Diplomacy Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Contents
• Players and Countries
• Object of the Game
• Game Board
• Units (Armies and Fleets)
• Starting Positions
• How to Play
  • Overview
  • 1. Diplomatic Phase
  • 2. Order Writing Phase
    • Order Dates
    • Order Format
    • Abbreviations
    • Types of Orders
    • Hold Order
    • Move Order
    • Standoffs
    • Support Order
    • Convoy Order
  • 3. The Order Resolution Phase
  • 4. Retreat and Disbanding Phase
  • 5. Gaining and Losing Units Phase (Winter Phase, After Fall Turn)
• Time Management
• Civil Disorder
• Alternate Ways to Play
• Rare Cases and Tricky Situations
• Opening Moves in a Sample Game
• 22 Rules to Help You Resolve Orders
• Abbreviations

Game Contents

• 70 Fleets
• 70 Armies
• 147 Control Markers
• Game Board
• Map Pad

Players and Countries

The game of Diplomacy is best played by seven players. Rules for fewer players are included in the Alternate Ways to Play section of this rulebook. Each player represents one of the seven "Great Powers of Europe" in the years prior to World War I. These Great Powers include England, Germany, Russia, Turkey, Italy, France, and Austria-Hungary (hereafter referred to as Austria). At the start of the game, the players randomly decide which Great Power each will represent. This is the only element of chance in the game.

Note: At various places in the rules, the term "country" is used generically to represent "Great Power."

Object of the Game

A game of Diplomacy can end in one of four ways:

1. Control 18 Supply Centers: As soon as one Great Power controls 18 supply centers, it's considered to have gained control of Europe.
2. Draw Involving All Survivors: All players who still have supply centers agree to share equally in a draw.
3. Turn Limit: Game ends after a number of predetermined turns (e.g., after Fall 1907) and the winner is the player with the most centers. Tied players share in victory.
4. Time Limit: Game ends after a predetermined number of hours (e.g., 4 hours, 8 hours) and the winner is the player with the most centers. Tied players share in victory.

Game Board

Boundaries: Boundaries between major countries are marked with heavy black lines. All major powers are also divided into provinces and supply-center provinces by thinner black lines. The oceans and waterways are also divided into separate provinces by thin black lines. All countries and provinces (land and water) are identified by name.

Types of Provinces: There are three types of provinces: inland, water, and coastal. Only Armies move on inland provinces and only Fleets move on water provinces. A coastal province is land that is adjacent to one or more water provinces. For example, Denmark, Brest, and Spain are coastal provinces. An Army or a Fleet can occupy a coastal province.

Supply Centers: A total of 34 inland and coastal provinces on the game board are designated as supply centers. Each supply center is marked with a star. A Great Power has as many Armies or Fleets as the number of supply centers it controlled at the end of the last Fall turn. Consequently, there will never be more than 34 Armies and Fleets (also referred to as "units") on the game board at one time. A country gains or loses units in accordance with the number of supply centers it controls.

Units (Armies and Fleets)

Each Army unit is represented by an artillery shaped wooden playing piece. Each Fleet unit is represented by a ship shaped wooden playing piece. The unit colors of each Great Power are displayed on the edge of the game board. If an expanding Great Power runs out of Army units or Fleet units, the units of an eliminated country can be used.

Two key rules regarding units:

• All units have the same strength. No one Army is more powerful than another. No single Fleet is stronger than another. During the game, various units will support each other to increase their strength and attack weaker adversaries.
• There can be only one unit in a province at a time. There are no exceptions to this rule.

Starting Positions

Supply Centers: At the start of the game, each Great Power controls three supply centers, with the exception of Russia, which controls four. Place the appropriate unit on the designated supply center as shown in the following table.

The 12 remaining supply centers aren't occupied at the start of the game.

Note: An "A" indicates an Army, and an "F" indicates a Fleet.

Country	Unit Color	Unit / City	Unit / City	Unit / City
Austria	red	A Vienna	A Budapest	F Trieste
England	dark blue	F London	F Edinburgh	A Liverpool
France	light blue	A Paris	A Marseilles	F Brest
Germany	black	A Berlin	A Munich	F Kiel
Italy	green	A Rome	A Venice	F Naples
Russia	white	A Moscow	F Sevastopol	A Warsaw, F St. Petersburg (SC)
Turkey	yellow	F Ankara	A Constantinople	A Smyrna

Flag Markers: The game includes one set of markers for each Great Power. Players can use these markers to identify which supply centers they control on the game board. One side shows the flag of the Great Power, and the other side shows the color of the units of that country. Use whichever side is more helpful.

How to Play

Overview

Diplomacy is a game of negotiations, alliances, promises kept, and promises broken. In order to survive, a player needs help from others. In order to win the game, a player must eventually stand alone. Knowing whom to trust, when to trust them, what to promise, and when to promise it is the heart of the game. Remember, you are a diplomat first, a commander second.

At the beginning of each turn, players meet together in small groups to discuss their plans and suggest strategies. Alliances between players are openly or secretly made, and orders are (hopefully) coordinated. Immediately following this period of "diplomacy," each player secretly writes an order for each of his or her units on a slip of paper. When all players have written their orders, the orders are simultaneously revealed, and then the orders are all resolved. Some units are moved, some have to retreat, and some are removed. Resolving orders is the most challenging part of the rules and requires complete knowledge of the rules.

Each turn represents six months of time. The first turn is called a Spring turn and the next a Fall turn. After each Fall turn, each Great Power must reconcile the number of units it controls with the number of supply centers it controls. At this time some units are removed and new ones are built.

Each turn has a series of phases. Here are the phases in a complete two-turn year:

Spring four-phase turn

1. Diplomatic phase
2. Order Writing phase
3. Order Resolution phase
4. Retreat and Disbanding phase

Fall five-phase turn

1. Diplomatic phase
2. Order Writing phase
3. Order Resolution phase
4. Retreat and Disbanding phase
5. Gaining and Losing Units phase (Winter)

After a Fall turn, if one Great Power controls 18 or more supply centers, the game ends and that player is declared the winner.

Gamemaster: If an additional person who knows the game rules is available, that person could serve as the gamemaster. The gamemaster could keep time for the negotiation sessions, collect and read orders, resolve issues, and make rulings when necessary. This role should be strictly neutral.

1. Diplomatic Phase

During this phase, players meet to discuss their plans for upcoming turns. Alliances are made and strategies are set. These "diplomatic negotiations" take place before each turn. Negotiations last 30 minutes before the first turn and 15 minutes before each turn thereafter. Negotiations may end sooner if all players agree.

Conversations, deals, schemes, and agreements among players will greatly affect the course of the game. During diplomatic negotiations, players may say anything they wish. Some players usually go to another room or organize private groups of two or three. They may try to keep their conversations secret. They may try to overhear the conversations of others. These conversations usually consist of bargaining or joint military planning, but they may include exchanges of information, denouncements, threats, spreading of rumors, and so on. Public announcements may be made and documents may be written, made public, or kept secret, as the players see fit. These discussions and written agreements, however, do not bind a player to anything he or she may say. Deciding whom to trust as situations arise is an important part of the game.

