Secret Cardinals Website

Experience the cutthroat competition of Secret Cardinals, a thrilling board game that transports you to the treacherous world of 15th-century church politics.

Navigate a web of hidden roles and ever-changing dynamics to deduce rivals, acquire gold to cover your indulgencies and charity to shore up your virtue. With two ways to be eliminated and many ways to win, only the most resourceful and shrewd players will emerge victorious.

+ A Deductive Party Game of Vice, Virtue, and Roles Within Roles +

4 - 8 Enemies

20 - 40 Mins

Ages 14+

Table Top Simulator April 2024

Social Deduction & Political Intrigue in 15th Century Church

Rome, 1418 -

What began as a struggle for power would lead to a schism would herald Europe to the brink of an all out war. In this age of political discord, not one, not two, but three pontiffs laid claim to the title of Pope. From Rome, Avignon, and then later Pisa, these men, each with their own influential followers and the backing of their respective kingdom, asserted they were the rightful head of the church. Their conflict would fragment the church into a bitter standoff that would engulf all of Europe. As tensions led to political turmoil, displeasure of rising taxation for military defenses, and the need to curtail heretical ideas that challenged the church. In 1417, the Papal Standoff finally came to an end when a fourth Pope was chosen as the legitimate leader, ending the conflict and bringing some semblance of peace to the divided church.

By longstanding tradition and to ensure a fair outcome, the power to elect the Pope has been granted to the Cardinals, high-ranking officials in the church. However, the power dynamics within the church remained fragile after the schism and the deep-seated tensions continued to reverberate within the church walls.

To ensure that no faction could gain an advantage or unduly influence the next vote, the Pope created the practice of naming Secret Cardinals. These Secret Cardinals, with all the influence and voting power of their peers, could be anyone the Pope chose but whose identities remained unknown. No one, not even the chosen, would know who had this power until the Pope revealed who they were at a time deemed fitting or, perhaps, never at all. These secret appointments, unknown and unseen, were hidden players in a complex tapestry of ecclesiastical and worldly politics.

Basic Setup: