JESS: CO & CO - A tale of two returns (or about Cobras & Colditz)

They are back. Two of the most loved games in Spanish game-history were revamped last year. 

These re-editions have been eagerly awaited with great expectation since they were first announced. Both games were extensively played more than twenty years ago and were a big commmercial success. (they are continuously sold on e-bay and collector websites.) Most Spanish people who like boardgames today played these games in their youth. Our memories of these are a mixture of good playing time and pure nostalgia.

But the final results are very different from each other. A comparison between these two-reprinting-tales tells us, as an example, a bit about the boardgaming situation here.

These games are En busca del Imperio Cobra (published by CEFA) and Fuga de Colditz (published by Devir).

CEFA published boardgames (and only boardgames) in the 1980s. They were simple games sometimes, but they were always good fun: adventures in the jungle, search for lost treasures, ghosts of ancient temple, naval fights, mysterious murders, impossible monsters… Many of them had spectacular 3-D boards, built with colourful illustrated simple cardboard. Games of unknow authors, by the way.

In the CEFA catalogue you could also find strange versions of games such as Misterio (Cluedo, but in Transilvania with Dracula, Frankenstein, a Mummy, a Werewolf…) or Alerta Roja (a simplified version of Scotland Yard, Spiel des Jahres 1983)—I must say that I don’t know if these games were authorized versions or not, I suspected not.

Anyway, then young people thought CEFA games were fantastic and totally original. We simply loved to play the games. Furthermore, they were only published in Spain (and only a few of them can be found on Boardgamegeek).

Surely, the main CEFA hit was En busca del Imperio Cobra. It had even a deluxe edition (everything the same, but in a bigger box).

This was a game inspired in a world of fantasy, in the sword and sorcery Conan comics style. There are four islands on the board, each one with a different climate. The Cobra-Men reign on this Empire with the help of the giant magic Cobra god in the centre of the Cobra Island. Each player controls a barbarian Hero who needs to find his weapons and his way to the Cobra Island to destroy the evil empire. The illustrations were so appealing to our young eyes, and we also loved the plastic Cobra figure and the snake-head-in-a-human-body Cobra-Men.

The game had a really simple roll-and-move system. Each Hero moving in the islands getting cards (oracle, weapons, travel, magic…), and fighting against terrible creatures. The Cobra player controls terrific Cobra-Men and tries to complicate other players movements, and goes on to win if an hour goes by without a Hero winning (winning on time, like in Fuga de Colditz).

Once a Hero arrives at the evil Island, the giant Cobra begins to rotate. To win, a Hero must reach the Cobra without being seen, everything depending on the roll of the dice. The game was really simple in truth, and we easily improved upon our own home-rules to make it more difficult and even more fun.

Imperio Cobra was so successful that we had a second part, Huida del Imperio Cobra II (Escape from Cobra Empire II), in which heroes try to escape to their own land—but this is another story…

After years of games, the CEFA company disappeared and its games remained only as childhood memories for myself and many others.

Fuga de Colditz (Escape from Colditz) was first edited in 1973. Parker, Gibson or Clipper published different language editions. It was published in Spanish by Nike and Cooper Española, S.A. (NAC). In the 1980s, NAC published many games, usually not very difficult wargames, not always perfectly produced but also loved and played back then. Furthermore, most of them were only published in Spain (and only a few of them can be found on Boardgamegeek).

Fuga de Colditz was maybe the only NAC game which reached a level of high commercial success, it even was sold in big stores. This is a famous game about a real German prison during World War II. One player controls the Nazi guards, and the rest of players control the ally prisoners trying to escape. Cooperation between players is necessary if they want to get out of jail. It’s another roll-and-move based system, but integrated in a kind of roleplaying game which was really exciting. Ally players can talk about their escape plans whenever they want, while the Nazi player waits outside the playing room—we loved this rule. The objective for an ally player is to get equipment and successfully escape (for example, two prisoners of the same player in two hours of playing—winning on time, like in Imperio Cobra), but it is almost impossible to do this without collaboration between all ally players. Of course, the Nazi player must try to avoid this. We didn’t know then, but the Spanish NAC edition had slightly changed and simplified rules from the original game. This rules has holes, but home-rules helped to enjoy the game.

The game was co-design by Major P.R.Reid (the first official who really escaped from Colditz) and by Brian Degas, the man behind all Colditz merchandising, editor of Reid’s books, producer of the Colditz film and the Colditz TV-series, etc.

Fuga de Colditz was so successful that we had a second part, Después de Colditz (After Colditz)—in which heroes try to escape to their own land—but this is another story…

After years of games, the NAC company disappeared and its games remained only as childhood memories for myself and many others.

