Reign of Saul
A quick, violent card game of evasion, politics, and divine anointing based on the stories of 1st Samuel.
A quick, violent card game of evasion, politics, and divine anointing based on the stories of 1st Samuel.
King Saul has been corrupted. The spirit of God has departed him, leaving behind a paranoid tyrant obsessed with maintaining his throne. Young David—the anointed shepherd boy, musician, and slayer of Goliath—has been forced to flee into the wilderness. Saul's army is hunting him like a wolf hunts its prey.
In Reign of Saul, you are thrown directly into this high-stakes hunt. Over 15 quick, violent minutes, players will hide, fight, betray, and search for David before Saul's shadow consumes the land.
David's life was filled with passion, love, music, romance, and political violence. The dangerous courtly intrigue and wilderness survival of 1st Samuel foreshadowed the passion of the Christ. This makes Reign of Saul a phenomenal tool for Bible studies, church youth groups, and game nights—it is incredibly fun, simple to teach, and immediately sparks deep interest in the most dramatic tales of the Old Testament.
A simple playing mechanic hiding intense tactical depth. Here is the path to survival:
Each player holds cards representing characters and events. On your turn, draw a card and choose one to play. Every card is numbered 1 to 16. Typically, you will play the higher card and keep the lower card in your hand.
Each card possesses a unique, deadly mechanic. Hiding in caves, setting political traps, invoking alliances, or launching sudden assassinations—every card you play actively helps hide, find, or fight with young David.
Surviving players (ordered from lowest to highest card value) attempt to search the deck for Card #5: "God's Anointing". The first player to locate the Anointing secures victory and ends the hunt.
The focal point of the entire game. Samuel's horn poured oil over young David, marking him as the true king. To win Reign of Saul, you must survive the political warfare and be the first to draw this sacred card.
A beautiful visual library representing the heroes, villains, items, and events of the biblical narrative. Hover to interact, and click any card to inspect the hand-drawn detail and gameplay mechanics.
I am the creator of Reign of Saul, as well as Great Boy the Game and ALLIANCE—the Ultimate World Leader Political Science Megagame. My career and passions are a blend of teaching, storytelling, and professional game illustration.
I have been teaching Bible studies to college students globally for over 20 years, taught game design in high school for 6 years, and worked as a professional game artist for a puzzle app game development studio in South Korea.
Every piece of artwork for Reign of Saul was built layer-by-layer in Adobe Photoshop. I used dozens of reference images (including some actors from the House of David TV series) and hundreds of layers to create highly-detailed, expressive playing cards with deep dramatic atmosphere.
Would you like help hosting an immersive, theological game night at your church, youth group, or community organization? Reach out to me! It is a spectacular way to engage others with the heavy, cinematic narratives of scripture.
Contact Shaun: shaunDmcmillan@gmail.comI have ordered the first 100 physical copies of the game which are currently printing! You can secure your copy of the game directly from The Game Crafter. Experience the intrigue, the battles, and the divine anointing of 1st Samuel at your next table gathering.