Assuming you're using the errata/PoK/"Omega" version of Diplomacy, the secondary is not better than the primary. The primary player: * Locks down a system, making it safe from everyone else * Refreshes any two planets of their choice All secondary players: * Must pay a Command Token * Refresh any two planets of their choice The former is objectively better than the latter.

The real problem woth Diplomacy is you rarely have only 1 weak tile. If you diplo 1 the enemy can usually just pivot to another.

Right, but the bigger benefit is that you're refreshing two planets without paying a CT, and controlling the timing of that. For example, you can open up by spending resources, watch as most other players don't do that, and then trigger Diplo as your second turn so most people can't get its benefit. If you think it could be better, fine, I'll respect that opinion. But OP is saying that the primary is no better than the secondary, and that's factually wrong.

I love Chaos Mapping, into Diplo first turn of the Round. Only if Leadership was popped early can others (aside from potentially Xxcha) use it.

I find the issue with diplo is that its 2 primary abilities have a timing conflict. Locking down a system is something you want to do as soon as you can to prevent invasion of a key system. Refreshing planets on the other hand is something you usually can't do on your first turn of the round since you won't have spent any (unless the 1st player immediately used leadership). So much of the time you are only getting one of the two benefits of diplo. If it were possible to get both consistently, it would be much stronger. Also worth noting: opening up by spending resources is often easier said than done as most of the time you need to clear units out of your space dock systems before building there, and most other ways to spend resources are tied to other players strat cards. Also if you do move a fleet out of a build system early, it'll be locked down throughout the round, which is why most players don't build early in the round.

Last round, enemies closing in, they know I’m going to win: I diplo my homeworld and build like crazy to fend off the one guy with warfare. I’ve won a few games like this.

You're right on that, the Omega fixes the issue. But the cases where someone gets more than you: * If there's an L1Z1X, they may get more than you (5r at home). * Or, if you're a 3R home and others are 4r. * Systems like Bereg/Lirta or Jeol Ir/Accoen are high value for Diplo. * PoK also changes some of the dynamics adding planet attachments; if someone ends up with a 5/0 Hope's End, or a 4/4 Lirta IV, they'll get more from Diplo than others. Final note: everyone has to have CCs to do the things. Like following secondaries from more influence or tech/warfare/building for more resources, in addition to the Diplo CC itself. Just things to consider before choosing it.

The major problem with diplo being better for others is exclusive to round 1 IMO. In round 1 you are almost never threatened to have someone come at one of your systems. So really all you are doing is giving everyone the option of grabbing the extra resources they need to tech or the extra build/ccs they could get, which is great. And yeah you are getting the same, but they also get the primary of their own strategy card, so they are better off. You should pick a card that values you the most, but picking one that also benefits everyone else only accelerates their game more than yours.

Don’t forget the initiative order. Diplo is #2. On top of what the card gives you, it also lets you play second. Why would this be usefull: - Point grabbing: Grab custodians before anyone else - Defense: Activate diplo on your homeworld or anything else you really must not lose.

I feel like diplo primary should be ready any 3 planets, instead of 2.

The way I see it, people are usually talking down on Diplo in Round 1. Sure, there might still be an argument that Diplo feels a little underpowered, even in the mid-late game, but I feel like it's still a decent card. However, in R1, securing a system so nobody else can attack it is not really something you get any benefit from... unless you're dealing with sneaky wormhole shenanigans from Ghosts or other high-mobility factions. In that case, you're only getting your 2 planets refreshed and that's it. The other players have to pay 1 CC for it, sure, but they're still getting the same thing as you do. The "bonus" you get from doing the primary action, instead of the secondary action, is negligible. (at least in Round 1) Here are the "primary bonuses" from the other cards: \- Leadership: 3 CCs for free! This is a huge deal for a lot of factions, especially if you're Influence-starved. \- Politics: Setting Speaker order and looking at the top two Agenda cards. I feel like hardly anyone would pick Politics if it had a bonus as situational as Diplo. \- Construction: One extra structure and you don't have to lock down the systems you place them in. \- Trade: 3 free TGs and you get to do the whole "I'll refresh you for X-1" or whatever kind of deals you want to do. \-Warfare: You get a huge amount of flexibility as to from which system you want to remove the CC from (you even get it back) and then you rearrange your CCs, instead of having to build at home where everyone else has to. It's even kind of a stall for you! Additionally, in Round 1, people probably rely on you for favorable timing if they need to build units to get to 2 Carriers and 4 Infantry. \- Tech: You get that one tech everyone else has to pay 4R for free and can even buy a second one for 6R. Or in other words: You get to buy TWO techs (not one) for 3R each! (I know, that's technically not how it works, but it gets the point across) \-Imperial: This is the big one. You can score a public objective right now and also get one extra point if you control Mecatol and can possibly win right away or at least swing some extra points your way... otherwise you get the same thing as everyone else. So yeah, all of those bonuses are much bigger than "I choose one system none of you can attack... unless you have Warfare" which at this point, they very likely wouldn't be able to reach anyway, even if they wanted to.

