In Ezra and Nehemiah, a new title from Garphill Games in the Ancient Anthologies series, players are taken to post-exilic Israel. This game, steeped in historical and biblical themes, challenges players to rebuild the city walls and temples of Jerusalem while guiding the returning Jewish exiles. Like previous titles such as Hadrian’s Wall and Legacy of Yu, Ezra and Nehemiah offers a deep and thematic gaming experience that will appeal to both amateur historians and seasoned board game enthusiasts. Prepare for a journey through time, where strategic choices and tactical moves are key to victory and the city.
Thematic Background
The game Ezra and Nehemiah is a title from Garphill Games in its Ancient Anthologies series, where stories from around the world are used as inspiration for extensive and thematic games. Think also of Hadrian’s Wall, Skara Brae, and Legacy of Yu. Ezra and Nehemiah is one of the stories from the Old Testament and is about the restoration and rebuilding in post-exilic Israel after the return of Jewish exiles.
The game is based on these biblical stories from the Old Testament, but you also have to take into account the historical context of the rebuilding of Jerusalem. The game primarily takes the biblical context as a starting point for the game, but that will also appeal to the (amateur) historians among us. Like the other games in the Ancient Anthologies series, it is historical, mythical, and legendary scenes that form the basis of the thematic game mechanism.
The Book of Ezra in the Old Testament tells of the return of the Jewish exiles from Babylon and the restoration of worship and the temple in Jerusalem. It is divided into two main sections and begins with the decree of King Cyrus of Persia, who allows the Jews to return to their homeland and rebuild the temple. Under the leadership of Zerubbabel, the first wave of exiles returns to Jerusalem and lays the foundations for the temple, despite opposition from neighboring peoples.
The second half of the book focuses on Ezra (in Arabic Uzair, although the Quran has a different retelling of these stories than the Jewish-Christian traditions), a priest and scribe. Ezra arrives about 60 years after the completion of the temple in Jerusalem to teach the law of Moses and reform the community. He addresses issues such as marriages with foreign nations and urges the people to renew their covenant with God and remain faithful to their spiritual heritage. The book emphasizes themes of redemption, the power of God’s providence, and the importance of obedience to His law.
The Book of Nehemiah continues where Ezra leaves off and emphasizes the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem and the renewal of the Jewish community. Nehemiah, a cupbearer to the Persian king Artaxerxes, is granted permission to return to Jerusalem and lead the reconstruction of the city’s defensive walls. Despite intense opposition and threats from external enemies, Nehemiah’s leadership and the people’s determination lead to the successful completion of the walls in just 52 days.
The final part of the book focuses on the spiritual reform of the people. Under Nehemiah’s governance and Ezra’s spiritual leadership, the community gathers to hear the public reading of the law and Torah, which brings widespread conversion and revival of faith. Nehemiah implements social and economic reforms to address injustices and ensure that the people adhere to their covenant with God.
Together, the narratives of Ezra and Nehemiah present a unified story of biblical restoration, emphasizing themes of faith, perseverance, and community identity. The stories reflect and show, according to theologians, the fulfillment of God’s promises and the vital role of strong, divine leadership in overcoming challenges, reminding theological readers today of the resilience of their own faith and the transformative power of God’s word in rebuilding both physical and spiritual foundations.
Ezra and Nehemiah are often studied together because they are considered part of a single, unified historical narrative in Jewish and Christian traditions and are closely linked in terms of their subject matter and chronology. They were originally one book and even in the Jewish canon, they are treated as one.
How does the story reflect on the game before us? In the game, players will build city walls and temples in Jerusalem. The goal of the game Ezra and Nehemiah is to be the player with the most victory points (VP) at the end of the game. Points are mainly earned by building the aforementioned temple, city walls, and gates, but also by teaching the Torah to the returning exiles. Players can also try to develop their land, travel to settlements outside the city walls with their tent, or kindle the altar fire to keep it burning day and night. Various figures from the relevant parts of the Old Testament also appear.
Game Setup and Gameplay
The game board is unfolded and placed in the middle of the table. On the side of the board there are the gates and walls depicted, and on the game board, there is also space for the Torah, the altar, the temple, the Levites, and several tracks and information for during the gameplay.
Each player receives their own game board with space for cards and various development tiles. During the game, players will place workers on their board as laborers, farmers, elders, or merchants. Players will also place cards, and the visible banners on the game board determine which actions a player can take and how “strong” an action can be, as the banners are a kind of action points that players can use.
The game lasts three weeks. Not three real life weeks, but three rounds, each consisting of 7 days. The first six days of a week are player turns, and the seventh day is the Sabbath, where players score points and the workers can rest.
Each turn, a player plays one of the character cards. These cards have banners, scoring opportunities (for when the card is used during the Sabbath), and trading opportunities that players can use during the round in which the card is played.
Players choose one of the three main actions, but at least one corresponding color banner must be visible. The amount determines the action points, and the impact varies per action.
With the “red” main action, players can build the temple, advance on the altar track, and place workers as Levites. With the “gray” action, players can dig out broken pieces of walls, build new walls and gates. With the “blue” action, players can place workers as scribes to earn bonuses and move their tent on the tent track.
With the various actions, players earn points, resources, bonus actions, etc. Players can use actions in multiple ways and often connect multiple possibilities within the chosen action and earn multiple bonuses. Players must therefore also smartly use the actions in the right way. Players must also carefully consider which cards they play, as they can be used in multiple ways.
During their turn, players can also place a worker as an elder or merchant for extra resources or even banners. Players can also use resources to flip tiles on their board to improve the possibilities of their player board.
After six days (and thus six played cards per player), it is time for the Sabbath. Multiple actions are activated. Among other things, players place remaining workers, of course before the rest day begins, as laborers or farmers for resources. Players choose one of the used cards to discard to earn ongoing points, and players must feed all their workers except Levites to avoid penalty points.
During the last Sabbath, the final scoring takes place, and the player with the most points wins.
Conclusion
Ezra and Nehemiah is a very extensive, complex and intriguing game. It is one of the heavier games in the Ancient Anthologies series and contains a plethora of choices and tactical and strategic possibilities. You could say the complexity is almost of biblical proportions… Perhaps the game could be a bit intimidating for the casual player and it is a long session nonetheless, but mechanically this game is wonderfully put together with the various choices and ways to weave different actions together cumulating in a game that oozes with theme and strategy.