Note: Using the map pad during diplomatic negotiations is an excellent way to keep track of locations, strategies, and alliances. Players can take pictures of the map on their phone if they want a snapshot of the present positions and negotiate away from the game board.

2. Order Writing Phase

Each player secretly writes "orders" for each of his or her units on a slip of paper. All players then reveal orders at the same time. Each player reads his or her orders while others make sure that what they hear is what is written. Alternatively, the gamemaster can collect all orders and read them for the players. A legal order must be followed. An order written by mistake, if legal, must be followed. An "illegal" order or an order that is judged to be unsuccessful isn't followed. A unit that is given an illegal order (or given no order) must stand in place (the unit holds). A poorly written order that has only one meaning must be followed.

Order Dates

All orders must be dated and should alternate between Spring and Fall beginning with the year 1901. For example, the first set of turn orders should be dated "Spring 1901." The second set should be dated "Fall 1901." The third set should be dated "Spring 1902," and so on. In between the Fall Turn and the next year's Spring Turn is when orders without negotiation will be written as well (Build/Disbands), commonly called Winter (e.g., Winter 1902).

Order Format

Players should make a list of their units and the provinces they occupy for easy reference during diplomatic conferences. In each set of orders, the type of unit is written first ("A" or "F") followed by the province that each unit occupies. For example, "A Paris" or "A Par" is short for an Army in Paris. This is followed by the order that the unit is given. For example, "A Par Holds" means that the Army in Paris should hold, or stay in place. The designation of "A" or "F" in orders is to remind players of their pieces. If you leave out the unit designation in an order, the order doesn't fail since there can be only one possible unit in a province.

Abbreviations

Players may refer to the abbreviations listed at the end of this rulebook for countries or provinces when writing their orders. A number of provinces begin with the same three letters, so many of those provinces have special abbreviations. When in doubt, write it out.

Keep in mind that only one unit can be in a province (inland, water, or coastal) at the same time, so there shouldn't be any confusion as to which unit is being ordered.

Types of Orders

On each turn, each Great Power can order all, some, or none of its units to do one of the following:

• Hold
• Move
• Support
• Convoy

Note: Only Fleets can be ordered to convoy.

Hold Order

You can attempt to keep a unit in place by ordering it to "hold." Not giving a unit an order is interpreted as ordering it to hold. Following is an example of a hold order:

F London Holds (or) F Lon–Holds

Note: In this rulebook, examples of hold orders that failed are underlined to show that the unit wasn't able to hold (or stay) in a province.

Underlined Results: Examples of orders are listed throughout this rulebook. Orders that aren't executed (because of interference by other orders) are underlined. This is a standard for the game of Diplomacy that has been in effect for years and is used in many strategy guides and other literature. While playing the game, there isn't any need to underline orders.

Move Order

Throughout the game, units will be ordered to move to provinces that are occupied. This is referred to as "attacking," and will be discussed throughout this section.

Writing a Move Order: A move order is written with a dash to separate the unit type and location from the order. For example, an order to move from Paris to Burgundy would look like this:

A Paris–Burgundy (or) A Par–Bur

Army Movement: An Army can be ordered to move into an adjacent inland or coastal province. Armies can't be ordered to move into a water province. Since no two units can occupy the same province at the same time, an Army that is ordered to move to an adjacent province can end up not moving at all (because of the positions or orders of other units). See the following sections for more examples of movement.

Note: An Army can move across water provinces from one coastal province to another via one or more Fleets. This is called a "convoy" and is explained in the Convoy Order rules below.

Army Movement Example (Diagram 1): An Army in Paris could move to Brest, Picardy, Burgundy, or Gascony.

Fleet Movement: A Fleet can be ordered to move to an adjacent water province or coastal province. Fleets can't be ordered to move to an inland province.

Fleet Movement Example (Diagram 2): A Fleet in the English Channel can move to the Irish Sea, Wales, London, Belgium, Picardy, Brest, the North Sea, or the Mid-Atlantic.

Fleet Movement Along Coastlines (Diagram 3): When a Fleet is in a coastal province, its warships are considered to be at any point along the coast of that province. A Fleet in a coastal province can be ordered to move to an adjacent coastal province only if it's adjacent along the coastline (as if the Fleet was moving down the coast). For example, a Fleet in Rome can be ordered to move from Rome to Tuscany or to Naples (or to the Tyrrhenian Sea). But a Fleet in Rome can't be ordered to move to Venice or Apulia because, although those provinces are adjacent along an inland boundary, they aren't adjacent along the coastline.

Restricted Movement: Any location on the game board that isn't named can't be occupied. Switzerland is impassable and can't be occupied. With the exception of England, islands can't be occupied.

Specific Movement Clarifications

There are a few tricky areas on the map. How to move into and out of them is explained below:

Bulgaria, Spain, and St. Petersburg: These are the only coastal provinces that have two separately identified coasts. A Fleet entering one of these provinces enters along one coast and can then move to a province adjacent to that coast only. The Fleet, nevertheless, is considered to be occupying the entire province. Such a Fleet should be placed on the coastline rather than completely inland. For example, a Fleet at Spain's North Coast can't be ordered to move to the Western Mediterranean or to the Gulf of Lyon or to Marseilles. It is, however, considered to be occupying all of Spain.

If a Fleet is ordered to one of these provinces and it's possible for the Fleet to move to either coast, the order must specify which coast, or the Fleet doesn't move. For example, a Fleet in Constantinople can move to Bulgaria's East or South Coast. The order would be written "F Con–Bul EC" or "F Con–Bul SC." Likewise, a Fleet in the Mid-Atlantic Ocean can move to Spain's North or South Coast, but the order must specify which coast.

Kiel and Constantinople: Because of the waterways that run through these two provinces, they're considered as having one coast. Fleets can enter them along one coast and be considered anywhere along the coastline. For example, a Fleet could move from the Black Sea to Constantinople on one turn ("F Bla–Con") and then on a later turn move from Constantinople to the Aegean Sea (or other adjacent provinces). Likewise, a Fleet could move from Holland to Kiel on one turn and then move from Kiel to Berlin on a later turn (through the Kiel Canal) without having to go around or go to Denmark. Armies can also pass into and out of these provinces, freely bridging these waterways. This doesn't mean that units can jump over these provinces.

Sweden and Denmark: An Army or Fleet can move from Sweden to Denmark (or vice versa) in one turn. A Fleet moving from the Baltic Sea can't move directly to the Skagerrak province (or vice versa), but must first move to Sweden or Denmark. The common border with Denmark doesn't separate the coast of Sweden into two coastlines. Denmark doesn't border on Berlin.

