
- BGG rating
- 7.2
Survive: Escape from Atlantis! – Dolphins & Dive Dice Mini Expansion
- 2–4 players
- 60 min
- Complexity 1.6/5
- 2013

1982
Rules assistance for Survive: Escape from Atlantis!
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 2 players

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Survive: Escape from Atlantis! is a board game released in 1982 for 2–4 players, 45–60 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Julian Courtland-Smith and its main mechanics are Take That, Dice Rolling, and Area Majority / Influence.
Survive is a cutthroat game where players seek to evacuate their pieces from an island that is breaking up, while remembering where their highest-valued pieces are located to maximize their score. An island made up of 40 hex-tiles is slowly sinking into the ocean (as the tiles are removed from the board). Each player controls ten people (valued from 1 to 6) that they try and move towards the safety of the surrounding islands before the main island finally blows up. Players can either swim or use boats to travel but must avoid sea serpents, whales and sharks on their way to safety. Survive is very similar to Escape from Atlantis with some key differences. Survive was reprinted as "Survive: Escape from Atlantis!" by publisher Stronghold Games and hit store shelves in February, 2011. The reprint contains the game Survive, as well as all the extra pieces needed in order to play the game as "Escape from Atlantis" and is actually found here: Survive: Escape from Atlantis! because it came with the dolphins and dive dice which were removed from the anniversary edition which was released a couple of years later (though they were later made available by themselves for owners of that version). "Survive: Escape from Atlantis!" is game #2 in the Stronghold Games "Survive Line".
Survive: Escape from Atlantis! supports 2–4 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Survive: Escape from Atlantis! is 45–60 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Survive: Escape from Atlantis! for ages 8 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Survive: Escape from Atlantis! has a complexity rating of 1.7 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Survive: Escape from Atlantis! belongs to these categories: Animals, Bluffing, and Adventure. Its main mechanics are Take That, Dice Rolling, and Area Majority / Influence. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Survive: Escape from Atlantis! are: Julian Courtland-Smith. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Survive: Escape from Atlantis! as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.