Prince, The

In Southern and Western Europe, 1475 – 1550 was a period of Renaissance, a new cultural and social movement inspired by the Classical Era. Italy was in turmoil, and rivaling city states, controlled by influential families, vied for power. Some well-known names of that period are: de Medici, della Rovere, Colonna, Orsini, and the most infamous of them all: the originally Spanish House of Borgia.

The Florentine statesman Niccolò Machiavelli (1469 – 1527) served as a diplomat under Cesare Borgia, and saw from up close the devilish methods with which this ruler expanded his wealth – and power. Rodrigo Borgia, later Pope Alexander I, has been named “the incarnation of the devil on earth”. Based on his experiences with the Borgias Machiavelli wrote his controversial Il Principe, stating that rejectable methods like corruption and murder are acceptable if it is in the interest of the ruler.

The Prince: The Struggle of House Borgia is a colorful cardgame, in which the players represent one of the great, powerful Italian families in Renaissance Italy. Making the best of available resources, and using the political influence of your family, you pave the way for your ultimate goal, which will guarantee your family fame, wealth and even more power: the Papacy. The road to becoming Pope is long and difficult: you will need to connive with other families, gain fame by becoming patron of remarkable artists, gain Papal offices, strongholds in the patrimony of St. Peter, and vast sums of money, mind your military power, and jostle for position and political leverage until the time comes for the elector cardinals to retreat into their enclave and cast their votes for a new Pope.