We enjoy playing games and often include them on Fridays during school. We have played games to practice math skills as well as board games for fun. We also play games that encourage critical thinking. We enjoy playing games with friends. When I learned of this new game that could be both fun and educational, I hoped we could review it. We were really looking forward to the latest game from Chara Games. Unauthorized deals with the underground church. That should certainly involve critical thinking and interesting discussions! We have not reviewed any Chara Games, but from previous Crew reviews, I had high hopes. In short, they were met and then some.
First off, I had thought the game was a board game like the other game I was familiar with from Chara, Commissioned. When the small box arrived, it was clear that this was not board-based, but card-based. The game also has a set time for play of 30 minutes. No worrying about stopping mid-game because it was time for a different activity, no pieces or parts (beyond the cards) to lose. You do need space to have a draw pile, a discard pile and each player to have some cards face up in from of them. That meant we could be somewhat flexible with playing. Before we began, we watched the instructional video. This was crucial to our understanding. Simply reading the rule book and looking over the cards was not enough for us to feel confident in starting our first game.
The game states that it is for 6-12 players. You really do need those 6 players. The games we played with 6 players were easier and more fun. With less than six players, you can have one person take on the spots of two players. That will make the game a bit more tedious – especially for that 2-person player. Also, the players are going to enjoy the game more if they are older. It is stated for ages 12 and up. Our 11 and 9-year-olds played some hands. The 11-year-old did fine, but the 9-year-old was too young to play on her own, at least at first. She was my card holder while I played two hands. That did let her be included and get more of a feel for the game, but she was not ready or mature enough to play this on her own. After doing this for 5 or 6 times over the course of a few weeks, she wants to play on her own the next time. We’ll see how it goes this weekend. The 7-year-old was not at all ready for playing – though he loved sitting with us and cheering on the church.
In the box, you will find a rule book and 112 cards. Of these cards, 12 are role cards, 97 are experience cards, 2 are reference cards and there is 1 dealer card. If you think you are missing a card or two, check thoroughly. We had a couple that were stuck together. The role cards are double-sided and color-coded. As with the experience cards, red are State cards while green are Church cards. The light blue cards are neutral. Your loyalty, team, is determined by the majority of cards you hold – unless of course, you have a role card of Police (state) or Pastor (church). There are wild cards in the experience deck, which can go whichever way you want if it changes your majority.
The rulebook gives specifics as to which and the number of specific cards to use based upon the number of your players. We were very thankful for this chart. It might be handy to have this as a laminated card as well. We mostly played with 6 or 7 players. This would also be a great game to play with a youth group or other gathering of adults or teens. The four rounds which make up the game are also referenced on the dealer card. After the first two rounds, the dealer card is passed, marking that player as the starting point for the round. Our first few times playing took longer than the expected 30 minutes. No surprise, really. We are not used to playing a seemingly complex game like this. I say seemingly because once we had a couple of games under our belt, it became easier to set up and gameplay moved more quickly as focused on the point of the game – growing the underground church or stomping it out, depending upon our role.
The gameplay within each round is in part determined by the experience cards you hold — which can and will change. This means, other than the Police and Pastor, your loyalty can change. Cards you have set down, face-up in front of you, you cannot change – though someone else’s role and actions might. When you play, you must play defending the loyalty as dictated by the cards in your hand. This is where things get interesting and that critical thinking comes in. As a Christian homeschooling mom, I want my children to always defend the Church and their Faith. This game gives the opportunity to play “devil’s advocate” or to see how that loyalty could be swayed. My teen girls especially brought up interesting points of conversation. Not much during the game beyond their role-playing, but definitely after. This was an unexpected consequence. I knew this would spark some discussion, but I was surprised at the depth of their thoughts.
The older girls were not the only ones to learn through Unauthorized. We took this opportunity to explore more about the underground church in many countries. We have friends and family that are in areas that are officially closed to missionaries. This game gave our younger children a glimpse into what that is like – hiding your faith, at least among those that could cause you harm for sharing it. We also have studied martyrs. We have come across some in our recent history studies, but looking at them outside of a history lesson makes them more real, I think. Who knew a card game could have such an impact on our family?
Check out other families’ experiences with Chara Games newest game, Unauthorized. Simply click the image below.
