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Post 27 Feb 2013, 9:09 am

Sad news: Allan Calhamer, the inventor/designer of the greatest game ever invented, Diplomacy, died early Monday morning. I had the opportunity to meet him on a few occasions and even played on the same board once upon a time. He was a gentleman whose love of family was evident.

It was gratifying to see him last year in Chicago. Although he was a bit frail, he went to the World Diplomacy Championship, where he was rightly lauded. It is no small feat to invent a game that is played around the world, has spawned many internet sites, 3 (I believe) computer versions of the game, and many thousands of pages of analysis, strategy, and other writings. I think he was genuinely touched by the extended ovation he received.

I fell in love with the game 30+ years ago and have never stopped enjoying it.

My sympathies to his family, especially his wife, Hilda.
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Post 27 Feb 2013, 9:32 am

A toast to Alan!

Cheers!

Condolences to his family and friends.
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Post 27 Feb 2013, 10:07 am

A sad day for us all. He came up with such a neat and so very different game the likes of which nobody had ever seen before or since. Pure genius if you ask me, I never met the man but I will nonetheless miss him!
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Post 27 Feb 2013, 10:18 am

If you read about the genesis and the evolution of the game, it's really quite interesting. He wanted something on the scale of chess, but with multiple players. There were different maps and schemes. That the game has worn so well is a testament to his willingness to adapt to the feedback from the early iterations.

Some complain about its length or say it is imbalanced. Well, most "fast" games aren't deep enough to sustain multiple playings, let alone spawn such passion from such a diverse audience.

I agree with Tom: pure genius.
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Post 27 Feb 2013, 11:41 am

I have read it before and agree he listened well. I am no Allan Calhamer, I do not pretend to be, but I can relate from my designing several variants. It's a tough job when you have one vision that few others seem to "get" yet you must listen to them still...funny thing is how someone will say something that does not jive with your way of thinking but that input got you to think differently. He did a masterful job and a great balancing act and it shows!

The game is long ...so what? To be honest, I actually LIKE that he envisioned a game like this that was quite likely longer than any other of the time and he stuck to his guns. He had a vision and he stuck to that vision ignoring those who didn't "get it" at first. The game is not "perfectly" balanced but I like that as well, each country can and does win it's fair share of games while each country enjoys it's own unique flavor. It would frankly be boring if we played a game like "The Five Italies" variant that IS balanced (maybe a fun game to try one time but it just lacks that uniqueness). And the game, it's relatively simple, he kept the rules easy to understand and intuitive. What kind of multi-player game of the time had no dice? No cards? no chance? And the strategy, pure genius no doubt!!!
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Post 27 Feb 2013, 3:40 pm

No game is perfect, but Diplomacy is close. Few if any bring out the interpersonal side of multiplayer games quite as keenly as this does - partly because the game mechanics themselves are so straightforward and understandable, and encourage co-operative play.

Gonna have a little whiskey in his honour tonight.
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Post 28 Feb 2013, 1:14 pm

Oooh, good idea!
and do so while reading the mail ...I seem to recall he was a mailman! Goofy things to do but honestly, I mean it as a nice thing to do in his honor.