Command the Hosts of Heaven in ‘Deliverance’!
Face off against demonic hordes and deliver divine judgment in Deliverance, the exciting roleplaying board game from Lowen Games.
Welcome in, fellow gamers! In recent years, tactical action board games like Frosthaven and Massive Darkness have become mainstays of the gaming table. It’s no surprise, either; sitting around the table with your friends to go on epic adventures has always been an exciting premise. However, if your fantasy brain wants something a little more…biblical, you can get your angelic fix with Deliverance, a game of divine warfare.
Whether you want to throw down with your friends against a horde of demons, take on an intense campaign, or try your luck solo, Deliverance has something for you.
What is Deliverance?
Deliverance is a tactical action roleplaying board game for 1-4 players. Set on a Christian fantasy backdrop, Deliverance tells the story of the demonic invasion of Fallbrook, a small town in California. Players choose an angelic avatar to fight the hordes of darkness and stop them from taking over the mortal world.
Deliverance was successfully funded on Kickstarter in 2021. Andrew Lowen created the game under the Lowen Games company banner. At the time of writing, it is the highest-grossing Christian-themed board game of all time. You can find out all about it, as well as hear a testimonial about the game’s creation from Andrew himself, at their website here.
How Do You Play?
To play Deliverance, you first decide which game mode you want to play: Skirmish or Campaign. Skirmish is the lunch break variant, a single encounter designed to start and finish in one session. Campaign, on the other hand, is the story of the game, and allows you to play out the epic story of the demonic invasion of Fallbrook.
Whichever way you play, the first step is to choose an angelic avatar. All the usual suspects, like Gabriel and Micheal, are present, alongside lesser known entities like Mikko, a Japanese-themed angel representing water. After choosing your angel(s), you decide how difficult you want your encounter to be. Difficulty starts at Heroic and goes up to Nightmare, Abyssal, and finally Infernal.
Each angel has a specific playstyle and skills that they bring to the encounter. Like RPG classes, some are tanks, some are healers, and some focus on dealing damage. You’ll need to pick a balanced team to succeed. Play begins by drawing a Darkness card and resolving the effects. If you’re able to beat the demon, you move one to the next phase of Darkness. Your goal is to overcome all the levels of Darkness and cleanse the town of evil.
The game doesn’t end when the Darkness is defeated, however. The demonic Princes of Hell are still trying to oppose you, and they aren’t so easily put down. After each round, there is a final battle against the Prince leading the invasion. In order to succeed, you’ll need to take them down as well.
Deliverance Solo Play
The game has a special solo mode where you play alongside the Intercesso. This character is a powerful Divine agent assisting you against the demonic threat. The Intercessor counts as an Angel, demons cannot attack them. It gives you special abilities and bonuses to help you even the odds. Of course, you can always take control of four Angels by yourself and play a standard game. However, that could be overwhelming for inexperiencd players.
How Long Does a Game Take?
A typical game takes between one and two hours to play. This encompasses only a single encounter, however, and a full campaign could take several days to complete. If you want to play a campaign, it’s best to do it as a weekly game night event rather than a one-off.
Deliverance Mars Reception and Reviews
BoardGameGeek rates Deliverance at a respectable 8.5/10. The game had a highly successful Kickstarter, and was nominated for several awards. Christian gaming sites laud the game as the perfect combination of high fantasy action and biblical accuracy.
Expansions
Currently, Deliverance is a stand-alone game. However, an expansion is slated to release at the end of 2025. This expansion, called Council of the Fallen, adds brand new angels and demonic enemies to face.
