Fun – HolyWord.com

A few years ago I was playing a cooperative board game with other family members. We were reaching the goal together and it re-invigorated my interest. I looked into the Christian genre of board games and was pleasantly surprised to find they were no longer just the old Question and Answer games that some people like but most people run away from out of fear of being embarrassed or bored by lackluster game design. Today there are many game choices. Battle evil together or get immersed in a Biblical time period. These games can be fun. They can even open the door to faith-based discussions among family and friends in ways other approaches don't. Here we will review some Bible and religious-themed games and give you some classic choices as well to enjoy indoors. Christian Games for Families & FriendsChristian Games for KidsClassic Games Note: Some games require pre-planning. The 'GameMaster' is the one that learns the game in advance to help new players. If the written directions are not always the best, there are often online 'How to Play' videos to help explain many games. Christian Games for Families & Friends Portals and Prophets.2-5 Players; 60 min; Ages 10+This was a success at our Game Night and we have played it again. No prior Bible knowledge is needed so anyone can play. You are a time traveler who can visit various places in Israel so the theme is interesting. The main game mechanic is that the time changes a century each round while each player picks up cards containing destinations that need to be visited at a certain time. The key is to travel to those destinations and be in the right place at the right time to earn the points on the cards. The theme works well with the gameplay. Players can learn some geography and places along the way, but no prior Bible knowledge is required to enjoy it. The GameMaster can spend an evening ahead of time to learn the rules and watch a game or do a self-play with 2-3 players. Kings of Israel 2-4 Players; 90-120 minutesA cooperative game set in the period of the Kings of Israel. No prior knowledge of the Bible is required. The theme works very well with the gameplay. Stop the spread of false idol worship and instead set up good places of worship to God. You can empathize with Elijah and the prophets after playing this. It is not easy to win, but as a cooperative group it was fun to play and we keep wanting to come back again. GameMaster. Take an evening or two to learn. The main gameplay is not too difficult, but some of the cards' abilities are unique. I would suggest if you have company for the first play, don't allow the game to end if evil runs out of pieces to place, other-wise your evening may be over quickly and you will need another filler game. Commissioned2-6 Players; Says 1 hour but more than 2 hours for us first-timers.One of the best Christian Theme based games, but first-time players will need some extra guidance from the Game Master. No prior Bible knowledge is required. It has several scenarios on the front and back of the boards in the Mediterranean religion for good re-playability. The theme works very well. It feels like you are the Early church trying to grow while obstacles are trying to prevent you. It is a cooperative game so everyone is in it together to win or lose. The cooperative game mechanic works here, making losing not feel so much as a failure, but an incentive to try together again another time. We would play this again and it should be easier the second time. Lots of replay potential. The Gamemaster may need a couple of evenings to learn this. If you are not used to modern deck-building games, the player decks will take extra time to learn. First-time novice players will likely need extra help with this. Bibleopoly 2-6 PlayersWe honestly have not played this one yet. Once our game group budget increases it is on our shortlist to try out. If you know how to play Monopoly, that helps you get started with the game movement. The part that interests us is that it is a cooperative game instead of the winner-take-all bankrupting everyone else. If not sure, take a look at some of the Amazon reviews until we add it to our game group. The Pillars of the Earth. 2-4 Players; 90 minutes; Difficult/StrategicThe theme and board artwork are really good. No prior Bible knowledge is required. It takes place towards the end of the middle ages, during the building of a Cathedral. It does well at immersing you into the experience. There are about 12 unique strategic options so it is not easy at first, but interesting once players start to catch on. This is one of the first classic worker placement board games, inspiring a whole generation of worker placement games thereafter. Some of our more experienced board game players picked up the strategies mid-way and would play again. Newbie-board game players were sometimes paralyzed by all the options and may need assistance or a partner. GameMaster. An evening or two of learning. Each spot on the board has its own unique gameplay mechanics with unique benefits that require more time to learn and explain but increases the strategic options. The turn order mechanism is also unique and takes some time to learn, but it does well at adding to the strategy. Apples to Apples(4-10 Players) Ages 8+; 30 minutesGood for get-together parties.This is a quick