The year is 1271, and Pope Clement IV has been dead for almost three years. The Cardinals are deadlocked, unable to decide on who shall next serve as Pope of the Holy Roman Church.

Germania is in Interregnum and the throne of the Holy Roman Emperor lies vacant. The Papal States are in chaos, and Rome is ruled by the mob. The Church has granted Naples to Charles of Anjou, uncle to the King of France, but he and his nephew eye the fractious Italian city states greedily.

In the towns and countryside, mendicant friars preach the values of poverty, and denounce the excesses of the Church. In the halls of power, plots are being set in motion to raise funds for a new Crusade to retake the Holy Land, or to bring the sword of the Church to bear against those who preach heresy and schism.

Charles of Anjou has mobilized the militia of Viterbo to sequester the College of Cardinals within the Episcopal Palace. Frustrated at their lack of progress, he has torn off the roof to expose them to the elements, and begun rationing the food delivered to the Cardinals.

As one of the Cardinals, you must make a decision, with two-thirds of your number agreeing to a single candidate, unless you want to see a political Schism tear the Church asunder. Who you elect will not only aff ect the Holy Roman Church, or Italy, but the entire political framework of Christendom, and indeed, the world.

You are a Cardinal of the church, tasked with selecting a new Pope. Navigate national allegiances and doctrinal ideologies as you try to build a coalition to get the necessary votes. Could YOU be the next Pope?