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Lots going on on the board: Jesus with his apostles and disciples
Photo: Maren Hoffmann / DER SPIEGEL
Peter isn't quite as great as Jesus, but he's a little cooler than John. And James the Elder or Bartholomew? Well, you actually only want to sit next to them when there's nowhere else available. We don't even have to talk about Judas, he gets negative points.
I put the little crown of thorns sticker on the judgment marker and ask myself: Is that allowed? Make a board game out of the Last Supper, one of the core stories of the Christian faith? Where you play against each other and win in the end if your own disciples sit as close as possible to Jesus and the best apostles?
My two teammates feel the same way: the topic feels like a taboo could be violated at any moment. But that's nonsense. »Ierusalem« is simply a board game with a fresh theme, which the author Carmen García Jiménez has tackled with a lot of depth of research and good game mechanics.
It is the first work of the Spanish theology student, who says she has set herself the goal of entertaining, making you think and “also learning a little more about the man who changed history forever.”
The Last Supper is not staged here as a closed event with Jesus and the apostles sitting alone in the private room. All players control a group of Jesus followers who want to be part of the game.
You get the most victory points by cleverly placing your own figures on the board: Jesus scores the most points, but apostles also score points. But in order for us to be allowed to sit down at all, we (usually) have to pay: fish, bread and stones are our resources that we can collect with our figures in another area of the board.
The game offers an overwhelming amount of options and is therefore not suitable for people who find everything beyond Uno and man-don't-get-annoyed to be overly complex. But the moves themselves are pleasantly clearly structured: you play a card, carry out all the actions shown on it, see whether you can put an apostle on the board, and possibly buy a better card for the next turn. Complete. The art is to play the right card at the right time, choose actions wisely and plan tactically.
What makes the game so elegant is the thematic development, which is inextricably interwoven with the mechanics. The better the cards that gradually come into play, the faster the judgment marker moves up, which triggers the end of the game: the city's high council becomes more and more nervous the more popular Jesus is - and accelerates his condemnation.
At the same time, the Communion table is becoming increasingly colorful and lively. Everyone crowds around Jesus, the seats next to Judas remain empty. The interaction between the players is finely measured: in order to get great cards, you sometimes have to give the others gifts, but of course you make sure that these gifts don't benefit the other person too much. And at the table, the little disciples are happily moved around, swapping places, zealous followers are pushed closer to Jesus and apostles are strategically placed.
The game ends when the judgment marker with the crown of thorns has reached the end of its track: the verdict has been passed. The rest of the story is known. The crucifixion is no longer the subject of the game, we stop with the board full and count our points.
“Ierusalem” presents the biblical story as what it is: a story. The game describes how a last supper could have happened, free from beliefs. Can the game hurt religious feelings? To be honest, it's hard for me to judge because I don't have any religious feelings. But there is no mockery to be found in the game, no mockery like “The Life of Brian”. The author's theological background also suggests a certain respect - but on the other hand, it doesn't feel missionary at all. I'm impressed by how carefree the author has translated the old story into an exciting game. This is great gaming table cinema, and it helps to immerse yourself in the topic that the instructions provide many appropriate Bible quotes and background information.
Up to four people aged twelve and over can play; The first game takes a little longer than the 90 minutes stated on the box, but once you learn the rules it plays surprisingly smoothly. A solo campaign offers the option of playing the game alone - then you try to complete several games with increasing levels of difficulty.