How do you define these?
Are they different?

Well, you would rarely find roleplay in open games. Usually only in clan games (CORP <3). Roleplay is basically an additional feature for diplo games. Eg.: You have Player A, B, C; Player A is big and agressive, B smaller and C the smallest. Without roleplay Player A would just steamroll B and C but with roleplay A would wait for a legit reason to attack. For example high borders, another conflict or just stupid reasons like B has more clay than A (Ya Ox, I gotchu!)

Roleplay is where you pretend to be a leader of a country and try to emulate politics (yes, I find very little fun opportunity in this, too. Probably like clan politics where just gives empowerment sense. Normal diplomacy players look down on most these weirds.)

Diplo is essentially a normal game, with the added excitement of alliances, secret deals, betrayals, etc. Roleplay games are generally more labor intensive and less "fair". To me, the difference can be summed up by saying this: Diplomacy games, you can get away with using private messages mostly. Roleplay games you will use the Public Chat ALL the time.

Roleplay creates a universe, and then confines interaction to Warlight's restrictions. Diplomacy games create a Warlight game with additional rules and options that (in diplomacy players' point of view) make the game more fun.

EDIT: @Жұқтыру I don't agree that roleplay is useless and that emulating politics is weird. I think most diplo games, while they may not emulate real-world politics, must try to emulate politics in some way. Whether it's playing two people against each other to try to make your position better, making everybody in the game see your enemy as "the bad guy", or making complex "land swap for alliance" deals, ordinary non-rp diplos have to try to emulate politics. Roleplay also provides a more interesting conflict scenario, usually. In ordinary diplos, the reason for war is almost always "attacked an ally", "took my claim", or "borders too high". With roleplay, two large nations that would rampage unchecked in diplomacy might be wary of the other because they are "Elves" and "Orcs", and thus natural enemies, or whatever.

Edited 10/31/2015 01:39:51

Can there be an FFA that is neither diplo nor RP?

Yes there can. Many FFAs do not have any special rules regarding player conduct, making them neither diplo nor roleplay.

Many FFAs do not have any special rules regarding player conduct, making them neither diplo nor roleplay.

Is there a clan that focuses on these FFA's?

I think most diplo games, while they may not emulate real-world politics, must try to emulate politics in some way. Whether it's playing two people against each other to try to make your position better, making everybody in the game see your enemy as "the bad guy", or making complex "land swap for alliance" deals, ordinary non-rp diplos have to try to emulate politics.

These are choices, but there's no grounds that they must be used. If folk do not want to use, they do not have to.

With roleplay, two large nations that would rampage unchecked in diplomacy might be wary of the other because they are "Elves" and "Orcs", and thus natural enemies, or whatever.

Or just since there is only going to be one winner, or that one is growing faster than the other. The Cold War was not about "Elves" or "Orcs" and, politically, not about "communism" and "capitalism".

A lot of people would disagree that in a diplo/rp game there "will only be one winner"

And @SillyMenace, not that I know of. You could try starting a thread in the clans subforum to ask (choose this option), or you could diligently look through every clan page to find a clan that focuses on FFAs (no. bad. too much effort.)

Edited 10/31/2015 01:55:59

Thanks.

About to respond to obvious bait, wish me luck.

I don't think you can say that the Cold War was not at all about "Capitalism" and "Communism"

I don't think you can say that the Cold War was not at all about "Capitalism" and "Communism"

At a governmental level, who cares? That was just a lasting propaganda point for the folk: we must free them from capitalism's chaines! It must be very sad to live under capitalism. America and Russia both tried to and did ally countries econom-ideologically (but not always nominally) different f.e. Egypt and Yugoslavia.