Watchman on the Wall
Night falls. Sound the trumpet in time. A night vigil reflex game. Things come toward the gate out of the dark: lies, fear, gossip, distraction, despair, and also true things, a brother in need, a stranger, a child, a prayer request. Sound the trumpet at the threats before they reach the gate; open the gate for the true ones. Misjudge and a lamp goes out. Three lamps. The waves quicken. Dawn ends the watch.
- Players
- Solo
- Kind
- Quick play, New
- Built on
- Isaiah 62:6
- Cost
- Free, inside Living Bread
How to play
- Take the watch. Three lamps burn at the top and the night bar begins to fill.
- Shapes come out of the dark toward the gate, each labelled: a lie, fear, gossip, or a brother in need, a child, a word of truth.
- Two buttons act on whoever is nearest the gate: sound the trumpet to turn back a threat, or open the gate to welcome a true thing.
- Judge rightly and the tally grows. Misjudge, or let anything reach the gate unanswered, and a lamp goes out.
- The waves come faster through the first, middle and morning watches.
- Dawn, or the last lamp, ends the vigil; read the tally and the truth.
The Scripture it stands on
I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the LORD, keep not silence,
Isaiah 62:6, King James Version
What it forms in you
Discernment. Fear closes the gate to everyone; carelessness opens it to everything. The game trains a love that stays awake and can tell the difference.
Who it is for
Leaders, parents, anyone guarding a home or a heart, and believers learning to pray as watchmen.
A reflection
The watchman does two things: he turns back what would harm the city, and he opens the gate to the one who needs to come in. Which have you been forgetting to do?
Questions people ask
What counts as a true thing?
A brother in need, a stranger at the gate, a child, a prayer request, a neighbour with bread, a word of truth. They must be let in.
How long is the night?
Ninety seconds, in three watches, unless the lamps go out first.
Why did I lose a lamp?
Either a threat reached the gate, a true thing was left outside, or you judged one as the other. The message tells you which.
Play it in Living Bread
Watchman on the Wall lives inside the app with every other game, your progress, and the family to play it with. Open in Living Bread App Store Google Play
