Illuminati (play-by-mail game)

Illuminati is a play-by-mail game published by Flying Buffalo Inc. It is based on the Illuminati card game by Steve Jackson Games.[1] It was originally owned by Adventure Systems but transitioned to Flying Buffalo Inc in 1986. The game's central focus is on conspiracy and intrigue and today involves 24 players playing either by email or by mail in turns processed simultaneously by computer. Illuminati has won the Origins Award for Best Play-By-Mail Game seven times, once in 1985 and six times in the 1990s, and was inducted into the Origins Hall of Fame in 1997.

Gameplay

Illuminati's central focus is conspiracy and intrigue. 24 players act as a secret organizations with the purpose of world domination.[2] The game has four phases. The first phase is the "grab" phase where players attempt to control game resources.[3] Players will begin dropping from the game in this phase. The second phase is the consolidation phase where tensions escalate and diplomacy plays a greater role.[4] The third warfare phase is followed by the fourth endgame phase.[5]

Development

Draper Kauffman stated that "The strange thing about this game is that it didn't start out as Illuminati", but rather that he "began with the basic concept of a PBM game of world conflict carried out by spies and secret agents, saboteurs and assassins, propagandists and opinion makers, hot money and smuggled arms, popular movements and secret conspiracies."[6]

Illuminati was originally owned by Adventure Systems[7] and transitioned to Flying Buffalo Inc in 1986.[8] Flying Buffalo initially ran the game so that turns were processed upon receipt, whereas play-by-mail games were normally processed on a specified date, simultaneously. This gave an advantage to play-by-email (PBEM) over play-by-mail (PBM) players, and after a break in game licensing, Flying Buffalo separated the player types into different games and processed turns simultaneously.[9]

Reception and legacy

Robert S. Cushman reviewed Illuminati PBM in Space Gamer No. 72, and stated that "For you card players, prepare to have your conspiracies expanded several-fold, and for you PBMers, get ready to enjoy a really novel game, with lots of amusing quirks."[10]

Illuminati has won the Origins Award a number of times: in 1985, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, and 1995.[11] The game was added to the Origins Hall of Fame in 1997.[12] In the early 1990s, Illuminati placed between 55 and 65 percent in the Paper Mayhem play-by-mail game ratings in which readers ranked games based on playability, design, and product understanding.[lower-alpha 1]

Reviews

See also

Notes and references

Notes
  1. For example in the Nov/Dec 1990 issue of Paper Mayhem, Illuminati ranked 40 of 73 games,[13] in the May/June 1991 issue, it ranked 43 of 76,[14] in the Nov/Dec 1992 issue, it was 53 of 83,[15] in the May/June 1993 issue, it was 44 of 76,[16] and in the July/August 1994 issue, it was 44 of 72.[17]

References
  1. Torkelson, James (1993). "Illuminati Strategy and Tactics". Paper Mayhem: The Informative Play By Mail Magazine. July/August (No. 61): 26.
  2. Torkelson, James (1993). "Illuminati Strategy and Tactics". Paper Mayhem: The Informative Play By Mail Magazine. July/August (No. 61): 26–27.
  3. Torkelson, James (1993). "Illuminati Strategy and Tactics". Paper Mayhem: The Informative Play By Mail Magazine. July/August (No. 61): 27.
  4. Torkelson, James (1993). "Illuminati Strategy and Tactics". Paper Mayhem: The Informative Play By Mail Magazine. July/August (No. 61): 27.
  5. Torkelson, James (1993). "Illuminati Strategy and Tactics". Paper Mayhem: The Informative Play By Mail Magazine. July/August (No. 61): 27.
  6. Kauffman, Draper (Jan–Feb 1985). "Illuminati PBM Designer's Notes". Space Gamer. Steve Jackson Games (72): 29.
  7. Adventure Systems (1986). "Paranoids Beware!". Paper Mayhem: The Informative Play By Mail Magazine. July/August (No. 19): Inside Front Cover.
  8. Flying Buffalo Inc. "Awards Flying Buffalo has Won". Flying Buffalo Inc. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  9. Flying Buffalo Inc. "Illuminati". Flying Buffalo Inc. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  10. Cushman, Robert S. (Jan–Feb 1985). "Illuminati PBM Review". Space Gamer. Steve Jackson Games (72): 27–29.
  11. Flying Buffalo Inc. "Awards Flying Buffalo has Won". Flying Buffalo Inc. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  12. "Origins Award Winners (1997)". Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design. Archived from the original on 2008-01-30. Retrieved 2008-02-17.
  13. Paper Mayhem (1990). "PBM Game Ratings". Paper Mayhem: The Informative Play By Mail Magazine. Nov/Dec 1990 (No. 44): 48.
  14. Paper Mayhem (1991). "PBM Game Ratings". Paper Mayhem: The Informative Play By Mail Magazine. May/June 1991 (No. 48): 48.
  15. Paper Mayhem (1992). "PBM Game Ratings". Paper Mayhem: The Informative Play By Mail Magazine. Nov/Dec 1992 (No. 57): 52–53.
  16. Paper Mayhem (1993). "PBM Game Ratings". Paper Mayhem: The Informative Play By Mail Magazine. May/Jun 1993 (No. 60): 44–45.
  17. Paper Mayhem (1994). "PBM Game Ratings". Paper Mayhem: The Informative Play By Mail Magazine. July/August 1994 (No. 44): 48.
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