Twenty years later, both games have been reprinted and obviously our expectations were high. The announcement of both reprints could be seen on different websies and blogs online. So many people remember these games and were happy at the thought of having them back again.

The new CEFA Toys company looks very different. It is interested mainly in toys amongst other things, in the same way as other traditional Spanish toy & game companies. All old boardgames in its catalogue are forgotten (maybe this new CEFA simply has the same name as the former CEFA company - business stuff…). We remembered that the old Imperio Cobra was a very simple game, but maybe now…

The new Fuga de Colditz reprint has a beautiful story behind it.

Devir is a modern company interested in new boardgames (and more hobby things). Devir wanted not only to reprint Fuga de Colditz, they wanted to make the ultimate edition of the game. Brian Degas (living co-author of the game) was not so happy with the old editions of his game, and Devir did a good job of convincing him to try it again. Devir re-designed almost the whole game: the cards, the board, the box, the rules, and everything was approved by Brian Degas. We remembered that the old Fuga de Colditz was a simple game, but maybe now…

So, the new Imperio Cobra was released and it is extensively available in toy-shops and big stores. And the result is, to say the least, disappointing. It is in too big a box, the old cover has been changed for a computer coloured painting and is less than impressive. Inside the box there is a poor board, not very well printed (satin-like, very shiny).

The figures are OK, at least the Cobra is the same as we remember, but the Cobra-Men have disappeared!. The illustrations aren’t amazing, they are like a poor version of the old game (but not-comfortably shinier). There are a few changes here and there, without any clear sense or reason. After high quality German-like games, this reprint is a lesser version of the original. And most importantly, there has been no improvement on the game rules. Actually, it is too simple a game to have fun. And I almost forgot to say that we don’t know who the author of the game is yet. In the old version the game was unaccredited (not unusual back then), but now it is unknown again.

On the other hand however, Devir presented its new Fuga de Colditz in Córdoba, during the II Spanish National Boardgame Meeting. We listened to an interesting hour’s talk about the game and its production. After that, several copies of the game were available to be tested (and they were intensively played on these October days). On the box cover there is a powerful painting of the Colditz castle (from the TV series staff—Brian Degas is the owner), with a full Moon incorporated as Brian Degas asked for (because prisoners tried to escape on nights which had a full Moon). On other parts of the box you can see impressive illustrations and real pictures of Colditz. When you open the box (more or less the size of Ticket to Ride), you firstly find a golden shield welcoming you.

It is the coat of arms of the Colditz castle, printed on the back of the board—another request of Mr. Degas. You also get an information sheet about historical data (by Major P.R. Reid) and a rules sheet (re-written in a modern game style) including a ‘final words’ by Brian Degas himself for this edition. Finally, you find a smaller box simulating a red cross medical aid box, like in the original game. (That was a way of giving things secretly to the prisoners in Colditz.) Devir demonstrates attention to almost every detail. The board has been redesigned in a square shape, better than the old rectangular shape (with only one circle space lost, but Brian Degas also said it’s OK). Cards and pawns honour old components but with in a new brand look. Components are very good quality, and some defects in the box’s interior are a minor affair. The rules are different (and improved) from the old NAC version we knew in Spain, and as a result we now have a better game.

I have already played the new Fuga de Colditz game a couple of times, and I can say it is very interesting and fun—even now after the rising age of eurogames. Devir wanted an ultimate version of the game, and they have nearly found it. The main problem with this game is that the rules need some amending—some unclear points always need to be discussed before playing, but they can be seen in the original rules, too. Devir hasn’t changed anything there, trying to be very respectful to the original game. I think they could have gone further to make a complete, final version of the game, developing rules a little more, but that wasn’t their objective and so they didn’t—anyway, an official FAQ will appear soon.

If you liked this old classic game and you want a new one, I strongly recommended the new Fuga de Colditz—if you don’t have a problem with the Spanish text on the cards. Brian Degas is very satisfied with this Devir Spanish edition, and he thinks that in the future, other language editions must be equal to this one.

Imperio Cobra and Fuga de Colditz. Two old loved games, two new editions, two different companies, two different outcomes. Both games are really easy to find in Spain and they are both selling very well.

That’s the point about traditional game companies: It doesn’t matter if they publish a loved game, because it-is-for-children and doesn’t deserve any special effort. People remember the old Imperio Cobra and there are games on sale in every shop, so the game will be sold out.

New boardgame companies know how to take better care of games, gamers and even not-so-gamer people also. New and old boardgames could be played by everybody, even crazy adult people. Devir has made a lovely job with Fuga de Colditz. And that’s the way I like to see things done.

¡Nos jugamos!

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