Customer Reviews

Avalon Hill Colonial Diplomacy Board Game

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

Colonial Diplomacy, like the original Diplomacy, has its pros and cons. Personally, I love it, but it's not for everyone. Here are my personal "pros" and "cons" of Diplomacy generally, and Colonial Diplomacy specifically:

Pros: 1) it's an excellent strategy game, whatever variant you're playing (WWI, the Colonial era, etc.), for all you arm-chair generals out there; 2) it's fantastic for testing (and building) your interpersonal and, specifically, negotiation skills; 3) it's educational about history, geopolitics, and -- not surprisingly -- DIPLOMACY; 4) it's a great excuse to have a bunch of friends over for pizza and beer (it's also a way to make new friends); and 5) you can really get into character and have fun with the fantasy that you're the Japanese emperor, the Ottoman sultan, or the Tsar of Russia.

Cons: 1) it's not easy to get 5-7 people together for 6-8 hours; 2) the treachery and backstabbing can get very personal at times, and some people don't take kindly to this at all (I had two roommates who wouldn't talk to me for several days after I allied against them and they lost); 3) you need to take over a house, or some other place where you can go off and negotiate in private, for several hours, and that's not always possible or easy; and 4) some countries are in an inherently much better strategic position than others (i.e., it's just about impossible to win with France in either the original Diplomacy or Colonial, whereas Japan is inherently much stronger in Colonial Diplomacy, and Britain in the original game), which isn't really fair. On the other hand, LIFE'S not fair, so what the heck! :)

In sum, Diplomacy and its variants, including Colonial Diplomacy, are super games, but only if you're into this sort of thing, and only if you don't get bent out of shape too easily when your best friend, roommate, or significant other totally STABS YOU IN THE BACK! Besides that, I'd just recommend keeping all breakables and sharp objects locked away for the duration of the game, and stocking up on lots of munchies. Watch your back, keep an ear out for spies, and enjoy!

The original Diplomacy is hands-down my favorite boardgame. Colonial Diplomacy retains the same mechanics and basic play with a new mapboard and one new mechanic (the railroad). The game is a lot of fun, but really requires 5-7 players with some time (at least an evening, even if they're experienced players) on their hands. The game teaches cooperation, planning, geography and social skills. The mechanics of movement and attack are very simple. The key is in building strategic alliances with your neighbors and then breaking them at the right moment. Colonial Diplomacy is one of my top five favorites in a collection of over one hundred games.