Diplomacy

I have a grand scheme for a large Diplomacy framework, but I want to build this smaller game first as a stepping off point.

Concept

The game is tracked in a browser, but it is mostly played through interaction.

Set up

Each player is assigned a country and one of three roles. Each country has one leader, one spy and any number of diplomats. One of the players does the initial setup and they can hit start any time after there are 16 players in the game.

Leader

Only the leader can sign treaties and so forth and only they know the identity of their spy. The leader cannot leave their country, instead other diplomats must come to them, or their diplomats can interact with other leaders and diplomats.

Spy

The spy acts like a diplomat for one country, but really they are part of a different country, reporting back information about that country.

Diplomat

These players can move around and interact with leaders, diplomats and spies.

Victory

There are three victory scenarios; military, financial and scientific. It is possible for more than one country to win. No victory trumps another, so if in a single trade one country achieves a military victory and another achieves a scientific victory, both countries win. Three countries could win if the trade was orchestrated by a spy and and involved nuclear secrets giving the spying country a military win.

Military

A military victory comes when a country can build a nuclear weapon. Each country has plans for one component. They can trade this knowledge (they don't lose it). If a country acquires all the plans, they win. If a spy negotiates a trade agreement involving nuclear plans, all the plans involved in the trade will also be gained by their country. The plans are Detonator Geometry, Fuel Refining, Electrical Synchronization and Altitude Trigger

Financial

If a country controls 50% of the wealth in the game they win a financial victory. If the game ends with no other victory, the country controlling the most wealth wins. Controlling 50% of the wealth can be a simultaneous win, controlling the most wealth cannot.

Scientific

Each country has a scientific project that will make them the most powerful, but will require a great deal of resources. If they can successfully trade for those resources, they will win. The projects are Internet, Moon Landing, Cure Cancer and Eliminate Hunger.

Investment

Over the course of the game, project opportunities will arise. An opportunity will require funding and resources and will have a fixed chance of success (with a corresponding financial gain). When an opportunity arises, a country can invest, cancel or make it public. If they invest they will lose the resources and funding and have a chance (project success probability) at the financial gain. To cancel it will cost a fixed amount and there is no gain. If they make it public (which will happen by default after 5 minutes) any country can fund it and should the project succeed the country of origin will receive 10% of the financial gain.

The risk/reward ratio should be constant and positive (encourage people to take the investment opportunities). A 50% chance to triple your money seems good.

Under the same category there will be "Sale of Goods" which allows you to buy resources directly. Leaders will be able to buy at cost X, suppress the sale for X/2 or allow it to go public and they will receive X/10 cut. Unlike investments, there is no chance of failure, the purchase is guaranteed.

Disorder

Over the course of the game, every country will experience disorder (if the game runs it's full span). The leader can appease the disorder for a cost ($10-$25). If the leader chooses not to appease the disorder there is a chance (25%) that they will cause monetary damage in the range of 1-3X the cost to appease.

Trade

Countries can trade wealth, resources and nuclear plans. A trade agreement can only be created by a diplomat, it must then be approved by the leader of the offering country and last, accepted by the country it is offered to. The country making the offer can rescind the offer at any time, until it has been accepted. If the trade is created by a spy and involves nuclear secrets, those secrets will be transmitted back to the country the spy is working for.

The game will be laid out so that each country has a monopoly on one resources and has two resources that at least one other country also has. All but one (a gimme) investment opportunity that comes up in their country will require at least one resource the country did not have to start.

Resources

• Copper
• Microchips
• Magnets
• Hydrogen
• Aluminum
• Radio Equipment
• Plastics
• Lasers
• Nuclear Fuel
• Farm Equipment
• Chemicals
• Oil

Notes on Resources

For balance, it should never be possible for enough resources to be consumed so that any science achievement is impossible.

Nuclear Plans

• Trigger
• Detonation Geometry
• Fuel Refinement
• Circuit