Board Game Review: Journeys of Saint Paul

Board games are a fixture in Kathryn Pasker Ineck’s home, and Journeys of Saint Paul is clearing the way as her family’s new go-to.

Growing up, I always enjoyed playing board games and when I got my hands on the newer generation of games a few years ago, I was astounded at how far they have come. Gone are the days of roll-and-move, relying not on strategy but on the luck of the dice: today, board games have evolved into so many different and interesting game mechanics. Imagine my curiosity, then, when I heard about a new board game called Journeys of Saint Paul, published by Sophia Institute Press!

In Journeys of Saint Paul, you will be one of several messengers dispatched to deliver one of St. Paul’s momentous letters. Your mission: Be the first to cross the city gate and deliver St. Paul’s letter to its secret destination. But beware! The Romans are intent on seeking and destroying all Christians, so the chase may be on! This adventure requires cleverness, courage, and tenacity—with billions of souls at stake.

My 12-year-old was especially excited to try the game because he recently completed a course in studying the New Testament, and he was not disappointed as he played with me and his eldest brother, who is nearly 19. We were immediately impressed by the quality of the game pieces: the messenger pawns and the die are wooden and the tokens are a heavy cardboard and are remarkably easy to punch out, which is always a bonus. The cards and game board are also both beautiful as well as high-quality.

Journeys of St Paul game

Setup was quick and game play was easily learned. It felt a bit like playing Clue—one of our favorite old-school games—as we rolled the die and counted spaces, but here players aim for Key Houses or Heavenly Helpers spaces rather than rooms in a mansion. All three of us used a different strategy for how we wanted to accomplish our tasks and move about the board.

When it came to answering the trivia questions, each Challenge Card has two questions: one beginner and one advanced. Given the boys’ knowledge of theology, we opted to use a house rule that a player must answer both questions correctly before moving on, and we can definitely see this as being useful to play with younger cousins answering just one question in order to keep everyone on an even playing field.

Both sons wished to have had more opposition from the Roman Legion, but all in all, it was a terrific game. One round took around ten minutes, which was especially helpful for the son who generally struggles with inattention: he remained focused and engaged the entire time. We are excited to add Journeys of Saint Paul to our regular game rotation and hope your family enjoys it as much as we do!

null