As part of our Pocket Box reprint project, we have created a whole package for vintage Illuminati fans. This “Illuminati Pocket Box Bundle” will go into distribution in March 2020. Those who never managed to collect all the originals . . . or who have played them to death over the years . . . will be delighted to find them all in one big box! 

These reproductions were created from the best originals we could find and scanned at high resolution. Then we printed them in a form as close to the original release as we could manage. There are two differences: we have added “2019 Reproduction” in places so as not to deceive collectors, and we have included an extra copy of each counter sheet. The extras are die-cut, a detail we could not afford at the time but which we know you will appreciate now. 

The bundle includes: 

• The original Pocket Box Illuminati . . . yes, the version with the pink Illuminati cards and the Jeff George illustrations. It was released in 1982; we gave away a lot of copies at conventions, fellow game designers liked it and played all night, and the rest is history. (Trivia note: Jeff’s illustration for the Bavarian Illuminati is the pyramid that became our company logo.) Just like the one you had in 1982, the one that is going for $140 new on Amazon as I type this – except the new version’s box is a bit thicker and fastens a whole lot better. Oh, yes, and we included some freebies. Each box contains a pair of Eye in the Pyramid dice and an Illuminati-themed pocket notebook.
  • There are 54 cards (imagine how we ever got along with only 54 cards!).
  • The reproduction of the original Dave Martin cover, with the hands and the puppets, is perfect. (That original hangs on my wall now. It is highly inspiring.) 

• All three Illuminati Expansion Sets, the first two in their own new Pocket Boxes and the third in a ziplock bag, just like The Old Days. So, you really get All The Stuff! (I hope you like Capital Letters.)
  • The cover of Expansion Set 1 is a Dave Martin painting showing the Illuminati pyramid rising from a storm-tossed sea. It includes a new Illuminati group, the Society of Assassins, and 26 other game cards. To add to the fun from the original printing, you also get a pair of Illuminated dice and a couple of Illuminati membership cards (I still carry my original).
  • Expansion Set 2 has another Dave Martin cover, showing the Illuminati pyramid orbiting in space. This set adds the Network to the list of Illuminati, and 26 other game cards. Bonuses in this new edition include two more Illuminated dice and an “I’ve Been Illuminated” button.
  • Expansion Set 3 shows Denis Loubet’s vision of the world, and the Pyramid, engulfed in flames. This is the set with the gameboards, and counters that let you increase the Conservatism, Criminality, etc., of the whole world. It also contains the famous “Fnord” counter, and the time is not yet right to tell anyone that you have it. 

• One empty Pocket Box, because Pocket Boxes are awesome and useful. 

• Two pocket-type folders – each 9” x 12”. One has the original Dave Martin Illuminati cover image – the other has Dave’s “Illuminati in space” image with the pyramid as a huge, cratered asteroid hanging over Earth. These are specifically made for you to shake the worldview of your school or office friends who did not realize that you, personally, were part of the Conspiracy! 

• Last and definitely least, a tasteful medium-quality black-and-light-blue cardboard box, holding all the above, which can be repurposed to hold shoes, radioactive ore, a spare set of mystic amulets, or whatever else you have to stash away fnord.

I should also tell you, for those who have been keeping up with the development of Illuminati, that an expansion set for Second Edition will ship next year, including updated sets of Artifacts and NWO cards. Watch for it! 

Steve Jackson is the designer of Illuminati and the founder of Steve Jackson Games. After more than 40 years at it, he still likes making and playing games. He played Dice Forge last week and was impressed.