Diplomacy is the only game where I've deliberately toyed with an opponents mental state in order to win. I knew that a key backstab combined with some carefully worded global press would cause the player leading the opposing alliance to have a meltdown. I did it anyway. Best German victory game I've ever had.
It worked so well that he got despondent and stopped talking to anyone in the game. Within two phases my global victory was assured.
Diplomacy is the most absolutely fascinating game, but I have mellowed out some and stopped playing - some newer games also have great strategy without the time commitment and mentally/emotionally taxing gameplay.
Diplomacy was banned at my house because it always caused tears and angry outbursts, often within moments of the first set of orders being revealed, always before the third set, and I can't even remember a game going further than five moves.
The lesson I learned from this game: Don't play it with people you like.
Colonial Diplomacy was a pretty good variant that had a much different vibe to it. Less anger and less negotiation. If Diplomacy is a careful rock climb, Colonial is the 100 yard dash.
My only hate when playing Diplomacy is running into people who are OK with group victories. Those people suck the fun out of the room and cause the most problems.
Maybe that's why my experience was pretty boring. I played with a group of people I'd met specifically to play a game of Diplomacy, and their inevitable betrayals didn't hurt at all.
It worked so well that he got despondent and stopped talking to anyone in the game. Within two phases my global victory was assured.
Diplomacy is the most absolutely fascinating game, but I have mellowed out some and stopped playing - some newer games also have great strategy without the time commitment and mentally/emotionally taxing gameplay.