The oldest board game for which we have evidence is from about 5000 years ago, but the oldest board game for which we have an original, in-tact rule book is from 2nd century Antioch. It was known as Sacramentia and was a game in which players competed to get attendees to their activities.

The game was very long, consisting of 52 “weeks”. During each week speakers are drawn from a Speaker Deck. Some speakers will take the entire time, but most will allow another speaker, and sometimes a Youth Speaker or intermediate hymn as well. Others are special musical numbers or events like an Easter program. Each of them has different characteristics like charisma, clarity, doctrinal depth, musicality, and priority (e.g. an Easter Program will discard any previously chosen speakers because it takes the entire time). These different attributes will attract different numbers and types of people to the Sacrament Service.

After speakers are chosen, players then bid on real estate in the Sacrament Program in which to place their announcements for the activities in their hand. There is not enough room in the Program for all players to announce all their activities, and the higher they are placed in the Program the more advantageous.

After bidding, a Fate card is played which has random effects like the speaker gets sick, an apostle visits, a manifestation of the spirit occurs, or church is cancelled due to an outbreak of infectious disease (surprisingly common in that era). Then the players calculate the number of attendees at their respective activities which in turn scores that player “St. Peter’s Gate” points, allowing more people into heaven. Of course, each event is scored in a different way, like a Singles Mixer scores 10 points for every two people that attend, while a youth activity scores 5 points if at least 5 youth show up, but then gives bonuses to future youth activities.

At the end of the 52 weeks the player with the most “St. Peter’s Gate” points wins and becomes a Bishop, allowing them to play the more complicated game of Stakes of Zion. Unfortunately, we haven’t found any rules or pieces from the Stakes of Zion game leading to wild speculation as to how it was played, since the board is rather cryptic.

Sacramentia was re-issued with all new art in the 1920’s by Kolob Games, and again in the late 1970’s with the original art (though limiting the number of weeks to 12) by Brother of Jared Games. Unfortunately, both are now out of print and very hard to find.