At the turn of the 20th century, the seven Great European Powers engage in an intricate struggle for supremacy. Military forces invade and withdraw, shifting borders and altering empires with subtle maneuvers and daring gambits. Form alliances and unleash your traitorous plots as you negotiate and outwit in a delicate balance of cooperation and competition to gain dominance of the continent! In Diplomacy, your success hinges not on the luck of the dice, but your cunning and cleverness.

The Annual Diplomacy Tournament will feature three Swiss rounds over two days. Best two rounds of three will count towards the tournament score. Best Country awards and tournament prizes will be provided by the GM. Firm time limits for negotiation and order writing will be followed to ensure expedient play for competitors with other events on their schedule. No experience required; rules taught.

Diplomacy Rules

Player Conduct

All players are expected to play in their own best interest and to behave in a sportsmanlike manner.

Players that demonstrate abusive or disruptive behavior contrary to the safety and comfort of themselves or the other players may result in that players being asked or forced by the GM to leave the round or the tournament.

In the event a player must or chooses to abandon his position prior to the end of the game, the GM reserves the right to name a replacement player or declare the power in permanent civil disorder. If the previous player returns, it is up to the GM if he is allowed to take the position over. Any replacement player will receive credit for the round.

Diplomacy games & tournaments should be a fun, inclusive, and welcoming environment. Harassment of players or guests is not tolerated in any form. Harassment includes offensive verbal comments related to gender, sexual orientation, relationship status, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, national origin, or religion; sexual images in public spaces; deliberate intimidation; stalking; following; harassing photography or recording; inappropriate physical contact; and unwelcome sexual attention.

Unwelcome behavior includes damaging property – either the game or personal property – as well as sustained actions that disrupt a game or disturb guests.

Participants asked to stop any harassing or unwelcome behavior are expected to comply immediately. If a participant engages in harassing or unwelcome behavior, the GM may take any action they deem appropriate, including warning the offender or asking them to leave the board or tournament. If you are being harassed, notice that someone else is being harassed, or have any other concerns, please contact the GM immediately.

During the course of play, if a player abandons their position to another player for the purposes of advancement to the Top Board, the GM may elect to invalidate the score of both players for the round and may further elect to disqualify both players from the tournament.

Players are expected to adhere to Code of Conduct for the overseeing convention or venue, and any situation where these rules conflict with the convention or venue, those rules will take precedence over the Diplomacy event. This explanation for Code of Conduct is meant to be a guideline for Diplomacy players and their guests to better understand acceptable behavior and any potential disciplinary process, but it is only a guideline. The GM, venue, or convention may deviate from this procedure at any time and in any manner and reserves all rights & remedies available in law and equity.

Tournament Structure

Rules

2023 Hasbro/Avalon Hill/Renegade Games Studios 6th edition rules (except where noted in this document) will be used.

Rounds

Three rounds of play are scheduled. Players are under no obligation to play in any number of rounds and should feel free to play in as few or as many as they please. The best two of three rounds will be used for scoring purposes.

Awards

1. WBC Diplomacy Champion
   1. Determined by total point score for best two rounds.
   2. In event of a tie, the following tiebreakers are considered:
      • The player whose highest single game score is greater
      • The player with the highest score obtained in any game in which the tied players opposed each other
      • The player whose average supply center count is higher
      • The player whose overall supply center differential was higher
      • Discretion of the GM
2. Outstanding play of each power (Best Country Awards) -- determined by single-game score, with ties broken at the discretion of the TD

Board Assignments/Power Assignments

1. To be eligible to play during a round, players must check in with the GM prior to the published round start times
2. Board assignments will be determined by random draw or at discretion of the TD dependent on extenuating circumstances (family, health, etc.)
3. Power assignment will be determined by random draw
4. A player should not be assigned the same power twice in the tournament
5. In the event the number of players checked in for a round is not a multiple of seven, the GM may ask designated players to sit out or play on two boards, or alternatively may play on one or two boards themselves.
6. Players are not permitted to swap powers at a board. They must play the power they are assigned, unless they draw the same power from a previous round, in which case they must redraw

