Diplomacy Dictionary

Introduction

You might be aware that in Diplomacy certain words are used by players & they have a specific meaning however often the words used are not understood by the player reading them. This Diplomacy Dictionary will explain the words used.

Please note that the dictionary was first published in November 2005 but it will continue to grow & be improved over time. If you spot any words that aren't shown, e-mail me with the word & that will be added. NB I've swapped @ for AT to if you e-mail me, reverse it.

Diplomacy Dictionary

18 SC	The required number of Supply Centres (SC), owned by a country in Autumn, to win the game.
Abandoned Game	For one reason or another, the game is given up & doesn't end in the usual style.
Abbreviations	The use of known letter or letters when submitting the orders, e.g. F(MAO) S French F(GoL) - WMS, A(Mos) - Ukr, Build A(Vie), etc. Those shown above are the English words. See different languages to see other countries abbreviations.
Abstraction	A variant game with 46 SC not 34 SC.
Abd al-Hamid II	Sultan of Turkey in 1901.
Adjudication	When orders, retreats, build & disband are done by the GM & then sent to players.
Allan B Calhamer	American gentleman who invented the game. The game was first published in 1958.
Alias	Players' pseudonyms names.
Alpine Chicken Opening	From Italy with at least; A(Rom) - Ven, A(Ven) - Pie.
Anarchy	Where a country doesn't submit orders or two seasons back-back. That country is then not allowed to play in that game & their units simply Stand. See NMR & anarchy.
Anschluss Alliance	Austria-Hungary & Germany alliance.
Anschluss Opening	From Germany with at least; A(Ber) - Kie, F(Kie) - Den.
ARD-RI	A variant game with Ireland taking the place of Europe. See ARD-RI.
Armoured Duck	If stabbed the player will never again negotiate with the stabber in this & any future game.
Atlantic Bind	England opens with the Southern Opening & then in A01, they attempt to sail to MAO.
Atlantic Opening	From France with at least; F(Bre) - MAO.
Austrian Attack Opening	From Italy with at least; A(Rom) - Ven, A(Ven) - Tri.
Avalon Hill	The Company who markets the board game.
Balkan Gambit	Austrian-Hungary Opening with at least; F(Tri) – Alb, A(Bud) – Ser.
Barren Zone	Pie, Tyr, Boh, Sil, Pru & Lvn have no SCs & roughly divide Europe into the East & West.
Bear	Russia's Nickname.
Beleaguered Garrison	If a unit is attacked by more than one country & the opponents have equal power, the unit stays intact.
Berlin Defence	From Germany with at least; A(Ber) Stands.
Biscany Opening	From France with at least; F(Bre) - Gas.
Black Press	Refers to messages that are sent from one person but forged to appear as though they came from another person.
Black Sea Exchange	Ability for the alliance of Russia & Turkey to sail their fleets into the Med by 1902/3.
Blacklisting	A player banned from future games.
Blinded	A variant of Diplomacy. The players' view of provinces is limited. See Blinded.
Blitz	More than one country going for an all out attack on another country.
Blitzkrieg Opening	From Germany with at least; A(Ber) - Kie, A(Mun) - Ruh.
Blue Water Opening	From Austria-Hungary with at least; F(Tri) - ADS.
Bohas	After the Churchill Opening, England takes Norway & also sails to SKA.
Bosphorus Opening	From Turkey with at least; A(Con) - Bul, F(Ank) - Con.
Bounce	Where two or more units tried to enter the same province & neither was successful.
Build	After the retreat phase in Autumn, adding a unit to a home Supply Centres (SC). See Retreats, disbands & builds.
Bulgarian Gambit	Austria-Hungary & Russia combine to stifle Turkey's gains in A01 to not getting any SCs.
Capitals	From the seven Powers they are; Vienna, London, Paris, Berlin, Rome, St Petersburg & Constantinople.
Central Powers	Some say Austria-Hungary, Germany & Italy with other saying A/G.
Chainsaw	Named after an American businessman, Al Chainsaw, a communication to a player or players where the intent is to upset, unnerve & hopefully, intimate them into an action they wouldn't normally do.
Chaos	A variant of Diplomacy which has 34 players. A player starts the game with them owning one of the SCs. See Chaos.
Civil Disorder	Same as Anarchy.
Cloaked Error	Generally a GM mistake that, wasn't spotted by those involved in the game.
Coasts	Three inland provinces have coasts; Bulgaria (east & south), Spain (north & south) & St Petersburg (north & south). See Coasts.
Commentary	Generally the GMs written view of that season moves.
Conceded Draw	Draw not including all surviving players.
