Escape from Colditz

Gibsons Games

Company type	Private
Industry	Board games
Founded	1973
Headquarters	London , United Kingdom
Products	Escape from Colditz (board game)

Escape from Colditz is a board game created by Gibsons Games of London in 1973, designed to recreate the experience of Allied prisoners-of-war (POWs) trying to break out of Oflag IV-C (Colditz Castle) during World War II. The game was co-developed by Pat Reid, a former POW who successfully escaped from Colditz. Released concurrently with the acclaimed television series Colditz, it quickly gained widespread acclaim. Various authorized versions were produced by companies including Parker Brothers. The game achieved particular success in Spain, leading to a sequel published in Spanish.

Description

Escape from Colditz accommodates 2 to 6 participants: one player assumes the role of the German security officer, while the remaining players control POWs of different nationalities attempting escapes.

Components

Included in the game are:

• A game board illustrating Colditz Castle’s courtyards, rooms, cells, and barracks, overlaid with a grid of interconnected circles.
• Five sets of eight POW markers, each set representing a distinct nationality.
• Sixteen black tokens symbolizing German guards.
• Five "Personal Escape Kit" cards
• Five "Do or Die" cards
• Twenty-seven "Escape Equipment" cards
• Forty-five "Escape Opportunity" cards
• Fourteen "Security Opportunity" cards
• Instruction booklet
• Two standard six-sided dice
• A historical overview of Colditz as a WWII prisoner-of-war camp

Set up

• The German Security Officer places guard tokens on specified locations on the board and within barracks; Escape Officers select their POW nationalities and place their tokens on the Parade Ground located in the inner courtyard. The quantity of guards and POWs varies depending on the number of players.
• Each Escape Officer is dealt one facedown "Do or Die" card, kept secret until used.
• Participants decide on a time limit and set the target number of successful escapes required for victory.

Gameplay

The game begins with the player seated to the immediate left of the German Security Officer and proceeds counterclockwise. The Security Officer always takes their turn last.

Movement

On their turn, a player rolls two dice and may distribute movement points among any combination of their POWs, with total moves equaling the sum rolled. Rolling doubles grants an additional roll that adds to the movement total. If a player rolls a 3, 7, or 11, they draw an "Escape Opportunity" card if playing as an Escape Officer or a "Security Opportunity" card if controlling the Security Officer.

Obtaining Personal Escape Kit

Escape Officers must gather four items for a Personal Escape Kit: food, disguises, maps, and a compass. These are symbolized in different castle rooms. To obtain this kit card, an Escape Officer must position POWs simultaneously in four rooms displaying these symbols. During this phase, guards cannot arrest but may obstruct doorways to slow down POW movements.

Acquiring Escape Equipment

Each escape path requires certain equipment components. After receiving a Personal Escape Kit and selecting an escape route, Escape Officers need to move two POWs into rooms containing required equipment symbols or exchange Equipment cards with other officers. Guards can arrest POWs who enter or leave restricted rooms by moving into their space; arrested POWs are sent to solitary confinement while guards return to barracks. If arrests occur in the outer courtyard, the Escape Officer must surrender an Equipment card. POWs can be freed by rolling doubles or utilizing an appropriate Opportunity card.

Escape attempt

When properly equipped, an Escape Officer may initiate a POW’s escape attempt. Equipment cards utilized during this process are returned to the deck afterward. Upon breaching the castle walls, the POW strives to reach a designated target area along the board’s edge; successfully arriving without being captured or shot results in a triumphant escape.

Last chance

In desperate situations, an Escape Officer can deploy a "Do or Die" card to try escaping without any equipment. This card displays a number between 3 and 7, representing the permitted dice rolls to advance one POW toward the target zone. Rolling doubles grants additional rolls. If the cumulative movement equals or surpasses the required distance, the POW escapes successfully; if not, the attempt fails and that player is eliminated from the game.

Winning criteria

The game concludes when a player achieves the predetermined number of successful escapes, thereby winning. Should time run out before this goal is met, victory is awarded to the German Security Officer.

Strategy

John Humphries, in The Games & Puzzles Book of Modern Board Games, highlights that since the German Security Officer wins if POWs exhaust their time, deploying guards effectively to delay escape efforts is essential. Guards need to secure critical doors to prevent POWs from accessing equipment and apprehend those caught with stolen items, placing them in solitary confinement and thus reducing available Escape Officers. Tracking each Escape Officer’s equipment inventory aids in predicting potential escape paths.

For those playing as Escape Officers, obtaining the Personal Escape Kit card early on is crucial. It is better to gather more equipment than strictly necessary rather than too little. While evading guards remains important, sometimes intentionally getting arrested can strategically open a door for another POW’s escape. Creating multiple decoy escape attempts can divert guard attention before executing the genuine plan. Humphries advises: "first, keep moving constantly and second, plan escape attempts thoughtfully."

Publication background

The 1972 BBC television series Colditz depicted Allied POWs attempting to flee Colditz Castle and gained widespread acclaim. Major Pat Reid, a former prisoner of war and author, collaborated with Bob Brechin and Brian Degas to design the officially licensed board game Escape from Colditz. Released in 1973 by Gibsons Games in the UK and Parker Brothers in North America, its original box art featured a swastika which was later replaced with a Reichsadler (Imperial eagle). The game rapidly became popular.

The Spanish version, titled Fuga de Colditz, enjoyed strong sales. Reid also created a follow-up game called Después de Colditz, focusing on escaped POWs trying to reach neutral countries such as Switzerland and Spain.

Osprey Games issued a revised edition with refreshed artwork and updated rules in October 2016.

Separately, in 1972 Invicta Plastics launched an unrelated board game named Escape from Colditz Castle, designed by Adrian Wild. Despite selling 130,000 copies, it was overshadowed by Gibsons’ later 1973 release.

Digital adaptation

In 1990, Digital Magic Software developed an Amiga computer game titled Escape from Colditz, based on the board game concept. Players assist four prisoners in escaping by exploring castle areas, locating equipment, solving puzzles, and digging tunnels.

In 2009, Aperture Software created Colditz Escape!, an open source game engine recreation of the original 1990 Amiga title. This engine supports multiple platforms including Microsoft Windows, Linux, MacOS, and PlayStation Portable.

Reception

In the 29th issue of Games & Puzzles, John Humphries commended the board's layout and observed an increasing sense of suspense as escape attempts unfolded. Nonetheless, he pointed out that the rulebook was poorly organized, containing several mistakes and missing information. Despite these drawbacks, he awarded the game a score of 4 out of 6, emphasizing its wide appeal to family audiences.

Journalist Harry Pearson commented that although Escape from Colditz gained popularity, it suffered from a significant drawback: one participant must assume the role of the German guards, which is less engaging compared to the Allied players who actively gather equipment and negotiate with guards.

In The Games & Puzzles Book of Modern Board Games, Humphries characterized the game as enjoyable and at times suspenseful, particularly during escape efforts. He noted that while it does not realistically depict the severe conditions faced by prisoners of war, it highlights the cooperative spirit among inmates.

Other reviews and commentary

• The Gamer #2 (September-October 1981)
• Games & Puzzles #50

External links

• The 'Escape From Colditz' Webshrine
• Colditz Escape! on GitHub
• RetroActive Review of Escape From Colditz