Standoffs

The following common situations involve forces of equal strength trying to occupy the same province at the same time. These situations are called standoffs, also commonly referred to as a bounce. These rules apply when one or more countries are involved. There are a few exceptions to these rules, which are described in the Rare Cases and Tricky Situations section below.

• Units of equal strength trying to occupy the same province cause all those units to remain in their original provinces. If two or more units are ordered to the same province, none of them can move. (This is also true of equally supported units, which will be explained in the Support Order section.)

  Diagram 4: Germany: A Ber–Sil. Russia: A War–Sil. If the German Army in Berlin is ordered to Silesia and the Russian Army in Warsaw is ordered to Silesia, neither unit will move and Silesia will remain vacant.

• A standoff doesn't dislodge a unit already in the province where the standoff took place. If two units (or forces of equal strength) attack the same province, thus standing each other off, a unit already in that province isn't dislodged. So, in Diagram 4, if there had been a unit holding in Silesia, the results would be the same and the unit in Silesia would remain.

• One unit not moving can stop a unit or series of units from moving. If a unit is ordered to hold, or is prevented from moving, and other units are ordered into its province, those other units can't move. (It's like a traffic backup!)

  Diagram 5: Germany: F Kiel–Ber; A Ber–Pru. Russia: A Pru–Holds. There is a Russian Army in Prussia. The Russian player told Germany that he would move out of Prussia (but he lied and ordered the Army to hold instead). The German player ordered his Army from Berlin to Prussia and his Fleet from Kiel to Berlin. The result is that nothing moves.

• Units can't trade places without the use of a convoy. If two units are each ordered to the province that the other occupies, neither can move.

  Diagram 6: Germany: F Ber–Pru; A Pru–Ber. Neither unit would move. (There is a way around this through the use of convoys. See Convoy Orders below.)

• Three or more units can rotate provinces during a turn provided none directly trade places. For example, in Diagram 7 all orders would succeed as no one unit directly trades places with another. (Diagram 7: England: A Hol–Bel; F Bel–Nth. France: F Nth–Hol.)

Support Order

This is the most critical and complex section of the rules. The "support" and "cutting support" rules must be understood in order to resolve most orders.

Overview

Since all units have equal strength, one unit can't attack and advance against another without help. That "help" is called support. If an attack is successful, the attacking unit moves into the province to which it was ordered. If the unit that was attacked had no orders of its own to move elsewhere, it's defeated and dislodged from the province. The dislodged unit must retreat or be disbanded. Retreating is explained in detail in the Retreat and Disbanding Phase section below.

An Army or Fleet can provide support to another Army or Fleet. Support can be offensive (supporting an attacking move order) or defensive (supporting a hold, support, or convoy order). By supporting each other, attacking or defending units gain increased strength. For example, a unit holding with two supports has the strength of three: itself plus two supporters. Support can be provided to a fellow unit or to another player's unit. Support can be given without consent and can't be refused! This can cause some unexpected situations in the game that make it more interesting.

A unit moves with its own strength combined with all of its valid supports. It can complete its move unless it's opposed by a unit that is supported equally or better. One unit supporting another provides a combined strength of two and will defeat an opponent's unsupported unit. Likewise, a unit with two supporting units (strength of 3) will defeat an opponent's unit with only one support (strength of 2).

Diagram 9 example: Germany: A Sil–Pru; F Bal S A Sil–Pru. Russia: A Pru–Holds. The German Army in Silesia is supported by the Fleet in the Baltic in pushing the Russian Army out of Prussia. Note that the German Army and Fleet are both adjacent to the target province (Prussia) but not to each other. A unit doesn't have to be adjacent to the unit it's supporting. However, it must be next to the province into which it's giving support and must be able to legally move there itself.

How to Support

A unit gives up its chance to move on a turn in order to support another unit's order. The province that a unit is providing support to must be one that the supporting unit could have legally moved to during that turn. Thus, an Army in Brest can't support a Fleet in the English Channel because an Army can't move into a water province. Likewise, a Fleet in Rome can't support a unit's move to Venice because, although adjacent by land, the Fleet can't move to Venice from Rome.

A Fleet that can move to a province with two separate coasts (a Fleet in the Mid-Atlantic, for example) can support another Army or Fleet into that province (in this case Spain), without regard to separate coastlines.

Writing a Support Order

1. Write your unit type (A or F).
2. Then write the province where your unit is located.
3. Then, write an "S" (for Support).
4. Finally, write the type, current location, and destination of the unit receiving support (if the supported unit is moving).

Example: "A Par S A Mar–Bur" orders an Army in Paris to support an Army in Marseilles moving into Burgundy.

Supporting a Unit

• A unit not ordered to move can be supported by a support order that only mentions its province. A unit that is ordered to hold, convoy, support, or not ordered at all can receive support in holding its position. For example, if the order is written "F Den S F Bal," then the Fleet in Denmark will support the Fleet in the Baltic Sea as long as the Fleet in the Baltic is holding, convoying, or supporting. If the Fleet in the Baltic attempts to move, then the support from Denmark is invalid.

• A unit ordered to move can only be supported by a support order that matches the move the unit is trying to make. For example, an Army in Bohemia is ordered to support an Army in Munich in its move to Silesia (A Boh S A Mun–Sil). However, the Army in Munich is ordered to move to Tyrolia instead (A Mun–Tyr). The support order fails because the move it's supporting isn't the move that was ordered. This support order doesn't become a support order to hold.

Simple Support (Diagram 8): France: A Mar–Bur; A Gas S A Mar–Bur. Germany: A Bur–Holds. The French Army in Gascony supports the Army in Marseilles to Burgundy. The German Army in Burgundy will be dislodged.

Support in Standoffs (Diagrams 10 and 11): In both cases, a strength of 2 meets a strength of 2 and all units stand in place.

Diagram 10: France: F GoL–Tyn; F Wes S F GoL–Tyn. Italy: F Nap–Tyn; F Rom S F Nap–Tyn. If there had been a Fleet in the Tyrrhenian, it wouldn't be dislodged by the standoff. (A standoff doesn't dislodge a unit already in the province where the standoff took place.)

Diagram 11: France: F GoL–Tyn; F Wes S F GoL–Tyn. Italy: F Tyn–Holds; F Rom S F Tyn–Holds.

Dislodgment in Standoffs

• A dislodged unit can still cause a standoff in a province different from the one that dislodged it. When two or more equally supported units are ordered to the same province, neither can move—even if one of them is dislodged from a province other than the one that is the target of the standoff during the same turn.

  Diagram 12: Austria: A Boh–Mun; A Tyr S A Boh–Mun. Germany: A Mun–Sil; A Ber S A Mun–Sil. Russia: A War–Sil; A Pru S A War–Sil. The Austrian attack from Bohemia successfully dislodges the German Army in Munich. However, that Army in Munich still causes a standoff with the Russian Army trying to enter Silesia.

• A dislodged unit, even with support, has no effect on the province that dislodged it. If two units are ordered to the same province and one of them is dislodged by a unit coming from that province, the other attacking unit can move. This situation doesn't result in a standoff since the dislodged unit has no effect on the province that dislodged it.

