Illuminati: New World Order

Players attempt to achieve World Domination by utilizing the powers of their chosen Illuminati (the Adepts of Hermes, the Bavarian Illuminati, the Bermuda Triangle, the Discordian Society, the Gnomes of Zürich, The Network, Servants of Cthulhu, Shangri-La,the UFOs, The Society of Assassins (added in the Assassins expansion) and the Church of the Subgenius (added in the Subgenius expansion) ).[5] The first player to control a predetermined number of Organizations (usually twelve in a standard game) has achieved the Basic Goal and can claim victory.[6]

Controllable Organizations include: groups such as the Men in Black, the CIA, and the Boy Sprouts; Personalities such as Diana, Princess of Wales, Saddam Hussein, Ross Perot or Björne (the purple dinosaur); and Places like Japan, California, Canada, and the Moonbase. Many Organization names are spoofs of real organizations, presumably altered to avoid lawsuits.

Other ways to achieve victory include: destroying your rival Illuminati by capturing or destroying the last Organization in their Power Structure; and/or fulfilling a Special Goal before your opponent(s) can.

Cards come in three main types: Illuminati cards, Plot cards, and Group cards. Illuminati and Plot cards both feature an illustration of a puppeteer's hand in a blue color scheme on the rear side, whereas Group cards feature a puppet on a string in a red color scheme.

Each Illuminati card represents a different Illuminated organization at the center of each player's Power Structure. They have Power, a Special Goal, and an appropriate Special Ability. Their power flows outwards into the Groups they control via Control Arrows.

Plot cards provide the bulk of the game's narrative structure, allowing players to go beyond - or even break - the rules of the game as described in the World Domination Handbook. Plot cards are identified by their overall blue color scheme (border, and/or title color). Included among the general Plots are several special types, including Assassinations and Disasters (for delivering insults to the various Personalities and Places in play), GOAL (special goals that can lead to surprise victories), and New World Order cards (a set of conditions that affect all players, typically overridden when replacement New World Order cards are brought into play).

Group cards represent the power elite in charge of the named organization. There are two main types of Group: Organizations and Resources.

Organizations are identified by their overall red color scheme (border and/or title). There are three main types of Organization: regular Organizations, People, and Places. They all feature Power, Resistance, Special Abilities, Alignments, Attributes, and Control Arrows (an inward arrow, and 0-3 outward arrows). Just like their Illuminati masters, Organizations can launch and defend against a variety of attacks. Provided that the attacking Organization has a free, outward-pointing Control Arrow, players can increase the size of their Power Structure via successful Attacks to Control, a mathematically determined method employed whenever a player wants to capture an Organization from their own hand, or from a rival player's Power Structure. Unless the attack is Privileged (only the target and attacker can be involved), all players can aid or undermine the attack. Attacks to Destroy follow a similar game mechanic, but result in the Organization's removal from the Power Structure, after which they are immediately discarded. The outcome of all Attacks are determined by a dice roll. Other ways to introduce Organizations to the Power Structure involve Plots, or spending Action Tokens to bring Groups into play, or by using free moves, each at appropriate times during the play cycle.

Resources represent the custodians of a variety of objects, ranging from gadgets to artefacts (such as The Shroud of Turin, Flying Saucers, and ELIZA). They are identified by their overall purple color scheme (border and/or title). Resources are introduced into play by spending Action Tokens, or by using free moves during appropriate moments in the play cycle. They go alongside the Power Structure of the player's Illuminati, and bestow a useful Special Ability or similar.

In the February 1995 edition of Shadis, (Issue #17.5), Matthew Lee and Jim Pinto liked the durable cards printed on thicker card stock than the original game (although the cards wre easier to crease during shuffling.) They also liked that one starter pack was enough for two players to get started, and that the rulebook was very detailed. However, they didn't like that cards were swapped between players —unusual for a CCG — which meant that the players had to figure out whose cards were whose at the end of the game. They also found that "the large rulebook can be dautning, and a large number of rules must be memorized to play."[7]

In the June 1995 edition of Dragon (Issue 218), Rick Swan warned that it was a complex game: "Owing to the unconventional mechanics, even experienced gamers may have trouble at first." But he gave the game a perfect rating of 6 out of 6, saying, "Resolute players who scrutinize the rules and grind their way through a few practice rounds will discover why Illuminati has been so durable. Not only is it an inspired concept, it’s an enlightening treatise on the fine art of backstabbing. What more could you ask from a deck of cards?"[8] Ten months later, in the April 1996 edition of Dragon (Issue 229), Swan, tongue in cheek, called a set of blank cards produced for INWO "tastefully understated."[9]

In the September 1996 edition of Arcane (Issue 4), Steve Faragher rated the Assassins expansion set 9 out of 10 overall, saying, "With the introduction of Assassins, it now appears to have [...] a little more game balance for tournament play. A good thing indeed.".[10]

At the 1995 Origins Awards, INWO won Best Card Game of 1994.[11]

The INWO Book (1995) Steve Jackson Games Incorporated.[12]

Illuminati: New World Order, Official Website.[13]

• Official INWO site (includes rules)