Hamlet! Strategy Guide
Whether you’re trying to kill off your uncle the king, or marry your insane girlfriend, it’s always best to have a plan. So take a look at your ending and match the goals up here.
Note that these are not the only way to achieve a specific condition, but they are a good start if you’re unfamiliar with the game.
You will see something like, “Ophelia: Ophelia joins the Nunnery,” in the instructions below. This means that your best bet is to perform the Action, “Ophelia joins the Nunnery,”
and that it’s on Ophelia’s Dramatis Personae card.
In General
Result
Killing a Dramatis
Personage
Keeping a DP
Alive
Polonius
Strategy
If all else fails, in the later acts, Claudius can order an execution
and Gertrude can poison someone. Of course she needs poison to
do this. To get Gertrude poison:
1. Raise Hamlet’s Resolve. There are several actions on
Hamlet’s sheet that raise his Resolve.
2. Polonius: Hamlet feigns madness t Polonius
3. Polonius: Polonius warns Claudius
4. Claudius: Claudius plans to poison Hamlet. Or this can be
done through Polonius if Claudius is dead.
If a DP is slated to die at the end of an Act, you can keep him alive
through Gertrude: Gertrude administers a healing brew. Note
that this involves a die roll and it must be less than the current
Act.
Result
Dead
Alive
Strategy
1.
Raise Hamlet’s Resolve. There are several actions on
Hamlet’s sheet that raise his Resolve. Get it to at least 3. If
it is 5, then you cannot fail.
2. Polonius: Hamlet Feigns Madness to Polonius.
3. Polonius: Polonius volunteers to spy on Hamlet.
4. Hamlet: Hamlet kills a spy. He can do this twice and you
have a good chance if his resolve is at least 3.
See all the stuff you have to do to kill Polonius? Don’t do that.
There isn’t much you can do to keep Polonius alive if someone
else is dead set on killing him. Your best bet is to get other
characters to spy on Hamlet and have Hamlet kill them instead.
He can only kill two spies.
Rosencrantz & Guildenstern
Laertes
Result
Dead
Alive
In France
In Denmark
Strategy
1.
Kill Polonius or Ophelia. See their Strategy Guides to do
this. If you need them both alive, then see “Killing a
Dramatis Personae” under In General.
2. Send Hamlet to England to beef up his Swordfighting skill
3. Laertes: Laertes challenges Hamlet to a Duel
4. Laertes: Hamlet stabs Laertes with his own Sword.
Your best defensive maneuver is to keep Hamlet out of England.
That way, his swordplay stays low and he has less of a chance of
killing Laertes. Also, if Laertes gets a spy counter, keep him out of
Denmark.
Send him to France. If someone returns him to Denmark, choose
Laertes: Laertes goes to France
Don’t send him to France. If someone else does, choose Laertes:
Laertes returns from France.
Result
Loyal to Hamlet
Loyal to Claudius
Neutral
Strategy
In England
1.
Dead
R&G: R&G are sympathetic to Hamlet’s plight
R&G: R&G believe Hamlet to be mad.
R&G: Rosencrantz & Guildenstern equivocate
Otherwise,
R&G: R&G are sympathetic to Hamlet’s plight
and
R&G: R&G believe Hamlet to be mad.
Can move them in the right direction.
Raise Hamlet’s Resolve. There are several actions on
Hamlet’s sheet that raise his Resolve. Get it to at least 3. If
it is 5, then you cannot fail.
2. Polonius: Hamlet Feigns Madness to Polonius.
3. Polonius: Polonius warns Claudius.
4. Hamlet: Hamlet exiled to England.
5. R&G: Rosencrantz & Guildenstern go to England.
Move R&G to England. (See Above)
If Hamlet is in Denmark, Hamlet: Hamlet returns to England
R&G: Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead
Hamlet
Result
In Denmark
In England
Dead
Alive
Married to Ophelia
Ophelia
Strategy
Don’t move him to England. And if someone else exiles him there,
raise his resolve to greater than 2 and bring him home.
1. Raise Hamlet’s Resolve. There are several actions on
Hamlet’s sheet that raise his Resolve. Get it to at least 3. If
it is 5, then you cannot fail.
2. Polonius: Hamlet Feigns Madness to Polonius.
3. Polonius: Polonius warns Claudius.
4. Hamlet: Hamlet exiled to England.
And he can always go back there if Horatio or R&G are there.
1. Polonius: Polonius lectures Laertes about France.
2. Laertes: Laertes goes to France. Keep him there until his
Swordplay is as high as you can get it.
3. Kill Polonius OR Kill Ophelia OR Drive Ophelia Insane (See
those strategies for more information).
4. Laertes: Laertes challenges Hamlet to a Duel.
5. Laertes: Laertes and Hamlet duel. Note that Horatio’s
Loyaty can affect this duel. If you can keep Horation loyal to
Laertes, then you can get a small bonus.
In general, don’t do any of the things that would get him killed.
The best way to do this is to keep Laertes at home. This will keep
his swordplay low. But once his swordplay is high, try to keep
Laertes and Hamlet out of Denmark. They can’t duel unless they
are both home.
Your general strategy should be to keep Hamlet and Ophelia alive
and Polonius dead.
1. Raise Hamlet’s Resolve. There are several actions on
Hamlet’s sheet that raise his Resolve. Get it to at least 3. If
it is 5, then you cannot fail.
2. Polonius: Hamlet Feigns Madness to Polonius.
3. Polonius: Polonius volunteers to spy on Hamlet.
4. Hamlet: Hamlet kills a spy. He can do this twice and you
have a good chance if his resolve is at least 3.
5. Hamlet: Hamlet Marries Ophelia.
Alternatively, if you need Polonius Alive:
1. Raise Hamlet’s Resolve. There are several actions on
Hamlet’s sheet that raise his Resolve. Get it to at least 3. If
it is 5, then you cannot fail.
2. Polonius: Hamlet Feigns Madness to Polonius.
3. Polonius: Polonius warns Claudius.
4. Hamlet: Hamlet exiled to England.
5. R&G: R&G go to England.
6. Ophelia: Ophelia and Hamlet elope in secret with the help of
friends. Note that you must keep Horatio loyal to Hamlet
and in Denmark.
Don’t forget that even if Ophelia dies, Hamlet is still married to
her, so you can achieve this even if Hamlet becomes a widower.
Result
Married to Hamlet
At Nunnery
In Denmark
Married to Horatio
Dead
NOT Married
Strategy
Your general strategy should be to keep Hamlet and Ophelia
alive and Polonius dead.
1. Raise Hamlet’s Resolve. There are several actions on
Hamlet’s sheet that raise his Resolve. Get it to at least 3. If
it is 5, then you cannot fail.
2. Polonius: Hamlet Feigns Madness to Polonius.
3. Polonius: Polonius volunteers to spy on Hamlet.
4. Hamlet: Hamlet kills a spy. He can do this twice and you
have a good chance if his resolve is at least 3.
5. Hamlet: Hamlet Marries Ophelia.
Alternatively, if you need Polonius Alive:
1. Raise Hamlet’s Resolve. There are several actions on
Hamlet’s sheet that raise his Resolve. Get it to at least 3. If
it is 5, then you cannot fail.
2. Polonius: Hamlet Feigns Madness to Polonius.
3. Polonius: Polonius warns Claudius.
4. Hamlet: Hamlet exiled to England.
5. R&G: R&G go to England.
6. Ophelia: Ophelia and Hamlet elope in secret with the help
of friends. Note that you must keep Horatio loyal to
Hamlet and in Denmark.
Don’t forget that even if Hamlet dies, Ophelia is still married to
him, so you can achieve this even if Ophelia becomes a widow.
1. Raise Hamlet’s Resolve. There are several actions on
Hamlet’s sheet that raise his Resolve.
