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The Six P's

By Mark Fassio

(NOTE: This is a slightly modified reprint of my article "The Six Ps," taken from DIPLOMACY WORLD magazine No. 67, Summer 1992, pgs 6-7. -maf-)

In the title above, I was going to explain what the "six Ps" stood for. However, like any good salesman, I’m hoping you’ve at least read this far in the hopes of determining just what it is I’m squawking about this time. So, here goes: the Six Ps is an "Old Army" phrase that stands for "Proper Planning Prevents Piss-Poor Performance." Both in military planning and in Diplomacy operations, the Six Ps take on critical importance.

In my opinion, the most crucial play occurs at two points in the game: in the Winter 1900 negotiations, and again in the early midgame (1904 or thereabouts), when bodies start dropping. Any Dip player worth his/her salt and "six Ps" can usually shlep along after these two phases and get by, barring some unforeseen occurrence.

In both your negotiations and your war plans, these Six Ps should be readily apparent. Of course, the following will not be agreed-on by all players; little of anything in this hobby is. As the late Rod Serling of Twilight Zone fame used to say, however, the following planning tenets are merely "submitted for your approval..."

1. Pick friend and foe, or "One Enemy, One Ally." I find that, for me, the best Winter 1900 situation is to latch onto a solid ally and then concentrate on one player who is to feel The Wrath of Khan. You need to size up the board and determine which nation fits best into your gameplan for early pillage and plunder as an ally.
2. After that, Plan an attack and ensure it’s understood. Figure out which enemy would die quickest and without attracting a lot of undue attention in the early game. Both ally and enemy picks are determined by a variety of factors: temperament of the players (alliance types or solo barracudas); frequency of their writing, etc. I prefer to ally with an average Joe who writes regularly, as opposed to some "big-name" player who can’t find time to hit "send" on his e-mail or lick a stamp.
3. Pounce, aka "Go Ugly Early." Anyone who’s been around aircrew members (or college bars) knows this phrase. It refers to scooping out a blah-looking gal and then spending the night, um, discussing proton physics with her , rather than wasting your time on the cute chick in the corner. For Dip purposes, however, it simply means: Don’t delay; hit your foe as soon as possible." You should not waffle on an early attack; if you want waffling, go to the freezer section of the store and look for the box that says "Aunt Jemima." ((See my related article: "SWAT OPENING: AIR Ball."))

   I know, a lot of you probably figure, "But gee, Faz, it’s absurd to commit so early in the game when there are so many neutral centers; why antagonize someone early, etc etc." If you want to be flexible and work out a "muddling through" strategy, have at it, friend. But ask yourself: using the true historical analogies, did any of the Great Powers do ad hoc planning (other than Italy, which jumped ship in 1915 in search of a better deal from the Allies)? Heck no; these guys didn’t wake up in August 1914 and say, "gee, we’re at war; guess we better look for some allies and then go fight someone." They all had their plans (flawed or otherwise), had their targets picked out way in advance, and moved decisively (if not smartly) AND QUICKLY. Should you do less? After all, most everyone else on the board is going to be "Mr Flexibility" and look for the cheap thrill of neutral centers in 1901, not wanting to "rock the boat early." You can get away with some really neat stuff if you plan it right and go ugly early. Fortune favors the bold.

4. Player analysis -- desert or crabgrass? The second phase where the Six Ps are best used is when someone has bitten the dust (hopefully your target). Even if the foe still lives, however, you now need to decide what your follow-on plans are to be. Do you turn on another player while the first enemy is still on the board? Normally one shrinks from such a thought, because it defies logic to leave "unfinished business" about. In some cases, however, you may be forced into it -- your ally may need bailed out of a tight spot, or you may have to hit some other fast-burner before they turn into a Mega Power. If you’re faced with such a decision, refer to para 1’s character traits again. If the player is a "desert" type who plays poorly, craps out of games with NMRs or apathy, etc, then reduce this person at your leisure while you turn on another foe and/or help your buddy.

   However, your first enemy may be a "crabgrass person" -- someone who is so good or tenacious that they are an opposition rallying point and a threat, even with one center. If so, remember that crabgrass in your lawn, left unattended, will grow, choke off your grass, and wreck your landscape...so too with a very good player left alive. You will need to "weed out" these types continuously and completely, lest they "wreck your Dip board landscape." Many of the remaining hobby grognards are crabgrass types -- too dang stubborn to be anything else!

5. Printed Word Leads to Victory. Above all else, write, write, and write...to everyone, every turn -- all part of the Six Ps. You’d be surprised how many people think they’re "diplomats" yet forget the simplest survival rule of the game: write early, often and build rapport.
6. Associated with the power of Print, develop a good PsyOps plan. It MUST include a logical plan for what to say to the others, every turn, and have links to each storyline, to ensure if they cross-check you, they get your "party line." The quickest way to lose is to forget these two Ps: forget to write, and lack a credible "thread" that you weave around these folks, and you’re toast.

There are many ancillaries and corollaries to these three points, and they’re certainly not a complete "How To Win at Dip" list. But if you remember these points, you can at least make some pseudo-intelligent planning moves that will get you out of the starting gate. You and an ally can use the Six Ps to get the jump on a hesitant 1901-02 board array. The biggest caveat to all this is a phrase from a Clint Eastwood Dirty Harry movie: "A man’s got to know his limitations." Plan on a good ally for S’01; plan for rapid, joint action if possible; plan ahead of your assault, so there are no misunderstandings with your ally; but plan WITHIN your limits. Don’t get too greedy or too cocky early on. (That’s another story I could tell you about -- how an R/T duo got cocky, ignored their foes, got reduced by A/I/G to 5 total units between them, then had to turn on the sweet-talking to rally back to a 15-13 shared draw....maybe in another article.)

Don’t attempt what you are incapable of achieving; know your limitations. Pick; Plan; Pounce; Player Profile; Print correspondence (i.e., write); and employ PsyOps. These are your keys to victory, not how tactically smart you are on the board.

Not every game will be won by some mad fool charging across the steppes and attacking his foe in Spring 1901. But you know what? Some games will indeed be won by the daring, the unexpected, and the well-planned out onslaught, even in the early years. Dip games are all crap shoots anyway, so who’s to say you won’t be one of the winners?

Mark Fassio (mafassio, FazFam) is an Air Force officer hoping to retire this year and play more Dip. He’s an average player, an ok writer, and someone you’d take home to meet Mom.

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