Riddle me this, folks: What if the king of a fictional land in a game whose very title emphasizes the idea that “Diplomacy is Not an Option” were to suddenly try to, well, make diplomacy into an option? There’s no way that could possibly backfire, right? Well, just to make absolutely sure the kingdom’s first attempt at diplomacy, brought about because the kingdom has suddenly found itself fighting a war on two fronts, goes smoothly, the King of Samreignia has sent exactly two people to the negotiating table: his own hotheaded and thick-skulled son, and his top military adviser.

That’s the backdrop for my subject today, the “Fog of War” downloadable content pack for Door 407’s Diplomacy is Not an Option. This review is my second case just this week of having been assigned to review DLC for a game I originally didn’t cover, and thus it’s also my second case of wanting to avoid getting distracted by covering the base game rather than this DLC. So, allow me to direct you to Keiran’s review of Diplomacy is Not an Option if you want more information about the resource-management/city-builder/real-time strategy title to which this downloadable content is attached.

The “Fog of War” DLC adds its own set of ten playable missions to the campaign mode within Diplomacy is Not an Option. In its story, the Kingdom of Samreignia has just received formal declarations of war from two of its neighbors, Inverland and the Gorgoth Empire. Despite how that sounds, it’s crucial to remember that these two states haven’t joined forces against Samreignia – not yet, at least. Rather, they’re also at war with each other and decided to declare war on Samreignia while they were at it, I’m guessing so the new King of Samreignia wouldn’t feel left out. How thoughtful of them!

Since the Kingdom of Samreignia is still reeling from a recent civil war, the king knows his people stand no chance of competently fighting a war on two fronts, much less winning one. Thus, the king makes the historic decision that maybe diplomacy could actually be an option after all. The King of Samreignia has arranged a meeting between diplomatic representatives of his choosing and those sent from Inverland and the Gorgoth Empire. The king has decided that his representatives will be his only son (and, thus, only heir), Connor Ironbrow, and his top military adviser, Snoot, who has an excellent name.

The king is convinced that, although his son can be rather quick to anger and make rash decisions, his intentions are pure and he has the Kingdom of Samreignia’s best interests at heart. Snoot knows that last bit couldn’t be further from the truth, but he’s also keenly aware that voicing his concerns would end poorly for him. Therefore, Snoot has resigned himself to handling all the actual logistics and diplomacy while allowing Prince Connor to claim all the fame and glory that would accompany a theoretical success. At least, that was Snoot’s plan until their ship arrived at the meeting location.

A significant diplomatic misunderstanding occurs almost immediately upon arrival, not unlike the ones that set off the events of, say, War of the Worlds or Mars Attacks!. This causes Prince Connor to snap and order the small military contingent over which he and Snoot have authority to destroy every enemy soldier and structure in sight. Snoot objects, of course, but is emphatically overruled. Prince Connor hatches the idea that, by ensuring no enemy combatants survive and by basically planting fake evidence on the battlefield, Samreignia can use this unfortunate incident to further escalate tensions between Inverland and the Gorgoth Empire.

That’s the first of the ten playable missions within the “Fog of War” DLC. The rest of the new missions continue telling the story of how Samreignia’s first attempt at diplomacy would ultimately play out, including everything from the capture of a woman who’s obviously an enemy spy who easily charms the dimwitted Prince Connor, to the Prince unexpectedly getting himself a new pet war-hound. I hadn’t given Diplomacy is Not an Option a proper chance before I found myself with the review code for this DLC. Having played “Fog of War” has shown me why I need to rectify that immediately.

Its mix of humor that’s right up my alley combined with an assortment of difficulty settings that cater to my lack of experience with management/RTS games of this ilk are two major points in “Fog of War’s” favor for me. Diplomacy is Not an Option, as well as “Fog of War,” might well be great “onboarding” games for those looking to try their hand at these types of strategy games, while also ensuring there’s more than enough also present to satisfy players who are much more well-versed with this genre. I’d generally recommend “Fog of War,” especially if you enjoy the base game.

A PC review copy of Diplomacy is Not an Option: “Fog of War” was provided by Door 407 for this review.

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Diplomacy is Not an Option: Fog of War

$9.99

8

Score

8.0/10

Pros

• If you want another helping of this particular core gameplay loop, look no further.
• Gameplay is approachable and easy to learn, yet difficult to master.

Cons

• Some players might feel their agency is reduced since most missions have pre-existing buildings you can’t add to.