2. Lower Ophelia’s Sanity. There are several actions on many
DP’s sheets that lower her Sanity.
3. Ophelia: Ophelia joins the Nunnery.
Assuming she’s in the Nunnery, move her to Denmark. You will
want to keep her in the Nunnery as long as possible though, as
she is harder to kill with a high Sanity.
1. Kill Hamlet. See how to do this in the Hamlet section of
this guide.
2. Make Horatio befriend Laertes and keep Horatio in
Denmark.
3. Horatio: Horatio Marries Ophelia.
1. Lower Ophelia’s Sanity. There are several actions on many
DP’s sheets that lower her Sanity. Keep her out of the
Nunnery.
2. Ophelia: Ophelia goes Insane.
3. Ophelia: Ophelia commits suicide.
See all the stuff you have to do to get Ophelia married? Don’t do
that. If you can get Horatio THEN Hamlet killed, then there is
no way Ophelia can get married.
Horatio
Result
Loyal to Laertes
Loyal to Hamlet
Dead
Married to Ophelia
NOT In Denmark
In Denmark
King Claudius
Strategy
Horatio: Horatio befriends Laertes, Note that they must both be
in the same location.
Horatio: Horatio befriends Hamlet. Note that they must both be
in England.
Horatio must be loyal to Hamlet and Hamlet must be dead, or
Horatio must be loyal to Laertes and Laertes must be dead. See
Hamlet and Laertes’ guides on how to kill them.
Horatio: Horatio takes his own life.
Kill Hamlet. See Hamlet’s guide to do so.
Horatio: Horatio befriends Laertes
Horatio: Horatio befriends Laertes (again)
Horatio: Horatio returns to Denmark (if in France)
Horatio: Horatio Marries Ophelia
1. Raise Hamlet’s Resolve. There are several actions on
Hamlet’s sheet that raise his Resolve.
2. Polonius: Hamlet Feigns Madness to Polonius.
3. Polonius: Polonius warns Claudius.
4. Hamlet: Hamlet exiled to England.
5. Horatio: Horatio visits England
OR
1. Laertes: Laertes goes to France
2. Horatio: Polonius sends Horatio to spy on Laertes
See everything you did for NOT in Denmark? Don’t do that. And
keep in mind: Horatio: Horatio returns to Denmark
Queen Gertrude
Result
Dead
Alive
Result
Dead
Strategy
1.
2.
3.
4.
Alive
EITHER: Polonius: Dead, OR Ophelia: Dead, OR Ophelia:
Insane. See Polonius or Ophelia’s guides on how to do this.
Laertes challenges Hamlet to a Duel
Claudius: Claudius plans to poison Hamlet.
Claudius: Hamlet stabs Claudius with Laertes’ sword and
forces him to drink from the poisoned goblet.
OR
1. Kill Polonius and Ophelia. See their guides on how to do
that.
2. Kill Hamlet or send him to England. See his guide on how
to do that.
3. Laertes: Laertes goes to France
4. Horatio: Horatio befriends Laertes, Note that they must
both be in the same location.
5. Claudius: Laertes marches upon Denmark with an Army and
kills Claudius.
Your best bet is to kill Laertes AND Hamlet, and try to keep
Polonius and Ophelia alive and sane.
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Strategy
Raise Hamlet’s Resolve. There are several actions on Hamlet’s
sheet that raise his Resolve.
Polonius: Hamlet Feigns Madness to Polonius
Polonius: Polonius warns Claudius
Claudius: Claudius plans to poison Hamlet.
EITHER: Polonius: Dead, OR Ophelia: Dead, OR Ophelia:
Insane. See Polonius or Ophelia’s guides on how to do this.
Laertes: Laertes challenges Hamlet to a Duel.
Gertrude: Gertrude drinks to Hamlet’s Health.
Keep the poison out of her hands. That isn’t very easy. Other
than that, try to keep Polonius and Ophelia alive and sane.
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