Escaping World War II

In World War II it was the duty of all Allied prisoners of war (POWs) to try to escape their captors. If the escape was successful they could re-join the war, but even a failed attempt was not without merit, as it would keep many of the enemy busy tracking down escaped prisoners. Once having escaped the camp, the journey home would prove treacherous, and many POWs would lose their lives in the months that followed. Only sheer grit and determination would get them to safety. Hungry and weak from the backbreaking work suffered at the camps, they would need to draw on what little strength remained to pass through enemy terrain and reach neutral territory, to find a way back home.

Each game of Escaping WWII begins with a group of four servicemen who have managed to break free from one of six prisoner of war camps. In the weeks leading up to their escape, they have gathered a few basic supplies, and made a crude map in order to plan their escape. Tired and hungry, they begin the long journey to freedom. Their immediate goal is to reach Paris and hook up with the French Resistance.

With most of Europe under the Nazis control, getting to Paris will not be easy, and with the Nazi military on high alert, eyes are everywhere. Knowing who to trust will be difficult, and with the SS and the Gestapo relentlessly trying to track down escaped prisoners all over Europe, their agents will be everywhere. Local Resistance groups fighting back against the Nazi regime may provide vital assistance during the escape, but finding them will often prove dangerous.

If they get to Paris, the resistance will provide all the necessary documentation, and help them with a “Freedom Plan”. This is vital to their escape, and without it, they dare not enter the South of France (the blue spaces shown on the servicemen’s map).

Once a Freedom Plan has been secured, the servicemen must travel through France and cross into Spain to win the game.

—description from the designer

The game is available from the Game Crafter:

https://www.thegamecrafter.com/games/escaping-wwii