Spreading the Christian Faith
The Mission: Early Christianity from the Crucifixion to the Crusades is a solitaire game by Ben Madison about the early days of the Christian church and the propagation of Christianity in Europe, the Near East, and North Africa. It has just been released by White Dog Games, and is available in boxed, folio and PnP format. You can either order it directly from the publisher or from the stores that carry WDG titles (check list on the WDG website) if you live outside the US.
Each turn is divided in 4 phases: the History phase, the Secular phase, the Religious phase, and the End of the turn phase. The map shows six different paths made of square Lands. Over the course of the game, these squares will be filled with chits, showing that they have been converted.
In the History phase, you will proceed from one era to the next, starting with the Apostolic Age and ending with the Crusades. Each of these periods of time comes with its own rules that change the state of the board. In the Secular phase, you will earn solidi (the game's currency) and check whether the current ruler is Christian or heretic, if heresy breaks out, if an epidemic breaks out, or if a Jihad or Barbarians move along the tracks.
The Religious phase is the time when you can take actions by spending money. You may move your Apostles or Bishops, and convert the lands you discover by performing conversion dice rolls. You may build Monasteries, Hospitals and Universities to take advantage of their bonuses in subsequent turns. You may also try to convert heretics and barbarians. At the game's end, you calculate your victory points and check the rules to see how well you did.
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