I think you're grossly overestimating the "diplomacy" and "actually playing the game" aspects.
By knowing strategies, you'll put yourself a leg up on anyone that's never even seen the game before. You'll know before hand which alliances do and do not work.
The diplomacy aspect for the most part is just "d00d, attax0rs deez guys and I'll helpz0rs j00 OK!!!111?one?" with replies of "OK, r0x0rs onz0rs d00d" that are either the truth or the lie.
I still find it wierd that someone can have such extensive knowledge of the game, how it's played, with familiarity of strategies and common alliances, yet has never actually played the game before.
I am a big Axis and Allies fan, and read up on the manual and learned strategies and whatnot, but not before actually playing the game. Why would you read up on something and study it so intently, having a game you have no experience with and for all you know could actually be a flat out, boring, stupid game?