Allan B. Calhamer, 1931–2013
The mild-mannered mailman who invented Diplomacy
To win a game of Diplomacy, players must dissemble, deceive, and double-cross their way to victory—hence the game’s fan-ordained tagline, “Destroying Friendships Since 1959.” But by all accounts, Allan B. Calhamer, the Harvard graduate turned mailman who invented it, was too gentle a soul to excel at his own game.
Calhamer had the idea for his strategic board game while at Harvard Law School, said The New York Times, drawing inspiration from an atlas he’d pored over as a child. The game is set in pre-WWI Europe, with players representing seven Great Powers out to conquer the Continent. Players must make and break alliances, amassing “supply centers” with well-timed invasions. A short game takes six hours, and when played through the mail, “a single game can unspool over years.” Calhamer’s fellow law students loved how Realpolitik, as the game was then called, “enfranchised aggression.” Calhamer quit law school to publish the game.
Diplomacy was eventually bought by game company Games Research, said the Chicago Sun-Times, and found an audience of passionate fans. Henry Kissinger and John F. Kennedy were reportedly players, yet the royalties “didn’t pay the bills.” After a variety of odd jobs, including a stint as a park ranger at the Statue of Liberty, Calhamer happily settled into life as a mailman in the Chicago suburb of La Grange Park. “Sometimes, Dip geeks would appear at his home, unannounced,” to discuss tactics. To them, Calhamer was the creator of a classic game. To his neighbors, he was just “the guy who delivered the mail.”
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
The Icelandic women’s strike 50 years onIn The Spotlight The nation is ‘still no paradise’ for women, say campaigners
-
Mall World: why are people dreaming about a shopping centre?Under The Radar Thousands of strangers are dreaming about the same thing and no one sure why
-
Why scientists are attempting nuclear fusionThe Explainer Harnessing the reaction that powers the stars could offer a potentially unlimited source of carbon-free energy, and the race is hotting up
-
Robert Redford: the Hollywood icon who founded the Sundance Film FestivalFeature Redford’s most lasting influence may have been as the man who ‘invigorated American independent cinema’ through Sundance
-
Patrick Hemingway: The Hemingway son who tended to his father’s legacyFeature He was comfortable in the shadow of his famous father, Ernest Hemingway
-
Giorgio Armani obituary: designer revolutionised the business of fashionIn the Spotlight ‘King Giorgio’ came from humble beginnings to become a titan of the fashion industry and redefine 20th-century clothing
-
Ozzy Osbourne obituary: heavy metal wildman and lovable reality TV dadIn the Spotlight For Osbourne, metal was 'not the music of hell but rather the music of Earth, not a fantasy but a survival guide'
-
Brian Wilson: the troubled genius who powered the Beach BoysFeature The musical giant passed away at 82
-
Sly Stone: The funk-rock visionary who became an addict and recluseFeature Stone, an eccentric whose songs of uplift were tempered by darker themes of struggle and disillusionment, had a fall as steep as his rise
-
Mario Vargas Llosa: The novelist who lectured Latin AmericaFeature The Peruvian novelist wove tales of political corruption and moral compromise
-
Dame Maggie Smith: an intensely private national treasureIn the Spotlight Her mother told her she didn't have the looks to be an actor, but Smith went on to win awards and capture hearts