Conditional Orders	Due to the way in which seasons are played, these orders vary on the outcome of the moves, etc. Often used in PBM & certain PBEM, e.g. Dip2000.
Confirmation of Orders	The GM informs the player that they did receive them from them.
Convoy	Where an army has moved across the sea via use of a fleet or fleets. See Convoy.
Crowded	A variant of Diplomacy which has 11 countries & therefore 11 players. Adding to the countries in normal Diplomacy, the Balkans, Iberia, Lowlands & Scandinavia. See Crowded.
Cut	Where support has been removed by an attacking move on the supporting unit.
Cut Throat	An attempt to win or be in a low numbered draw.
Dateline	Names, used in press, that are reserved only for use by the player concerned. They're the countries capital followed by (Gov't}, e.g. Lon(Gov't). The GM will have their own, e.g. mine is ALB.
Deadline	The date and time, given by the GM in the previous adjudication (or the Gamestart or Pre-S01 for S1901), by which all orders must be received by the GM or Judge. Any orders received after this time will be disregarded.
DIAS	Draw Includes All Survivors.
Disbanded	A unit being removed from the board.
Dislodge	A unit that was successfully attacked & therefore had to shift into a vacant province or water-way.
Distant Early Warnings (DEW)	Warning given by countries who are placed some distance from you, e.g. Turkey warns their other Wicked Witch, England.
DMZ	De-Militarized Zone created by allies so that neither enters specific provinces.
Double Diplomacy	A variant game where still seven play but each country has two leaders. To read more, click here.
Drawmaker	A player who generally is happy with a draw & works to that aim.
Dropout	A player who doesn't continue to play.
Dutch Boy Opening	From Germany with at least; A(Ber) - Kie, F(Kie) - HEL.
Dutch Opening	From Germany with at least; A(Ber) - Kie, F(Kie) - Hol.
Eagle	Germany's Nickname.
Early Leader	A player who stands out early in the game.
Eastern Push	In A01, England sails to BAR.
Eastern Square	In the opening the name is given to Austria-Hungary, Italy, Russia & Turkey.
Edward VII	In 1901, the King of Great Britain & the Commonwealth. Victoria died in January of the same year.
Elephant & Whale Alliance	In the alliance one country builds armies & the other country builds fleets.
Eliminated	A player removed from the game by their SCs being taken by opponents.
Émile François Loubet	The French President in 1901.
End Game Proposal (EGP)	Are requests submitted that ask for a game to end in one of two ways, a particular country winning or a multitude of draws. Those voting are players whose country is active in that game as opposed to all seven players who started the game. If a vote is passed then the game ends before the next season is adjudicated.
End Game Statement (EGS)	Are shown at the end of the game. Players write their own thoughts on the game, etc. See EGS.
End-Games	The final few seasons where a country does win or a number of countries draw.
Entente Cordiale	An English & French alliance.
Face to Face (F-F)	Playing with other players in the same room & is often using the rules said by Avalon Hill.
Fall	An American word meaning autumn.
Final Orders	Orders that can't be overwritten.
Franz Joseph	Sometimes called Francis Joseph, he was the leader of Austria-Hungary in 1901.
Galician Gambit	Austrian Opening with; A(Vie) - Tri, F(Tri) - Alb & A(Bud) - Gal.
Gambit Opening	From Austria-Hungary with at least; F(Tri) - Alb. From Germany with at least; A(Ber) - Mun, F(Kie) - Hol.
Gamemaster (GM)	A person who acts as a referee for the game & also writes the adjudications plus answering any non-tactical questions.
Grey Press	Refers to message sent out anonymously.
Gunboat	A game where a player doesn't know the names of the other players. See Gunboat articles.
Hedgehog Opening	From Austria-Hungary with at least; F(Tri) - Ven.
Home Supply Centre	The original SC held by a country in S1901. New units may only be build in Home SC (if available).
Houseboat Opening	From Austria-Hungary with at least; F(Tri) Stands, A(Bud) - Ser.
Inland	Divided land areas of the map, e.g. Edinburgh, Vienna, etc.
Italian Shuffle	After the Alpine Opening, Italy does A(Pie) - Tyr & A(Ven) - Tri.
Judge	Computer program what accepts orders via e-mail & also adjudicates the seasons. Human requirement is often not needed.
Juggernaut	An alliance between Russia & Turkey.
Jutland Gambit	In the opening moves Germany puts their units in a better position than going for three builds, i.e. in A01 F(Den) - SKA & A(Kie) - Den.
Key Openings	1901 is aimed at providing a very strong A/I alliance in which A(Ven) ends up in Ser.
