No politician acts in perfect honesty. Some politicians deliberately deceive their constituents and other politicians. You are one of them.

Dodgy Diplomacy is a debate-oriented tabletop roleplay game where players act as devious politicians attempting to deceive each other and the public by intentionally using fallacious logic and misleading speech. The structure of gameplay follows a fairly common debate structure, in which participants prepare arguments, present them, then rebut the arguments of others. In this game, you will draw wildly inaccurate conclusions, present crumbling arguments confidently, and become unconvinceable. You will deliberately mislead, defraud, cheat, lie, and slander. Your seat in government depends on it.

This game takes the form of five repeating phases.

Game Phases

  1. Topic Selection

  2. Preparation

  3. Presentation

  4. Scoring

Note
 Players should consider selecting the first topic before the first session and giving some number of days for preparation, then selecting the next topic at the end of each session.

Topic Selection

Before debate can begin, players must decide on a topic of debate. Players are welcome to select this using whatever means they desire. Alternatively, you can use this process as a starting point.

  1. Pick a topic

    • Business

    • Transportation

    • Energy

    • Defense

    • Commerce

    • Labor

    • Healthcare

    • Education

  2. Pick an event

    • Creation

    • Regulation

    • Expansion

Example Topics

  • Business regulation

  • Energy creation

  • Labor expansion

Once you have a larger topic, investigate current events to find a more specific issue for your topic.

Preparation

Once a topic is chosen, players prepare speeches and/or slides. In this stage, you will deliberately introduce logical fallacies.

Presentation

The presentation phase consists of opening arguments and rebuttals. During opening arguments, players should keep track of any logical fallacies they spot in others' presentations. Players should also keep track of any topics they feel they can rebut. After each player presents their opening argument, other players rebut it, then the next player gives their opening argument. However, when it comes time for rebuttals, players may not address the logical fallacies committed by other players directly. Instead, players must use their own sound or fallacious reasoning to indirectly attack their opponents' arguments.

Scoring

Once all players have presented, scores are tallied using the following methodology.

  • If a presenter’s fallacy is spotted by another player, that fallacy is not counted towards the presenter’s score

  • If a fallacy is not spotted by another player, that fallacy is added to that presenter’s score

  • If a player spots a fallacy in a presentation that the presenter did not intend to add, that fallacy is deducted from the presenter’s score.

The player with the highest score at the end of a round chooses the next broad topic for debate.

Notes

  • Remember to use safety tools. Since this is a social deception game, bleed can be an issue. Use lines, veils, remote controls, and debreifs as necessary.

  • Players are encouraged to satirize positions they feel are indefensible. However, players are also encouraged to experiment with dishonest presentations of viewpoints they agree with. Spotting deception is an important skill when investigating any argument, no matter whose side you’re on.

  • Players are encouraged to create a world out of their arguments. Subsume the winning player’s argument into the world, and use it as fuel for future debates.

  • Don’t be afraid to be inconsistent. That’s the point of the game, and the reality of politics.

  • Remember to have fun! Get a bit silly with it, draw ridiculous conclusions and use them as smokescreens for more insidious theses.