I came to the conclusion a while ago that it would be a good idea to start a project that would help novices to Diplomacy to understand the game and the Hobby, and the metalanguage associated with them.
The idea, of course, is to help people understand a little more about Diplomacy. When you see words or phrases that are used commonly – and especially those that are not as common – it can be a little confusing at first. “Bounce”? “Stab”? “Beleaguered Garrison”? “Arena Diplomacy”? Just what do these mean?
And so, in September 2024, I launched THE DIPTIONARY, a project meant to do just that: define the words and terms Dippers and Dippyists use (as well as those terms I use in my writing).
Origins
I first tried something like this when I was publishing the zine “34” and the subzine “Send Noobs”. The subzine was targeted at newbies to Diplomacy. As part of the zine I included definitions so that these Diplopups could find out what the terminology meant.
However, “34” didn’t last long and the idea went into hibernation.
Then I started my on-going online zine DIPLOMATICON QUARTERLY and thought, as I wasn’t – in the first issue at least – including novice-specific content (I will be including it from issue #2, out in December 2024) it would be nice to have a place people could go to find out what the baffling jargon meant.
I did incorporate the first version of this in my blog THE DIPLOMATICON but, well, that blog was meant for people with a little more experience of Diplomacy than a novice might have. It didn’t really sit well with the tone of the blog.
I considered moving it to DQ itself but felt that it could do with its own site. And so I started a new ‘blog’ which would really be a website for THE DIPTIONARY.
And here you are!
The Big Idea
The idea, then, just in case you haven’t worked it out, is to provide definitions for the words, phrases and terms used in the Diplomacy Hobby for the game and the Hobby itself. Define the metalanguage. Explain the jargon. Help Diplopups and Dippers alike to get to grips with the terminology of Diplomacy… and maybe introduce you to the words I use in my own writing.
If you want to read more about the project, take a look at the ABOUT page, and if you want to take part take a look at the CONTACT ME page.
And get the word out there! Signpost people to THE DIPTIONARY: https://thediptionary.uk/
THE DIPTIONARY 