  Diagram 13: Turkey: A Bul–Rum. Russia: A Rum–Bul; A Ser S A Rum–Bul; A Sev–Rum. The Russian Army in Rumania dislodges the Turkish Army in Bulgaria. That Turkish Army and the Russian Army in Sevastopol are both ordered to Rumania, which would normally cause a standoff. However, because Rumania dislodged the Army in Bulgaria, it has no effect on Rumania at all. This allows the Sevastopol Army to enter Rumania. The Army in Bulgaria must retreat.

  Diagram 14: Turkey: A Bul–Rum; F Bla S A Bul–Rum. Russia: A Rum–Bul; A Gre S A Rum–Bul; A Ser S A Rum–Bul; A Sev–Rum. Even though the Turkish unit has support, it fails to prevent the unsupported Russian move into Rumania because a unit coming from Rumania dislodged the Turkish unit.

  In the previous two examples, if Russia hadn't ordered "A Sev–Rum," Rumania would have been vacant, but not as the result of a standoff (there was no standoff). This is discussed further in the Retreat and Disbanding Phase section below.

Cutting Support

Support can be cut. This will cause the support order to fail and support won't be given.

Note: In this rulebook, examples of support orders that failed are underlined to show that the support was cut, not to show that the supported unit's order failed.

• Support is cut if the unit giving support is attacked from any province except the one where support is being given. The support is cut whether this attack on the supporting unit succeeds or not.

  Diagram 15: Germany: A Pru–War; A Sil S A Pru–War. Russia: A War–Holds; A Boh–Sil. The support from the Army in Silesia is cut by an attack from Bohemia. Note that it was enough to attack the Army giving support to cut that support. It wasn't necessary to dislodge the supporting unit to cut that support.

• Support is cut if the unit giving support is dislodged. If a unit ordered to support another unit is dislodged by an attack from any province (including the province into which it's giving support) then the support is cut and the unit that was to receive support doesn't receive it.

  Diagram 16: Germany: A Pru–War; A Sil S A Pru–War. Russia: A War–Sil. The German support isn't cut by the attack from Warsaw because that is the province into which support is being given. To cut support, the Army in Warsaw would have to dislodge the Army in Silesia, not merely attack it.

  Diagram 17: Germany: F Ber–Pru; A Sil S F Ber–Pru. Russia: A Pru–Sil; A War S A Pru–Sil; F Bal–Pru. The Russian Army coming from Prussia dislodges the German Army in Silesia. The support of the Silesian Army is thus cut and the German Army in Berlin stands off the Russian Fleet in the Baltic.

• A unit being dislodged by one province can still cut support in another province. Just as a unit being dislodged by one province can still cause a standoff in another, a unit still manages to cut support even if it's dislodged. Just make sure that the dislodgment isn't coming from the province where the unit is giving support. (Remember this rule: A dislodged unit, even with support, has no effect on the province that dislodged it.)

  Diagram 18: Germany: A Ber–Holds; A Mun–Sil. Russia: A Pru–Ber; A Sil S A Pru–Ber; A Boh–Mun; A Tyr S A Boh–Mun. Even though the German Army in Munich is dislodged by a Russian attack, it's still able to cut the support of the Russian Army in Silesia. This prevents the Russian Army in Prussia from entering Berlin.

  Note: In complicated situations, it helps to first determine what support, if any, is cut. Once this is determined, it's easier to resolve orders.

Convoy Order

Convoying an Army Across One Water Province

A Fleet in a water province (not a coastal province) can convoy an Army from any coastal province adjacent to that water province to any other coastal province adjacent to that water province. To do this, the Army must be ordered to move to the intended province and the Fleet must be ordered to convoy it.

Note: A Fleet can't convoy a Fleet.

Writing Convoy Orders

Just as "S" indicates support, the letter "C" is used to indicate convoy. Following is an example of a convoy order:

A Ank–Sev F Bla C A Ank–Sev

A Fleet can't convoy more than one Army during the same turn. The order to the Fleet must contain both the location and the destination of the Army being convoyed. Just as with support orders, the convoy order must match the move order given by the Army being convoyed. For example, if the Army in Rumania is ordered to Armenia (A Rum–Arm) and the convoy order is written to take it to Ankara (F Bla C A Rum–Ank), then the convoy would fail and the Army would remain in Rumania.

Note: Fleets in any coastal province (including Constantinople, Denmark, and Kiel) can't convoy.

Diagram 19: England: A Lon–Nwy; F Nth C A Lon–Nwy. The Fleet in the North Sea convoys the Army in London to Norway.

"Support" Can't be Convoyed

Only Armies can be convoyed. "Support" can't be transported from one Army via a convoy to another unit. For example, the following orders are illegal and clearly fail:

England: A Pic–Bre, A Lon S A Pic–Bre F Eng C A Lon S A Pic–Bre France: F Bre–Holds

Convoying an Army Across Several Water Provinces

If Fleets occupy adjacent water provinces, an Army can be convoyed through all these water provinces on one turn, landing in a coastal province adjacent to the final Fleet in the chain.

Diagram 20: England: A Lon–Tun; F Eng C A Lon–Tun; F Mid C A Lon–Tun. France: F Wes C English A Lon–Tun. The English Army from London goes to Tunis on a single move with help from the French player.

Disrupting a Convoy

• Dislodgment of a fleet in a convoy causes the convoy to fail. If a Fleet ordered to convoy is dislodged during the turn, the Army to be convoyed remains in its original province. An attack on a convoying Fleet, which doesn't dislodge it, doesn't affect the convoy.

• A convoy that causes the convoyed Army to standoff at its destination results in that army remaining in its original province. If a convoyed Army arrives at its destination province and is unable to stay there because of a standoff with another unit(s), then that convoyed Army must remain in its original coastal province. (It could still be forced out of its original province by a successful attack there.) An Army can be supported into its destination province to help avoid a standoff.

Note: In this rulebook, examples of convoy orders that failed are underlined to show that the underlined Fleet was dislodged. Other Fleets in a convoy chain won't be underlined.

Diagram 21: France: A Spa–Nap; F GoL C A Spa–Nap; F Tyn C A Spa–Nap. Italy: F Ion–Tyn; F Tun S F Ion–Tyn. The Fleet in the Tyrrhenian is dislodged, so the French Army doesn't move from Spain to Naples.

3. The Order Resolution Phase

After all the orders have been revealed and read, the players (or an assigned gamemaster) must resolve all of the conflicts. Resolution will result in successful moves, failed moves, standoffs, retreats, and disbandments. The units on the game board are moved and removed as described in the next two phases of play.

4. Retreat and Disbanding Phase

After all the orders have been revealed and read, the moves made, and the conflicts resolved, any dislodged (defeated) units make their retreat. These retreats are written down (just like orders) and revealed immediately. No diplomacy or discussion takes place prior to writing retreat orders—all countries are on their own.

