Vatican: The Board Game!

[Ne_OrangeKnight]

Yes, I’m serious. vaticanboardgame.com

I just saw it, and I knew that I had to share.

Has anyone else ever heard of this game before? I’m still kind of dumbstruck that such a thing exists, honestly. I really don’t know what to say, other than that I want to buy this.

Sam, the Neon Orange Knight

 

[Joe_5859]

It definitely looks interesting, but I’m a little hesitant.

Under the “links” section for Catholic News Sites, the very first three the link to are America, Commonweal, and National Catholic Reporter (the trifecta of dissident Catholic news sources).

Under popular culture, they link to Dan Brown’s official website, which seems a bit problematic for a game and website so focused on Church History.

Not to mention the fact that the general premise of the game is that the election of the pope is reduced to political strategizing rather than the work of the Holy Spirit.

Their timeline of Catholic History looks promising, though. Of course, I would have to see it up close before making a definitive judgment. I’d probably pass on the game, though.

 

[GAHere]

For what it’s worth, my husband has worked with the author of the game on a professional level and tested the beta version of the game as it was being developed.

Dr. Haliczer is an honorable professor and gentleman. Read the link on the game site about him being in the news, and definitely contact him with any questions or comments you have about the game. He is sincerely interested in feedback about it! He spent a lot of time focusing on accurate details.

Needless to say, in a secular environment it was hard to find people willing to take the time test the beta version before going to market with the game (not many are interested or intrigued about the process of choosing a pope), but enough did because it has been produced and distributed at the big bookstores (Barnes and Noble, Borders) so it must be interesting.

If anyone plays the game all the way through we know he’d love to hear your opinion.

follow up: I don’t know anything about his consulting for the “Secret Files of the Inquisition” which is noted in that news link. The “consultants” link of the SFI website notes he has a blog. Perhaps you can peruse that for more information.

 

[KCtheMommy]

I have a board game called Cathecise. Too funny.

 

[mwkoechig]

The College of DuPage is the publisher of the Vatican game so I went to their web site to look at their course offerings.

The College of DuPage, a two-year institution, does offer a religious studies degree, but nothing specifically Catholic. This leads me to believe this is a secular institution. They also make no claims to being in any way authoritative on matters pertaining to the Church. While there are plenty of secular organizations that do good work, I have my doubts about this project. My opinion may be colored by the fact that I had come up with a similar idea and now find that I may have to change my approach somewhat.

 

[Brendan]

Not to mention the fact that the general premise of the game is that the election of the pope is reduced to political strategizing rather than the work of the Holy Spirit.

Remember that the actual election process IS the work of men. The Holy Spirit’s role is to insure that the person elected cannot bind the Church to error. It’s not so much WHO is elected as to WHAT the person is prevented from doing.