Kingmaker	A third player who holds the balance of power, without actually being able to take the win themselves. Background of the word; In the 1460's Richard Neville - Earl of Warwick became known as the Kingmaker because it was felt that it was his families support for Edward Plantagenet during the War of the Roses that gave Edward IV the crown. Later following friction between the King & the Earl, Warwick deserted the ranks of the Yorkists & led a rebellion against the King, which eventually succeeded. Edward fled & Henry VI was released from the Tower of London & re-instated as King, Warwick became Lieutenant of England. In 1471 Edward returned from his exile in France to retake the throne, Warwick was defeated & killed in the Battle of Barnet in the process.
Kronstadt Opening	From Russia with at least; F(StP)sc - Lvn.
Lapland Lurch	From Russia with at least; F(StP)sc - Fin.
Lepanto Opening	From Italy with at least; A(Rom) - Apu/Nap, F(Nap) - ION.
Lisbon Leapfrog	In A01, France convoys A(Gas) - Por in A01.
Magdeburg	In the opening moves both England & Russia gang-up on Germany. Named after a German ship, lost in WWI in the BAL, England requests that Germany first moves to Den & in Autumn, asks him to bounce Russia. Russia doesn't try to sail to Swe but goes to BAL. England goes to Den, etc.
Malicious Support	Unwanted support given by a foreign unit with the intent of disrupting the supported countries position.
Manche Opening	From France with at least; F(Bre) - ENG.
Marquess of Salisbury	In 1901 he was the Prime Minister of the Unitied Kingdom of Great Britain & Ireland.
Metagaming	Where a country uses tactics in their game based on outcomes in other games, e.g. in competition games.
Mid-Games	Sadly the time this stage starts & ends are very difficult to predict but could be described as when countries assess their alliances & choose to continue with it or stab them.
Misorders	Valid misorders can't work but could have done, e.g. Turkey; A(Bul) S Russian A(Rum) - Ser when the Russian didn't write A(Rum) - Ser. Invalid Misorders are orders that simply can't work, e.g. A(Mun) - Par.
Move	When a unit is ordered to go to another province.
Mutual Support (MS)	By writing orders like A(Vie) MS A(Bud) it means that the one unit supports the other & vice versa.
Neutrals	Provinces which is not owned by a Great Power, e.g. Bel, Gre, Tun.
Newbie	A beginner to Diplomacy or a player who has played but is now using another method, e.g. has played F-F but new to PBEM.
Nicolas II	Russian Tsar in 1901.
No Moves Received (NMR)	Where a country doesn't submit orders to the GM. See NMR & anarchy.
NODIAS	No-Draws Include All Survivors.
Norman Opening	From France with at least; F(Bre) - Pic.
Northern Houseboat Opening	From Russia with at least; F(StP)sc - Stand.
Northern Opening	From England with at least; F(Lon) - NTH, F(Edi) - NWG.
Northern Tier Alliance	England, France & Germany are allied.
NRO	No Retreat Ordered & therefore the unit is disbanded.
NRP	No Retreat Possible.
NVR	No Votes Received by the GM in an EGP.
Obriani Opening	From Italy with at least; A(Rom) - Ven, A(Ven) - Tyr.
Octopus	From Russia; F(StP)sc - GoB, A(Mos) - StP, A(War) - Gal, F(Sev) - BLA.
Openings	Not just S01 moves but the early seasons of the game. In this stage, countries create short or long term alliances with the aim of moving into a good position for the next stage.
Orders	Where players tell the GM what they want their units to do in that season.
Orphan Game	A game being played that losses the GM.
OTB	An abbreviation meaning Off the Board. It's used in the disband phase.
Panther	Opening stages there A/G/I is allied to attack both France & Turkey.
Play by E-mail (PBEM)	Playing with others who aren't in the same room & therefore e-mailing each other.
Play by Mail (PBM)	Playing with others who aren't in the same room & therefore sending letters to each other.
Polish Corridor	Pru & Sil.
Preference List	Player's choice of countries they wish to play in a new game.
Province	Divided areas of the map, e.g. Brest, Heligoland Bight, etc.
Provisional Orders	Orders that before the Deadline can be overwrite.
Proxy	Where a player allows another player to submit orders for one or more of their units.
Prussian Opening	From Germany with at least; A(Ber) - Pru.
Puppet	A player that usually has few units decides to do exactly what another player asks him to do. The hope is that the player survives & not eliminated by the stronger player.
Quick Retreat	Due to an unexpected invasion a player either rapidly moves unit back to defend or asks another players to disband the units so they can be re-build.
