Avalon Hill Colonial Diplomacy Board Game

by Avalon Hill

Product Details

• Item Weight: 0.3 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 0.3 ounces
• ASIN: B00001N2P0
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #772,767 in Toys & Games (See Top 100 in Toys & Games)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)

Product Description

Editorial Review

Secrecy and treachery were all part of global politics during the imperial age, but so were cooperation and negotiation. Colonial Diplomacy uses all these elements in an extreme board game of skill. The game lasts for 60 years of history, which are played out on a large colorful map spanning from Constantinople to Tokyo. Your goal is to build your own colonial empire and control the bulk of the world's resources. If the player representing the Ottoman Empire wins, the world will look like a totally different place. The rules, like politics, are involved, but the multipage instruction booklet is set up to get you on your way to play speedily. Save the background information on the history of this period for later. --Lynne Sampson

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Large-Scale Diplomacy Classic, December 20, 1999

By A Customer

= Durability:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:4.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Avalon Hill Colonial Diplomacy Board Game (Board Game)

Colonial Diplomacy is a great, classic game. Like the original Diplomacy, it is a great test of military strategy and diplomatic skill, like a geographically-correct game of 7-player chess. Players write down their moves and resolve them all simultaneously, creating great tension, excitement, and unpredictability. The map is larger and more complex than original Diplomacy, allowing for more complicated maneuvers and larger armies, but less of the elegant simplicity of the original. Definitely worth purchasing to sharpen your diplomatic skills, find who your real friends are, or to learn more Asian geography than you'll ever need. Unfortunately, a good game requires 5-7 players and a full day. A novice should buy the original Diplomacy game first, however.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wargaming and Diplomacy Fans Should Buy This!, December 20, 1999

By A Customer

= Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:4.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Avalon Hill Colonial Diplomacy Board Game (Board Game)

Well, for all of you Diplomacy players looking for some variety from the doldroms of WW1-era conflict, and for all all wargamers looking for something a bit different, Colonial Diplomacy provides a refreshing alternative. Players assume the role of a colonial power in the historical period between the Opium Wars and the Russo-Japanese War, struggling for dominance on a huge and complex map. While minor game balance issues exist (i.e. The Japanese Empire is the strongest on the board by a not insubstantial margain), Colonial Dip. deserves a place on the shelves of Dip. players, history buffs, and wargamers alike.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not the best Diplomacy variant, November 2, 2001

By 

A. Bennett (Washington, DC United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:3.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars 

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Avalon Hill Colonial Diplomacy Board Game (Board Game)

I think Diplomacy enthusiasts should pick up a copy of this one, even though it's not the best variant (and is certainly not better than the original game). Colonial is played on a much bigger map (all of Asia from the Black Sea east) and develops more slowly and less intensely than the original game. It also lacks the original's refinement, so that certain powers are more disadvantaged than others (Britain begins spread out all over the place, France is tiny, etc.) and the map lends itself to stalls. Learning the map takes a lot of time, since geography classes tend to leave out places like Akmolensk. This is the primary hinderance to the game: having to keep track of the provinces when you go out of the room to negotiate. Still, this is an interesting alternative to the original and should be tried at least once by fans of the game. If you're not sure, I recommend playing a game on one of the email servers before buying.