Calhamer Editions of Diplomacy

ManufacturerAllan B. Calhamer
Year of Release1954
Release NotesFirst prototype
Map StyleUnknown
PiecesUnknown
Piece Colors (AEFGIRT)Unknown
Description: N/A
ManufacturerAllan B. Calhamer
Year of Release1958
Release NotesRevised from the 1954 prototype
Map StyleUnknown
PiecesUnknown
Piece Colors (AEFGIRT)Unknown
Description:
This version had some significant differences from the modern version of the game, including fleets that carried convoying armies one space per season, differentiating supply centers into capitals (where only armies could be built) and navy bases (where only fleets could be built), allowing any number of armies/fleets in one’s own capital/navy base, allowing coastal crawl, and others. I don’t know if a gameboard ever existed for this version, but the map itself was different from the map used in all subsequent editions of the game. If you are curious about what the map looked like, you can see a copy of it here.
ManufacturerAllan B. Calhamer
Year of Release1959
Release NotesFirst commercial release of Diplomacy
Map StyleTopographic contours
PiecesWooden short thick blocks (armies) long narrow blocks (fleets)
Piece Colors (AEFGIRT)Red, Dark Blue, Light Blue, Black, Green, White, Yellow
Description:
This version was published by Calhamer himself after having been turned down by other companies (see this article for more details). Although there have been various revisions to the rulebook over the years, the rules in this version were in essence those of the modern version. Some companies that later produced Diplomacy used the same map style while others redesigned the map. However, the topology of the map (the actual provinces and adjacencies), has not changed from this first commercial version to today’s. The gameboard in this edition is copyright Allan B. Calhamer.Diplomacy was first sold by mail order. The first edition of Diplomacy that was sold came in a plan cardboard mailing box, and had no game box other than the shipping box. The earliest sets were numbered but the practice of numbering the sets did not continue for long. The game had 92 game pieces, ten armies and six fleets for every power except England and France which had a seventh fleet. The game pieces were numbered, as can be seen in the image below. Units were referenced by number rather than by location; the syntax for orders given in the rulebook was of the form “F 1 to Nth” instead of “F Lon – Nth”.
Images:
  
ManufacturerAllan B. Calhamer
Year of Release1959
Release NotesFirst commercial release of Diplomacy
Map StyleTopographic contours
PiecesWooden short thick blocks (armies) long narrow blocks (fleets)
Piece Colors (AEFGIRT)Red, Dark Blue, Light Blue, Black, Green, White, Yellow
Description:
After a while, hand stamping the game pieces became a hassle. Calhamer realized that the numbering of units was not necessary since pieces could be uniquely identified by their location even if they weren’t numbered, so he rewrote the rules to eliminate the piece numbers. Aside from the lack of numbers on the game pieces and the corresponding changes to the order syntax in the rulebook, this edition is identical to the previous one.
Images:
None available
ManufacturerAllan B. Calhamer
Year of Release1959
Release NotesFirst commercial release of Diplomacy
Map StyleTopographic contours
PiecesWooden short thick blocks (armies) long narrow blocks (fleets)
Piece Colors (AEFGIRT)Red, Dark Blue, Light Blue, Black, Green, White, Yellow
Description:
Once the game began to be sold through some stores and not mail order exclusively, Calhamer had some proper game boxes printed up. Other than the new box, this edition is the same as the previous one.
Images: