Vanguard Review: The Revolutionary...

Like most MMOGs, Vanguard offers its own additions to the traditional formula. The most significant is the addition of an entirely new gameplay mechanic, diplomacy. If combat is martial power, and crafting is economic power, then diplomacy can be thought of as social power. Like crafting and combat, it is a completely separate advancement track, and maintains its own set of equipment and bonuses.

Like crafting, diplomacy is represented in gameplay as a mini-game, though in this case it's competition with an NPC. In many ways diplomacy resembles a CCG, with the player building their 'hand' of five 'cards' and facing off against an NPC with their own cards. Completing diplomacy quests and obtaining certain pieces of equipment can grant a player new cards, and race/class combinations also influence diplomatic skills.

Diplomats also have their place in the grander scheme of things, as parts of groups, guilds or raids. Diplomatic conversations are the key to getting passage into certain areas, unlocking quests, and handling other non-combat tasks. For the roleplaying crowd, diplomacy is also the best way to get a deeper look at the background stories of the world, as even lowbie diplomats quickly get sucked into the machinations of local politics.

Perhaps more interestingly, diplomacy offers an additional mechanic outside individual player progress. By repeatedly completing diplomatic overtures with NPCs in a geographical area, like a city, diplomats working together can shift the political balance and trigger special buffs for all players in the area. Over time the politics of an area will shift back to neutral, but with relatively minor effort these bonuses can be maintained for hours. In my relatively brief experiences, I've seen buffs that affect combat ability, improve crafting and even grant new skills to the players in the area.