Stacking powers provided by other groups, moving funds between groups, and even sacrificing controlled groups for one-time bonuses are all part of the game. The most typical goals of the game were to amass the greatest amount of wealth or power while attempting to destroy the other players’ group structures, but each Illuminatus had its own victory condition (the Servants of Cthulhu, for example, had to destroy eight groups). Minor groups also have alignments… and some have special modifier powers. Every group, including the Illuminatus group, have different game values for Power, Resistance, and Income. During the game players attempt to either take control of other minor groups (such as the Gun Lobby, Boy Sprouts, or even the Joggers) or destroy them. These are the Illuminatus groups who pull strings and manipulate organizations and countries. Illuminati is a card game for two to six players where each player assumes the role of a powerful (and often humorous) organization such as the Illuminati, or the Gnomes of Zurich or even The Bermuda Triangle. This was my first introduction to Steve Jackson Games, and the game was Illuminati. (To be honest, there were two places to buy games and supplies - one in Cordova Mall and one in downtown Pensacola, but I cannot recall the name of the store in the mall - anyone?) Tucked into one of the shelves like a paperback book was a small, thin plastic box with a very unusual looking image on the front and an even crazier description of the game on the back. Koby made it a point to have a decent sized area of the store devoted to RPGs and various other popular games of the time. In 1982, I happened to be walking through the “gaming store” in downtown Pensacola, FL - Koby’s Hallmark Shop.

Original illuminati cards list