A dislodged unit must retreat to an adjacent province that it could ordinarily move to if unopposed by other units. Sometimes a retreat is made deeper into enemy territory.

A unit can't retreat to:

• a province that is occupied;
• the province from which the attacker came; or
• a province that was left vacant by a standoff during the same turn.

If there is no available province to retreat to, the dislodged unit is immediately disbanded and removed from the game board.

Writing Retreats

If two or more units must retreat, the retreat locations are immediately (and without discussion) written down by the players concerned. The written retreats are then simultaneously revealed. Retreats can't be convoyed or supported. Each player should write down the location of the dislodged unit and the location to which it's retreating.

Disbandment

If two or more units are ordered to retreat to the same province, they all must be disbanded. If a player fails to order a retreat when necessary, the unit is disbanded. A unit can always voluntarily disband instead of retreating.

5. Gaining and Losing Units Phase (Winter Phase, After Fall Turn)

Controlling Supply Centers

After each Fall turn, players check to see how many supply centers they control. A country controls a supply center when one of its units occupies that supply-center province after a Fall turn has been played and completed.

Once a country gains control of a supply center, it can leave the center vacant and still keep control of it, as long as that center isn't occupied by another country at the close of a Fall turn. A unit that moves into a supply center during a Spring turn and moves out of it during the Fall of the same year doesn't affect the ownership of the supply center. In short, a country retains control of a supply center as long as, at the end of each Fall turn (including retreats), the supply center is either vacant or is occupied by one of its own units.

Adjusting Number of Units

After each Fall turn (including retreats, if any), players adjust their units to match the number of supply centers they control. This may result in some units being disbanded (if the player has lost supply centers that year) or in some units being built (if the player has gained supply centers that year).

As with retreats, gaining and losing units (collectively known as "adjustments") are written and revealed simultaneously without discussion or diplomacy of any kind.

Disbanding

If a country has fewer supply centers than units, it must disband the excess number of units (owner's choice of which units).

Building

If a country has more supply centers than units, it can place new units in each unoccupied supply center of its home country that it still controls. It can't build units in supply centers outside its home country.

Example: The French player can build units only in Paris, Brest, and Marseilles throughout the course of the game. However, if Marseilles was under Italy's control and the French player had a unit in Brest, he or she would only be allowed to build in Paris, no matter how many builds France was entitled to on that turn. If the French player vacated Brest and regained control of Marseilles, he or she would be allowed to build there after another Fall turn (provided he or she was still entitled to build on that turn).

Additional Building Rules

• Only an Army unit can be built on an inland province supply center.
• When building a unit on a coastal province supply center, a Fleet or Army must be specified in the written build order. If Russia builds a Fleet in St. Petersburg, the Russian player must also specify "North Coast" or "South Coast."
• If your country's home supply centers are all occupied by your own (or other players') units, then you can't build during the current Fall turn. Remember to leave some home supply centers open if you intend to build new units in the Fall.
• If your country has lost all of its home supply centers, you can still fight with the units (supplied by other centers) remaining under your control. In this case, you can't build new units until you recapture a home supply center and control it at the close of a Fall turn.
• A country can decline to build a unit that it's entitled to for whatever reason (usually a diplomatic one).

Writing Builds and Disbandments

Players write down which units they will disband (if any) and what type of unit will be built in a home supply center (if any). These orders are written without diplomacy or discussion and revealed at the same time. Any vague or invalid orders are ignored.

Time Management

It's wise to set aside about four hours to play Diplomacy. No more than five minutes should be allowed for writing orders after the diplomatic negotiation period has ended. Diplomacy and other conversation shouldn't be allowed during the writing and reading of orders, between moves and retreats, during and after retreats, or during adjustments.

Newcomers should be given a half-hour (at least) introduction to the game before the other players assemble. A few moves should then be played with newcomers so they become familiar with the rules before the game starts.

Civil Disorder

If you leave the game or otherwise fail to submit orders on a given Spring or Fall turn, it's assumed that your government has collapsed. Your units all hold in position, but don't support each other. If they're dislodged, they're disbanded. No new units are raised for the country.

In the event of a power going into civil disorder or when a power does not order a required removal, (a) No unit on a supply center is to be removed unless there are no viable options and (b) Unit precedence for removal starts with furthest from an owned supply center, by counting absolute adjacent provinces regardless of the ability of the unit to move into it, are removed first. Fleets are removed before armies, and then units are removed in alphabetic order of the name of the province on the map.

It's probably best, if enough players are present, to allow someone else to replace any player who leaves the game. Players should decide what policies they will follow before starting the game.

Alternate Ways to Play

The following are alternate ways to play the game of Diplomacy when fewer than seven players are present.

Six Players: Eliminate Italy. Italian units hold in position and defend themselves, but don't support each other. Units belonging to any of the players can support them in their holding position. If Italian units are forced to retreat, they're disbanded.

Five Players: Eliminate Italy and Germany (as described for Italy above).

Four Players: One player plays England, and the other three play the following pairs: Austria/France, Germany/Turkey, and Italy/Russia.

Three Players: One player controls England/Germany/Austria; the second, Russia/Italy; and the third, France/Turkey.

Two Players: This version can be played as a World War I simulation. One player controls England/France/Russia while the other plays Austria/Germany/Turkey. Italy is neutral and Italian territory can't be entered. The game begins in 1914. Before the Fall 1914 adjustments, flip a coin. Italy joins the winner of the toss in Spring 1915. The first player to control 24 supply centers wins. This is also an enjoyable way for two new players to learn the rules.

In games for 2, 3, or 4 players, supply-center ownership is computed for each individual country, even though the same person plays more than one country. As with the regular rules, adjustments must be made by each country in accordance with its supply-center holdings.

Rare Cases and Tricky Situations

The above rules should resolve most situations that arise in the game of Diplomacy. There are, however, a few exceptions and rare situations that can occur. They are explained below.

Impossible Orders

A unit given an impossible order results in the unit HOLDING so it can be supported in place. For example, "A Burgundy—Moon" or "A Bohemia—Edinburgh" are impossible moves.

Self Dislodgment

A country can't dislodge or support the dislodgment of one of its own units, even if that dislodgment is unexpected. This is one time when support is refused or negated when it would otherwise be legal. However, such orders can be written for other reasons, such as creating a standoff. Following are some examples to further explain this rule.

Diagram 22: France: A Par–Bur; A Mar S A Par–Bur; A Bur–Holds. The French Army in Paris, supported by its Army in Marseilles, can't dislodge its own Army in Burgundy.

Diagram 23: France: A Par–Bur; A Bur–Mar. Germany: A Ruh S French A Par–Bur. Italy: A Mar–Bur. The French Army in Paris, although supported by the German Army in Ruhr, can't dislodge its own Army in Burgundy.

