The game's central focus is on conspiracy and intrigue and involved 24 players playing either by email or by mail in turns processed simultaneously by computer.
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.
[5] Draper Kauffman stated in 1985 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.
When the phone call came, I stood in the corner talking about our failed infiltration of the International Cocaine Smugglers, our need to pick up a terrorist group, our power, influence, morale, etc.
When I hung up and turned back to the party, I was met with open mouthed stares of disbelief."
Illuminati was similar to the Steve Jackson card game of the same name in that players controlled one of various "Illuminated" groups and try to dominate the world.
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.
Kurley stated that, "Overall, the game plays very well," noting one drawback in "trying to crossreference some of the material in the Question-and-Answer section".