The problem with diplomacy in most strategy games, Wardell explained, is that diplomatic relations are handled from a pure numbers basis that doesn't take into account human nature or emotion. In Elemental, while you play as an eternal sovereign you do have a noble family at the heart of your faction, and you can marry off sons and daughters to shore up alliances with other factions. This plays an important role in warfare, because suddenly factions have an emotional interest to come to one another's aid. It also means that the span of the game will cover multiple generations, so the familial ties can get quite complex. And it'll be necessary, too, because there won't be the traditional "land grab" found in most strategy games; the problem with these is that land grabs often determine the outcome of the game just as it's getting started. The player who grabs the most land has a tremendous advantage over everyone else.
It also means that there are vastly different victory conditions than you might expect from a strategy game. Conquering the entire world and all is a chore, after all. As Wardell explains, there's a certain point in those kinds of games where you've effectively won because you've amassed enough, well, mass to win the game. However, the process of closing out the victory is a process that takes a long time as you mop up your opponents. Here, you might assemble an alliance to win the game, cast a master spell (shades of Master of Magic), or more.