Escape From Pompeii was born when Sam Rapier and Fin Stanbridge collaborated as part of a group project they undertook whilst studying in the Department of Classics and Ancient History.
Rising to the challenge of bringing the ancient world to life in a group project, the students created an immersive board game, offering players a dynamic and entertaining journey through one of history's most compelling environments.
Using locations, objects and artwork to immerse people in Pompeii, the site of a devastating volcanic eruption in 79 AD that destroyed Roman cities, the game rewards learning by allowing those who take time to engage in trivia to move faster and escape the perilous disaster.
After receiving enthusiastic feedback from staff and peers, the pair were inspired to develop their concept into a fully-fledged product and launched Exekias Games in September 2024.
Escape from Pompeii is their first game launch, though the pair hopes to make board games inspired by different cultures, eras, and aspects of the ancient world.
They also hope to widen access to ancient history, especially to those who were not taught it at school or who struggled with learning in a school environment.
Sam said: “The ancient world holds incredible stories and great value to modern lives. We want to help people connect with the past.”
Crediting their time at the University for helping to inspire their work, Sam remarked that the module where the project started “helped us to think about what we loved doing, what we valued, and how we could combine those things into a project that has become the focus of our lives.”
Fin added: “Turning a class project into a real-life product has been a huge learning curve but being able to access the University of Bristol Careers Service as graduates has been invaluable”.
Dr. Shelley Hales, Head of Subject in the Department of Classics and Ancient History said: “We are so excited to see a project born in our Applied Classics unit come so far. Fin and Sam illustrate the enthusiasm and ingenuity of our students, and it’s great that they have created such an engaging way to connect with ancient history.”