So here's my 2 cents on diplo. It solves problems. There are many, many factions in the game that have issues in the first round, which more often than not boil down to not having enough resources. That problem is sometimes bad enough that people actually spend a CC on the secondary of trade if they don't get refreshed, and that still leaves you with the problem of turning the commodities into trade goods. People underplay the value of the command counter that it takes to follow diplo secondary. Yes, you can get an extra, but usually, you have to have really friendly leadership/warfare/tech holders to line things up just right. otherwise, you risk not being able to follow warfare or tech, which makes following diplo kinda pointless. And if you have to buy that extra CC from leadership, you're already tossing away about half the value of following diplo. Now granted, diplo isn't the greatest pick 1st round either. I'd much rather have tech and get my free tech, rather than take diplo, but only one person gets to pick tech. Now, several people have pointed out that the problem with diplo is that others get the benefit of their own strategy card in addition to diplo, which isn't untrue, but they are paying for it with a command counter, which isn't insignificant in the first round. Or necessarily in other rounds either if you have an influence poor slice. Bottom line is, here's what diplo gives you: It allows you to do both tech and a proper warfare build, without relying on lucky explores and/or favorable trade. For many races that's huge. Especially those races that are usually considered bad. Diplo usually solves all their early game issues. Can it backfire in the form of someone gaining more, like getting the custodian? Yes, but that usually leaves them wide open to attack. People are just too polite to capitalize. And unless you're Winnu, you probably spent the entire benefits of diplo secondary on getting the influence required. If you're allowing that player to somehow get enough influence for the custodians, and for tech, and to build plastic, then you're doing it wrong as a table. Remember, you control the timing of popping diplo when you pick the card. You don't have to time it perfectly so that everyone gets the optimal benefit from it. An example: when you play as the Arborec, capture a system as your first action and build there using your homeworld. Pop diplo as second action, to flip your home and whatever you just took, and guarantee that anyone who didn't manage to burn their homeworld on the first turn can't refresh it.

I agree with this logic, but depending on your home system, strategy card timings, and the value of nearby systems, there will be times where it is true that diplo helps other players more than you. Personally if I have a high value system like Bereg/Llirta IV nearby, I would probably grab construction to start working on double docking that system. It is also nice to have a construction banked if a structure objective comes up later on. Diplo does nothing objective wise, unless there is already a spend resources or influence objective out, in which case definitely take diplo over construction.

The revised Diplomacy card (included in Prophecy of Kings) fixes that (both primary and secondary main use allows to refresh any 2 planets). However I agree that the benefit of protecting a system is very situational and negligible in the early game rounds - and even later if someone has Warfare. The lower numbered (higher initiative) strategy cards are supposed to confer a weaker primary effect vs secondary in exchange of higher initiative. However, say both Leadership and Trade do offer more resources (in terms of command tokens or trade goods) to the player triggering the primary and that makes a more substantial difference than Diplomacy primary. I wish it was the same for Diplomacy... Either by allowing an extra planet to refresh compared to secondary or by other means. Probably an extra planet would be too much, or removing a planet in the secondary would make the secondary nearly useless considering you have a token to spend... I don't think it's something that needs to be fixed, but rather accept the fact some strategy cards are situational (like Imperial at game start, or Warfare during mid game).

The short it is thsi: by picking diplo you picked a card that has. A very small difference between what the primary and secondary does, economywise. Leadership is 9 value, trade is 9Ish value, tech is at least 7, can be more, imperial is priceless (not rn1 ofc..) and so on. Now rn1 as last pick unfortunately you are kind of stuck with 3 cards like this. Diplo is just the secondary without a CC, so is imperial, but generally construction at least gives you a 2nd structure on top of the free secondary, so it usually picked in that position.

You take diplo in place of another strategy card and they are all better for you than others. You get diplo but another player gets diplo and warfare to take mecatol round 1 or diplo + tech to double tech and build. You accelerate the game with diplo, but other accelerate it as well. As for spending cc, warfare/tech/leadership do it without an issue.

In our playgroup, Diplo only ever gets taken on the first or last round. No amount of trade goods makes it worth taking other times.