The Angry Imp Blog

Hello and Welcome

Welcome to the Angry Imp Blog. Here, the Angry Imp will be sharing his musings with regard to all things in the board gaming world. I doubt he will be changing the world, but he hopes that at some point he might say something of interest.

The Imp has been board gaming on and off for many years and has played many different types and styles of board games. Yes, he played the usual classics such as Monopoly and Risk, but these games never really proved satisfying - they were just too simple and did not entail a great amount of skill. Also, the experience was the same from play to play, nothing really ever changed.

The Great Escape

The first 'proper' board game that he owned that opened his eyes to a new style of board game was Escape from Colditz.  It was found in a bargain bin in an outlet of Morrissons supermarket (in Preston, Lancashire as it happens) in about 1978 (the Imp is not a young imp!). Like most little imps at the time, he was interested in all things to do with war and the box art for Escape from Colditz was particularly appealing;

Escape From Colditz - Box Cover

Ironically, the Imp has never actually played this game!  When it was unpacked with great excitement, there was one thing missing - the rules!  However, the board and pieces inside the box promised a game unlike anything else the Imp had played before and undeterred by this disappointment his board game collection then started to grow in a different direction.

A cunning plan

Over the years, the Imp occasionally opened the Escape From Colditz box and started at the components and wondered what the game would be like.  How would he plan the escape?  How would the other side attempt to foil these plans?  Alas, this was in the days before the Internet and the Imp was not armed with the tools to hunt down the missing rules.

The Years passed and the Imp went to University.  While at University the Imp came across something completely unknown to him and something that changed his life yet again - the University Game Club.  Here, the Imp managed to find someone who not only had the rules to Colditz, but was willing (in exchange for a pint of the undoubtedly watered down Student Union lager) to photocopy them.  A few days later, the Imp was in possession of a copy of the rules and was eager for the term to end so that he could get home and finally play this game

A foiled plan

Finally with the term ended, the Imp arrived back the the family abode, Colditz rules in hand (and in head) eager to play the game that had so long eluded him.  Rushing to the room where the Imp hoard was being stored, the Imp was confused.  The room was full of different things, things that did not belong to the Imp.  Just a few solitary belongings remained.  After querying this unusual turn of events, mother Imp announced, "Ah, yes, we needed the room to store our things, so we gave all those silly games to a charity shop".

The Imp has never actually played this game.