Jerusalem, spring 33 AD. A crowd gathers at the city gates to welcome Jesus of Nazareth as he prepares to celebrate Easter with his apostles and followers. With a revolutionary message, he has garnered supporters everywhere but also looks of suspicion among religious authorities. The Last Supper will soon be celebrated and the fate of one of the most influential characters in human history will be sealed.
In Ierusalem Anno Domini, each player represents one of the communities of followers of Jesus of Nazareth who, coming to Jerusalem from nearby towns and villages, want to approach the place of the Last Supper and position themselves as close as possible to the seats of Jesus and his apostles.
Designed by Carmen G. Jiménez and illustrated by L.A. Draws, Ierusalem Anno Domini can be played alone or with up to 4 participants. The goal of the game is to gain points sitting your followers at the table of the Last Supper. The closer they are to the apostles and to Jesus himself, the more victory points they will provide at the end of the game. The parabola tiles that we have accumulated, or the offering tokens will also give us points.
Different locations are shown on the board: the market, the desert, the mountain, the lake and the temple. After sending our followers to one of these locations, we will obtain stones, bread and fish, as well as denarii or cards that will allow us to do more than one action. Among these actions, players will be able to choose between listening to a parable, going to the table, changing seats or doing a favor, among others. All this will happen while the patience of the Sanhedrin runs out. When this happens, symbolized by a tile moving in a marker, the endgame is triggered.
However, the main element of the game is the cards. Each card has a symbol corresponding to one of five key locations in the game. As you play them, combinations will be formed that will allow us to bring the apostles to the table of the Last Supper. The optimal placement of our followers around Jesus and the apostles will also be done through the management of letters, as well as various resources at our disposal.
Behind a very immersive theme, Ierusalem Anno Domini will not disappoint lovers of good challenges. Players will have a wide range of possibilities at their fingertips and multiple ways to earn victory points. Preparing the best strategies to get the most out of your followers will be one of the keys to victory. Devout gamers don’t need to look further: Here is your game!
—description from publisher
