Hello everyone
We’ve seen that some players find it tricky to memorise all the secret objectives in their first games ofHabemus Papam. This can sometimes lead to a less-than-ideal first experience, so we’ve created anew variantto make the game easier to grasp.
In this variant, the secret objectives are tailored to the exact number of players at the table, which keeps the challenge but makes everything more intuitive. We’ve just published it on BoardGameGeek so you can try it right away: link to variant.
SETUP OF THE SECRET OBJECTIVES FOR FRIENDLIER FIRST GAMES
Randomly deal the selected secret objectives among the players. Do not play with the Muttare card.
3 players
Antipope, Loss of Faith, The Curia.
4 players
Antipope, Loss of Faith, The Curia, Politician.
5 players
Antipope, Loss of Faith, The Curia, Politician, Dean.
6 players
Antipope, Loss of Faith, The Curia, Politician, Dean, Infiltrator.
Tips for playing and identifying the secret objectives:
It is important to keep in mind that fulfilling the secret objective helps you win, but it is not essential. Many games are won through the personal Influence gained during the turns and by ensuring that a proper Candidate is elected Pope.
Antipope. It often works well to choose one of your Candidates who has no real chance of becoming Pope and use them as an Influence repository. This way, it becomes much harder for other players to elect a Pope. You can spot an Antipope by noticing a player who never strongly backs any Candidate.
Loss of Faith. The strategy here is simple: back your Candidates. This secret objective is hard to identify because the player’s actions align with their public interests. If identified, under no circumstances should a like-minded Candidate of that player be allowed to be elected Pope. Alternatively, force them to spend a lot of Influence so their Personal Reserve remains small. Aquí la estrategia es fácil, apuesta por tus Candidatos. Este objetivo secreto es difícil de identificar porque las acciones del jugador se alinean con sus intereses públicos. Si se consigue identificar, no se debe permitir bajo ninguna circunstancia que un Candidato afín a ese jugador salga elegido Papa. Una alternativa es obligarlo a gastar mucha Influencia y que su Reserva Personal sea pequeña.
The Curia. You need to pace your Influence spending and take advantage of the double benefit of having a large personal reserve. They are often identified because they spend very few Influence points during the game.
Politician. Can be played very neutrally, forming alliances with any player. The aim is to make sure the active Candidates are all nearly aligned. They can also benefit from ending the game quickly with an early election of the Pope, avoiding others from accumulating too much Influence. They can be identified because they save minor Candidates from elimination. To stop them, eliminate Candidates who aren’t fully aligned but share characteristics.
Decano. Dean. A player whose secret objective is highly aligned with their public goal. They have a lot of strategic freedom. Any course of action can work for them. Usually identified by process of elimination of the other options or because they heavily back Candidates from their Order.
Infiltrator. Needs to play carefully, adjusting Influence spending. They must not accumulate too much or they won’t fulfil the objective. Often identified because they don’t decisively support their main Candidates.
