We are a board game family. We have a cabinet full of games that work for all skill levels and ages. Its particularly fun to watch the boys logic and game play skills grow and we introduce them to increasingly complex games. Our newest game, Commissioned from Chara Games is a fun way to learn the history of the early Christian Church while working together to spread the gospel.
About Commissioned
Commissioned is a board game for 2 to 6 players and is recommended for ages 14+. I think this game works for younger players, especially when using the less difficult level of play. Game play averages around a hour, making this a great option for family game night.
In Commissioned, players act as the Apostles of the New Testament and cycle through steps of trial, prayer, movement, and growth to move across the map. Prayer cards include the actions and miracles from the New Testament and the trial cards reflect the actual trial that early Christians faced.
The game itself is high quality. The board has two sides with different maps to accommodate different game play scenarios. The game pieces are wood and thick laminated cardboard that will last through many rounds of play. All of the artwork is beautifully illustrated and printed in full color. In addition to the instruction booklet, there is theme appendix that provides historical background to all the people, places, and events used in the game.
How We Used Commissioned
We played Commissioned as a family with our 8 year old. The two younger boys teamed up with mom and dad. Commissioned is a complex game with many different parts, so it took us a full practice round to understand all the parts of the game and how they worked together. My only criticism of the game is the complexity of the initial set up, but that is true of all the best games. They usually take playing once or twice to fully understand.
For the first round, we opted to not use the dice to silence the game, but to instead work together. I really like that one option of game play is a communal win for conquering the board vs competing against the other players. This make it a good game for our highly competitive kid, no matter what he wins the game!
There are 5 different scenarios of game play, and therefore 5 different ways to win. I really like this aspect of the game as it allows for a different experience with each game. The downside is that the different scenarios add complexity, so I recommend sticking with the “Acts of the Apostles” scenario until you have a firm grasp on the rest of the game elements.
What We Think of Commissioned
This is a really fun game! It’s a challenge for everyone in our family to play. I like that in incorporates so many historical elements and teaching biblical characters and events in a hands on way. I can see this becoming a favorite, especially when the two little boys are ready to play on their own.