We had the opportunity to review the physical board game called Commissioned, which is published by Chara Games.
I enjoy reviewing curricula as a member of the Homeschool Review Crew. Although most of the products we review are subject curricula, occasionally, something different, like a game, gets placed into the mix. This time, that something different is the game Commissioned, which is published by Chara Games.
Husband and wife team, Patrick (Pat) and Katherine (Kat) Lysaght, are gamers, but not in the contemporary (ex: electronic) sense. They love playing and designing tabletop (board) games. Pat’s love of playing games is what sparked the creation of Chara Games and it was not long after that Kat was on “board” and enjoying playing games herself. One of the first games they developed was with the idea of making one that everyone in their family would enjoy playing together. They wanted everyone to be included.
That spirit seems to continue with Pat and Kat running Chara Games LLC (together), which they founded in 2014. Chara means “unshakeable joy” (Biblical Greek) and that is what Pat and Kat want players to experience when they sit down together and play one of their tabletop games. The company mission is “building games that create joy by developing relationships with God and people.” All of their games have a Christian theme, so the foundation is set for players to fulfil the company mission. Just a note, you do not have to be a Christian to play or enjoy Commissioned.
Game night was, wasn’t and now is again part of our weeknight fun. My children and I enjoy playing games. Along with spending family time together, games can also help build character – learning how to be a gracious loser as well as a humble (or just one who doesn’t boast too much) winner.
We had four of the two to six players required to play Commissioned, which is geared towards people 14-years-old and older. I handed the directions off to River to read and get us set up. He did a good job of explaining how to play. First of all, Commissioned is a cooperative-style board game, so players are working together towards a common goal (or win) as opposed to competing against each other as individuals. Commissioned takes players all the way back to the first 150 years of church history. With that, it has all of the elements of a Christian experience. There are apostles (ex: Andrew, Barnabas, James, John, Paul and Peter) with unique skills, faith challenges, trials and persecutions. The players take the roles of the apostles of the early church who work to collect the books of the New Testament and grow the church. There is nothing like a Flood, Extreme Famine, the Church being Fed to the Lions, scrolls being burned, etc. to cause difficulty in a mission. The apostles had it rough, but many overcame the challenges. It was their faith – Fasting, Confess & Repent, Crowd Accepts Faith, etc. that provided encouragement for them to continue working to build the church. That challenge is set for them (or you the player) while also facing religious and government prosecution. The board is double-sided, allowing for you to play two versions of the game.
Playing Commissioned was quite different for us. We have never played a Christian-themed game. Again, you do not have to be a Christian to enjoy or play the game. We did learn much about the early church and were able to tie the experiences to specific instances in the Bible with the reference to Bible verse included about the Faith and Trial Cards. One aspect I really like about the game is the cooperative experience. I loved watching my children work together on the common goal of building the church. We all got a better understanding of the challenges Christians experienced. It was not easy being a Christian, but the apostles stayed strong in the course.
It was nice having a new game that gave us some playtime together and pulled my children (and me) away from their electronics. Everything my children look for in a game – strategy, critical thinking and fun are found when playing the game. The historical aspect is just a bonus.
Pat and Kat have taken church history (a “dry subject” according to Pat – I think he is right) and added a fun, hands-on experience for learning about it and “walking in the shoes” of the early apostles. Chara Games and Commissioned also reminds us that winning is not always achieved by oneself; sometimes it takes working together. Commissioned is available for around $32 plus shipping.
Also, check out their new game, 3 Seeds.
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