Overview
At a glance
Is this game right for my group?
ABG editorial scores on a 1–5 scale.
Harder to teach
High replayability
Highly interactive
Player-count sensitive
Deep strategy
More strategic control
How it plays
How does it play?
Cooperate to complete six prison-break plans while voting one inmate the scapegoat who receives no progress and may be left behind.
Core mechanisms
Key systems that shape the decisions players make.
Semi-Cooperative Game
Players share some objectives while retaining individual victory conditions.
Action Points
Spend a limited allowance of points across several possible actions each turn.
Grid Movement
Move pieces between adjacent spaces on a regular grid.
Pick-up and Deliver
Use Pick-up and Deliver as a recurring structure for player decisions and resolution.
Modular Board
Build the play area from interchangeable sections that vary between games.
Read the full game description
Alcatraz: The Scapegoat is a semi-cooperative prison-break game about conflicted loyalties. Three or four inmates move through a modular prison, collect required items, manage guards, and work together on six pick-up-and-deliver parts of an escape plan. The catch is structural: every round the group votes one player the scapegoat, and that inmate gains none of the plan progress earned during the round. Promises, blackmail, theft, and temporary alliances therefore matter as much as efficient action-point use. The prison layout changes from game to game, and the group still loses if the escape is not completed, but success does not guarantee that everyone gets out. Players must remain useful enough to be included while quietly ensuring they are not the one left behind.
