Diplomacy

A definition for diplomacy is "skill in handling affairs without arousing hostility."

Diplomacy in Europe tends to focus around maintaining the balance of power or at least an attempt to do so between the Great Powers. Namely the struggle between Germany and France for domination of continental Europe, or the eternal Russian quest for Tsar-grad or even just Great Britain pillaging the colonial possessions whilst making outrageous income from India only to spend it as quickly maintaining the fleet.

Most players tend to begin the round busy researching historical events and what their nation may have done however as anyone will tell you, plans can tend to go south pretty quickly despite best intentions.

The art of diplomacy, as I see it is recognising what you can offer someone in return for something you want. The big C word that politicians find hard to use today is compromise. Compromising does not require you to abandon your goals and "give away the farm" (giving in without a fight) but rather where you ask yourself what you truly want from the negotiations and what might your neighbour want to make it happen.

In BC Sims we like to play by plausibility, which in essence means if it seems reasonable that a historical counter part in the time period would be willing or able to make the same decision then so can you. Plausibility should never take a back seat to your goals as this can lead you to commit diplomatic errors and misjudge the international reactions.

For example,

Great Britain has the worlds most powerful fleet and can destroy any foreign fleet it meets yet it almost never had to do so in real life. Why do you think this might be the case? Simply put in this era; money was the goal and to make loads of it. Wars are expensive and almost never worth the cost however! British diplomats realised that simply relying on threats and power doth win you no friends or favours. Instead Britain spent centuries investing heavily in her diplomatic corps and building influence and "soft" power that is influence rather than military might.

In this example, let's say the British player receives a message from the German emperor "demanding" Britain offer proper treatment to the Boers and let poor old Kaiser Wilhelm mediate the conclusion the Boer war. This certainly is likely to happen in Europe 1900 unless the German Kaiser decides not to interject however this leaves the British player with a couple of options. Now I'm not claiming to be an expert on the period but consider your German neighbour. He's likely feeling pressure from an NPC group or his team to be proactive and help the Christian Boers from your imperialistic ambitions! The German player may act in such a way that you can simply ignore him as they clearly do not wish to impose on Great Britain or perhaps the German player has decided he is invincible on land and fears nought what you do! In the latter case it may be difficult to conduct diplomacy with them as they clearly are not considering the pressures you are under either.
 * 1) Accept the offer of mediation
 * 2) Decline the offer of mediation and insult the kaisers mother in a poorly worded note
 * 3) Decline the offer of mediation and write your reply in such a way that the Germans felt accomplished without you losing anything/much allowing them to claim a marginal victory.

For the British player, accepting mediation will surely cause a political crisis at home with all the smug conservatives screeching at the thought of German intervention! Without careful manoeuvring this path could definitely see you replaced with a liberal government and yourself being sacked.

Declining the offer and not being careful can lead to a bigger diplomatic incident with another power. There is a time and a place for putting an uppity rival in its place and being tactful. War scares and economic sanctions almost always follow bad diplomacy as diplomats fail to come up with a solution, the war mongering commences and threats begin to fly.

Ideally, the player can find a compromise with the German diplomat either in private or in public that permits the British team to complete their goals in the Boer republics whatever that may be whilst allowing the German team a victory of some kind, whether that is simply saving face or a token offer of some kind.

If you take away anything from this post, I would like it to be the following:
 * 1) Consider their objectives and concerns when conducting your own diplomacy
 * 2) Consider if your actions are plausible and not an overreaction to a simple mistake or goading.
 * 3) Always remember the bigger picture - small losses here could see an influence blossom into a later victory.