Escape from Colditz
Encyclopedia
Escape from Colditz is a game devised by successful escaper Pat Reid, based on the former POW camp at Colditz
Colditz
Colditz is a town in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, near Leipzig, located on the banks of the river Mulde. The town has a population of 5,188 ....

 Castle in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

.

The original game is a board game
Board game
A board game is a game which involves counters or pieces being moved on a pre-marked surface or "board", according to a set of rules. Games may be based on pure strategy, chance or a mixture of the two, and usually have a goal which a player aims to achieve...

 produced by Parker Brothers
Parker Brothers
Parker Brothers is a toy and game manufacturer and brand. Since 1883, the company has published more than 1,800 games; among their best known products are Monopoly, Cluedo , Sorry, Risk, Trivial Pursuit, Ouija, Aggravation, and Probe...

.

A computer game was also produced, based on the board game. It was a graphical Action
Action game
Action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction-time. The genre includes diverse subgenres such as fighting games, shooter games, and platform games, which are widely considered the most important action games, though some...

 and Adventure game
Adventure game
An adventure game is a video game in which the player assumes the role of protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and puzzle-solving instead of physical challenge. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based media such as literature and film,...

 from 1991, by Digital Magic, for the Amiga
Amiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...

 platform. Four prisoners; British, French, American and Polish, are about to try to escape from the Colditz Castle
Colditz Castle
Colditz Castle is a Renaissance castle in the town of Colditz near Leipzig, Dresden, and Chemnitz in the state of Saxony in Germany. Used as a workhouse for the indigent and a mental institution for over 100 years, it gained international fame as a prisoner-of-war camp during World War II for...

.

Board Game

From two to six players may take part in the game, one of which must always be the Germans; the others choose to be one of five nationalities represented by different coloured playing pieces:
  • Black: German guards

Prisoners:
  • Red: British
  • Blue: American
  • Brown: French
  • Orange: Dutch
  • Green: Polish


The number of playing pieces used for German Guards and Prisoners varies according to the number of players participating in the game:
  • 2 players: 8 prisoners plus 6 guards
  • 3 players: 7 prisoners for each allied nationality plus 12 guards
  • 4 players: 6 prisoners for each allied nationality plus 14 guards
  • 5 players: 5 prisoners for each allied nationality plus 15 guards
  • 6 players: 4 prisoners for each allied nationality plus 16 guards


Historically, during the war, the guards always outnumbered the prisoners, and there were no American POWs until very late in the war.

The playing pieces are moved by the score on the throw of two dice.

The game is given a time limit or a target of escaped prisoners (usually the first to two) with the objective of the player operating the guards being to limit or stop the escape attempts.

In order to escape, each pow must first obtain an "escape kit", composed of food, disguise, compass and forged papers. There are also Opportunity cards, which can assist in obtaining escape equipment or use of tunnels. The German guards player has Security cards to assist with arresting prisoners or confiscating equipment.

The Opportunity and Security cards are obtained by throwing a 3, 7 or 11.

Other equipment or materials must also be obtained in order for a player to make a successful escape attempt: wire cutters; lengths of rope; forged passes; and keys. There are also three tunnels which can be used to escape if the relevant Opportunity card is held by the escaping player.

Computer Version

It is played with a combination of joystick and keyboard, whereby the player controls the four prisoners, one at a time, switching between them freely using the F1-F4 keys.

Guards patrol most zones of the prison day and night. There are curfews and there are calls for recounting the prisoners in the courtyard. Violating them would mean getting arrested into solitary cells; resisting would mean getting killed by the guards, who are quite skilled with guns.

Related software

Colditz Escape!, a game engine recreation, was created by Aperture Software in 2009. The engine is available for Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...

 and PlayStation Portable
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...

.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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