You were born a feudal lord. Not bad, right? However, in "Diplomacy Is Not An Option" your lot is not so great. Because your castle is always under siege. Get ready to defend against hordes of enemies and win a battle of epic scale.
Recent Reviews:
Very Positive (54) - 88% of the 54 user reviews in the last 30 days are positive.
All Reviews:
Very Positive (4,705) - 85% of the 4,705 user reviews for this game are positive.
Release Date:
Feb 9, 2022
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Early Access Game

Get instant access and start playing; get involved with this game as it develops.

Note: This Early Access game is not complete and may or may not change further. If you are not excited to play this game in its current state, then you should wait to see if the game progresses further in development. Learn more

What the developers have to say:

Why Early Access?

“Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither was this kingdom. Good strategy games take time to refine, so we opted to take the slow road, listening to player feedback all the way until launch, tweaking and tuning the game so the final product is the best it can be.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“We entered Early Access in early February 2022 and aim to release in 2024.”

How is the full version planned to differ from the Early Access version?

“The primary focus of our time in early access is creating new content: missions, modes, units (enemy and allied), and structures to build. We’ll also be refining the UI and controls constantly until launch day. The key difference about the full launch is a lengthy story campaign plus more map presets for Challenge and Endless modes planned.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“The tutorial, the campaign preview, 15 challenges, and 8 endless mode maps are available now as well as Sandbox mode. Players are able to access many of the buildings and troop types, the research tree is there constantly expanding. Multiple factions of enemy units are also available, although not the full roster. Let's say we're adding content with each update when we feel that the new features are in the proper state.”

Will the game be priced differently during and after Early Access?

“The price will be increased slightly at launch.”

How are you planning on involving the Community in your development process?

“We invite players to share their thoughts, feedback, and criticism on our official Discord server, Steam Community page, or directly. Your thoughts on how the game is balanced and how the interface should work in the final version are essential to us.”
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Reviews

“Diplomacy is Not an Option manages to blend elements of tower defense, Command & Conquer's fast-paced action, and resource management without ever feeling overwhelming. I love that I never have to pause in the middle of a fight to worry about tax statutes or which of my spouses is secretly sleeping with the nobles behind my back.”
PC gamer

“Diplomacy Is Not An Option is a compelling little game with short-lived appeal for super serious strategy fans, but one with loads of character and entertaining physics.”
Rock, Paper and Shotgun

About This Game



Diplomacy is Not an Option offers you to step into the well-worn shoes of the minor Lord. Due to circumstances, you are forced to fight. Like all the time. Always outnumbered. Build your walls, raise your armies, and experience warfare on an entirely new scale. Over 25 THOUSAND enemies assault your castle walls. You're going to master engineering, economy and even magic If you hope to survive.

The Law Of War


Your King is a mighty and powerful leader. Also, he is an egocentric pig. Adores to drink and in general he's enjoying his life. But after the treasury had emptied and even raising taxes had not helped, it became clear that he could not continue his leisurely lifestyle. Which is a problem. Mostly yours. Because peasants, who are not fond of raised taxes and hunger, are rioting in your feud. King demands you put down the rebellion and go to the distant land to get some gold. (Rumors are there is one where there are tons of it) Will you do as your sovereign bids and set sail to replenish the palace coffers? Or will you join the violent leader of rebels to bring the tyrant to justice? Questions, questions, questions. The one thing you can be sure of is that there will be blood anyway. And legions of archers, swordsmen, siege weapons, knights, and more will be staying by your side for you to achieve your goal.

The Physical Laws


While admittedly tongue-in-cheek, the laws of physics are still deadly serious in Diplomacy Is Not An Option. Every arrow, catapult stone and enemy launched skywards is physically modeled, making for a tactile and coherent battlefield. Just make sure your troops have towers to shoot from and clear lines of sight, or you might find your best-laid plans embarrassingly blunted by your own fortifications. Consider your gates, your lines of advancement and retreat. Create kill-zones and fall-back positions. You will need to take an active role in combat to get the best from your men.

The Laws of a Functional Society


Even under siege, never forget your castle was built on the backs of the peasantry. Defend your people, and they’ll serve you well. Food can become scarce, and your soldiers can starve on the battlefield. Build houses, bury corpses to prevent plague, and treat the sick when death comes knocking. If you do not care for your people you may soon find yourself overrun with a most unpleasant troubles. Like empty stockpiles, unrepaired walls and running dry barracks.

Economic Laws


A functional army requires a functional economy to support and feed it. Food, Wood, Stone, Iron, and Gold are the foundations of your city’s economy, and you will need to watch your supplies carefully if you are to meet the advancing foe in a timely manner. Gather resources, choose your storage locations, plan your expansions and upgrades with care. The enemy will not cede their lands willingly, and unprotected civilian expansions will fall prey to the hostile incursion. Trade, via the impressive merchant dirigible, bringing emergency supplies of food to feed the men, or stone to rebuild the walls. Can you strike the balance between greedy expansion and security?

Magic rules!


If life gives you lemons, make lemonade. If you’ve inherited a cursed kingdom, why not master the dark arts? Sturdy castle walls will protect you from most ordinary threats, but in Diplomacy Is Not An Option you're also be battling undeads. So why give them a monopoly on magic? There is a dark history of tainted power that stirs the dead and traps wayward souls. On the lighter side: it can also be used to call down really very big fireballs onto your enemies. So enjoy that too. Build magical monuments, harvest soul crystals and give a try to a maniacal laugh as searing magical beams tear through your foes and summoned ghosts to chase down the stragglers.

Beyond the rules


The game has been designed with freedom as a core concept. Go beyond the campaign and crush your foes as you see fit in Endless Mode, Sandbox Mode or Challenge Mode. Develop your own personal strategies on procedurally generated maps. Go heavy on walls early, build large armies of cannon-fodder, or pursue the macro game of greedy growth and costly investments. Finding which style grants you the most success is up to you.

The fundamental Laws of life

As in real life, stupidity and greed lie behind most problems, but here it is far too late to talk it through. You have no recourse to resolve this peacefully. At this stage: Diplomacy Is Not an Option!

Mature Content Description

The developers describe the content like this:

Massive cartoon violence.

System Requirements

    Minimum:
    • Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
    • OS *: Windows 7,8,10 64 bit
    • Processor: Intel Core i5 6400 / AMD X8 FX-8300
    • Memory: 6 GB RAM
    • Graphics: GeForce GTX 960 / AMD Radeon R9 280
    • DirectX: Version 11
    • Storage: 2 GB available space
    • Sound Card: DirectX 11 compatible
    • Additional Notes: mouse wheel
    Recommended:
    • Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
    • OS *: Windows 7,8,10 64 bit
    • Processor: Intel Core i5 7400 / AMD Ryzen 3 2300X
    • Memory: 8 GB RAM
    • Graphics: GeForce GTX 1060 / AMD Radeon RX 480
    • DirectX: Version 11
    • Storage: 2 GB available space
    • Sound Card: DirectX 11 compatible
    • Additional Notes: mouse wheel
* Starting January 1st, 2024, the Steam Client will only support Windows 10 and later versions.

What Curators Say

49 Curators have reviewed this product. Click here to see them.

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