The game "Der Pate" was included in Spielbox 6/90 as part of the "Spiel im Heft/Game in the zine" series.
The board is played on a large hexagon containing 184 hexes. 6 home cities in the middle circle are surrounded by 2 x 6 free cities in the outer and inner part of the board.
30 playing pieces and 1 special piece (the "pate") per player are provided, but at the beginning of the game, each player just starts with 2 pieces and his pate in one of the 6 home cities.
Depending on the number of players, 26-72 playing cards are needed for play (one suit=13 cards per player). These cards enable to buy new playing pieces, make movements or assassination attempts and help to protect your pate.
The pate is a figure that you must protect from being lost, because otherwise, you have to start from the beginning, with just the 2+1 playing pieces. The best protection would be to marry him and to get a son, who can replace your pate if needed!
As soon as the first player occupies 7 of the 12 free cities, the game is over and he is declared the winner.