Review of Illuminati: Deluxe Edition

A long time ago in a place far away...well at least longer ago then I care to admit, one of my gaming buddies introduced me to this crazy little game called "Illuminati." The premise was simple, all the conspiracy nuts were right, somebody was trying to control the world and we ignorant pawns had no clue. If you played your cards right (literally) Texas was controling the girlie magazines which in turn called the shots on the boy sprouts. What a great world.

A simple and fun game, Illuminati played on crazy theories and was constantly evolving. Eventually SJG took a chance and successfully converted 'classic' Illuminati into a CCG that kept the spirit and added a few new twists. The CCG was a lot of fun and I still have a few ready to play decks floating around. But the old game was a classic and near impossible to find.

Well SJG must have been feeling nostalgic because they have brought back classic Illuminati in a big way. Incorporating the old classics with some from the CCG and even a few new ones, SJG has reintroduced Illuminati so that a whole new generation can get sucked into the fun.

Going back to the premise that some groups have raw power and other groups have money, SJG has brought back the feel of the old game. Power structures are built from a common pool of cards which makes back stabbing so much more fun. There is only one of every group seeking power (with the possible exception of the doppleganger powers of the UFOs) which makes the game more black and white. An added bonus is that players don't have to worry about killer customized decks which can plague any CCG. The game itself is easy to learn, I taught game to a couple of newbies in minutes and then we were off to the races.

As a nod to the times, SJG has added a few new cards to the deck. Chinese campaign donors, copy shops and the militia help bring that cozy 90's flavor to the game.

As a previous review pointed out, two cards have got printing flaws on them. But, they are easy to figure out and won't slow play in the least.

Too bad the ranking system only goes up to 5...because this game deserves a higher rating. The price is a bit steep, but fans of the old game won't be disappointed and new players won't either.

Style: 5 (Excellent!)
Substance: 5 (Excellent!)