attack on a non-traditional
> target. But even that isn't altogether satisfying.
>
> You guys have any creative ideas?

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.diplomacy (More info?)

"salmoneous" <salmoneous@aol.com> wrote in message
news:54daff87.0406151107.1d0d170b@posting.google.com...
> I'm entered in a PMEB tournament and am looking for recommendations
> for a different sort of strategy to try out. Basically (A) I don't
> seem to be getting any better sticking to variations of the "normal"
> strategies and (B) I'm bored. In my day-to-day games, I've gotten
> around the bored thing by playing map/rules/press variations. But the
> tourament is plain vanilla full-press, etc.

Roleplay! Write all your press from the point of view of
a fictional character, historical or fantastic or just plain made-up.
There's a great description on the Dip Pouch web site somewhere of
a game where the players were science-fictional groups, and the
eventual winner got a lot of mileage out of everyone's assumption
that the Jedi Knights couldn't *really* be allied with the Empire.

I find that trying to stick to my persona actually leads to different
moves on the board. I played in a broadcast-only game as a white-press
persona (Anastasia) and a gray-press one (Rasputin). Anastasia was a bit
more concerned that everyone should like her than I am, and Rasputin was
a lot less concerned. (It was also fun having Rasputin diss Anastasia--
gray press--until I inadvertantly sent white press signed with his name.
Whoops.) Knowing that Anastasia would have to back up my moves, I
think I made more conciliatory moves. (Ended up in a three-way, as
Austria--pretty happy with the result.)

If your games have gray press, try using it. Rasputin actually
turned out to be useful to me: he was a convenient way to spread
rumors (in a broadcast-only game, but it would possibly work
in private-press as well). Gray press in a regular game isn't for
ordinary diplomacy, I think, but for things like vicious gossip
and satire. Rasputin did things like organizing betting contests on
which player would be off the board first--and listening to the
responses was very interesting.

My one PBeM solo, I attribute part of my success to writing song
parodies making fun of the other players. It built up the feeling
in several players that I was a fun person to have around, and
sympathetic to their problems, and a bit too silly to be dangerous.
It was a lot of work, but hey, if you're bored....

Try impersonating a player of the other gender. See if anyone
notices or cares. Or a player from another country. (You would
think this would only work in anonymous games, but in two games
where I didn't mention that I was female, only two or three
players ever figured it out from the dead-obvious clues all over
the Web.)

None of these things spoil your chances of winning or are unfair
to the other players, and if they amuse you, go for it. Roleplaying
can actually be strategically useful, if handled well. (My
problem is that I get too invested in the roleplaying persona
and become reluctant to make "out of character" moves even if they
are good ones. But you don't have to fall into this trap.)

Mary Kuhner mkkuhner@eskimo.com

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.diplomacy (More info?)

"salmoneous" wrote:
> So I'm here looking for unusual ways to play the game, but nothing so
> unusual that it crosses over into unfair-for-others goofy play. One
> thing that I've got in mind is an all out attack on a non-traditional
> target. But even that isn't altogether satisfying.
I would suggest that you experiment with the way you write press.
This can be done in many, many ways. For instance, try to skip all
bullshit from your emails and make them as short as possible.

Lucas

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.diplomacy (More info?)

This would require some players to write very short messages indeed.
They might not even be able to touch the keyboard. :^)))


"Lucas B. Kruijswijk" <L.B.Kruijswijk@inter.nl.net> wrote [edited]:

> I would suggest that you experiment with the way you write press.
> This can be done in many, many ways. For instance, try to skip all
> bullshit from your emails and make them as short as possible.
>
> Lucas

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.diplomacy (More info?)

In article <canlkb$5vv$1@news.stanford.edu>,
"Adam P. Silverman" <agman1010@yahoo.com> writes:
>
> 4) Be a pawn. Let someone else control you and see what its like to be in
> the shoes of the underling.

Adam is particularly fond of this idea if you decide to be *his* pawn.

Doug
--
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
___, Doug Massey, ASIC Digital Logic Designer
\o IBM Microelectronics Division, Burlington, Vermont |>
| Phone: (802)769-7095 t/l: 446-7095 fax: x6752 |
/ \ |
. My homepage: http://doug.obscurestuff.com (|)

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.diplomacy (More info?)

Long e-mails don't have to be full of bullshit.

On 16 Jun 2004 08:12:11 -0700, david_e_cohen@yahoo.com (David E.
Cohen) wrote:

>This would require some players to write very short messages indeed.
>They might not even be able to touch the keyboard. :^)))
>
>
>"Lucas B. Kruijswijk" <L.B.Kruijswijk@inter.nl.net> wrote [edited]:
>
>> I would suggest that you experiment with the way you write press.
>> This can be done in many, many ways. For instance, try to skip all
>> bullshit from your emails and make them as short as possible.
>>
>> Lucas

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.diplomacy (More info?)

> Long e-mails don't have to be full of bullshit.

Agreed, and when someone only writes me one-liners after I've written a
lengthy plan, they are usually not someone I'm going to choose to work with
for very long.

-Adam

>
> On 16 Jun 2004 08:12:11 -0700, david_e_cohen@yahoo.com (David E.
> Cohen) wrote:
>
> >This would require some players to write very short messages indeed.
> >They might not even be able to touch the keyboard. :^)))
> >
> >
> >"Lucas B. Kruijswijk" <L.B.Kruijswijk@inter.nl.net> wrote [edited]:
> >
> >> I would suggest that you experiment with the way you write press.
> >> This can be done in many, many ways. For instance, try to skip all
> >> bullshit from your emails and make them as short as possible.
> >>
> >> Lucas
>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.diplomacy (More info?)

"David E. Cohen" wrote:
> This would require some players to write very short messages indeed.
> They might not even be able to touch the keyboard. :^)))
Well, that is the experience. Changing your way of communication
might lead to results you didn't expect and that can be very
enlighting.

Lucas

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.diplomacy (More info?)

Post your desire for unusual play on r.g.d., wait until you're sure the
other players have read your posts, and then play conventionally.

Chris