Whether or not the PoW holds equipment, the PoW is sent to Solitary and the guard to barracks as above.

The cards are included as part of the set, with the original instructions printed in the back of the rulebook, if you’re curious to experience the changes for yourself or are adamant to play the game as it was first created, but the tweaks and refinements to the new rules help modernise mechanics that are markedly of their time. There are even more rules to this game than i’ve mentioned in my brief (haha) overview here, however, you can gather the general outline of the game. Several times I executed wonderful escape plans, timed to perfection so that the Security Officer was busy dealing with other players, and yet despite having a seemingly clear run with the nearest guard some distance away a simple change of fortune lost me the game. Whereas, the anniversary edition's escapees are distinctly less impressive, especially with the startled expression of the left-hand figure and the overshadowing German guard.Reading through the supplementary information supplied in this booklet, should help you to recreate the atmosphere of Colditz Castle during the war. Opportunity Cards and Security Cards are incredibly useful, an Opportunity Card might provide a POW with a piece of equipment, or allow them to hide from the Security Officer at some point, it may even allow them access to a tunnel, which will aid their escape attempt. Of course, if no guard happens to be nearby and you still have some equipment left it could be the perfect opportunity for an escape attempt. Dice rolls determine how far a pawn can move, but if you roll a 3, 7 or 11 you also pick up an action card.

If the amount of movement generated is not enough for the POW to reach a target area, the escape attempt fails and that player is out of the game. So, for many players, it was often a sore point as to who would be willing to take on this rather unforgiving task of trying your hardest to prevent any of the other players winning, knowing that you were unlikely to succeed and if you did would probably draw several players' wrath at having spent an afternoon or evening failing to win. Included for extra atmospheric flavour are replicas of objects from the prison, such as a German newspaper front page announcing the escape, and a 32-page history booklet. You also get a couple of other cool historical items, including a postcard that was written by one of the prisoners. But they’ll need more than their wits alone: some useful tools as well as a bit of luck are needed to get out unscathed.

Designed in part by a former POW who escaped from Colditz, the game was released during the first run of the popular television series Colditz, and the game likewise proved popular.