The game has ominous secret societies competing with each other to control the world through various means, including legal, illegal, and even mystical.

It contains groups named similarly to real-world organizations, such as the Society for Creative Anachronism and the Symbionese Liberation Army.

In September 1981, Steve Jackson and his regular freelance cover artist Dave Martin discussed their shared admiration of the Illuminatus!

After researching the Illuminati and conspiracy theories, and "extensive and enthusiastic playtesting" it went on the market in July 1982 in the (at the time) usual SJG Pocket Box format.

Trilogy co-author Robert Anton Wilson did not specifically name Illuminati, he criticized some products for exploiting the Illuminatus!

"[4] The game is played with a deck of special cards, money chips (representing "millions of dollars in low-denomination unmarked banknotes") and two six-sided dice.

Some Illuminati might seem unbalanced, such as the high-income Gnomes and the low-level Discordians, but sometimes their true value is not visible at first or valuable only in certain circumstances.

The game has attained cult status in some circles, been referenced in some geek media (like User Friendly comic strip).

Steve Jackson Games released a collectible card game version called Illuminati: New World Order (1994)[8][9] and a stand-alone version called Illuminati: Crime Lords (2004), where the players control mobs in attempt to take over a city.

[14][15] SJG also released Hacker (1992)[16] which is similar to the original Illuminati (modulo terminology), but the players fight for the control of computer networks.

The designer, Draper Kauffman, had been trying to develop a "global strategy game" for many years when he received a copy of Illuminati.

Recalling the creation of the PBM version, Kauffman wrote, "It wasn't long before I found that every problem in my own game design had a suspiciously similar solution: 'Hey, how about if we just handle that like they did in Illuminati?

"[20] Phil Masters reviewed Illuminati for White Dwarf #40, giving it an overall rating of 7 out of 10, and stated that "Overall, this is a playable game with a good element of skill; it creates an appropriate atmosphere of conspiracy and cynicism, although the open hands system rather removes the element of paranoid secrecy inherent in conspiracy theories.

"[21] Phil Masters reviewed Illuminati Expansion Sets 1 & 2 for White Dwarf #44, giving it an overall rating of 6 out of 10, and stated that "the concept is certain to appeal to anyone with a pet dislike or a shred of cheap cynicism.

"[22] In the December 1983 edition of Dragon, Michael Lowrey believed that Steve Jackson Games had "a definite potential classic here, and one which, properly marketed, could appeal to folks who will never play a wargame in their lives".

Before buying them and shelling out [the cash], you will probably want to pause to consider how much you will be using them, and as long as you play fairly frequently, the price may be worth the use you'll get.