Diagram 24: Germany: A Ruh–Bur; A Mun–Holds. France: A Par S German A Ruh–Bur; A Bur–Holds. The German Army in Ruhr, supported by the French Army in Paris, can't dislodge the French Army in Burgundy because France can't legally support an attack against one of its own units. However, if Germany had supported its own attack (from Munich), then the French Army in Burgundy would be dislodged.

Diagram 25: Germany: A Mun–Tyr; A Ruh–Mun; A Sil–Mun. Austria: A Tyr–Mun; A Boh S German A Sil–Mun. The German Army in Munich is in a standoff with the Austrian Army in Tyrolia, so neither unit moves. German Armies in Ruhr and Silesia tried to create a standoff with each other in Munich. However, the Austrian Army in Bohemia sneakily gave support to the German unit from Silesia into Munich. In most cases, this supported attack from Silesia into Munich would beat the unsupported attack from Ruhr. But since that would result in Germany dislodging one of its own units, the move fails.

The next example demonstrates a situation in which you might write self-dislodgment orders to create a standoff. This is sometimes a good defensive move.

Diagram 26: England: F Den–Kiel; F Nth–Den; F Hel S F Nth–Den. Russia: A Ber–Kiel; F Ska–Den; F Bal S F Ska–Den. England can't dislodge its own unit, but its supported attack on Denmark is necessary to standoff the supported Russian attack on the same province.

Self Standoff

While a country can't dislodge its own units, it can create standoffs by ordering two equally-supported attacks on the same province. This is often done to maintain control of three provinces with two units. However, if one of the attacks has more support than the other, it will succeed.

Diagram 27: Austria: A Ser–Bud; A Vie–Bud. Russia: A Gal S Austrian A Ser–Bud. The Austrian player is trying to control Serbia, Budapest, and Vienna with two units, keeping Budapest vacant. However, the move "A Ser–Bud" succeeds because of unexpected Russian support. It wouldn't succeed if there was an Austrian Army already in Budapest, since it would be dislodging its own unit. The move succeeds whether the support is from a foreign unit (as illustrated) or from a unit of the same country.

Land and Convoy Routes

In some rare cases, orders are written so that an Army could arrive at its destination either by land or convoy. When this happens, the following qualifiers apply:

• If at least one of the convoying Fleets belongs to the player who controls the Army, then the convoy is used. The land route is disregarded.
• If none of the convoying Fleets belongs to the player who controls the Army, then the land route is used. However, the player controlling the Army can use the convoy route if he or she indicated "via convoy" on the Army move order in question.

This prevents foreign powers from kidnapping an Army and convoying it against its will.

Diagram 28: England: A Lon–Bel; F Nth C A Lon–Bel. France: A Bel–Lon; F Eng C A Bel–Lon. All moves succeed.

Exchanging Places via a Convoy

Two units can exchange places if either or both are convoyed. This is the exception to the earlier rule that stated, "Units can't trade places without the use of a convoy."

More than One Convoy Route

An Army convoyed using alternate convoy orders reaches its destination as long as at least one convoy route remains open. Orders can be written to permit more than one route for convoying an Army from its origin to its destination. The Army isn't prevented from moving unless all routes in the order are disrupted.

Diagram 29: England: A Lon–Bel; F Eng C A Lon–Bel; F Nth C A Lon–Bel. France: F Bre–Eng; F Iri S F Bre–Eng. The Army in London has two convoy routes. Since only one was disrupted, the English Army lands in Belgium.

A Convoyed Attack Doesn't Cut Certain Supports

A convoyed Army doesn't cut the support of a unit supporting an attack against one of the Fleets necessary for the Army to convoy. This is a tricky and rare situation, but without this rule (using Diagram 30 as an example), a paradox may occur.

Diagram 30: France: A Tun–Nap; F Tyn C A Tun–Nap. Italy: F Ion–Tyn; F Nap S F Ion–Tyn. In the following orders, France could argue that its Army cut the support of the Fleet in Naples, thus protecting the convoying Fleet from dislodgment. (France could state the rule, "Support is cut if the unit giving support is attacked from any province but the one where support is being given.") Italy could argue that dislodgment of the Fleet disrupted the convoy so that the Army couldn't arrive in Naples to cut that support. (Italy could state the rule, "Dislodgment of a fleet in a convoy causes the convoy to fail.") Since both rules are contradictory, the above new rule takes precedence. Therefore, the convoy is blocked and support isn't cut.

Cutting Support on Your Own Units

An attack by a country on one of its own units doesn't cut support. This rule is in the same spirit as the Self-Dislodgment rules. A country can't dislodge one of its own units, nor can it cut its own support.

Dislodged by An Adjacent Convoy Attack

A dislodged unit can retreat to the position of the attacker when there is a convoy to an adjacent province. For example:

England: A Edi-Yor; F Nth C A Edi-Yor; A Lon S A Edi-Yor Germany: A Yor H

The German army is dislodged from Yorkshire. If the army in Edinburgh had attacked via land to Yorkshire, then the German army could not retreat to Edinburgh. Since the attack is coming from the convoy in the North Sea, the army in Yorkshire can legally retreat to Edinburgh.

Support to a Split Province

The specification of Support to a specific coast in a split province such as Spain must match the move of the piece ordered to that province. For instance:

France: F Portugal S F Mid-Atlantic - Spain (sc); F Mid-Atlantic - Spain (nc)

The movement is valid but the support order is invalid because it identified an incorrect coast. If the order was F Mid-Atlantic - Spain (sc), then the support order would be valid.

Two More Tricky Situations

Following are two complicated examples that involve the Alternate Convoy rule and the Convoyed Attack rule. These situations are rare and don't come up in most games. But, here are the rules in case these issues do arise.

An Army with at least one successful convoy route will cut the support given by a unit in the destination province that is trying to support an attack on a Fleet in an alternate route of that convoy. As long as there is one successful convoy route, the landing Army does cut any support given by a unit in the destination province. (Remember the rule: "Support is cut if the unit giving support is attacked from any province but the one where support is being given.")

Diagram 31: France: A Tun–Nap; F Tyn C A Tun–Nap; F Ion C A Tun–Nap. Italy: F Rom–Tyn; F Nap S F Rom–Tyn. France wrote orders that would take its Army to Naples by either of two routes. The move from Tunis fails (because of a standoff with the Fleet in Naples), but it cuts the support of that Fleet because that Fleet isn't cutting the successful convoy that came via the Ionian Sea. Therefore, the Fleet in Rome stands off with the Fleet in the Tyrrhenian Sea.

Diagram 32: France: A Tun–Nap; F Tyn C A Tun–Nap; F Ion C A Tun–Nap; A Apu S A Tun–Nap. Italy: F Rom–Tyn; F Nap S F Rom–Tyn. The Fleet in Naples is dislodged by the combined strength of the Army being convoyed from Tunis and the Army in Apulia. Since the Army coming from Tunis can get to Naples via the Ionian Sea, the Fleet in Naples wasn't supporting an attack against the Fleet that ultimately convoyed the Army, so its support was cut.