easy game to learn. No expert Bible knowledge is required but knowing some terms helps. If young players don't know what certain terms mean, they can be helped (a really good way to learn a bit while having fun). Players will pick a card from their hand that best matches the green card the judge picked randomly. If the judge chooses their card as the best match, they get the green card. The more green cards a player gets the better. GameMaster. Not a lot of pre-pre needed. Watch a quick 'How To Play' video and can be ready to go in 10-15 minutes. Scrabble Bible EditionIt is Scrabble but with some Bible rules.Bible knowledge is required or at least a familiarity with Bible-related words. If you like the Bible and like Scrabble, it makes sense. Biblios (Card and Dice game)2-4 Players; Average Game 30 Minutes; Ages 10+No prior Bible knowledge is needed. You are playing monks who are trying to assemble Holy manuscripts. This is not a simple card game for players new to modern card games, and the rules may take a few rounds to get used to. The gameplay is a card set-building game with some in-game auction strategy. Caution: There is one category of cards which is called forbidden manuscripts, so if you don't want to do anything in-game that is remotely wrong, you can either avoid collecting that category or before the game starts, agree to assign a negative value to anyone getting caught with those cards at the end. GameMaster: Needs to get familiar with this an evening or two ahead of time since it has several unique gameplay elements. Christian Games for Kids Bible SequenceAges 6-Adult; 2-6 Players; Average Game - 30 MinutesSimple Connect 4 like strategy, but more unpredictable with cards.No prior Bible knowledge required.Pretty easy to learn. Each player gets a few cards with Bible characters and events on the cards. The player can place a token on the board if they have a card symbol that matches a board square's symbol. The first player to get 5 tokens in a row or diagonally wins. Extra cards add or remove tokens making it less predictable. This game is like Connect 4 with cards. While the theme and cards are Bible-based, players are looking for symbol matches so only indirect learning while playing. Good for kids and as a filler game when you don't have a lot of time. Bible Time Quiz ChallengeAges 6 and Up; For learning the BibleNot a board game, more random cards of Bible questions. They are nice cards with some clues and scripture references. They may be useful for teachers, home study and speakers who like to open up with some thoughts for the audience. Scripture Memory Card GameAges 5 and Up; Not a board game. More for learning the Bible. Fill in the blank questions. For Teachers and Home study. Great Adventure Bible Card Game SetAges 3-103No Bible knowledge required.This has a few card games in one. some for young kids like Go Fish, Some for older kids and Adults like Rummy, and 4 others with Bible theme. For a family traveling and needing something small to carry, 2 decks with 6 games may help along the way. Game Master: The directions are short and not the clearest, but if you are familiar with the classic games and run through a couple of hands you can manage. Fancy Land Bible BingoIt is a Bible-themed Bingo. Fun for kids. No Prior Religious Knowledge is needed24 cards included. Bible Trivia Flash CardsAges 6-12Bible knowledge is required, or for learning.Two difficulties per card.Good for school, home, or travel. Operation: Noah's ArkAges 4+It is the classic Operation game but with a Bible theme. Help collect animals from difficult to reach locations avoiding the thunderbolt (buzz) and get them safely to the ark. Don't Rock the Boat: Noah's ArkAges 4 and up; 2-6 PlayersA fun game for young kids to learn about animals and balancing them on the Ark. Classic Games Most Everyone likes a classic game once in a while. They are great when you don't have time to learn a new complicated game, Kids can play most of them and learn basic strategies. They are good as fillers if you have a game night with two boards and one group finishes early. They have lasted for a reason, most people like them. ChessClassic Strategy game between two players. Combo SetWith Chess, Checkers, Backgammon, Cribbage, Dominos Cards, Dice CribbageClassic card and track race game Connect 4Classic Connect 4. Get 4 in a row anyway you can as you build vertically. Classic YahtzeeClassic dice-rolling game of chance, scoring, risk, and strategy OperationThe classic game of steady hands and nerves. Tic Tac ToeA simple fun game of strategy for kids to start on. OthelloA classic game of scoring in rows and diagonals. One minute you think you are ahead but it can change in a hurry. Scrabble The Classic word placement game, yet to be outdone by modern word games. UnoBuilt upon the Classic 'Crazy Eights', Uno has become a classic of its own. Remember to say 'Uno' when you have one card left. MastermindA Classic game of thinking. Narrow the possibilities down until you know the right combination of colored pegs. Board Sized Shuffleboard and Curling Classic game(s) of strategy combined with physical effort. Sometimes kids, young and old just want to exert some physical energy into a game, for a little while or for hours. I have one and we have enjoyed it many times. Here are more games to choose from...