S

Satisfaction: The feeling you get when your moves went off as planned.

SC: See SUPPLY CENTRE.

Scatter Theory: Theory of play that suggests that your units should be scattered across the board, allowing you to have an influence on every part of the board. Seems to ignore using diplomacy to spread your influence.

Schizophrenic attack: A set of moves that aim to ensure an attack is carried out in a specified way. Let’s say Russia is aiming to attack Rumania and has A(Ukr) and F(Sev). You, as Turkey, have A(Bul) and F(BLA). You order A Bul-Rum, F BLA-Sev. This means that, to succeed, Russia must order A Ukr S Sev-Rum. Obviously, you have to somehow make sure Russia knows these are the orders you’re entering.

Schizophrenic support: A set of moves that aim to ensure an SC is captured in a specified way or to guard against an NMR or betrayal. Let’s say Germany has A(Ruh) and A(Hol). France has F(ENG). As Germany you order A Ruh-Bel, A Hol S ENG-Bel. This means that, if France doesn’t order to Belgium, you have a chance of taking it. It also prevents France from ordering F ENG C Pic-Bel, for instance.

School: A way of approaching a game of Diplomacy, based on a philosophy shared by a number of players.

School game (1): A game run in a school (or other educational establishment) as part of a wider educational programme, eg for a history class, politics class, etc.

School game (2): A game run in a school (or other educational establishment) by a gaming club, simply for the sake of playing/teaching the game.

Schools game: On Playdiplomacy, a class of game which is designed specifically for use by teachers. Also used for some tournaments, as it allowed an organiser to create a game and place players in control of specific powers.

Scissors: An attack by two units on the same space to cut support. Let’s say Russia has A(War) and A(Lvn); Germany has A(Sil) and A(Pru). If Russia orders A War-Pru will not cut support if Germany orders a Pru S Sil-War. However, if Russia also orders A Lvn-Pru, this cuts the attack.

Scored game: A game of Diplomacy where points are awarded based on the outcome of the game (and occasionally, and perniciously, on progress made in certain points in the game).

Scoring system: A method of scoring Diplomacy games over a short series of games, usually a tournament or league. Scoring systems might use DRAW-SIZE SCORING (DSS) or SUPPLY CENTRE SCORING (SCS). DSS is less useful as a scoring system as it doesn’t often differentiate sufficiently over a short series of games.

SCS: Abbreviation for SUPPLY CENTRE SCORING.

Sealed orders: Submitted orders that are somehow prevented from taking place but can’t be changed. This might occur if, for instance, in an FTF game, players reach a break period and orders have been submitted. The orders are adjudicated after the break.

Sea Space: A division of the board in Diplomacy that can only be occupied by a Fleet.

Season (1): Often used for the period over which an online League will be played.

Season (2): Very occasionally, even rarely: an alternative name for a Turn in Diplomacy, based on turns being called Spring and Fall (or Autumn).

Self-bounce: Ordering two units with the same attack strength to the same space, so bouncing yourself from that space and, potentially, protecting it from attack from another power.

Self-dislodgement: In Diplomacy, you can do nothing directly that dislodges your unit from a space, including ordering support for a direct attack on that space.

Series (of games): Often an ongoing or long-term series of games, in which each game is scored using a ratings system (occasionally – and erroneously – a scoring system), and where the score from the game leads to points that place the players in a rankings table.

Seven Player Tournament: A tournament featuring the same seven players, playing in the same seven games, each controlling a different power in each game.

Shared win (1): Doesn’t exist. The idea is that, if two or more players draw the game, perhaps tied on the same number of SCs, they’ve shared a win. They haven’t. Nobody has won.

Shared win (2): A 17-17 draw. Still not a win. The word is ‘draw’.

Shark:  Diplomacy player who plays ruthlessly.

Sheltered power: A power that is not directly threatened by a successful alliance, eg Turkey being protected from an Anglo-French alliance.

Short Game rule: A rule introduced in 1961 when Games Research Ltd published Diplomacy. This allowed for a game to finish after a set time, at which point the player controlling most SCs would be declared the winner. Not part of Calhamer’s design for the game, this was nonetheless accepted as a rule for many years, especially in tournaments. In 1992, it was removed from the published rules, only to return in a more defined version in 2023.

Shorthanded game: A game of Diplomacy played by fewer than seven players. Apart from the published rules (described below), some sites have other ways to manage these games.

Shorthanded rules (1): Rules published in 1959 and lasting until 1971, for games with fewer than seven players. These involved removing various powers and places from the board, making a growing area of the board impassable.

Shorthanded rules (2): Rules published in 1971 and still ongoing for games with fewer than seven players. These involved removing Italy from the game for six players; removing Germany and Italy for five players (the start date being 1861); having some or all players controlling two or three powers for four or three players, and having one player controlling England/France/Russia and the other controlling Germany/Austria/Turkey for two players, with Italy being neutral until after Winter 1901, when it was assigned to one player by the toss of a coin. In the 6- and 5-player game, the eliminated powers had units on the board but holding in place until removed by a successful attack. For the 2-player game, Italy’s units hold in place until they are successfully attacked or until they are handed over to one of the players. The 2-player game starts in 1914.

