First Watch
First Watch is a Scripture memory and application card game that stands alone or works with our other Lightraiders games and stories.
Your lightraider party has ventured deep into the Dragon Lands on a mission for the Rescuer. The shadows gather around your camp in the first watch of the night. An enemy appears. Take up your sword and rouse your companions! Can you remember the sacred verse that will help you defeat this evil?
Find the First Watch rules and alternate dice rules in the link below. Note that we reduced image quality in the viewable rules to make them download faster for those who prefer to view the rules on a phone or tablet while playing.
First Watch is a game all its own, but do you want to see how it merges with one of our other games? Check out this free set of Bible Study Rules for our Starlots the Game board game. The matrix included will also help those using First Watch with DragonRaid.
How First Watch works:
In the First Watch box, you’ll find 85 verse cards suited by the Fruit of the Spirit. These are divided into a 50-card Lightraider deck and a 35-card Battle deck. You’ll also find rule cards plus a key card to help you use this deck with other Lightraiders games.
The “Battle” deck includes the cards you need to score victories. These are verses used when battling allegorical enemies in the Lightraiders realm.
If you don’t remember the verse referenced on the battle card in play, use a lightraider card from your hand that matches its suit. Or recite a verse from a card in an opponent’s hand. Of course, you can only see the reference on the back of your opponent’s card, so you’ll have to rely on memory.
This Level One deck includes foundational verses from across the Bible, most with seventeen words or less for easier memorization. Focus areas are the Armor of God, the Fruit of the Spirit, Psalms, Proverbs, and sharing the Gospel. Future levels will build upon these.
The design and rules of First Watch seek to promote memory and understanding by engaging different forms of recall. Competition promotes learning by providing the motivation and fun, but that’s only a small part of what we’ve built into the game.
Flash Memory:
Remember flash cards? During game play, you can use the cards in your hands like quick flash cards in your attempts to claim battle cards of the same suit. As a beginner, this will be your go-to method. Quickly memorize the verse, turn the card around to show your opponents, and recite it. You’ll be surprised at how often you get the verse right.
Applications:
Read the brief 175-character application on the card back to find key words and key concepts that will help you recognize the referenced verse. Holman Bible Dictionary contributor Dr. Gary Huckabay created these applications to help you understand each verse in the context of Scripture.
But what about the game application on the other side of the card? Read on to find out.
At Lightraider Academy, we’re all about learning through adventure.
Applying Scripture in fantasy allegory engages a different part of the brain to improve understanding. That’s how lightraider games work. Each card in the First Watch level one deck includes an allegorical application in the form of a declaration, reminder, or petition, along with useful stats. These are for use in other Lightraiders games.
For instance, this is the game application for Proverbs 12:22, a verse that reminds us God loves honesty. Spiders represent the temptation of deceit in the Lightraider realm. Players who correctly counter a spider with this verse can better resist its attack. Those who read directly from the card may use the basic stats on the left (open book). Those who recite from memory get bonuses (closed book, right side stats).
Reading these allegorical applications in the First Watch set will help with memorization. But the best learning will come from applying these verses in the fantasy situations of the broader adventure games. Players can also find some First Watch verses in Wolf Soldier and future Lightraider Academy novels.