Game Timing

• All boards will follow timing according to the published phase requirements on each Supply Center Chart
• Orders must be turned into the box or common location at the deadline for each Turn. One grace period of one minute will be given to each player per game. Further grace periods will be awarded at the discretion of the GM. Anyone who fails to turn in their orders in a timely fashion will have their orders all hold; enforcement is at the discretion of the GM.
• Once adjudication has been completed, all retreating units have been identified, and questions have been answered about invalid retreat options, there will be up to 60 seconds of silent writing time for retreats
• After Fall adjudication, silent writing time for adjustments will follow the published time for Builds and Disbands
• The game will continue from Spring 1901 until end of Fall 1907. All games end at the END of Fall 1907. If the round length of 4 hours is met, then whatever the last Fall turn registered is will be used to count for game score
• If all orders are in early, adjudication may begin if all players on the board agree
• Breaks will occur at the agreement of all players on the board. In the event of extenuating circumstances, the clock may be stopped by the GM

Time Limit per Phase

• Negotiation Spring/Fall – 10 minutes
• Order Writing Spring/Fall – 2 minutes
• Retreats Spring/Fall – 1 minute
• Builds/Disbands Winter – 2 minuters

All orders, including retreats, builds, and disbands, must be written. Implicit orders are not allowed.

1. Unordered units are treated as a hold order regardless of other implied actions. Unordered units or units in civil disorder may receive support in holding. Units given an impossible order are treated as holding. A unit ordered to a distant location shall be considered as an impossible order and held. It is not necessary to designate Army or Fleet except in build orders on coastal provinces. Orders for wrongly designated units are still followed
2. Poorly written orders that allow for only one reasonable reading (ignoring intentionally miswritten orders as a possibility) are to be followed. However, no direct change in the implied individual order is to be made. Standard abbreviations are acceptable. Liv and Nor are NOT valid abbreviations for any province. Leeway may be given by the GM if the order is unambiguous.

   A convoy will always move via its own Power’s fleets if ordered and possibly ignore alternate routes offered by other Powers, unless otherwise specified in the order for the army. “Unwanted convoys” are not permitted. In the event that an army can move to an adjacent coastal province via land or sea, it shall be assumed that the army is moving by land unless otherwise specified in the order (e.g. A Bel --> Hol via Nth convoy). In the case of a valid convoy attack from one coastal province to an adjacent coastal province, the attack will be considered as coming from the fleet for the purposes of retreat, thus allowing the dislodged unit to retreat to the province of the attacker

3. Failure to indicate a coast on a Fleet St. Petersburg build order will result in a waived build. Any fleet move or retreat order from Portugal to Spain, from the Mid-Atlantic Ocean to Spain, or from Constantinople to Bulgaria, must include a coast designation
4. If more than one power has a retreat order, they must be written down. Retreat orders are due within 60 seconds. Disbanding is always an option on a retreat
5. In the event a dispute arises, the GM or his/her designee has final discretion to determine the validity and intent of written orders

Ending the Game

1. The game will end in a solo victory if a single power controls 18 or more supply centers at the end of a Fall move. Solos may not be conceded during the qualifying rounds
2. The game will end in a non-solo resolution if
   • (i) all powers remaining in the game agree to end the game
   • (ii) the GM calls the tournament at the predetermined call time
   • or (iii) by vote
3. The vote shall be conducted in secret in a manner determined by the GM or designated assistant. All votes must be unanimous. Only ONE vote may be held per Spring or Fall phase, at the discretion of the GM. The clock DOES NOT STOP for draw votes. All players with at least one Supply Center are eligible to vote. If a player has abandoned the game or chooses not to vote, he is considered to vote FOR all proposals

Scoring C-Diplo

The points are awarded as follows:

• 1 point for playing
• 1 point per Supply Center
• 38 bonus points for topping the board
• 14 bonus points for 2nd place
• 7 bonus points for 3rd place

In case of a tie for placement the bonus points are shared. The sum total for any board is 100 points, hence "C" as in 100-Diplo. A solo victory scores the entire 100 points and everybody else scores zero.

The final tournament score will be determined by the sum of each player's score in their best two rounds. Players need only participate in one round to be eligible for awards. The GM is ineligible for awards and for ranking purposes shall be listed in last place as “NC”.

Gamemaster (GM)

If necessary, the GM will play a round to fill out a board, but only to complete a board for play. In this event, the GM Director must appoint an assistant GM from another board.

If the GM needs to be away from the boards for any length of time, an assistant GM will take over all duties assigned to the GM in their absence.

The GM cannot take over the position of an abandoned power on a board for which he has conducted a draw vote.

The GM reserves the right to police deadlines, issue warnings to offending players, and end a game at any time, if necessary.

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