Mastering the Center: A Diplomacy.gg Guide to Playing Germany

Welcome to the heart of the conflict. Playing Germany in Diplomacy is not for the faint of heart. You are the geographical center of the board, a position of immense potential and terrifying vulnerability. Every major power is your neighbor, every border a possible front. While England has its moat and Russia has its winter, you have… a bullseye on your back.

But that bullseye is also a springboard. No other nation can project power in so many directions from the very first turn. A well-played Germany can be the kingmaker, the continental hegemon, and ultimately, the victor. A poorly played Germany is often the first to be carved up and eliminated.

This guide will teach you how to be the former.

The German Dilemma: The Anvil of Europe

Your strength is your weakness. Let’s break it down.

Strengths:

Central Location: You can attack or support England, France, and Russia with your starting units. You have influence everywhere.
Excellent Neutrals: You are guaranteed to get at least two of Denmark, Holland, and Belgium, with three being a common and powerful outcome.
Flexible Units: Two armies and one fleet is a fantastic starting mix, allowing you to pivot east or west depending on the diplomatic landscape.

Weaknesses:

Central Location: You are surrounded. A coordinated Anglo-French-Russian attack (the “Triple Entente”) is a nightmare scenario that can end your game by 1903.
No Secure Flank: Unlike the corner powers, you can never truly relax. You must constantly watch your back.
The Two-Front War: Your greatest fear. Fighting a war in the west and a war in the east simultaneously will bleed you dry of units and options. Your primary goal is to never be in this position.

Your game as Germany is a tightrope walk. You must be an expert diplomat, forging one strong alliance to crush an enemy, before your other neighbors decide you’re the main course.

The First Year: Forging Your Destiny in 1901

Spring 1901 marks a critical turning point for Germany. Your moves signal your intentions to the entire board and will shape your alliances for the rest of the game. You have one fundamental choice to make: Go West or Go East?

Standard Opening Moves

These are the most common and flexible moves for a reason.

A Munich -> Ruhr: The quintessential German move. It’s defensive against a French lunge into Burgundy, positions you to take Belgium, and keeps your options open.
A Berlin -> Kiel: This powerful move allows you to support your fleet into Denmark, ensuring you get it. It also lets you project power into the North Sea or Baltic Sea later.
F Kiel -> Denmark: Your primary target. Taking Denmark is crucial. It gives you a build, puts pressure on England and Russia, and opens up the seas.

Why this opening is so strong: You are almost guaranteed two builds (Denmark and Holland). A successful Fall 1901 would look like this:

Fall 1901:
- A Ruhr -> Belgium
- A Kiel -> Holland
- F Denmark holds.

This nets you three builds if France and England don’t interfere, rocketing you to the top of the leaderboard. This is your “best case” scenario.

Aggressive Alternatives

Sometimes, you have a solid pre-game agreement or want to make a bold statement.

Anti-France (The Burgundy Gambit): A Munich -> Burgundy
- The Play: This is a direct, high-risk, high-reward attack on France. If it works, you can convoy an army into Marseilles or cripple French defenses early.
- The Risk: It leaves Munich open to an Austrian or Italian stab. More importantly, if France moves to Burgundy as well, you bounce, and England will likely walk into Belgium. You’ve made a powerful enemy for little gain. Only attempt this with a rock-solid agreement with England and/or Italy.
Anti-Russia (The Silesian Strike): A Munich -> Silesia
- The Play: This move, often paired with A Berlin -> Prussia, signals a hard anti-Russian stance. You are immediately in a position to contest Warsaw or Galicia.
- The Risk: It’s a huge tell. Russia will know your plans from the very beginning. It also spooks Austria, which sees your army on its border. This is best done as part of a firm “Western Triple” alliance (Germany, Austria, Italy).

Key Alliances and Strategic Paths

Your opening moves are meaningless without the diplomacy to back them up. Germany lives and dies by its alliances.

The Western Blitz: Alliance with England

This is a classic and potent alliance. Your goal is to work with England to eliminate France, then turn your combined might against Russia.

How it Works: You agree to let England have the English Channel and Belgium. You take Holland and Denmark. Together, you form a naval wall and crush France between you. You’ll need to build fleets to help, focusing on Brest and Paris.
Why it’s Good: A focused Germany and England can quickly eliminate France. Once France is gone, you have a secure western flank to focus on Russia.
The Danger: England is a natural naval rival. Once France is gone, who do you think the massive English navy is coming for next? This alliance has a built-in expiration date. You must be prepared to stab England or get stabbed yourself.