Note: If the Italian orders had been reversed, then the Fleet in the Tyrrhenian Sea would be dislodged and the Fleet in Naples would move to the Tyrrhenian Sea.

Opening Moves in a Sample Game

This sample game will help demonstrate some of the typical opening moves in a game of Diplomacy. This is intended to be a look at order writing and resolution. No strategies, diplomacy, alliances, or negotiations are discussed here. Besides, it would take too much space to record all of the discussion that goes on!

As you read the orders, you may want set up the game board and move each playing piece so that it projects into the province to which it has been ordered. As soon as the final results are clear, the piece should be pushed into its new position or back to its old one.

Note: In the order lists below, an order shown with underline is one that fails to succeed that turn (the rulebook's standard convention explained earlier in this rulebook).

Spring 1901

Austria: A Vie–Tri, A Bud–Gal, F Tri–Alb England: A Lvp–Yor, F Lon–Nth, F Edi–Nrg France: A Par–Bur, A Mar–Spa, F Bre–Pic Germany: A Ber–Kie, A Mun–Ruh, F Kie–Den Italy: A Ven–Pie, A Rom–Ven, F Nap–Ion Russia: A Mos–Ukr, A War–Gal, F StP–Bot, F Sev–Bla Turkey: A Con–Bul, A Smy–Con, F Ank–Bla

Commentary: All orders succeed except for the two units ordered to the Black Sea and the two ordered to Galicia. Key Rule: Units of equal strength trying to occupy the same province cause all those units to remain in their original provinces.

Retreats: None.

Fall 1901

Austria: A Tri Holds, A Bud–Ser, F Alb–Gre England: A Yor–Nwy, F Nth C A Yor–Nwy, F Nrg–Bar France: A Bur–Mar, A Spa–Port, F Pic–Bel Germany: A Kie–Hol, A Ruh–Bel, F Den Holds Italy: A Ven Holds, A Pie–Mar, F Ion–Tun Russia: A Ukr S F Sev–Rum, A War–Gal, F Bot–Swe, F Sev–Rum Turkey: A Bul–Ser, A Con–Bul, F Ank–Bla

Commentary: The units ordered to Belgium, Marseilles, and Serbia don't move. Key Rule: Units of equal strength trying to occupy the same province cause all those units to remain in their original provinces.

Commentary: The order "Con–Bul" also doesn't succeed. Key Rule: One unit not moving can stop a unit or series of other units from moving.

Retreats: None.

Builds: Looking at the supply centers, England, Turkey, Austria, Italy, and France are each entitled to one build, and Russia and Germany are entitled to two. All players write down their builds and reveal their orders simultaneously. England builds a new Fleet in Edinburgh "F Edi." Germany builds "F Kie" and "A Mun." Russia builds "A StP" and "A Sev." Turkey builds "A Smy." Austria builds "A Vie." Italy builds "F Nap." France builds "F Mar." France builds one unit for Portugal "A Por," but none for Spain, which its Army passed through during the Spring turn.

Spring 1902

Austria: A Tri–Bud, A Vie–Bud, A Bud–Ser, F Gre Holds England: A Nwy–StP, F Nth–Nwy, F Bar S A Nwy–StP, F Edi–Nth France: A Bur S F Pic–Bel, A Por–Spa, F Pic–Bel, F Mar Holds Germany: A Hol–Bel, A Ruh S A Hol–Bel, A Mun–Bur, F Den Holds, F Kie–Hol Italy: A Ven Holds, A Pie–Mar, F Tun–Wes, F Nap–Tyn Russia: A Ukr S F Rum, A Gal–Bud, A StP–Nwy, A Sev S F Rum, F Swe S A StP–Nwy, F Rum Holds Turkey: A Bul–Rum, A Con–Bul, A Smy–Arm, F Bla S A Bul–Rum

Commentary: The Russian and English units on the Norway/St. Petersburg border fail to move. Key Rules: (1) Units of equal strength trying to occupy the same province cause all those units to remain in their original provinces. (2) Units can't trade places without the use of a convoy.

Commentary: This causes the English Fleets in the North Sea and Edinburgh to stay in place. Key Rule: One unit not moving can stop a unit or series of units from moving.

Sweden and Norway are adjacent along a coastline at the south, so the Fleet in Sweden can support an attack on Norway.

Commentary: The units ordered to Budapest also fail. Key Rule: Units of equal strength trying to occupy the same province cause all those units to remain in their original provinces.

The Austrian Fleet in Greece couldn't support the move to Serbia. Because a Fleet can't move to an inland province, it can't provide support there.

The Turkish attack on Rumania, although supported, fails because Russia had more units supporting the Rumanian hold order (two-unit attack vs. a three-unit hold).

Commentary: Many other orders also fail, including the move by Turkey to Bulgaria, the Italian move into Marseilles, and the German move into Burgundy. Key Rule: One unit not moving can stop a unit or series of units from moving.

Commentary: The German attack on Burgundy from Munich cuts the support there. This allows the supported German move into Belgium to succeed (two-unit attack vs. one-unit hold). Key Rule: Support is cut if the unit giving support is attacked from any province except the one where support is being given.

Retreats: None.

Fall 1902

Austria: A Vie–Gal, A Tri–Bud, A Ser S Turkish A Bul–Rum, F Gre Holds England: A Nwy–StP, F Bar S A Nwy–StP, F Nth–Nwy, F Edi–Nth France: A Bur–Bel, F Pic S A Bur–Bel, A Spa S F Mar, F Mar S A Spa Germany: A Ruh–Bur, A Mun S A Ruh–Bur, A Bel S A Ruh–Bur, F Den–Swe, F Hol S A Bel Italy: A Ven–Pie, A Pie–Mar, F Wes–NAf, F Tyn–GoL Russia: A StP–Nwy, F Swe S StP–Nwy, F Rum S A Sev, A Sev S F Rum, A Gal S F Rum, A Ukr S A Sev Turkey: A Bul–Rum, A Con–Bul, A Arm–Sev, F Bla S A Bul–Rum

Commentary: First, look for support that has been cut. Many support orders written on this turn are cut because of the following rule. Key Rule: Support is cut if the unit giving support is attacked from any province but the one where support is being given.

The supports that are cut include: the Russian Fleet in Sweden (the attack from Denmark), the French Fleet in Marseilles (the attack from Piedmont), the Russian Army in Sevastapol (the attack from Armenia), the Russian Army in Galacia (the attack from Vienna), and the Russian Fleet in Rumania (the attack from Bulgaria). The German Army in Belgium, supporting a move from Ruhr to Burgundy, doesn't have its support cut since the attack comes from Burgundy, the province where the support is being given.

Commentary: Next, look for standoffs. The Fleet in Marseilles and the Army in Sevastapol successfully standoff their attackers. Key Rule: Units of equal strength trying to occupy the same province cause all those units to remain in their original provinces.

