Escape from Colditz

[tex]

Re: Escape from Colditz

Cool.......

[Wirral Writer]

Re: Escape from Colditz

Escape From Colditz was one of my favourite board games as a kid. I got it as a present at Christmas 1973, and could not stop playing it. Quite a tricky game to win, though.

I believe it has been re-released in a new form and a slightly different game board.

[moogleymog]

Re: Escape from Colditz

Nobody would ever play it with me. I asked my family recently why no one would play and apparently it was because no one wanted to be the Nazis!

[trip2themoon]

Re: Escape from Colditz

I remember that no one seemed to know how to play this properly so me and my mates made up or own game. If you were Nazis you would have to catch the others by using the dice and moving the thrown number of spaces on the board and if you were Allies you would have to collect all the equipment before making your escape whilst dodging the Nazis. Seemed to go on for ages.

[victorbrunswick]

Re: Escape from Colditz

I've always wanted "Escape from Colditz" but never had it.

[staffslad]

Re: Escape from Colditz

I think I was about 10 or 11 when Escape from Colditz was bought for me as a Christmas present. I enjoyed playing it but I seem to remember it was a bit complicated, or it seemed so to my pre-teen self.

[Pussywillow]

Re: Escape from Colditz

I had this game as a boy. I remember those wooden pieces, like pawns in chess, black for Germins and Orange for the Dutch and presumably Red for the British. Where there French amd Americans in this game I can't remember now.

But what I DO remember is that, despite the fact I had no-one to play board games with, the odd occasion (usually Christmas Day) when the game used to come out no-one wanted to be the Germins, because their role was so boring. It certainly wasn't a quick game by any means !

[Gothic]

Re: Escape from Colditz

75th Anniversary edition being released in October:

https://ospreypublishing.com/escape-from-colditz

[rossobantam]

Re: Escape from Colditz

true EM!

The 4 of us played together all the time through the 70s/early 80....EFC was our fav by a mile
(they had 2 games I never possessed..Chutes Away, & Treasure of the Pharaohs..blimey thats sooo expensive to get hold of now)

[Emettman]

Re: Escape from Colditz

myself & 3 of my cousins (they're all brothers) keep threatening to have a night purely playing EFC..in fact I saw one of them only yesterday & he reminded me to get the game out ready. Once I know what shifts they're off from work, we'll get it on..can't wait

Threaten them back: the longer they leave it, the more you're likely to turn it into an all-weekend session of that even bigger monster: "Diplomacy".

[rossobantam]

Re: Escape from Colditz

myself & 3 of my cousins (they're all brothers) keep threatening to have a night purely playing EFC..in fact I saw one of them only yesterday & he reminded me to get the game out ready. Once I know what shifts they're off from work, we'll get it on..can't wait

[chrisredditch]

Re: Escape from Colditz

The only way I managed to escape was getting to the Staff Car and driving out. Impossible otherwise

[rossobantam]

Re: Escape from Colditz

The Parker version was the original, and has won awards for having the worst, most confusing, set of rules ever published.
This was much tidied up in the later Gibsons version....

at Doncaster Toy Fair last weekend I saw an Escape from Colditz game I've never seen before...a Palitoy version, similar artwork, but a much smaller box, prob half size of the original

[Emettman]

Re: Escape from Colditz

Realise this is an old thread now, but just had to share...

I'd searched myself and found an updated version (from late-70's I believe) which just wasn't the same - inferior-looking cards, plastic pieces etc

The Parker version was the original, and has won awards for having the worst, most confusing, set of rules ever published.
This was much tidied up in the later Gibsons version, but the version of that I saw did have wooden pieces and generally good quality finish.
Maybe they did a late "economised" run.

This happened with some games: there are versions of "The Battle of the Little Big Horn" with proper and cheap boards...
I agree cheap pieces and cards etc. can ruin a good game.

I reckon the early-to mid eighties was the peak time for boardgames: the first of the revolutionary German crop coming to the UK, but not so much masses of computer game/TV or toy tie in/trivia games flooding the market.

[PunkRocked]

Re: Escape from Colditz

Realise this is an old thread now, but just had to share...

I remember playing Escape from Colditz for hours at a time with my brothers. This would be mid-70s cos it was about the same time the TV series was on too.

Being a wee boy I just loved war - films, games, toys, you name it I loved it. To go outside with your mates and play "Sodjies" (excuse the Glasgow slang!) was commonplace.

A couple of years back, I mentioned this to my (then) partner and how much I'd really, really love to get a copy of the original game. I'd searched myself and found an updated version (from late-70's I believe) which just wasn't the same - inferior-looking cards, plastic pieces etc

Two weeks later, she presented me with an original, bought from eBay. Don't know for sure but I think she laid out £45 for it. But it was in excellent condition, only a little wear on one corner of the box and one or two of the cards. But oh how I loved going through it all again - the info leaflet, the wooden pieces, and of course all the Opportunity and Security cards...

Believe it or not, I now play this with my own two kids who are roughly the age I was when I first started it. It's great! And I don't mind being the Germans It certainly makes a pleasant change from playing the PS3!