Short-term strategic mistake: A mistake by either moving a unit to an irrelevant space on the board, or failing to move a unit to a relevant space on the board.

Sicilian Axis, The: The part of the board, around the unnamed island of Sicily, where the Tyrrhenian and Ionian Seas meet, with Naples to the north-east and Tunis to the south-west. This is the point of access to the eastern Med sea spaces from the west, and vice versa.

Sign-off or -over: See FIELD MARSHAL ORDERS.

Silver Platter alliance: Following an alliance’s success in defeating one enemy, one of the allies turns its attention to attack another, while leaving nothing to prevent their ally from stabbing them.

Simple-minded antelope: A player of small skill and little imagination.

Site Rules: Rules for playing Diplomacy on a Dip site.

Solo (1): A win by achieving ownership of 18 SCs.

Solo (2): The act of achieving a solo.

Soloism: A way or philosophy of playing in which a player sees achieving the solo as the only result that matters.

Soloist: A player who follows the philosophy of soloism.

South, The: Alternative name for THE EAST, featuring Italy, Austria, Turkey, and often Russia. Comprises the Russian SCs of Moscow, Warsaw and Sevastopol; also features the neutral SCs Greece, Bulgaria, Rumania, Serbia and Tunis.

Southern Powers: Usually Turkey, Austria and Italy.

Southern Triple Alliance: An alliance featuring Turkey, Austria and Italy.

Space: The name for a division of the board in Diplomacy.

Spaghetti Hoop: Italy’s version of Turkey’s BOX, in which Italy gains Tunis, then finds themselves struggling to gain anything else, with Austria to the east, Turkey to the south-east and eastern Med spaces, Germany to the north, and France to the west.

Spaghetti Western alliance: An alliance featuring England, France and Italy.

Speedboat Diplomacy: A form of GUNBOAT Dip game that has deadlines of five minutes.

Spring: The first turn in a game year featuring a Diplomacy Phase and, if needed, a Retreats Phase.

Spring removal: A questionable practice whereby a player would deliberately leave a unit out of their orders in Spring, hoping that the GM would miss the unit and not include it on the adjudicated map. When the unit isn’t there in Fall, the missed unit is ratified. Should the player be able to then build a unit in Winter, this might give them a more advantageous position. I believe the word you’re looking for is ‘nefarious’.

Spring 1901 NMR Protection: A feature on Playdiplomacy that can be selected at the game creation point by which a player who NMRs in Spring 1901 is removed from the game. The game will go back to the pre-game point, and a new player given the chance to join.

Stab (1): To betray an ally.

Stab (2): A set of moves that allow a player to betray an ally.

Stabbee: A player who has been betrayed.

Stabber: A player who has done the betraying.

Stab Lepanto Opening, The: This is a version of the Key Lepanto Opening in which Italy decides to stab Austria (and the reason the Key Lepanto is so dangerous an opening for Austria). It begins as the Key Lepanto does: Italy orders A Ven-Tri, A Rom-Apu, F Nap-Ion; Austria orders A Bud-Rum, F Tri-Alb, and does something with A(Vie), probably A Vie-Bud. Then Italy stabs, either by holding in Trieste, or moving A Tri-Vie/Bud (depending on what Austria ordered in the first place). This is accompanied by either F ION C Apu-Gre or -Alb, depending on what Turkey can do. Ideally, Italy orders A Tri S Bul-Ser; Italy has lost Trieste, and possibly faces allied Italo-Turkish forces behind its lines.

Stalemate (1): When no player can move without losing an SC or can no longer successfully attack the opposition.

Stalemate (2): A game that ends when no players can move without losing an SC or can no longer successfully attack the opposition.

Stalemate Line: An imaginary line on the board that could potentially end the game in a stalemate.

Strong Second: A School (philosophy) of playing Diplomacy that has the goal of capturing most SCs as the main principle when one can no longer win the game; no longer within the Hobby(?)

Supply Centre: A land space on the board of Diplomacy that can support a unit. 

Supply Centre Scoring (SCS): A system of scoring a game of Diplomacy based on the number of Supply Centres held at the end of the game. There are many SCS systems, some of them combining DSS scoring in some way or other (properly called HYBRID SCORING), some of them pretty complex.

Support (order): An instruction given to a playing piece in Diplomacy: the piece stays in the space it occupies but adds its strength to a unit based in a neighbouring space to which the supporting unit could move.

Supporting: The action of a unit, adding its strength to the actions of another unit.

Surrender: On Playdiplomacy, to leave a game while you are still active, ie you have units or SCs in the game. DON’T!!!

Surrendered: On Playdiplomacy, to be removed from the game. This can happen because (1) a player has cheated and been removed from the game by a moderator, or (2) a player has NMRed on two occasions and been AUTO_SURRENDERED.

Sympathy: What?