A conclave fantasy game has users winning by picking a lineup of potential popes
With the papal conclave now entering its second day of voting for a new pope, you've surely heard about the betting markets available for people to wager on the outcome. If you thought those were extreme, just wait until you hear about the papal fantasy game people are playing.
Yep, that's right. The gamification of the conclave isn't just reserved to betting. There's also an Italian fantasy game available for those who want to predict the next pope, thought it's played for bragging rights instead of money. It's called Fantapapa -- an Italian term for fantasy pope -- and it's not dissimilar from fantasy football, as managers are tasked with putting together a lineup of 11 players, er, cardinals they think have the best shot at becoming the next pope. The goal is to score the most points.
Naturally, you may be wondering how points are scored if only one person can become pope, and this is where I'll lean on NPR for an explanation (it's too late to sign up for the game).
According to NPR, managers can select one captain for their team and earn 1,000 points if that person becomes the next pope. They receive 500 points if they put the next pope anywhere else on their roster. Additional points are scored when the cardinals on their roster are mentioned in major Italian news outlets. More points can be scored by correctly guessing things like the next pope's name and whether he'll wear glasses during his first appearance in St. Peter's Square.
Unsurprisingly, the betting favorite to become the next pope, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, is among the top picks of the game's 70,000-plus users.
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