That's the way Diplomacy works, and this translation from the classic board game's first priority is to capture that feeling of diplomatic strategy. Those who have not played the board game before would do well to go through the detailed tutorial, even though it is rather lengthy and is mostly text-based. At least it's slightly more interactive than reading straight through the manual, though both contain the same information.

In a nutshell, you are one of seven nations vying to wrestle control of Europe in the years before World War I. You do this by taking over territories and diminishing your opponents' power. However, the key component is to have the right allies, because you'll often need their support to expand your power, or to prevent another player from becoming too powerful. You can even try to issue multiple treaties and try to play both sides against the middle. Though the board may look very much like a stylized version of Risk, the aggressive strategies of that game won't help you here. With Diplomacy, it's all about making the best deals, or breaking the right ones.

Before the start of the game, the player selects the country they want to play. This is a vital decision because it immediately sets up a number of different criteria. The first being how easily you can be invaded, how well you can reinforce your own troops, how many supply zones you control (the number of armies you have cannot exceed your supply), and how you are positioned in relation to water. The last point is necessary to take into consideration because it presents a number of logistical challenges to overcome. Only one unit may occupy a territory at any given time. The game is played by issuing a list of order and then having them all carried out simultaneously during the end turn phase. Conflicts are carried out according to ratios. A single army trying to enter a territory with another single army (or two armies trying to enter the same unoccupied one) will have a 1:1 ratio and the orders will automatically be canceling. No one gains or loses anything. However, gaining support from adjacent territories will up your ratio. So, if you can provide support for yourself from another territory, or what might be more often the case, try to garner support from another nation, you might gain the strength to overcome whatever obstacles you encounter.

Now, that is a very watered down description of the gameplay. The strategy involved in playing Diplomacy is actually quite complex and can involve a long list of checks and balances to ensure that your support is there when you need it, since support can sometimes be cut off. Unfortunately, the game has a timer to limit each turn, the longest setting being fifteen minutes. If the player is unable to complete all the moves and diplomatic proposals within fifteen minutes, then the turn automatically ends and processes the orders as they are. This isn't a big deal in the beginning of the game, but can become incredibly hectic during the middle or end game, because then it's not just a battle against others, but a race against the clock too. While this timer is very worthwhile to have in multiplayer, we can't find the sense in having it be a mandatory part of the single player experience (there's no way to turn the timer off). It's not like the computer has anywhere to go.