Rules for Escape From Colditz

Objective

• Two to six players split into two factions. The German faction's objective is to prevent the Allies from escaping the prison. The objective of the Allies is to escape from the prison.

The Cards

• Separate the card decks and lay the Escape Kit cards and Escape Equipment cards face up near the game board. Keep the Do or Die cards, Escaper's Opportunity cards and German Security cards face down. Each card features instructions on usage such as transporting to a specified room or sending German pawns to the Barracks.

Pawns

• Distribute game pawns to each player depending on the total number of players. A two-player game sees one player receiving eight Allied pawns and the other receiving six German pawns. A three-player game has two players each receiving seven Allied pawns and one player receiving 12 German pawns. A four-player game has six Allied and fourteen German pawns, while five and six player games increases the pawn number by one for each additional player. There will always only be one German player in the game.

Zones

• Place each pawn on the designated spaces. Allied pawns begin within the white area of the game board while German pawns are placed on the gray and tan areas of the board. There are five zones on the game board. They are the Appel, Inner Courtyard, Rooms, Outer Area and Outside. Game play differs depending on where Allied pawns or located. They cannot be arrested in the Appel while they can be arrested or killed if found on the Outside zone.

Rolling the Dice

• Players roll two dice. If a 3, 7 or 11 is rolled, then the player draws either an Opportunity or Security card depending on his faction. Each time doubles are rolled, the player rolls again while keeping track of his score. At the end of a roll, a player moves any combination of his pawns around the board according to the total number he rolled. Rolling doubles also allows one Allied pawn to leave Solitary Confinement.

Escape Kit

• To obtain the Escape Kit, a player must have pawns on the Disguise, Food, Compass and Documents spaces. Once all four spaces are covered, the player obtains the Escape Kit and attempts an escape.

Equipment

• Equipment cards are gained when a player has two pawns on matching Equipment Spaces such as a rope or wire cutter space. Draw the corresponding equipment card and use it to scale walls or pass through fences.

Capture

• When a German pawn reaches an Allied pawn, the Allied Pawn is sent to Solitary and the German pawn is sent to the Barracks. Equipment cards are confiscated. The German player may also use the Shoot to Kill Security card to permanently remove a pawn from the game if found outside the prison walls.

Ending the Game

• The game ends after either the Allies have pulled off a predetermined set of escapes or a predetermined time limit has expired.