'Diplomacy' game inventor Allan Calhamer dies

MSN News ^ | 3 March 2012 | Jason Keyser

[Vigilanteman]

CHICAGO — As a kid rooting around in the attic of his boyhood home, Allan Calhamer stumbled across an old book of maps and became entranced by faraway places that no longer existed, such as the Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian empires.

That discovery and a brewing fascination with world politics and international affairs were the genesis of "Diplomacy," the board game he would create years later as a history student at Harvard University in the 1950s. After its commercial release in 1959, the game earned a loyal legion of fans in the U.S. and elsewhere that reportedly included President John F. Kennedy, Henry Kissinger and Walter Cronkite, among others.

Calhamer died Monday at a hospital in the western Chicago suburbs where he grew up, his daughter Selenne Calhamer-Boling said. He was 81.

"He was brilliant and iconoclastic and designed this game that's played around the world, and he's adored by nerds throughout the world," his daughter said by phone Saturday. "But at the end of the day he was a great dad. He was at all the T-ball games and all the screechy, horrible orchestra concerts and all the klutzy ballet recitals. I guess that's how I'll remember him."

Calhamer tested early versions of the game out on Harvard classmates before perfecting it. After its commercial release, Avalon Hill bought the rights and helped make it an international hit. The game is still for sale, and was re-released in 1999 with a colorful new map and metal pieces.

Players represent seven European powers at the beginning of the 20th century and vie for dominance by strategically forging and breaking alliances. Unlike "Risk," there are no dice, and a player's success is largely based on his or her negotiating skills.

[Vigilanteman]

I still have an autographed copy of the 1960s edition of his board game in the oversized brown box.

Loved it in high school, loved it even more in college when seven of us dateless wonders would play late into Friday nights in our dorm lounge.

[fieldmarshaldj]

RIP.

[Vigilanteman]

[bravo whiskey]

played this a lot with LT buddies when we were in germany in the mid 70s. we would go into the bathroom and turn the shower on so no one would overhear us.my frau was great at this; she would cry if she didn’t get her way and my fiends finally learned to ignore the tears after numerous back stabbings.

[rhinohunter]

Loved this game but probably discovered it a little too late in life. I was out of college and by then it’s virtually impossible to get 7 people to sit down long enough to complete a game.
I actually only ever fully completed one game, which I won as Austria-Hungary — which is allegedly the most difficult power to win with.
Maybe when I retire???

[0.E.O]

I once saw a couple break up in the middle of a game of Diplomacy. Their parting words were something to the effect “You son of a b*tch! You said you would support me into Serbia!”

[Hoodat]

I actually have this game, but have never found anyone to play it with. I have the computer version as well, but it is too easy to beat.

[Vigilanteman]

You might want to check to see if they still play the postal version (in e-mail). Postal Diplomacy was big in the 1970s. There was even a subcult of publishers who warred with each other.

And, amazingly, there were even quite a few libtards. I always wondered what would motivate libtards to play a war game.

I actually did fairly well the postal version by letting other players know that I never objected to participating in a two or even three way win.

Funny thing was that if you did this from the get-go and followed through, most people actually beleived you. Later in the game, not so much.

Any of the countries in the center of the board (Austria-Hungary, Italy and Germany) were tough to win with. But I always thought Italy was the toughest, maybe because there was only one sure supply center from the get-go (Tunis).

[Vigilanteman]

You might want to check to see if they still play the postal version (in e-mail). Postal Diplomacy was big in the 1970s. There was even a subcult of publishers who warred with each other.

And, amazingly, there were even quite a few libtards. I always wondered what would motivate libtards to play a war game.

I actually did fairly well the postal version by letting other players know that I never objected to participating in a two or even three way win.

Funny thing was that if you did this from the get-go and followed through, most people actually beleived you. Later in the game, not so much.

Any of the countries in the center of the board (Austria-Hungary, Italy and Germany) were tough to win with. But I always thought Italy was the toughest, maybe because there was only one sure supply center from the get-go (Tunis).