In his first year as king of Persia, Cyrus the Great issued a decree in writing to the Israelite exiles living under his rule:
The God of heaven has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and has appointed me to build a temple for Him in Jerusalem. Any of his people may go up to Jerusalem in Judah to build the temple of the Lord, the God of Israel. And in any place where survivors may now be living, the people of Persia are to provide them with silver, gold, goods, livestock, and offerings for the temple of God in Jerusalem. - Ezra 1:2-4 (paraphrased).
Decades later, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes reign, the king noticed a sadness in his cupbearer, Nehemiah. When asked why he looked so ill, Nehemiah replied:
May the king live forever! Why should I not look sad when the city of my ancestors lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire? If it pleases you, and if I have found favor in your sight, let me go to the city in Judah where my ancestors are buried so that I may rebuild it. - Nehemiah 2:3-5 (paraphrased).
The aim of Ezra and Nehemiah is to be the player with the most victory points (VP) at game's end. Points are gained primarily by building the temple, rebuilding the city walls and gates, and by teaching the Torah to the returning exiles. Players may also seek to develop their land, travel to settlements outside the city walls, or stoke the altar's fire to keep it burning day and night. The prophets Haggai and Zechariah will be doing their part to keep the people focused on what is most important.
Over three weeks (rounds), players will use their hand of cards, workers, and resources to do their part in rebuilding the great city of Jerusalem. After six days of work comes a Sabbath day of rest when food will be needed, and the week's work will be reflected upon. The game ends after the third Sabbath has been completed.
—description from the designer
- fantastic theming
- balanced division into three areas
- intimidating at first due to scope
- prophetic times, community labor and sacrifice
- Old Testament era, Jerusalem and temple, building walls
- historical-anthology framing and building progress
- Scar Bray
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- area/area-building progression — clearing rubble, expanding walls, allocating Levites for temple work
- resource allocation — using resources to build and dedicate areas
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Itto is one of the best party games ever made. It is a Dice Tower essential.
- Message from the Stars is such a great deduction game. I got a chance to teach it again recently and it just blows people's minds every time.
- I love this theme of the psychotherapists... it's so good, so rewarding.
- Rainbow has this fantastic mix of For Sale where you're trying to win different trenches of cards in the middle of the table—the depth is remarkable for such a tiny box.
References (from this video)
- Garfield game pedigree; accessible to players who like Euro puzzle design
- Solid options for a base game with interesting decision points
- Theme is largely non-existent and can be a turn-off
- Presentation is busy and iconography-heavy, which can intimidate new players
- Seeing Paladins of the West Kingdom influence
- Architects of the West Kingdom
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- area control / worker placement — abstracted engine to achieve victory points with theme-lite experience
- temple-building / resource management — rebuilding walls and temple with a heavily theme-light presentation
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- It's only a game.
- Windmill Valley is a solid game from Bard & Dice, easy to teach and with nice table presence.
- Black Forest was a standout session, potentially game of the year material.
- Ezra and Nehemiah is mostly non-existent on theme, but it's Garfield, so I was curious to try it.
- Ark Nova has satisfying core mechanics, but it is a long, heavy ride.
- Setti is a solid but forgettable experience; it does the job but lacks a memorable hook.
References (from this video)
- Solid euro design with strong thematic integration
- Limited explicit description in the transcript; deeper specifics not provided
- Religious/historical narrative influence
- Euro-style theme with historical/biographical underpinnings
- Thematic but not explicitly detailed in the transcript
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Euro-style resource/engine mechanics — Resource management and engine-building typical to Euro games.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- reviews, rankings, lists are really snapshots in time
- It's a snapshot in time. And who knows, these things could even shift around if I were to do this again this time next year.
- I am a shallow gamer.