Hello everyone,
We've noticed that some players find it difficult to memorize all the secret objectives in their first few games of Habemus Papam. This can sometimes lead to a less than ideal first experience, so we've created a new variant to make the game easier to pick up and play.
In this variant, the secret objectives are tailored to the exact number of players at the table, maintaining the challenge while making everything more intuitive. We hope you find it useful.
SIMPLIFIED VERSION OF THE SECRET OBJECTIVES
Randomly distribute 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 targets:
It's important to note that completing the secret objective helps you win, but it's not essential. Many games are won through personal influence gained during turns and by getting a friendly candidate elected Pope.
Antipope. It's usually a good idea to choose one of your candidates who has no chance of becoming Pope and use them as a repository of influence. This makes it much harder for the other players to choose a Pope. To identify this player, look for the one who never strongly supports a candidate.
Loss of Faith. The strategy here is simple: back your candidates. This secret objective is difficult to identify because the player's actions align with their public interests. If it is identified, under no circumstances should a candidate aligned with that player be elected Pope. An alternative is to force them to spend a lot of Influence and keep their Personal Reserve small.
The Curia. It's important to manage Influence spending and take advantage of the double benefit of having a large personal reserve. They are usually identified by their low Influence spending during the game.
Politician. This player can play very neutrally, forming alliances with any player. Their strategy is to ensure that all active candidates are nearly aligned with them. It also benefits them to end the game very quickly, with a premature election of the Pope, thus preventing other players from accumulating too much influence. They are easily identified by saving minor candidates from elimination. This strategy can be countered by eliminating candidates who are not entirely aligned with them but share certain characteristics.
Dean. A player with a secret objective closely aligned with their public objective. They have considerable strategic freedom. Any course of action can work for them. They are usually identified by eliminating other options or because they heavily support candidates from their own Order.
Infiltrator. You have to play very carefully when managing your Influence spending. Don't accumulate too much or you won't achieve your goal. You can usually identify them because they don't wholeheartedly support their main candidates.