In fact, the support from Spain and Ukraine is unnecessary here as the individual units would have been enough to hold off the attack.

Commentary: The Army in Vienna can't get into occupied Galacia and the Army in Venice can't get into occupied Piedmont. They remain in place. Key Rule: One unit not moving can stop a unit or series of units from moving.

Commentary: The French Army trying to get from Burgundy to Belgium fails because the support from Holland makes the forces equal. Key Rule: Units of equal strength trying to occupy the same province cause all those units to remain in their original provinces.

Commentary: The support coming from Munich gives the German Army coming from Ruhr a strength of 2 compared to the French Army's strength of 1. The Army in Ruhr moves into Burgundy and the French Army will have to retreat during the Retreat phase.

The Russian Fleet in Rumania was originally supported enough to hold off the Turkish attack from Bulgaria. However, both its supports were cut and it now stands alone. This isn't enough to hold off the attack since Turkey is supporting the Bulgarian Army with the Fleet in the Black Sea. The Bulgarian Army moves into Rumania and the Russian Army there will have to retreat during the Retreat phase. The vacating of Bulgaria also allows the Army in Constantinople to enter Bulgaria.

Since the Russian support in Sweden was cut, the English attack from Norway into St. Petersburg succeeds. The Russian Army in St. Petersburg will have to retreat during the Retreat phase. Since the Army in Norway entered St. Petersburg, the other British Fleets can complete their moves.

Retreats: There are three units on the board that must retreat during the Retreat phase (one French, two Russian). The Russian unit in Rumania has no place to retreat (all adjacent territories are occupied) and is immediately disbanded and removed from the board. The Russian and French players then write down the retreat for their one unit. Russia: "A StP–Mos." France: "A Bur–Gas." The units are moved to Moscow and Gascony.

Builds and Disbandments: Russia controls four supply centers but has five units. It must disband one. All other players but Italy get a build. All players write down their builds and disbandments and reveal them simultaneously. Germany builds "F Kie." Russia removes "A Gal." Turkey builds "F Smy." Austria builds "A Tri." France builds "A Par." England builds "F Lon." Italy doesn't change.

Conclusion: At this point, with all the neutral supply centers owned by one of seven countries, and some fledgling alliances and conflicts between the players, we will end our sample game. No effort has been made here to analyze the strategy or tactics of these fictitious players.

22 Rules to Help You Resolve Orders

The following is a handy list of rules needed to resolve orders and game-play issues. If you're unable to resolve an issue using this list, refer to the instructions and examples within this rulebook for more detailed explanations.

1. All units have the same strength.
2. There can only be one unit in a province at a time.
3. Units of equal strength trying to occupy the same province cause all those units to remain in their original provinces.
4. A standoff doesn't dislodge a unit already in the province where the standoff took place.
5. One unit not moving can stop a series of other units from moving.
6. Units can't trade places without the use of a convoy.
7. Three or more units can rotate provinces during a turn provided none directly trade places.
8. A unit not ordered to move can be supported by a support order that only mentions its province.
9. A unit ordered to move can only be supported by a support order that matches the move the unit is trying to make.
10. A dislodged unit can still cause a standoff in a province different from the one that dislodged it.
11. A dislodged unit, even with support, has no effect on the province that dislodged it.
12. A country can't dislodge or support the dislodgment of one of its own units, even if that dislodgment is unexpected.
13. Support is cut if the unit giving support is attacked from any province except the one where support is being given.
14. Support is cut if the supporting unit is dislodged.
15. A unit being dislodged by one province can still cut support in another.
16. An attack by a country on one of its own units doesn't cut support.
17. A dislodgment of a Fleet necessary to a convoy causes that convoy to fail.
18. A convoy that causes the convoyed Army to standoff at its destination results in that Army remaining in its original province.
19. Two units can exchange places if either or both are convoyed. (This is the exception to Rule 6.)
20. An Army convoyed using alternate convoy orders reaches its destination as long as at least one convoy route remains open.
21. A convoyed Army doesn't cut the support of a unit supporting an attack against one of the Fleets necessary for the Army to convoy. (This supersedes Rule 13.)
22. An Army with at least one successful convoy route will cut the support given by a unit in the destination province that is supporting an attack on a Fleet in an alternate route in that convoy. (This supersedes Rule 21.)

Abbreviations

Below is a list of commonly accepted abbreviations for the provinces on the Diplomacy map. You may devise your own abbreviations, but remember that abbreviations that are subject to different interpretations may result in the failure of an order.

Austria

Province	Abbreviation
Bohemia	Boh
Budapest	Bud
Galicia	Gal
Trieste	Tri
Tyrolia	Tyr
Vienna	Vie

England

Province	Abbreviation
Clyde	Cly
Edinburgh	Edi
Liverpool	Lvp
London	Lon
Wales	Wal
Yorkshire	Yor

France

Province	Abbreviation
Brest	Bre
Burgundy	Bur
Gascony	Gas
Marseilles	Mar
Paris	Par
Picardy	Pic

Germany

Province	Abbreviation
Berlin	Ber
Kiel	Kie
Munich	Mun
Prussia	Pru
Ruhr	Ruh
Silesia	Sil

Italy

Province	Abbreviation
Apulia	Apu
Naples	Nap
Piedmont	Pie
Rome	Rom
Tuscany	Tus
Venice	Ven

Russia

Province	Abbreviation
Finland	Fin
Livonia	Lvn
Moscow	Mos
Sevastopol	Sev
St. Petersburg	StP
St. Petersburg (N. Coast)	StP(nc)
St. Petersburg (S. Coast)	StP(sc)
Ukraine	Ukr
Warsaw	War

Turkey

Province	Abbreviation
Ankara	Ank
Armenia	Arm
Constantinople	Con
Smyrna	Smy
Syria	Syr

Neutrals

Province	Abbreviation
Albania	Alb
Belgium	Bel
Bulgaria	Bul
Bulgaria (East Coast)	Bul(ec)
Bulgaria (South Coast)	Bul(sc)
Denmark	Den
Greece	Gre
Holland	Hol
Norway	Nwy
North Africa	NAf
Portugal	Por
Rumania	Rum
Serbia	Ser
Spain	Spa
Spain (North Coast)	Spa(nc)
Spain (South Coast)	Spa(sc)
Sweden	Swe
Tunis	Tun

Bodies of Water

Body of Water	Abbreviation
Adriatic Sea	Adr
Aegean Sea	Aeg
Baltic Sea	Bal
Barents Sea	Bar
Black Sea	Bla
Eastern Mediterranean	Eas
English Channel	Eng
Gulf of Bothnia	Bot
Gulf of Lyon	GoL
Helgoland Bight	Hel
Ionian Sea	Ion
Irish Sea	Iri
Mid-Atlantic Ocean	Mid
North Atlantic Ocean	NAt
North Sea	Nth
Norwegian Sea	Nrg
Skagerrak	Ska
Tyrrhenian Sea	Tyn
Western Mediterranean	Wes