The Book of Mormon Game

The Book of Mormon Game is an educational game by The Family Jewels released in 1988. Designed to help players learn about the the Book of Mormon, the game resembles a multi-player board game which uses characters, quotes, and stories from the book. Three skill levels are included to allow the game to accomodate players whether or not they are familiar with the Book of Mormon.

Players start by choosing one of the available characters from the Book of Mormon (a short biography of each character is available as well). Once all players have a character, the gameboard is shown which features a long, winding path representing the journey of Lehi's family to reach the promised land. On each turn players start by rolling a dice (in a typical computer dice fashion, the screen shows two dice with rapidly changing dots; pressing a key stops it). The players character will the move forward by the number of spaces shown on the dice. Based on the space, the computer will show an event from the Book of Mormon along with the approximate date it occurred or a quotation. In some cases, instructions will be provided as well (such as move back or forward a space); one possible instruction is to draw a card. The card drawn is random and could be a journey card, an ignore instructions card, or additional instructions (Players can hold on to ignore instruction cards for later use if they wish to use the card instead of follwoing negative instructions such as moving backwards). Many spaces have a point value indicated on them as well; if there are points, they will added or subtracted from the players score (player scores don't go below 0 even if additional negative points are acquired). After any instructions are followed or cards drawn and points are awarded, the turn is over. The game continues until a player has accumulated 3 journey cards and a certain amount of points (varies by skill level).

To successfully win the game and earn the necessary journey cards, players will need to venture out of the main gameline onto three additional journey paths which can be entered by landing exactly on the marked space for each one. The paths can be completed in any order and are The Journey of Zeniff, The Missionary Journey of Mosiah's Sons, and The Journey of the Jaredites. One journey card is awarded the first time a player enters one of the paths.

Three skill levels are included with the game:

1. Beginner: The simplest version of the game for ages 5 and up. Knowledge of the Book of Mormon is not necessary, the game is intended to teach about the book at this level. Game cards in this level are always used immediately. Players need 25 points to win the game.
2. Intermediate: Similar to the beginner game, some game cards that are drawn can be saved for later use; lose a turn or extra turn cards are used immediately. Players need 50 points to win the game.
3. Advanced: Knowledge of the Book of Mormon is required. When stories and quotations are displayed, information such as the author, year, or verse are omitted and points are awarded for filling in the missing information. Players need 75 points to win the game.