Allies betrayed, countries lost, and friendships on the brink of destruction; if you have played, then you know exactly how true this is. Diplomacy is a student-based board game in Mr. Parker’s history class, controlling the European great powers that participated in World War 1.

Students go back in time and are assigned a European country that were involved in the war. While making alliances with other empires and figuring out the best war plan, students can either become much closer, or figure out that their so called “friends” will turn on them just for a taste of power.

“I actually got really into it,” Marshall Elliot said, “A lot more than I thought I would. I loved it when you had to backstab other countries, it made the game more interesting.”

Mr. Parker holds the game every year, so he has a very good understanding of it. He asks students questions about their given aliases, helps students write attack orders, and watches everything play out. Parker knew the game would be similar to previous classes. “Some people don’t see the big picture. Every year I can see the kids who look at what’s right in front of them instead of thinking ahead,” Parker said.

Each county had student acting as a certain role. Hans Schuchmann was his group’s king. “I knew going in that it would take a lot of strategizing, but once we started, I got going and got pretty involved in it”, Schuchmann said. “I was the only Austria-Hungary team in all the periods to not die, so that was a victory.”

“Yeah, Austria-Hungary is usually pretty doomed from the start,” Parker said. For some, this game may have been just a silly game they played in junior history, but for others it will be a memory they will always keep.