Retreat	Where a unit was successfully attacked & therefore it had to be moved to a vacant province. See Retreats, disbands & builds.
Rhineland Opening	From Germany with at least; A(Ber) - Mun, F(Kie) - Den.
Roadhog Opening	From Austria-Hungary with at least; F(Tri) Stands, A(Bud) - Rum.
Rumanian Opening	Austrian-Hungary Opening with at least; F(Tri) - Alb, A(Bud) - Rum.
Russian Frolic	Austria-Hungary & Turkey open by joining forces against Russia. A(Con) Stands, A(Smy) - Arm, F(Ank) - BLA with A(Vie) - Gal & A(Bud) - Rum.
Sealion	France & Germany allied to attacking England.
Shared Win	A drawn game where those involved have equal SCs.
Sheltered Power	A country that can't be attacked by a winning country as the position of them is at the opposite side of Europe. In addition that Sheltered Power can't stop the win, e.g. The Wicked Witches, Turkey can't stop nor be attacked by England.
Silesian Opening	From Germany with at least; A(Ber) - Sil.
Silver Platter	One allied country leaves their back-door open to their partner.
Sitting Duck Opening	Austrian-Hungary Opening with; A(Vie) Stands, F(Tri) - Alb & A(Bud) Stands.
Slingshot Juggernaut	Turkey openings with F(Ank) - BLA & Russia does F(Sev) - Arm. The intention is to fool Austria. Russia's fleet in disbanded & they build an army instead.
Solo	Where a single player wins the game, either by achieving control of 18SC in an Autumn season or by player vote.
Southern Opening	From England with at least; F(Lon) - ENG, F(Edi) - NTH.
Splits Opening	From England with at least; F(Lon) - ENG, F(Edi) - NWG.
Stab	Attacking the ally.
Stalemate Lines	Units arranged by countries which can't be broken & therefore create a drawn game.
Stand	Where a unit doesn't do any other requests.
Standoff	By more than one country a mutually arranged attack on one province that means no country enters it.
Steamroller	Anglo & French alliance.
Supply Centre (SC)	A province on the map that has the resources capable of supporting one unit (Army or Fleet). The number of SC controlled by a country at the end of an Autumn Season determines the number of units that country may field.
Support	Where a unit uses their order to help another unit or help a unit attack a province. See Support.
Survived	Was still playing when the game ended but didn't win nor draw.
Three Fleets Opening	Italy is allowed to A(Ven) - Tri & then is happily disbanded. By gaining Tun, they build two new fleets.
Two-Season Diplomacy	Started with PBM & now with PBEM, where all retreats, disbands & builds are combined with Spring & Autumn moves.
Tyrolese Gambit	Austrian-Hungary Opening with; A(Vie) - Tyr, F(Tri) - Alb & A(Bud) - Tri.
Unwanted Support	A country is trying to self-standoff however an opponent orders a support for one of those units & hence the standoff fails leaving the opponent in a good position. E.g. Germany submits A(Hol) - Kie & A(Ber) - Kie with England writing F(Den) S German A(Hol) - Kie, F(NTH) - Hol.
Variant	A game based on Diplomacy but with slight differences.
Victor Emmanuel III	Italian King in 1901.
Waiting List	Where players' names shown as they are requesting a game however, they are biding their time as either there are not enough players or a GM is required.
Water-Way	Constantinople & Kiel has water that runs through them which allows a fleet to enter it from one direction & then move to from the other side. The water runs between Denmark & Sweden & acts in the same way as the other example. In both cases, it doesn't effect armies' movements.
Webmaster (WM)	A person who runs the Web site.
Western Barbarossa	From Germany with at least; A(Ber) - Kie, F(Kie) - BAL.
Western Lepanto Opening	From Italy with at least; A(Rom) - Nap/Tus/Stand, F(Nap) - TYS.
Western Corner	In the opening moves the name is given to England, France & Germany.
Western Opening	From England with at least; F(Lon) - ENG, F(Edi) - Cly.
Western Triple	Alliance between England, France & Germany.
White Press	Refers to messages sent to other players which indicates who it is from.
Wicked Witches	Description given to England & Turkey.
Wilhelm II	German Kaiser in 1901. As his mother was born in Britain, she always called him William.
XXX	The French abbreviation which means, Stand.

Big thanks goes to Wayne Read as he mentioned a few new words (improving Kingmaker was an example) together with also proofreading & telling me how bad I am at English.

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NB If you do e-mail, notice I've changed @ to AT to stop possible e-mail spammers so before you send, swap it back.