Drang nach Osten (Drive to the East): Alliance with France

Less common, but very effective if you can build trust. You and France team up to take down England, then you focus on Russia.

How it Works: You agree on a “demilitarized zone” in Burgundy and agree to split the low countries (e.g., you get Denmark/Holland, France gets Belgium). You use your fleets to help France dismantle England’s naval dominance.
Why it’s Good: It secures your most dangerous border. A friendly France is the best defense you can ask for. With England out of the way, you can build a land army and march east with impunity.
The Danger: The “Maginot Line” (a stalemate line across Burgundy) is notoriously hard to maintain trust across. France might be tempted to ally with Russia and attack you once England is weakened.

The Central Powers: Alliance with Austria-Hungary

A natural, historical, and often reliable partnership. You and Austria are the land powers of the center.

How it Works: You agree to a firm border and focus your attention elsewhere. You attack Russia in the north, while Austria attacks Russia in the south. You can also coordinate to pressure Italy or even France.
Why it’s Good: It protects your southern flank completely. A joint G/A attack on Russia can be overwhelming.
The Danger: Austria is often a weak power. You may find yourself propping up your ally instead of expanding. A strong Germany is also perfectly positioned to deliver a fatal backstab to Austria by moving into Bohemia and Tyrolia. This is one of the most common stabs in the game.

The Russo-German Juggernaut

This alliance can feel unstoppable. A German land army in the west and a Russian land army in the east can steamroll everything between them.

How it Works: You and Russia agree to divide Scandinavia and focus your attacks west and south. You attack France and England while Russia handles Austria and Turkey.
Why it’s Good: It eliminates the threat of a two-front war. You can focus all your resources to the west.
The Danger: You will inevitably clash over supply centers, such as Sweden, Warsaw, and eventually, your home centers. This alliance is a race. The player who stabs first and stabs hardest usually wins the game.

Mid-Game Strategy: Consolidate and Conquer

By 1903-1904, the board will have taken shape. You’ve likely eliminated one neighbor or are on the verge of doing so. Now what?

Break the Stalemate Lines: The board is famous for its stalemate lines. As Germany, you are the key to either holding or breaking the main line that runs across the map. To win, you must punch through. This usually means securing St. Petersburg in the north or Marseille in the south.
The Art of the Stab: Your central position makes you the best stabber on the board. If your Austrian ally is over-extended against Turkey, a swift move to Bohemia and Tyrolia can net you two centers and cripple them. If your English ally has their fleets pointed at Russia, a surprise build in Kiel and a convoy to London can win you the game. Know when your ally is weakest and be ruthless.
Manage Your Builds: Are you fighting a naval war against England? You need fleets. Are you marching on Moscow? You need armies. Don’t build units you don’t need. Every unit must have a purpose. A fleet in Berlin is almost always a mistake.

The Path to a Solo Victory

Winning as Germany is tough but glorious. It requires you to have conquered one corner of the board and be pushing into a second.

Secure the North: Your first step to a solo is almost always dominating the north. This means controlling Denmark, the North Sea, the Baltic Sea, and St. Petersburg. This gives you a secure “corner” from which to operate.
Choose Your Victim: From this position of power, you must destroy either England or Russia completely.
- Winning in the West requires a massive fleet presence. You’ll need to take all of England’s and France’s home centers, plus Iberia (Spain/Portugal).
- Winning in the East: Requires a huge army. You need to capture Moscow and Warsaw, and then push south into Sevastopol and the Balkans.
The Final 18: To get to 18 centers, you will have to own Munich, Berlin, Paris, London, Moscow, and St. Petersburg. Your final centers will likely come from Warsaw, Vienna, or Rome. You will have to betray everyone and hold a massive front line. It is the ultimate test of a Diplomacy player.

Final Thoughts

Playing Germany is playing Diplomacy on hard mode, but with the highest rewards. You must be a shrewd negotiator, a ruthless strategist, and an opportunist. Your mantra should be: “One enemy at a time.” Make a friend, pick a target, and execute your plan with precision. Keep your word until the moment it’s more profitable not to.

Now go forth and forge the heart of Europe in your image. Good luck, Kaiser.