Note that the Vice and Daily Star articles cited above both seem to confuse the two games as being one - and their sloppy reporting does not end there. The games have received attention in a small number of mainstream news articles, such as this 2012 piece in Vice and this 2016 article in the Daily Star. Note: We’ll take a much closer look at both games separately in Part VII of this series. In short: There are two ‘Illuminati card games’, released by the same company, which are similar in many ways: ‘Illuminati’ (1982) and ‘INWO’ (1994). Generally the games are referred to as ‘the Illuminati card game’ few people seem to understand the distinction between the 19 versions and speak of them interchangeably.įor the rest of this series I will refer to the 1982 standalone game as ‘Illuminati’ and the 1994 collectible card game as ‘INWO’.

Comparison of two ‘Psychiatrist’ cards.Ībove is a comparison of the ‘Psychiatrist’ card from the standalone game (1982) and the collectible card game (1994). Many cards appear in both (although in different style). There is a lot of overlap between the games. The 1994 version ‘INWO’ is a collectible card game, which means that collectors/players collect and trade cards to build their own decks. The 1982 version ‘Illuminati’ is a standalone game, which means that all cards come as part of the game set as purchased. Note: The history of both Steve Jackson Games and its founder will be covered in detail in Part IX of this series.Īs will be explained in more detail in a moment, the two games are different: In short: The ‘Illuminati card games’ revolve around ‘conspiracy theories’, secrecy and world control.

For example, in the original 1982 game, players can take the role of The Bavarian Illuminati, the UFOs, the Servants of Cthulhu, etc. The gameplay of both games revolve around the notion of conspiracy, secrecy and world control. Since then there have been several updates (‘expansions’) for both the original 1982 standalone card game and the 1994 collectible card game.īoth versions feature hundreds of playing cards, many of which make reference to various ‘conspiracy’ theories, ideas, and tropes. Then in 1994 the same company released a collectible card game entitled ‘Illuminati: New World Order’ (INWO), largely based on the 1982 release. In 1982 a standalone card game was released by Steve Jackson Games entitled ‘Illuminati’. In Part I of this series we are looking at the basic facts concerning the ‘Illuminati card game’ and why it may be of interest to thinking people.ġ – ‘Illuminati card game’ – introduction

What is the ‘Illuminati card game’ and why would anybody care? ‘Illuminati Card Game’ Analysis Part I: Introduction and OverviewĤ – Relevance to the alternative/conspiracy/truth scene

Illuminati card game card list